STEVE INSKEEP, host:Far from the headlines about its war on extremists, Pakistan is undergoing a more subtle debate over religion. It’s been sparked by a popular female evangelist. She’s created a massive network of Islamic schools that cater to elite, educated women.
The classes preach tolerance and mercy, though some Pakistanis fear they’re breeding intolerance. NPR’s Asma Khalid reports.ASMA KHALID: Huria Yawar(ph) glances at the Cartier watch on her wrist. Then she climbs the stairs to this Islamic school in Central Lahore.Unidentified Group: (Foreign language spoken)KHALID: Yawar has five kids and a master’s in psychology. But she says she had no direction in life until she came here.Ms. HURIA YAWAR (Student, Al Huda): When we come here, each and every letter of that holy book is really seeping in our heart and which we didn’t know before.
Farhat Hashmi, a renowned female Islamic scholar with mission, Quran For All - In Every Heart, In Every Hand. Live audios, recodrings, and lectures. Best Dr Farhat Hashmi podcasts we could find (Updated December 2018) Related podcasts: Dr Farhat Hashmi Alhuda Islam Tafseer Farhat Hashmi Dr. Farhat Hashmi Taleem Al-quran Detailed Description Of Quran Hadith Quran Tq-2005 Taleem Ul Quraan-2005 Quraan Para Religion Surah Taimiyyah Zubair Taleem-al-quran-2005 Sahih Bukhari Tq-taimiyyah-2010 Dr.
And we regret that at the age of 45, 48, so it’s a shame for us.(Soundbite of laughter and crowd chatter)KHALID: Here at the Islamic school, Yawar is joined by other upper-crust housewives, some with Blackberries in hand, others with luxury cars parked outside. For years, most wealthy women in Pakistan scoffed at overt piety. But now, many women who once sported sleeveless shirts are covering their faces. It’s a trend across the Muslim world. These women in Pakistan found their faith with Farhat Hashmi.Ms. FARHAT HASHMI (Scholar; Founder, Al Huda): (Foreign language spoken)KHALID: She’s a household name in Pakistan.
Radio stations in nearly every major city broadcast her sermons. Her public lectures draw crowds in the thousands. But more important than all of that is the school system she’s created. It’s called Al Huda.
The first branch opened in the mid-1990s. And since then, it’s grown exponentially.Ms. FAIZA MUSHTAQ (Ph.D.
Student, Northwestern University): To simplify it a little bit, it’s run like a franchise.KHALID: That’s Faiza Mushtaq. She’s at Northwestern University, writing her Ph.D. On the Al Huda phenomenon.Ms. MUSHTAQ: These women come to Al Huda, spend a year or two years getting a diploma.
And then these women go back to their hometowns or to their own neighborhoods, use the same sort of education materials, the course plans, Farhat Hashmi’s lecture tapes, and start offering a diploma course of their own.KHALID: Today, Al Huda has more than 200 branches.Unidentified Woman #1: (Chanting in foreign language)KHALID: One is the school where Huria Yawar studies. Here, like all of the Al Huda branches, the focus is the Quran. Students learn line-by-line translations and analysis. They learn about the importance of mercy and forgiveness -nothing political and nothing violent.
It’s a stark contrast from the extremist rhetoric taught in some schools.Today’s sermon deals with the vices of materialism.Unidentified Woman #2: No, it is just (unintelligible). Don’t get impressed by these things.
They’re superficial.KHALID: The teacher is one of Farhat Hashmi’s direct disciples. She speaks Urdu with a flare and has a soft, inviting tone.(Soundbite of crowd chatter)KHALID: A conversation soon erupts about family life.(Soundbite of crowd chatter)KHALID: One student complains that it’s impossible for her to suggest her husband pray. They just end up in a fight. Another woman laments that she can’t cover her head because her kids make fun of her. Lumara Suehail(ph) says her husband mocks her religious studies.Ms. LUMARA SUEHAIL (Student, Al Huda): When I come here, my husband says you’ve become a Taliban. And I’ve beenKHALID: Suehail slips into class more than two hours late this morning.Ms.
SUEHAIL: The reason that I come late is also because he doesn’t like it if he’s home and I leave for my class. So I wait for him ‘ til he goes to the office, whether it’s 9, whether it’s 10, whether it’s 11. I cannot leave the house without unless he goes because he doesn’t like that.KHALID: Suehail regularly goes to coed parties and she doesn’t wear a headscarf, but she’s committed to Al Huda. She says it’s changed her life.Ms. SUEHAIL: After coming here, I realize that God is so soft. It attracts you to – in a loving manner.
I think it’s a very peaceful religion. We have to understand it, and we are not understanding – I mean, most of the people don’t actually understand the religion, and they’re just going away from it. They’re being shunned away, basically, because, you know, the way it’s been portrayed, you don’t want to come near it.
You don’t want to find out what’s happening.KHALID: In the past, Islamic education in Pakistan was limited to poor, uneducated men. Al Huda is changing that. It’s bringing religious literacy to an influential demographic.Saj Tahashmi(ph) was a student in 1997.
She’s since opened up her own branch in a military housing section of Lahore. She says Al Huda made Islam easy.Ms. SAJ TAHASMI: (Through translator) Al Huda dealt with people very leniently.
Some women wore a headscarf, and some didn’t. But they were all allowed to attend classes. Before Al Huda, there was no concept in our Islamic educational system that someone could go and sit in a Quran class not wearing a headscarf.KHALID: Faiza Mushtaq, the Ph.D. Candidate from Northwestern University, says Al Huda is no longer just a network of religious schools. It’s become a social movement.Ms.
MUSHTAQ: What these women are being taught is that here, understand the Quran, now change yourself, and then go out and change other people one by one. So in your family, in your community, in your schools, in your workplaces, in your offices – rather than coming out onto the street or marching or holding placards or targeting the state. The targets and the goals of the movement are different, but it is still very much a movement in the sense that it goes beyond individual transformation, ultimately has a vision of what it wants a Pakistani society to look like.KHALID: That scares some people in Pakistan, like Nadeem Paracha. He’s a columnist for the popular English-language newspaper Dawn. He says Farhat Hashmi may use gentle words but deep down, she’s an extremist. Her orthodoxy echoes the Taliban’s vision for Pakistan.Mr. NADEEM PARACHA (Columnist, Dawn Newspaper): I don’t care about if they call themselves soft Muslims or whatever.
They are playing an equally destructive role. If the Taliban are playing a destructive role in a political manner, then these preachers are playing a very destructive role in a culturally and social manner.Ms. HASHMI: You cannot make people happy, and this is not my goal.KHALID: That’s Farhat Hashmi herself. She rarely gives interviews but after repeated attempts, she agreed to a short conversation on her cell phone.Ms. HASHMI: They don’t really know what we are doing. Sometimes, it is misconception.
Sometimes it is a different point of view.KHALID: She insists that she preaches tolerance, not tyranny. But not everyone believes her. Hashmi’s classes exist in a climate of religious anxiety here in Pakistan. It’s a place where suicide bombers are ripping through markets in the name of Islam. And it’s a place where born-again, bourgeois Muslims are muddling the very idea of what it means to be a modern woman.Asma Khalid, NPR News.
This provides me a great opportunity to say something I have been wanting to for a long time the pieces of Nadeem Paracha, the DAWN writer makes me cringe. This guy literally hates religion and religious people and masks it in liberalism.
He has a huge chip on his shoulder and he would prefer nothing but to have a Pakistan without Islam.DAWN in general is part of the apparatus for promoting secularism and anti-religion in Pakistan and Paracha rides it well. I am sure he will be noticed by the neocon right-wing audience and become a media darling, like Manji and other “Muslims” who love to hate on religion.P.S. He also hates Imran Khan and seems to have no problems with Altaf Hussein so there may be a bit of MQM type crap mixed in this too. ^ Are you sure about your claim on DAWN?DAWN was founded by Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) and is considered liberal (but not secularist, as the constitution mandates that all laws much respect Islamic trandition). It is still a more realiable newspaper than the more “conservative” newspapers (ex. The Nation, with its odd op-ed pieces on foreign policies).However, I do agree with you on Paracha; he has well-defined hatred of all things spirtual.
Now his politics is a different, as anyone is fair game in that realm (though he does go on personal attacks, esp. On Imran Khan).
AsSalaamu Aalaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu,I just started taking AlHuda’s Taleem ul Quran course a few months ago and I regret not taking it earlier. I have learned SO much over these past few months alhamdulilah and I recommend it to anyone and everyone.
It’s not only for household moms who have nothing better to do with their time but its for high school and college students as well.My love for the Qur’an grew so much after starting this course and my understanding of it is on a totally different level now alhamdulilah.May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala reward Dr. Farhat for starting this institute and may He grant her and all it’s teachers success in this dunya and Jannatul Firdous in the akhirah, ameen.JazakumAllahu khairan. Assalamualykum warahemutullahee wabarakatahu,Bismillah.I also recently joined this course.Alhamdulillah.I really wish each and everyone should study Quraan and understand the deeper meaning.May Allah bless our ustadah with more and more ilm.She really gives out examples from day to day life.I learned so much from her.She taught us how to deal with the kids?How to make them come closer to Allah? And many more.I never knew that there is so much depth in each and every ayah.In one sentence you will never say rabbuka but you will say rabbana.Last but not least it`s affordable.Every one can afford the fee.it`s like 10 or 15 dollars monthly.If you can`t afford that financial aid is also available.May Allah bless her and all the teachers who make Quraan easy to understand.salaam. Salamalaikum I have learned how to live life and to control anger by her,Dr.Farhat Hashmi is the best role model for women’s world. She is the best teacher of Allaha swt book Quran she teaches not less or more meaning to the verse than it is mention by allah Tala.She is the best teacher in the form of mother what can a mother teaches her children other than what is best for their life in this world and to go along with them in the life of hereafter.My dua for her is to live healthy and wise so we all can earn knowledge for akerath, from her don’t blame her for your own actions.
When women’s are equal is everyone’s sight than why not in learning the true meaning of quran whats wrong with these mens. And We don’t blame other religions for what they are teaching even though thy are not right then why muslim, we should take stand in the best manner that Allahtala showed us.
May Allahtala help us all, ameen. Alhamdulillah.I was a student of the 2007-2009 first English course that was aired from Toronto, and it’s hard for me to put the experience into words. Your life becomes the Book of Allah.It’s so hard to experience this nowadays and to be taught it as well.I went up to the Toronto campus when we were finishing the Qur’an and it was an amazing experience.
I got to meet Dr Farhat and her family, and stayed with her while I was there. I had a personal chat with her before I left and it was some of the best advice I’ve ever received. May Allah bless them all.I do not like praising people, but she is honestly one of the few people I have met that I really feel a sense of haybah around. I don’t know how to translate haybah, but it is a mixture of awe, respect and humility. May Allah bless her with good in this life and the next, accept her deeds and make her from the sincere ones.Taking the Al-Huda course was the best thing Allah guided me to do, alhamdulillahi Rabbil alameen. BismillahI was introduced to AL Huda through my mom and her Quran teacher in Abu Dhabi about 10/12 yrs ago.
I went there as a young teen to attend their summer course. And i can honestly say that my life was never the same again.At that age it wasnt the content of the classes which mesmerised me but the discipline and equall standing of all these girls (some from US/UK, others from villages -literally) – all there to do one thing, learn, understand, implement and pass on the message of their Lord. The seed was sown back then and i knew i needed to study the Quran. Subhanallah it was not till many years later did Allah (swt) allow for me to take the Taleem al Quran class online in English in 2008/09. Words are not sufficient to describe the wonder of the Quran! I honestly feel every person on the planet needs to attend this class. It was like a whole new dimension.
I had read the Quran many times before then, with translation, some tafseer here and there but this was different. Words were seeping into my heart, my life was changing, my view of the world was changing and i better understood what Allah wanted from me.
That Ramadhan was one of my most memorable ones as i understood about 70-80% of the recitation of Quran during taraweeh prayers after only having attending classes for a few months. I actually understood Arabic!!! (and im not arab) not just that but i understood the deeper meaning, context etc.I really do not understand the accusation made against Al Huda and Dr. Farhat Hashmi. Any one who has spent time listening to the material being taught will honestly tell u that what they are doing is fantastic. They just allow u to understand the Quran.Bottom line: Al Huda ROCKS in the best possible way!
Being with a scholar is a blessing.Definitely her students know Dr.hashmi in a best way as they spend at least on year or so at least.with her, they see her interact with her as well as observer her closely. If thousands witness her that dr.hashmi is totally opposite what secular fellows say abt her. Nothing to worry.it cud be a good thing for her students and well wishers that issues like this can expedite them and hold them to work till their last breath:).dear students of Dr.hashmi take it as “THEY DO NOT KNOW” and in Qur’an Allah said the people who have not gone through Qur’an are IGNORANT. So set your goals and go ahead. Allah is there to take care of you and your teacher.
In sha Allah. Assalam o alaikum i’ve been linked with alhuda lahore since 1997 and i have seen it changing lives for the better as is mentioned by many others. But i feel that a very important aspect of alhuda is being missed out i.e.
It’s ability to mingle with and address all socio economic groups.alhuda does not only target the elite but there are wives of gardeners sitting right besides an M.N.A’S wife hence trying to eliminate disparity. Another aspect of alhuda is it’s social work department.be it earthquake or flood or digging up of wells in interior sindh or planting trees or distributing rations you’ll see alhuda there. One of the beautiful things about AlHuda is its accessibility with their online programs, almost every sister you meet is either taking an AlHuda online course or is interested in doing so or knows someone who is and that is pretty phenomenal, masha Allah, tabark Allah.I remember when I was first introduced to AlHuda’s Fahm al-Quran series of lectures given by Amina Elahi. Truly, a revelation, I had never heard such in-depth tafsir of the Quran and hearing it from a woman had the added dimension of relevancy. I have met many religious people but she is really one who does what she says.
Very humble, down to earth. With the blessing of Allah, She has changed the lives of many women. We should be proud of her.
I have never heard a single time from her against any muslim or scholar or any person. People should appreciate those elite class who are on path of Allah. Al huda is doing a remarkable work. If people don’t have time to know about Allah,their creator, at least they should support one who is doing so much for religion.i.
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakathu I am a student of Al Huda, Alhamdulillah. I started the program in October 2007 online and listened to Dr. Farhat Hashmi live.
I truly don’t have the words to explain how it (and Al Maghrib Institute) has transformed my live. Alhamdulillah I was blessed to start with Al Maghrib classes in our city and a year or two later Al Huda entered my life. I don’t know why I was blessed but the similarities and the consistencies in both institute strengthened my faith and I started to believe I went from being born Muslim to wanting to be Muslim. As one of the earlier posts said well, its not Dr. Farhat Hashmi or any instructor or institute – it’s the light of knowledge the simple yet powerful understanding of Qur’an and Sunnah that transforms the heart and mind and eventually our actions.May Allah preserve and bring Dr. Farhat Hashmi back to Canada, currently she is not leading live classes (although everything is available online at the packed website,.
May Allah preserve our dear ustazah and all my dear shayookhs of Al Maghrib and their families and bless them with the best in this life and the highest levels of Jannah in the akhirah.We visited ustazah in Toronto in May of 2008. I went there with my two children and my mom. I was overwhelmed with how much love her and her staff welcomed us with. While speaking to the ustazah I could not grasp just how soft spoken and humble and simple she was. What I will never forget is when my 4 year old kept asking me for water and I neglected her to listen to her advice – she stopped and asked another sister in the office to attend to her, a 4 year old, first and foremost. She doesn’t only teach the Qur’an masha Allah she modeled it so much in our very short meeting.
May Allah preserve her and her family and give barakha in her efforts and I pray Quran is in every hand and every heart. Subhan Allah, Alhumdulillah, Wa La illa Ha il lal lah! Asalamualikum,i would like to take this opportunity to give credit to all that Alhuda has done for me, how it has helped me become a better Muslim. My duas are with Dr.Farhat and her family, may Allah (swt) keep her healthy and give her even more success in the work that she is trying to doas far as Alhuda being an institute that caters to only wealthy womeni would disagree. The first person that i met who was associated with Alhuda was a Pakistani taxi driver.
Two of his daughters had done the course and one of them was even teaching at Alhuda, Islamabad. I’ve also seen that the number of females that belong to rural areas and do the course is greater than the number that belong to urban areas (or are wealthy) but its just that when such things happen in the lower socio-economic strata, they don’t get noticed but when change occurs in the upper classes, even if its not that big, it gets noticed. If you’ve ever found yourself saying, I wish I could ‘truly’ understand the Quran, Al-Huda is the answer and has been the answer.for many women and now men too.
Al-Huda has to ability to take students with no prior Arabic/Quranic background and teach Arabic through just the Quran. Once a student completes the first Juz, they already know more than 60% of the words in the Quran. Rather than spending 5-10 year trying to learn Arabic before even touching the Quran (plus keep in mind the Quran is written is in classical arabic), Al-Huda teaches both simultaneously which allows a student to immediately start grasping each verse’s meaning and hukm. May Allah continue to bless and protect them. Asslam u alaikum wr wbI would only be redundant if i mentioned what has already been expressed by so many sisters and brothers above.
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I was 12 when i first heard Dr Farhat Hashmi in islamabad and now after eighteen years, it seems that ALLAH has only helped her grow in her knowledge and wisdom alhamdulillah. She is a true teacher not just with respect to deen but with respect to helping each of her students come out in the best possible manner. And all through her endeavours she never focusses on herself but her aim is to link each person to the Quran and Sunnah. I second Sadaf’s comment and pray for all who dedicate their life to deen. An amazing scholar Dr Israr passed away today reminding us of the scarcity of such people in the ummah. May ALLAH Preserve and Advance those who remain steadfast on his path – ameen.
Assalam-u-Alikum,I have joined Al-Huda in 2008 December its has only been one year and four months since i started taking the classes i have observed a dramatic positive change in myself. I thanks Allah that he has blessed me with the right knowledge.All those criticize Dr. Farhat Hashmi that she is not spreading the right knowledg then why don’t they start spreading right knowledge because it requires nothing in pinpointing the faults but requires a lot of effort when we start doing something.
My dad listens to her lectures driving to and from work!:) I was so surprised, and so proud of my dad. Both my parents are big fans, and I through them. My mom couldn’t attend the online course which is her ardent desire, so she took it upon her to rigidly fix 2hrs/day to learn on her own via the free Tafseer material on the alhuda.pk website. I personally know so many people whom I’ve seen change so much in just a couple of years all thanks to Al-Huda. It truly is a phenomenon.
May Allah Ta’Ala multiply their number, their reward and their Barakah. Assalam-o-alaikumDr Farhat may well be doing a great job however we need people like Paracha to keep a balance otherwise it would be a really stale and stagnant society. I do not agree with everything he says but some of his stuff is more interesting than many comments here.I also agree with when he states that we all talk about living in the US to convert christians and jews to Islam. What will our reaction be if there is a Hindu or Christian living in Pakistan who claims to convert muslims to christianity.Some hypocrisy. It is a bit ironic that Prophet Muhammad PBUH was such a wise, intelligent and a charismatic leader however his religion got into the hands of people who are pround to denounce common sense and tolerance. It would be good for you to reflect upon yourselves and start to question your stereotypes.
What do Indonesia, Greenland, Brazil, Siberia, Turkey, Bolivia, The Canary Islands, and The Congo have in common? They are losing their forests due to wildfires, commonly known as forest fires.The image above is not an image of city lights at night.It represents wildfires that happened around the world in July of 2019. The purpose of this article is to clarify misconceptions, provide the facts, and suggest possible solutions.
Despite media coverage, forest fires are not typically bad. If you remember back to your Biology class in High School, a forest fire can be part of secondary succession. It plays a role in our environment. Forest fires stimulate new growth, and it opens up the canopy allowing sunlight to hit the forest floor. Forest fires also release nutrients trapped in the forest floor.
Currently, we have reached a state of panic and misinformation. High profile social media accounts have been sharing pictures and information that is not accurate in time and location.
These only fuels fear and doubt, and like anything on the media, you need to fact check. Right now, we are at the average number of forest fires we would be experiencing in August, based on 20 years of. While the media is focusing on Brazil, Brazil ranks number 5 in the number of forest fires in the last year. The Congo has ranked number 1 for several years now in regards to forest fires.
The Congo loses about 1% of their forest annually to wildfires, and Brazil about 0.15% of their forest. Either way, these are huge losses. Our brothers and sisters in Indonesia are suffering as well, including some critically endangered species.What is causing this? Nothing happens without the will of Allah ﷻ. In Surat Yusuf, verse 21 Allah ﷻ says “The Will of God prevails, but most of the people know not”In a narration, we hear the Prophet reminding us of the above verse. عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ: “كُنْت خَلْفَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَوْمًا، فَقَالَ: يَا غُلَامِ! إنِّي أُعَلِّمُك كَلِمَاتٍ: احْفَظْ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْك، احْفَظْ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَك، إذَا سَأَلْت فَاسْأَلْ اللَّهَ، وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْت فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاَللَّهِ، وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْأُمَّةَ لَوْ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوك بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوك إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَك، وَإِنْ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوك بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوك إلَّا بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْك؛ رُفِعَتْ الْأَقْلَامُ، وَجَفَّتْ الصُّحُفُ”.
رَوَاهُ التِّرْمِذِيُّAbu al-‘Abbas ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas reports: “One day I was riding (a horse/camel) behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he said, ‘Young man, I will teach you some words. Be mindful of God, and He will take care of you. Be mindful of Him, and you shall find Him at your side. If you ask, ask of God.
If you need help, seek it from God. Know that if the whole world were to gather together in order to help you, they would not be able to help you except if God had written so. And if the whole world were to gather together in order to harm you, they would not harm you except if God had written so. The pens have been lifted, and the pages are dry.' ” Related by TirmidhiThere is a sense of freedom through the reliance of Allah ﷻ.But Allah ﷻ has given us a responsibility, an amanah. وَهُوَ الَّذِي جَعَلَكُمْ خَلَائِفَ الْأَرْضِ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَكُمْ فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ دَرَجَاتٍ لِّيَبْلُوَكُمْ فِي مَا آتَاكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ سَرِيعُ الْعِقَابِ وَإِنَّهُ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ“And it is He (God) who has made you successors (Khalifa) upon the Earth and has raised some of you above others in degrees of rank that He may try you through what He has given you. Indeed, your Lord is swift in penalty; but indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful.” Surah Al-An’am:165I worry the world is neglecting that responsibility, and taking the Earth for granted.
Not only are we neglecting this responsibility, but we are also exploiting what Allah ﷻ gave us.“Eat and drink from the provision of Allah, and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” (Qur’an, 2:60)We are in a state of a “climate crisis,” yet we have not taken the proper steps to address it. We worry about the world that our children will inherit, but lack the passion for doing something about it.A lot of it is at the government level. The Green New Deal failed and living in a plutocracy, and it may not come to fruition.
Capitalism that fuels our only speed up this destruction we are inflicting on ourselves. The solutions are simple and need to come from the community and work outward. We see the forests of the world burning, are we going to sit and watch the world burn, or will we implement the words of the Prophet? Our Prophet Muhammad said: “There is no Muslim who plants a tree or sows a field for a human, bird, or animal eats from it, but it shall be reckoned as charity from him.” Bukhari, Muslim عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَغْرِسُ غَرْسًا أَوْ يَزْرَعُ زَرْعًا فَيَأْكُلُ مِنْهُ إِنْسَانٌ أَوْ طَيْرٌ أَوْ بَهِيمَةٌ إِلاَّ كَانَتْ لَهُ صَدَقَةٌ ” If the Forest Burns, We Plant More TreesIf the forests burn, we plant more trees; this gives us sadaqah jariyah (continous reward), and allows us to fulfill our obligation. Countries with much fewer resources are doing it, and so can you. The Great Green Wall is an African-led movement with an epic ambition to grow an 8,000km natural wonder of the world across the entire width of Africa.
Its foundation is in the Sahel the southeastern part of the Sahara. That part of the world is on the frontline of climate change, and the people are changing their ways to address it.As Brazil loses 0.15% of forest due to fires, India has increased its forestry by 1% in two years. There is no doubt that capitalism plays a role, and we play a role in capitalism, and instead of being blind consumers, we can be. Your dollar forces companies to make choices that can be better for the planet. It is essential to be cautious of your purchases and the role that the company plays in our delicate ecosystems. Three significant regions are suffering tremendously due to forest fires.
The Congo, Brazil, and Indonesia, each has its unique part in our capitalistic lives. Cells for CongoMining to get rare earth metals comes from the Congo; mining requires deforestation to reach the resources needed. These “rare earth” metals are used by anyone that has a cell phone, laptop, computer, etc. One thing we can do not to be part of the problem is to find more ethical companies in regards to technology usage. Investigate for IndonesiaNext is Indonesia, and it is notorious for having corporations burn its trees down for palm oil. Palm oil is an ingredient found in many processed foods, cosmetics, and toiletries. It’s said that the equivalent of for the production of palm oil worldwide.
Find no palm oil. Look for the RSPO label to ensure you purchase products made with certified sustainable palm oil.
This label gives you the confidence that the palm oil was produced in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Beefless for BrazilThen there is Brazil the largest exporter of beef in the world. Cows are not small or cheap. They use a lot of water and resources to accommodate a growing demand for meat.
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One pound of beef uses 1800 gallons of water; this includes the water it drinks and the water used for its food. Add the amount of space needed, and one can’t help but think if beef is worth it.These three very sought out resources and luxuries increase profits for the corporation for companies like Google, Samsung, Sony, Apple, Nestle, Kelloggs, General Mills, Colgate-Palmolive, and the beef industry supported by the populist Brazilian President. One can’t help but think that some of these fires are not naturally occurring. There is enough by the greed and selfishness by those that can impose their power on other people and our planet to fuel these fires. Use your dollar wisely, and voice your concern to any corporation that exploits the resources that Allah ﷻ bestowed upon us.I want to conclude with a hadith that should make us respond to the loss of our forests.
Planting trees and preserving what we have is so crucial that Anas Ibn Malik is said to have reported: that the Prophet, said, “If the Final Hour comes while you have a palm-cutting in your hands and it is possible to plant it before the Hour comes, you should plant it.” Ahmad عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: إِنْ قَامَتِ السَّاعَةُ وَفِي يَدِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَسِيلَةٌ، فَإِنِ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ لاَ تَقُومَ حَتَّى يَغْرِسَهَا فَلْيَغْرِسْهَا. One would imagine that a person would be dead-tired and ready to crash in his bed after a grueling, 36-hour journey from Christchurch, New Zealand to Washington, DC. And I will admit, that was the way I felt. Yet somehow, all my somnolence vanished as soon as my head rested on my pillow and I closed my eyes to rest. A wave of recollections fell over me: memories of the survivors, the emotions they expressed, and their feelings of an uncertain future as they planned their lives after the loss of their family members.
These feelings instantly took away all the desire to get rest and sleep. I sit upright now and begin writing this reflection of a once in a lifetime experience- a voyage of grief and hope to Aotearoa- land of the white cloud as the indigenous people call New Zealand.With lost baggage, long flights and too many connections, at times it seemed unlikely that my eldest son Moaz and I would make it to Jumm’ah and Janazah prayers in Christchurch, New Zealand. But Allah accepted our prayers so that we could fulfill the guidelines set by our beloved, the Prophet Muhammad. We were able to fulfill one of the rights of a Muslim over the others; that when he is sick visit him, and when she dies, offer her funeral and be part of her burial.Hagley Cricket Ground was supposed to have a cricket test match between Bangladesh and New Zealand that Friday. Commentators reckon that it would have been the final day of that test match. But the 22nd of March 2019, brought a much bigger crowd to this world-famous cricket ground than what anyone would have seen on the final day of that test match.
Officials and security directed us towards the VIP area as they wanted to pay respect to the guests who traveled all the way from the USA, Canada, and Australia. The environment of love, solidarity, and respect, coupled with the hijab-clad women standing in solidarity with Muslims in that enormous crowd, created an impact which cannot be articulated by mere words. Every single uniformed female officer was carrying their firearm while donning a hijab; creating a welcoming gesture in a rather somber and gloomy atmosphere.I do not have the words to thank the leadership of Charity Australia and the Islamic Forum of Australian Muslims (IFAM) for providing us with logistics, facilitating meeting the families of the “shuhudaa” (martyrs) and arranging to visit those injured in the tragedy. ICNA, Helping Hand, and Charity Australia banners highlighting the slogans of “American Muslims stand in solidarity with Victims of Christchurch New Zealand” were the center of attention for thousands of local New Zealanders gathered in solidarity that day.
Their hugs, sincere prayers and tearful eyes were the greatest gift that I want to share with everyone reading these reflections. Right after Jumm’ah, the majority of the crowd attended the collective Janazah prayer of 27 of the martyrs. In those emotional moments, I met with the most courageous woman on earth, the wife of 51-year-old Shaheed Naeem and the mother of 21-year-old Talha Naeem, the two spirited souls who gave their lives to save others in the mosque that day. She is one of the strongest women I have ever met.
She mentioned that her husband, Naeem, was a person who lived the life of a man of service, always ready to help others. She described Talha as an angel who was too pious and too noble to be away from Jannah too long. We heard similar feelings from Naeem’s mother (grandmother of Talha) the next day when we visited their home.The visit to the home of New Zealand’s national soccer team player, Atta Elayyan (33), was not only emotional but also deeply inspiring. Atta lost his life and his father (the founder of Al-Noor Masjid) was severely injured during this brutal and hateful attack. There were several scholars from the United States, including Sheikh Omer Suleiman, in the visit to Atta’s home.
We could offer nothing to console the brave mother of this shaheed, who greeted us with words of courage and wisdom. We had no words to accompany the tears in our eyes, except prayers for the most noble young man who helped so many in coming close to Allah.Our visits to Al-Noor Masjid and the Linwood Islamic Center were also filled with memories of love, harmony, and reverence. There was a continuous influx of hundreds of visitors, not only from New Zealand, but also from different countries including, but not limited to, Australia, Fiji, and Canada. Thousands and thousands of flower bouquets and other items of love were left by these visitors. I was really thrilled to see that local Muslims left many Qur’ans and flyers with basic concepts of Islam and addressing the common misconceptions about Islam for those visiting.
I witnessed many people visiting these mosques were taking those Qur’ans and other books with them in order to learn more about Islam.We also met Mr. Aziz, the unsung hero who repeatedly attacked the killer with different objects including an empty gun —which the killer had discarded. The terrorist fired on Aziz multiple times, but Allah not only saved him, but he also forced the killer to flee from the Linwood Islamic Center. Aziz was one of the reasons why the number of casualties in this mosque was only seven, compared to the 43 martyrs in Masjid Al-Noor. We also met certain individuals whom Allah saved miraculously.
A young man showed his trousers fenestrated with holes of bullets but had no signs of injury. The husband and wife who entered the premises of the mosque and only to be showered with a burst of 26 bullets while in their car, leaving it completely destroyed. Yet Allah saved both of them while they took shelter in their vehicle.The visit to the hospital’s ICU was simply heartbreaking but at the same time increased our resolve and commitment to help these families as much as possible.
We encountered a Turkish brother who was in a coma for nine days and met his elderly parents, who spoke to us in the very little English they knew. The only thing which we could understand from their hushed voices was the request for du’a and tears of helplessness in their eyes. The 71-year-old father of a local Pakistani from Hafizabad, who had arrived two weeks ago to visit his son, was now on a ventilator fighting for his life. As a physician who has worked in ICU settings for a long time, I simply did not have enough medical reasoning which could have provided him any words of hope!! Similarly, I was not able to provide any glimmer of hope to a brother from Bangladesh whose wife will never be able to walk again and will be paralyzed for the rest of her life.While I saw hope and felt resilience from every victim in that hospital, this hospital visit was brutally heartbreaking.Lastly, I cannot imagine the pain, agony, and helplessness that the father of Mucad Ibrahim must feel after losing his 3-year-old son in his own arms. I gave him the longest hug possible, as he taught the whole world the meaning of Beautiful Sabr (Patience).After seeing the devastation caused by the terrorist attack, and the work that must still be done to heal the community, Helping Hand USA, ICNA Relief Canada, and Charity Australia have formed an organization called the “Christchurch Family Support Network”. The operations have already begun, and our team is on the ground.
The first group of mental health professionals with a background in Islamic Integrated counseling are set to leave to provide victims and their families immediate psychological assistance.We ask Allah to accept our work, bring healing to the community, protect our brothers and sisters, and accept the shuhadaa’ in the highest level of Paradise.Dr. Mohsin Ansari is the Vice President (ICNA) and the Chairman of (HHRD). As the days go by, it is easy to forget the names and faces of the people who passed away. The horror of the act eclipses their memories. We do not want that to happen to our brothers and sisters in New Zealand. اللهُـمِّ اغْفِـرْ لِحَيِّـنا وَمَيِّتِـنا وَشـاهِدِنا ، وَغائِبِـنا ، وَصَغيـرِنا وَكَبيـرِنا ، وَذَكَـرِنا وَأُنْثـانا. اللهُـمِّ مَنْ أَحْيَيْـتَهُ مِنّا فَأَحْيِـهِ عَلى الإِسْلام ،وَمَنْ تَوَفَّـيْتَهُ مِنّا فَتَوَفَّـهُ عَلى الإِيـمان ، اللهُـمِّ لا تَحْـرِمْنـا أَجْـرَه ، وَلا تُضِـلَّنا بَعْـدَه.