New job - Al hamdulillah

All praise be to Allah, the best of Providers. And blessings and peace upon the final Messenger.

Forgive me that I missed the last post. As some of you know already, I just started my new (and practically first) job. I've joined a university by the name of LUMS (www.lums.edu.pk) as an Assistant Professor in the Business School, specialising in Information Systems. It all came all of a sudden and goes once again to re-inforce the understanding that you will get what is written. As I had not even started to apply for jobs, and Allah willed that an unsuccessful application last year should be the catalyst for my current appointment.

And the delay in my thesis seems to be a positive in terms as, because of this some changes took place in this institution that have made it a more conducive long-term prospect to my own vision of the future. And Allah knows best.

Indeed, all praise and thanks is due to Allah as this has been a great mercy for me. And I pray Allah blesses all of my well-wishers who contributed in the form of prayers and material help as well. Jazakumullahu Khairen Katheeran.

There you go. That's all I can manage at the moment. Expect the next post this Saturday or so. Have had to keep this one brief due to the time issues. Grant me permission.

Wassalamu alaikum

Abdullah

Namoos-e-Risalat strikes at Lahore

All praise and thanks to Ar-Rahmaan. And blessings and peace upon the one sent not but as a mercy to the worlds.

Firstly forgive me that I have not strictly been able to get this post into the last week. It has been a bit busy with some pressure now on to complete my thesis corrections at the soonest. As a result this post will not be too long, insha'Allah.

Namoos-e-Risalat

This is the headline under which all discussion about the blasphemous cartoons has been taking place in Pakistan. Everyone in the government has been saying "free speech does not mean you can insult a religion". Thus in Lahore, Wednesday was supposed to be the day when no body would open shop in protest to the cartoons. However, some violent elements here began attacking (as you do) with the MacDonald's on the Mall Road, then the banks near buy and even the Provincial Assembly was scarred. The most sad bit, which I'm sure many of you may have seen on your Paki satellite channels is that the victims of this violence were ultimately the poor people who can only afford to come to work on motorbikes and the cheapest cars. All subject to arson. Thus, Lahori's are inflamed at the moment at these elements as to what this had to do with protesting against the Europeans... an editorial in one of the local Sunday papers reads: "Raped...". The guys at the centre of this are alleged to be some University students and GEO actually showed one of these guys with firing a live pistol. But something tells me that either this guy is a rich kid who will not be caught due to the contacts he has, else the police are going to provide him with a dispropotionate treatment only reserved for one's worst nightmares - to show their effeciency in dealing with the culprits. Either, nobody expects any justice to follow. Thus is the case of those who seem enraged by the aspersions cast upon "their beloved".

What puzzles me is how we lack consistency. Jeremy Hardy, and the writer of Old Nicks Tale (on one of the UK radio channels) and yes, Jeremy Springer - the musical, have taken numerous pot shots in broad daylight upon the One Who is even more beloved to us than that beautiful man, the Messenger (salllallahu alaihi wasallam). There are others who utter a word to which the Qur'an has testified the view of Allah as:

"Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil thing; Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins, That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Beneficent (Allâh)." [19:89-91].

Surely the insults that they hurl at Allah should not be tolerated as well? Any answers/comment?

And what many a disbeliever/misguided leader is doing by putting the believers to trial should have seen much more ardent protests from our governments. Why do the Muslim governments only feel now empowered to speak up against the treatment of Islam? Mind you it was Dec. time when some people from Denmark took this issue to the Middle East... why only now the lip service that is being paid to "the abuse of free speech"?

Allah knows best.

Other news

Have tried to get a study circle of the ground. Haven't been active in recruiting so much though. Found 1-2 people and thought that should be enough to at least get the ball rolling. Still early days and its not a circle that should "pull in crowds". Just attempting to go through An-Nawawi 40 Hadith.

Is it the time of the day (mid-afternoon) or is it yet again my ability to put people to sleep? May Allah have mercy on me and guide me. At the moment if I can maintain people's interest so that their eyes don't start drooping in front of me, I feel I've done something. Any tips?

Missing Post!!

Assalamu alaikum...

I'm sorry if the last post doesn't make sense, but it seems the post before it got lost in cyberspace!... very strange... anyway, I'm sorry for that. To be quite honest, the only thing I really reported was on Islamic schools which I can return to on another dry week.

Henceforth, I remind you, this post is going to be weekly.

wassalam

Abdullah

The Day of Aashoor

All praise and thanks to Allah, the Lord of mankind, and peace and blessings upon Muhammad, the leader of mankind.

Aashoorah

We all know how the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, would commemorate the day of Aashoorah with fasting asking us to fast a day before/after as well to differentiate from the Jews. However, here in Pakistan, this understanding pales into the backdrop and the exagerrated emphasis of the people who claim to be the party of Ali (RA) on the incident of Karbalah takes over the country for a whole month.

The new year begins with your TV being hijacked by men/women in black attire moaning the passing away of the Grandson of the Prophet (SAW), and men in round turbans giving daily accounts of the significance of Karbalah as a history and world changing event. As if nothing of significance ever happened before or after it. Of course, I'm sure that you guys may have experienced this who receive all the the Paki channels back in England, from Geo to ARYONE. You'd think that the variety of channels would offer relief but nay it is more of the same rather.

Without a doubt, the martyrdom of Hussain (RA) , the beloved grandson of our beloved Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) at the hands of those who came from amongst us underlines and epitomises how the fitnah had changed things. No doubt this started, as forecasted in the hadith by the breaking of that door, Umar (RA), who was also martyred I'm told at the start of the new year. And was sorrily demonstrated by the martyrdom of Uthman (RA), then Ali (RA) to what happened at Karbalah. But what is sorry is how innovators have hijacked this event and the potential for prejudiced violence has meant that even the orthodoxy is having to exaggerate so as to maintain diplomacy.

It has meant that 9th & 10th of Muharram are national holidays as a result and all the shops are closed. And of course we have the processions and the self-torture in the name of Islam. May Allah have mercy on us.

Answers...?

Regarding one of the questions I posed a couple of weeks ago, here is now the answer that was offered by our Qari Sahib. The mubadh-dhir (the one who does the tabdhir) has been likened to the brother of the Shayateen, while Allah says about israaf that he does not like the musrifeen. This seems to show that that tabdheer is more severe than israaf. As a result, some ulema have stated that tabdheer is the wasting of Allah's blessings in a "wrong" way. In the case of the ayah, it is talking about giving the relative, the miskeen and the traveller their right. Thus from what I understood, to spend on any other category while their right is unfulfilled is a "wrong" expenditure. In Urdu, it is what he called bay-mawqa', i.e. without a correct timing/place.

On the other hand, using Allah's blessings on a rightful category (such as eating and drinking in the ayah of israaf) but then going beyond what is reasonable and causing waste would seem to be israaf. Thus, it seems israaf has not been condemned as harshly as tabdheer.

What do you think?

SCIL

Have to clarify some things I said about the School for Contemporary and Islamic Learning (SCIL). On a subsequent visit, some of the women in my family have given quite a positive report. English is spoken fluently even at KG level. The teachers are very professional and the ideals communicated to the child are idealistic, emphasising how they have to lead society. They have plans to move the school into purpose built premises, which is in DHA. The land they have, and are just awaiting clearance from the courts following the recent expansion of DHA onto that land. The issue which initially put me off was the way they had instituted some hidden charges that were not published in the prospectus. But the school itself seems quite okay.

Further reports should follow insha'Allah in August when we admit the kids there.

I guess that's enough regarding this week. Expect then next post insha'Allah next Friday in keeping with the new weekly posting policy.

wassalamu alaikum

Abdullah