Bouquets and Brickbats

As a layman having no grounding in the science of heavenly bodies, I was annoyed at finding that the Muslim community in India has made itself a laughing stock, for not having settled on a fixed date for Eid. In this age of IT revolution and smart connectivity, (mobile phones included), why could not the discerning elders of the community and knowledge-focused elders (some of whom are already in the Central government) and in different religious forums, define the dates as they do in some foreign countries like the USA. Why could we not follow the Saudi Arabian Lunar Calendar, which shows the dates of important religious events? It should be noted that “Diwali” falls on “Amabaishya” which means that the moon would appear on the following day, which may not be visible to the naked eye. This means that the moon will be sighted on the next day. This actually happened this year. The decisive factor of moonless Amabaishya should be the sign of moon sighting without dispute. In this context, the observations made by Dr. S.A Zahir, in his articles in the Islamic Voice of October 2001 and December 2004 issues, are worth noting. According to him even the Saudi Arabian Calendar could be wrong because as per the Quranic interpretation, the crescent is to be “seen locally”, which is also the Prophet’s (Pbuh) recommendation. Astro-physically, “local sighting” differs from place to place. It is mostly in India, Pakistan, Oman, South Africa and Morocco that the correct interpretation of the Hadith and the scientific calculations are made. It is said to be working on a correct Islamic calendar as is being done by Dr. Md Ilyas of India and in Malaysia. A universally accepted calendar is the need of the hour.

Islamic Voice provides very good information and knowledge on various issues on the community and the religion too. It very well clarifies the common misconceptions that we normally have on political, religious and other topics. I refer to the article, “Who’s Following You” in the October 2006 issue. Stalking is not just a psychological problem. Infact when we are addressing Muslims, we should take the religious link into consideration. As a publication, you have all the rights to convey the message directly, as millions of people read this all over the world. When one deviates from Islam and the Sunnah, things like stalking happen. Youngsters these days do not listen to Jumma Khutbahs because they say they have no time! Through this magazine, youngsters need to be told that the Prophet (Pbuh) was the first to give utmost respect and high status to the women. Then why cannot men today in this age, respect women?

Email: mudasir_02si@yahoo.co.in

This is with reference to the column, Our Dialogue and Adil Salahi’s reply to the question on “Meeting Mother’s Objections” in Islamic Voice, November 2006. I too have gone through the phase when growing a beard became an issue at home. But I placed faith in the Almighty and went ahead with my beard despite all objections. But today, the same people who objected have accepted it gracefully. Adil Salahi seems to have a very casual attitude when he says that: “while you are not obliged to comply with what your mother says on this issue, you have to consider your family situation.”


I feel Sunnah should be taken seriously by all Muslims. Wearing a beard is a Sunnah. But yet, Muslims should strive to treat the Sunnah as most pleasing to Allah and follow it strictly. Just brushing it off as “not obligatory” is a sign of weak faith.

This is with reference to “An Open Letter to the Pope” in Islamic Voice, November 2006. That the word Jihad means not merely war, but also means “ to struggle, to strive hard” is proved in verse 9 of Surah 66-(Tahrim) where in, the Prophet (Pbuh) was enjoined to do Jihad against the unbelievers and the hypocrites. But as is well known, the Prophet had not declared war on the hypocrites. He had chosen to deal with the hypocrites in ways other than a war against them. The Quran clearly spells out the true meaning of Jihad.

It was reported in the Islamic Voice of November 2006 that Jordan’s King Abdullah plans to build a fifth minaret at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. In the media, the picture shown is normally the Dome. Many Muslims believe this to be the Al-Aqsa Mosque. But I think the Mosque is a different structure. It will be worthwhile for Islamic Voice to publish a full article on the history of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in colour, with pictures so that Muslims can acquire authentic knowledge.

The article-“Tabung Haji” by M. Hanif Lakdawala in the November 2006 issue of Islamic Voice was good. Hope the Haj Committee in India takes some valuable tips from this, so that Indian Muslims can learn to save money for their Haj expenses. Malaysia is setting a good example for other Muslim countries. The government is focused on community development and positive activities, instead of getting embroiled in controversies over the Veil, Fatwas and Dress Codes.

The Hajj pilgrimage has now become very easy as flights and five-star comforts are provided. Muslims should thank the Almighty for this. But this should not make the community complacent. The beautiful journey of a lifetime is a spiritual experience. But very often, I have witnessed this spirituality being diluted by the innovative materialistic trends created by Muslims themselves. To see off one Haji, a crowd of people land up at the airport with garlands. To welcome one Haji back home another crowd lands up with heavier garlands. Why this show-biz? Muslims perform Hajj to please God and not to acquire praises and garlands from people.

Islam talks about caring for the environment, nature and animals too. As Islamic Voice covers many contemporary issues, it will be worthwhile if profiles and features of Muslim institutions, organisations and people involved in environmental issues, animal rights activism, nature conservation, etc are covered in the future issues.

The article-“Urdu and Muslims” by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj in the November 2006 issue of Islamic Voice was timely, useful and well-researched. There are many Urdu magazines these days. But most of them originate from Northern India and people in the South are not aware about this. Young Muslims educated in English medium throughout their academic years lose touch with Urdu as the only connection they have is speaking the language at home with their parents. This is one of the causes of readership of Urdu books sliding down. But young Muslims should make efforts to learn Urdu. There are many short and long-term courses available now. Young Muslims are losing out on the joy of understanding Urdu poetry because they do not know the language. A disciplined system of learning Urdu language should be encouraged in Muslim households where the kids study in Convents. Just like a religious scholar comes home to teach Arabic and the Quran, parents should make efforts to bring in Urdu lessons to their children at an early age.

The story of the six imams who were offloaded from a Plane in the US was very sad. Innocent Muslims are being targeted. But to add to this agony is the mainstream media which takes delight in maligning Muslims. One of the popular English Daily in Bangalore which claims to be the largest selling Daily in India, carried the headline, “Six Imams Kicked Out.” This was very hurtful. If the victims belonged to another community, this newspaper would not have dared to carry such a hostile headline.