Nisaar (Yusuf) Bhai's Notes

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala's Notes

Assalaamu alaykkum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh

Insha Allah this thread is going to be a thread for Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala's Notes. His daily notes are famous among facebook users and certainly are beneficial and informative. He addresses various socio-economic-religious as well as psychological issues.

Insha Allah few interesting notes that Nisaar bhai had written in the past will be shared here along with his day-today notes.

A short description about Nisaar Yusuf:

Being a passionate public speaker to improve the society, and desperate to remove the misconception about the peace Religion Islam, he is delivering talks on socio-economic-religious and psychological topics.

He reverted to Islamic studies after 1992 and joined IRF and then Peace TV. Now delivering talks, handling Qs and Ans as well as training others to speak up for Islam.
Taken from:Nisaar Yusuf's blog
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Ahlan Dubai.. Sahlan Dubai..

Ahlan Dubai.. Sahlan Dubai..

I met Dubai after 20 years. There is a face lift of Dubai as if the city has undergone a cosmetic surgery with cement, marbles, colourful glass panes applied on the face of the city , giving it younger and a colourful appearance.. no two buildings look alike.. neither the elevation nor the colour of the glass nor the stones cemented on the exterior walls of tall buildings. The building that was amongst the tallest in Dubai, twenty years ago, stands like a dwarf besides a crowd of taller buildings around it, three times taller than it.

When it comes to heights, Dubai stands tallest even in Da’wah.. Pessimists say 2000 people a year revert to Islam… optimists put the figure upto 5000- 6000. Take Dubai as a city and not as a country…with a population of around one and half million, the figure of reverts is higher if you consider the ratio of population…..City wise, perhaps highest in the world!!!

Dubai’s commerce is invaded by the Philippine expats, from airports to malls including Starred Hotels, they are found every where… and now Islam marches into the hearts of these Philippinos making them one of the largest communities who embrace Islam. They are invited to almost every Daw’ah seminars and they respond it with their polite soft smile and listen attentively…

The Keralites from India armed with the Hyderabadi volunteers, are forefront in Da’wah. They say Malyalam is the second language of UAE. Whatever it may be but when it comes to Da’wah and Islah Malyalam breaks the barriers of languages and remains forefront, an example of how to use your influence and wealth in the way of Allah…

A large number of Da’wah and Islah centers in Dubai, some of them under the patronage of the Royal family, are doing a recommendable job. Many expats have taken up Da’wah and Islah as a passionate hobby dedicating time to work on the hearts and the minds of the people instead of loitering in Alice in Wonderland like city during their free time. Some of them have grown up as public speakers in Local Da’wah centers, while some grass root level volunteers and others very good in event organising activities.

Dubai is a city of festivals but there is also Islam which is being celebrated in the seminars, in bookshops, in the streets and market where bearded men from Baluchistan and Mumbai lower their gaze while addressing the female costumers and visitors.. Truely no one can suppress Islam even in the city like Dubai..
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
The Street Smar Da'ees: Spot Them and Borrow from them!

The Street Smart Da’ees: Spot them and Borrow from them !
Posted on July 4, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala

Years back noted columnist Tavleen Singh wrote in The Indian Express.. Why it’s Islam vs. rest of the world? (http://www.indianexpress.com/storyOld.php?storyId=40236)

It was a very disturbing editorial and I could not sleep. I drafted and drafted but somehow I could not get the punch line to hit back… Many a times you fail to realize that the questions themselves are wrong. You just need to fix them. It was then that I realized the need of writing punch packed answers to refute. I know that editors don’t look for long academic letters but short and punched ones. Believe me; these knockout punch lines are easily available around us. I keep my ears open to receive them. I picked up some smart punch lines from the street smart Da’ees.. Here I am sharing them with you:

Why it’s Islam vs. rest of the world?

Your question is wrong! The world has 52 + Muslim nations and they don’t hate Islam! The millions of Africans have other things to hate e.g. hunger, poverty… Highly populated nations like India and China have never made any statement of hating Islam, nor any other governments of the world has said that they hate Islam.. Yes some people hate Islam.. the rapist, for example, because Islam awards them death punishment.. And so do robbers who don’t want to have cut off hands…. Do you hate Islam personally?

Why do your females wear hijab?

Then what else should she wear? If she wears a traditional Indian salwar kameez, the girls in jeans would say” why are you wearing salwar kameez?”… if she wears Jeans-T shirt, the girls in skirt would question ” why do u wear jeans?”.. If she wears a skirt the girls in bikini would say.. “why are you wearing a skirt?”………

Why are you Muslims Terrorists?

Are you afraid of me? Did I terrorize you? NO! Then I am not a terrorist! Are you afraid of every Muslim you meet on the way? No! Then every Muslim is not a terrorist. The Muslims population in India is around 18 crores.. You mean to say that India has 18 crores of terrorists! Multiple times more than Indian army!

Why do you have a beard? You look like a terrorist!

Even the Indian Prime minister Man Mohan Singh has a beard! Hitler did not have a beard but George Bernad Shaw had a beard! George Bush did not have a beard but Abraham Lincoln had a beard! Do Lincoln looks like a terrorist because of his beard? Will you call Hitler a good man because he does not have a beard?

Why can’t the Arabs tolerate a tiny state of Israel? Can’t they accommodate it?

Why can’t your eyes tolerate even a small dust particle and shed tears to throw it out? Can’t your eyes accommodate a tiny dust particle? Why does your body cry out in pain if a tiny thorn pierces your body? Can’t your body tolerate a micro sized thorn? Ah! You know your body adjusts with the food and drink that enters your body because they don’t cause you harm but that dust particle and that thorn give you pain and not benefit so the body throws them out..

These are few street smarts answers….you may find some of them useful in your daily Dawah…. Add more to it if you are a street smart Da’ee yourself…
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
The High_Fi Syndrome : Are You suffering from it?

The High_Fi Syndrome : Are You Suffering from it?
Posted on June 19, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala

Some years ago my mother went to attend the wedding of a girl known to us. It was conducted in the compound of the groom’s apartment, in a town a little out of Mumbai. The house was huge and well furnished with new furniture giving an idea to the visitors that the girl is lucky to have found a well settled boy, The people were waiting for the Qadhi to conduct the nikah. At that someone from the society came to the girl’s relative asking for the guardian of the girl an elderly gentleman got up and introduced himself. The man warned the guardian sternly. You are being deceived by your ‘son is law to be’! Neither he owns this house nor has he taken it on rent, even the furniture has been brought on rent!

Many people appear to be richer than they actually are! Some to deceive others while some do it for the pleasure of being taken as a high class celebrity! They do get a good amount of success because ‘where there are greedy, cheaters never go hungry….”

Many people measure richness through the capacity of earning or the amount of wealth collected, where as some judge it by observing the amount of wealth you spend. The last parameter is today’s trend. What remains hidden is that many of these extravagant are turning into ‘a class of debtors’ the tempting advertisements allure more and more people into spending more than they can afford.

From the Islamic financial perspective people can be divided into four broad groups each can have off shoots of sub groups.

1. Those who earn through Halal and spend in halal

2. Those who earn through halal but spend in haram

3. Those who earn through haram but spend in halal

4, Those who earn through haram and spend in haram

Except for the first group, the rest of three are dangerously wrong. In fact extravagance is one of the main reasons of financial depression. A young man gets a good job in a call center and earns money like he never had, so he buys for his family, his wives, his children, his mother and sisters, expensive mobiles, but for them branded clothes takes them to expensive tours…he makes them addicted to luxury and all of a sudden comes a financial recession that make shim looks his job. He can control his expenses but the family now cannot adjust the high fi life they had enjoyed. Experts call is HIGH-FI syndrome. In these cases it seen that the person does not cut down his luxuries but cuts down his necessitous. He refuses to pay for his old and ailing parents…..

Mass Extravagance is quickly becoming an accepted form of civilizations. From Government to common citizens including private sector, we are spending the valuable wealth lavishly. India, Pakistan and Bangladesh have a huge population belonging to the middle class, with labour class, clerks, sales men, small shopkeepers, government servants…. but look at their sales chart in past five years! Look at their marriages, their furniture, their life styles ….But naturally they are buying beyond their capacity. Most of these items are bought out of loan hoping to use ti today and pay tomorrow

Do you know what the amount of India’s annual food wastage is? Guess! It is 58,000 crore Rupees every year! A nation whose 20 percent of population lives with only one meal a day wastes its 58,000 crores rupees of food every year!

The Qur’an sums up this mentality in Surah Isra Ch, 17, verse 26-27 Do not waste your wealth lile a extravagant. Indeed extravagant are the brothers of Shaytaan, and Indeed Shaytaan is ungrateful to his Lord

In an Islamic financial system, your financial IQ is connected to your spending wisdom. After all a person who has no knowledge is termed as AN IGNORANT but a person who possesses it and yet does not benefit from is a SUPERLATIVE IGNORANT… AM i RIGHT?
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Dont’ Ignore Personal Hygiene

Dont’ Ignore Personal Hygiene
Posted on April 6, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala



In my dusty little shop, a man, once, stormed in and spat out his frustration. “My daughter is insisting for a khula” the man grieved and continued, “She says her husband’s unhygienic habits are totally intolerable for her and the marriage is only few months old!” It was a painful reason but seemed to be a common complaint among many husbands and wives about their spouses these days. I inquired from him, “Why did you not consider this before finalising your son in law.”He declared “How do I check up the personal hygiene of a boy who is well dressed and displays good manners! But in personal cleanliness he is very dirty, he urinates while standing, does not shave off his pubic hair and his mouth stinks……

Very few people are able to distinguish the difference between personality and character. Personality is what you are outside and character is what you are inside.

Consider this: When you leave for your office you take a shower, apply fragrance and try to remain fresh whole day. Your boss, your co-worker and those beautiful ladies in your office are people who expect you to be like that in the office and you are very particular, but in the evening you are sweating, your mouth stinks because you ate all sorts snacks, tea and other things that requires cleaning of mouth, and you reach home that way to your spouse, and many men remain that way for the rest of the day.

Personal hygiene has been honoured a remarkable position in the list of the characteristics of a believer. It is declared as “Nisful Emaan” half of faith. If you are unhygienic, shabby, and careless towards yourself, then you stand a chance of being shabby towards your faith. One of the most appreciable habits of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) was to brush his teeth as the first thing he did upon returning home.

In order to realise the importance of being Hygienic one has to just ponder at the fact that a religion revealed in desert where there is a cute shortage of water and yet it expects its followers to be neat, clean and tidy. Lessons in personal hygiene go up the extent that even the wives of the Prophet (pbuh) shared their personal marriage life to teach the successive generations of followers lessons in personal hygiene. “How the noble Prophet took a bath, how much water he used, how he cleaned his najasat, even trimming of moustaches and keeping the hair of head and beard clean …. Everything required for the Muslims to achieve cleanliness. In spite of all this when I pass from a slum inhabited by Muslims I feel hurt on observing the filthy condition they stay in.

Indeed” Allah loves those who repent and are neat, clean and tidy … (Surah Toubah).
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Stumbling Blocks in the Way of Marriages

Stumbling Blocks in the Way of Marriages
by Nisaar Y. Nadiadwala on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 at 13:12


Two most important things around which the focus of many Muslim youth revolve are : Career and Marriage. They also happen to be the most confusing things of their life as they dont know how to go ahead and there are very few counsellors in these fields who can really counsel them from the Qur'an and the Hadith. So inorder to make it easy for them to understand the theme I rotate the priorities from Career and Marraige to Marriage and Career putting marriage before Career. Dont get a happy shock. It is in the terms of responsiblity.



If you read Surah Nahl ch 16 verse 72 : Allah has made from you your mates and from your mates He makes chidren and 'hafadha' (delightful offsprings) and provides you rizk from tayyab (good things) . Yet you believe in baatil (falsehood) and reject the blessings of Allah?



Have you considered the famous hadith : The world is an transit comfort and the best comfort is a mominah wife (pious and good natured).... Muslim 1467

If you read the above Qur'anic verse and the hadith together you will realise that marriage is a blessings but our young people discard it , delay it and search for blessings on facebook profiles, in colleges and workplaces !!



Many delayed marriages are a result of a stretched education after post graduation. Especially by young men. Many of them pass away their twenties and almost enter thrities yet you will find them chasing degrees after degrees and pursuing career and dreaming of becoming rich , with a house and a car before getting married ! Many of these young men think that marriage will be a stumbling block in estblishment of a career or higher education.



Those young people staying the West or cities like West e.g. Mumbai, Karachi, Dubai..get a lot of exposure to obscenity, the Non Muslims among them fulfil their desires through haram ways.. and this happens to be one of their reason for avoiding marriage at the right age. Their arguements goes like this : If we can get fun for free then why should we get married and get tied up to social and family responsiblities ? But what about the Muslims young men in these cities? Since they live in an Islamic environment they dont go for haram options like having affairs or relations out of wedlock.. so how do they attend their desires?



With young women it is little different. In a Western culture they are edcuated with a mental prepartion of life after divorce, long before marriage. They stay in an environment where her looks are graded and used as currency for prosperity.. they are independant because they earn..so they dont wont to be a house wife and undergo labour pain, run kitchen, check chidlren's home work while their husbands are freaking around with girls...So they too have affairs and divorces and go into live-in relations.. in other words. they use haram options... Then what about the Muslim women whose marriages are delayed? They have been brought up in a modest environment but their mariages are delayed due to her post graduation, lack of funds for marriage expenses and hunt for a rich guy..... What will they do ?



The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said “If there comes to you with a proposal of marriage one with whose religious commitment and attitude you are pleased, then marry [your daughter or female relative under your care] to him, for if you do not do that, there will be fitnah (tribulation) on earth and widespread corruption.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1084; Ibn Maajah, 1967. Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1022.



This is a hadith which many people may find hard to implement. We have made marriage very difficult and the reasons are.. just a few, some of them global and some borrowed from un Islamic cultures.



Author Nisaar Nadiadwala speaks and writes on socio-educational issues from Islamic perspective. He can be reached at nisaar_yusuf*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!
 

kashif_nazeer

~~~Alhamdulillah~~~
:salam2:

I have recently started following Nisaar bhai and his notes.They provide an excellent insight into social and religious conditions prevailing amongst us,especially for the youth,like the ones you have posted mashaAllah.
I didn't know that he is a revert.
:jazaak: for sharing this brother.


:wasalam:
 

khangul

your sister
:salam2:

i heard him on peace tv and he is great speaker .i did not know that he is a revert brother.
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
The Fifth Minaret of Char Minar, Hyderabad.. Reachers and Preachers.

:salam2:

I have recently started following Nisaar bhai and his notes.They provide an excellent insight into social and religious conditions prevailing amongst us,especially for the youth,like the ones you have posted mashaAllah.
I didn't know he was a revert.
:jazaak: for sharing this brother.


:wasalam:

wa alaykkum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh,
barak Allahu feek brother. He is not a revert, but he meant he reverted to islaamic education.. (his way of writing, perhaps). I guess you are the one who posted a Nisaar Nadiadwala's note sometime ago... If no, forgive me.. wassalaamu alaykkum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh

The below note is for the city I personally love..
-------------------------------------------


The Fifth Minaret of Char Minar, Hyderabad.. Reachers and Preachers.

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala

Hyderabad is famous for its Charminar, the Four Minarets.. It is well known for its tasty Hyderabadi Biryani… But it is also infamous for three false mahdi claimants in past few years… The interiors of Hyderbad and around is breeding ground for Christian missionaries, especially the Seventh Day Adventist, a popular growing church (read sect). They have penetrated deep into the rural areas converting many Muslims-Hindus to Christianity. Could you believe, according to the following report, 15018 people had been converted on a single day in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh: http://www.adventistreview.org/2001-1506/news.html. Though I don’t know how many of them were Muslims who left their religion and opted for Christianity due to poverty and hunger. Yet I doubt the authenticity of the report as the Missionaries have a habit of exaggerating figures to raise more funds.

A counter revolution to these aggressive Missionary activities is on rise… The advent of Muslim Daee’s, inspired by Shaikh Ahmed Deedat and Zakir Naik. They come from the corporate background, well mannered and hardworking and some of them are very good in crowd management and marketing Islamic seminars. They even collect around eight thousand people for public talks. Some of them have groomed themselves in handling media interview and panel discussions and appear on local channels. There are thirty local Telugu channels in Andhra Pradesh but no Islamic channel in Telugu

The GCP runs on the first floor of the remote city but a cozy small class room like hall conducting regular programs for ladies, children as well as for slum dwellers’ kids teaching them Islamic manners and etiquette. IACR reaches out the masses in as many languages as possible, holding interfaith dialogues with prominent scholars of other faiths is its prime activities. The UIRC focus in remote areas, travelling to villages in teams and inviting people to Islam. The focus in on invitation and not conversion, if I put it according to the Qur’an, because there is no compulsion in Islam. The UIRC also runs a mobile library and run across the coastal areas receiving no hostile reactions from any section of Non Muslims society. Almost all these Daw’ah centers including PPC (Peace Propagation Center) hold public speaking training programs for da’ees on regular basis. Every year hundreds of Muslim youth receive training in holding interfaith dialogues in a peaceful and intellectual manner. The Peace Message and Education Center has distributed around 3000 copies of Qur’an for introducing the teaching of Islam to Non Muslim. The IREF and the GES also work on removing misconception against Islam through regular talks.

When the leaders of the community did not do well in Daw’ah and the role of the Masajid was limited to prayers only, there are around 14 Da’wah Centers in Hyderbad, striving in the way of truth promoting Islamic values and social corrections too. None of them have big budgets nor huge properties as compared to the million dollars budgets of Christian missionaries.. As the Dae’es continue to raise new Dae’es to join the ranks of good workers, while Islam grows across the world in its own speed welcoming more entrants to Islam…
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
:salam2:

i heard him on peace tv and he is great speaker .i did not know that he is a revert brother.

wa alaykkum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
He is not a revert, sister. He is a born muslim. He meant he reverted to islaamic education. i.e started learning religious education. It is his style of writing, may be..
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
The Common Man's Da'ee : The Caller to Islam.... Have You Ever Came Across Him?'

The Common Man's Da'ee : The Caller to Islam.... Have You Ever Came Across Him?'
by Nisaar Y. Nadiadwala on Thursday, 05 May 2011 at 14:14

There are two types of daees ( callers to Islam) these days. The high profile ones and the low profile like a stranger. Both of them are important components of Muslim community. .Each has his share of contribution. Today I will highlight a few low prfoile callers to Islam whose da'wah in individual capacity have really impressed me In my cozy little book shop a Anwer Adiyar was a regular visitor. He was a labourer in the Port of Mumbai, but a daee of par excellence.



He was not a public speaker but he spoke to public in individual capacity. He always had a dawah kit with him . His da'wah kit contained few translations of Qur'an in English and vernacular langauges as well. He had ready to give pamphlets, and VCDs (DVDs were not in vogue) and would immediately give it when he stepped into a discussion with a non Muslim. He was not a rich man but could arrange for a large auditorium free of charge when ever he wanted to arrange a Da'wah talk. He did not spoke polished English but communicated effectively. I have seen him distributing Islamic pamphlets on the streets out side colleges and railway stations. He died a few years back , in Makkah during Hajj.



Moulana Ejaz is a famous name in Kurla, a dusty suburb of Mumbai. His hobbies? Standing outside a Temple or a Darga and correcting people. It is one thing to speak on creed to an audience whose creed is already corrected but requires immense courage to speak against an amidst a crowd of passionate and emotional people in their own place, amidst their own people. He had been arrested a few times for his open da'wah, they say that he had even managed to get a few police men take shahadah.Alhamdolillah. Many of us do safe dawah fearing a backlash, but Ejaz bhai is a daring man.



I know many of common man's daee and I love them and respect them. They work at grass root level. You will not find their updates on the face book and websites. Some of them have large families to run but thye never ask for charity nor credit. When they travel, they purchase a second class ticket or a stand in a bus queue. They talk a lay man's language and their dawah is simple and straightforward. I had heard about a Muslim clerk in the office of a Cabinet Minister of Delhi. The Musim clerk once knocked the door of the minister and was asked ot come in. he went to the minister, carrying a copy of the translation of Qur'an in Marathi. The clerk said to the minister : Sir this is my Qur'an, translated in Marathi , it is a very good book, please read it.... The minister was humbled and he accepted it.. The clerk went out pryaing to Allah.. O Allah I have passed on your message...



When was the last time you or I had courage to speak with a high profile person about Islam? As I said we do safe da'wah. Lets open up for the sake of Allah and reach out to our Non Muslim friends so that our job is done
 

kashif_nazeer

~~~Alhamdulillah~~~
wa alaykkum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh,
barak Allahu feek brother. He is not a revert, but he meant he reverted to islaamic education.. (his way of writing, perhaps). I guess you are the one who posted a Nisaar Nadiadwala's note sometime ago... If no, forgive me.. wassalaamu alaykkum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
wa alaykumassalaam warahmatullaahi wabarakatuhu,
Yes brother ,that was the first time I read Nisar bhai's note.Absolutely wonderful and eloquent way of writing mashaAllah.Helps a lot in dawah to non muslims.May Allah bless him in that.Ameen.
wasalam
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Debates and Debators Part II

Debates and Debators Part II
Posted on July 29, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala

Some people dislike debating on behalf of Islam and they say that it brings a bad reputation to the Religion and the community! They feel that debates should be avoided because it exposes the faults of other religions. Well, debates are not forbidden in Islam as long as it does not lead to mocking of the deities of other faith nor it turns into hostile disputes. Debating, as I wrote earlier is like driving a race car, anything can come up at any moment.. So unless the debater is not very good in debating and refuting unexpected allegations then he should avoid debates.

The Qur’an permits debating and also presents a case study of debate in the story of Ibrahim (pbuh) and Namrood. The second case is of Prophet Ibrahim pbuh debating with his own people after he demolished the idols…and the Quran also says..Indeed in Ibrahim is an excellent example to follow… Surah Nahl

Hitting Dr. William Campbell with strong arguments was an essential response to his arrogant boastful challenge that remained online for three years “no Muslim scholar can refute my book” And he collected a lot of money to promote anti Islamic tirade.. so it was the need of the hour to assassinate his honor in public so that the rich Christians stop funding him.. That’s exactly what Allah got it done through Dr. Zakir…William Campbell is finished.

That is what Shaikh Ahmed Deedat did to stalwarts like Jimmy Swagart…and they had an academic debate…Now a days there are panel debates in vogue… and you have to knock out in two or three sentences… the rule to win these debates remains same… strive hard in practicing and keep on updating your knowledge and quick thinking and responding skills..Unfortunately we don’t have debate training session in our madrasas or da’wah centers where our da’ees can be trained…as most of us focus on public speaking only….

Debates should be practiced only in the presence of a senior trainer who is well versed in debates…Shaikh Sadi used to train his students for debates.. He used to divide the group into two then he used to float a topic..And call one group in a room and speak to them in detail about their topic if they were in favour… then he used to call upon the other group and speak to them about their side.. Thus he used to balance the knowledge in for and against amongst his students.. Now the floor was open for debates and the skills of the participants were put to test. In Debates jsut knowledge is not enough but also skills to refute your opponent’s allegations are more necessary.

Another way of improving debating skills is to choose a topic and write few points in favour and against.. This is called debating with our own self.. then refute each point for and against… this will help you in observing views from your opponents side… you can choose general topics from academics and social issues to sharpen your skills then step into defending Islam… But remember.. Don’t debate to defeat people, rather debate to win them to your side. After all Da’wah is to invite people to Islam and not to push them away…
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Travelling in the Way of Allah

Travelling in the Way of Allah
Posted on June 4, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala



Last year I had the privilege of visiting Tanzania upon the invitation of Muslim University of Morogoro. Tanzania is a fifty-fifty Muslim-Christian population with both the sides tug off pulling the claim of being in majority. The Missionaries from US and Germany swarm like bees to convert the poor Muslims and the Muslims have started their own Islamic centers to prevent the loss and gain inroads by welcoming many Christians into Islam.

They had fixed up a three day workshop for the enthusiastic representatives of various Islamic centers across Tanzania. There were thirty of them. It was my first touch of complete African food for continuous three days. The Muslim University of Morogoro is spread over sixty acres with large comfortable hostels, clean pantry, football grounds and a Masjid. It is a green place, with tall African tress shading you from both the sides, and cool breeze from Indian Ocean reaching from the gaps of trees. Fresh colourful flowers falling from trees, spreading on the route as if a red carpet welcome for you.

It was my first experience in a non-Indian audience. The crowd was full of educated black Africans of all age. After the talk was over people visited me and shook hands and embraced me showing me another dimension of the noble Islamic Brotherhood. Next day we went to tour the Great African Safari. We were in a huge Toyota that ran amidst the narrow roads of the jungle. It was a vast open space like table land and we could see as far as our eyes reached. We journeyed around 60 miles in the jungle of Africa among the herds of Giraffe, Zebra, wild ox, lions, foxes…. It was an amusing experience because normally I have seen these animals in the cages of Zoo, but this time I felt that we were in a cage and the animals gathered to see us.

The same year I reached Madrid, Spain to participate in the Interfaith Dialog hosted jointly by King Abdullah of Saudi and the King of Spain. We got a chance to visit the King’s palace in Madrid. It was like an old mansion that required a lot of repair work, if I compare it with the palace of King Abdulla opposite Haram in Makkah, the Spanish palace looks like a messy cottage . It was a pleasure to be and interact with some prominent Jewish and Christian scholars of US and Europe. We rarely had a chance to move around Spain and see the common man. The Arab food was fabulous and the presence of many Muslim scholars from Jamal, Badawi, Bilal Philips to Salman Oudha on a single stage was a pleasant experience. Next day it was Jumuah so we offered Jumuah prayers in one of the largest among the Islamic centers of Europe, constructed by Saudi Government in Madrid. I saw five thousands Muslims of Algeria, Morocco, Pakistan, Bangladesh and few hundred Spanish as well.

In Tanzania I was amidst the poor black Africans and in Madrid, the rich white, the black and the red dominating the action. That took me back to King Faisal’s time when he floated the Afro Arab brotherhood which got a massive emotional support in the whole African continent. They say that when the news of King Faisal’s assassination reached, the Africans did not cook food that day. So much love for the richest man of the world who chose to befriend the people of the poorest continent. I am of the opinion that the next Interfaith dialog should be hosted in one of the African Nations, because there is where the next round of Da’wah will take place.
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Field Dawah :A Sunnah of all the Prophets

Field Dawah :A Sunnah of all the Prophets
Posted on July 26, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala

Last night I stumbled upon my friend Mohammed Islam in a cyber lane. I must tell you something about him and you must know something about him. When I joined IRF in 2000, I was introduced to him. Mohammed Islam Fernandes, a revert from Christianity. When he was a Christian he was not a missionary but when he became a Muslim he was a full time Islamic missionary, looking for opportunities to break ice with fellow Non Muslims.

I had never known this aspect of Mohammed Islam till one evening I boarded the second class compartment which was little crowded. I managed to get a seat and I saw a little far off, Mohammed Islam sitting without a cap… So his religion could not be identified. And he screamed from there.. Hello Nadiadwala! How are you? Before I could sense his motive he shot a question: Nadiadwala! What is all this? Terrorism and killing of people by Muslims and all this? I was taken aback… Soon I realised it was a breaking of ice by Mohammed Islam and wanted others to join the discussion about Islam.. and we began and continued for next hour… and when we reached Andheri Station most of the co- passengers shook hands with us and parted saying “Enjoyed a good discussion…”

Field Da’wah has its own charm and excitement though it is a bit risky but then every Prophet had taken up this risk and their companions too. In a field Da’wah you can expect any type of person varying from a smart atheist or a scholar of Hinduism or Christianity to a person who is not interested in talking about religions.

My friend Mohammed Islam was always restless and he never waited for an opportunity to talk to non Muslims about Islam but he initiated directly. We had a Jew visiting IRF in early 2001 and he was a regular visitor every Sunday. When I saw the Jew for the first time I wanted to see how one to one da’wah is done so I sat with Mohammed Islam.

The discussion began at 2 pm after lunch and it continued till 4:30. I had some other job to do so I parted.. In the evening when I returned at 8:30 pm, Mohammed Islam was still talking to that Jew. I joined them and it continued till 10:30 till we had to part. I noted that Mohammed Islam had spoken to him for eight hours with a few minutes of break for Salah. It was a marathon discussion. I repeat, it was a marathon discussion as both of them knew the Bible inside out so there was no dragging of a dead topic..

One day Mohammed Islam showed me his research material which he had compiled from various scholars of Bible to prove his points. It had many topics. Mohammed Islam may not have been a professional speaker but he surely was a Da’ee. The point to be noted is that there are options and opportunities in the field of da’wah even if you are not a public speaker. Don’t wait to be a scholar or a public speaker to speak to Non Muslims about Islam.

Then Mohammed Islam flew to UK as he got a citizenship of Portuguese. Today I see many Young Muslim da’ees interacting with Non Muslims to promote Qur’an. A decade ago Da’wah was not so freely done on the streets of Indian cities as it is done now. Alhamdolillah.

Yesterday I stumbled upon Mohammed Islam on Facebook and it was pleasant surprise to meet him after ten years and I was happier to note that he reads my notes regularly. He is in touch with me through my notes but I miss him during field dawah.
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
The Importance of Persuading People to Good

The Importance of Persuading People to Good
by Nisaar Y. Nadiadwala on Friday, 12 August 2011 at 14:59

Many readers have been asking me.. How do you manage to write so effectively that many of your readers agree with you ?I tell them.. my writings are basically persuading people to adopt Islamic values. It is not that they agree with my writings but it is rather the other way.. it is I who write on issues what people already agree with but they could not express it so I express on their behalf. For example getting married by 21, which young practicing Muslims would disagree ? But I present it in a persuading manner.



Writing to promote good values or persuade readers or people to discard evil is like sales... keep on presenting it in one or other style..keep persuading people even if they put you off. Be tolerant, patient and keep going. If you notice the headlines on my notes, they are my ad copies to attract readers to enter my shop (my mind) and be attentive to what I present from different perspective and I wind up asking them to implement the values I showed them. Alhamdolillaah most of them agree because they already agreed before reading my notes. My notes just persuaded them to air their agreements .



We all are persuading others or being persuaded by others. A child persuades his parents for ice creams chocolates and toys.. the parents persuade the child to take up good habits and study properly.....The religious teachers persuade us to do good.. and shaytan persuade us to do evil..Each have their own ways and methods. Infact shaytan has challenged that he will persuade mankind till the day of Qiyamah. He never gives up till we die.



Every time you read the Qur'an it keeps on encouraging your to do good and abstain from evil and that is why there are stories and advices repeated in the Qur'an as a reminder but even then while promoting the same Qur'an through implementing its teachings many of us give up half the way. Many of us are not good persuaders when it comes in promoting the values of Quran in the Qur'anic terminology. Refer to the last verse of Surah al e Imran ch 3 : fasbiroo was-saabiroo...be patient and keep patience...continuously...When you are persuading a person to stop smoking or be regular in prayers don't give up after a few efforts. No one can persuade you to give up except yourself, as the sahih Hadith says : Allah keeps on accepting the supplications of a believer as long he does not think that his supplications are not being accepted... in other words he gives up ...



Are we persuading with a real intensity ? Do we really use our persuading skills to improve and correct people's creed, behaviour heretic ideolgoies upto our potentials? Observe the salesman selling bananas or tomatoes. Those are perishable goods and must be sold by the day end. Observe his persuading skills when he does not want his costumer to go without buying. He pleads, he is soft, tolerant to your criticism....but will the same salesman be persuading with the same intensity of patience upon knowing that his friend is into some haram? Persuading skills if implemented in life can also cool down many fights between spouses as well



Now let us put ourselves under that hat of that banana seller and check how strongly we persuade people when we try to stop them from haram or invite them to good..



Nisaar Nadiadwala speaks and writes on socio-educational issues from Islamic viewpoint. He canbe reached at mailto:[email protected]
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Loneliness in a Crowd : The Pain of Old Age

Loneliness in a Crowd : The Pain of Old Age
Posted on June 20, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala


An aged father of my friend once called me up and complained about his loneliness. His wife had died two years ago and the man wanted to marry a widow so that he can drive away his loneliness. He said bitterly, “My children do not want me to remarry; perhaps they don’t want to share my property with their step mother…..”

Two years back I was on my lecture in Pune, a cyber-city close to Mumbai, where I was invited to speak in a beautiful outdoor auditorium. There was cool greenery and it looked a very comfortable place. I roamed around before the talk to enjoy the beauty of well-cut plants and trimmed grass spread like velvet.

I was told that the place was a home for old aged people. I asked,” Oh you mean to say that it is an orphanage for old people?” ”Err, Yes but the facility is better than homes!” my host said and he added “we provide best food, there is a TV facility and entertaining games too…..” Do you provide grandchildren and other relatives too?” I asked, then threw my anguish “These facilities are provided in our prisons too!”

The audiences in my talk that day were the lonely old people of that old age home. I told them “You are not unlucky to miss your grandchildren but they are unlucky to have missed out playing in the lap of their grandparents who had an experience of bringing up the parents of the very same children…”

A person who has grown up with family, and he lives with family throughout his life and youth, but is being sent to a home of old age where he will be spending his time with other old people who are waiting for the sun of their life to set. Every day he waits for someone to visit him and his only visitors are the sms on the mobiles “Hello dad! How are you.. Happy father’s Day !…..” In Ahmedabad, India, there are luxurious old age home with AC-Suite…. Another newspaper article announced that there is a shortage of old age homes in Mumbai and Gujarat.

According to Hindustan Times July 22, 2006…The most severely isolated and lonely are people over 75, particularly women who are widowed and living alone……Source: Help Age India. According to Dignity Foundation (The Times of India, July 8, 2006) a large number of senior citizens are depressed. They may not be physically alone but they feel that there is no one around for them. It is just like remaining thirsty in spite of staying near a spring.

That reminds me of a noteworthy Muslim in the time of the Prophet (pbuh) Owais Qarni who could not meet the Prophet just because he had an ailing old mother to look after. In fact there is no concept of homes for old age in an Islamic society, rather the parents enjoy full rights to stay with their children and if a child dies before them they inherit from their property as well. The Qur’an also commands the Muslims the degree of humbleness that they are supposed to show towards their parents…Do not say even Uff to them.. Surah Isra ch 17 ,verse 23.
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Celebrating the Results of the First Batch of Islamic International School.. AllaahuA

Celebrating the Results of the First Batch of Islamic International School.. AllaahuAkbar
by Nisaar Y. Nadiadwala on Sunday, 14 August 2011 at 04:17

Yesterday I logged in to see the results of Tenth Standard Board Exams conducted by IGCSE. The results and percentages of some individual students of Islamic International School run by Dr Zakir Naik are as high as 95% to 98% Masha'Allah.



It was astonishing to note that the students who excelled in hifz and were among those who completed the Hifz earliest were the same ones who stood first ! Can You guess the percentage of the highest scoring students? 98 % ! In a couple of subjects they managed to get 100 out of 100!



The results say that all the students have passed with flying colours and most of them have got atleast First class and above. Not a single student has failed A phenomena for students who study three to four hours of hifz, Arabic language, fiqh, Islamic studies, Da'wah and public speaking for ten years simultaneously from the beginning. . Each child has an experience of public speaking more than many of the corporate world speakers in their entire corporate life. Most of them can speak and understand Arabic like native Arabs.



Ten years ago when I admitted my daughter and son to Islamic International School, designed and run by Dr. Zakir Naik many of my relatives were skeptical. They wondered aloud as to how my kids would travel 40 km to and fro every day! Some challenged the issue of having a Madrasa like syllabus along with conventional educational system would be a lot of pressure on the kids.



When the news of some students chosen for Hifz was announced the objections grew stronger. How can a child be a Hafeez and an Aleem and yet study Maths , Science and other Subjects with proper attention? On the face of it , observing other children celebrating the rest of the day playing and watching TV, it looked to some people that the timing was a bit hard upon the children . "All work and no play will make Jack a dull boy " were a few common remarks by some critics at times.



Last year my son Hamzah proved them wrong and he won the trophy of the best sports boy of the school, defeating senior boys by huge margin. Even Fariq Naik has won the best sports boy's award for eight years though he did Hifz and extensive public speaking along side. He plays very good football along with other boys of the school and the school team is capable of defeating the football teams of many schools. Hamzah has grown taller than his elder brother and is competing other tall men in our family Alhamdolillah.



Then came the news that some students completed their hifz and instead of encouraging them some skeptics raised their doubts if the school was speaking truth. But the school continued its mission of proving that potential energy , if guided properly can turn into kinetic energy.





The result of the first batch of IIS school is a befitting reply to those young men and women who think that Islamic studies can hamper your academic studies.... The results are an announcement that Islamic studies are not an extra burden on your mind but rather it makes your mind more ready for other subjects to be grasped too. Islamic subjects makes you more intelligent and stronger from psychological perspective.



How rightly Allah says four times in Surah Qamar : and we have mde this Qur'an easy to learn , is there any then who would learn ?........ O students of MBBS, Engineering, IT ! Will you dare to take up Islamic studies or just delay it till you finish your graduations and post graduations ?
 

ilyas_eh

Used to be active here!
Grateful or Ungrateful ? Which Side of The Line Do You find Yourself?

Grateful or Ungrateful ? Which Side of The Line Do You find Yourself?
Posted on August 5, 2011 by Nisaar Yusuf Nadiadwala

‘Shukr’ means to acknowledge the obligations and thank, both the things are considered, just thanking is not enough but acknowledging the obligation is a real display of thanks. In Islamic shariah acknowledging the blessings of Allah and thank Him is counted as Ibadah,i.e. worship.

The main purpose of the creation of man is to worship Allah, and thanking Him for the blessings is one of the ways of worships. Consider this Qur’anic verse from Surah Nahl, ch 16, verse 78: It is He who brought you forth from the wombs of your mothers when you knew nothing: and He gave you hearing and sight and intelligence and affection so that you may give thanks…..

Every Muslim thinks that he really thanks Allah for his blessings and never introspect his intensity of thankfulness. Most of us are carelessly thankful because if we put ourselves on the parameters of thankfulness most of us will fail to get even an ‘F’ grade. The Qur’an has already given out the results of this test. The results are fixed up in Surah Nahl, for us to read and find out if we are among the failures: And most of them are ungrateful….. In Surah Saba’… But only a few of my worshippers are grateful….Ask your selves “Am I from the majority of ungrateful or a few ones of grateful….

Ibn Hambal has quoted an incident in his Book : A Bedouin was sitting in the company of Caliph Umar.. all of a sudden the Bedouin exclaimed.. O Alllah ! Make me among the few ones….. Umar r.a. was astonished and reprimanded him for invoking such a supplication.. The villager insisted that he was not wrong and he recited the above verse…

In Qur’anic terminology the opposite of shukr is kufr..i.e. ungratefulness to Allah’s blessings can lead to kufr. Surah al Baqarah…So Remember me and I will Remember you.. and be grateful to me and do not do kufr (do not reject my blessings, do not be ungrateful). Note another important Qur’anic injunction in Surah Nahl verse 83: They recognize the favours of Allah and then they deny them and most of them are ungrateful ( Kafiroon)

Have you ever considered the number of dishes that we have on our table spread for Iftar and suhur? Even a poor man finds a variety of dishes some coming from his neighbours some at his home, some in the masjid if he breaks his fast even in a Masjid in a slum . Just count the number of dishes today itself…Then recall the following verse from Surah Nahl verse 114

So eat of the sustenance which Allah has provided for you, lawful and good, and be grateful for the favours of Allah if it is He whom you worship…

Read the above verse again and note what Allah says : AND BE GRATEFUL FOR THE FAVOURS OF ALLAH… How many times do we recite the supplication meant for thanking Allah after every meal? Most of us don’t even know the supplications! Right? Just a small test it is to see which side of the line we belong to.. A few numbers of grateful or a majority of ungrateful ?
 
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