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Q. “What is the procedure for a Christian to convert to Islam in order to marry a Sunni Muslim girl? Which reputable institution in Karachi arranges for such a conversion and Nikah, so that it is a widely accepted in our society?”
(Anonymous)

A. It is not correct practice to embrace Islam for the sake of marrying a Muslim girl only. Islam is a composition of certain beliefs and acts. It is a way of life. It is a matter of faith and conviction. In order to become a Muslim, it is necessary to accept all its basic teachings with one’s heart and soul. If one’s real purpose is only to marry a Muslim girl, and he wants to register himself as a Muslim only because he cannot marry that girl without it, while he does not have faith in the basic beliefs of Islam, he cannot be a Muslim in reality.  Read more... (728 words, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

Very informational animated video specially for children on how to offer Salah.

Another accomplishment of Islam, in contrast to the one just described, was its introduction of a new way of thinking and learning. It was like a flash of light in the Dark Ages of Europe one which paved the way for its Renaissance. It transformed not only Europe but helped the entire human race to benefitted from new researches and discoveries. A new era of empirical sciences was inaugurated which has changed the face of the earth. The intellectual patrimony of the ancients (consisting of philosophy, mathematics and medicine) found it way to Europe through Muslim Spain. This intellectual gift consisted of observation and experiment a replacement of inductive logic with deductive logic where by Europe’s whole way of thinking was changed. Science and technology were the main fruits. All the discoveries made by European scientific explorations — in short, whatever success has so far been achieved in harnessing the forces of nature — are directly related to inductive reasoning, not known to Europe until it was bequeathed to it by Muslim Spain. The noted French historian, Gustave Ie Bon, writes of the Arab contribution to Modern Europe:  Read more... (1314 words, estimated 5:15 mins reading time)

The Prophet of Islam and his followers conferred favours on humanity which have played an unforgettable role in the promotion and development of culture and civilization. We will mention here only two of these, amply supported by historical evidence.  Read more... (1290 words, estimated 5:10 mins reading time)

We list below, in brief, the precious gifts of Islam which have played a key role in the advancement of human values and culture. A new and bright world, quite different from the decaying and disintegrating humanity at the time of its advent, came into being as a result of these Islamic contributions:

1. The clear and unambiguous creed of the Oneness of God.

2. The concept of human equality and brotherhood.

3. The concept of human dignity and man being the masterpiece of God’s creation.

4. Acknowledgement of the proper status of women and the restoration of their legitimate rights.  Read more... (1135 words, estimated 4:32 mins reading time)

In certain parts of the world, people enjoy freedom of conscience and choice, are free to lead their lives in peace and amity, to devote their energies to teaching and preaching, researching and making new discoveries. Yet even these parts of the world have not always been so tolerant, nor free from strife, nor disposed towards the co-existence of different peoples, sects and groups, still less sufficiently broad-minded, to accommodate differences of opinion.

Mankind has seemed, many times, to be bent upon self-destruction, and passed through stages when, by its own misdeeds, it has forfeited any right to survival. Men have sometimes behaved like crazed and ferocious beasts, flinging all culture and civilization, arts, literature, decency, the canons of moral and civil law, to the winds.  Read more... (1129 words, estimated 4:31 mins reading time)

Then came the Bolshevic Revolution of March, 1917, as if to put the finishing touches on Western depredation. This Revolution was not only to change the political scene by cutting across the history and geography of the world, nor was it confined to economic and political thought, but it also endeavoured to pull down all the accepted principles of creed and morality. It laid claim to a new edifice, one which demolished the existing pattern of life and human consciousness. Naturally, Islam was to suffer most from it because it believed in asset of unalterable values which required positive faith in ultimate reality. Unfortunately, there were few among the Muslims who could sense the danger or could do anything to contend it. They perhaps lacked the “wisdom of Faith” that had always warned them of even lesser dangers on earlier occasions. In the western part of the Islamic world, the ex-Defence Minister of Turkey, envar Pasha (1881-1892), was the first to perceive the danger. He organised the people of Turkistan and fought a number of battles against the Bolshevics during 1921 and 1922. On the 4th August, 1922, he attacked the Russians near Kochgin village; the enemy was overwhelmingly large in size, and Envar Pasha fell fighting valiantly on Friday, the seventh of Zil Hijja, 1340 A.H.  Read more... (1318 words, estimated 5:16 mins reading time)

So far, I have told you about the reformatory and revivalist movements of India. Now I propose to speak about the great reformer of Arabia, Shaikh Abdul Wahhab (115-1262), who was a contemporary of Shah Walilullah.16 His movement was singularly successful owing to a variety of causes, political and historical as has seldom been achieved by others. His movement gave birth to a school of thought which influenced a whole generation and the state of Arabia in particular as also that of other countries too. At the same time Yemen enjoyed the influence of Allama Muhammad Ali ibn Ali al-Shaukani (1172-1250 A.H.); in Asir there was Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Idris Hasani, the founder of the Idrisiyah order; and Syed Muhammad ibn. Ali al Sinnausi (1206-1276) who was born in Libya. All of them took up the task of reformation and the propagation of Islamic teachings, and in so doing infused a spirit of Jihad among their people. European Orientalists normally dub all these reformers as the followers of Shaikh Abdul Wahhab. Their attempts, however, are unsuccessful, as they cannot produce any evidence in support of such contention. In actual fact Western scholars cannot appreciate the fact that the study of the Qur’an and the a hadith, coupled with sincerity of purpose, can produce reformers in every age reformers who are always willing to fight the forces of vice and waywardness.  Read more... (1406 words, estimated 5:37 mins reading time)

The big question is, ‘What is social networking and how is it useful?’

Of course you will hear the usual bleating saying, ‘It is so nice to know what my sister is doing….blah, blah.’

So ask this person, ‘Why can’t you send your sister an email asking what she is doing and she can respond to you. Or even better, if you can, call your sister and talk to her.’ But no, I must talk to my sister in a space where it is not only the sister who is listening but almost anyone who cares to listen, even if that person is a total stranger. So is it about your concern for your sister or is it something else?  Read more... (879 words, estimated 3:31 mins reading time)

With the latest in-your-face act of the Facebook, the issue is once again attracting headlines. Should Muslims react? How should they react? Where do they stand on the philosophical issue underlying all this?

In the media the issue has been framed as a clash between two camps. One camp stands for freedom of expression. The other wants to curtail it.  Needless to say the first camp is enlightened and virtuous. The other is a relic of the dark ages. The clash in other words is between a civilized and civilizing West and Islam that just refuses to be civilized.  Read more... (1021 words, estimated 4:05 mins reading time)