Don’t walk behind bright and beauty because that is a castle in the sky

Na Ja Zahir-Parasti Par Agr kuch Akl-o-Danish Ho,

Chamakta Jo Nazar Aata Vo sab Sona Nai Hota.

            Don’t believe in what is manifest if you are rational because all that glitters is not gold. In modern times, people can be seen running after power to serve their self interests. No one seems to be concerned about humanity. India is no exception to this trend. This has become an age of ostentatious and selfish lifestyle which is associated by negative attitude towards fellow countrymen and the nation.

            There are some are so called Ashrafs or feudal minded Muslim leaders who have always been close to government and government institutions. They have been acting like contractors of the entire Muslim community and this can be seen particularly during elections when they bargain with the political parties as if all the Muslim votes are under their control.  mainly in every election selling to poor Muslims of India like scapegoat in the hand of political party of India and through this type of bargaining they earning high source of revenue, bread and butter and governments allotted palace, fort, Kothi and bungalows since 1947 while they are broker time server they are neither obedient for government and political party nor rescuer for poor Muslim of India but they are enthusiast of sin so that please shield yourself since the identical.

In this circumstances government should effort for marginal and deprived Indian Muslim those who are taking breath in the remotest vicinity of India like, Kisan Ganj, Araria Purnea and its isolated and outmost villages where a lot of people dying on account of snake serpent poison without medicine and foodstuff, living unprotected and homeless today because of the tyranny and inhuman act of hypothetical amalgam and feudal wits Muslim chief.

Hope our voice will reach to government and there will be commence of a new morning for the downtrodden and exploited poor humanity of same surrounding area.

Feudal minded Muslim leaders are like this: Is this trouble not enough, to ruin one what else should be, if you are some one’s friend then why needs heaven be his enemy?

Better than the entire world, is our Hindustan,
We are its nightingales, and it (is) our garden abode

If we are in an alien place, the heart remains in the homeland,
Know us to be only there where our heart is.

That tallest mountain, that shade-sharer of the sky,
It (is) our sentry, it (is) our watchman

In its lap frolic where thousands of ponds,
Whose vitality makes our garden the envy of Paradise.

O the flowing waters of the Ganges, do you remember that day
when our caravan first disembarked on your waterfront?

Religion does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselves
we are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan.

In a world in which ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome have all vanished without trace
our own attributes (name and sign) live on today.

Such is our existence that it cannot be erased
Even though, for centuries, the cycle of time has been our enemy.

Iqbal! We have no confidante in this world
what does anyone know of our hidden pain?

There is no hope to be found
There is no resolution to be sought
Death is destined to arrive one day
But why does sleep fail to come all night
Once I was able to laugh at the predicament of my heart
Now I am unable to laugh at anything
Though I am aware of the rewards of prayer and virtue
But I am prohibited by my disposition
This matter is such that I am prevented from speaking of it
Otherwise what is there that I cannot speak of
Why shouldn’t I shout for I reminisce
Yet my voice fails to produce any sound
Though the wound of my heart cannot be seen
but my healer, even a trace of its smoldering is missing
I am in such a state, from where even I am
Unable to get any news of myself
I am dying of impatience in hope of death
Death appears,yet fails to arrive

How will you go to Kaaba, O Ghalib!
You do not bear any shame!

So that we should practice

Mother, I salute thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight dreams,
Over thy branches and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming trees,
Mother, giver of ease
Laughing low and sweet!
Mother I kiss thy feet,
Speaker sweet and low!
Mother, to thee I salute.
Who hath said thou art weak in thy lands
When the swords flash out in seventy million hands
And seventy million voices roar
Thy dreadful name from shore to shore?
With many strengths who art mighty and stored,
To thee I call Mother and Lord!
Though who savest, arise and save!
To her I cry who ever her foeman drove
Back from plain and Sea
And shook herself free.
Thou art wisdom, thou art law,
Thou art heart, our soul, our breath
Though art love divine, the awe
In our hearts that conquers death.
Thine the strength that nerves the arm,
Thine the beauty, thine the charm.
Every image made divine
In our temples is but thine.
Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen,
With her hands that strike and her
swords of sheen,
Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned,
And the Muse a hundred-toned,
Pure and perfect without peer,
Mother lend thine ear,
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
Bright with thy orchard gleems,
Dark of hue O candid-fair
In thy soul, with bejeweled hair
And thy glorious smile divine,
Loveliest of all earthly lands,
Showering wealth from well-stored hands!
Mother, mother mine!
Mother sweet, I salute thee,
Mother great and free!

Hajj 2014 – Considering Alternatives to the Animal Sacrifice (Qurbani) of Eid-ul-Adha

This article is part of Patheos Muslim’s and Altmuslim’s Hajj 2014 reflection series, which is focusing on the good, the difficult and everything in between about the holy days of Dhul Hijjah, the Hajj pilgrimage and Eid ul Adha, the second major holiday for Muslims.

By Bina Ahmad and Fatima Ashraf

Eid-ul-Adha is a very important holiday for 1.3 billion Muslims around the globe. It marks the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage as well as commemorates the story of Prophet Ibrahim’s (may peace be upon him) sacrifice. A traditional animal sacrifice, the Qurbani, has been an integral part of this holiday, with meat being shared between friends, family and those in need. But can there be an alternative to the traditional animal sacrifice? And can those alternatives still celebrate the spirit of Hajj, commemorate the story of Ibrahim and fulfill our purpose — faith in and obedience to God — all in a manner of pure love towards all of creation.

The story of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice is a beautiful one of faith, love and mercy. Ibrahim sees a divine order in a dream to sacrifice his only son, Ismail. Years before, God ordered Ibrahim to leave Ismail, then an infant, and his mother Hagar, in the desert as a sign of faith in Him. Ibrahim’s successful obedience resulted in Ismail and Hagar finding the well of Zam Zam and other provisions they did not imagine possible.

Years later, Ibrahim finds the order of sacrifice especially difficult since he prayed so intently for a son and then had to leave this son as an infant. But Ibrahim’s faith did not waiver, nor did he force his son to comply with this order to take his life. Instead, Ibrahim explained everything to Ismail, and Ismail responded with faith in God that paralleled his father’s, “O my father, do as you are ordered, for you will find me, if Allah wills, among those who are patient.” (37:102)

When the time for sacrifice came, Ibrahim and Ismail both called out in faith, “Allahuakbar” — but the knife did not cut Ismail. Instead, a call from God came saying, “O Ibrahim, you have fulfilled the dream you saw” (37:104-105), and according to most scholars, a white sheep with big eyes and horns was sacrificed instead.  According to Ibn Katheer, the purpose of Ibrahim’s trial — faith and obedience — was achieved, and God in His infinite mercy allowed father and son to remain together.  Today, Qurbani is practiced as a way to remember Ibrahim’s obedience to God.

There is some level of disagreement among scholars as to the obligatory nature of Qurbani. Some believe that it is wajib and others that it is sunnah .  However, there is consensus that the reason for Qurbani is to demonstrate complete submission to God, for His pleasure.  “It is not their flesh nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches him.” (22:37)

One of the most beautiful things about Islam is its promotion of critical thought. Muslims have been leaders of critical thinking throughout history as exemplified by their use of Qiyas, or deductive analogy, and Ijtihaad, or diligence and independent reasoning.  Islam is timeless because Muslims think critically about the Quran and hadith and are able to use these texts to create solutions to new problems.  As times change, new problems are inevitable. Muslims have been leaders in health, science, technology, architecture, and law precisely because our religion supports critical thinking and problem solving.

In modern times, the killing of millions upon millions of animals for food has become a big, profitable business that is no longer moral or ethical.  Additionally, the meat industry requires extraordinary amounts of natural resources and results in millions of tons of waste that contribute directly to climate change. Muslims are already researching and developing alternatives to factory farms; but more can be done, especially around the time of Eid-ul-Adha when we place a large demand on the industry.  We can address the industry’s problems and perhaps find alternatives to Qurbani, with critical thought.

Meat and Colonialism

The first thing to consider critically is the relationship between meat consumption and Islam. According to Richard Foltz in his book, “Animals in Islamic Traditions and Muslim Cultures,” pre-Islamic Arabs lived a pastoral-nomadic existence in a harsh desert climate. A vegetarian diet would have been difficult. Nevertheless, with the revelation of Islam and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, rules and restrictions were placed on eating meat, suggesting clearly that alternatives do exist and that Muslims were challenged to find these alternatives.

Muhammad (peace be upon him) is recorded as being semi-vegetarian with minimal meat consumption. As Islam traveled to different lands with different climates, the possibility of decreased meat consumption became an easy reality, if not already an existing cultural practice. With colonialism however, meat consumption rose dramatically, even in countries where this was not the norm. As Drs. Colin and Thomas Campbell assert in their book, “The China Study,” European notions that plant-based diets were for the poor and primitive, while meat-based diets were for the wealthy and civilized, lead to the incorrect construct that intelligence was tied to meat consumption– a notion that spread globally through colonialism and survived post-colonization. Even today, many Muslims link meat and wealth together, even though meat has become one of the cheapest things to buy, cheaper in many places than organic produce.

Halal and Factory Farming     

The second thing to consider critically is the depth of the word halal as it applies to meat.  All meat is not halal, or permissible.  In “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet,” Ibrahim Abdul-Matin discusses the conditions under which meat is considered halal. The most basic conditions are that the animal feeds on plants and is not strangled, beaten, killed by a fall, gored or killed by another animal. Then, the conditions get even more detailed.

The slaughter of animals must not occur in front of other animals. The knife must be wiped clean and put down before using again. Conditions regarding the animal’s upbringing are also clarified. Animals are to be raised in natural conditions, eating natural foods and be respected.  All of these conditions of permissibility emphasize the seriousness of animal life.  Furthermore, if these conditions are not met, the meat, by most scholarly opinion, is not halal.

The factory farming industry of today is where the vast majority of all meat, including so called halal meat, comes from. The problem is that absolutely nothing related to the factory farming industry can be considered halal. The most simple investigations have uncovered that animals are fed other animals, not plants. Animals are tortured.  For example, cows are burned with hot irons, dehorned and castrated without anesthesia.  Animals are starved.  Veal, which is derived from male calves, are deliberately raised anemic to keep their flesh pale and thus marketable as a delicacy.  Animals are genetically engineered — chickens are often pumped with hormones to make them grow so quickly and unnaturally that they cannot stand on their own two feet.

Neither the basic nor the more detailed conditions of halal are met by the factory farming industry. This industry is about profit and profit alone. Factory farming maximizes agribusiness profit by minimizing space and quality of life for the animals, confining them into incredibly crowded and filthy cages.  Chickens, for example, are confined to spaces smaller than your iPad with no ability to stretch their wings, often suffocating to death. This treatment is far, far from halal.

Factory Farms and the Environment

The third thing to consider critically is the environmental impact of factory farms. Islam calls upon us to be stewards of the Earth.  The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “The world is beautiful and verdant, and verily Allah, be He exalted, has made you His stewards in it…” Factory farming is one of the planet’s most wasteful and environmentally damaging industries.  It wastes and destroys water. It takes more than 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat (versus 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat).  You save more water by not eating a pound of meat than you do by not showering for six months.

Furthermore, intensive confinement of animals requires pumping antibiotics into the animal feed — otherwise the animals die from disease in these cramped conditions.  Antibiotics remain in the animal’s bodies and local water sources post slaughter.  Confined animals also produce tons upon tons of raw waste which leaves dangerous levels of phosphorus and nitrogen in the water supply as well.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), factory farming is also a leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions, with 37 percent of methane emissions attributable to the maintenance of factory farms.  Growing feed for this incredibly large number of animals releases more than 90 million tons of C02 into the atmosphere.

The Spirit of the Tradition

The final thing to consider critically is the spirit of Eid-ul-Adha and spirit of the story of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them).

Eid marks the end of Hajj, the largest gathering of human beings on the planet. Hajj is about religious routines and rituals, and it is also about how human beings conduct themselves with one another including their impact upon the shared natural environment.  Islam places great emphasis on care for humanity — which is one reason why the Eid sacrifice is divided in thirds — for the poor, for the community and for the self.

However, considering the health consequences and environmental degradation associated with meat consumption today, it makes sense to show love for our fellow humans by providing them with something other than meat, like plant-based staple foods including rice, flour, lentils and produce.  These provisions not only last longer than meat, but make for healthier meals and can be more easily shared with many more people.  In accordance with how the Qurbani is shared, we can think critically about the amount of plant-based foods to share, perhaps packages of weight similar to the weight of an animal that would have been sacrificed.

In the story of Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice, it is noted how difficult this order was for him. He showed an incredible amount of strength, dedication and faith in God and His mercy. The ultimate test of obedience was passed. It is worth thinking about whether today’s ritual of sacrifice is truly commemorating the difficulty and strength of Ibrahim’s decision. It might actually be that, in refraining from sacrifice, that we are choosing the more difficult and more observant path.

Finding meat is no longer a difficult task – the factory farming industry is all about convenience for convenience is key to generating profit.  Protecting the planet and all of its creations is a difficult task and is also a way to submit to Allah –for the Earth and its dwellers are His creations. Perhaps today, taking a stand against unjust forces like colonialism and capitalism that have created the profit-driven, morally-depraved factory farming industry from which our meat comes from today, is also a powerful way to show obedience to God.

The considerations above do not take into account Muslims’ finding alternatives to factory farms for their Qurbani. The above considerations do, however, recognize that the vast majority of animals raised for food come from the factory farm system and that it’s still very difficult to know whether an animal lived a good life or not.  Since the importance of an animal’s life is taken very seriously in Islam, perhaps obedience in this case is refraining from supporting an industry where animals are horribly mistreated.

Undoubtedly, this article will be received with criticism, reproach and rebuttal.  All of this is fine; as Muslims, we are called upon to reason, debate and discuss until the best philosophy and practice is discovered. We are attempting to present an alternative viewpoint, one that may be marginalized, but one that is quickly becoming more relevant as times change and the practices around meat become more and more Islamically questionable.

Fatima Ashraf is a consultant working with non-profit organizations and government entities to improve programs and policies focusing on equitable health care and education. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons and is committed to raising Muslim boys who care for all of creation.

Bina Ahmad is a social justice activist, human rights and animal rights attorney, and a Pakistani Ahmadi Muslim. She was a Legal Consultant to the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) New York City Chapter during Occupy Wall Street, and was a 2012 Spring Fling Honoree for her work. She has lived and worked in Palestine with Al-Haq (the oldest Palestinian human rights NGO), and also worked with the Center for Constitutional Rights, Human Rights Watch, and Farm Sanctuary. She is National Vice President to the NLG’s National Chapter. Currently, she is a public defender with the Legal Aid Society in Staten Island, New York.

The Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and Ishwara of Hindus. Even as there are numerous names of God in different religion. The names do not indicate individuality but attributes; and little man has tried in his humble way to describe mighty God by giving Him attributes, though He is above all attributes, 
Indescribable, Immeasurable.

Many years back I met a very close relative of M.K. Gandhi in a seminar I won’t disclose his name. As a young researcher, I was obviously very excited to see someone from Gandhi's own family for the first time. To my surprise this person was equally keen to know me and my work because he liked my paper on Gandhi's politics. Finally, we met after the seminar. He asked me a typical question: what was Muslim response to Gandhi? I did not give any politically correct answer and expressed my inability in this regard, though I said that this type of questioning could not help us in making sense of someone like Gandhi. Quite astonishingly, the conversation virtually stopped here and we never met after that. I think, he realized that I was not a Gandhian at all; and, I realized that the best possible way to understand Gandhi is to think of him as an Idea.

What id Edul - Adha

The Hajj pilgrimage draws millions of Muslims from around the world every year to Mecca, the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam's holiest place. Saudi Arabia expects to host perhaps three million people in a ritual journey that every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it must make at least once in their lifetime. It is the largest annual gathering of humanity anywhere. Timed to the Muslim lunar calendar, the Hajj is followed by the celebrations of the three-day festival of Eid Al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, which symbolizes Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son. You can collect online a lot of photographs of the Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, as well as images of preparations for the Hajj and Eid Al-Adha in many other parts of the Muslim world

In the light of call of times the real meaning of ‘’Qurbani’’ is physically and spiritually everyone should stand and purify himself by his positive self help, because this is the famous idiom self help is the best help and God help those who help themselves after that then guide others for the same, this guidance act of any will called ‘’Haj’’.

In the light of said statement we should do the following positive activities for humanity, first your act will call ‘’Qurbani’’ and your guidance to others will call ‘’Haj’’ that is:

Stand and buildup yourself by self help and scarifies

Guide others for the same

Control on your all evil activities committed by you and guide others for the same

Do all better for you and guide other for the same?

In the light of own tradition similarly when a human will remain active in his whole life from birth till death then he will meet the salvation after this mortal world that this is the real meaning of ‘’Qurbani’’ and ‘’Haj’’.

May Allah give everybody the capacity and knowledge to recognize the real and rational meanings of the Hajj--a ritual that commemorates human creativity, and the values of righteousness, justice and equality? Let us say, I am ready to obey your orders, O God to fight against injustice of all kinds, and to establish a peaceful world for entire humanity.

So that oc the occasion of id Edul - Adha (Qurbai Haj pilgrimage) Please accept my hearty Congratulation and regards for the same. May God bless you bonus physical condition, prosperity, elevated position, command, authority, capability, prospect, assets, constancy to enhance promotion and propagation of peace and organization.

I pray to holy God that all your good deeds will be cause of your happy life in both worlds.

I hope to continue this relationship with you and your intellectual fragrance and superior thoughts including your deliberation in future. I would also like to contribute in academic and intellectual spheres.

Make us proud by your accomplishments. Remember, you are what you think you are, and almighty willing, you will be what you want to be-provided you educate yourself. My prayers and good wishes are all and you.

I am submitting my respects to you and your all elders and put forward the oceanic regards to them and best wishes to all younger ones.

Once again wishing you and your family happy idu'ul Azha may God give us strength to serve mankind including God will empower us with more wisdom to do something else for our society and make this earth a harmonious place for living together "live with love?"

This is our humble appeal to all my brother please don’t tag / exhibit / show slaughtered goat on the face book: In the light of humanity exhibition of the process of the Qurbani and its photograph or slaughtering goat’s photograph and meet etc. on the face book is not only strictly prohibited also legally prohibited and morally offence please stop the same and also Suggest to others for the same if we will not follow in the light of Indian constitution we may be punished.

Is this trouble not enough, to ruin one what else should be, if you are some one’s friend then why needs heaven be his enemy?

With profound regards.

Yours sincerely

Dr.  Syed Mohammad Yahya Saba

Dept. of Urdu

Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007

E-mail: urisath@yahoo.com 
Mob: No: 09968244001