7 basic points that constitute the Hijaab.

7 basic points that constitute the Hijaab.

·    Covering all of the body including feet, except what can be shown (i. e. face and hands, although some major scholars have said it is Wajib to cover these as well)

·        Clothes should not be such that it would attract attention

·        It is thick and not see-through

·        It is wide and encompassing

·        The clothes and body itself must not have any trace of perfume

·        Clothing does not resemble what is known to be exclusively for males

·        It is not similar to the clothing of a disbeliever

In the ongoing dichotomy between Halal (permissible) and Haraam (forbidden), there should be one concept that each and every one of us should realize: everything that is Halal is always beneficial, and everything that is Haraam is always harmful. Some of us may think we have ‘plausible’ excuses not to wear it, or think it’s just a minor sin (it’s not), but as a saying goes: “Don’t look at the smallness of the sin; rather, look at the One Whom you’re sinning against.

After knowing the certainty of the obligation of wearing the Hijaab, it should be clear what should come next. It’s not enough that we accept it as a command from Allah, but we should also wholeheartedly embrace it as our identity, as part of who we are. If we leave something for Allah’s sake, then He will reward us with something better, likewise when we do something that would please Him. And truly Allah loves those who obey Him. No other enticement is more persuasive for us to make the Hijaab part of our lives than this promise from Allah:

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Al-Ahzab: 59)

An inspiring poem for those muslim sisters who cover their bodies with veil for the sake of Allah (SWT)

"You look at me and call me oppressed,
Simply because of the way I'm dressed,

You know me not for what's inside,
You judge the clothing I wear with pride,

My body's not for your eyes to hold,
You must speak to my mind, not my feminine mold,

I'm an individual, I'm no mans slave,
It's Allah's pleasure that I only crave,

I have a voice so I will be heard,
For in my heart I carry His word,

"O ye women, wrap close your cloak,
So you won't be bothered by ignorant folk",

Man doesn't tell me to dress this way,
It's a Law from Allaah that I obey,

Oppressed is something I'm truly NOT,
For liberation is what I've got,

It was given to me many years ago,
With the right to prosper, the right to grow,

I can climb mouth or cross the seas,
Expand my mind in all degrees,

For Allaah Himself gave us LIBERTY,
When He sent Islam,

To You and Me!"

"The Inevitable Caliphate"

"The Inevitable Caliphate"

"Takhleeq huwi Aadam ki, ik Na'ib Kay Garz Se;
nadaan samaj betha hai ki farishtigi Matloob hai"

-Waqas Kh'an








And when your Lord said to the angels: I am making a caliph on the Earth. They said: Are You making therein one who corrupts it and sheds blood, while we hymn Your praise and sanctify You? He said: Surely I know that which you do not know (Al-Baqara, 2: 30).
 
In explaining the meaning of this verse, Al-Siyouti mentioned that Allah decided to make Adam as
His caliph, successor, on Earth, to succeed Him in implementing His rules. 

Prophetic narration:

“There will be Prophethood for as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be caliphate on the Prophetic method and it will be for as long as Allah wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be biting Kingship for as long as Allah Wills, then He will remove it when He wills, then there will be oppressive kingship for as long as Allah wills, then he will remove it when He wills, and then there will be caliphate (once again) upon the Prophetic method”

Narrated by Imam Ahmad, and is considered authentic by normative Islamic scholarship

A: The hadith indicates that there will be no difference in the rule after the Prophet , in the sense that the Khilafah after him will be based upon his methodology (Khilafah Ala Minhajin Nubuwwah), and follow his example. So there is unity between the Prophetic methodology and the methodology of the successors in applying the rule of Islam, with the only difference being the end of the revelation which was completed before the passing of the Prophet.

B: The "biting Kingship (Mulukiyat)" refers to the misapplication of the taking of the pledge of allegiance, which was taken by force and then subsequently handed down by hereditary rule rather than by consent as exemplified to us by the example of the Prophet and the first four Khulafaa.

C: The "oppressive Kingship (Mulkiyyan Jabriyyan)" is the period of time when the Muslims were ruled by those whose rule was based upon Islam but were oppressive upon the people, as indicated by the Prophet in other narrations that the Muslims should obey their leader even if he whips their backs as long as he does not order them to commit sin. Some of the scholars like Dr. Israr(R) and others have analyzed it as the colonial rule where in the Muslims under the sun were under serious oppressive kingship.

D: The last part of the hadith is a glad tiding for the Muslim Ummah, a prophecy that there will again be Khilafah established, with the Will of Allah, based upon the Prophetic methodology (Khilafah Ala Minhajin Nubuwwah)

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''Western Politicians about Caliphate and the threat they have''

George W. Bush
President of the United States 2001-09

"This caliphate would be a totalitarian Islamic empire encompassing all current and former Muslim lands,
stretching from Europe to North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia," (2006)

Charles Clark
British Home Secretary 2004-06

"There can be no negotiation about the re-creation of the Caliphate; there can be no negotiation about the imposition of Sharia law" (2005)

Allen West
U.S. Representative for Florida's 22nd congressional district 2011

“This so-called ‘Arab Spring’ is less about a democratic movement, than it is about the early phase of the restoration of an Islamic caliphate, the last being the Ottoman Empire” (2011)

Franco Frattini Italian Foreign
Minister 2002-11

"Can you imagine having an Islamic Arab emirate on the borders of Europe? This would be a really serious threat" (2011)






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Islamic Scholars and Leaders

Sheikh Mohammad
Bakhit Al-Mutee'i Mufti of Egypt 1915-20

“The claim of the extinction of the caliphate in Islam is not correct, and  rather the only thing that has become
extinct is the presence of the caliph, and as for the caliphate, it still remains obligatory upon the Muslim  nation” (1925)

Sheikh Muhammad al-Khidr Hussein 
Head of Al-Azhar 1952-4

"It is not correct for a caliph to be represented by a body created simply for the name - rather all the scholars stated that the caliph is an individual who remains in his position as long as he retains the approval of the Muslim nation, so it is far different from a despotic rule" (1925)

Imam Hasan al-Banna 
Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanul Muslimoon)

"The caliphate is the sign of Islamic unity, and the manifestation of the connection between the Islamic
peoples, and an Islamic symbol which the Muslims are obligated to think about, and to be concerned with its
issue" (1940)

Sheikh Taqiudeen al-Nabahani
Founder of Hizb-ut-Tahrir

"The Islamic State is the caliphate...[it] is a human state and not a theocratic or godly state....it is clear that the caliph is a person, who can either be correct or make mistakes...he needs the Muslim nation to account him, and either he changes, or they change him" (1954)


"Meri zindagi ka maqsad teri deen ki sarfarazi
mai isi liye musalman hu mai isiliye namazi"

-Allama Iqbal(R)

The World's Most Influential person; Muhammad(SAW), The Prophet of Islam

Michael H. Hart

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level."

____________________________________

Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33.

In the Encyclopedia Britannica

"Muhammad is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities."

John Austin

"In little more than a year he was actually the spiritual, nominal and temporal rule of Medina, with his hands on the lever that was to shake the world."

_____________________________

John Austin "Muhammad the Prophet of Allah," in T.P.'s and Cassel's Weekly for 24th September 1927.

John William Draper

"Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was born at Mecca, in Arabia the man who, of all men exercised the greatest influence upon the human race . . . Mohammed . . ."

_____________________________

John William Draper, A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, London 1875, Vol. 1, pp. 329-330.

Thomas Carlyle

"how one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."

Diwan Chand Sharma

Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him."

____________________________________

(D.C. Sharma, The Prophets of The East, Calcutta, 1935, pp. 12)

Prof. C. Snouck Hurgronje

"The league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." He continues: "The fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of theLeague of Nations."

Geoffrey Parrinder

"No great religious leader has been so maligned as Prophet Mohammed. Attacked in the past as a heretic, an impostor, or a sensualist, it is still possible to find him referred to as "the false prophet." A modern German writer accuses Prophet Mohammed of sensuality, surrounding himself with young women. This man was not married until he was twenty-five years of age, then he and his wife lived in happiness and fidelity for twenty-four years, until her death when he was forty-nine. Only between the age of fifty and his death at sixty-two did Prophet Mohammed take other wives, only one of whom was a virgin, and most of them were taken for dynastic and political reasons. Certainly the Prophet's record was better than the head of the Church of England, Henry VIII."

James A. Michener

"Muhammad, the inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A.D. 570 into an Arabian tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the downtrodden. At twenty, he was already a successful businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five, his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she lived, remained a devoted husband.

"Like almost every major prophet before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the transmitter of God's word, sensing his own inadequacy. But the angel commanded "Read." So far as we know, Muhammad was unable to read or write, but he began to dictate those inspired words which would soon revolutionize a large segment of the earth: "There is one God."

"In all things Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred, and rumours of God's personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, "An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being." "At Muhammad's own death an attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to become his administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches in religious history: "If there are any among you who worshipped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you worshipped, He lives forever."

______________________________________…

James A. Michener, "ISLAM: THE MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION," in READER'S DIGEST (American edition), May 1955, pp. 68-70.

Mahatma Gandhi

Speaking on the character of Muhammad (pbuh), Mahatma Gandhi says in (Young India),

"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

Prof. Ramakrishna Rao

"The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior; Muhammad, the Businessman; Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad, the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge; Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero."

Sarogini Naidu

Sarogini Naidu, the famous poetess of India says about Islam: "It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'… I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother.

Lamartine

"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls. . . his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with words.

"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?"

______________________________________…

Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277.

3 years ago

Basic Presentation Skills

Introduction

presentation skills are very substantial and significant in many spheres of work and life. Effective presentation skills are very important in business, marketing, training, teaching, lecturing and generally entertaining an audience. Presentation skills are extremely helpful in development of confidence and personality. Why do we see a difference in cost of Barbeques in a Stall and famous restaurant? It is not the taste that makes the contrast but the way of its presentation.  It is not a herculean task to be good in presentation. Anybody can give a good presentation or deliver a speech of a very professional and impressive standard, if he will imbibe in him some specific and fundamental presentation skills. It just needs a bit of organized preparation and practice. There can be numerous kinds of presentations, for example: oral speeches, multimedia speeches (using audio visuals, etc), power point presentations, lectures etc; but every successful presenter or speaker uses some basic presentation skills, which are briefly summarized as under:

Before the delivery: The speaker should organize his speech keenly before its delivery. The speech must have three parts, Introduction, Core and conclusion. There should not be repetitions in the speech. The most important thing in organizing the speech is that it should be kept under the time limit. Before a speaker commences its talk, he should give a brief introduction about himself and also a general briefing of the topic. He must keep the “KISS” rule in mind, which suggests that a speaker should Keep It Simple and Straight. He should be very well aware about his ethical responsibilities like; his talk should not hurt the sentiments of audience. He should overcome his fears and phobias before the speech. He should train himself to avoid the distracting mannerisms, like playing with the buttons of his shirt or scratching his head, again and again.

Basic manner techniques (Presentation Skills)

Facial expression

The most impressive tool of a speaker is his face. Facial expression determines how much a speaker is confident. Smile is suggested as one the general effective facial expression. If the speech is not asking for a smile, one must not wear then. Sometimes, the semantics of the word is delivered by your facial expressions and not by the word itself.

Eye contact

The connector between the spectators and the audience are the eyes. If a speaker ignores the eye to eye contact, he loses the attention of the audience. Public speakers have suggested that most important tool for a speaker to make his speech winsome and peachy is his eye contact with the audience.

Body Language

The hardest part in the delivery of speech is to maintain the language of your body. The language of body or body language is termed as Kinesis. It is very substantial for a speaker to keep his body still while delivering a speech. His movement of hands or hand gestures makes a great impact on the onlookers. The position of hands is very important to learn. One can keep his hands on dais, if available, but his body should stand upright. It he is holding a free mike, he should walk at a very low pace and should try to mingle with the audience.

Voice Modulation, Pauses and intonations

These are the calligraphic tools of the speech. While writing text, we use many tools to highlight, bold, italicize or underline; but, in a speech we don’t use such things. In alternative we are blessed with tools like our voice. We can play with its pitch, high or low, as per our need. If we are supposed to give stress on any word or sentence, we can intonate that word. And at times, if we have to grab the attention of the audience, what better we can do than doing a pause for a while, as Martin Fraquhar Tupper says, “Well-timed silence has more eloquence than speech.”

Language and Grammar

We must be very well aware about the usage of grammar and language. If we are assigned with a formal speech, then we must use formal language and grammar. For example: we cannot use ‘Where it comes from?’ but ‘Where does it come from?” Similarly, we cannot use words like ‘Guys and Gals’ but ‘Boys and girls’ or ‘Ladies and Gentlemen’. We must be quite known to the nature of speeches. If a speech is entertaining, then we should not bother about the formality of grammar or language.

Pronunciation and Accent

If we are second language speakers of a particular language, we must keep in mind to use a neutral accent and proper pronunciation. We shouldn’t try to imitate the native speakers of that language. It can cause irritation to the audience. For example; if we have to deliver a speech in English, which is our second language, we should not copy the accent and pronunciation of English; rather we should use our accent ‘Hinglish’ with proper articulation of words.

Motivation and sense of Humor

These two human skills are very essential for a speaker to imbibe in his speech. This presentation skill decides how much long lasting effect of your speech is going to be on your audience. The speaker should make it sure to himself that his audience must leave with something to remember. Motivation toils there to do that task. Your sense of humor is one more effective exercise to make your audience to remember you for a longer period. The more your delivery is entertaining, the more successful your purpose of speech becomes.

In conclusion, I wish to leave reader with quote to ponder over,

“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Social Aims,” 1875

My Initial Urdu quotes

1.      "Kya ajab khaile qudrat hai maula teri,
wo arfa murda dil banadiya, y eid dulhan banadi meri" 

waqas Khan

2.      "Mazi Wo Khwab khwab tha, hoti kya chasme pur aab;
baarha barasta Lahu ab, karta hai haqeeqat se ashnaab" 
Waqas Khan

3.      “karta hai mehboob tawaqqa muhabat e lasani se;
qurb e ikhtitam hai ye, ku gafil hai kahani se"
waqas Khan

4.      “Khuwahan kabi na tha taleem e nahaw o Sarf ka,
atayi hai sarapa tadrees e sitm o zar ki” 

waqas Khan

5.      "Beth ke bag-e-nishat mai Phir yad aya aj,
tha jo lamha wajha ik nisf kahani ka"

waqas Khan

6.      "Kya ajab fayl hai, tera maskhare sukoon;
ik lamhe muhabbat ke lye, mustaqil chashma e khoon" 

waqas Khan

7.      “Israf e zindagi kia Unko samajne mai,
ilzam nasamaj ka tha, Samaj na paye" 
waqas Khan

8.      “Ba jurrat qalb hai mera, Bahre ishq mai dhoob gaya;

Faqat wo kastoora talaash hai, ataa kare jo Moti mera”

Waqas Khan

Courageous is my heart, it drowned deep into the ocean of love;

My search is confined to that oyster, which will labor forth my pearl

9.      Quds tera muntazir, khuwahan hai ab bhi khorasaan,

Haramain ka shaheen tha, aflaq thi teri udaan

Waqas Khan (in memory of Sheikh usama bin laden)

10. Tagoot ki nusrat hui,  hai mashgool dahre fani;

Mastaane musalman awwal, baad yahood o nasrnai

Waqas Khan

NGO sector in India

Introduction

NGO is a non-governmental organization independent of government and business. It can be a charity, an association etc. It is a Non-profit and Non-trading organization. It is a private sector voluntarily and usually non-sectarian organization that constitutes to, or participates in, cooperation projects, education, training or other humanitarian progressive or watchdog activities. The NGOs work to establish vigilance over the government sectors and toils to make it transparent in its executive function of policy making.  Some of them are accredited by the UN, like Mercy corps, and some collect donations for distribution among disadvantaged or distressed people, some of the major worldwide NGOs include International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Chamber of commerce (ICC), and International Committee of the Red Cross etc.

NGO sector in India

The NGO sector toils to perform a significant job in the development of a country. The Indian NGO domain or the Indian voluntary sector is thriving to be a strong force in growing the nation’s social and economic growth, mainly for the people at the lower level at economic domain. If India is to gain, as is foretold, the standard of living of the first world by 2030, the NGO sector would need to play a substantial task and ought to grow at a swift pace than that the current speed of Indian economy. In democratic country like India, NGOs have a substantial role to perform.

            NGO culture in India is at a high rate. There is a mushrooming growth of NGOs in India that is resulting also in inefficiency of works of NGOs. The fraudulent has resulted in the trust deficit between the public and NGOs. Mainly in the rural areas of our country, the NGOs are executing lesser functions than the money generation they do. NGO sector in India needs a proper watch by the government and media. Though, some of the functions of notable NGOs are praiseworthy, but there are many other who are NGOs for namesake.

Main functions performed by the NGO sector of India

1.      Most Non government organizations are involved in aid and relief. In the times of natural calamities, they perform much significant function like the distribution of food, clothing, medicines and temporary shelters.

2.      Other Non government organizations have a major task in developing human recourses among minorities by

·        Delivering services at the local level

·        Helping community organizations

·        Promoting education, and working for intangible benefits such as crucial self esteem.

3.      Many are primarily strong in addressing issues at the community level such as:

·        Adult education

·        Income generation

·        Organization of savings and credit societies

·        Primary health care agricultural production

4.      Proper distribution of Government made policies to the general public.

·        Campaigning about the schemes

·        Human assistance

·        Connection building to the authorities

·        Vigilant watch over the performance of executive functions of the scheme holders.

In praise of Qaid e Inqilab Syed Ali Geelani “The dweller of prison”

In praise of Qaid e Inqilab Syed Ali Geelani

“The dweller of prison”

Tu mujahide islam, mufakkir e azaddi hai;

Tu baa qafas bee lagta azaad panchi hai,

Ta waqt tere muntazir  afraad e vaadi hai;

Ki Nida teri saraapa har asr mai azaadi hai

Muntazir galbae khilafat hai, tera tariqa jihadi hai;

Maqsad teri zindagi ka, faqat islam ki azaadi hai

Muhaafiz tera khuda hai, darayega kya tuje tagoot

Mehboob tera Mustafa (SAW), Allah (Swt) tera Mabood

Khuwahish nai waqas? Bayaa kare us se khayal apna

kya maloom hai, haqeeqat banjaye tera, ab talak ka sapna