Interest vs Riba - A layman's perspective

 Interest vs Riba - A layman's perspective

By: Khurshid Imam

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In the modern day, the term Riba is associated with various topics such as Interest, Loans, Banks, LIC, EMI, and Education loans.

The prevailing belief is that any interest is Riba. Any transaction involving a bank is considered Riba. Hence, it is asserted that working in a bank or dealing with insurance is Haram.

Just to add a point: Many items were initially declared Haram by scholars, but later this stance was changed. For example, Photography, Videography, Printing press, wearing Shirts, and Pants, etc.

Based on popular understanding, people have raised some arguments:

1. If I lend you 1 Lakh rupees as a loan, and you return the same amount after 5 years, is this a fair transaction? Am I not at a loss? 1 Lakh rupees will be equivalent to 70,000 or 80,000 after 5 years.

2. A mobile shop salesman says, "Purchase a mobile in 4 EMIs with just 10% interest. The total price is 10,000 rs."

"First Month 2500 Principal + 250 rs interest = 2750 rs"

"Second Month 2500 Principal + 250 rs interest = 2750 rs"

"Third Month 2500 Principal + 250 rs interest = 2750 rs"

"Fourth Month 2500 Principal + 250 rs interest = 2750 rs"

You end up paying 2750*4 = 11,000 rs

A Muslim says, "I don't want to indulge in interest."

The salesman (Next week comes up with a new advertisement) - "Interest-FREE EMI for mobile purchase"

"10,000 rs is the mobile charge, 1000 rs is the processing charge, you need to pay 11,000 rs"

Muslims ask, "There is no interest - right?"

Salesman - "Yes, Sir."

Muslims - "OK, I will take."

Moral - in both cases, the customer ends up paying 11,000 rs during 4 months. Words are different for the extra 1000 rs.

The above scenario itself requires a lot of discussion on Riba, interest, etc.

3. A person who has worked in the Gulf for 25 years does not require taking a home loan. He might have enough real estate (home, shops etc) properties to easily support his family.

However, a typical higher-middle-class person - who pays 30K - 40K rent in Metro cities will be allured towards purchasing a flat on loan.

Higher Middle-class Person - "I pay every year 4-5 Lakh rs just for rent. In the past 10 years, I would have paid 20-30 Lakh but I don't own even a brick."

Builder - "Fine. We have a flat - ready to occupy. Please pay 60 Lakh and shift."

Customer - "I don't have that much money. I can manage giving 20 Lakh now. Can I give you the rest of 40 Lakh over a period of 10 years?"

Builder - "Are you telling me that you will pay my 40 Lakh after 10 years? By that time, this money's value will be equivalent to 20 Lakh and your flat value will be 90 Lakh to 1 crore. Am I a fool?"

"I am giving you an option. Instead of paying 40 Lakh, you should pay me 60 Lakh in case the duration involved is 10 years. By this time, your flat value will also increase."

Some customers decide to buy because they find it just and practical, while some decide not to buy because they find it unislamic.

4. A widow has 2 Lakh rupees with her. Her sons have left her, and she is the sole person living in the house. At 65 years, she can't work. She wants some recurring money every month for survival. If she uses this 2 Lakh, then after some time, she will be penniless. What can she do? She decided to invest this money in a business.

Businessman - "You are investing 1 Lakh rs. You will be a 20% shareholder in profit and loss both."

Widow - "Son! I cannot afford a loss because I need money every month. Do one thing. Do not put my share to 20%. Just give me 5000 rs every month no matter what profit you earn or what loss you incur."

Businessman - "What you are saying is understandable and makes sense to me, but... it's unislamic to have only profit."

Widow - in a pathetic situation

I have presented only 4 examples. Many more can be given.

My point is:

1. Have we done justice in understanding the Quranic concept of Riba?

2. The topic of Riba is so severe and sensitive that Allah has declared war against people indulging in Riba. Is Allah referring to the people quoted in the above 4 examples? Or does Riba refer to a system of exploitation?

3. Have our Madarsa passed Ulemas who gave verdicts on LIC, Bank accounts, Insurance, Loans - well-versed in the economy, inflation, trade etc.?

4. The modern-day banking system was not present at the time of Prophet Muhammad. So, is the present banking interest the same as Quran's Riba? If yes, then how do we judge the above 4 examples?

5. Today we have paper-based currency, which, itself typically does not have intrinsic value. Intrinsic value refers to the inherent worth or value of an object, independent of its monetary or symbolic value. Earlier it was the era of gold and silver which had intrinsic value. Are we taking this crucial factor into account when discussing interest?

6. Pawnbrokers take excessive interest, in the range of 20-30%. Is that the same as usual bank interest?

7. Have you done some R&D on so so-called-islamic banks in Malaysia and Gulf? Things are not as pretty as they look. Is interest wrapped up in some Arabic terminology there?

Conclusion:

1. Do I have full clarity on Riba? Answer: No

2. Do I admit that modern interest is 100% not part of Riba? Answer: I don't know.

3. Do I admit that modern interest is 100% part of Riba? Answer: I don't know. Popular Islamic arguments do not answer several related questions.

4. Do I encourage dealing with interest? Answer: No.

5. What do I encourage - Within Islamic principles, with open eyes - grow towards a financially stable and influential position.

A non-influential and powerless community is destined to be downtrodden, humiliated, and trampled upon.

12th Rabi ul awwal - yet another festival for some Muslims

12th Rabi ul awwal - yet another festival for some Muslims

Khurshid Imam

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In recent times, the celebration of the 12th Rabi ul Awwal as the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has gained widespread popularity.  Some people promote this day - in the garb of social work. However, it's crucial to clarify that this date lacks unanimous agreement among Islamic scholars regarding its authenticity as the Prophet's actual birthdate. In fact - authentic proofs clearly indicate that 12th rabi ul awwal can not be birth day of the Prophet.

Truthfulness is a foundational value in Islam, reinforced by the Quran and Hadith, which emphasize honesty and integrity in every aspect of a Muslim's life. Islam strongly condemns lying and conscious support for falsehoods.

As believers, our responsibility is to uphold the truth and avoid spreading unverified information, especially when it concerns the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Rather than blindly following traditions, we should seek knowledge and educate ourselves about historical events and their authenticity.

Promoting falsehood, even with good intentions, can have serious consequences, including the distortion of religious practices and beliefs. This can ultimately impact the faith of future generations.

Blind faith of one generation becomes culture of subsequent generation

Repel Evil with Good: Quran 41:34 - Do not misinterpret it.

Repel Evil with Good – Quran 41:34 : Does this justify celebrating act of shirk and kufr? 

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A. Introduction

We see a few Muslims joining and celebrating festivals of shirk and kufr. Most of the time, these festivals promote blind faith and belief in mythological characters. usually, these festivals are detrimental to society. As a Momin, we are supposed to stay away and remain neutral. We can't promote shirk, kufr, and blind belief. Why? Because these things ultimately lead to a chaotic society.

Unfortunately, a few Muslims do join and celebrate such festivals. It may be due to a lack of knowledge about the teachings of deen (Islamic principles). Please note - we are not talking about mere 'wishing' for these festivals, we are talking about actively celebrating or promoting such occasions. When you join such celebrations, it is like giving tacit approval or confirmation to the belief behind such celebrations.

These Muslims refer to an Ayah from the Quran to justify their actions. They quote Quran 41:34 to prove their actions. What they have assumed from this Ayah is that the Quran is saying to join / participate in such Non-Deeni (non-Islamic) activity so that your enemy becomes your friend.

Though they might not use the exact words, their mindset is programmed to believe that the Quran encourages participation in such festivals.

B. Quran 41:34 says

The Ayah is clearly stating that good and evil are not equal, which means we have to distinguish between what is good and what is evil. You cannot merge them.

Then, the Ayah is saying to push off / repel / deal with the groundless thing. Please note that it is not even remotely indicating that we have to be a part of / encourage such unfounded acts. You either try to educate people about the truth or remain silent (based on your istetaat / capability), but in no case can you be an active promoter.

How to repel / push off wrong things? Of course, in an Islamic way. The Quran uses the word 'hasan' which means 'in a balanced and better way'.

• You cannot respond in fit of rage.
• You cannot respond in a way that makes you a zalim (one who crosses the limits set by God).
• You cannot follow the philosophy of 'tit-for-tat'.
• Don't resort to fitnah or disorder.

The best example I can quote is from the Quran is 6:108. Whether someone abuses God or not, in no case you can abuse gods other people worship. The practical implementation of the hasan way of Quran 41:34 is described in 6:108.

We don't have to fight / clash. We have to behave in a friendly manner. We should make dua for them. Perhaps they too will turn out friendly in the future.

Please note that just before this Ayah, the Quran talks about inviting people towards deen (Islamic faith) in a hasan way. 

So if you connect Quran 41:34 with the previous Ayah, you will realize that the context is more about inviting people towards deen and not about joining their faith.

When Prophet and Sahaba fought with evil forces - do you think they were going against Quran 41:34? No. Quran suggests action based on situation. 

C. Conclusion

Understanding Islam is always about understanding the precise balance that the Quran has given. 

There is a fine balance that we have to maintain: inviting them towards guidance in a positive and balanced manner vs behaving in friendly manner.

Not even remotely does this Ayah indicate that Allah is asking you to join an ungrounded path.

Is Hinduism a religion or mythology?

Is Hinduism a religion or mythology?

Hinduism is a misnomer. It is a geographical definition for people living in India. Word ‘Hindu’ is not found in any religious scriptures of India. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Jain's, Ashiest, Aadivaasi, Lingayats, dalits, etc, who live in India are Hindu by definition, since the linguistic meaning of Hindu comes from it's name Hindustan or Bharat. 

Creator of this universe is one and his guidance is also one. God can not make more than one religion and that too with contradiction in his teachings. It is people who make sects / groups on their own and falsely entitle it as religion. It beholds fabricated stories in the name of mythology that dilutes the teachings of a religion.

Religion of God is his guidance and it is same for everyone. It is not bound to any language, culture, region or era. It is called Sanatan Dharma in Sanskrit, Islam in Arabic, religion of submission in English.

Problem with Indians is that they get confused between culture and religion. They consider everything that is in Indian culture to be a part of Sanatan dharma. This is not true. Indian culture today has caste system, dowry system, wedding with deity system, abortion of girl system and so on. None of these are part of Sanatan dharama even though they are part of Indian culture.

Swami Vivekananda rightly said that Indians should abandon false traditions and culture.

 

Four Lessons From the Story of Prophet Yunus

1. Recognize Your Sin and Seek Forgiveness

When the fish got to the bottom of the ocean and Prophet Yunus realized his error, he fell into prostration in the belly of the fish and sought forgiveness from God.

2. Do Not Despair of the Mercy of God

He did not lament  on his misfortune & did not give up on life.

Instead, he raised his hands to God.

“So We responded to him and saved him from the distress. And thus do We save the believers.” (Quran 21:88)

3. Patience With Dawah

Seeing the fruits of your effort can take time. It is possible that your friends or family might not accept the truth even though you have conveyed it for years.

This does not mean that you should stop.

4. Dhikr  [Remembrance of God] and Dua [seeking help from God] are Powerful Tools

Prophet Yunus realized that the creatures down there were praising God. 

This is a reminder of the importance of dua and dhikr.

No matter how far you think that you have gone in your disobedience of God, with sincere repentance, God will bring you out of your situation and grant you forgiveness and respite.

Biggest act of genocide in the history

Question: When i trying to say to hindu brothers that islam is about peace and all they send me false data and try to prove that Muslims have been killing people. Though, most of information they share is fabricated.

Answer:  A true Indian - will always strive to bring peace in the society and abstain from spreading hatred in the name of religion. There are some religious fanatics who don't want peaceful society.

Time and again such hate-mongers bring false data to sow the seed of hatred against a particular community in order to create discord. 

What is the total number of people killed by so called Muslims?

100? 1000? 1 Lakh? 10 Lakh? 1 crore?

Do you know what was the biggest act of genocide in the history?

Answer is: Battle of Mahbaharat : 166 crore people were killed !!!

Today, india's population is around 120 crore.

A. Yudhishthira is asked - 'How many people were killed in Mahabharat'?

Mahabharata, Book 11 (Stri Parva), Chapter 26, Verses 7 & 8:

The royal sage Dhritarashtra, however, restraining the grief that arises from folly, enquired of Yudhishthira the just, saying, ‘If, O son of Pandu, thou knowest it, tell me the number of those that have fallen in this battle, as also of those that have escaped with life!’

B. Yudhishthira answers:

Mahabharata, Book 11 (Stri Parva), Chapter 26, Verses 9 &10:

“दशायुतानाम अयुतं सहस्राणि च विंशतिः

कॊट्यः षष्टिश च षट चैव ये ऽसमिन राजमृधे हताः

अलक्ष्याणां तु वीराणां सहस्राणि चतुर्दश

दश चान्यानि राजेन्द्र शतं षष्टिश च पञ्च च”

‘dasayutanam ayutam sahasrani ca vimsatih

koṭyah ṣastis ca ṣat caiva ye smin rajamrdhe hataḥ

alakṣyanam tu viranam sahasrani caturdasa

dasa canyani rajendra satam ṣastis ca panca ca’

Yudhishthira answered, 

‘One billion 660 million and 20,000 men have fallen in this battle. Of the heroes that have escaped, the number is 240,165.’

so basically 166 crore people were killed in Mahabharat.

What religion they followed?

Fact is: 

Anyone - whether a Muslim or Hindu kills an innocent person or disturbs the peace of land - we need to condemn it without any bias.

Almighty God has given us life and the guidance for leading this life. Neither, we came to this world with our choice, nor we will go from here by our choice. 

Almighty God has prescribed religion of peace and submission. 

Let us strive for a peaceful society.

Anyone who goes against the guidance of God will be held accountable for his / her deeds in the hereafter. 

Let's stop fighting in the name of religion and let's find the true path of God.

I believe in Science. Why do i need a religion or God?

I believe in Science. Why do I need religion or God?

Khurshid Imam
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The subject of science deals with the discovery of the laws of God. The laws of nature are unchangeable under the same conditions. The more we ponder over these laws - the better things we bring for mankind. Science helps us immensely in our day to day life. From our alarm clock to health medicines - all are covered by science. At the same time, science has its own limitations. It will be a gross injustice to expect science to guide us in every aspect of life. The nature of science is such that it can not make us a better human emotionally and mentally. For instance, science does not talk about moral values, ethics, or social behavior. It doesn't talk about obeying one's parents, loving one's spouse, taking care of one's children, or helping a needy.  Similarly, science doesn't appeal to one's conscience and doesn't stop one from harming the other.  The most advanced science lab may have an HR policy of let us say, 'Prevention Of Sexual Harassment' at work. However, Science never taught us what morally correct sexual behavior is! Though science is greatly needed in our day to day life, it doesn't cover the bigger perspective of our existence such as: 1. What is the purpose of our life? 2. Which actions are beneficial and which ones are detrimental? 3. What laws to implement in order to get rid of poverty, drug addiction, rape, robbery, murder, etc.? 4. How to achieve 'peace' in life and society? Science does not answer these relevant questions.  Therefore, we need an entity that covers a bigger domain than science as the basis of our knowledge. That is the 'Guidance of Almighty God'. We need guidance from the one who has created mankind, someone who knows best what is good and what is bad for humanity as a whole, someone who is unbiased.  Following the guidance of God is called the religion of God. And this guidance tells us to ponder over the laws and matter created by God and use them for oneself and for the social well being. 

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Can we worship sun and moon as they are beneficial?

Can we worship sun and moon as they are beneficial?

By : Khurshid Imam

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There are different words and types of behavior - for different situations.

Respect, love, affection, submission, praise, admiration - are different words for different situations.

You respect and love parents.

You praise a cricketer or someone's act of bravery. But they can not replace your parents. You cant love them the way you love your parents.

You love your spouse but its not the way you love your neighbor.

You submit to God. Your whole life should be driven as per the guidance of God. 

God can not be replaced by anyone.

You show affection towards animals, this affection is not the same as that towards your child.

You admire the beauty of flowers, birds, sky, oceans, mountains, sun, moon etc. These things are proofs of a master designer whom we refer to as God.

Revolving and rotating planets, galaxies and the gigantic universe express the greatness of our creator.

So - who deserves admiration and who deserves worship?

Of course sun, moon, stars are creation and the one behind their creation is our creator.

We should worship God and love him most because he only gave us mother, father, spouse, flowers, birds, moon, stars etc.

Every breath we take is from the God.

When you love your parents and everything that you see around and you are not ready to acknowledge the creator - our Lord - who is the real reason behind our happiness then it is unjustified.

Balance act will be to admire sun, moon, flower, nature and worship to almighty God alone who created all these things.

Lies, planned-genocide of kashmiri muslims and unfortunate exodus of Kasmiri Pandit

An Important thread on Pandit Exodus from kashmir: fact vs fiction

Presenting the first hand information on lies related to Kashmiri pandit exodus.

Khalid Bashir Ahmad is an author, poet and a former Kashmir Administrative Services (KAS) officer. He has served the State Administration as Director Information and Public Relations and Secretary, J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, besides heading the departments of Libraries and Research, and Archives, Archaeology and Museums. His book Jhelum: The River Through My Backyard has added the Jhelum Factor to the history of Kashmir. His two works in Urdu poetry and prose have won the highest State literary award in 1984 and 2010.

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During the armed rebellion of 1989, many Kashmiris who were believed to be supporting Indian rule in Kashmir were selectively killed. Several Kashmiri Pandits were also killed, mostly on allegations of being informers of the government.

The first militant attack was on a Muslim police officer, Ali Muhammad Watali. The first militancy related civilian killing was also of a Muslim, Muhammad Yusuf Halwai, on 21 August 1989. He was an activist of National Conference.

Mir Mustafa, a former legislator, was kidnapped and killed on 21 March 1990. Professor Mushir-ul-Haq, VC of the University of Kashmir and Abdul Gani were kidnapped and killed on 6 April 1990. On 23 December 1990, senior politician Maulana Mohammad Sayeed Masoodi was gunned down.

Some Kashmiri Pandits like Tika Lal Tapiloo of BJP, Neel Kant Ganjoo - a sessions judge who ordered the hanging of Maqbool Bhat, Lassa Koul – Director of Doordarshan Srinagar and Pushkar Nath – Assistant Director in the State Information Department — were also killed.

All these killings were political rather than communal in nature. The first militancy related abduction was also of a Muslim Kashmiri woman, Rubaiya Sayeed, who was later released in exchange of five jailed rebels.

As per Anuradha Bhasin, "Many of them (Kashmiri Pandits) were shot dead for their affiliation with the intelligence agencies or their role in the government decision- making. Kashmiri Pandits occupied a prominent place in government jobs and bureaucracy."

Recently, AS Dulat was the IB chief in Kashmir during the 90s also accepted that IB, in J&K, had a fair amount of Kashmiri Pandits. “They sneaked in and out of all sorts of places and got the intelligence flowing… they rendered yeoman service to the nation."

On 1 March 1990, Almost a million Kashmiris marched towards the Headquarters of UNMOGIP to handover a memorandum seeking freedom of Kashmir from the Indian rule. The demonstration continued for days without a break but not a single Pandit or his/her property was harmed.

*_"Our community should not forget that those thousands who came out on the street did not attack or vandalize even a single Pandit home."~Vijay Bakaya [Prominent Kashmiri Pandit and Former Chief Secretary J&K]_*

Rastriya Seva Dal, after visiting Jammu & Kashmir in April 1990, wrote in a report published by the Economic and Political Weekly that-

*_"The exodus of Hindu refugees... is due to the tremendous fear created by the large rallies and angry demonstrations against the Government by the majority community. The Muslims claim amd the refugees agree that there were no communal incidents or burning or looting of houses, misbehaviour with women etc. The refugees say that they left their houses because they feared that something of this kind would happen in future."_*

"Whether the Islamic sloganeering from mosques was widespread or this happened only in selected pockets, since there is no recorded document or media reports, the truth is likely to be a causality with imagination and prejudice clouding the real picture."

*_"Whether the Islamic sloganeering from mosques was widespread or this happened only in selected pockets, since there is no recorded document or media reports, the truth is likely to be a casuality with imagination and prejudice clouding the real picture. But the moot question is: would the response be so uniform in the event of one or even all mosques of the valley echoing the Islamic slogans? Was there some underlying unheard, unsaid, understood threat that motivated the Pandits to migrate in masses within two days. Why in just two days the entire scenario changed? Why did the 'Islamic' militarization suddenly become threatening since the killings were going on for months. The media obviously has done no homework."~Anuradha Bhasin [Auditing the Mainstream Media: The Case of Jammu and Kashmir]_*

Most of the Kashmiri Pandits were unaware of the Government's plan to shift them to Jammu or other places temporarily to pave a way for a massive crackdown on the Muslims. Here is how Kashmiri Muslims helped their brethren.

*_"In the late 1989, when militancy surfaced in the valley, the Muslims in general, whether as a neighbour, friend, or a colleague asked their Pandit brothers not to leave homes and provided security for them. Many Muslims accommodated Pandit families in their homes to save them from militant attacks. There are instances when Muslim ladies, at the risk of their lives, stood at the door of Pandit houses, to stop militants from entering their houses. When in danger, they would also provide timely information to the Pandits so that they can flee to safety."~O. N. Trissal [Kashmiri Pandit : At the Crossroads of History]_*

In April 1990, Justice V. M. Tarkunde visited Kashmir and reported total communal harmony, -

*_"Hindus have received full cooperation from the local Muslims. The Muslims shared their relations amd other items of the day to day requirements with them. There os total communal harmony in Kashmir. Those people who had come out had either overreacted to the situation or had done so because of other reasons which could be winter, curfew, or closure of offices amd educational institutions. Not a single case of looting or arson of non-Muslim property had taken place".~Justice V. M. Tarkunde [Report on Kashmir, April 1990]_*

All these statements prove that there were no blood-thirsty frenzied mobs on streets or in mosques who forced the Kashmiri Pandits to migrate. How would it have been possible? Kashmir was under curfew and shoot at sight orders were implemented on 17 January itself.

*_"There is no dispute about the fact that Kashmiri Pandit community was made a scapegoat by Jagmohan, some self-styled leaders of our community and other vested interests…. The plan was to make Kashmiri Pandits migrate from the valley so that the mass uprising against occupational forces could be painted as a communal flare up... Some self-styled leaders begged the Pandits to migrate from the valley. We were told that our migration was very vital for preserving and protecting our 'Dharam' and the unity of India. We were told our migration would pave the way for realizing the dream of 'Akhand Bharat... We were fooled and we were more than wiling to become fools. "~A Kashmiri Pandit to Human Roghts Watch [Report : Kashmir Under Siege]_*

*_"Pandits were assured by the government that once the proposed massacre of Muslims in Kashmir was completed and the movement curbed, they would be sent back to the valley. My community now understands that it was a very crude way of painting the mass uprising against India as nothing but a communal flare up. The Indian government tried to fool the world by depicting the uprising as a handiwork of Muslim Fundamentalists who had turned against non-Muslims and had thrown them out of their homes. I know my community has lost the affection, love, respect and goodwill of Kashmiri Muslims for having betrayed them. I feel ashamed to admit that my community has stabbed the Muslims in the back. This all happened at the instance of Jagmohan. Some self-styled Pandit leaders exploited the situation and Pandits became refugees in their own land."~A Kashmiri Pandit, K. L. Koul in the Daily Alsafa [18/9/1990]_*

In this letter below, Rajnath Turki, a Kashmiri Pandit writes to his friend Mushtaq Wani about how the security forces at Karan Nagar forced him to leave.

*_Dear Mushtaq,_*
*_20/12/1990_*
*_Hope by God's grace everybody is fine there. I tried to write you earlier but due to ill health had to postpone it. Anyhow how is everybody there. I came here in the end July. That too when security people at Karan Nagar forced us to leave......._*

In a letter published in the Daily Alsafa on 18 September 1990, K.L. Koul also wrote - _"In the first week of February 1990, a word was sent to the members of the Pandit community in Kashmir and they were asked to migrate to safer places. This message from Jagmohan was conveyed through some self-styled Pandit leaders. Pandits were told that the government had plans of killing about one lakh Muslim, particularly the youth, in order to crush the uprising. Pandits were assured that they would be looked after well, that they would be provided with free ration, free releif, jobs, and free accommodation. Pandits were assured that once the Muslims were massacred they would be sent back. This is how Pandits left."_

Kashmiri Pandits faced overwhelming problems in Jammu and continue to do so. The weather was hot, tents were crowded, washrooms were ill-equipped. Young Pandit girls were subjected to stalking on daily basis. Kashmiri Pandits were facing an identity and cultural crisis.

*_"We were not welcomed by Hindu Dogras, our co-religionists in Jammu who felt that we will compete with them for jobs and business on the one hand, and on the other hand we never felt close to them culturally as we used to feel for Kashmiri Muslims... The respect which Kashmiri Muslims used to give us was a distant dream in Jammu"~A migrant Kashmiri Pandit in Jammu, Bhan to Human Rights Watch_*

As per some Indian Media channels and Kashmiri Pandit organizations, 3,50,000 to 7,00,000 Kashmiri Pandits were forced to migrate from Jammu & Kashmir but according to the Census of 1981 the total population of Hindus (including non- Kashmiris) was 124,078.

Given the decade growth of the community from 1971 to 1981 as 6.75% their population in 1991 would have been around 132,000. If we subtract at least 8,000 Kashmiri Pandits who didn’t leave the valley, we get almost 124,000 Kashmiri Pandits who migrated.

Following the migration, BJP came up with a list of 55 allegedly destroyed temples in Kashmir. On the day of the demolition of Babri Masjid (6 December 1992), Lal Krishna Advani claimed 55 temples had been destroyed in #Kashmir. He lied.

*_"Following the Pandit migration, BJP came up with a list of 55 allegedly destroyed temples in Kashmir. On the day of demolition of Babri Masjid (6 December 1992), Lal Krishna Advani said : "Everybody wants to defend Babri Masjid, none of them have spoken a word of criticism about the 55 temples destroyed in Kashmir." After being questioned over it, he reduced the number to 40 in another rally. Journalist Harinder Baweja busted this myth with photographic evidence and revealed that the BJP had misled people to score political points. Harinder Baweja visited 23 temples from the list provided by the BJP and found all of them safe and functioning. These temples, according to BJP, according to BJP, had been burnt and demolished.

One pujari of Ganpatyar Temple, which the BJP claimed had been destroyed said that Puja had continued in the 200-year-old Hanuman temple.
In another instance, a Kashmiri Pandit, Maheshwar Nath told Baweja: " Gita ki kasam, this temple has never been touched." When Advani was confronted on this issue and accused of lying and distorting facts, he denied any such list existed.

Journalist Harinder Baweja had busted this myth with photographic evidence and revealed that the BJP had misled people to score political points. In many cases, Muslims have been taking care of temples since decades.

Many non-Kashmiri Pujaris came from India and took over the temples here. These Pujaris started selling away various properties that the temples owned. In one case three Pujaris looked over 375 Kanals of temple land which they had rented to non-state-subjects, violating the Article 370.

In another case, a lease holder, Kuldeep Narayan Jaggi sold the rented land illegally for 2.5 Crore. Even an ancient idol from the temple is missing. Some Kashmiri Pandits say assets worth Rs 500 Crore are already sold out.

Purdah in Hindus is not due to Mughal

Purdah in Hindus is not due to Mughal.

Khurshid Imam

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Indian hate-cum-lies campaigns say that there wasn't any veil culture among women in India but it started due to Mughal rule in order to save women from the evil eyes of Moghul!

Did Mughals made Mata Sita and Maa Parvati, cover their heads?  Historically all maharanis and women of royals have always been covering head except one or two that too in portraits.

Browse internet for photo of Sita ji : do you find her without head cover? Were Mughal responsible for this?  

Covering the head is good or bad - we leave it to the wisdom of readers. Let us focus on the allegation part.

It is true that Hindus and Muslims have influenced each other culturally because of living together for thousand of years. It's quite natural.

For centuries, Hindu women have been putting veil/covering heads (famously called ghunghat) in front of their father-in-law and husband's elder brother (jeth) and other elders of the family - naturally they were not Mughals!!

Why do today's women observe Ghunghat/veil in many parts of India? Are they ruled by Mughals or are their family members Mughals?

A very weird argument is given by some people - "Look at the drawings of Ajanta and Elora, women are not covering their heads", thereby it proves that women in ancient times did not cover. They forget to mention that in Ajanta & Elora paintings, women are not only nude but displayed in worst possible vulgar ways. Does this mean that ancient Indian women did not cover themselves or practiced shamelessness openly? Of course NOT!

It has become a habit of Indian hate campaign these days to blame Muslims for everything. Swami Vivekananda, a highly revered personality in India, has condemned this attitude of Hindus.

He says that there have been many wrong practices in ancient Indian civilization, which are mentioned in the scriptures as well and Brahmans and commentators are well aware of those. It's wrong to blame Muslims or someone else for such vile practices. He gives the example of Grihya Sutras and Vedic Ashvamedha sacrifice. Swami Vivekananda says;

'A girl of eight is married to a man of thirty, and the parents are jubilant over it.... And if anyone protests against it, the plea is put forward, "Our religion is being overturned." What sort of religion have they who want to see their girls becoming mothers before they attain puberty even and offer scientific explanations for it? Many, again, lay the blame at the door of the Mohammedans. They are to blame, indeed! Just read the Grihya-Sutras through and see what is given as the marriageable age of a girl...There it is expressly stated that a girl must be married before attaining puberty. The entire Grihya-Sutras enjoin this. And in the Vedic Ashvamedha sacrifice worse things would be done... All the Brâhmanas mention them, and all the commentators admit them to be true. How can you deny them?
What I mean by mentioning all this is that there were many good things in the ancient times, but there were bad things too. The good things are to be retained, but the India that is to be, the future India. must be much greater than ancient India.'

Source: The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda/Volume 6/Epistles - Second Series/LXXI Rakhal

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Works_of_Swami_Vivekananda/Volume_6/Epistles_-_Second_Series/LXXI_Rakhal

Moreover, there are references of women covering and dressing modestly in Hindu traditions.

Just, ponder over one mantra of Rigveda.

"Women should be modest in dressing and behavior, lower down the gaze, body should be covered". Rigveda 8:33:19 Commentary by Pandit Harisharan Siddhantalankar

Women covering their body and head has been part of Indian culture for ages.

Halal food in Sanatan Dharm

Sanatan dharm and the command of eating Halal food.

Khurshid Imam

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Arabic word Halal means permissible.

Quran uses this term in different context. One such context is : food.

God has created the whole universe for the benefit of mankind. Animals and plants also serve us. Some of the animals have been made permissible by God to be eaten as food. This permission of eating food is present in both Islamic and Hindu religious scriptures.

Wanton killing of animals is prohibited. But for consumption as food, it is allowed with the permission of God. So, we take God's name while slaughtering these animals. Otherwise we will think that taking life is somehow in our hands. 

We remind ourselves that though it is surely wrong to take life, we are taking this life for the purpose of eating it as food alone purely by the permission of God. Indeed God is the greatest with power over all lives and we ourselves have no power at all over these animals. This "allowed" or permissible is called as halal in Arabic.

If you read Hindu scriptures, at numerous places there is command of eating meat.

Shri Ram Chandr ji himself used to eat meat. Read this.

The great Indian personality - Swami Vivekananda - emphasized the need of eating meat to Hindu brethren.

"You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to the old ceremonials, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions he must sacrifice a bull and eat it." 
[The complete works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume 3, Page 536]

"There was a time in this very India when, without eating beef, no Brahmin could remain a Brahmin;" [Page 174]

These are well known things. What is surprising is that Sanatan Dharm also commands to eat Halal food. Eating meat, without following the due procedure is prohibited in Hinduism.

Two conditions were laid for their slaughter in Hindu Scripture.
1. Name of God must be taken during slaughter so that it must be remembered that with his permission, slaughter is being done.
2. The procedure given by God must be followed. Otherwise, this will be considered as killing.

Meat is made sacred or pure by the recitation of mantras.

Above verses of Manusmriti very clearly say that animal should be slaughtered as per law and divine mantr should be recited.

It is the God who created us and animals. It is the God who has allowed us to use some of them as our food.

Human being can not survive without consuming Living thing. Every human being - whether Veg or Non - Veg - survives by eating other living being.

Read this to know details:

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Why Christians do not circumcise?

Christianity and circumcision.

By: Khurshid Imam

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Bible says: Faithful men should be circumcised.

Any uncircumcised male who has not been circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin will be cut off from his people – he has failed to carry out my requirement. (Genesis 17:14)

Jesus had to hold previous laws.

Jesus said: Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. (Matthew 5:17)

Jesus held the law.

Jesus was circumcised: And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus. (Luke 2:21)

Paul cancels the law.

Paul said: For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to
keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly 
wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. (Galatians 5:1-6)

What Indians should know about Ramdhan

Ramdhan : what people of all faiths should know

Khurshid Imam

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Ramdhan is the name of a month as per arabic calendar.
It is a month of piety wherein spirituality prevails.
In this month - Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.

Revelation of Holy Quran - the antim granth of ishwar - started in this month. This makes Ramdhan a very sacred month.
During fasting - its prohibited to eat, drink or engage in any sinful activity.

"O believers of God! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint". Quran 2:183

Prophet Muhammad said – “Verilyy, fasting is not only from eating and drinking. Rather, fasting is from vanity and obscenity. If someone abuses you or acts foolish against you, then say: Indeed, I am fasting”.

Fasting is a way to control and train our thoughts, desires and actions.

Remember: fasting is neither feasting nor starving.

The craze of being hungry for the love of God can only be experienced, it can’t be explained.  😊

Quran tells that 3 outputs are expected from fasting:
a. To develop God consciousness or love of God [by refraining from sins]. Quran 2:183
b. To be thankful to God for all the blessings [by utilizing blessings in best manner]. Quran 2:185
c. To glorify the creator. Quran 2:185

Ishwar says in Quran [2:183] that God had commanded fasting for earlier communities too.

In Sanatan dharm, Vrat or Upwas is still practiced. It is for increasing closeness of God and disciplining actions.

Three main types of Vrat are :
1. Nitya Vrat – emphasis is on the worship of God and good conduct like speaking truth, staying pure and controlling the senses.

2. Naimittik Vrat – is for repentance of bad karma or getting free of your sorrows

3. Kamya Vrat – is for fulfilling any wish or desire like to beget child, and to become more prosperous and other reasons too.

Bible too speaks about fasting for developing love and closeness of God.
a. Prophet Jesus fasted for 40 days for drawing near to God. Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13
b. Prophet Jesus said that his disciples would fast after His departure.    Luke 5:33-35
c. Prophet Moses fasted for 40 days for the sake of God.    Deuteronomy 9:18-19

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Strong against kaafir - Qur’an 48:29, "what is the context" - A Hindu brother asks

Strong against kaafir - Qur’an 48:29, "what is the context" - A Hindu brother asks.

Khurshid Imam

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Question: Muhammad is the apostle of Allah. Those who follow him are strong towards unbelievers, merciful to one another.....” (Qur’an 48:29)

What is the context of the ayah [is this spreading hatred?] - a Hindu brother wants to know.

Answer in one line: - The ayah tells about Prophet and believers being firm against those people who had terrorized believers and thrown them out of their own land.

For details, please read below:

It can be a case of presenting some statements out of context and thus portraying negative image.

For example: In these corona-virus times, Mr. X tells Mr Y, "Avoid going out and stay 1 meter away from every person you meet. Don't even shake hands with anyone".

I understand these words of Mr.X because I know that corona-virus is spreading, which is life threatening and close contact with people might lead to corona-virus infection and associated problems.

But, if someone ignores the context and claims that - "Mr. X is spreading hatred and cruelty. He is asking Mr Y to boycott people and not even do a hand shake", then he is spreading false and negative image of Mr.X. He is ignoring the context in which Mr.X gave this advice to Mr.Y. These instructions/advice were only for the prevailing conditions and not as a general rule of life.

Similarly Quran talks about using love and wisdom as a general rule in life. However, for the war time - there are another set of protocols.
If you read Quran, Surah Fateh, from the beginning then you will get complete picture of the ayah in question. 

1. People of Mecca had thrown Muslims out of their homeland. The lands, property and wealth of Muslims were taken by people of Mecca forcibly. Muslims were killed. They were made to migrate to Medina.

When Muslims decided to come back to Mecca, then also they were not allowed to visit their land.
A treaty was made between Meccans and Muslims. 

2. In this context Aayah of this chapter were revealed.

3. Most important part is: even though Muslims were stronger than Meccans, yet they made a treaty with Meccans with the aim to give peace a chance.

Read Ayah 22 onward -

4. Ayah 22 says - "And if those [Meccan] who disbelieve had fought you, they would have turned their backs [in flight]."

5. Ayah 25 says that these people of Mecca prevented Muslims from reaching Masjid Al haram.

So, Quran is talking about a Particular group of people who had fought Muslims, thrown them out, unleashed all kinds of terror on Muslims, while Muslims had been patient for years and wanted to return to their homeland and yet again they were stopped by these group of Meccans.

Can you imagine the sufferings and patience of these Muslims?

With respect to these kind of people the Aayah 29 is saying that Prophet and believers are firm against these people [who were at war with meccans].
And last part of this aayah says - "Allah has promised those who believe and do righteous deeds among them forgiveness and a great reward."

What is difficult to understand?

What does an army of a country do when it goes to reclaim its land from where it was thrown out? 

They fight for their rights, right?

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Astrology and islam

Can we take guidance from Stars?

By: Khurshid Imam

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Quran 6:96 mentions that the sun and the moon can be used for calculation. We calculate the day, month, year, sunrise, sunset, eclipse and lot of events using sun and the moon. This is an example of taking guidance from sun and moon.

فَالِقُ الْإِصْبَاحِ وَجَعَلَ اللَّيْلَ سَكَنًا وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ حُسْبَانًا ذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ

Quran 6:97 says that Allah made stars for you so that you take guidance ['le tahtadu' - arabic word for HIDAYAT is used]. Do people deny the word of Quran? When Quran is saying that you can take HIDAYAT / guidance from stars then who has the authority to reject it? Ayah continues and says that hidayat / guidance in the darkness of the land and the sea.

وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَ لَكُمُ النُّجُومَ لِتَهْتَدُوا بِهَا فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ قَدْ فَصَّلْنَا الْآَيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يَعْلَمُونَ 

What does hidayat / guidance mean? It means to show the way.

This includes guidance in navigation. Earlier people were heavily dependent on navigation on sea & land based on the position of stars. Now, today in 21st century you hardly find stars in the sky in urban areas - mainly because of pollution. How do you take guidance in the land today using star?

This ayah also indicates taking guidance in future of any aspect which is established as a science. Of course, astrology - today is not established science so it can not be believed in. But in the future, we might discover many scientific facts with respect to the star or other celestial bodies. For example - today we have discovered that the moon has an effect on the tide in the sea. This fact can be used as guidance in our life. If - in future, we establish that stars provide some other guidance then it will be beneficial for mankind.

Remember - the Quran is not bound to any era.

Words of the Quran are so generic in nature that the more you ponder over the Quran, the more knowledge you derive.

1. What Islam discourages is speculation, assumption, falsehood. Islam encourages and emphasizes on truth, fact, proven theories.

2. Palmistry - as a whole is not an established science today. The biggest proof is the fact that 10 different palmists will not give 100% same info on a subject.

3. If you ask 10 different scientists on a subject on science [proved] - then all 10 will predict the same result for a scenario and reason is that [that aspect of] science is an established fact.

4. Palmistry cannot be believed as a whole to be true because it is not part of established science. When palmistry becomes pure science then believing in it will be part of Islam.

5. Take e a very simple example.
500 years back there were some "experts" who would predict the exact time of sunrise/sunset. Of course, they would not be able to predict accurately because the science of the motion of sun / earth was not developed. Believing in such expert "that time" was speculation/assumption and hence unislamic.

Today we can predict the time of sunrise/sunset that will occur a thousand years later. How? Today we have discovered the laws of God on this subject. Its no more speculation/assumption today. So today there is no harm if you believe a scientist who predicts the exact time of sunrise that will occur after 100 years.

What Islam discourages in speculation, Islam never rejects the fact or discovered laws of God.

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