and asked: “Will people make holes in the religion and I am still alive?” (Hadith No. 3031). Then God’s succour came in full force and a situation that had deteriorated was normalized. Now the time has

a religion of peace and mercy. The day the Kashmiri people are united in their resolve upon this, God’s succour will be showered upon them and Islam will regain its place as a religion of peace at an international

Yasrib, that is, Madinah (Sahih Al Bukhari, Hadith no. 1748). In other words, it was destined by God for Madinah to become a flash point for the divine call. This did become a reality. After the Prophet’s

of Taif will listen to me and will follow the path of God.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 3231) Forbearance Once the Prophet had to borrow some money from a Jew by the name of Zayd ibn Sa’nah. A few days

theme of his mission, which was to spread the word of God. The consequence was, as history bears witness, that Bazan, as well as most of the Christians residing in Yemen, accepted Islam. What a leader

But to have done so in the initial stages of his mission would have constituted a deviation from God’s scheme, which was for the empires of Rome and Persia to become weak by fighting with each other for

that relate to this is the following: And fight in God’s cause against those who wage war against you, but do not commit aggression – for surely, God does not love aggressors. (2:190) Quranic verses of

observed in Islam for offering prayer, so also are there certain conditions for jihad in the path of God. The war in Kashmir does not fulfill these conditions. A jihad requires a regular amir, or leader.

be made for jihad. Jihad, moreover, is not fought for land, power, or wealth, but for establishing God’s Word. And so on. The fact is that the Kashmiris’ war does not fulfill a single one of these conditions

essential qualities, there is no question of his being a failure. This world has been devised by God so that man may succeed— but with a struggle. One who is too faint-hearted, too lacking in determination

000 dead and 200,000 injured in its wake. A comment frequently heard at that time was that this was God’s chastisement on the Iranians.

theme of his mission, which was to spread the word of God. The consequence was, as history bears witness, that Bazan, as well as most of the Christians residing in Yemen, accepted Islam. What a leader

But to have done so in the initial stages of his mission would have constituted a deviation from God’s scheme, which was for the empires of Rome and Persia to become weak by fighting with each other for

Muhammad went on an extraordinary journey called Mi’raj (Ascension) in the history of Islam. Through God’s unseen arrangement, this journey took the Prophet from Mecca to Jerusalem. There, according to the

al-Aqsa? Whereas each Muslim has a natural desire to enter this mosque and prostrate himself before God as the Prophet Muhammad and the other Prophets did.

Arabic root of Islam is ‘silm’ which means peace. The Quran states: ‘…and Gods calls to the home of peace’ (10:25). It is thus God’s will that men and women should jointly establish a society of peace in

JUNE 20 The Recognition of TruthWhen the Prophet first brought God’s message to the people, there were many who opposed him. He told them the truth, but they said, “It is witchcraft.” They also asked

asked, “Why was this Quran not revealed to some great man of the two towns?” (43:31) God answered them thus: Is it they who apportion your Lord’s blessings? It is We Who apportion to them their livelihoods