Monday 11 June 2012

Shaykh al-Hadith Yunus Jaunpuri (db)


Al Salamu 'Alaykum.
By the efforts and grace of Shaykh al-Hadith Hanif Luharvi and Mawlana Abu Uzair Junaid, this worthless servant had the opportunity to meeting and shaking hands with Shaykh Yunus Jaunpuri (db), Shaykh al-Hadith of Mazahir al-'Uloom, Saharanpur yesterday. A Jalsa was organised in Shaykh Hanif's Madrasa in Kharod, Gujarat for the Khatm-e-Bukhari of the students. Afterwards, despite his obvious ill health, Shaykh Yunus spoke for about 45 minutes to the students. It was a very academic talk, most of which I could not understand. May Allah make the 'ilm of the Deen easy for us and may he lengthen the shadow of the 'Ulama-e-Haqq on us. Thanks are due to Shaykh Hanif and Mawlana Junaid. May Allah bless them with His friendship.
Wa salam.

Friday 8 June 2012

Hadrat 'Umar: The Best Of Friends.


Al Salamu 'Alaykum.
In old, worn out shabby looking clothes, Amir Al-Mu’minin, Ali Bin Abi Talib, sat saying grace to Allah. Abu Maryam, one of the servants, sat on his knees close to `Ali and whispered: “Amir Al-Mu’minin, I have something to ask of you.” `Ali said: “What is it that you want to ask?”
Abu Maryam said: “That you throw away the clothes you are wearing. They are old and ripped and do not go well with your position.”
`Ali Bin Abi Taleb put the tip of his clothes on his eyes and started to cry until his weeping was loud. In embarrassment, Abu Maryam said: “O Amir Al-Mu’minin, if I knew that it meant so much to you I would not have asked you to take it off.” `Ali said while wiping his tears: “O Abu Maryam, my love for this jacket is increasing. It was a gift from my friend and beloved companion.”
Oddly, Abu Maryam asked: “And who is this friend of yours O Amir?” `Ali said: “ ‘Umar Ibn Al Khattab. He was the best of friends.”
He then started to weep once again until the sound of his suppressed cries could be heard from afar.
"100 Stories from the Life of Ali Bin Abi Taleb" by Muhammad Siddeeq Al Minshawi, Dar Al Fadeela Publishing, 2002.

Saturday 2 June 2012

Use Islamic Injunctions To Establish Just Economy


Hyderabad: A first of its kind open lecture session on Islamic Economics was conducted in Hyderabad by POINTE (Platform for Occidental, oriental and Islamic Networking in studying and Teaching Economics) on 27th May 2012, at the Institute of Public Enterprise, Osmania University Campus, Hyderabad. The topic of the lecture session was ‘Introductory Lecture on Islamic Economics – An Institutional Perspective for Inclusive and Universal Wellbeing’.
Opening the lecture session Mr Shashi Bhushan, General Manager, Institutional Learning exhorted the Muslim community to study the institutions practiced by the erstwhile successful Muslim regimes and strive to be successful rather than be exploited.
He advised Muslims to use the injunctions of the Qur’an to establish a judicious economy.
During his tenure in the World Bank and in his close foundational association with Al-Khair Co-operative Credit Society, Lucknow and Sahulat Microfinance Institution, New Delhi, he found that Muslims seriously lacked in academic and vocational qualifications in spite of having necessary skills and attitude.
He wanted the Muslim community to adopt and use technology for their upliftment.
The main lecture on Islamic Economics was delivered by Dr. Lubna Sarwath, Ph.D.[Indonesia]. Dr. Sarwath is associated with the Trisakti University, Jakarta, Indonesia.
She runs the city-based Shausaa’ Foundation and is the Director of POINTE. Through her power point presentation she explained how the law of unity of knowledge is deduced as the world view from the transcendental concept of Oneness or Unity of God(Tauhid).
Premising on the episteme of unity of knowledge Dr. Sarwath illustrated her categorization of knowledge and de-knowledge or unified knowledge and de-unified knowledge. She defined institutions as a media for reinforcing and giving sustainability to an episteme laden policy.
She suggested establishing of Consultative Participatory Institutions (CPIs) which have substance (theme); organizational form; recursive functional knowledge-building and learning process, evaluation criteria and self-sustainability as the characteristics.
Institutionalizing CPIs would ensure that every other factor or variable would be represented at each recursive policy or decision-making process thus generating unified knowledge. Deunified knowledge formed from institutions without the CPI characteristics is leading to chaos in the society both the human and non-human world systems, she said.
She highlighted various socio-economic institutions from the Qur’an such as Zakat (dues or rich towards poor), Sadaqah (charity), Infaq(spending), Hisbah (Administration), Shura (Mutual consultation), Tijarah (Trade), Riba (taking more than due), Maslaha (wellbeing). She explained that the socio-economic institutional interpretations from the Qur’an are meant for the benefit of the humanity. Achieving wellbeing and translating the Qur’anic injunctions to reality for the wellbeing is more important than using the tag of ‘Islamic’ she clarified.
Taken from two circles.