Bouquets and Brickbats

Every year at the end of month of Ramazan, confusion reigns supreme in matters of celebration of the Eidul fitr. The holy Prophet had fixed the date based on the sighting of the moon. During that era of absolute lack of technology, it was okay to sight the crescent visually. But even 14 centuries later we are following the very same method. Based on this method, the Muslim in Saudi Arabia celebrate Eidul fitr a day or two earlier. So also in Kerala where Muslim behave as if they become part of Saudi Arabia merely by celebrating Eidul fitr along with Saudis.


It is an established fact that the time and orbit of all the cosmic bodies is fixed. While the Muslims in this advanced scientific era are groping for the determination of correct date, the astrophysicists have peeped deep into the galaxies and have identified the shape of planets, compositions, their orbits and have even calculated the distance between the various stars. They have precisely calculated that the famous Haley comet becomes visible from the Earth every 76 years. They accurately predicted when it approached the Earth in 1986. It only goes to show the man’s perfect knowledge about the various planets. Based on these facts it should not be difficult to determine the visibility of the moon and the date of the celebration. After all the moon is the satellite of the earth. Now is the time to adopt scientific method and change our traditional method.


Dr. M. S. Riyazulla,
Indian bureau of Mines
Irriyaz12@rediffmail.com

Your editorial “think Anew” in October issue substantiates that Islam has been highly misunderstood by Muslims themselves. We Muslims are thinking too much of ourselves and are easily carried away by the notion that ritualistic expressions and actions are be all and end all of Islam.  The real Islam is something that takes one to the consciousness of God and comprehensiveness of His creations. We lack inward progress and societal outlook.  The reason for our backwardness is our obsessions and paranoid mindset.


Introspection, interaction, intelligent approach industrious and coordinated efforts are some of the remedies out of the situation. Moulana Abdul Karim Parikh set exemplary traits with his deep knowledge of other faiths. In his death we lost a highly pragmatic person. It is only Islamic voice that throws light on such aspects.

J. Ashrafali, Tamil Nadu.

This refers to the article titled “Medieval intolerance…..” by A. Faizur Rahaman who tries to make Islam compatible with the present day world view based on rationalism. All such effort result in misinterpretation of the Qur’an because they know that they can’t say about it what can be said about Hadis, weak, fake, spurious et al. The punishment for apostasy as per the messager of the Prophet is death. Hazrath Abu Bakr got a woman killed for reversion to old faith.  Hazrath Muaz got a revert to Judaism killed. Abu Bakr Siddiq declared to wage a war against those who refused to pay zakat to the state. .  As Rahaman calls upon Taslima to see Islam in proper perspective, I call upon him to do the same. Rejecting Hadis from Buhkari and Muslim and misinterpreting Qur’an is more harmful than what Taslima is doing.

Md. Iqbal Sheikh, Pune.

This has reference to Mr. Balwant Singh Bohra’s letter (I.V. November 2007,) on above subject.    The fears expressed by Bohra are only partly true.  He has tried to convey by implication that non Muslim sisters are better off socially because divorcees among them are less in number.  Low incidence of divorces among Hindu women is due to fact that divorces do not have religious sanction among them. As a result those communities report higher incidence of suicides among married women or bride burning.


The remedy lies in the reform of the Muslim practice of triple talaq in one sitting so as to confirm with the Islamic law which provides for a single Talaq which is revocable during the period of iddat and which keeps open the option of remarriage after the iddat period is over.


In order to prevent Hindu males resorting to bride burning and women to suicide, the Hindu law needs to amended and divorce made easy.

Abdul Azeez Vohra
Anand

I have been awarded Ph.D on the current plight of sericulture. Nearly 75,000 Muslim families of the bacward district of Malda in West Bengal are likely to lose their livelihood because of the declining prospects of sericulture in West Bengal due to several diseases afflicting the sericulture farms.  I would like to publish the study and exchange information with people who want to do something to alleviate the sufferings of the sericulturists. Interested persons can contact me on the following address or phone:


Dr. Ersad Ali , West Bengal
ersadaku1969@yahoo.co.in

I am a new reader of Islamic Voice. I went through its August 2007 issue. All the article and reports are worth reading informative, useful and interesting. This monthly is excellent from religious and worldly point of view. The teachings of the Holy Qur’an published in this monthly will certainly guide the Muslims.


Shakeel Ahmed,
Gorakhpur, U.P

First of all I would like to congratulate you on producing an informative and appealing magazine. I have been very impressed by both the quality of its production as well as the articles contained within it.


I am part of an Islamic Boarding school in Nottinghamshire, UK that offers Islamic and secular education at standards that are second to none.


I understand that many publications offer complementary copies to various establishments and was wondering whether any such service could be offered to us by yourselves.


Al Karam staff
Al Karam Secondary School, UK
alkaramstaff@hotmail.co.uk

The Islamic voice is doing, the work of spreading Islamic values and knowledge to everyone. But I feel that your articles are read and circulated in many cities but then why should fast developing city like Pune be deprived of it. Here we have got a huge population which would like to read it as it in English. Please do think and work out on this issue.


zeba84@rediffmail.com