The Dowry system among Muslims: The cancer of Muslim Society

The Anti Islamic System of Dowry among Muslims of India/ Pakistan /Bangladesh etc.

1. The prevalent culture of Dowry ( JAHEZ/DAHEZ in Hindi/Urdu i.e Giving something at the time of marriage by girl side to the Boy side. ) in Indian Subcontinent is 100% Unislamic and against the will of Allah.

2. Those who are demanding Dowry/ Taking it (claiming it voluntary but ACTUALLY NOTHING VOLUNTARY) are curse on society.

IN ISLAM ACTUALLY BOY SIDE WILL GIVE TO GIRL.........................
In Islam the mahr (dowry) is one of the rights of the wife, which is hers to take in total and is lawful for her, in contrast to the widespread practice in some countries, where the wife is given no dowry. Evidence that the wife must be given her dowry is found in many places, for example the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): “And give to the women (whom you marry) their mahr (obligatory bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with a good heart…” [al-Nisaa’ 4:4]
Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “This refers to the mahr (dowry).”
Ibn Katheer, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, summarizing the comments of the mufassireen on this aayah: “The man must definitely pay the dowry to the woman, and he should not resent it.”

The Catastrophic Impact of wrong Dowry System among Muslims............
The practice of dowry among Muslims is a result of the influence of the evil practices of the society they live in. Islam does not put any financial burden on the father of the girl. 
A Muslim father is told to get her daughter married away in a most simple ‘Nikah’ ceremony solemnized by a ‘Qazi’ (priest) in a mosque, witnessed by his close relatives and friends. 
He is not even required to throw a luncheon to the handful of invitees assembled for this occasion. In fact it is desirable on the part of the Boy side that he offers a reception (Waleema) to his near ones & dear ones without forgetting the poor people of his society. 

The example of such a simple marriage was set up by none other than the Prophet (pbuh) himself. He got his daughters married in the simplest possible manner. There was nothing in it whatsoever for the bridegroom that could be termed as dowry. The Prophet (pbuh) said: 
1. The Late marriages of Muslim Girls because of Dowry and consequent Fahash in Society.
2. The Financial Death of Father of Muslim Girls.Countless number of Muslims at every place are selling their houses and going to rented accomodation 

Nikah Marriage in Islam is Cornerstone of Social Structure should Simple

NIKAH (Marriage) in Islam

Nikah means Marriage. The marital status of a person changes from single to married on the performance of the Nikah Ceremony.
The Holy Prophet May Allah send peace and bessings upon him said:
"Marriage is the basis for blessings and children are an abundance of mercy."
“Nikah is my Sunnah.” 
“Whosoever turns away from my Sunnah is not of me.”

Happy and Successful Marriage 

A happy and successful marriage is a necessary goal for anyone who is either already married or is thinking about it. Building the family is essential for the complete establishment of our religion Islam, as the family is the cornerstone of the social structure. A successful and purposeful marriage is the indispensable foundation of this cornerstone.

Nikah Should be Simple
Nikah should be a simple witnessing ceremony and not expensive. The dowry is an agreed amount that is given to the bride by the groom which them becomes part of her independant property wealth. In Islam there is no hereditary or occupational caste system; nikah is permitted between opposite sexes of the same faith. Nikah is a sunnah; it is a joyous event and celebrating it must not involve unislamic activities such as music or dancing.

Also referred to as: Wedlock, Matrimony, Wedding, Nikaah, Marriage, Shaadi

For more detail please refer  http://www.inter-islam.org/

What is Adultery or Extramarital Relationship Prohibition in Islam


Islamic Point on Adultery
Islam recognizes the natural desire of sexual relationship and promotes marriage between different sexes and therefore prohibits celibacy. However extra marital relationships (Adultery) or anything that may lead to any form of carnal desire, intimacy or relationship outside of marriage has been prohibited.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’aan:
"And come not near unto adultery, verily! It is an obscenity and an evil way." (17:32)

Adultery of  eyes, Ears, tongue etc (Parts of Body)
All practises, things and institutions which aid and foster fornication and immodesty are forbidden by Islam. There are different categories of this abominable crime of Zina. Our Holy Nabi (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"The Zina of the eyes is to gaze (at that which is unlawful, e.g., nudity). The Zina of the ears is to listen (to talks of nudity which excites the carnal desire). The Zina of the tongue is to speak (what is evil). The Zina of the hand is to touch (the female which is unlawful to you). The Zina of the feet is to walk (towards immorality). The Zina of the heart is to desire (what is unlawful), and it is the private part which either commits or shuns the actual act of fornication." (Muslim)


Islam has made easy upon us the beautiful pathway to chastity, purity and piety (taqwa), by declaring unlawful all those factors that contribute to the commission of zina. 
The solution is simple: marriage, a fortress against all evils of the loins.

Also referred to as: Adultery, fornication, zina, extramarital sex, extramarital relations, infidelity, unfaithfulness, affair, liaison, sexual intercourse, sex, intercourse, sexual relations, coupling, disloyalty, unchastely, entanglement, flirtation, on the pull, chase, teasing, toying, romantic advances, chat-up, come-on, lust, carnal desire.

For more detail Refer http://www.inter-islam.org/

Women Rights in Islam : Spritual Social Economic Rights : Divorce& Polygamy

(Source of Article; This article is taken with Jazakallah from http://www.islamswomen.com. For more detail on islam and women please refer the website)
Women's Rights in Islam
The issue of women in Islam, is topic of great misunderstanding and distortion due partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due to misbehavior of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the teachings of Islam. We speak here about what Islam teaches, and that is that standard according to which Muslims are to be judged. As such, my basis and source is the Quran--the words of Allah, and the sayings of the Prophet, his deeds and his confirmation. Islamic laws are derived from these sources. To facilitate our discussion we can discuss the position of women from a spiritual, economic, social, and political standpoint.
From the spiritual aspect, there are seven points to remember:
According to the Quran, men and women have the same spirit, there is no superiority in the spiritual sense between men and women. [Noble Quran 4:1, 7:189, 42:11]
The Quran makes it clear that all human beings (and the phraseology doesn't apply to men or women alone, but to both) have what you might call a human; He
"breathed some of My spirit into divine touch. When God created him"(or her in this sense).[Noble Quran 15:29 See also 32:9]
Some of His spirit here means not in the incarnational sense, but the pure, innate spiritual nature that God has endowed her or him with.
The Quran indicates again that one of the most honored positions of human, is that God created the human, and as I referred to Surah 17 earlier, it means both sexes, as His trustee and representative on earth. There are many references in the Quran that reaffirm this.
Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming Eve for the first mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree. Nowhere, even though the Quran speaks about Adam, Eve, and the forbidden tree, but in a totally different spirit. The story is narrated in 7:19-27, and it speaks about both of them doing this, both of them are told that both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered the consequences of their disobedience, both of them seek repentance and both of them are forgiven. Nowhere in the Quran does it say woman is to be blamed for the fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran speaks about the suffering of women during the period of pregnancy and childbirth, nowhere does it connect it with the concept of original sin, because there is no concept of original sin in Islam. The suffering is presented not as a reason to remind woman of the fall of man, but as a reason to adore and love woman or the mother. In the Quran, especially 31:14, 46:15, it makes it quite clear God has commanded upon mankind to be kind to parents and mentions,
"His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering." [Noble Quran 31:14, 46:15]
The Quran makes it clear again to remove any notion of superiority and I refer you again to 49:13. I must caution you that there are some mistaken translations, but if you go to the original Arabic, there is no question of gender being involved.
In terms of moral, spiritual duties, acts of worship, the requirements of men and women are the same, except in some cases when women have certain concessions because of their feminine nature, or their health or the health of their babies.
The Quran explicitly, in more than one verse, 3:195, 4:124, specified that whoever does good deeds, and is a believer and then specifies "male or female" God will give them an abundant reward.
In the area of economic rights, 
we have to remember that in Europe until the 19th century, women did not have the right to own their own property. When they were married, either it would transfer to the husband or she would not be able to dispense of it without permission of her husband. In Britain, perhaps the first country to give women some property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known as "Married Women Property Act." More than 1300 years earlier, that right was clearly established in Islamic law.
"Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and whatever women earn, they have a share in that." [Noble Quran 4:32]
Secondly, there is no restriction in Islamic law that says a woman cannot work or have a profession, that her only place is in the home. In fact, by definition, in a truly Islamic society, there must be women physicians, women nurses, women teachers, because it's preferable also to separate teenagers in the volatile years in high school education. And if she chooses to work, or if she's married with the consent of her husband, she's entitled to equal pay, not for equal work, but for work of equal worth.
Thirdly, when it comes to financial security, Islamic law is more tilted in many respects towards women. These are seven examples:
During the period of engagement, a woman is to be on the receiving side of gifts.
At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the bride's family. He is supposed to pay for a marital gift. The Quran called it a gift, and it is exclusively the right of the woman. She doesn't have to spend it on the household, she doesn't have to give it to her father or anyone else.
If the woman happened to own any property prior to marriage, she retains that property after marriage. It remains under her control. Also, in most Muslim countries, the woman keeps her own last name, and her own identity.
If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of investments of her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have to spend one penny of that income on the household, it is entirely hers.
The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire responsibility of her husband, even though she might be richer than he is. She doesn't have to spend a penny.
At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the waiting period and even beyond for a woman's support.
If the widow or divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.
In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic laws pertaining to inheritance give men a higher share. From the social standpoint, as a daughter we find that credit goes to Islam for stopping the barbaric practice of pre-Islamic Arabs of female infanticide. These ignorant people used to bury female daughters alive. The Quran forbade the practice, making it a crime. Surah 81 Additionally, the Quran condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some people who used to greet the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness in the case of a girl.
The duty, not the right, the duty of education, as the Prophet said, is a duty on every Muslim, male and female.
As far as treatment of daughters is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Anyone who has two daughters, and did not bury them, did not insult them and brought them up properly, he and I will be like this," holding his two fingers close together. Another version adds, "And also did not favor his sons over daughters." One time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seated. A companion was sitting with him. The companion's son came. He kissed his son and put him on his lap. Then his daughter came, and he just sat her by his side. The Prophet told the man, "You did not do Justice," meaning he should have treated the daughter equally, kissed her and put her in his lap also. Indeed, whenever the Prophet's daughter Fatimah came to him, in front of everyone, he stood up, kissed her and let her sit in his favorite place where he'd been sitting.
From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates in Surahs 30:20 and 42:11 that marriage is not just an inevitable evil, marriage is not somebody getting married to his master or slave, but rather to his partner.
"Among His Signs is this, that he created for you mates from among yourselves, that they may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]
There are numerous verses in the Quran to the same effect.
Secondly, the approval and consent of the girl to marriage is a prerequisite for the validity of marriage in Islam. She has the right to say yes or no.
Husbands' and wives' duties are mutual responsibilities. They might not be identical duties, but the totality of rights and responsibilities are balanced. The Quran says:
"Women have the same rights (in relation to their husbands) as are expected in all decency from them, while men stand a step above them." [Noble Quran 2:228]
This only specifies the degree of responsibility, not privilege, in man's role as provider, protector, maintainer, and leader of the family. The same Surah speaks about divorce, about consultation between husband and wife, even in the case of divorce. When there are family disputes, first the Quran appeals to reason and the consideration of positive aspects of one's spouse,
"Dwell with your wives in kindness for even if you hate them, you might be hating someone in whom God has placed so much good." [Noble Quran 4:19]
If that appeal does not succeed, and problems between the husband and wife continue, there are measures that can be applied. Some of these measures are done privately between husband and wife. Some of them might appear harsh, but there are qualifications to restrict excessive or abusive use of these measures. These measures are considered an attempt to save a marriage rather than break a family apart. If the situation does not improve, even with the limitation and prevention of excesses, the next step is a family council. One arbiter from his family and one from her family should sit together with the couple and try to resolve the problems.
If a divorce becomes necessary, there are many detailed procedures in Islamic law that really knock down the common notion that divorce in Islam is very easy and that it is the sole right of man. It is not the sole right of man alone and neither is it true that all you have to say is: "I divorce you three times," and that's it. Islam also has laws regarding custody of children. I was very surprised to see newspapers making the false claim that in all cases custody goes to the father. Custody involves the interest of the child, and laws often favor the mother of young children.
Polygamy has become so mythical in the minds of many people that they assume being Muslim means having four wives. This is a false notion, of course. A very renowned anthropologist, Edward Westermarck, in his two-volume work, "History of Human Marriage," notes that there has been polygamy in virtually every culture and religion, including Judaism and Christianity. But the point here is not to say, "Why blame Islam?" Actually, Islam is the only religion even among Abrahamic faiths, that specifically limited the practice of polygamy that existed before Islam and established very strict conditions for guidance. The question, "How could any man have two wives? That's terrible!" reflects ethnocentrism. We assume that because we're living in the West and it seems strange, and we assume it must apply to all cultures, all times, under all circumstances. This simply isn't true. Let me give you one current-day example. In the savage attack on Afghanistan, genocide was committed on the Afghani people. It is estimated that 1-1.5 million people lost their lives, a great majority of whom were men of a marriageable age. Now, with a great shortage of men, what will happen to their widows, their orphans and their daughters of marriageable age? Is it better to leave them in a camp, with a handout? Or better a man is willing to take care of his fallen comrade's wife and children?
It is obvious that monogamy is the norm for Muslims. If we assume that having four wives is the norm, then we assume a population of 80% female and 20% male, which is an impossibility on the aggregate level. The only verse in the Quran that speaks about polygamy, speaks about limiting not instituting polygamy. The verse was revealed after the Battle of Uhud in which many Muslims were martyred, leaving behind wives and children in need of support. This verse shows the spirit and reason of the revelation.
The Quran placed obedience to parents immediately after worship of God.
"We commanded mankind to be kind to his parents" [Noble Quran 31:14]
And then speaks of the mother. In a very succinct statement, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Paradise is at the feet of mothers." Once a man came to him and asked, "O, Messenger, who among mankind is worthy of my kindness and love?" The Prophet answered, "Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother." Only after the third time he said, "And your father."
As a sister in faith, in blood, we find the Quran speaks about men and women, that they should cooperate and collaborate in goodness. Surah 9:71 speaks about men and women as supporters and helpers of each other, ordaining the good and forbidding the evil, establishing prayers and doing charity. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) echoed what the Quran said, "I command you to be kind to women." In one of his last commands in his farewell pilgrimage before his death, he kept repeating, "I command you to be kind and considerate to women." In another hadith, he said, "It is only the generous in character who is good to women, and only the evil one who insults them."
On the question of attire, the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet did not say women must adopt a particular dress of a particular country. It only gives basic boundaries, and for a committed Muslim woman, she doesn't follow this simply because her father or husband tells her, but because Allah already stated that as a requirement in the Quran, and was explained through revelation given to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that this was not to restrict woman, but to provide a virtuous society where sexual attraction is not the main obsession of everyone. This forces everyone to respect the woman for what she is as a human being, as an intellectual and a spiritual being, rather than being diverted to her sexuality.
Finally, a few words about political involvement. The verse quoted earlier, Surah 9:71, which speaks about men and women being supporters and helpers of each other was taken by some jurists to mean that it involves also public life. How could they ordain the good and forbid the evil without women being active in the affairs of their society? According to the Quran, I'm not talking about the practices of Muslims, in Surah 60:12, we read about Muslim women making "bayy'ah" to the Prophet. Bayy'ah as an Islamic term is somewhat analogous, to a degree, to what we would call an election, or oath of allegiance. And that was given in his capacity not only as a Prophet, but as a head of state, as he was already the head of state in Medina.
During the rein of 'Umar, women participated in law making. 'Umar made a proposal of a certain regulation concerning marriage. A woman in the mosque stood up and said, "'Umar, you can't do that." 'Umar did not tell her, "Shut up, you are a woman, you have nothing to do with politics, etc." He asked, "Why?" She made her argument on the basis of Quran. In front of everybody, he stood up and said, "The woman is right and 'Umar is wrong," and he withdrew his proposal. That was the spirit in the early days of Islam.
In the most authentic collection of Hadith, Hadith Bukhari, a section is devoted to the participation of women, not only in public affairs, but in the battlefield, too, and not only as logistical support. Women carried arms, and when there was great danger to the Muslims, they volunteered to participate even in the battlefield.
The problems presented here are not the problems of Islam. They are problems of a lack of commitment, lack of application, or misapplication of Islamic teachings by Muslims themselves. The topics I have tried to cover here represent and exemplify the big gap that exists between the true teachings of Islam as derived from its original sources and its projected image in the West and the way some Muslims behave in the disregard of those noble teachings.
Media Role in creating Misconception 
There's no question that the Western media has played an important role in perpetuating these misconceptions. But in fairness, we should not blame the media alone. Western culture, in writings about other religions, in particular Islam, have distorted images. From books, novels, even in the academic circle, and sermons from the pulpit in places of worship, these kinds of prejudices are perpetuated.
There are fair and honorable people in the media who are receptive to correction of inaccuracies, and who present the facts, when the facts become manifest, as we have seen in the coverage of the barbaric and cruel treatment of the Palestinians n the Occupied Territories. What I would suggest to the media is instead of depending on the distorted information about Islam, they should keep in touch with educated Muslims, and remember, the U.S. has between 5 and 6 million Muslims. Only through correct representation and open communication with Muslims in America can the media give a fair analysis of current events, given the background of those conflicts, and provide a great service to society.

Minorities and Development : UN deceleration on Minority Rights

Minorities and Development

The Indian Constitution is committed to the equality of citizens and the responsibility of the State to preserve, protect and assure the rights of minorities in matters of language, religion and culture. That is why our national leaders while framing the Constitution, emphasized the doctrine of unity in diversity. 

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities says that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging to such minorities contribute to the political and social stability of the countries in which they live. 

Meeting their aspirations and ensuring their rights acknowledges the dignity and equality of all individuals and furthers participatory development. This in turn contributes to the lessening of tensions among groups and individuals. These factors are major determinants for stability and peace. All developed countries and most developing ones give appropriate emphasis to looking after the interests of minorities. Thus, in any country, the faith and confidence of the minorities in the functioning of the State in an impartial manner is an acid test of its being a just State. As the processes of economic development unfold, pressures are likely to build up and intensify when there is unequal development and some groups or minorities lag behind in the development process. Ideally, development processes should remove or reduce economic and social obstacles to cooperation and mutual respect among all groups in the country. If development processes are misdirected, they may have the opposite effect. It is this aspect which is important and needs to be addressed so as to give confidence to minorities. 

Since Independence, India has achieved significant growth and development. It has also been successful in reducing poverty and improving crucial human development indicators such as levels of literacy, education and health.  There are indications, however, that not all religious communities and social groups (henceforth socio-religious communities – SRCs) have shared equally the benefits of the growth process. 

Among these, the Muslims, the largest minority community in the country, constituting 13.4 per cent of the population, are seriously lagging behind in terms of most of the human development indicators. While the perception of deprivation is widespread among Muslims, there has been no systematic effort since Independence to analyze the condition of religious minorities in the country. Despite the need to analyze the socio-economic and educational conditions of different SRCs, until recently appropriate data for such an analysis was not generated by Government agencies. 

There have been welcome change in the scope of data collection with respect to SRCs in the 1990s, which, in turn, has made this report possible. The current effort is the first of its kind to undertake a data-based research on the Muslims in India.

(Excerpts from sachar committee Report page 1-2)Available on http://www.minorityaffairs.gov.in/sites/upload_files/moma/files/pdfs/sachar_comm.pdf

Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar Pioneer of Indian Nationalist Movement News Paper in English Urdu

‘Mohammad Ali Jauhar’ was born to a lion-hearted mother, popularly known as ‘Bi Amma’ on 10th December 1878 in the house of Sheikh Abdul Ali Khan at Rampur. He was the youngest among five siblings. After receiving his primary education at home, he moved to Bareilly High School for doing his matriculation. Later he studied at M.A.O. College of Aligarh, affiliated at that time to Allahabad University. By topping the list of successful candidates in University and the State in his B.A. examination, he earned laurels to his alma mater and home town. In 1897, he was sent to Lincoln College of Oxford for further studies, where he completed his M.A. in Modern History in 1898.
Nationalistic News Paper publication against British
In 1911 he started his first newspaper ‘Comrade’ in English, which was well received by all sections of society including the ruling class. This, however, was banned in 1914 for publishing an article ‘Choice of Turks’ in 1913. Its publication was resumed with great difficulty in 1924 but again discontinued  in 1926. His Urdu newspaper ‘Hamdard’ which started in 1913 was equally popular. This too met the same fate in view of its ‘Anti British Articles’ this resulted in frequent imprisonment of ‘defiant editor’ to jail for his ‘Anti British Activities’.
President of Indian National Congress
He joined Indian National Congress in 1919 and became its National President in 1923. He was a staunch supporter of freedom of India and a torch bearer of Khilafat Movement. He led a delegation to London for Khilafat movement in 1920. On his return from England, he established ‘Jamia Millia Islamia’ in 1920 at Aligarh, which was later shifted to Delhi and is now a leading institution of higher learning in the form of a Central University. 
Round Table Conference in 1930
In 1930 he participated in the Round Table Conference, despite his ill health, where he gave his famous statement

“Either give me freedom or give me two yards place for my grave; I do not want to go back to a slave country”. 

These words from his heart proved true and he died on 4th January 1931 in London. His mortal remains were carried to Baitul-Muqadas and buried there on 23rd January 1931. 


To be continued..........