Shifa Student Society

Vol.1- Issue.1 February-March 2009

THE GREAT
DIVIDE
 PAG
My “John Hancock” In the recent attacks on Gaza, hundreds of men, women and children were massacred.
4

E
Thousands were wounded. The hospitals were overflowing, and there was a severe shortage
Written by Ahmed Malik of medical professionals. There wasn’t even enough space to bury the dead, who lay in piles
on various street corners. How did this happen? Have we fallen so far that a part of us can be
Sanity Pleads forced into concentration camps, be pulverized by constant bombardment, and have critical

Written by Yousuf Raza

8 shortages of food, water, medicine, and electricity, but we remain powerless to stop it? There
was a time in our history when Muhammad bin Qasim rode out from Hijaz with an army of only
twelve thousand to face the might of the Sindhi Rajputs and free Muslim widows and children.

Abu Bakr ‘As-Siddique’

What happened? In truth, we lost sight of our true purpose in this life and discarded the Com-

Written by Dr. Waqas Ahmed

12 mandments of Allah SWT.

What Pandora Managed To Save
16
Written by Komal Atta
The most any of us might have done was to leave our homes once and protest, but
honestly, how many of us did even that? We could have at least boycotted those companies
who support or are owned by Zionists. Our money flows to them and turns into rivers of innocent
blood. ‘Yes, yes, we know,’ you say, ‘but everything is owned by them, or supports them. Do you
want us to not ever buy anything?’ It is a matter of principle. Do the best you are able to do.

The Great Divide

19 Truly, the first and most important thing we should do is examine ourselves. Through
thorough and repeated reflection, we can begin to understand the state of the Muslim Ummah
Written by Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal
and the active role we can take to bring about its revival.

The Spiritual Heart Take a look at the world news coverage of the crisis in Gaza; it was utterly biased. Self-
Written by Mohammad Hammad
24 righteous Israel was applauded in taking initiative to stop the “terrorists” from firing rockets into
their land. The ground, air and naval raids were seen as completely justified, self-preserving
acts. To those without proper knowledge of the real situation it seemed perfectly acceptable.
Cannibalism’s Supremacy Continues Israel’s reprehensible use of chemical weapons like white phosphorous (an indiscriminate killer

Written by Umar Shuaib

26 that ignites once it is exposed to oxygen, causing painful burns) was blithely ignored.

Therefore the second thing we must do is educate ourselves and our communities. We
Wake Up! must know our Deen, its role in our lives, the current status of the Muslim Ummah, and what we

Written by Dr. Madiha Ashraf

32 can do to improve it.

The greatest change comes from within. We can endlessly blame others for our current
Women Scholars Of Islam state, but if we sincerely wish for the betterment of ourselves we must strive to change the Um-

Written by Asmara Malik

34 mah from the inside. No sudden external force will cause the strengthening and enlightenment of
the Muslims. Allah SWT explains in ayah eleven of Surah Ra’d, “Verily Allah will not change the
condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves.”

The Magazine Team

4 5
T
here comes a time in a person’s life when
he or she gets a glimpse of being at the
pinnacle of life. When that happens, we
tend to forget our meek beginning and our
ultimate end.
Imagine, for an instance, that you write to the
President of Pakistan with a proposal for a
way out of our energy crisis. Out of the many
letters that the President receives, he chances
to personally read yours. He looks through
your plan and, being in a good mood that
day, actually decides that he likes the plan.
The President then calls a meeting with his
associates and puts the plan into action. One
of two things can happen next.
The first thing that can happen is that your
proposed plan works out well and the nation’s
energy crisis is solved. The second thing that
can happen is that your plan fails miserably
and the nation remains lost in its energy
woes—the consequences of which we will not
bother discussing.
If the plan turns out to be sound, then you can
be appreciated one of two ways. First, the
President comes on TV and addresses the
whole nation about the success of a new plan
that was initiated under his direction and which
saved the nation. In this speech, the president
tells the nation that it was the concern of
the citizens for the nation, after his concern,
which pulled the nation out of the crisis. Then
4th year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
he says, “One such citizen who was a great
promoter of this new plan is—.” Your name is
now known all across the nation and you are
considered a great person. You are thanked
immensely. However, there is another ending
to this story that is equally as likely to take
place.
Your plan is great and turns out to be
instrumental in catapulting the nation out of the
energy crisis. The President announces your
plan to the nation, calling it, “The President’s
Energy Plan.” After the plan has progressed
positively, the President comes on TV to
address the nation. He thanks all the citizens
for their patience through the times of difficulty.
He tells them that their concern for the nation
and cooperation with the government has paid
off. The President talks at length about how the
plan is wonderful in many aspects and how it
will work to keep the nation away from trouble.
He tells the nation what steps are being taken
to ensure that the plan works and is properly
carried out. He goes on and on and then finally
ends his speech with, “Pakistan, Zindabad!”
There is no mention of you; there is not even a
hint about you in the speech; there is not even
a slight, “Thank you.”
You will probably think to yourself, “What an
ungrateful fool this president is! I spent hours
upon hours of sleepless nights molding and
shaping this plan, and this man sits in front
of the cameras self-claiming everything. He
didn’t even bother expressing gratitude to me
for writing to him. He could have at least said,
‘I thank all those who have been writing to me
about ways in which they wanted to help this
nation.’ What does he care about this nation?”
If we ever fall into such a situation we are
bound to jump with joy in the first scenario and
boil with anger in the second. In either case,
thoughts like, “I saved the nation from the
energy crisis; I was willing enough to sacrifice
my sleep to work out this plan. I was the one
who wrote to the President. I should get credit
for my work,” might begin to creep into our
minds.
We forget however, that it
was not I who made the
President read the letter; it
was not I who allowed the
President to be in a good
mood at that time; it was
not I who made the plan
actually work in the end;
it was not I who chose
whether the President
would appreciate me or was the first sin ever com-
not.
mitted, even before the well-
known murder of the son of
There are so many things Adam (AS).
in this world that are not
under our control, and yet
when we are given authority,
power, or acclaim we think it is because of
our doing. One word can describe this feeling
adequately—arrogance.
Arrogance was the first sin ever committed,
even before the well-known murder of the son
of Adam (AS). One has to wonder, is arrogance
a sin? If it was the first one committed, then it
should be inherently a part of us. That is where
our thinking goes wrong. Yes, arrogance is a
sin, but just because it was the first sin to be
committed doesn’t mean it is inherently a part
of us. In fact, we should completely abhor this
sin if we consider what should or should not be
a part of our inherent nature.
The sin of arrogance, the first sin to be
committed, was committed by Shaytan (Satan
or the Devil). It was committed in regard to our
father, Adam (AS). When our Creator, Allah,
told all the angles to bow down in front of
Adam (AS), all the angels obeyed. Iblees, who
was not an angel but was ranked among them
because of his worship of Allah, refused to bow
to Adam (AS),
“And (remember) when We said to the
angels: ‘Prostrate to Adam.’ So they
prostrated except Iblîs
(Satan). He was one of the
jinns; he disobeyed the
Command of his Lord.”
(18:50)
How could someone be so
close to the All Powerful,
Allah, and yet blatantly
disobey His commands?
The Most Wise, Allah did
not leave this question to
float around in our minds
unanswered. In Suratul-
‘Araaf, Allah (SWT) tells us,
“(Allâh) said: ‘What
prevented you (O Iblîs)
that you did not prostrate,
when I commanded you?’ Iblîs said: ‘I am
better than him (Adam). You created me
from fire, and him You created from clay.’”
(7:12)
This caused Shaytan to be cast out of Jannah
(heaven) and to be dejected for all eternity.
His arrogance, however, completely clouded
his judgment and instead of seeking the
forgiveness of the Most Merciful, Allah, he
begged Allah for respite so that he could
dedicate all the time till the Day of Reckoning
to mislead Adam (AS) and all his offspring,
including us:
6 7

Knowledge is something to aspire for,

but when we shroud it with
arrogance it is something that becomes hated. That
arrogance is not only hated by the Most Exalted, Allah, but
even by the people in this world.
[Iblîs (Satan)] said: “O my
Lord! Give me then respite
till the Day they (the dead)
will be resurrected.”
Allâh said: “Then, verily,
you are of those reprieved,
Till the Day of the time
appointed.”
[Iblîs (Satan)] said: “O my
Lord! Because you misled
me, I shall indeed adorn
the path of error for them
(mankind) on the earth,
and I shall mislead them
all, except Your chosen,
(guided) slaves among
them.”
(Allâh) said: “This is
the Way which will
lead straight to Me.
Certainly, you shall
have no authority over
My slaves, except those
who follow you of the
Ghâwîn (those who
go astray, criminals,
polytheists, and evil-
doers, etc.). And surely,
Hell is the promised
place for them all.”
(15:36-43)
Indeed, arrogance is a
grave sin, the first sin ever
committed—a sin committed
by our sworn enemy. In
Suratul-Kahf the Most High,
Allah, asks us an important
question after telling us about
the disobedience of Iblees,
“Will you then take him
(Iblîs) and his offspring as
protectors and helpers,
rather than Me, while they
are enemies to you? What
an evil is the exchange
for the Zâlimûn (wrong-
doers).” (18:50)
with large crowds of admirers truth. An arrogant person is Independence? Perhaps it
and friends? May Allah also someone who refuses is a way to make ourselves
The way out of arrogance save us from such useless to refrain from things disliked feel important. These days,
is to, firstly, understand knowledge. When this type by our Cherisher, Allah, if you want someone to sign
what it is and secondly, to of arrogance is applied to while knowing that they are something, you can simply
internalize an understanding religious knowledge it is even disliked by Him. After all ask them for their “John
that everything and anything worse. What gives a person that is exactly what Iblees Hancock.” We must keep in
we accomplish comes the right to look down upon did. It is no wonder, then, mind, though, that as long as
to us by the will of Allah. others who haven’t been that the Prophet (Sallallahu a “John Hancock” just stays
Whenever we are blessed blessed with the knowledge ‘Alyhi Wa Sallam) said, on paper and is not exhibited
with something great, we of Islam that was bestowed in a hadeeth narrated by in our attitude, it can be as
should humble ourselves upon him or her by the All Abd-Allah Ibn Mas’ood, “No large and bold as we want it
even further. Mighty, Allah? A pure heart one who has an atom’s- to be. Otherwise, there is a
and mind will appropriately weight of arrogance in his stern warning for the arrogant
answer the question without heart will enter Paradise.” in the Qur`an:
When Allah blesses us delay. A man said, “O Messenger
with knowledge, we of Allah, what if a man likes
should not think lowly his clothes and his shoes to “I (Allah) shall turn away
of those who do not Arrogance is not limited look good?” He said, “Allah from my revelations those
have that knowledge. to looking down upon and is Beautiful and loves beauty. who are unjustly proud
How baseless are those thinking less of those with Arrogance means rejecting in the Earth. Even if they
people who smirk at less knowledge of the deen the truth and looking down on see every sign, they will
those who know less (religion) or dunyah (world). people.” (Narrated by Muslim) not believe in it. And if
than them? Knowledge It is also a state in which a they see the right path to
is something to aspire person refuses to accept salvation, they will not
for, but when we shroud his or her guilt or his or her Unfortunately, this quality take it. If they see the
it with arrogance it is mistake. A person displays a has crept into our culture wrong path to error and
something that becomes certain degree of arrogance so stealthily that we do not sin, they will take it. That
hated. That arrogance in not accepting the sincere even notice it. Why is “John is because they reject Our
is not only hated by the advice of others; a person Hancock” synonymous with ayaat (verses, messages,
Most Exalted, Allah, but is arrogant when he or she a signature when it was the signs, revelations) and are
even by the people in refuses to do something largest and boldest signature heedless of them.” (7:146)
this world. Have you ever while knowing that it is the on the US Declaration of
seen a person blessed
with intellect who goes
around pushing others
and mocking at their lack
of knowledge? Does such
a person walk around
8 9
SANITY PLEADS - BY YOUSUF RAZA
TRANSCEND

by Yousuf Raza
4th year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
problems in that book and “Wouldn’t He know,
He who created?” (67:14)
What happened in Arabia, 1400 years ago, is
proof of the divine origins of the Qur’an. One
man, unlettered, with no extraordinary talents
to his credit, claimed that to him this word of
Allah was being revealed. He was ridiculed,
cut-off, offered bribes, threatened, and even
tortured. His followers in the first twelve years
of efforts numbered
merely a few
(s) as the single most influential human of all
time. I notice your nod of acknowledgement
when I mention a non-Muslim source; ironic
how Muslims are affected by that and yet not
moved even a little when Allah himself bears
witness to his greatness: “Without a doubt,
you (O Muhammad) are on the most sublime
character.” (68:4)
That was all centuries ago you say? Times
have changed? The
uncanny similarity

We
hundred—most between your
of them slaves are, as of now, in an abyss, ideas and those

A and the rope of Allah, the

h, I notice your keen interest in that
rather eye-catching group of thinly clad
young females there. What’s that? You
did not expect to see that here, in our part
of the world? You thought, being staunch
followers of the Qur’an, our women would
cover themselves in accordance with its
orders? Your knowledge of our Holy Book is
truly commendable, but you should understand
that your proposition is partly flawed; we are
not followers of the Qur’an, we merely profess
belief in it. You are from the US? Ah, yes you
told me, I remember now.
Well, what you would find
more interesting than that, if
you look around you, is not the
sparseness of their clothing,
but the number of men that are
almost—excuse me for saying
this but there is no better way
to put it—undressing them
with their eyes. That too, if you
remember, is considered a
transgression for Muslims.
Yes, I totally agree, preposterous indeed. How
can a people claim to believe in an All-Mighty,
All-Seeing, All-Hearing, All-Wise God, and yet
trample over the very commandments that He
sent down?
We can talk all night about how it came to
this, in this beautiful capital of ours—which
we ironically call Islamabad—but I’m afraid I
am not really up for this arduous task. I prefer
not to dwell on such depressing thoughts—
makes cynics of the best of us! What I can try
to do though, is talk about the most important
disaster—the blunder that we as a society
have made, which has brought us to this level.
So much so that even though we number more
than a billion we are the vermin of the earth!
We, my friend, have epitomized hypocrisy
by shelving the Book that we so
proudly proclaim to be the word
of the All-Mighty. Can you
imagine the idiocy? How can
we, who claim to believe in
an eternal life of bliss where
we would be granted not only
what we need, but what we
desire and that which the
imagination cannot grasp, so
obstinately ignore that which
would take us towards it?
How can we, who profess
belief in an eternal and
inconceivably horrendous and
painful life of hell, go after that
which would lead us there? We have allowed
our animal-natures and wishful desires to
supplant common sense!
What difference can a book make, you ask?
The Qur’an my friend, is no ordinary book, it
is the word of Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta-
aala has spelled out the solutions for all our
and poor folk of of the youth of our
the land. The country is painful
slaves who Qu’ran, is staring us in the face, to say the least.
converted were You would be
tortured in the calling out to us to grab hold of it so surprised to know
most inhumane
ways imaginable:
it can deliver us from the darkness that the attitude
of the people back
that encompasses us and raise us to
scalded on the then was pretty
the level which we once inhabited.
scorching heat much the same
of the desert; because their
whipped; starved; excuse was the
disfigured; and same as quoted
some murdered. by the Qur’an: “When
They tolerated all that because their belief Our Ayaat are recited to them, they say these
emanated from the Qur’an, they were not are tales of days long gone” (83:13). This, my
namesake Muslims; they realized that friend, and I say this in the most brotherly way,
whether they were killed or they succeeded in is nothing but an excuse, expended by those
somehow subverting their enemies, they were unwilling to forsake their life of sin, especially
successful. keeping in mind the undeniable proofs of the
divinity of the Qur’an that they simply choose
to ignore.
Allah (swt), through His rahmah (mercy),
revealed to them the Qur’an for “He is Ar-
Rahman; Who revealed the Qur’an” (55:1- I will indeed tell you what those proofs are, but
2). Unfortunately, you would notice that please my dear friend calm yourself, I did not
that people in our society formed a twisted, intend to offend; my apologies.
wishful concept of His rahmah which quite
conveniently emancipates them from any
accountability. They dare mock the justice of Omar ibn al-Khataab! Does the name ring a
the Most Just? All they did was follow it jot bell? Yes, indeed, the second Caliph of Islam
by jot, little by little, and before they knew it, who ruled over a vast expanse which stretched
21 years into Prophethood, the greatest and over three continents… Yet, in spite of his
most complete revolution had come about. colossal empire he did not consider himself
To this fact, even the non-Muslim historians, to be an emperor, rather a slave of Allah, who
in spite of all their qualms, bare witness. said it was his responsibility that even a dog
Michael H. Hart is probably the most famous should not die of hunger in his domain. When
example of that, when he places Muhammad any foreigner walked in to see him, he could
10
TRANSCEND
not tell the Caliph apart from the rest of his
people; such was his simplicity and austerity.
Not chains of gold, not robes of silk, not
women nor wine; Omar is known for the justice
and unrivaled equality prevalent in his time,
so much so that even Gandhi, again a non-
Muslim, said that he aimed to achieve the level
of justice present in the time of Abu Bakr and
Omar. And who was Omar before the Qur’an?
Once he was seen crying and then laughing.
He was inquired as to what triggered this
peculiar behavior. He said that he remembered
his days of ignorance. He laughed because he
remembered that once he was traveling and he
had forgotten his idol at home, so he molded
one out of a clump of dates and worshipped
it. Later on in the journey he felt hungry, so he
ate his god and that made him laugh. About
the crying, he said that he remembered the
time when he buried his daughter with his
own hands, and just as he
was lowering her into her
grave she wiped some
sand from his beard.
Before the Qur’an,
burying his daughter
wasn’t distressing and
worshipping dates
wasn’t funny; before
the Qur’an Omar ibn
al-Khataab was a
merciless killer and a
desultory worshipper.
But after the word of
Allah was revealed,
his life had meaning.
He recognized that the
divine standards of right
and wrong are essential
for contentment of the soul
and the benefit of the society.
We are, as of now, in an abyss, and the rope
of Allah, the Qu’ran, is staring us in the face,
calling out to us to grab hold of it so it can
deliver us from the darkness that encompasses
us and raise us to the level which we once
inhabited. It is this rope which could reunite us
and redefine our morals, so utterly tarnished by
the teachings of Hollywood. It is the learning of
the Qur’an and implementation of it in lives of
individuals that will generate the Omar ibn al-
Khataabs of the 21st century.
You snicker? You do not expect an Omar to
rise from the youth that spends most of its
time watching “How I Met Your Mother?” Alas,
you underestimate us; Zara nam ho to yeh
mitti bari zarkhaiz hai sakee. Never you mind
what that means, but “Know that it is Allah
who gives life to the dead earth” (57:17). Yes,
the future generation is waylaid. Yes they are
ignorant of their purpose in life and yes they
are oblivious to the cataclysms they are inviting
because of their repose. But, having said all
that can you blame them? Born in front of the
television, they were brainwashed by what
your people showed them; their morals, their
values, and even their beliefs. But they realize
now that all that has gotten them nowhere.
They have learned that all the
western moral standards
are capable of achieving
is momentary enjoyment,
and ultimately,
depression, insomnia
and attempted suicides.
They consider Islam
to be something
unpractical, stringent,
and for the lower
classes. This is the
picture that is presented
to them by the moulvis.
What they see is self-
proclaimed scholars
quibbling over non-
issues, declaring each
other Kaafirs, even killing each
other—to achieve what? Their sole aim is to
establish their own authority; in the process
they push people away from Islam. Some of
these moulvis even go as far as saying that the
Qur’an is best left to them for understanding
and the general public should not try to
decipher it, lest they become confused and
misled. What right did they have to declare the
Qur’an esoteric when the author of the Book
Himself, subhanahu wa ta aala, declared, not
once but several times in the same Surah that,
11
What
if people insist on ignoring the Qur’an you ask?
Well, apart from the fact that our humiliation as
a nation in this world will keep getting worse, we are also up
against “the day when the sky will be like molten lead, and
the mountains like tufts of wool...”
“Indeed we have made the Qur’an easy to never satiated from studying and reflecting
understand and remember; then is there any upon it. It does not become worn away from
one who will receive admonition? (54:17, 22, usage and its marvels never cease. It is that
32, 40) which the Jinn did not stop when they heard it
except that they said, ‘Verily, we have heard a
most marvelous oft repeated recitation (Quran)
It is reported that Ali (RA) said that he heard and most certainly it guides to the direction.’
from the Prophet of Allah (saw), “We shall Whoever spoke of it, spoke the truth. Whoever
not be spared from the fitnah (tribulation) acted according to it was rewarded. Whoever
to come!” Ali (RA) asked: “What would be judged by it, did justice and whosoever invited
the way out of that fitnah, O Messenger of to it, he was guided to the sound and straight
Allah?” Notice something here? Ali does not path.”
bother with where when and what kind of
tribulation; he gets straight to what is most
pertinent, i.e. the way out of it. What do you What if people insist on ignoring the Qur’an
think was the answer of the Messenger of you ask? Well, apart from the fact that our
Allah (saw)? Surprise, surprise, he answered: humiliation as a nation in this world will keep
“It is The Book (Al Quran) of Allah! In it are getting worse, we are also up against “the
related the stories about those before you, day when the sky will be like molten lead, and
and the tidings about those after you. It is an the mountains like tufts of wool, and when no
arbitrator between you, and it is the criterion. friend would ask about his friend, though they
So whoever turns away and leaves it is from may be in one another’s sight: [for,] everyone
amongst the arrogant, and Allah SWT will who was lost in sin will on that Day but desire
annihilate him. And whoever seeks guidance to ransom himself from suffering at the price
in other than it, Allah SWT will misguide him! It of his own children and of his spouse and of
is the sound and resilient Rope of Allah SWT, his brother and of all the kinsfolk who ever
and the judicious and wise remembrance, sheltered him, and of whoever else on earth,
and the straight path. It is that which cannot all of them—so he could save himself. But nay!
be deviated by one’s fancies. The tongues Verily, all [that awaits him] is a raging flame
do not find it ambiguous and the scholars are tearing away his skin!” (70:8-16)
12
T Prophet (pbuh) once said:
hey both left Makkah
under the cover
of darkness. With
simple provisions
on two camels, they headed
towards Yemen. A few miles
into the desert they reached
the mountain called Thawr.
As they approached the cave
in the heart of the mountain,
the younger one took the
lead. He walked into the cave
first to make sure there was
no danger inside. The cave
was small and full of holes
in the walls and the two
men were barely able to
fit in it. He (the younger
one), tore his garment
and plugged all the
holes one by one to
prevent any venomous
creatures from entering
the cave. Soon, he had
no more garment to
spare, but there was
still one hole left. So, he
sat in a position where
he could cover the hole
with his foot. The foot got
bitten, yet he kept his lips
shut tightly, lest the sacred
one sleeping with his head in
his lap would be awoken.
The tears falling from
his eyes on the cheeks of the
beloved sleeper were what
awoke him.
“Abu Bakr, what
happened?” asked the noble
Prophet (peace be upon
him). Upon hearing the reply,
the Prophet(peace be upon
him) applied his own saliva
at the bite site and there was
instant relief.
The noble Prophet
(peace be upon him) once
said: “Were I to choose
any one as a close friend
amongst humans, it would be
none other than Abu Bakr.”
Such was the
The first of the
rightly guided
caliphs.
character of this man. The
closest companion of the
Prophet of mercy (peace be
upon him) in life and in death.
Father-in-law of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), the first
of the Rightly Guided Caliphs,
the most pious amongst the
Community after the Prophet
(peace be upon him), and
“As-Siddique” (the most
truthful); this is the way they
who were with him, and even
we today, remember him.
His name
was Abdullah bin
Abu Qahafa and he
belonged to the tribe of
Banu-Taim. His lineage
meets that of the noble
Prophet (peace be
upon him). He was
called Abdul Ka’bah
during the period of
ignorance, until the
Prophet (peace be
upon him) changed his
name to Abdullah. He
was popularly known
as Abu-Bakr (meaning
the father of the foal of the
camel) because of his love
for camels.
The Prophet (peace
be upon him) has been
reported to have said that
when he presented the
message of Islam to people,
every one took their time
before answering except
Abu-Bakr, who did not
even hesitate for an instant
and accepted. That is why
he is and always will be
remembered as As-Siddique.
Not that his reputation
was any different before
he embraced Islam, but his
generosity saw no
bounds after the
conversion. He is
“Were I to choose any one
credited with buying
the freedom of
several slaves who
as a close friend amongst
were persecuted by
their idolater owners
humans, it would be none
for embracing Islam;
the most celebrated
other than Abu Bakr.”
of them was Bilal,
the muezzin of the
Prophet (peace be
upon him) and the
slave of Umayyia-bin-Khalf.
The Prophet (peace be upon
him) said that it was about
Abu-Bakr that the following
verses of the Qur’an had
come down: “The pious
will be far removed from
it (Hell). He who spends
his wealth for increase in
self-purification.” (Al-Lail,
17-18)
He was also credited
with persuading many of his
friends to embrace Islam.
Some of the most famous
men who entered into Islam
at his instance were: Uthman-
bin-‘Affan (the 3rd Caliph);
Zubair-bin-‘Awam; Talha-bin-
Ubaidullah; Abdur-Rahman-
bin-‘Awf; Sa’d-bin-abi-Waqas;
and Abu-ubaidah-bin-al-
Jarah.
Almost all Muslim
children remember the story
of the battle of Tubuk, when
the Prophet (peace be upon
him) asked for all Muslims
to donate generously for the
difficult expedition. All brought
whatever they could. Umar-
bin-Khattab was to later recall
that he brought half of all his
possessions and aspired to
exceed the offerings of Abu-
Bakr. But Abu-Bakr brought
all his possessions and when
the Prophet (peace be upon
him) asked him what had he
left for his family, Abu-Bakr
said, “Only the love of Allah
and His Messenger.”
And though he was
not an “arms-man”, he never
left the company of the
Prophet (peace be upon him).
He had the honor of being
a part of all major battles,
including Badr, Uhud, and
Khandaq, as well as being
a participant at the truce of
Hudaybia. His son, who was
part of the polytheist army at
Badr, later told him that on
that day he had held back
from confronting his father,
to which Abu-Bakr replied,
“If I had to face you, I would
have made you the target
13
of my arrow.” That was how
unflinching his love for Islam
had become.
Perhaps the greatest
example of his stature is
Islam is what transpired at
the time of the death of the
noble Prophet (peace be
upon him). The Muslims
were in a state of shock at
the demise of the Prophet,
and Umar-bin-Khattab stood
up with a naked
sword in his hand,
threatening to
harm anyone who
insisted that the
Prophet (peace be
upon him) had died.
It was Abu-Bakr
who addressed the
bereaved crowd
in the following
words, “Let it be
known to the one
who worships
Muhammad (peace
be upon him), Muhammad is
dead. But he who worships
Allah, He is Ever Living and
He never dies.” Then he
recited the following verse of
the Qur’an, “Muhammad is
no more than a messenger,
and indeed (many)
messengers have passed
away before him. If he dies
or is killed, will you then
turn back on your heels (as
disbelievers)? And he who
turns back on his heels, not
the least harm will he do to
Allah.” (Al-i‘Imran, 144)
Ibn-‘Abbas later said
that it was as if we had heard
that verse for the first time,
and as people started reciting
it, better sense began to
prevail and they all, including
Umar, realized that indeed
14
the Prophet (peace be upon
him) had passed away.
His other inestimable
service for Islam was
the bringing together of
the Qur’an. At the battle
of Yamama in 11/633, a
number of Muslims who had
memorized the entire Qur’an
were killed. Umar-bin-Khattab
expressed concern to the
Caliph Abu-Bakr that unless
efforts were made to preserve
the Qur’an, a large part of
the revelation could be lost.
Upon his insistence, Abu-
Bakr commanded Zayd-bin-
Thabit, the most prominent of
the scribes of the revelation
to collect the entire Qur’an
into one volume, so that is
what Zayd did. The complete
manuscript remained with
Abu-Bakr till his death,
and then was passed on
to the 2nd Caliph Umar-bin-
Khattab, and after his death
to Umm-ul-Mu’mineen Hafsa.
Subsequent dispersion of
copies of the Qur’an all
over the world was from this
master copy; the credit rests
with Umar and Abu-Bakr.
Amongst the honors
conferred on to him by the
Prophet were the leadership
of the first Hajj delegation,
and the leading of the
congregational prayers of the
believers when the Prophet
(peace be upon him) was too
ill to lead himself.
Upon being elected
as Caliph, his first statement
was,“I have been given the
authority over you, and I
am not the best of you. If
I do well, help me; and if I
do wrong, set me right. The
weak amongst you shall be
strong with me until I have
secured his rights, if Allah
wills; and the strong amongst
you shall be weak with me
until I have wrested from him
the rights of others. Obey me
as long as I obey Allah and
His messenger.”
His Caliphate lasted
only 2 yrs and 3 months
and yet during this time, he
successfully crushed the
rebellion of the Bedouin tribes
in the campaign against
apostasy which had started
immediately after the demise
of the noble Prophet (peace
be upon him). He also took
up arms against those who
refused to give the obligatory
Zakat, which though was
in direct conformity of the
edict of the Qur’an, yet none
except him had the courage
at that time to take this
exemplary step.
It was during the
Caliphate of Abu-Bakr that
the military campaigns
against the Persian and
the Byzantine Empires
were launched, which
subsequently lead to the fall
of both super powers of the
day and the establishment of
Islamic rule in land all around
Arabia. And yet he never took
anything from the immense
state riches for himself or his
family. Only on the insistence
of Umar and Abu-Ubaidah did
he leave his own cloth trade
and agree to a nominal salary
from state funds.
His instructions to his
family at the time of his death
were to bury him in an old
shroud. “The living deserve
more to be in new clothes,” is
what he said to them.
May Allah subhanahu
wata’ala shower His Mercy
and Blessings on Abu-Bakr
As-Siddique.
16 17
TRANSCEND

Thus, we go desperately to Imam Ghazali points out that the

By Komal Ata - 4th year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine
psychologists and counseling sessions to help
us with internal dilemmas created in order to
foster these external selves. Ironically, all that
we need to develop a healthy self-image and
to be spiritually at peace is to reflect upon our
own religious teachings and tradition.
Some of the earliest works and
major breakthroughs in psychoanalysis and
psychotherapy are traced back to Muslim
scholars. Al-Razi, Ibn-e-Sina, Ghazali, Rumi all
produced compelling works in psychotherapy
ailments of the soul are much worse than
those of the body; in the ailments of the soul
he includes misery, pride, ignorance, self-
centeredness, social status, cowardice, fame,
and the likes. He also gives the solution, the
ultimate counseling tip: “closeness to God is
equivalent to normality whereas distance from
God leads to abnormality.”
The nearer we are to the teachings
and personality of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.),
the greater is our normality. Observing the

G
reek mythology has a famous rates, but it has also sent us adrift from our and spiritual ailments long before Freud’s behavior of the individual and knowing
myth pertaining to the creation individuality and our religious identity. “Talking Cure” (considered his intentions can
of the world. After the world was to be the modern basis measure this
created, Zeus (the higher Greek god) created of psychoanalysis). normality. In the
the first woman, Pandora, and handed her a What one society finds to be the
standard of excellence may be completely
Where modern
psychotherapeutic
The concept of a person in Quran it is said:
“This is how we
box for safekeeping, ordering her to never ever
open it. However, out of curiosity, she opened condemned by another (think Hitler). If we techniques focus more Islam is “ideal.” It is based on ordained you to
it, unleashing every vice upon the world,
managing to only contain one thing in that box:
strive to excel in the ways of the world, we will
end up disappointed, simply because there will
on making the spirit
link with the body by a specific aim and a definite be a people most
balanced, so that
hope. My article is on psychotherapy related to never be a universal criteria of what is “ideal.” considering them as goal. Man is not created in you may be a
two separate entities, model to others,
vain and not left to the whims
Islam. By the Islamic point of view, hope is an Our youth today faces the dilemma of giving
integral component of the cure for ailments of up their moral and ethical values to conform to such as in theories of and the Prophet
the soul. the norms of a society. It is considered superior
to condemn religion and move towards either
Jung and Descartes,
the approach and
of his passion and lust; (s.a.w.) a model
to you.”
a more “logical,” “scientific,” or “humanistic” philosophy of Muslim relations with others are also
regulated.
In contemporary society, everyone approach; it is better to look beautiful than to psychotherapy is
and everything is judged by certain standards act so. holistic—regarding In
and benchmarks; stereotypes the individual essence, Islam
created by the people as a complete ordains Man,
thought to be the “shapers” This race to transcendental, the best of Allah’s
of civilization. Whether it become perfect in the comprehensive, dynamic human being; a creation, to strive towards developing His
is looking a certain way, worldly sense is useless, microcosm within a macrocosm. approval and His guidance rather than the
behaving in a certain as it renders a person approval of the world, for when it comes to
manner or even thinking incomplete. Not only do people it is common knowledge that you
a certain thought—all our we loose contact with The concept of a person in Islam is cannot please everyone.
actions at the conscious our soul, but we end up “ideal.” It is based on a specific aim and a
or subconscious level cultivating a personality definite goal. Man is not created in vain and
are being shaped by the so governed by external not left to the whims of his passion and lust; According to the great Muslim healers,
current ruling ideology factors that we begin relations with others are also regulated. He is the Islamic forms of worship directly treat
of our society. Everyone ignoring boundaries of given a wide scope of thinking and working, most of the ailments of the soul. Prayer in
wants to look good, be cool, right and wrong, develop provided they are not detrimental to his fellow Islam has a psychical value, involving perfect
be thin, be rich and (in case of unnecessary biases and men. There are certain values which he concentration. It is the intense realization of
the developing world) move abroad. insecurities. We are willing to do anything to fit must sanctify and maintain, otherwise chaos, God and forgetfulness of all that is not God. By
in a community that will condemn this persona injustice and violence will reign. this feeling of dependence on an omnipotent
of ours tomorrow anyway, only to start a new deity, the mind enjoys peace and the mental
Not only has this pressure to “fit-in” “fashion.” sufferings are temporarily suspended,
greatly increased depression and suicide
18
producing the relaxation necessary to cure the
mentally and emotionally disturbed.
I titled my article in relation to hope
because it is the most powerful feeling a
human being can acquire. Especially in the
contemporary world, where our ummah
is being persecuted, where the youth is
disenchanted by religion, where we constantly
feel dejected and self piteous, where we
stand at a crossroad, not knowing where to go
and how to get out of this moral, ethical and
spiritual crisis, we must hope.
There is no concept of self-pity or
dejection in Islam. Allah forbids us from being
pessimistic or melancholic over worldly matters
as these trivial issues are merely a hurdle in
the way to true success. In the Quran Allah
says: “With hardship is ease.”
I believe that amidst all the hardships
there is tremendous facilitation. There is much
goodness and ease that Allah provides us; we
have and will always have much more to be
thankful for than to regret. Hence, instead of
feeling disillusioned we must hope. For hope
is the ultimate remedy to dejection. God made
hopelessness unlawful by saying: “Do not
despair Allah’s mercy.”
No matter what state of despair,
depression, or frustration we are in, whether
due to the loss of a loved one or a job, as a
result of anger from someone else, or social
pressures, we must not give up hope. And the
greatest hope is for mercy from Allah.
The concept of tawbah is perhaps
one of the most beautiful concepts in Islam. It
offers the suffering man a hope of forgiveness.
Forgiveness is the prerequisite, without which
the process of reconciliation of the patient to
the world and to God cannot take place.
We must pray for His light to illuminate
the heart so that we can see beyond today’s
suffering. We must pray for Allah’s mercy and
forgiveness so that we can love and forgive
ourselves and His other creations, and make
peace with our creator, our surroundings, and
ourselves. To conclude, I believe that we must
cherish what Pandora managed to save.
Written by Dr. Muzaffar Iqbal - President of Center for Islam and Sceince, Canada.
O
n June 5, 2008, a
nine-member bench
of the highest court
of Turkey overturned a bill
earlier adopted by the Turkish
Parliament to lift the ban
on wearing the headscarf
in educational institutions.
The ban was proclaimed
by Mustafa Kemal in 1924
as part of his drive to
“modernize” Turkey.
Mustafa Kemal
was the forerunner of many
secular Muslim military
and political leaders who
embraced all things Western.
He saw Islam as an outdated
religion, incompatible with
modernity, and found his
ideals in European thought
and practices. He attempted
to transform Turkey into a
modern secular state by
expelling Islam from the
public sphere. The ruthlessly
enforced “Kemalism”
systematically dismembered
centuries of spiritual,
intellectual, social, and
economic ties with various
aspects of Islam.
Mustafa Kemal
abolished the Caliphate,
exiled the last Ottoman
sultan to Paris, abolished the
Hijra calendar, replaced the
Arabic script with the Roman
alphabet, persecuted the
Ulema and Sufi orders, and
established the first secular
republic in the Islamic world,
creating a monolithic system
Mustafa Kemal introducing the new Turkish
alphabet to the people of Kayseri. September
20, 1928
19
based on his personal ideas
which considered European
civilization to be the best
model for humanity.
To ensure the long-
term survival of Kemalism,
Mustafa Kemal included in
the country’s constitution
the military’s role as the sole
defender and protector of the
constitution and its secular
identity. He understood that
brute force was the only real
power capable of producing
social and political change
and hence he used Turkey’s
now secularized military
to enforce his own writ on
the makeup of modern
Turkey. This self-styled
father of Turks (Atatürk)
ripped asunder centuries-
old traditions, destroyed
Turkey’s sense of identity,
and gave birth to a deep
chasm in the Turkish psyche
which has become one of
the most prominent features
of contemporary Turkey.
Mustafa Kemal brought about
this remarkable change
through a series of “reforms”
in the political, legal, cultural,
social, and economic system
20
“
Kemalism was, however, merely one specific expres-
sion of the great chasm which first appeared in the Muslim
psyche through the encounter with the modern Western
world. It made its presence felt during the time of coloniza-
tion of the traditional lands of Islam and has since become
much more complex and widespread.
of the country. The “reforms”
were guided by positivist
and rationalist European
enlightenment as understood
by a thoroughly uprooted
elite led by a man whose
egomaniac disrespect for
Islam increased as the years
progressed.
Kemalism was,
however, merely one specific
expression of the great
chasm which first appeared
in the Muslim psyche through
the encounter with the
modern Western world. It
made its presence felt during
the time of colonization
of the traditional lands
of Islam and has
since become much
more complex and
widespread. In fact,
it will not be an
overstatement to
say that this is the
greatest malady
of our times. This
great chasm runs
through the spiritual,
intellectual, and
emotional planes and
creates an impasse
for Muslims at so many
levels of existence and
”
in so many ways that many
Muslims are incapable even
of clearly distinguishing
various dimensions of
this malady. In essence,
it is a disease of the heart
forced into the wilderness
of secular rationalism. This
disease takes hold of the
unsuspecting believer at
some point in early childhood
through education or social
conditioning, and grows
within until it cripples the
entire existence by infecting
it with a vision of life that
removes the Creator from the
center and either casts
out Islam from one’s life,
or relegates it to a narrow
sphere of formal worship. The
resulting chasm then rapidly
spreads within and weakens
the vitality of Iman, leaving
behind a crippled existence
devoid of any purpose
higher than the gratification
of desires and fulfillment of
physical needs of the body.
In the contemporary
world, this great chasm
manifests at the individual as
well as the collective levels.
Individually, Muslims infected
with this malady find
themselves oscillating in
two mutually exclusive
worlds: their residual
beliefs keep them
within the fold of
Islam, but the
secular makeup
of their lives pulls
them away from
the practices and
rituals required
by their belief
in the Creator,
His Prophet,
and His Book.
Often this malady
manifests itself through
THE
compartmentalization of the
being. Such a person has
an understanding of life as
consisting of two distinct
spheres: things deemed
religious (and hence other-
worldly) and things deemed
to be belonging to this world.
He or she blindly follows
customs and rituals learned
from the local environment
in things deemed to be
religious and lets his or her
own being be the guide for
things deemed to belong
to this world. This self-
guidance often
comes from one’s
environment,
though very
few individuals
are capable of
ascertaining the
actual source of
their ideas.
Once
this process
completes,
the individual
becomes
thoroughly
uprooted from
the sources of Divine
guidance and the resulting
spiritual, intellectual, and
emotional crisis produces a
paralysis of the worst kind,
reducing one’s existence to
a perpetual state of internal
chaos and confusion. But
the irony is that this state is
never recognized for what
it is. This blindness of the
heart is veiled and the state
of compound ignorance is
covered by the education
received from thoroughly
secular sources. The result
is a state in which one is
not even aware of the deep
GREAT DIVIDE - BY DR. MUZAFFAR
chasm now ripping apart
the whole being at so many
levels of existence.
Millions of
contemporary educated
Muslims find themselves in
this dilemma. They have a
vague understanding of the
lack of rooting in the spiritual
and intellectual soil of Islam
but very few find themselves
in any position to find a way
to anchor their existence
in that soil. Most of Islamic
scholarship remains beyond
their reach and whatever
little they can find adds to the
confusion because it is read
in a fragmentary manner.
Even the Qur’an and
the Sunnah—the two primary
sources of Islam—have
become alien for millions
of believers who continue
to consider them the true
sources of guidance but
know not how to profit from
them. This alienation is not
merely linguistic, though
21
IQBAL
the inability to read the
original source remains a
major barrier: fundamentally,
it is the make up of the
mind and the orientation
of the heart that creates a
spiritual deprivation. The
message of the Qur’an is
abundantly clear, even for
those believers who do not
have access to the Book. But
this clear message demands
a thorough, deep, and all
embracing acceptance
of the Straight Path. This
requirement is the real
stumbling block
for the infected
hearts. The nafs
fed heavy doses
of secularism
through
education
and social
environment
resists complete
submission and
follows its self-
created path,
often with plenty
of justifications
that the mind
is capable of
providing. The
result is an ever-
increasing cleavage, a
deepening chasm, and an
accelerating confusion.
The antidote to the
secularization of the Muslim
mind is in its re-Islamization,
a process of slow and
gradual rediscovery of Islam,
this time thoroughly rooted in
the primary sources and not
passively acquired from the
surroundings. The shortest
possible route to recovery is
through the interiorization of
the life of the Noble Prophet,
22
upon whom be peace. This
life, preserved in great detail,
not only opens the sanctified
Path to the deserving hearts,
it also provides a complete
cure for the great
chasm by means
which lie far
beyond the reach
of the rational
mind, because
it is steeped in
spiritual realities of
the highest order.
The
Sunnah, the well-
trodden path, is
not merely a set
of rituals or du’as;
it is a record of
a sanctified life
lived in complete
conformity of the
Divine Command. Before
one can interiorize the Path
of the Noble Messenger,
however, one has to become
familiar with it. This requires
a conscious effort to know,
in concrete detail, how that
most Noble of all created
beings woke up from his
sleep, how he washed, how
he ate, how he walked, how
he conversed with his fellow
human beings, and how
he conducted himself in all
other spheres of life. The
true familiarity with his ways
of being and his character
brings with itself an unbound
love and passion which help
to emulate that character
which the Creator Himself
has praised as the best of
all characters. The first layer
of familiarity, consciously
interiorized, transforms
the internal as well as the
external features of one’s life.
This transformation cures
the complex disease of the
suffering heart and produces
a unification of the being at
various levels of existence.
Once rooted in
daily practices and solidly
anchored in the inner
recesses of one’s being, the
desire to follow the Sunnah of
the Noble Messenger, upon
whom be peace, opens one’s
access to hitherto unknown
blessings. The Prophetic light
produces a radiance in the
heart which lights up one’s
whole existence. Those who
have experientially witnessed
this process of recovery and
tasted the joy of finding the
sanctified Path can thereafter
never settle for anything but
a constant striving to prepare
themselves for the meeting
their Lord, Allah Who is the
Light of the heavens and the
earth; the likeness of His light
is as a niche wherein
is a lamp; the
lamp in a glass;
the glass as it
were a glittering
star kindled from a
blessed tree—an
olive—neither of
the East nor of the
West—whose oil
well-nigh would
shine even though
no fire touched it;
light upon light;
Allah guides to
His light whom He
wills. And Allah
strikes similitudes
for people; and
Allah has knowledge
of all things.
Transformed at the
most fundamental level of
existence, their whole life is
then devoted to the efforts
to live a life guided by the
Book, seeking His pleasure,
yearning with all their hearts
to enter the everlasting abode
of His Mercy wherein they will
hear their Creator’s call: O
thou tranquil soul, return unto
thy Sustainer, well-pleased
and well-pleasing; enter,
thou, among My slaves; enter
thou My Paradise.
WaāLlĀhuāl-
mustaĂĀn, wa mĀ tawfąqą
illĀ biā-LlĀh
 By Mohammad Hammad
The Spiritual Heart 4th year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine

TYPES OF HEARTS
Its Life is sound PURE HEART DEAD HEART No Coutesy to
the creation
of Allah

Do I really have a YES? YES?

pure heart? Diseased Heart

Do you feel pain when reminders occur? Do you reject admonitions and reminders?

DIAGNOSIS THROUGH
3 WAYS

ACTIONS INCLINATIONS

ETIOLOGY

Interpreted - like symptoms of

a disease e.g Pride e.g. Cinema vs. Masjid
e.g. Envy

• Do you backbite? • Which would you prefer to

• Do you think you are superior to go to?
• Do you see through a
others?
haze of lust?
• Are you resentful or desirous of
another’s possessions?

3 TYPES OF DISEASED HEARTS

more LIFE in the heart more DECAY in the heart

LIFE = DECAY

Health > Sickness Health = Sickness Health < Sickness

e.g. asthma e.g. kidney disease e.g. cancer

is manageable Depends on environment to Needs radical

either get worse or better. treatment

Easier To Treat Needs rigorous

Needs a condusive monitoring and
environment correction
How much you want to
please your Lord and your
Creator? What sort of company do you
have? Do I really believe in Allah,
or am I just kidding myself?

By Mohammad Hammad
4th year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine The Spiritual Heart
26 27

’
parents to speak for her, but they had nothing
to say, so she herself took the initiative and
said, “Should I tell you I am innocent, and Allah
knows that I am surely innocent, you will not
believe me; and if I were to admit something
of which, Allah knows, I am innocent, you will
believe me. Therefore I have no recourse
except the words of the father of Prophet
Yusuf: ‘So (for me) patience is most fitting.
And it is Allah (Alone) Whose Help can be
sought against that which you assert.’”
By Umar Shuaib - 2nd year MBBS student at Shifa College of Medicine [Yusuf: 18]
Subsequently, revelation acquitted
counsel an orphan is Rs 3700 if you donate to
Muslim Hands and many other sincere causes.
While these figures are primarily from North
America, they apply to Pakistan as well, since
many youth emulate American culture.
Unfortunately, wastage of time is not
the only danger that gossip posses. A large
portion of gossip also construes acts such
as backbiting, betrayal of trust, and causing
harm to individuals and to the community.
Regretfully, our inability to apply the hadith
where we are commanded to love for our
brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves

A n extremely painful incident took place

on the Prophet’s (pbuh) return from the
against Aisha; unfortunately, some Muslims
also became involved.
Aisha of all slander.
Aisha, of course,
[Bukhari] is the root
of most of these
expedition against Bani Mustaliq.
On arrival to Madinah, the Prophet
was joyful and
praised Allah Wastage of time is not the only problems. Until
jealousy and envy
While the army was setting up camp,
Aisha, who was accompanying the Prophet
(pbuh) held counsel with his companions, who
gave different opinions—including divorce.
thankfully. Allah’s
Words in this
danger that gossip posses. are eliminated
from our psyche,
(pbuh), went out of the camp to answer The incident almost roused a fight between regard went as
follows: “Verily!
A large portion of gossip we are fated to
cause harm to
the call of nature. When she returned, she two rival tribes, Al-Aws and Al-Khazraj, but the
discovered that she had dropped her necklace Prophet’s intervention silenced both parties. Those who also construes acts such as those around us
brought forth the perpetually.
backbiting, betrayal of trust, and
somewhere. Aisha went out again to search
for it. On her return, the army had marched slander (against
Aisha, unaware of the rumors being
causing harm to individuals and
away along with the camel she was riding. Aisha) are a Reflecting
circulated, fell ill and was confined to bed
White sitting, sleep group among on the story of
for a month. Upon
overpowered her.
Safwan bin Mu‘attal,
recovering, she
you.” [An-Noor:
11] to the community. Aisha illuminates
many hazards of
heard of the slander
an Emigrant who and took permission gossip mongering.
was following some to go and see her To deny the During the time of
distance behind the parents in order prevalence of gossip and its negative effects is the Sahabah, whose moral character dwarfs
army, recognized to seek authentic nothing short of sheer ignorance. Randomized ours, this incident still caused such strife.
her, since he had news. Upon studies of casual conversation, such as one Disagreement over whether Rasulallah (pbuh)
seen her before the confirmation, she by Duncan et al, reveal that gossip engulfs should have divorced Aisha nearly caused
verse enjoining the burst into tears, an astounding two-thirds of conversation—a fighting between fellow Muslims; indeed, to this
veil was revealed. weeping to such statistic that is equal in both men and women, day, gossip is a leading cause for workplace
He allowed her to an extent that she contrary to popular belief. conflicts and loss of productivity. Furthermore,
mount his camel, felt her liver was the degree to which Aisha, the mother of the
then, leading the way about to rip open. Not only does gossip consume believers, was distraught indicates the danger
without even looking The Prophet (pbuh) society’s conversational time, but also a of such gossip on the rest of the Ummah,
back or saying a word, visited her in that state, very significant portion of spending and daily who are far weaker. Aisha’s response to the
escorted her until they caught up with the and after testifying to the Oneness of Allah, reading. According to New Single Copy’s scandal is one that must be emulated.
Muslim army the following day. he told her, “If you are innocent, Allah will magazine ranking, one of the many gossip
acquit you, otherwise, you have to beg for His oriented magazines, People, boasts a When reciting the Ayah from Surah
The hypocrites, led by Abdullah bin forgiveness and pardon.” circulation greater than 3.75 million and annual Yusuf, Aisha displayed a trait seldom
‘Ubay, sought to make mischief out of this revenue of 112.5 billion Rs. The monthly costs observed: placing her trust in Allah to clear
incident and spread a malicious scandal She stopped weeping and asked her to cloth, educate, feed, and psychologically her name rather than vehemently denying the
28
accusations against her. This practice is further
justified by the hadith narrated by Sa’eed
bin Musaeb: “When the Prophet (pbuh) was
sitting with his companions one person used
insulting words against Abu Bakr, causing
him pain, but Abu Bakr was silent. The man
used bitter words for the second time, but Abu
Bakr remained silent. After the third time, as
Abu Bakr tried to defend himself, the Prophet
(pbuh) got up. Abu Bakr asked, “Are you
displeased with me, O Messenger of Allah?”
To this, Mohammad (pbuh) replied: “No, but
from the heavens an angel had come down
and was denying that man’s talk, but when
you started to answer, the
angel went away and
the devil sat down; I
cannot sit where the
devil is sitting.”[Abu
Daud]
By staying
silent in the face
of gossip and
accusations, you
kill two birds with
one stone; not only
do you attain a
flawless defense, but
aggressors will move
onto other, more
reactive targets.
A major
component of gossip is
backbiting. In a crowd of friends, hints of
someone’s secrets being revealed will
instantly spawn a room full of eavesdroppers.
However, the deterrents given by Allah and his
Messenger (pbuh) are numerous. Consider the
Ayah: “O ye who believe! Avoid suspicion
as much (as possible): for suspicion in
some cases is a sin: And spy not on each
other behind their backs. Would any of you
like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?
Nay, ye would abhor it. But fear Allah: For
Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.” [Al-
Hujraat: 12]
If one imagines really doing such a
thing, nausea will surely ensue. The Prophet
(pbuh) told his companions that a rotten
donkey is better for them than backbiting
[Abu Dawud]. Moreover, the punishment for
backbiting is grave; Rasulullah (pbuh) said,
“No tell-tell can enter paradise.” [Bukhari]
On the other hand, those that hide
other’s secrets are promised a veil by the
Prophet (pbuh): “Anyone who knows about
the fault of his Muslim brother and conceals it
will have his own faults covered on the Day of
Judgment” [Tibrani]. So we
see that in addition to
doing great damage
to others and the
community, backbiting
devastates the one
backbiting most,
making it critical to
completely stop the
practice.
Changing any
habit is difficult and
seldom accomplished
without numerous
countermeasures.
An acceptance
of wrongdoing
and subsequent
sincere repentance
are paramount in both
ceasing the activity, and
attaining forgiveness.
Three steps are recommended while
making tawbah. Firstly, you must cease
committing the sin. Secondly, feel deep regret
in performing the sin, and be repulsed by the
thought of repeating your mistake. Finally,
resolve never to commit the sin again. In order
to further reduce your chances of reverting to
your habit, watchfulness over any conversation
you indulge in is required. Allah’s messenger
(pbuh) said, “From the perfection of a person’s
Islam is that he leaves alone that which does
29
not concern him.” [Tirmidhi] “Keep away from jealousy, for it eats up virtues
faster than a fire eats dry wood” [Abu Daud].
Jealousy is tantamount to questioning Allah’s
It is obvious that if you obtain no ill
judgment in distributing his bounties. Allah
knowledge of your brother, you will be unable
says, “And do not covet that by which Allah
to backbite. In addition to this, apply the hadith
has made some of you excel others; men
of the Prophet (pbuh) in which he approached
shall have the benefit of what they earn
a group of companions who were conversing,
and women shall have
and told them to mix
the benefit of what
in remembrance
they earn; and ask
of Allah with their
Backbiting stems from
Allah of His grace;
discussions. Doing
surely Allah knows
this will accomplish
two objectives: you primal disease of the all things.” [An-Nisa:
32]
will be less likely to
incorporate sinful heart jelousy . Thus striv-
ing to eliminate jeolousy
talk due to the recent Eradicating
dhikr; and your backbiting, gossiping,
is the ultimate method to
conversation may betrayal of trust, and
become one of baraka ultimately, jealousy
rather than just merely
“killing time.”
stop backbiting, is an imminent
priority. The degree
of disunity and fitna
caused by rumors and
Often the best
ill feelings is crippling to
way to solve this problem is to change your
our already bleeding Ummah. Through deep
circle of close friends. Rasulullah (pbuh)
remorse, constant awareness of the effect
said, “The example of a good companion in
of gossip and its associated actions, as well
comparison with a bad one is like that of the
as strong preventative measures, such as
musk seller and the blacksmith’s bellows; from
befriending pious Muslims, this goal can be
the first you would either buy musk or enjoy
achieved. Even in harmless forms, gossip
its good smell, while the bellows would either
wastes immeasurable time, and on the Day
burn your clothes or your house, or you get
of Judgment, we will be held accountable for
a bad smell thereof” [Bukhari]. If those who
are closest to you are indulging in gossiping, wasting the blessing of our free time.
or any other sin, you will not go unscathed.
While leaving a group of close friends is tough, It is ironic that gossiping and backbiting
it will both protect you from joining in their are commonly used to build good rapport and
wrongdoings, as well as elevate your faith trust with the listener, presumably because
upon befriending the Muttaqeen. telling secrets makes them feel included. The
astute are quick to realize, though, that they
are likely to become the topic of interest in their
Backbiting stems from a primal disease
new friend’s next conversation, and thus create
of the heart: jealousy. Thus striving to eliminate
distance. In the end, gossipers often lose both
jealousy is the ultimate method to stop
friendship in the Dunya and rewards in the
backbiting. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) said,
Akhira.
 Helping Hands for Cancer Patients
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Tel # (051)4603751 & (051)4603555
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Email: hhcancer@gmail.com

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32
Written by Dr.
Written by
Dr.Madiha Ashraf -- House
O
nce I read some-
where that life is
like a dream, and
on waking up we
will have only a few hazy
memories of it. The only dif-
ference between the dream
that we see at night and this
“life dream,” is that on waking
up from the life dream, we
will have to face the conse-
quences of what we did.
Human beings can
be amazingly short sighted.
We see quite clearly that
our lives will end sooner or
later. We believe that we
will be raised again and be
held accountable for what
we did in this life. Yet we
don’t struggle to do what
we know we must. We
have the universal excuse
of being lazy. If laziness is
a part of our nature, why
aren’t we lazy about making
our careers, about earning
money, about raising our
children? The answer is
simple—because all this is
important to us. And that is
the shortsightedness of the
human mind.
Why is that which will
end soon more important to
us than that which will last
Madiha Ashraf
House Offi
Officer
cer at
at Shifa
Shifa International
International Hospital
forever? Could it be because
we don’t think about the
matter enough? That we are
so involved in our material
world and our material selves
that we don’t have time to
think beyond it? I say our
material selves because that
is what we are taking care of.
The spiritual part of our being
remains sadly neglected.
We are greatly aware of the
needs of our body, but the
needs of our soul have been
pushed to the corners of our
minds.
We know how
important eight hours of sleep
are for us; we know that
we need to have a certain
number of meals everyday to
keep our bodies healthy; we
get every kind of vaccination
available to protect our
bodies from disease. Our
bodies get pampered to the
extent of absurdity. But what
do we do for our soul? The
mind doesn’t get enough
time to connect with the soul
because when the mind’s
not sleeping, it’s either being
stressed or entertained. We
are stressed because of
school, work, family, politics
and any number of other
33
that if allowed to grow, and if aware of and wholly obedient We compete to gain every
allowed to be guided by the to the commands of our little thing in this world, but
Hospital
right source, can make one Creator. And when we fail we lose miserably at the end
human being more special to do all that, we fail—in the because we fail to realize that
than all the others. It is this truest sense of the word. this world is temporary. We
concerns. And when we soul which distinguishes one give everything to this world
finally stop thinking about person from the other. And it and therefore have nothing
our innumerable problems, is this soul which was given We fail because we left to take to the next world.
what do we do? We watch to all of us as a gift and as a let slip the one chance we are We need to do some serious
every movie we can get our test to see which one of us given of proving ourselves. thinking. We need to wake
hands on, watch sports all nurtures it the best, which We waste the one life that up!
day long, surf the web for one of us protects it the best, we are given as a test to
hours, stuff ourselves with and which one of us makes it qualify for entering paradise.
food and “have a good time.”
The mind does not in fact
have any time to think, which
is ironic since that is what it’s
supposed to do. When the
mind doesn’t think, the body
reacts to situations on its own
and we are left with nothing
but basic animal instincts.
We often wonder
why, if we are aware of the
basic facts of life, don’t we
act accordingly? Because we
let our bodies control us; we
let our needs drive us. We
don’t exert ourselves enough
to step out of the routine.
We don’t stop to think that a
few important changes could
mean eternal bliss instead of
hellfire.
The soul, sitting in
its corner, tries to reach out
to the mind, tries to demand
its nutrition, growth, and
development. It is the soul
34 35
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I
n an effort to contribute positively and in an organized manner to the revival of the humanitarian
spirit of Islam towards justice, equality, and progression, the students of the Shifa College of Medi-
cine have formed the Shifa Student Society. The current state of our ummah, which is rife with
poverty, injustice, and pusillanimity, require that we do our part to bring about a change and the cre-
ation of this society is our humble effort toward that. It is only through a conscious desire for change
supplemented with an actual effort that we can better our condition as Allah, the Most High, tells us in
the Holy Qur`an, “Verily! Allâh will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change
their state themselves” (13:11). Under the umbrella of this society, we hope to invest in programs,
publications, and activities promoting the true illuminating ideals of our complete way of life, Al-Islam
—ideals of humanitarian efforts, of exhorting of good and discouraging of evil, and of professionalism.

The second annual Islamic perspectives conference held on the 28th of February and the 1st of
March 2009, along with the first issue of this magazine, are only beginning endeavors in this regard.
With the help of Allah (SWT) and the valued support of the public, we hope to publish this magazine,
discussing pressing issues of interest to the youth from an Islamic perspective, on a periodic basis.
Our next issue will come out on August 14, 2009, in sha Allah. Through the articles in the maga-
zine, we aim to provide accessible and accurate information on Islam to the Youth of Islamabad and
Rawalpindi so that they may be able to learn about their religion. The importance of learning about our
deen was eloquently explained by our beloved Prophet ( ) when he said, “The acquisition of knowl-
edge is obligatory for every Muslim male and female.” In essence, then, it is imperative on us to seek
knowledge, especially the knowledge of Islam. The unfortunate confusion shrouding the understand-
ing of our religion today only means that we have to strive harder to gain a proper appreciation of it.
In addition to the magazine and the conference, we will, in sha Allah, also participate in and organize
various medical awareness programs and fundraising activities for the medical and other needs of the
underprivileged and displaced people of our nation and thus demonstrate the Islamic ideals practi-
cally.

The Shifa Student Society will function under the guidance of senior faculty members of the Shifa
College of Medicine and is a student-run, non-profit organization. We have a vision to link together
students from all schools, colleges, and universities in this virtuous venture. We look forward to mon-
etary and other contributions and suggestions from the public in furthering this noble mission —the
noble mission of all the Prophets of God. By contributing to this cause monetarily, one can share in
the task and also gain the immense reward in this dunyah and the hereafter that Allah promises those
who spend in His cause. We pray to Allah that He makes us sincere in our efforts and accepts
from us what little we do to spread His word. Aameen!

For more information on the society or to make a monetary contribution for the publication
of the magazine and other activities of the Shifa Student Society, please contact us at:
Shifamag@gmail.com or Yousuf Raza: 0321-5677189 or Ahmed Malik: 0301-5468090