Excellence of Durood Shareef

Almighty Allah says in Qur’an: "Surely Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim). O you who believe! Send Blessings (Durood) and Salutations (Salaams) on the Prophet with worthy Salutation".(Surah al-Ahzab: 56)

It is now evident through Quran Recitation that the recitation of Durood Shareef (Salawat) is in perfect obedience to the Divine Command and in complete conformity with the teachings of Holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim) of Islam. There is no scope to choose anything else when we have with us the words of Allah Ta'ala and His Apostle, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim).

Hazrat Anas (radi Allahu anhu) narrates that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim) said: "He who reads a single Durood upon me, Almighty Allah blesses him ten times, ten of his sins are forgiven, and he is increased ten times in stages (internally). (Mishkaat)

Divine blessings on Sayyiduna Rasoolullah (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim) is the highest and the most meritorious act in our Deen. This "Divine Blessings" is called Durood Shareef.

Muslims are a very fortunate people. Allah Ta'ala chose for them the name of Islam as a religion, declared to be comprehensive and final for mankind. Children learn the practices of Islam right from their childhood from Islamic Schools. As Muslims we should recite Durood Shareef in the Arabic language. Islam seeks to create a unified outlook and it is in the Arabic language alone which welds all Muslims into one great brotherhood.

The more Durood Shareef we recite, the greater the gain and benefit will be achieved in both the worlds. Hazrat Shaikh-e-Akbar Mo'inuddin ibn Arabi (radi Allahu anhu) has stated that, "Those who claim to love and revere the Holy Prophet (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim) should increase their recital of the Durood Shareef in patience and perseverance until, through the mercy of Rasoolullah (Sallal Laahu Alaihi Wasallim), they have the opportunity of witnessing his blessed countenance".

Spiritual Teachings for Muslims

Muslims all over the world reflect a great character and behavior and known for their inner salvation and good deeds. These characteristics are brought to them by the spiritual teachings of Islam through Qur’an, Hadith and Muslim scholars. Prophet (PBUH) is blessed with great character and his life is the ultimate guidance for all mankind.

When the anti-Muslims came to peek against Islam and the people started teasing Muslims on Quran Recitation and performing prayers, then Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) started preaching the Oneness of Allah and the Greatness of Islam. At that time he was a Spirtual master for everyone. The one, who came in the circle of Islam, had great blessings on him.

There were thousands of people who embraced Islam at that time. But after the death of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) a lot of Sahaba Karaam preached Islam and gave their lives in the way of Islam. Those were the successful men who were the students of their spiritual master Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). After Sahaba Karaam, this duty was fulfilled by the saints of Islam through Islamic Schools who were real lovers of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and Allah. The saints of Islam preached in different areas of the world and those who became the real lover students of their spiritual masters earned great names in Islam and also in the world.

There are many examples before us who followed their Spiritual masters and got a famous name in this world and there miracles can be seen in this world. We need to have a spiritual master who can guide us to the right path.

People of Pakistan

Pakistan is a country that was created as a welcoming haven for Muslims. Majority of the people in Pakistan are Muslims. It became a country following the partitioning of India in the second half of the 1940s. Hindus living in the region that is now Pakistan fled to India. Muslims living in what is now India fled to Pakistan to practice their religion i.e. offer their prayers independently, celebrate religious events, build Islamic institutes for Quran Recitation and other Islamic practices.

Pakistan is a versatile land enriched with precious resources, having rivers, deserts, fertile land, and mines. Culture of Pakistan in constituted with different cultures. Different languages are being spoken in different part of the country.

The education in Pakistan is a bit immature but progressing very fast. There are so many Islamic Schools as well as conventional schools, colleges and universities in Pakistan providing quality of education across the country.

People of Pakistan faced many problems right after and before the independence. Armies from the ancient Persian Empire once invaded the territory now known as Pakistan. After Alexander the Great marched into Persian, he marched further east. His army also tried to control the people living in the mountains that were east of Persia.
Monguls have invaded Pakistan. Turks have invaded it. Arabs have invaded it. Afghanis have invaded it. The blood of all those invading armies has been mixed into the blood of the people of Pakistan.

Today the people of Pakistan no longer need to fight off invaders because of gaining atomic power and strong military force. Pakistani people are playing their part in the progress of Pakistan and soon they will be successful to put their country among the developed nations of the world.

Calligraphy, an Islamic Art

The history of Muslims is full of innovative discoveries and arts. It includes fields as varied as architecture, calligraphy, painting, and ceramics, among others. The premier form of Islamic Art is calligraphy, which is derived from the French word calligraphie and Greek word kalligraphia, meaning "beautiful handwriting."

One of the main reasons that the calligraphy is given a pedestal status in Islam is the Muslim belief that Allah (SWT) used the Arabic language to narrate his divine message to the Prophet Muhammad in the form of Holy Qur’an. This makes it sacred for Muslims all over the world.

Secondly, Islamic Art cannot be depicted by the use of pictures; therefore, using words as creativity avoids this problem as well. Calligraphy was of such importance for Muslims that it was taught in most of the Islamic Schools but with the invention of the printing press in European countries, the art of calligraphic writing mostly vanished.

Islamic art in the form of Calligraphy is most commonly found in mosques. The walls and ceilings of mosques are decorated with calligraphically written ayah. These inscriptions are done in a very complex and intricate way. Quran Recitation has its own charm when done through beautiful calligraphic designs of Quran.

Calligraphy further branched out according to the spread of Islam through the Arab World, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, The Indian Subcontinent and wherever else Islam reached. Throughout these different regions, calligraphy attained a unique flavor according to the symbiosis of native culture with the Islamic culture.

Calligraphic Islamic Art has evolved into a very multifaceted form of expression. The different forms of calligraphy include Diwani script, Ruqah script and Sini script. Diwani script was invented by Housam Roumini during the Ottoman Turks' early reign. The Calligraphy has played a vital part in the growth and progress of the Arabic language, and the various Muslim cultures.

All Educational Institutions are Reopening in Islamabad

All educational institutions working under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), the Punjab government as well as majority of private institutions and Islamic Schools will reopen today (Monday) after a six-day break announced in the wake of security threats.

After the attack on Islamic University, students are still enthusiastic to go to their educational institutions and continue their education of Science, Fiqah, and Quran Recitation etc

Educational institutions were closed as a security measure and now the ministry had decided to re-open them so that students’ time was not wasted. All Pakistan Private Schools Owners Association (APPSOA) President Malik Ibrar Hussain said 750 private educational institutions registered with the association would reopen today. He said “We are hiring security guards from different private companies and have submitted an application to the chief commissioner for providing weapons to the schools owners”.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Zahid Saeed said all government educational institutions would reopen today (Monday). He said the provincial government had announced that all educational institutions would open on Monday. He said all educational institutions had been directed to strengthen their security. He said the district administration had formed special teams to inspect the security arrangements and submit reports to the provincial government. “If any institution failed to strengthen its security, the institution would closed,” he warned. Dr Shamim Zaidi, the spokesman for Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), said that the university would open on Monday and the staff would start their working. However, she said, the classes would not be held, as majority of students had gone back to their hometowns.

Why Taliban Attacked Islamic University

The worst example of terrorism is seen in Pakistan when two suicide bombers blew themselves one after the other at the new campus of the International Islamic University in Islamabad, on Tuesday, October 20, 2009. The blasts killed six people, including three girls, and left many other injured.

Taliban have taken credit for the suicide attack at the International Islamic University in Islamabad. As noted in yesterday's report on the attack, Taliban have no problems with striking at mosques, Islamic Schools and other religious institutions and events. The question is why Taliban would strike at an Islamic university where teaching of Quran Recitation and sharia is given along with scientific education. The answer is simple yet shocking. They want to destabilize Pakistan and few important factors made Islamic University a vulnerable place.

1) More than 6,000 women are among the 17,000 students at the International Islamic University in Islamabad. To the Taliban, women attending schools is against sharia.
2) There are more than 2,000 foreign students from 45 countries (mostly from China and Africa, according to Dawn. The foreigners are prime targets for the Taliban.
3) One of the suspected targets, the chairman of the Imam Abu Hanifa Block, is "known for his liberal views" on Islamic law.

Attack on Islamic University is condemned by every Muslim and non-Muslim in the world as it is a major setback for the people of Pakistan. The outcome of this attack is the stoppage of educational activities in Pakistan which is quite alarming for youth as well as for the parents of the students.

Do We Need a Spiritual Master

Before Islam, everyone was in the darkness of false worship of stone made gods who were helpless themselves. To pull out the humanity from darkness Allah sent his last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In the childhood he lived totaly differently as compared to other children of Makkah. He was well known of his honesty and beauty. After the time he was blessed with Islam, he started preaching Islam and the one and only Allah. He was blessed by countless miracles. The biggest and outstanding miracle is Holy Qur’an.

When the anti-Muslims came to peek against Islam and the people started teasing Muslims on Quran Recitation and performing prayers, then Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) started preaching the Oneness of Allah and the Greatness of Islam. At that time he was a Spirtual master for everyone. The one, who came in the circle of Islam, had great blessings on him.

There were thousands of people who embraced Islam at that time. But after the death of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) a lot of Sahaba Karaam preached Islam and gave their lives in the way of Islam. Those were the successful men who were the students of their spiritual master Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). After Sahaba Karaam, this duty was fulfilled by the saints of Islam through Islamic Schools who were real lovers of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) and Allah. The saints of Islam preached in different areas of the world and those who became the real lover students of their spiritual masters earned great names in Islam and also in the world.

There are many examples before us who followed their Spiritual masters and got a famous name in this world and there miracles can been seen in this world. We need to have a spiritual master who cam guide us to the right path.