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Saturday 16 February 2019

Muslims in Non Muslims Countries: Argentina


Argentina is home to one of Latin America’s largest Muslim communities. There are varying estimates as to the exact number of Muslims living in Argentina as state census does not take into account the religious considerations while counting the heads. However the best estimates by the Pew Research Centre put Argentinians Muslims around  1,000,000 in in the year 2010. The first mentioned Muslim settlers were the 15th century's Moorish-Morisco (Muslims of the Iberian peninsula of North African, Middle-Eastern and Spanish descent) who explored the Americas with Spanish explorers, many of them settling in Argentina who were fleeing from persecution in Spain such as the Spanish Inquisition. [1]

Later Syrians and Lebanese, came to Argentina as immigrants during the 19th and 20th century. Currently, Islam is easily accepted in Argentina as a religion, and there is no oddity to being a Muslim in Argentine society. According to The Argentina Independent, “no discrimination exists [in Argentina] on account of being Muslim” and “a Muslim in Argentina…can practice his faith in complete peace, without any inconvenience.” [2]

There are also many mosques and cultural centers throughout Argentina, including the Central Mosque, built by Muslim Argentines in 1989, and the King Fahd Islamic Culture Centre, which is the largest mosque in South America.

In Argentina, there are a small community of believers, who are converts that attend retreats and social programs in order to share their commitments to spread the teachings of Islam. Many Muslim Argentines would gather on a weekly basis to learn about their faith, the Quran, and the meaning of belonging to an Ummah (Community).




Although Muslims represent a minority in Argentina, the government is making an effort to ensure that Argentine Muslims are free to express their religion without facing discrimination. In 2011, the government passed legislation allowing women to wear Hijab in public without facing persecution. This law expanded the freedom of religion and expression in Latin America, and helped “the Muslim community to better integrate into Argentine society.” In addition, “according to the new law, Argentinean Muslim women can use photographs wearing headscarf for their national ID cards.”

While in many other countries where Muslim population is increasing, it is the other way in Argentina where the number of Argentine Muslims is decreasing due to several key factors: [2] 
  • Firstly, many customs are being lost including learning about the Islamic culture, religion, and the Arabic language. Many Muslim Argentines only have one Muslim parent and do not know Arabic as the younger generations have learned Spanish as their first language. 
  • Secondly, there is very little reading material for native Spanish speakers or texts relevant to Islam, especially the Quran. 
  • And lastly, there is a lack of study centers and madrasas (Schools) for Islamic teachings. Many Argentine Muslims have better integrated into their country’s culture and they are sometimes not aware of their origins.
Thus the present community feels that there is an urgent need to establish Muslim teaching communities in Spanish language as there are millions of Latin Americans whose native language is Spanish. The problem for conserving Islam in Argentina is that some Argentine Muslims no longer connect to their faith, and most Argentines do not even consider themselves Muslim, even though their ancestors were Muslim. There is less of a fear for Islam in Argentina than in Europe. According to Waqas Syed, the Deputy Secretary General for the Islamic Center of North America, “Unlike Europe and North America, Latin America has been quite untouched with any of the anti-Islamic rhetoric and the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslim Latinos can be described as excellent and strong.” Many Europeans and Americans associate Islam with radicalization, but this is not necessarily the case in Argentina. [2]

The Muslim and Jewish communities rather go well with each other. Despite the fact that there have been attacks on the Jewish communities and Jews had reservations about Muslims' involvement, both the communities still get together and try to have harmonious relationship. 

I came across an article "In Argentina, Muslims and Jews make hummus not war" - which is about a coexistence initiative, by both Muslims and Jews in Argentina’s bustling capital city of Buenos Aires. In September 2017, 20 amateur chefs participated in a hummus-making competition at the Tetuan Moroccan Grill restaurant in the trendy Palermo Soho neighborhood. About 300 people showed up to see judges award a winner of what was unofficially dubbed The First World Championship of Hummus. The event was less about competition and more about bringing people of different cultures and religions together through the food they all love. [3]

However, the Muslim community in Argentina, along with the Diaspora across Latin America and worldwide, has been subject to the Western media’s biased and faulty inferences about Muslims. But despite these reservations, Muslims live a life as per their beliefs and trying to coexist with Jews and other faiths. In the capital Buenos Aires, one can find halal meat and eateries serving halal food. Besides there a re number of centers teaching Arabic and selling Islam related books.

Watch a video in which Muslims are seen welcoming the Hijab law in Argentina:

Author's Note: The data above has been collected from the references as given below. IF any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

Photo (King Fahd Islamic Cultural Center)| References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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Tuesday 12 February 2019

Surah At-Tur - The Mount - Exegesis of 52nd Chapter of Holy Quran


Sūrat aṭ-Ṭūr is the 52nd surah with 49 ayahs with two rukus, part of the 27th Juzʼ of the Holy Qur'an. The surah opens with the oath of Allah Almighty swearing by the Mount of Sinai, where the Torah was revealed to Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him). It takes its name from "Wat Tur.(The Mount Tūr) mentioned in the very first Ayah.

This surah appears to have been revealed at time when Surah Ad-Dhariyat was revealed in Makkah. I t was the time when the Prophet of Allah was facing acute objections and accusations from the pagans of Makkah. However, there is no evidence yet to show that severe persecution of the Muslims had started.

Let us now read explanation of the Surah segmented into portions as per the subject matter:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 
"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"
The subject matter of its first section (verses 1-28) is the Hereafter. As arguments for its possibility, necessity and occurrence had already been given in Surah Adh-Dhariyat, these have not been repeated here. However, swearing an oath by some realities and signs which testify to the Hereafter, it has been stated most emphatically that it will surely come to pass, and none has the power to prevent its occurrence. Then, it has been stated as to what will be the fate of those who deny it when it actually occurs, and how will those who believe in it and adopt the way of piety and righteousness accordingly, be blessed by Allah.

The surah begins with Allah taking oath of five things as a preamble for the text and subject to follow (refer to verse 7 later):
1. By the Mount (of Revelation); 2. By a Decree inscribed 3. On fine parchment; 
In ancient times the books and writings which were meant to be preserved for long were written on the skin of deer instead of the paper. This skin was especially prepared for writing as a thin and fine parchment and was called رَقٍّ (raqq) terminologically. The Jews and Christians in general wrote the Torah, Psalms, the Gospels and the Prophets’ Books on this same raqq so that they would endure. Here, by Scripture inscribed is implied the same collection of the holy scriptures which the followers of the Book possessed. It has been described as unrolled because it was not extinct; it was read and one could easily find out what was written in it.
4. By the much-frequented House.
 According to Hasan Basri, the much-frequented House implies the House of Allah, the Kabah, which is never without its visitors and pilgrims at any time of the day and night. However, Ali, Ibn Abbas, Ikrimah, Mujahid, Qatadah, Dahhak, Ibn Zaid and others are of the opinion that it implies the Bait-al-mamur (in Heavens) which the Prophet (ﷺ) referred to in connection with his Miraj (Ascension), against the wall of which he had seen the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) reclining. It is opined that just as the Kaabah is the center and place of refuge for all God-worshipers, so is there in every heaven a similar Kaabah for its dwellers which occupies a similar central position for the worshipers of Allah there. One of these Kaabahs was the one against the wall of which Prophet (ﷺ) had seen the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) reclining on the occasion of the Mairaj; with which Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had a natural affinity, for he was the first builder of the Kaabah of the earth. In view of this explanation, this second commentary does not go against the commentary given by Hasan Basri, but if both are read together, we can understand that here the oath has not been sworn only by the Kaabah of the earth, but it also includes an oath by all the Kaabahs that are there in the entire universe.
5. By the Canopy Raised High; 6. And by swelling sea ( وَالۡبَحۡرِ الۡمَسۡجُوۡرِۙ‏ )
The roof exalted (verse 5): the sky which seems to be spread over the earth like a vault; here this word has been used for the entire universe. 

Verse 6: Several meanings have ban given of the word al-bahril-masjur as used in the original. Some commentators have taken it in the meaning of full of fire; some take it in the sense of empty and unoccupied, the water of which might have sunk into the earth; some take it in the meaning of restricted and confined by which they imply that the ocean has been restrained so that its water neither sinks into the earth nor spreads over the land to drown all its dwellers. Some have taken it in the meaning of mixed and blended because in it sweet and saline, warm and cold, water is mixed together; and some take it in the meaning of brimful and surging. The first two of these meanings bear no relevance to the context. These two states of the ocean-splitting of the bottom of the ocean and sinking of its water into the earth and then its being filled with fire will appear on the Day of Resurrection, as mentioned in (Surah At- Takweer, Ayat 6 "when the seas shall be set boiling") and (Surah Al-Infitar, Ayat 3 "when the seas are made to burst forth,"). These states of the future do not exist at present and therefore cannot be sworn by to convince the people of today of the occurrence of the Hereafter. Therefore, here al-bahril-masjur can be taken only in the meaning of confined, mixed, brimful and surging.
7. Verily, your Lord's chastisement shall come to pass. 8. none can avert that.
Verse 7: This is that truth for which an oath has been sworn by the five things. “The punishment of your Lord” implies the Hereafter, for it will be a torment for those who deny that it will come. That is why it has been called “the punishment of your Lord” instead of the Resurrection, or the Hereafter, or the Day of Retribution.

Now let us consider how the five things by which an oath has been sworn point to its occurrence:
  • Mount Toor is the place where a decision was taken to exalt an oppressed nation and to abase an oppressive nation, and this decision was taken not on the basis of a physical law but on the basis of a moral law and the law of retribution. Therefore, Mount Toor has been presented as a symbol for the Hereafter. It implies that the decision of exalting a helpless nation like the children of Israel and the drowning of a powerful and mighty ruler like the Pharaoh along with his hosts, which was taken in a quiet and lifeless night on the Mount Toor, is proof of the fact how the nature of the kingdom of the universe demands that man who has been endowed with powers and authority, should be subjected to moral accountability and rewarded and punished accordingly, and for meeting this demand adequately a Day of Reckoning is necessary when the entire mankind should be gathered together and called to account for its deeds. 
  • The holy scriptures have been sworn by because all the Prophets who came to the world from the Lord of the universe and the Books they brought gave the same one news in every age which the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is giving, i.e. that all humans of the former and latter generations will one day be resurrected and presented before their God and rewarded and punished according to their deeds. Every heavenly Book proclaimed that this life is not the only life. And that, after death, man will not end up in the dust forever, and that there will be both accountability and reckoning.
  • “The inhabited House” has been sworn by for the reason that in those days the building of the Kaabah was a great sign, particularly for the Arabs, which pointed to the truthfulness of Allah’s Prophets and to the fact that they were supported by Allah Almighty’s far-reaching wisdom and great power. 2,500 years before the revelation of these verses a person happens to visit these barren and uninhabited mountains, without any army or worldly provision, leaving behind a wife and a suckling child devoid of material support. Then, some time later the same man returns and builds at this desolate place a house for the worship of Allah and gives a call to the people to come and visit that house as pilgrims. For 2,500 years this House continues to remain such a sanctuary of peace that while blood is shed in the country around it, none can dare raise his hand against another as soon as people enter its sacred boundaries; and then because of this very House, Arabia is blessed with four months of such total peace every year when caravans travel in full safety, trade flourishes and markets are held. Then the House inspired such awe that during this whole period no tyrant could ever look towards it with an evil intention, and whoever dared do so was so seized by Allah’s wrath that he became an object of warning for others. Such a miracle had been witnessed by the people themselves only 45 years before the revelation of these verses, and many of those who had witnessed it were still present and living in the city at the time when these verses were being recited to the people of Makkah. What greater proof could be there of the fact that the Prophets of Allah never uttered empty words?  When men of such caliber have unanimously been giving in every age the news that Resurrection shall occur and accountability shall take place, it would be sheer madness to dub it as the bragging of the insane.
  • The exalted roof (the sky) and the surging ocean have been sworn by, for both of these are a pointer to Allah’s wisdom and His power, and the same wisdom and power prove both the possibility of the Hereafter and its occurrence and necessity. As for the ocean, anyone who considers it deeply with an unbiased mind will testify that the provision of water in such abundance on the earth is by itself such an amazing work which cannot be the result of an accident or chance. Its water has been made saline so that the bodies of the millions of the animals which die in it daily do not rot. Its water has been restrained at a particular level in such a way that it neither sinks into the earth’s belly passing through its cracks and holes, nor it spreads over the land to submerge it, but has been checked at the same level for millions of years. Because of the existence of this great store of water the rainfall is arranged on the dry parts of the earth, in which the heat of the sun and the circulation of the winds cooperate with full regularity. Then the ocean’s being inhabited with life and the creation in it of the various kinds of creatures has given man the advantage that he obtains from it his food and other necessities in large quantities. Then its being checked and restrained to a limit has given birth to the continents and islands which are the home of man, and became of its adhering to and following some fixed laws has it become possible that man may navigate his ships in it. Such an arrangement could not have possibly existed without the wisdom of an All-Wise Being and the power of an Absolute Ruler. Now, if this is undeniable evidence that an All-Wise and All-Powerful God has also created a vast and surging, brackish ocean besides making countless other arrangements for the purpose of settling man on the earth, then that person would be foolhardy, who expects that the All-Wise God would make arrangements for man that he should water his crops from the ocean and provide him sustenance thereby but would never question him as to how he returned thanks after eating His provisions. And that He would grant man the power that he should run his ships on the surface of the ocean but would never question him as to whether he had run the ships for the sake of the truth, righteousness and justice, or had committed robberies. Likewise, it would also be sheer folly to imagine that the Absolute Sovereign, Who has checked and restrained this vast store of water on this suspended globe which is moving in space, Who has dissolved a huge quantity of salt in it, Who has created countless varieties of creatures in it, and has arranged their sustenance therein, Who carries billions of tons of water from it every year by means of the wind and causes it to fall regularly as rain on millions of square miles of dry land, becomes so helpless and powerless after creating man that He could not resurrect him again.
In the verse 9 below, the word '"maur" is used for turning round, boiling, fluttering, rotating, swinging and moving forward and backward. The object of depicting the condition of the heavens on the Day of Resurrection in these words is to give the idea that the system of the heavens on that Day will be wholly upset, and when an observer will look up to the sky, he will feel that the constant pattern and order that it always used to present, has been broken and there is disorder, confusion and chaos on every side.
9. (It shall come to pass) on the Day when the heaven will convulse in a great convulsion, 10. And the mountains will fly hither and thither. 11. Then woe that Day to those that treat (Truth) as Falsehood 12. and amuse themselves with vain argumentation. 
Verse 12: It means that they are mocking and ridiculing the news of Resurrection, Hereafter, Heaven and Hell when they hear it from the Prophet (peace be upon him), and instead of considering it seriously they are disputing it only for fun and amusement. Their discussions of the Hereafter are not meant to understand the reality, but only to amuse themselves, and they do not at all realize the fate for which they arc destined.
13. That Day shall they be thrust down to the Fire of Hell, irresistibly. 14. "This: it will be said, "Is the Fire, - which ye were wont to deny! 15. "Is this then a fake, or is it ye that do not, see? 16. "Burn ye therein: the same is it to you whether ye bear it with patience, or not: Ye but receive the recompense of your (own) deeds." 17. As to the Righteous, they will be in Gardens, and in Happiness 
18. enjoying what Allah will have endowed them with; and their Lord will have saved them from the torment of the Blazing Fire. 
Verse 18: There seems to be no need to mention a person’s being saved from Hell after it has been said that he will be admitted to Heaven, but at several places in the Quran these two things have been mentioned separately because a person’s being saved from Hell is by itself a great blessing. And the words, “and their Lord saved them from the punishment of Hell”, is an allusion to the truth that man’s being saved from Hell is possible only through Allah’s grace and bounty; otherwise, human weaknesses cause such flaws to occur in everyone’s work that if Allah does not overlook them by His grace and instead decides to subject him to accountability, none can save himself from His punishment. That is why although entry into Paradise is a great bounty from Allah, his being saved from Hell is no less a mercy.
19. (To them will be said:) "Eat and drink ye, with profit and health, because of your (good) deeds." 20. They will recline (with ease) on Thrones (of dignity) arranged in ranks; and We shall join them to Companions, with beautiful big and lustrous eyes.
وَالَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا وَاتَّبَعَتۡهُمۡ ذُرِّيَّتُهُمۡ بِاِيۡمَانٍ اَلۡحَـقۡنَا بِهِمۡ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمۡ وَمَاۤ اَلَـتۡنٰهُمۡ مِّنۡ عَمَلِهِمۡ مِّنۡ شَىۡءٍ​ؕ كُلُّ امۡرِیءٍۢ بِمَا كَسَبَ رَهِيۡنٌ‏  
 21. We shall unite the believers with those descendants of theirs who followed them in their faith, and shall not deny them any part of the reward for their good deeds. Every person is pledged to what he did.
 Verse 21: If the children had been following in the footsteps of their forefathers in faith, they will be joined with them in Paradise even though they might not deserve, on the basis of their deeds, the same high rank which the elders would attain on the basis of their superior faith and deeds, and this joining will not be of the nature of occasional visits and meetings but they will be lodged permanently with them in Paradise as is borne out by the words: alhaqna bi-him. For the sake of further satisfaction, it has been stated: In order to be joined with their offspring the parents will not be lowered and reduced in rank, but in order to be joined with their elders the rank of the children will be enhanced and exalted.

The last word of the verse 21 the metaphor of " رَهِيۡنٌ‏" rahn (pledge) is very meaningful. If a person takes a loan from somebody, and the creditor keeps some article belonging to the debtor with himself as a guarantee for the payment of his right, the debtor cannot redeem his pledge unless he pays off the debts; and if he does not redeem his pledge within the fixed time limit, the pledged article stands forfeited. The nature of the affair between man and God has been compared here to this very situation. The provisions, powers, capabilities and authority that God has granted man in the world are a debt that the Master has given to His servant, and as a guarantee for this debt the self of man is a pledge with Allah. If man by employing the provisions and the powers and authority in the right way earns the good by which the debt can be paid off, he will redeem the pledged thing, i.e. his own self, otherwise it will be forfeited. This thing has been said immediately after the preceding verse because even though the righteous believers may themselves be the people of a very high rank, their children cannot redeem their pledge unless they redeem their self by their own labor and effort. The earning of the forefathers cannot redeem the children. However, if the children are able to redeem themselves by virtue of their faith in some degree by following their righteous forefathers in their footsteps, it would then be Allah’s grace and bounty that in Paradise He may exalt them from lower ranks to be joined with their parents in the higher ranks. The good done by the forefathers can benefit the children only so far, but if by their own deeds they deserve Hell, it is not possible that they may be admitted to Paradise for the sake of the forefathers. Another thing that can be deduced from this verse is that the less righteous children’s being joined with their more righteous forefathers is not in reality the result of the lifework of the children but of their forefathers’. They by virtue of their deeds will deserve the grace that their children be joined with them in order to be a comfort of the eyes for them. That is why Allah will not lower their ranks to join them with their children but will exalt the children’s ranks to be joined with them, so that the perfection of Allah’s blessings on them is not marred by the distress that they may suffer on account of the remoteness of their children far away.
22. And We shall bestow on them, of fruit and meat, anything they shall desire. 23. They shall there exchange, one with another, a (loving) cup free of frivolity, free of all taint of ill. 24. Round about them will serve, (devoted) to them. Youths (handsome) as Pearls well-guarded. 25. They will advance to each other, engaging in mutual inquiry. 26. They will say: "Aforetime, we were not without fear for the sake of our people. 27. "But Allah has been good to us, and has delivered us from the Penalty of the Scorching Wind. 28. "Truly, we did call unto Him from of old: truly it is He, the Beneficent, the Merciful!"
In the second section (verses 29-49) the Quraish chiefs' attitude towards the message of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah he upon him) has been criticized. They called him a sorcerer, a madman, or a poet, and would thus mislead the common people against him so that they should not pay any serious attention to the message he preached. They looked upon him as a calamity that had suddenly descended on them and would openly wish that he met with a disaster so that they were rid of him. They accused him of fabricating the Qur'an by himself and of presenting it in the name of Allah, and this was, God forbid, a fraud that he was practicing. They would often taunt him, saying that God could not have appointed an ordinary man like him to the office of Prophet-hood. They expressed great disgust at his invitation and message and would avoid him as if he was asking them for a reward for it. They would sit and take counsels together to devise schemes in order to put an end to his mission. And while they did all this they never realized what creeds of ignorance they were involved in and how selflessly and sincerely was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exerting himself to deliver them from their error. While criticizing them for this attitude and conduct, Allah has put them certain questions, one after the other, each of which is either an answer to some objection of theirs, or a criticism of some error. Then, it has been said that it would absolutely be of no avail to show them a miracle in order to convince them of his Prophet-hood, for they were such stubborn people as would misinterpret anything they were shown only to avoid affirming the faith.
29. Therefore proclaim thou the praises (of thy Lord): for by the Grace of thy Lord, thou art no (vulgar) soothsayer, nor art thou one possessed. 30. Or do they say: - "A Poet! we wait for him some calamity (hatched) by Time!" 31. Say thou: "Await ye! - I too will wait along with you!" 32. Is it that their faculties of understanding urge them to do this, or are they but a people transgressing beyond bounds? 33. Or do they say, "He fabricated the (Message)"? Nay, they have no faith!34. Let them then produce a recital like unto it, if (it be) they speak the truth!35. Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators?36. Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief.
 Verse 37 is an answer to the objection of the disbelievers of Makkah who said: Why had Muhammad (peace be upon him), son of Abdullah, only been appointed a Messenger?
37. Or do they have your Lord's treasures in their keeping? Or do you have absolute authority over them? 
The answer implies this: Somebody in any case had to be appointed a Messenger in order to deliver the people from their error of serving others than Allah. Now the question is: Who should decide whom Allah should appoint His Messenger and whom He should not? If these people refuse to accept the Messenger appointed by Allah, it means that either they regard themselves as the masters of the world or they presume that the world may belong to Allah, but it should be ruled by them.
38. Or do they have a ladder whereon they can climb and attempt to listen (to what is transpiring in the Higher Realm)? Then, let any of them who has listened to it produce a clear proof of it. 39. Or has He only daughters and ye have sons? 
In verses 38 and 39 a detailed reasoning has been compressed into these brief sentences. It means to say: If you deny what the Prophet (peace be upon him) says, then what other means do you have to know the reality? Has any of you had access to the heavens where he found out directly from Allah or His angels that the beliefs on which you have based your religion are absolutely in accord with the reality? If someone makes this claim, he should come forward and tell as to when and how he had access to the heavens and what knowledge he has brought from there. If you do not make any such claim, then consider how ridiculous is your creed that you assign children to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and that too daughters, whom you regard as disgraceful for yourselves. Without knowledge you are wandering in the darkness of such errors and turning hostile to the person who brings to you the light of knowledge from God.
40. Or is it that thou dost ask for a reward, so that they are burdened with a load of debt?41. Or that the Unseen in it their hands, and they write it  down?  
In verse 42, the allusion is to the secret plots that the disbelievers of Makkah used to devise in their meetings in order to defeat the mission of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to kill him.
42. Or are they contriving a stratagem against you? If so, that stratagem will rebound against the unbelievers. 
This is one of the clear prophecies of the Quran. In the initial stage at Makkah when the Prophet (ﷺ) had no apparent power and support with him except a handful of the ill-equipped Muslims and the whole nation was opposing and resisting him relentlessly, the confrontation between Islam and disbelief appeared to be utterly unequal. No one at that time could imagine that after a few years the tables would be turned on disbelief. Rather, the superficial observer could safely predict that the strong opposition of the Quraish and entire Arabia would at last put an end to the message of Islam. But even under those conditions, a challenge was thrown to the disbelievers and they were told in clear terms: You may devise whatever plots you wish in order to frustrate this message, they will all recoil upon you, and you will never succeed in defeating and putting an end to it.
43. Or have they a god other than Allah. Exalted is Allah far above the things they associate with Him! 
The verse 44 is meant to expose the stubbornness of the Quraish chiefs on the one hand; and to console the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions, on the other. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and his companions wished that those people should be shown such a miracle by Allah as should convince them of the truth of his Prophet-hood.
44. Were they to see a piece of the sky falling (on them), they would (only) say: "Clouds gathered in heaps!" 
At this, it has been said: Whatever miracle they might see with their eyes, they will in any case misinterpret it and invent an excuse for persisting in disbelief, for their hearts are not at all inclined to believe. At several other places also in the Quran their this stubbornness has been mentioned, e.g. in (Surah Al-Anaam, Ayat 111), it has been said: Even if we had sent down the angels to them and made the dead speak to them and ranged all the things of the world before them (as a proof thereof), they would still have disbelieved, and in( Surah Al-Hijr, Ayat 15): Even if We had opened a gate for them in heaven, and they had begun to ascend through it during day time, they would have said: Our eyes have been dazzled; nay, we have been bewitched.
45. So leave them alone until they encounter that Day of theirs, wherein they shall (perforce) swoon (with terror), 46. The Day when their plotting will avail them nothing and no help shall be given them. 47. And verily, for those who do wrong, there is another punishment besides this: But most of them understand not. 48. Now await in patience the command of thy Lord: for verily thou art in Our eyes: and celebrate the praises of thy Lord the while thou standest forth, 49. And for part of the night also praise thou Him, - and at the retreat of the stars!
As can be noticed that In the beginning of second section as well as in its end, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has been given the instruction that he should persistently continue giving his invitation and preaching his message in spite of the accusations and objections of his opponents and enemies, and should endure their resistance patiently till Allah's judgment comes to pass. Besides, he has been consoled, as if to say "Your Lord has not left you alone to face your enemies, after raising you as a Prophet, but He is constantly watching over you. Therefore, endure every hardship patiently till the Hour of His judgment comes, and seek through praising and glorifying your Lord the power that is required for exerting in the cause of Allah under such conditions.


You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Sūrat aṭ-Ṭūr with English subtitles:


وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Please refer to our Reference Page "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, explanation and exegesis of all other chapters of the Qur'an. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

An effort has been made to gather explanation / exegesis of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic sources and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. In that:
  • The plain translation and explanation have been taken from the Holy Quran officially published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. [1]
  • The exegesis of the chapters of the Holy Quran is mainly based on the "Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an" by one of the most enlightened scholars of the Muslim World Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi.  [2]
In order to augment and add more explanation as already provided by [2], additional input has been interjected from following sources (links to Reference Pages given below):  
  • Tafsir Ibn Khatir
  • Muhammad Asad Translation
  • Al-Quran, Yusuf Ali Translation
  • Javed Ahmad Ghamidi / Al Mawrid
  • Qur'an Wiki
  • Verse by Verse Qur'an Study Circle
  • Tafsir Nouman Ali Khan
  • Towards Understanding the Quran
In addition, references of other sources which have been explored have also been given below. Those desirous of detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to these sites:
Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

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Significance of Rights of Allah and Man in Islam


Man has been created by Allah and blessed with countless blessings and bounties to live a comfortable life so that man is obliged to his Creator and thank Him for everything that He has bestowed upon him to live a happy and contended life. He alone is our is the creator, nurture, sustainer, provider, protector and at no time we should be turning away from Him in thanking for his bounties and repenting for our sins and for digressing from the commandments of Allah.

However, at the same time we have obligations towards other men around us as we live in a society, heavily dependent on each other to live a happy life. We thus have rights over them and to them. While we always vie to claim for our rights, how often we are actually willing to care for the rights of others that they expect of us in return? This is something that we must be very careful about for if we hurt someone or usurp someone's rights, even if we realize later and repent to Allah, we shall not be forgiven unless that person who has been victim of our wrongdoing has forgiven us.

Thus we must understand the criticality of our rights towards Allah and man. As for Allah, He is oft forgiving and in fact expects man to repent and beg forgiveness so that He who is Ar Rahman (The Most Gracious) and Ar Raheem (The Most Merciful) should forgive us. If someone commits a sin, regarding the rights of Allah, it may be undone with the help of repentance whenever someone realizes one's mistake. 




But in case of wrong being done to a human being, Allah may not forgive even if a repentance is made in most earnest way for as long as the person who has been wronged has not forgiven. That is why Islam emphasizes on the rights in respect of others more we must be very careful in dealing with others and trying our utmost not to willfully hurt or usurp others rights, for if someone cries out to Allah in pain dealt to him by another, Allah promptly listen and responds. So let us be very watchful as regards rights of others to save ourselves from wrath of Allah both in this world and the hereafter.

As regards to usurping rights of others, the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) has been quoted as saying:
So the one who behaved badly, his righteous deeds will be given to the one who was scolded, cheated, who was killed, and who was hit. If his righteous deeds finish, then angels will be asked to take the sins of those who were scolded, cheated who were killed and given to the one who oppressed. And by doing so the sins of oppressor exceed his own goods, he will be thrown into hell fire.
Please watch the video below by Professor Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, a Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar, Islamic modernist, exegete and educationist, on the subject. The video is in Urdu, but has English subtitles for those who cannot understand Urdu:
May Allah forgive us of all omissions that we have made with regard to rights towards Allah and man, for we will be too fragile on the Say of Judgement to be forgiven if we weigh less on the scale of forgiveness. Aameen.

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Sunday 10 February 2019

Why do Muslims Sacrifice Animals on Eid al Adha

Eid al Adha is one of two annual festivals of Muslims that are celebrated with religious zeal and fervour throughout the world. Eid al Adha falls after the culmination of yet another revered pillar of Islam: The Hajj. “Adha” means “sacrifice” in Arabic, thus on this day, the Muslims sacrifice animals like goat, sheep, ram, cow or camels to commemorate the sacrifice attributed to Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham, may peace be upon him). In fact, the Muslims celebrate Prophet Abraham’s piety, and his willingness to obey Allah’s commandment, even if it meant sacrificing his son.

However, for most non-Muslims, it is something strange to slaughter an animal openly and in rather a barbaric way. Although, the meat market around the world kills animals in machines "alive", yet slaughtering of animals as a ritual by Muslims seems to them rather harsh. They even question why the animals should be sacrificed in the first place.  Emmanuel Kant, the 18th-century German philosopher, criticized Abraham’s blind submission not as an example to emulate but as a failure to avoid. Abraham should have been certain about his own moral sense, Kant argued, and suspicious about an ostensibly divine voice commanding him to do something as cruel as sacrificing his son. Kant wasn’t advocating defying God, necessarily, but he was empowering human reason.

While many non-Muslims support Emmanuel's viewpoint, some stereotyped Muslims living in non-Muslim countries too often their reservation to the very concept and manner of the slaughter and sacrifice of the animals. Why such queries are raised because we are drifting from teachings of our faith and concentrating more on reasoning in view of modern thinking that is devoid of submission to the Divine commandments. To understand the why of animal sacrifice, we must understand the philosophy and wisdom behind it. 

The philosophy of sacrifice displays total submission to Allah's commandment vis-a-vis any human considerations. When it came to accepting Divine will, Prophet Ibraheem demonstrated this spirit of submission and sacrifice to the best of his understanding. He chose to submit unconditionally to Allah and did not let human emotions come his way to deter him from carrying out the will of Allah.

Although, the act of Prophet Abraham took place much earlier than all divine faiths, that is Jewish and Christianity, its continuation as a ritual in Islam attaches immense importance as a display of total submission to the will of Allah. While querying religious rituals, one must keep the context in mind. Not only did the pagan Arabs sacrifice to a variety of gods in hopes of attaining protection or some favor or material gain, but so, too, did the Jews of that day seek to appease the One True God by blood sacrifice and burnt offerings. Even the Christian community felt Jesus to be the last sacrifice, the final lamb, so to speak, in an otherwise valid tradition of animal sacrifice (where one’s sins are absolved by the blood of another).

It may be added that Islam in fact breaks away from this longstanding tradition of appeasing an “angry God” and instead demands personal sacrifice and submission as the only way to die before death and reach “Fana” or “extinction in Allah.” The notion of “vicarious atonement of sin” (absolving one’s sins through the blood of another) is nowhere to be found in the Qur’an. Neither is the idea of gaining favor by offering the life of another to God. In Islam, all that is demanded as a sacrifice is one’s personal willingness to submit one’s ego and individual will to Allah.

In fact, Allah never "asked" Prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son. Rather, the Prophet saw a dream as has been narrated in the Holy Qur'an [Surah As Saffat 37:102-107]:
102) Then when (the son) Reached (the age of) (Serious) work with him He said: “Oh my son! I see in vision That I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is Thy view!” (The son) said: “Oh my father! Do As thou art commanded: Thou wilt find me, If Allah so wills one Practicing patience and constancy!” 103) So when they had both Submitted their wills (to Allah), And he had laid him Prostrate on his forehead (For sacrifice), 104) We called out to him, “Oh Abraham!” 1054) “Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” thus indeed Do We reward Those who do right. 106) For this was obviously A trial, 107) And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice.
Based on the dream, the Prophet understood that he had been demanded to make a supreme sacrifice, which for him seemed to be something that should be dearest to him of all. So, he asked his son to be that sacrifice, which his son obediently acknowledged without any hesitation. This is the total essence: Total Submission and Obedience. And it must be remembered that Allah does not need meat or blood of animals as has been mentioned in Surah Hajj [22:37]:
It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah: it is your piety That reaches Him: He Has thus made them subject to you, that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: * And proclaim the Good News To all who do right
No one should suppose that meat or blood is acceptable to the One True God. It was a pagan fancy that Allah could be appeased by blood sacrifice. But Allah does accept the offering of our hearts, and as a symbol of such offer.

Replying the to this oft asked query by non-Muslims, please listen to the answer by Professor Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, a Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar, Islamic modernist, exegete and educationist, on the subject. The video is in Urdu, but has English subtitles for those who cannot understand Urdu: 
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى‎) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door. 
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ‏ 
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.

Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.

May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.

Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 |
If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook

Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on social media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

Thursday 7 February 2019

How to Offer Salah (Prayers): Obligatory and Voluntary Rakats / Cycles / Units


Salah or prayer is the second pillar of Islam and has been made obligatory on all adult Muslims five times a day. It is thus better to understand how many rakats / cycles / unit each prayer has for better performance of one's obligations. Although, the commandment to offer five daily prayers has been given in the Holy Qur'an, the rakats / units / cycles were told by the Prophet of Allah himself and he also demonstrated how these are performed.

Salah is a physical, mental, and spiritual act of worship that is observed five times every day at prescribed times. When Muslims offer prayers, they must face Ka'abah located in Makkah, the Saudi city for uniformity of direction from all over the world. 

The number of obligatory and voluntary rakats / units / cycles of five daily salah / prayer are as under:

Fajar The dawn prayer:
  • 2 rakats voluntary (Sunnah Moaqqada)
  • 2 rakat Obligatory (Fard)
Dhuhr - The midday or afternoon prayer:
  • 4 rakats voluntary (Sunnah Moaqqada)
  • 4 rakat Obligatory (Fard)
  • 2 rakat voluntary (Sunnah Moaqqada)
  • 2 rakat optional (Nafl)
Asr  - The late afternoon prayer
  • 4 rakats voluntary (Sunnah Non Moaqqada)
  • 4 rakat Obligatory (Fard)
Maghrib - Te dusk prayer
  • 3 rakat Obligatory (Fard)
  • 2 rakat voluntary (Sunnah Moaqqada)
  • 2 rakat optional (Nafl)
Isha - The night prayer
  • 4 rakats voluntary (Sunnah Non Moaqqada)
  • 4 rakat Obligatory (Fard)
  • 2 rakat voluntary (Sunnah Moaqqada)
  • 2 rakat optional (Nafl)
  • 3 rakat voluntary (Witr)
  • 2 rakat optional (Nafl)
However, we need to understand certain basic rules for offering salah / prayers:
  • Salah has been made obligatory for all adult Muslims.
  • The Obligatory rakats / cycles / units in each prayer are the actual cycles / rakats of salah. If these are offered, one will be rewarded for these are Fard / Obligatory. And if someone does not offer these, he will be questioned on the Day of Judgement for not fulfilling the commandment of Allah.
  • The fard / obligatory rakats are offered in the mosque behind the Imam in the form of congregation.
  • While offering fard / obligatory rakats in the mosque behind the Imam, the first two rakats of the Fajr, first two rakats of the Maghrib and first two rakats of Isha prayers are spoken aloud by the Imam. All four rakats of fard / obligatory prayers of Dhuhr and Asr are offered silently.
  • All other voluntary rakats are offered individually.
  • Other than the Obligatory prayers, all other rakats/cycles/units are voluntary. If one offers these, he will be rewarded. But if one does not offer these, he will not be asked 
  • In the voluntary rakats, there are two types: Sunnah Moaqqada and Sunnah Non Moaqqada.
  • Sunnah Moaqqada are those voluntary rakats which the Prophet of Allah never skipped or missed. So these are known as Sunnah Moaqqada and normally it is stressed to offer these as respect to the Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah. Some even stress that these are as compulsory as Fard/Obligatory rakats.
  • Sunnah Non Moaqqada are those voluntary rakats which the Prophet of Allah sometimes offered or sometimes skipped. Some call these  as essential, if not compulsory.
  • The three rakats known as Witr are in fact the obligatory late night rakats for the Prophet of Allah which he offered after getting up late at night. Seeing the Prophet of Allah offering these three rakats, companions of the Prophet also started to offer these. However, some complained that they were unable to get up late night to offer these Witr rakats, to which the Prophet said that these can be offered after the Isha prayers. So normally these are offered after Isha prayer.
  • The optional Nafl rakats are additional rakats which Prophet too offered but never stressed over his companions.
In order to better understand these rakats and he obligatory / voluntary rakats, please listen to the following commentary by Professor Javed Ahmad Ghamidi, a Pakistani Muslim theologian, Quran scholar, Islamic modernist, exegete and educationist, on the subject. The video is in Urdu, but has English subtitles for those who cannot understand Urdu: :

May Allah bless us for any mistake that we may make in offering our salah and make us regular in offering at least our obligatory rakats in each prayer.

Disclaimer: The data above has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

For more Scholarly views and videos, please read our reference page: Scholars' Viewpoint on Important Issues Related to IslamYou may also refer to our Reference Page - As Salat - Prayers for knowing more about prayers (As Salat) and Jumu'ah congregational prayers.

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99 Attributes of Allah: Al Ghani (The Rich), Al Mughni (The Enricher)


Continuing with our posts on the 99 attributes of Allah, the Almighty, this is our fifth post on the subject. Today we shall explain the meaning and details of two attributes of Allah: Al Ghani and Al Mughni.

Al Ghani  الغني (The Rich)
Al Ghani that means The Rich or the Self-sufficient. We all know that all that is within the bounds of this universe and the seven skies above and the heavens are the possession of none but the one and only omnipotent Creator of our - Allah the Almighty. He is rich to the extent that one cannot even imagine,thus He is free from any dependencies and thus is self sufficient. He is free from any needs nor needs anything, rather He is the one who transcends all needs.

In fact it is all others but He who are dependent on His richness and wealth. It is we who pray to be given a part of riches, which He bestows without fear of running dry of His wealth for His wealth cannot never run dry no matter how much he doles out to us.

Al Mughni المغني (The Enricher)
Allah is the Bestower of Wealth. The attribute Al Mughni is driven from Al Ghani: That is Allah is immensely Rich and thus He alone is the Bestower of His riches to us. It is we who always look up to Him to bestow us wealth so that we can fulfill our wordily desires and wants.
In Surah Al An'am [6:133] the verse begins with: وَرَبُّكَ الْغَنِيُّ meaning by "And your Lord is the Free of need (Self Sufficient)." That means He is so rich that not only He is free of any needs but is in a position to rain his wealth without even counting. In fact Allah is dependent neither upon the show of veneration nor upon the offerings of His creations. He lavishes His limitless treasures on human beings and seeks nothing in return.

In Surah Muhammad [47: verse 38] Allah tells us:
وَاللّٰهُ الۡغَنِىُّ وَاَنۡـتُمُ الۡفُقَرَآءُ 
"For Allah is All-Sufficient, whereas it is you who are in need of Him"

He is Ghani, the self Sufficient, the Rich, the One who is independent of any needs. In fact it is you, O'people who are poor and in need of Him !!

The bestowing of His riches to us can be both monetary and spiritually beside health after sickness. He enriches His creation with so much of bounties like rain, sun, wealth, health, mental satisfaction and contentment. He also showers his bounties in the form of spiritual wealth when we need solace and recovery from grief.

Both Al Ghani and Mughni stem from the root gh-n-y which has the following classical Arabic connotations:
  • to be free from wants or needs
  • to be self-sufficient, independent
  • to be able to do without help from others
  • to be content, satisfied
  • to be rich, wealthy, flourishing
Summing up these two attributes of Allah, it should be understood that anyone who is wealthy and rich around us, is still in need of some wants or more wealth, be it monetary or bodily health or even spiritual need and no one but Allah alone is self sufficient in wealth that He does not need anyone else to make him more richer for He is self sufficient for He does not have any needs. It is He alone that in turn gives us wealth of any kind that we may want from Him.

These attributes of Allah also want from us that whatever wealth has been given to us, we must share it with those who are in need of it. In fact we must set aside a share for the poor even it is as small as one date or a glass of water, or if a man's state is so that he cannot afford giving anything, he must at least pray for those in need. 

And those despite having riches unlimited but still deny helping those in need are in reality denying the command of Allah to aid the poor and are denying the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who always stressed to help the poor and lived a life practically demonstrating this. May Allah help us to understand true meaning of His attributes and act upon these in true letter and spirit. 

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allah" for complete list of 99 attributes of Allah Almighty with meaning and explanation. 

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