Islamic Masques

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the state of discipline in islam

Not only that discipline is a secret of the success of great men, our universe also stands on the same foundation. If the solar system is working regularly, if the stars are revolving around the sun systematically and if there is no flaw function for millenniums it is only due to the fact that the solar system is based on order.

Order is found in everything around us from the largest bodies of the universe to the minutest thing called “atom”. Everything in this world is made up of tiny atoms. A wonderful discipline is in action and it is seen in each and every movement of the universe. There are tiny atoms in every system.

Every atom has its own center, which is called ‘proton’. Many ’electrons’ move round the center like stars and moons. In the words of a great Muslim scholar: “If you tear up the heart of every atom you will find its sun in its center.”

The universe is the best guide for all of us. We should learn about life and the causes and reasons of its stability and success from it. This universe tells that: “The secret of my survival is the regularity and orderliness which my Creator has ingrained in me.”

If the educational system of any country becomes chaotic, if the trade and economy of any nation is disturbed, if the balance of supply and demand is upset, if the law and order of any country turns corrupt, if the army gets out of control the end of that nation becomes certain.

When Imam Ali (pbuh), Commander of the Faithful, was fatally injured by the sword of Ibne Muljim, the first bequest uttered by him to his sons, after advising them to refrain from Allah’s (S.W.T) disobedience, was regarding this orderliness in every affair: “I advise you to refrain from disobeying Allah (S.W.T) and to abide by law and order and regularity in life.”

One of the ways of orderliness is to divide our daily time according to our needs. Doing every necessary work in its proper time is life. We should further this foundation of life. We must refrain from disorderliness and indiscipline because irregularity ends propriety and destroys our talent and competence.

The leader of the God-fearing people, Imam Ali (pbuh) says, “A Muslim must divide his time into three parts.

One part should be reserved for Allah’s (S.W.T) worship, one for earning livelihood and the third for attending to the demands of the body which cannot be ignored.”

If there was no orderliness or discipline in our past can we benefit from such orderliness in the remaining years of our life?

“Certainly, we can …” because the three stages of our life, childhood, youth and old age are like three compartments of a ship which can be separated from one another by pressing a button. If a compartment is damaged it can be separated from the rest.

Only he is successful who can, using his wisdom, separate different compartments of his life and deal whit them separately.

It is pitiable that man, instead of gaining from the present opportunities, should remain sorrowful for his past, thus wasting the time available to him and become careless about brining order in the forthcoming time.

A competent minister was carrying out his administrative duties with the help of his assistants.

When asked as to how he was arranging his affairs he replied, “I never postpone today’s work for tomorrow. In my view it is not correct to delay anything”.

We see signs in offices and workshops saying: Time is Gold. It surprises me because the value of time becomes more than gold if everything is done in time.

Hijab

According to Ancient civilizations, Head covering or Hijab used to be part of their customs. This custom can be found both in Ancient Iran, Jew and Hindus.
According to a famous American Historian Will Durant:
“If a Jew lady lacks in following the rules like for example she would go without covering her head in street or in front of other men, or even her voice get heard by other men or neighbours. In this case her husband has the right to divorce her without giving her dowry.”From above text it is apparent that the head covering rules in Jew was rather HARD comparing to that of Islam.
Will Durant further refers to the ancient Persian Civilization, Volume 1 History of Civilization pg 552:“After Daruish the status of woman particularly women from high social background, decline in their freedom came into existence. The women from lower social background somehow could manage to keep their freedom. This was mainly because they had to leave their homes to be in society to earn money and to survive. But women in other economical or financial level were not allowed to leave their homes while in the state of menstrual.”These types of customs took continuation and becoame more and tougher for women. The women from high social background couldn’t dare to go out except in the stretcher (special carrier made out of wood, with four men, each man holding one side of the stretcher) which was totally covered from all four sides with curtains. The women didn’t have even the permission to openly talk to any man. Ladies who were married were not allowed to see any man, even their own father and brothersWhether the concept of Head covering or Hijab is purely coming from Islam Prospective?Will Durant Further states: The Hijab during Ancient Persian times brought the concept of Hijab to Arab world and in particularly in Muslim nation.
We know that Hijab in Islam has nothing to do with the customs and rules of Hijab during Ancient Persian or in Jew. In Islam woman is only not allowed to do her obligatory prayers and fasting and she is not allowed to sleep with her legal partner during the time of her menstrual. Other than this she is completely free to go out in the society or associate with public. The concept of “prison yourself at home” during menstrual time doesn’t exist in Islam at all.
If will Durant is trying to convince us that the whole concept of Hijab was transfer to Muslim world through other civilizations like Ancient Iran or Jew. Again such statement is wrong since Verses of Quran relating Hijab were revealed before Iranian became Muslim.
Arab society according to Will Durant:
Will Durant Explanation about an Arab woman before Islam is no doubt true, but his opinion about the end of first century and beginning of the second century after Islam is doubtful. He talks as if during prophet time there wasn’t a smallest concept of Hijab in Arab and an Arab woman would freely go around with no Hijab or head covering. The History proof this is wrong to us, Islam did brought a lot of changes to the dress code of a woman. Most of Arab ladies used to dress according to the Islamic dress code as explained in the Quranic verses. This fact can be verified by the tradition of Prophet’s Wife like Ayesha.

In one of the writing by Jawahir Lal Nehru the first minister of India, also believed that emergence of Hijab in an Arab nation is from other non Muslim civilization like Iran and Rome. In his book “A look into the history of world” Vol1 pg 328: after praising the Islamic civilization, He talks about the afterward changes in Islam by other civilization.

“One big change that slowly took place in Arab society was in woman sect. In Arabia for woman there was no custom of head covering or Hijab. Arab women wouldn’t be separated in society from men. Rather an Arab woman would have public appearance, attend speeches etc. Arab nation after Islam copied different customs from empire like ancient Iran and Rome. Arab conquered empire Rome and Iran but adopt their customs and etiquettes. Therefore the custom of Hijab has come from other civilizations.”What Jawahir says doesn’t match with history of Islam. We can say that the relationship between Arab Muslim and Non Arab Muslim did add some different types of customs in practising Hijab or made it more strict comparing to Prophet Mohammad time, but saying that Hijab was a concept totally introduce in Islamic world by other civilizations, is incorrect.
Conclusion:
At the end what is apparent is that Hijab as a custom and practice was present in other civilisations. Islam didn’t bring this concept of Hijab as a whole new practice. Islam did make the concept of Hijab easier and took the harsh law which used to be practice by other culture and traditions. For example customs like: woman not associating with man in society, woman get prisoner at homes while in the state of menstrual, women voice couldn’t be heard by any man, woman not allowed even to see their own brothers and father and many more.
Of course we can prove this by the history, Prophet Mohammad daughter like Hazrat Fatima and granddaughter Like Hazrat Zainab had gone in front of public and had given hard speeches to the ruler of that time.
The question which arise here is about the in depth philosophy of Hijab. The philosophy and reasons of Hijab in Islam is same as the philosophy in other ancient civilization. We shall discuss in the later articles.

source:Tebyan.net

The story of one new muslim

let's to present a biography of a new Muslim .

(The photo is symbolic)

I am a Muslimah living in my home-town of Dayton, Ohio where I have lived most of my life. I became interested in Islam during a stint as a travel nurse in Baltimore, MD where I had a Muslim tennis partner. I learned most of my information about Islam on the internet and met many interesting people on-line, including my darling husband of 3 years now.
They say that hind site is 20-20, and I would tend to agree. Early in my college career I taught teenage Sunday school classes at my Methodist church. My teaching style was a bit different because I preferred group discussions to actual lectures and this seemed to work well. This also helped me to avoid any cognitive dissonance with the Jesus as Son of God idea which even then made no sense to me. I guess I was at that church because that's all I knew, even though my parents didn't really push religion on my brother and I as children. Then there came an art history class I took in which I did a special paper for the final on the historical image of Jesus in art throughout history. What I learned was that the current, blonde haired blue eyed, Jesus that we envision today is really the projection of one particular German painter named Peter Paul Rubins. This man believed that we each have god-like qualities and are a part of god therefore he had ever right to project his personal image as that of Jesus. Later I took another class called Understanding the Bible which took a look at the development of the Bible in history in a non-religious context. What I learned from this class was that it was a human decision as to what was included in Biblical text not divine and therefore subject to error. Also that there was no real way to trace the texts to the original source or author.
My early encounter with Islam addressed each of my problems with organized Christian religion. Jesus was a prophet and was immaculately conceived child. Prophets were all good and respectable people...not like some of the Bible stories portray them. In fact all the well known Christian figures have a place in Islam. The Quran is straight from God, and there is a clear difference between the Sunnah and the holy book. Even the intense materialistic tendencies in society were addressed. Thus Islam helped me realize there is one true religion that encompasses all the aspects of daily life. I particularly am fond of the role of women in Islam because we hold an honored place if we choose to live appropriately.
Writed by : Judy Sabyrah Atlagh

Zainab ; the symbol of patient woman in Karbala Revolution

From Karbala throughout times To keep Islam alive Humanity sings peace and joy at once To everyone who seems still in love.To see the trees of truth bloom and the world be rid of gloom, If there is one thing the entire universe shares It is the life of Zainab to read and care.Dreams and hopes will come true When Zainab and her goals are understood. Inside us is the warmth of Allah"s love when we think of Zainab "The patient princess" That is why the Ahlul-Bait of Rasulallah Are the light of saviors here and after this life.The history of Karbala is based on two pillars: The rising of Imam al-Hussein (a.s) and the rising of Zaynab (a.s). She was an outstanding figure in the history of Karbala endowed with divine steadfastness and fortitude. She sacrificed her two sons ‘Aun and Muhammad while fighting against despotism and upholding the importance of justice, freedom, humanity and virtues in human society. After the martyrdom of her beloved brother and her two sons, she knelt down before the Master of the Universe, on the soil of Karbala and said, “O my Lord! Accept our humble sacrifice to You”.

After the demise of the Holy Prophet (saww), there came the period of distress and hardship in the life of Zaynab (a.s). She stood by her mother as far as the question of supreme mandate of her father was concerned. When her mother delivered the Fadak sermon, she was only 4 years old, but narrated the sermon so lucidly and expressively that the people of Banu Hashim remembered it by heart. Later, the Shiite scholars recorded it and that is why She is known as Zaynab, the narrator of traditions. After the martyrdom of her mother, Zaynab (a.s) suffered many calamities. She saw the evildoers, oppressors, insurgents and breakers of covenants defy the truth during the reign of her father. Finally, Imam Ali (a.s) was struck with a sword on his head in the mosque of Kufa, which took his life. Then she saw her brother al-Hasan (a.s) being forced to sign a peace treaty and eventually poisoned by his treacherous wife by the order of Mu’awiyah. After al-Hasan (a.s), al-Husayn (a.s) became the Imam, but the ruler of Syria violated the peace treaty and appointed his son Yazeed as his successor who insisted Imam al-Husayn (a.s) to swear an oath of allegiance to him. When Imam (a.s) refused, this led to the tragedy of Karbala where Imam al-Hussein (a.s) together with the members of his family and companions was brutally killed. His womenfolk and children were taken as captives and paraded on the streets of Kufa and Damascus and finally imprisoned for a year. Zaynab (a.s) was part of this episode and all the time endured the hardships and difficulties. More so, she vowed to continue with the mission of her brother and spoke eloquently against the despotic regime of Yazeed wherever she found an opportunity to address the Muslims.


HER SERMON IN KUFA
When Zaynab (a.s) reached Kufa, she addressed people with fury words:


“Praise to Allah, and may the blessing of Allah be upon Muhammad and his progeny. O people of Kufa! You are hypocrites and deceitful. You feign to be sorry for the death of my brother and his companions. May you always shed tears. I find nothing in you but flattery, evil acts and thoughts, pride and spite and ill will. By Allah! You deserve lasting sorrow instead of joy. Shame on you, your hands is imbrued with the blood of the son of the Holy Prophet, the one who was your sole refuge in case of adversity. By your evil act and disloyalty, you incurred the wrath of Allah against you. Woe betides you! No one will intercede with Allah for you”.


Her furious words provoked people of Kufa to avenge Imam al-Hussein (a.s)’s martyrdom, which frightened Ibn Ziyad and his cruel agents. She also delivered a furious sermon in the court of Yazeed that made his authority and despotic rule feel undermined. She said: “I fear no one but Allah. Make whatever evil plot you can. Blazes are waiting for you in the hereafter. You will be accountable to Allah for your atrocities”.

Women’s sameness in islamic society

Now let us consider the second basic characteristic of the Quranic society which affects the position of women. This is found in the directives for a dual sex rather than a unisex society. While maintaining the validity of the equal worth of men and women, the Qur’an does not judge this equality to mean equivalence or identity of the sexes.
Probably all of you are familiar with the contemporary move toward unisex clothes and shoes, unisex jewellery and hair styles, unisex actions and entertainments. In fact, it is often difficult in America to decide whether one is looking at a boy or a girl. This results from the current notion in Western society that there is little if any difference between the two sexes in physical, intellectual and emotional endowment; and that, therefore, there should be no difference in their functions and roles in society. The dress and the actions are but superficial evidence of this deeper conviction. Accompanied by a downgrading of the qualities and roles traditionally associated with the female sex, this current idea has generated a unisex society in which only the male role is respected and pursued. Although meant to bring a larger measure of equality for women, the idea that men and women are not only equal, but equivalent and identical, has actually pushed women into imitating men and even despising their womanhood. Thus it is generating a new type of male chauvinism. Tremendous social pressures have resulted in stripping women of their role-responsibilities formerly performed by them, and they are forced to live a life devoid of personality and individuality.
The society based on the Qur’an is, in contrast, a dual-sex society in which both sexes are assigned their special responsibilities. This assures the healthy functioning of the society for the benefit of all its members. This division of labour imposes on men more economic responsibilities (2:233, 240-241; 4:34), while women are expected to play their role in childbearing and rearing (2:233; 7:189). The Qur’an, recognising the importance of this complementary sexual assignment of roles and responsibilities, alleviates the greater economic demands made on male members of the population by allotting them a larger share than women in inheritance. At the same time it grants women the right to maintenance in exchange for her contribution to the physical and emotional well being of the family and to the care she provides in the rearing of children. The unisex ideology generates a competitive relationship between the sexes which we find in America and which is disastrous for all members of society: the young; the old; the children; the parents; the single and the married; the male and the female. The dual-sex society, by contrast, is a more natural answer to the question of sexual relationships, a plan encouraging co-operation rather than competition between the sexes. It is a plan which has been found suitable in countless societies through history. Only in very recent times did the idea of sexual non-differentiation or identity achieve prominence, and then primarily in the Western society. Even the medical evidence for mental or emotional difference between the sexes is suppressed in Western research, for it threatens the prevailing trends of thought. How long this socially disastrous movement will continue before it is rejected as bankrupt is not known. But certainly we as Muslims should be aware of its deficiencies and dangerous consequences, and make our societies and young people aware of the disaster caused by it.
Protagonists of the unisex society have condemned the dual-sex human organization as dangerous for the well-being of women. If dual sex means that one sex is superior to the other, such a situation could have arisen. But in the true Quranic society, toward which we all aspire to move, this is not possible. As we have seen above, the Qur’an advocates eloquently the equal status of women and men at the same time as it recognizes their generally relevant differences of nature and function. Thus while acknowledging the religious, ethical, intellectual and legal equality of males and females; the Qur’an never regards the two sexes as identical or equivalent. It justifies this stand in its assignment of variant responsibilities and its provisions regarding inheritance and maintenance which match those responsibilities.

Pope Benedict Still Unknown to Many Americans

Two weeks before his first visit to the United States as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI continues to be viewed favorably by a majority (52%) of Americans, which is virtually unchanged from August 2007 (50%). However, the pope remains unfamiliar to a relatively large number of Americans: Three-in-ten say they do not know enough about Pope Benedict to offer an opinion, which also has not changed much since last summer (32%).

Among American Catholics, the pope is, not surprisingly, better known and viewed more favorably than among the general public. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of Catholics in the United States view their religious leader positively, which also has not changed since August 2007.
However, the current pontiff continues to be less highly regarded than his predecessor, Pope John Paul II. Favorable opinions of Pope John Paul II consistently outnumbered unfavorable views by much wider margins than is the case for Pope Benedict XVI.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, conducted March 24-29 among 1,001 Americans, finds that as Pope Benedict completes his third year as spiritual leader of the world's Catholics, he gets mixed ratings for his efforts to promote good relations between the Catholic Church and other major religions.
Overall, 39% of those who have heard at least a little about the pope say he has done an excellent or good job in promoting positive relations with other faiths, but about as many (40%) say he has done only fair or poor in this regard. Overall opinions about the pope's efforts to foster good relations with other faiths are largely unchanged from last August (38% excellent/good vs. 46% only fair/poor).
Among Catholics, however, opinions of the pope's outreach efforts have improved. Nearly two-thirds of Catholics (64%) say he is doing an excellent or good job at fostering interfaith relations, up from 54% in August 2007. Among Protestants, there has been very little change in views of how the pope is doing in promoting good relations with other religions.
Views of Pope Benedict's ideology have changed somewhat since last summer. Currently, 45% of Americans view Pope Benedict XVI as conservative while 28% say he is either moderate or liberal. In August 2007, 56% said that Pope Benedict was conservative while 22% said he was moderate or liberal.
John Paul II Better Known, Better Liked
Pope Benedict XVI is considerably less well known, and less favorably viewed, than his predecessor John Paul II was in the 1980s and 1990s. Currently, 30% express no opinion about Pope Benedict XVI; just 10% offered no opinion of Pope John Paul II in May 1987, nearly a decade after he became pope.
Although Pope Benedict's overall favorability has changed little since last summer (52% overall today, compared with 50% overall in August 2007), the percentage saying they have a "very favorable" view of the pope has increased slightly (from 14% to 18%). This is largely driven by increasingly positive assessments from highly observant Catholics (those who attend church at least weekly); 49% view Pope Benedict very favorably today, compared with 39% who did so in August.
Observant Catholics See Pope Doing Well in Outreach
A substantial majority of Catholics who attend church at least weekly (78%) also say the pontiff is doing a good or excellent job promoting relations with other major religions. This is an increase of 18 points since August 2007. By comparison, the opinions of Catholics who attend less frequently have not changed over this period.
The balance of opinion among white evangelical Protestants has shifted somewhat in the opposite direction, however. White evangelical Protestants are less likely today to say the pope is doing an excellent or good job at developing good interfaith relationships (32% compared with 40% in August 2007).
Overall, 45% say Pope Benedict is conservative, down from 56% in August 2007. Although a majority of Catholics (58%) continue to say the pope is conservative, this number is considerably less than the more than two-thirds (68%) who viewed the pope this way in August 2007. An increasing number of Catholics (31% compared with 22% in August) identify the pope as moderate or liberal, and this change is seen among both highly observant and less observant Catholics.
Protestants' views have also shifted over this time period, moving both toward a more moderate view of the pope's ideological leanings and less certainty about his ideology. In August 2007, 47% of Protestants viewed Pope Benedict as conservative, compared with 34% currently. However, 35% of Protestants today are unable to characterize Pope Benedict's ideology, compared with 28% in August of last year.
Partisans Differ in Views of Pope
Opinions of the pope are, on balance, favorable among all political groups. However, significantly more Republicans (62%) than independents (50%) or Democrats (47%) view the pope favorably.
Republicans also have more positive evaluations of Pope Benedict's promotion of good relations with other religions. A plurality (46%) of Republicans evaluates him positively on this question. By contrast, Democrats are more evenly divided; 39% say he is doing an excellent or good job, compared with 38% who say he is only doing a fair or poor job. Independents are the most critical of the pope's efforts to foster relations with other religions. Only about third independents (32%) rate his interfaith efforts as excellent or good, while about half (51%) rate them as fair or poor.
About the Survey
Results for this survey are based on telephone interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International among a nationwide sample of 1,001 adults, 18 years of age or older, from March 24-29, 2008. The following table shows the error attributable to sampling that would be expected at the 95% level of confidence for different groups in the survey:
About the Projects
This survey is a joint effort of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. Both organizations are sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts and are projects of the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life delivers timely, impartial information on issues at the intersection of religion and public affairs. The Forum is a nonpartisan organization and does not take positions on policy debates. Based in Washington, D.C., the Forum is directed by Luis Lugo.
The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. The Center's purpose is to serve as a forum for ideas on the media and public policy through public opinion research. In this role it serves as an important information resource for political leaders, journalists, scholars, and public interest organizations. All of the Center's current survey results are made available free of charge.
This report is a collaborative product based on the input and analysis of the following individuals:
Pew Forum on Religion & Public LifeLuis Lugo, DirectorSandra Stencel, Deputy DirectorJohn C. Green, Senior Fellow in Religion and American PoliticsGregory Smith, Research FellowDan Cox, Research AssociateAllison Pond, Research AssociateTracy Miller, Copy Editor
Pew Research Center for the People & the PressAndrew Kohut, DirectorScott Keeter, Director of Survey ResearchCarroll Doherty and Michael Dimock, Associate DirectorsKim Parker, Senior ResearcherJuliana Menasce Horowitz, Robert Suls, Shawn Neidorf, Leah Christian and Jocelyn Kiley, ResearchAssociatesKathleen Holzwart, Research AnalystJames Albrittain and Alec Tyson, Research Assistants