Qur'baani

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

In the Indian subcontinent, where I hail from, the word selected here as the title is generally used for the ritual sacrifice of an animal, particularly at the time of the annual Muslim festival of Eid-ud-duha. This article is about such sacrifices done on a mass scale at places other than at Kaabah during the Hajj pilgrimage.

I live in a housing society. It is predominantly Muslim. A Hindu family had come last year to live in one of the flats on a rental basis. But the family left after the last Eid. I suspect they left because of the dirt & unhygienic atmosphere that had spread all around in the society premises during Qur’baani on the Eid days.

It was just a suspicion on my part. But that left me thinking. Is it okay for the Muslims to live in weeklong dirt & squalor for the sake of the Qur’baani ritual? Is it a religious requirement?

Qur’baani is essentially a part of the rituals during the Hajj pilgrimage at Makkah. The Qur’aan however lays down that those prevented on any account from performing Hajj/Umrah, should offer a sacrifice they can afford [Verse 2:196].

That, I think, is the religious justification for Qur’baani. But does it justify the accompanying filthy atmosphere in and around residential premises?

Throughout the Qur’aan great emphasis is laid down on cleanliness and purity. For example, in Verse 2:222, it is said that Allah loves those who keep themselves clean and pure, and in Verse 74:4 the Messenger (peace on him) himself has been instructed to keep his clothes clean.

Muslims, who claim themselves to be followers of the Qur’aan, should therefore necessarily eschew the ugly atmosphere that prevails during Eid-ud-duha.

It’s okay for individual Muslims owning bungalows with large backyards offering the Qur’baani at home. But it is not okay for those living in housing societies with little spaces around their multi-storied buildings. They have necessarily to make such arrangements for Qur’baani that filth and pollution does not invade their residences.

The animals – goats, generally – brought for sacrifice should be housed and restricted to a predesignated space safely away from residential quarters. And if the housing society doesn’t have such space, the Muslim residents concerned must make their own arrangements outside, for the sacrifice. If that too is not possible, they can avail of online facilities, now available for the sacrifices, by making necessary monetary contribution. Remember, the Verse quoted above [2.196] notifies for them only sacrifices they can afford!

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 1^st of February 2019.

Why Islam

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

I have a parrot at home. I often find myself comparing her (it’s a she-parrot) life with mine.

She is caged. But does she ever worry about her loss of freedom or about her future? Obviously not! All day long, she chirps, mimics the humans around her, meticulously cleans her body feathers, eats & drinks and goes to sleep soundly when she has nothing else to do. And I don’t think she has ever worried about the inevitable death that should come to her one day, or about what would happen thereafter. Worrying about anything appears to be utterly foreign to her nature.

Her life and mine are poles apart in that respect! I worry about my future in this world, and about what would happen to me after death.

That, and a distinctively superior intellect, differentiates mankind from other creatures we find on this earth.

What is the significance of this difference?

Science fails to give a satisfactory answer.

And in an earlier post Why Do I Believe In Islam, I have explained why Islam gives a satisfactory answer.

The Creator of the Universe, and of everything therein including human beings, has from time to time appointed Messengers, from among humans themselves, to inform them of the Reality. HE has sent down divine Scriptures too with some of the Messengers for the purpose. Besides, the Creator has impressed upon every human soul, at birth itself, what the Reality is! The human being has just to search his own soul to find It!

It is this self-search, without references even from divine scriptures and depicted just with the bare aid of commonsense, that this booklet, Why …. Islam, projects.

I take the liberty of presenting the booklet again as a page of my website. Click here to get it free online.

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 25^th of January 2019.

INVITATION TO SALVATION

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

‘And they, who judge not by what Allah has sent down, are the suppressors of the Truth/oppressors/transgressors.’

That is what Allah Almighty tells us through Qur’aanic Verses 5:44, 5:45 & 5:47.

And what Allah says is the Truth!

The Qur’aan is what Allah has sent down.

So, it is the bounden duty of every Muslim to understand the Qur’aan & live his/her life in accordance with what Allah has sent down therein.

But the Qur’aan is in Arabic.

And so, I have devoted my website INVITATION TO SALVATION to help the English-knowing populace of the world understand the divine Message, in most of its aspects. It has been a long, sustained & honest effort in study & research, lasting for over 20 years.

I pray to Allah Almighty that it does help at least a few of the vast populace spreading over all parts of the world.

The website is made freely available on the net.

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 18^th of January 2019.

Purpose of Life

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

Human life is short. No one knows when it will end.

What then is the purpose of such a life?

The atheists have no answer to that perennial question.

I therefore sought the answer in Religion. And Islam provided the best answer to me.

I have put down that answer in a poetic form in this booklet, with the same title as of this post. And I request readers to send me their feedback. 

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 11^th of January 2019.

2053 – the Deadline?

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

The Qur’aan poses the question afalaa yatadabbaroonalqur’aan [don’t they then ponder over the Qur’aan?]

Well, I have pondered over the Qur’aan to the best of my capacity and honesty. All my writings are the results of this pondering. One of these writings is depicted as a page, A Miracle, of the site, INVITATION TO SALVATION. Please click here to go to that page.  I am presenting this page as the Friday Sermon for this week, albeit under a different title.

I urge my readers to ponder over the Verses quoted in that page. It doesn’t matter even if they differ with my conclusions, so long as they ponder honestly.

And I request feedbacks.

Mohammad Shafi

Friday, the 4^th of January 2019.