Uniform Civil Code -choosing between devil and deep blue sea.

The last post on Muslim Divorce laws have evoked lot of discussion of Uniform Civil Code..I haven’t done much reading on this,so I am yet to form my own opinion.Enacting UCC is easier said than done,but I have no idea how it is practical in a country of excessive plurality of religions.I think gender-equal and secualr concepts emulated into personal laws will be more acceptable and more fesible in our current state of nation-atleast,it may serve as a first step towards reform.Otherwise,we and our coming generation will die ranting UCC and nothing is going to happen.

While I do my reading,I would like to share an article that echo my current thoughts.

Why I Support The Uniform Civil Code

Author: Tariq Ansari

Publication: Outlook

Date: July 29, 2003

URL: http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20030729&fname=ucc&sid=1

The Supreme Court has once again set the cat amongst the pigeons on the matter of a Common Civil Code. Gloating and breast beating has commenced on all sides of the politico-social spectrum. As an Indian Muslim I would like very much to be heard….

 

The Supreme Court has once again set the cat amongst the pigeons on the matter of a Common Civil Code. Gloating and breast beating has commenced on all sides of the politico- social spectrum. As an Indian Muslim I would like very much to be heard.

 

Let’s get some ridiculous myths out of the way first:

 

Myth 1: All Muslims are opposed to a Common Civil Code.

 

Clearly, this is not the case. I am one who is not, as are many others.

 

Myth 2: The Muslim Personal Law gives Muslims some great benefits that are being withheld from non-Muslims.

 

Nothing can be further from the truth. The personal law only gives Muslims the right to be governed by Shariah principles in the personal matters of marriage, inheritance, property rights and religious observance. Commercial and criminal law is the same for all Indians.

 

So why do I support a common law for all Indians in civil matters? For four very good reasons.

 

First, there are at least six schools of jurisprudence among Muslims, four among Sunnis and two among Shias. The Indian Muslim Personal Law is a curious amalgam of principles from different schools, but most particularly the Hanafi branch of Sunni legal belief.

 

While most Indian Muslims are from this sect, our so-called Muslim Personal Law does not cover large numbers of Muslims, who prefer their own interpretation of Shariah law. Therefore, this is hardly in conformity with pure Koranic practice, as the more extreme elements among the Muslim clergy would have us believe.

 

Second, I believe the most important demand that Muslims should make in secular India is that we are treated equally. That we have equal rights and opportunities as all other Indians and that the State will afford us the same protection of our rights and property as it would Hindus. I do not believe Muslims can make that demand when at the same time we want to be treated differently in matters of personal law. This is an irreconcilable inconsistency.

 

Third, at least half of all Muslims are badly served by the Muslim Personal Law. Triple talaq, no rights to maintenance (thank you, Rajiv Gandhi!) and subordinate rights of inheritance are all examples of how my Muslim sisters labour under an unfair and, dare I say it, unIslamic set of regulations. I have a daughter and if she should want to marry a Muslim it will be under the Special Marriages Act, thank you very much.

 

And lastly, this ridiculous Muslim Personal Law is a convenient stick for Hindu communalists to beat Muslims with. Giving us the right to be governed by our own personal law gives them the right to claim that we are some kind of privileged minority with a suspect commitment to the Indian Republic. Take away the law and deprive Pravin Togadia of the stick.

 

However, I would also like to raise two very specific and critical qualifications to my support of the Supreme Court mention. We cannot move towards a Common Civil Code without absolute clarity on these matters:

 

One, understand and do something about the fundamental reasons why Indian Muslims cling to their own Personal Law. Deep within the psyche of the Mussalman is a fear of disenfranchisement, of complete loss of identity and marginalisation within Indian society.

 

Two, every time you burn homes in Gujarat, every time you treat Urdu as an alien tongue, every time a Muslim boy loses a job opportunity thanks to discrimination and every time Mr Togadia hints darkly at ‘the enemy within,’ you compound the siege mentality.

 

When everything is taken away, goes the ghetto belief, let us cling tightly to what we are. The Muslim Personal Law, sadly, has become one of the symbols of identity, an identity under threat.

 

A Common Civil Code must imply that ALL citizens are covered under the same laws on civil and commercial matters.

 

Let us dismantle at the same time, special privileges under the Hindu Undivided Family provisions as also any special laws governing the personal affairs of Christians, Parsis, Jains, Buddhists, and Sikhs as well as other groups like the Nairs of Kerala who follow the principles of matrilineal descent.

 

Do away not only with Muslim Personal Law but also other laws on the statute books that grant legal sanctity to unique practices of the diverse communities of India.

 

As an Indian Muslim I wholeheartedly support the idea of a Common Civil Code. It is a fair and equitable Directive Principle of the Constitution of India. Let us, however, understand this matter in its entirety, away from the hysterical jubilation and frantic wailing of communalists on both sides.

 

One people. One law.

 

Yes, for sure!

 

Tariq Ansari is Managing Director, Mid Day Multimedia,

Mumbai

Yes,Uniform Civil Code may require muslims to give away their religious rulings and idendity,but what else can do done in a nation where Personal Law Board members are not ready make any reform even after 60+ years.. (oh,I forgot to give them due credit.They are smart enough to reform Sharia so that men can divorce vis SMS,phone and email..Apart from these sexist reform,I haven’t heard of nay reform that would benefit women who are still at mercy of men )If muslims are bothered about giving away the freedom of religion,they better reform their gender-biased laws,or else may shut up and do as the state enacts Article 44 of Indian Constitution ( Article 44 provides that the State shall endeavor to secure for all citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India.)

The drama of divorce over phone,email and SMS..

Oh yeah,the Chand-Fiza love story(read high voltage drama) has made a breakthough by Chand ranting Talaq over Phone.. Earlier,there had been a report that the number of Phone-divorces and SMS- divorces are on an increase in India..Bravo Indian Muslim men,go ahead and divorce your wife..not as Allah told you,but as Mullah told you..

Duh,what a cliché- Phone/SMS divorce!! Aren’t the mullah’s smart enough to reform Sharia to suit their horny and chuvanistic needs?? But oh well,all you women stay away and don’t ask for any reform because if you do so,you are out of fold of Islam ,its just men who can add and subtract and divide and mutiply. Men can vomit words ‘Talaq talaq talaq’ and get away from women but a woman has to undergo a cumbersome and tiring procedures to get one,too much of justice and fairness uh?

Triple talaq is banned in almost all countries,even in those nations that have majority muslims and those that are branded ultra conservative and most of them have polygamy either prohibitted or highly contolled through legal and administrative procedures…But oh well,India is a free nation and ‘holy’ men in Muslim board are holier than the rest in almost all parts of the world and hence they are very particular that they stay smart than the rest. Allah has laid down clear cut rules and procedures for divorce,though Talaq is the most hated one and only to be resorted to as a last choice. But oh well, Indian mullahs don’t care much for Allah,actually,they are more smart than Allah,so they put up their own rules and imposed it on wormy-women like me. I wonder how many among muslims know that they are not following Allah’s Islam, but Mullah’s Islam..

I don’t want to ruin my mood and waste my time over such shitty people.But neither can I let go it just like that ,as it affects millions of women like me. Men who divorce through phone or SMS are better got ridden off ,as they are not worth anybody’s time and love and care. Is there a way I can get out of this CURRENT FORM of Sharia and be someone under common law? If even after 60 years,so called scholars can’t make it right,I don’t expect them to do it anytime . Shame on all you so called moderate or enlightened muslims.Shame on all you muslim men who watch and enjoy the show.May all of you burn in hell,always ,for not speaking up against injustice and for not trying to set things right in front of your eyes. Duh,on what grounds does this grevious matter end up as a fememnst one and that only Alla India Muslim Women Board is expected to talk about it? Don’t you have mother ,sister or a daughter?  If you has taken some effort to put such things right, you would have been admitted direct into heaven for jihad against injustice.. But oh well,you are not interested in reforming your own society,but is rather interested in pointing fingers ate teenage pregnancies and forcinations in America.. Live in fool’s paradise,until you make it to rotten hell…

Sorry for my crap rant,but I just can’t take it how hypocritical majority muslims are.. Now,for those who are interested, read below on how divorce is stipulated as per Allah’s words..And for all you champions of SMS/email divorce read the article that explains the legal (islamic) and moral aspects of this sort of divorce… “The Legal and Moral Dimensions of Talaq by SMS-A Critical reading..”

Divorce must be resorted to only in exceptional circumstances. The laws relating to divorce together with the relevant verses from the Quran are given below:

• Appoint an arbitrator

[4:35] If a couple fears separation, you shall appoint an arbitrator from his family and an arbitrator from her family; if they decide to reconcile, GOD will help them get together. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.

• Wait 4 months cooling off before divorce

 [2:226-227] Those who intend to divorce their wives shall wait four months (cooling off); if they change their minds and reconcile, then GOD is Forgiver, Merciful. If they go through with the divorce, then GOD is Hearer, Knower. If the estranged couple chooses separation they must go through with it equitably.

 There must be two equitable witnesses witness the divorce before GOD

[65:2] Once the interim is fulfilled, you may reconcile with them equitably, or go through with the separation equitably. You shall have two equitable witnesses witness the divorce before GOD. This is to enlighten those who believe in GOD and the Last Day. Anyone who reverences GOD, He will create an exit for him.

•  Divorced women to observe an interim period

[2:228] The divorced women shall wait three menstruations (before marrying another man). It is not lawful for them to conceal what GOD creates in their wombs, if they believe in GOD and the Last Day. (In case of pregnancy,) the husband’s wishes shall supersede the wife’s wishes, if he wants to remarry her. The women have rights, as well as obligations, equitably. Thus, the man’s wishes prevail (in case of pregnancy). GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.

 [65:4-5] As for the women who have reached menopause, if you have any doubts, their interim shall be three months. As for those who do not menstruate, and discover that they are pregnant, their interim ends upon giving birth. Anyone who reverences GOD, He makes everything easy for him. This is GOD’s command that He sends down to you. Anyone who reverences GOD, He remits his sins, and rewards him generously.

• Exception for observing interim period

[33:49] O you who believe, if you married believing women, then divorced them before having intercourse with them, they do not owe you any waiting interim (before marrying another man). You shall compensate them equitably, and let them go amicably.

After the fulfilment of the interim the divorced women is free to do whatever she wants Although the following verse is in context of widows, it appears to be applicable to a divorcees too.

You Shall Observe the Pre-Marriage Interims

[2:234] Those who die and leave wives, their widows shall wait four months and ten days (before they remarry). Once they fulfill their interim, you commit no error by letting them do whatever righteous matters they wish to do. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.

[2:235] You commit no sin by announcing your engagement to the women, or keeping it secret. GOD knows that you will think about them. Do not meet them secretly, unless you have something righteous to discuss. Do not consummate the marriage until their interim is fulfilled. You should know that GOD knows your innermost thoughts, and observe Him. You should know that GOD is Forgiver, Clement.

•  Divorced women have to be provided for.

 This is probably one of the abused laws in the Quran. But God holds us responsible for our innermost thoughts. If one observes God’s laws then God makes it easy for him / her.

[65:7] The rich husband shall provide support in accordance with his means, and the poor shall provide according to the means that GOD bestowed upon him. GOD does not impose on any soul more than He has given it. GOD will provide ease after difficulty.

• Alimony For Widows and Divorcees

 [2:240] Those who die and leave wives, a will shall provide their wives with support for a year, provided they stay within the same household. If they leave, you commit no sin by letting them do whatever they wish, so long as righteousness is maintained. GOD is Almighty, Most Wise.

 [2:241] The divorcees also shall be provided for, equitably. This is a duty upon the righteous.

•  Compensation when marriage is not consummated

Breaking the Engagement

[2:236] You commit no error by divorcing the women before touching them, or before setting the dowry for them. In this case, you shall compensate them – the rich as he can afford and the poor as he can afford – an equitable compensation. This is a duty upon the righteous.

[2:237] If you divorce them before touching them, but after you had set the dowry for them, the compensation shall be half the dowry, unless they voluntarily forfeit their rights, or the party responsible for causing the divorce chooses to forfeit the dowry. To forfeit is closer to righteousness. You shall maintain the amicable relations among you. GOD is Seer of everything you do.

• Divorced women entitled to stay in the same house she stayed before divorce

Do Not Throw the Divorcees Out Onto the Streets

 [2:231] If you divorce the women, once they fulfill their interim (three menstruations), you shall allow them to live in the same home amicably, or let them leave amicably. Do not force them to stay against their will, as a revenge. Anyone who does this wrongs his own soul. Do not take GOD’s revelations in vain. Remember GOD’s blessings upon you, and that He sent down to you the scripture and wisdom to enlighten you. You shall observe GOD, and know that GOD is aware of all things.

[65:6] You shall allow them to live in the same home in which they lived with you, and do not make life so miserable for them that they leave on their own. If they are pregnant, you shall spend on them until they give birth. If they nurse the infant, you shall pay them for this service. You shall maintain the amicable relations among you. If you disagree, you may hire another woman to nurse the child.

• Divorce can be retracted twice:

In other words, if the couple reconciles after the first divorce and wish to be husband and wife again, they can re-marry. This is allowed for two divorce only. If the couple divorces third time they have to observe God’s commandment in 2:230 (quoted below.) God makes it not-so-easy for the couple to divorce. This law serves as a deterrent for those who want a divorce for the third time and they would be very careful to take this step.

[2:229] Divorce may be retracted twice. The divorced woman shall be allowed to live in the same home amicably, or leave it amicably. It is not lawful for the husband to take back anything he had given her. However, the couple may fear that they may transgress GOD’s law. If there is fear that they may transgress GOD’s law, they commit no error if the wife willingly gives back whatever she chooses. These are GOD’s laws; do not transgress them. Those who transgress GOD’s laws are the unjust.

[2:232] If you divorce the women, once they fulfill their interim, do not prevent them from remarrying their husbands, if they reconcile amicably. This shall be heeded by those among you who believe in GOD and the Last Day. This is purer for you, and more righteous. GOD knows, while you do not know.

 [2:230] If he divorces her (for the third time), it is unlawful for him to remarry her, unless she marries another man, then he divorces her. The first husband can then remarry her, so long as they observe GOD’s laws. These are GOD’s laws; He explains them for people who know

Also note the words “It is not lawful for the husband to take back anything he had given her.” in 2:229.

•  In case there is a baby during the interim:

 If during the observation of the interim period it is discovered that the divorced women is pregnant then as stated in 65:4 the interim ends upon giving birth. God has decreed the following law dealing with the infant:

[2:233] Divorced mothers shall nurse their infants two full years, if the father so wishes. The father shall provide the mother’s food and clothing equitably. No one shall be burdened beyond his ability. No mother shall be harmed on account of her infant, nor shall the father be harmed because of his infant. (If the father dies), his inheritor shall assume these responsibilities. If the infant’s parents mutually agree to part, after due consultation, they commit no error by doing so. You commit no error by hiring nursing mothers, so long as you pay them equitably. You shall observe GOD, and know that GOD is Seer of everything you do.

• Under what conditions can a woman divorce her husband.?

 Whichever party chooses for divorce must obey the laws as aforesaid. Normally divorce is mutually decided by the couple. If the aforesaid laws are observed, there could be a situation where either of the spouse may not give their consent but if the arbitrators from both the families decide that divorce is the best solution for the estranged couple then they would, nevertheless go through divorce. The divorce laws are applicable to both man and woman (4:35 and 2:237 indicate this) except that there are certain additional laws which a divorced woman has to observe.

 The following seem to be the only conditions where a believing women leaves her husband without observing the above laws. In fact, I think in this case even a formal divorce is not required under Quran. However if the law of the land requires a formal divorce then one must follow suit.

 [60:10] O you who believe, when believing women (abandon the enemy and) ask for asylum with you, you shall test them. GOD is fully aware of their belief. Once you establish that they are believers, you shall not return them to the disbelievers. They are not lawful to remain married to them, nor shall the disbelievers be allowed to marry them. Give back the dowries that the disbelievers have paid. You commit no error by marrying them, so long as you pay them their due dowries. Do not keep disbelieving wives (if they wish to join the enemy). You may ask them for the dowry you had paid, and they may ask for what they paid. This is GOD’s rule; He rules among you. GOD is Omniscient, Most Wise.

 

See how men has twisted the whole system and made it ultra sexist..Is there a way out? It is for the enlightened muslims to answer this question..

 

 

 

p.s : The only good outcome of the whole love story episode is that some sleeping borad members have started discussing this matter..

Chand-Fiza talaq: Ulema now talk of screening

I  didn’t compile the whole part so well..In fact it is taken from a website,but I am not providing the link as there are some wrong information too in the site. Internet is filled with different forms of facts,that it is hard to relaise which is right  and which is wrong. The verses above can be easily verified by using a Quran translation as the verse number is provided and it is completet accurate..

Remembering Prophet Muhammad on his birthday

Today,its Prophet Muhmmad’s birth date. I don’t celebrate Prophet’s birthday,but I would recall his teaching of peace and tolerance. Some Muslims say that celebrating one’s birthday is haram..Oh well, I find nothing wrong in finding happiness in small small things in life. Also, birthdays can be used to have a look back at the days gone and for making plans for coming days. Many scholars are of this opinion/ruling.

 

Islam supports the celebration of birthdays if it is an expression of gratitude to Allah for His bounties, sustenance and blessings in man’s life, as long as that celebration does not include anything that may displease Allah, the Almighty.There is nothing wrong if we try to make them(kids) feel happy on that day as long as we are using lawful things. In Islam, birthdays are not considered `eid (a festival) like `Eidul-Fitr or `Eidul-Adha, because `eids have conditions and guidelines such as not being allowed to fast during the days of Eid. Therefore, birthdays are simply occasions of a person’s date of birth and are a matter of culture. If a person wants to commemorate his/her date of birth, then he/she may do so, especially if he/she takes the opportunity to reflect on the past and pledge to be better during the following year. However, to make the birthday an important occasion is not recommended or encouraged. Permissibility is the original ruling in this case, as there is no evidence of prohibition.[read more]

On this occasion,I would like to draw your attention to an article,dealing with a ‘hot’ topic –Prophets’ marriages .Today,not many are interested in other vast virues of Prophet ,so I thought of talking about this area of interest to you.I am a least informed person,but if you have any questions,I will try to find answers for them..Read below…

 

When the Nigerian journalist Isioma Daniel wrote that Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, would want to take one of the body-flaunting beauties in the Miss World pageant as his wife, Isioma was, besides exhibiting insensitivity, factually incorrect.

 

Muhammad’s 12 wives, although not all married to him at the same time, were modest, courageous, independent, outspoken, righteous, patient and loyal.They were not known for their physical beauty –certainly not the kind that is flaunted in public.All of Muhammad’s wives chose to remain devoted to him out of their own free will. The Quran recounts this choice: “O Prophet, tell your wives: ‘If you want the worldly life and its attraction, then come on! I’ll let you enjoy them and dismiss you in a handsome fashion.’ “[33:28].For this noble choice, they were afforded the generous title of mother of the believers, exemplars of Muslim womanhood.

 

Why did Muhammad marry 12 women? John Esposito, in Islam: The Straight Path , writes, “As was customary for Arab chiefs, many were political marriages to cement alliances. Others were marriages to the widows of his companions who had fallen in combat and were in need of protection.”

 

Muhammad was far ahead of his time by marrying Khadija, a widow and an independent business owner 15 years older than he was, as his first wife. This monogamous relationship, which lasted nearly 25 years,until Khadija’s death, was contrary to the then-Jewish, Christian and Arab traditions that allowed for unlimited wives.

 

Perhaps even more eye-opening was the fact that Muhammad took Sawda as his second wife when she was a 65-year-old widow. This marriage came as a great surprise to Muhammad’s contemporaries, who usually took wives for their wealth or beauty, rarely out of compassion and affording security to women.In fact, all but one of Muhammad’s wives were widows, and many of them were over the age of 40 when they married him.

 

Two of Muhammad’s marriages have come under particular attack from those who never lose an opportunity to promote Islamophobia, much like the idolaters of Muhammad’s time. Even in their enmity, the Meccans of Muhammad’s time never accused him of moral ineptitude.The current charge that Muhammad took his third wife, Aisha, when she was a minor is based on apocryphal traditions. The preponderance of evidence suggests that Aisha was between 16 and 19 years old when she married Muhammad.

 

Another marriage that has raised current scrutiny is his seventh wife, Zaynab. This marriage, as with most of Muhammad’s actions, was done to instruct the nascent Muslim community by setting personal examples.At issue was the relationship of an adopted child to his new parents.Modern Westerners may disagree, but Islam’s position is that adopted children are not equivalent in legal or biological status to children out of natural birth.To illustrate this, God commanded Muhammad to marry the wife of his adopted son following their divorce.

 

 

While Muhammad was Caesar and pope in one, he had none of their worldly possessions. In fact a mini-revolt erupted among Muhammad’s wives not due to jealousy (as one might have expected) but complaints about their lack of worldly possessions.

 

Muhammad’s daytime was spent fulfilling his prophetic mission of teaching. His nights were spent in long solitary prayers. This lifestyle was scarcely conducive to sexual perversion as suggested in many misinformed quarters.Authentic traditions tell us that Muhammad used to stand in prayer during much of each night. In the process, his feet would swell up. Aisha asked him about his extreme efforts to please God even though God had given him the good news of admittance into Paradise. Muhammad’s answer was befitting a prophet: “Shouldn’t I be a grateful servant?”

 

To avoid the kind of excesses that we saw in Nigeria,both Muslims and non-Muslims need to know the traditions of the other more thoroughly. Perhaps one place to start is with the figure of Muhammad.Karen Armstrong says, “Muhammad was a man who faced an absolutely hopeless situation. . . .Single-handedly in a space of 23 years he brought peace and a new hope to Arabia and a new beacon for the world.”

 

 

Any Questions ??

 

Good day  and Advance Holi wishes to all of you..

 

 

 

Article source : http://www.islamawareness.net/Muhammed/wives.html

Dar al-Aman and Kaffirs..

Honestly speaking,I am hearing this word Dar al Aman for the first time.Lately,there have been news on Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband issuing fatwas that India is a Dar al-Aman and that there shouldn’t be any jihad in India and that Hindus should not be reffered to as Kaffirs..

 

Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband on Sunday said it regarded India as Dar al-Aman or a “Muslim-friendly country”. It ceased to be Dar al-Harb or hostile for Muslims with the end of British rule. “How can a country where you choose your own government be Dar al-Harb?” the seminary’s vice-rector Abdul Khaleque Madrasi said, adding: “If VHP has doubts, a fatwa can be issued, provided the organisation follows the prescribed procedure for obtaining a religious edict.”

 

In Islamic theology, geographical territories are often described as Dar al-Harb, Dar al-Islam and Dar al-Aman. The distinctions have been crucial in Muslim thought and action, said Qari Mohammed Usman, one of Darul’s senior-most teachers.

 

Dar al-Harb literally means “abode of war” or territory that is not under Islamic law and, if threatening to Islam, can be brought into Islam’s fold by jihad.In contrast, Dar al-Islam denotes territory under Islamic law, he said. Dar al-Aman or “abode of peace” is used to describe territory that is not under Islamic law but where Muslims can live in peace and harmony without interference in their practice of Islam.One example was India, Usman said.[source]

 

 

A major Muslim body has opposed Hindus being dubbed as `kafirs’ and pointed out that though the term does not have any derogatory connotations, it should be avoided to promote understanding between the two communities. “Strictly speaking, the word `kafir’ only means someone not belonging to Islam; but if its use hurts anyone the term should be avoided. Naumani said the idea of India as a hostile country had been part of the anti-British struggle during the Raj. “That concept is no longer relevant, it is now Dar-ul-Aman,” he said.

 

Explaining the change in the assessment of India by the Islamic school, Naumani said, “If Muslims get elected through a democratic process and can hold important positions, how can India become a hostile land.” He said Deoband had not yet received Singhal’s letter. “We will reply to it as and when it reaches us,” he said.

 

While reading this,Kislay Chandra came to my mind,he is the one I have seen who is very irritated with the word ‘Kaffir’. .It is just an Arabic word that means non muslim.But that said,I know that some people (muslims) use this word every now and then and maybe thatz why others feel offended.And in that case,muslims should refrain from using such words that may hinder inter-faith relationships.My advice to muslims-don’t use this word unnecessarily and out of context..My advice to non muslims don’t take offence over a single word.Life is more beautiful than to be spoiled over a petty word.You don’t belive in Allah,do you? When you don’t believe in my God,aren’t you a disbeliever to me?Am I not a disbeliver to you? How complicated is that to understand and assimilate? I don’t know,some people take life and small stuff like this way too serious..Stretch your minds and hearts a little more-stop calling others kaffirs, and stop getting offended at a word..

 

 

AL-KAFIROON (THE DISBELIEVERS, ATHEISTS)

Total Verses: 6

Revealed At: MAKKA

 

109.001

YUSUFALI: Say : O ye that reject Faith!

PICKTHAL: Say: O disbelievers!

SHAKIR: Say: O unbelievers!

 

109.002

YUSUFALI: I worship not that which ye worship,

PICKTHAL: I worship not that which ye worship;

SHAKIR: I do not serve that which you serve,

 

109.003

YUSUFALI: Nor will ye worship that which I worship.

PICKTHAL: Nor worship ye that which I worship.

SHAKIR: Nor do you serve Him Whom I serve:

 

109.004

YUSUFALI: And I will not worship that which ye have been wont to worship,

PICKTHAL: And I shall not worship that which ye worship.

SHAKIR: Nor am I going to serve that which you serve,

 

109.005

YUSUFALI: Nor will ye worship that which I worship.

PICKTHAL: Nor will ye worship that which I worship.

SHAKIR: Nor are you going to serve Him Whom I serve:

 

109.006

YUSUFALI: To you be your Way, and to me mine.

PICKTHAL: Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.

SHAKIR: You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.

 

 

 

 

 

Pragmatics between moral police and one’s freedom of expression

 

Thanks to Solilo for bringing my attention into this news,where women are religiously beating up a girl,in the name of a tattoo.

 A Pakistani national, who had come to pursue a course in production from Whistling Woods International Institute in Mumbai, was beaten up at a Malad mall last week for sporting a tattoo in Urdu on her back. The incident scared the girl so much that she left for Pakistan on Friday.

Some women suddenly approached her and assaulted her over the tattoo which read ‘Shukr Alham Du Lillah’, meaning ‘Thank you, God’. They slapped the girl several times before the mall management intervened.

 

This is a complex issue where people mix common sense with religious sentiments.[As is the same case when SRS mixed common sense with cultural sentiments].Neverthless,questions unanswered will promote further issues and breed more hate.I am trying to look into this,as how I feel it right,please feel free to disagree.

 

Firstly,my message to those women,who think that they are guardians of Islam-followed by 1.5 billion people..Please mind your own business and bother about your own fate,before you poke at somebody else’s nose .YOUR ‘RIGHT’ ,and ‘WRONG’ is just yours and nobody else’s.If you think that you have the right to trash people based on YOUR RIGHT,please go shut yourself in a cave and never come back..Instead,if you feel that your sentiments,may it be religious,cultural or policitcal,are hurt,talk to the concerned party.If they agree with YOUR RIGHT,be happy and go home,drink a pepsi.If they choose not to agree with YOUR RIGHT,go home tear a pillow and get rid of your frustration and drink a lassi and relax. Just in case you think that Allah has asked you to take role of HARAM POLICE,please know that we the people who understand the real spirit of islam are no longer shikhandis,who are impotent to act and react.No longer acan you delude us by quoting the infinite hadiths which have nothing to do with Islam.So,stop minding others business and if you are indeed worried about the girl’s fate of going to hell because she wore a tattoo,please have the liberty of going home and pray 2 rakat prayer for her .Let God decide it for her-you needn’t take his role.

 

 

Secondly,I would like to bring your attention into a more complex topic in muslim world,where people make anything and everything haram(forbidden) ..AS like in every community,muslim world too have a set of people who say ‘chi chi,this is haram’,’chi chi,that is haram’ ,’ chi chi,everything is haram’..They make music haram,they make painting haram,they make eye brow shaping haram,they make television haram,they are hell bent over moral policing people and hence the name ‘Haram police’.In my experience, regardless of what religion it is, you see the righteous become the wicked in their attempts to be more righteous.But among muslims,the issue is more complex,because everybody has a hadith to quote as to claim their stand.To beginners,hadiths are man-written oral narrations relating to words and deeds of Prophet.Hadiths were complied 200 years after Prophet’s death.Putting it simple,hadith is a saying ‘Prohet’s wife’s servant’s brother’s aunty’ said that she saw Phophet saying so”.Hadiths are classified as strong,weak and fabricated.Over years of reading,I have understood that whatever,be it the controversial topics in Islam,it is attributed to hadiths..For eg-stoning is not in Quran,but is there is a hadiths.Hanging apostates is not there in Quran,but in hadiths.and so it goes on.As a muslim,TO ME,Quran is the word of Allah and hadiths are narrations that help me to understand life during Prophet’s time-nothing more,nothing less.Allah says that Quran is complete and it is hard for me to accept that Prophet outsmarted Allah and added his own laws to the religion.Prophet’s duty was to deliver Quran to humans,nothing more,nothing less.So,when people tell me that ‘You have to act this way because it is so in hadtihs’,I fliter it out against the message in Quran.For eg,Quran says that there is no compulsion in religion,but these so called scholars tells you to kill people going out of Islam-what a joke..Quran says that the penalty of adultery is equal for both men and women, and involves symbolic lashing. Social pressure, i.e., public witnessing of the penalty, is the basic punishment (24:1-2) but everywhere we hear about stoning,which again is attributed to hadiths.Such is the complex integration of hadiths to Islamic world,and it will make lot of time to clear the mess.I am not against hadiths,but I am against using a petty narration to formulate a law as serious as life and death.

 

Ok,that said,now one can trace the anti-tattoo reference to hadiths .The bottomline is not the alter the creation of Allah as it is and not to hurt the body.But I find this logic weird,because the very same people say that piercing ears,as to use earring is not haram as it is a ‘need’ for women.What the hell,who told you that earrings are a need and everything else is not. Beatification of one’s body is one’s personal choice and if I prefer not to wear earrings but have tattoos, will that be fine,because  your need is not my need?Interstingly, everything they say is stupid,bcoz then haricuts would be haram,since you are altering naturally grown hair.Boxing would be haram because it involves harming the  body .The argument of ‘not changing Allahs’s creation’ is absurd..The verse So set thy purpose (O Muhammad) for religion as a man by nature upright – the nature (framed) of Allah, in which He hath created man. There is no altering (the laws of) Allah’s creation. That is the right religion, but most men know not – 30:30) is talking about not changing Quran which is Allah’s creation.I suggest and request people to read something before jumping into conclusions.do you think that by following some random cleric’s fatwa,you are pleasing God?I am sure God will ask you ‘Why did I give you some brain,I am going to punish you for not valuing my blessing’ .As per Islamic rulings,you haram police deserve to be punished

• 042.040 The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah: for (Allah) loveth not those who do wrong.
• 042.041 But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong (done) to them, against such there is no cause of blame.
• 042.042 The blame is only against those who oppress men and wrong-doing and insolently transgress beyond bounds through the land, defying right and justice: for such there will be a penalty grievous.
• 042.043  But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs.
• 042.044 For any whom Allah leaves astray, there is no protector thereafter. And thou wilt see the Wrong-doers, when in sight of the Penalty, Say: “Is there any way (to effect) a return?”

I wonder why the police didn’t arrest these women for harming somebody.

Thirdly,personally,I dislike tattoos.Also,they are unhealthy and pose major mental strain when the love for tattoo disppaers the very next morning your lover becomes ‘ex’.But then again,its your choice and you are free to do as you wish,until and unless it infringes my freedom of choice.

 

Fourthly,what if she had tattooed ‘Allah is crap’ or ‘Muhammad is  a pedophile’..Well then again,I would feel bad but I would never waste my time on these people.If it really bothers me,I would spread awareness of the other side of what the tattoo says,instead of protesting violently on streets.This world is beautiful because of diverse people,and I don’t expect everybody to think like me or accept my version of ‘right’.So I would just move on,until and unless they infringe my freedom of expression.

 

Then again,it is not appropriate for people to do whatever they want..There is no such thing as absolute freedom of expression.Your freedom ends where mine starts.Yes,you can draw cartoons on Prophet’s sexual and blood thristy,you can draw nude pictures of Hindu gods,you can draw hot picture of virgin Mary with big boobies,you can make a painting on Christ inside urine (Piss Christ),you can keep trying to ban Swastika,you can ban anti-holocaust remarks,as you have the freedom to do so.But tell me where should I drown my freedom,for your sake?