Maryam Jameelah : 'With an eyeful of Madina's dust'

“You have to read these”, my friend compelled me, giving me a couple of yellowed, printed-long-ago sort of books. That gave me my first glimpse into the fascinating life and inspiring works of Maryam Jameelah.

Born as Margaret Marcus into an American Jewish family who cared little for religion and were active believers in the American Way, it was curious how that little girl refused to fit into that life and culture and came to realize it wasn’t the glittering American Dream, after all. She sought answers and found herself interested in the exotic and oriental. Young Maggie Marcus’s fascination with oriental cultures led her to meet many New York Arabs and Muslims, from where she was introduced to Islam.

At a relatively young age, Maryam began to study and to read up on Islam and Muslim culture. She found in Islam what the society around her lacked and never could give her. She found herself heartily in agreement. From then on, there was no going back. After her reversion to Islam in 1961, it became clear to her that New York couldn’t be her home any more. The odds were too many.

Soon after, Maryam began regularly corresponding with Muslim leaders and scholars throughout the world including Maulana Maudoodi, in whose ideas she found a close kinship. At his invitation, Maryam shortly moved to Pakistan and settled in Lahore. Here, she lives with her husband, four children and the extended family members, spending her days reading and writing regularly for the Muslim World Book Review on a wide range of issues and subjects related to Islam and the West, and the resurgence of Islam.

Maulana Maudoodi had once called Maryam Jameelah ‘a tropical sapling planted in the Arctic.’ Reading through the details in the biographies my friend had lent me, there was so much that truly moved one. What inspired me was how a young mind, with no Islamic influence around, grew to develop such a seasoned vision of Islam, such courage to enable her to resist all the tempting glamour of developed society. Her search was honest and it rested only after having achieved that which alone fulfilled. Masha Allah!

After her arrival in Pakistan, Maryam had to grapple with a totally different lifestyle and cultural milieu. She reminisces of the linguistic barrier, the climate she was totally unsuited to, the large family structure and the hygiene conditions. It could hardly be called ‘home’ for a young New Yorker. However, this cultural ‘leap’ Maryam Jameelah had undertaken was in fact also a ‘leap of faith’, making her amazingly resilient.

Some of the most beautiful passages in Maryam Jameelah’s biography which taught me much were about how the young New York girl seeks and appreciates the beauty in the simple ways of Muslim culture. For her, eating out of a common earthenware dish is beautiful for the warm sharing it involes; walking barefoot on a dirt floor and making ablution out of a clay pot are the simple, natural pleasures of life, the rare delights of the unsophisticated simplicity_ uncorrupted by materialism and artifice_ that is essential to Islam. She warms up to the largesse, generosity, hospitality of values engendered by Islam.

The flies, the heat, the dirt, the discomfort and inconveniences fail to bring low the indomitable spirit. Surely, the eyes beholding so much beauty in something a ‘Westernised’ mind would sneer at must be beautiful_ ‘wearing in the eyes the dust of Madina’, as Iqbal would have said.

Getting a fuller view of Maryam Jameelah, I ended up reading several of her works on Islam and the West, which were certainly deeply insightful, incisively critical_ the product of an analytical mind and a passionate heart. It was around then that my friend called up, and in high pitched tones of excitement, told me of a rare discovery: she had actually traced Maryam Jameelah to her home! She had simply followed the publishers’ address given at the back of one of her books_ printed back in the 70s, and praying ardently that they hadn’t shifted since then, actually sought out the place!

Next Saturday evening we were both threading our way through the streets of Sant Nagar_ not to forget stopping at the florist’s on the way to get a bouquet of ‘Nargis’_ decidedly ‘Nargis’_ we had to be as ‘oriental’ as would suit the occasion.On the way, observing the narrow, bumpy and dusty streets and the barefooted children playing around, I thought I could feel that beauty Maryam had sought in there too. This was so removed from the urbanized quarters_ an island within a monstrosity of ‘development.’ The car halted before an old house much like the ones around. We brightened up when a bright, cheerful and warm face appeared_ Moon Apa’s, who had facilitated the visit. She made us feel welcomed- rather, at home. I think I understood how Maryam Jameelah had so effortlessly managed to say ‘I belong.’

To my left, I saw a huge courtyard which immediately aroused the feeling of ‘dejavu’_ it clicked… I remembered a page from Maryam Jameelah’s biography… suddenly, the room filled up with gaily dressed women from the 70s laying out traditional sweetmeat dishes to welcome their guest from New York who had chosen to live among her companions in faith…

We said our Maghrib prayers in the drawing room where we were waiting adjacent to Maryam Apa’s room. Folding up the prayer mat, my heart thumping wildly, I couldn’t keep from looking at the dear old profile etched across the open window, at the head of silvery-white hair draped in a white dupatta’ (scarf), lowered on the prayer mat in sajdah. I felt the unspeakable blessdness of the moment filling up my veins. Some things just cannot be expressed…

Most of what we heard Maryam Apa say, we had already read in her books. But to see it come alive in the full-throated voice which had in it the energy and vitality of her rich heart; to see that ‘undying flame’ of the unbeaten spirit in the fine old eyes, and the deep-seated gratitude and thankfulness for the life she has lived was an experience unsurpassable. She brightened up sharing memories of the past, shyly smiling like a little girl, her beady eyes twinkling even though she was frail and volatile with age, exhausted and not very mobile any more.

Since she settled in Lahore, Maryam Jameelah has been a prolific writer. Her work reflects a deep, incisive and analytical understanding of Western culture and civilization. Being an ‘insider’, and not having lived in a colonial or postcolonial set up, she digs deep into the very foundations of American society and with a rare, refreshing vision and raw honesty, exposes it down to its bare bones. She feels intensely its spiritual bankruptcy and the toll materialism has taken on the life of the average American, reducing life to a struggle for material prosperity and comfort, no more.

However, the deeper questions remain unanswered, unresolved, and the inner self unsatiated:

It is this distressing evolutionary process that has today made America a slave of machines. The supremacy of the USA is accepted all over the world and its hand is seen in everything that happens anywhere. No country, Muslim or non-Mulsim, is altogether free from its control and domination. Today America has enslaved the world with its way of life but it has itself become the slave of machines. It is a prisoner of its lifestyle, of material progress, factories, laboratories and of fancy goods and gadgets. Man here has got so completely cast in the technological mould of life that his ideas and emotions have also become mechanical. The properties of rock and iron have entered into his soul. He has become narrow and selfish, cold and unfeeling. There is no warmth in his heart; no moisture in his eyes. This is the reality I have sadly observed during my stay in America.(As quoted by Maryam Jameelah in ‘The Resurgence of Islam and Liberation from our Colonial Yoke).

It is this dissatisfaction and disappointment with the deceptive sheen of the Western humanistic tradition and all it could ever offer that makes Maryam Jameelah embark on a search for meaningful life true to the purpose we are sent with, in tune with the ebb and flow of nature, imbued with simplicity and spirituality. She finds this fulfilment in Islam and Muslim culture, and this is where the seeker in her finds the anchor to hold on to. They say, ‘beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder’. The vision that rejected the emptiness of the culture of materialism and narcissism finds out the beauty of the ‘Muslim’ Way of Life:

The remedy for the problems of the modern world is the adoption of absolute transcendental values. The fallacy that everything must change with changing times makes life devoid of meaning and purpose since there is nothing of permanent worth. It is responsible for our ‘throw-away’ culture which considers everything disposable. The relativity of values is responsible for the unprecedented epidemic of vulgarity and obscenity in the mass media, of arts and entertainments, the generation gap, widespread alcohol and drug addiction and suicide as a leading cause of death. If everything must change with the changing times, human dignity and the nobility of character are almost impossible to achieve since these are based upon permanence and stability in the moral order.

Modern man desperately needs a Supreme Authority for reference to distinguish between what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong, what is beautiful and what is ugly. This does not mean totalitarian dictatorship but the Rule of Law in the highest sense. Only the Divine Law of the Shariah is impartial and just; where ruler and ruled, rich and poor, young and old, celebrities and ordinary anonymous folk are equally subjected to its jurisdiction… the authority of the Shariah proceeds from Almighty Allah. Thus it is feared, esteemed, loved and obeyed simultaneously. It combines the internal sanctions of fear of Allah and His retribution in the Hereafter with severe but just punishments for violation of that law on which the health of the individual and society depend.

Her belief in Islam as the panacea and the absolute Good is powerful and authentic:

The call of Islam to modern man is the call to stability and inward peace. A society based on the precepts of fear and reverence for the Divine Law will not be troubled with crime, violence and lawlessness.…Individually, Islam would bring a direction, meaning and purpose to life which materialistic cultures cannot provide; an inward serenity and peace even in the midst of external frustrations and adversity… the ugliness of our environment would be supplanted by beauty…” (Islam and Modern Man)

Again, being originally an outsider, she does not take the ways of Islam dully as a habit but delights in its refreshing distinction from the materialism and artifice she has known and come to detest. Observing the contrast directly, closely and first hand, Maryam Jameelah’s later works show a seasoned understanding of the inner dynamics that make post-Enlightenment secular-liberal Western society what it is and the influences_ direct and indirect_ it exercises on what it calls the ‘developing’ predominantly Muslim world. She studies and presents an analysis of Western philosophy and traces its evolution till the point where a secular, capitalist-materialist social structure was realized. She analyzes the motives and methods of Western imperialism, colonial rule and the state of perpetual neo-colonialism the Muslim world labours under. She is bitterly critical of modernist Muslims who believe that in the Westernization and ‘modernization’ of Islam lies its hope for survival and progress:

The earliest modernizers in the Muslim world were dismayed by the contrast between the material backwardness of the Muslims and the dazzling energy and concrete accomplishments of Europe. They thought that if only the Muslims could imbibe modern knowledge through modern education, their people would become just as strong, progressive and prosperous.

Some, like Jamaluddin Afghani and Shaikh Muhammad Abduh sincerely believed that this was the proper road to Islamic revival in its call to modern man. The leaders of the Muslim countries accepted this advice without question. More than a century has passed since then but although all Muslim countries have adopted the Western s7stem as their own, they remain poor, weak, backward…

Yet the Orientalists and the modernizers insist that the Muslims are weak because they are not Westernized thoroughly enough and prescribe another dose of the same harmful diet. Those who merely imitate and not create, those who are always passive receptors instead of active givers are defeated in the inevitable course of events because their initial position is one of failure. The call of Islam to modern man can succeed only if it proceeds from a position of strength, independence and self-confidence.

Why is Westernization so attractive to the Muslims as it is for everyone else? It is irresistible because it is easy. Contemporary civilization is based upon self-indulgence while that of Islam requires sacrifice, altruism, discipline, self-control and endurance which are difficult. But self-indulgence leads to decadence and decline while the opposite qualities, which Islam demands, lead to superior strength, unity and virtue. If practiced in its right spirit, Islam leads to social integration. Self-indulgent materialism leads to social disintegration an ultimately collective suicide…

The times in which Maryam Jameelah’s writing is placed, the 1960s to 80s were when the groundwork for contemporary politics was being laid taking shape. Her analysis and observations therefore, help one understand the roots and implications of contemporary socio-political issues. Her work bears striking relevance to current-day dilemmas and issues_ certainly the vision of an eye gifted with foresight.

Although placed in times when the Muslim world was ravaged by modernist post-Kemalist reform movements like President Nasser’s in Egypt, Maryam Jameelah’s work is set apart, shunning all such influences, safely cocooned in her firm fidelity to the fundamental sources of Islam and her sensitive appreciation of Islamic tradition. She passionately defends this ignored treasure, showing it to the world in its unclouded, natural splendour. She believes in the eternal dynamism of Islamic tradition, its eternal relevance as a means to establish a viable egalitarian, peaceful, just and welfare-oriented society in the present day, modelled on the insights provided by the first Muslim community in Madina. She pleads her case convincingly and passionately:

“It is often asserted by orientalists that the values and ideals of traditional Islamic civilization have no relevance, even for Muslims today because, like all non-European cultures, it was the product of an antiquated tradition of the pre-scientific age. They assert that only secularity is relevant to modernity, to change, to continual technological innovations, and their social consequences. Since the genuine Muslim is a traditional man, he can therefore have nothing of relevance to contribute to the daily life of the modern man. But despite the drastic environmental transformation brought about by modern technology, the basic human drives and needs remain unchanged. Therefore modern man is just as thirsty for the spiritual sustenance which alone gives life its meaning, direction and purpose as was his ancestors, even if he is not consciously aware of it.

It is the purpose of those who call modern man to Islam to awaken him to the urgent intensity of these needs, not only for the individual but for the whole of human society. Unfortunately, there remains another great obstacle in the path of a modern appreciation of Islam. Islamic civilization was not only remote from modernity in the technological sense; it seems even more remote from the modern mind in its moral ideals, which cannot be appreciated by the secular man or even regarded by him as desirable. The spiritual ideals of Islam can be understood only by truly God-fearing people, who yearn for God’s mercy and salvation in the Hereafter.

Those who wish to call modern man to Islam must make him understand and appreciate such virtue which is utterly foreign and incomprehensible to the materialist. By an effective presentation of the profound richness of Islamic culture as an historical acuality in the life of the Muslims until the recent past, he must make the modern man appalled by the spiritual poverty in which he must live and long for a better life not limited to this world.” (Islam and Modern Man)

In the context of the contemporary dilemmas of achieving ‘liberation’, ‘pluralism’, ‘enlightened moderation’ outside of Islam and remoulding Muslim societies to toe the Western line and achieve the Western ideal of Secular-liberalism, Maryam Jameelah’s works have perhaps a relevance more than ever before.

While Muslims debate which ‘brand’ of Islam be adopted to appease the imperious demands of Western imperialism; while we concoct the smothering labels of ‘extremist’, ‘secular’, ‘modernist’, ,moderate’, ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ and seek an identity alien to our real, true essence, we need to rediscover the beauty and quiet superiority of the pristine ‘Muslim’ way as lived by the Prophet (S) of Islam and the earliest generation; we need to make that legacy speak to us again of our problems and dilemmas and provide a way forward.

Maryam Jameelah, in throwing overboard the naive presumptions she was socialized into, prejudices she inherited and wholeheartedly choosing to live by the way of Islam  with pride and passion, has a lot to teach us as we still grope in the darkness for an identity.

Maryam Sakeenah in Defiance Here and Here

India's accidental Dairy King

He was a man who saw the world as a conflict between the clever and the foolish, and took the side of both to push his plans through. In his final years, he became a lumbering patriarch with an illuminated face and dark twinkling eyes, who was very aware of his greatness but chose his words with care in a nation where humility is the only permissible form of pride. 

When he was young, a friend took him to an astrologer who discerned people’s fate by measuring their shadows at noon. The shadow astrologer, obviously, worked far from the Equator. Mr. Kurien recounts the experience in his  memoirs, “I Too Had a Dream,” which he wrote with the journalist Gouri Salvi. The astrologer foretold an extraordinary career.

It was an accidental career. He arrived in Anand reluctantly in the summer of 1949 as a government clerk. Circumstances soon made him the general manager of a farmers’ cooperative, the Kaira District Milk Producers Union Ltd.

He swiftly increased the cooperative’s milk production, but to expand it further he needed a scientific breakthrough. He had to find a way to convert buffalo milk into milk powder, which the leading dairy experts of the time said was impossible. But, with the help of a friend who was a chemist, he achieved the seeming miracle. Mr. Kurien implied in his memoirs that the supposed impossibility of converting buffalo milk into powder was a myth created by the Western world, which had abundant cow’s milk and wanted other nations, like India, to continue to import its milk powder.

Over time, Mr. Kurien’s stature rose. Some of the most important politicians in the country, including prime ministers, stayed in his house when they visited Anand. The first time Jawaharlal Nehru stayed with them, Mr. Kurien and his wife, Molly, refrigerated a rose so that the prime minister could put the fresh flower in his buttonhole, as was his style. But soon the couple got tired of all the fuss around dignitaries. Once, a very tall governor was to visit, and his security detail complained that the bed in Mr. Kurien’s guest room was too short. In response, Mr. Kurien asked his excellency to sleep diagonally.

In the late 1950s, Mr. Kurien decided to market the produce of the cooperative through a brand name, and that led to the creation of one of the most enduring Indian brands, Amul Butter. Amul’s billboard advertisements, which play on current affairs, are a parallel historical record of modern India. So endearing is the brand that even The Times of India, which does not grant any corporation free mileage on its editorial pages and even blurs images of company logos in its editorial photographs, carries images of Amul’s billboards when the brand is in the news. Mr. Kurien’s obituary was, inescapably, accompanied by the images of Amul’s billboards in several newspapers.

Rahul Da Cunha, whose advertising agency designs the Amul advertisements, was 6 when he first met Mr. Kurien. At that meeting, he told me: “Dr. Kurien gave me a big box as a gift. I opened it and found just papers. At the bottom was a small cube of Amul cheese.”

Mr. Kurien, who was probably the most famous dairy administrator in the world, didn’t like drinking milk.

Manu Joseph in The New York Times. Here

Life and times of Moulana Abdur Razaq Latheefi

It is the unique documentary of its kind. Jamaat-e-Islami Hind has been striving in India for the establishment of Divine law in all aspects of life. It has attracted millions of noble souls and changed and shaped their lives. It continues to attract and mould countless human beings throughout the nook and corner of this country.

It has produced many stalwarts and stars. Moulana Abdur Razaq Latheefi is one of them. When we, a handful of youth and students made the goal of establishing Deen as our mission he was not in the scene. But, we grew up hearing moving, soul stirring anectodes about him. As we had Moulana M A Jameel Ahmed and Moulana H Abdur Raqeeb who never get tired of narrating anectodes from the life of Moulana Abdur Razaq Latheefi Sahib. Hence Latheefi Sahib is not alien to us.

But, still, we could not get the full picture. We had never seen his photograph. We never knew how he looked like.

Here is a documentary on the life and times of Moulana Abdur Razaq Latheefi Sahib. It is informative, inspiring and good. Scores of leaders and veterans of the Islamic movement introduce you various aspects of this towering personality. S. M. Malik Sahib's version would continue to echo in your mind : "Moulana used to undertake tours after tours. He used to remember the names and addresses of three hundred members. He never needed a file or assistant." It is simply amazing. Nowadays in this age we have become addicted to our cell phones, computers. Sometimes we tend to forget our own numbers.

Moulana Abdul Azeez Sahib and Moulana Sirajul Hasan Sahib extol the leadership quality of the late Moulana. Shakeel Anwar Sahib sheds light on his milli qidmat. Scores of his sons including Br Abdur Raqeeb Latheefi, my friend, remember him passionately.

It is worth watching. Here and Here

The arrest of Professor Ghulam Azam: a grandchild's account

Our last visit was limited to a paltry half hour with the four of us observed by eleven standing security personnel and several CCTV cameras. My grandfather was laid across the prison bed, physically weaker than I have ever seen him to be, yet encouragement emanating from his eyes and softly spoken words. I am reminded of his last message. before arrest, calling on his followers to prioritise the protection of the nation and its people over any concern for him and to obey the law. It is a testament to his courage in the face of adversity, his devotion to his country and his spiritual strength while the rest of us quail. My grandfather has always been a frank and honest man. He has remained steadfast by his ideals and his hopes for his country, dedicating his life to these causes in a way I have never witnessed from any other person. As I witness his unchanged spirit in his prison cell, I realise that a man of integrity cannot be conquered.

A. Azam in Open Democracy. (A. Azam is the grandchild of Professor Ghulam Azam and a writer based in Britain.) More Here

Vinod Mehta steps out of Outlook

Atlast Vinod Mehta has stepped out of Outlook. He had been the moving spirit, face and symbol behind Outlook.

I like Vinod Mehta. He may be a drunkard. He may have a dog with him and call it 'Editor'. But still he fought against the fascists - Sangh Pariwar. He may have played soft hindutva occasionally. He may have sided with Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasreen. But still he was the one of those who pierced the Hindutva balloon. He may have sided with the congressis but still he gave the voice for the voiceless, however feeble it may be. He may have brought out dirty, pornographic content as sex specials and bollywood specials. But still he was the one who cracked the betting syndicate in Indian cricket. He may have witch hunted Azharuddin but still he was the one who gave space for Arundhati Roy.

I had been one of the vivid readers of Outlook for ten years. I have criticised him bitterly and he continued to publish my letters in his magazine. I may not miss him as I stopped reading Outlook since 2006 when I was assigned an important project. The project absorbed all of my time and I could not afford to read Outlook and other magazines. But still I used to read it online now and then and continued to watch Vinod Mehta's utterances in Times Now and NDTV. 

He could never be a role model. Nevertheless his boldness, brazenness are admirable. He would always be remembered as the brave journalist who fought tirelessly against the Modis, Advanis and Singhals. I had always dreamed of giving him an award for communal harmony. 

As they say every good thing comes to an end. Alvida Vinod!


More Here and Here and Here

Mohamed Badie, the man who matters most in Egypt

Who is the man at the helm of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, now poised to lead Egypt in the post-Mubarak era?

Liberals view him as an uncompromising religious conservative and even within the Muslim Brotherhood some doubt his ability to lead. Will Mohamed Badie succeed in uniting the Muslim Brotherhood and forming a parliamentary majority?

The press conference was set to start at noon, but at one the long table at the front of the tightly packed room remained empty. The cameramen were still jostling to set up their equipment, jamming their heavy tripods into what remained of the spaces along the walls.

It almost didn’t matter, everyone knew the story they were there for. It was all about the man who would finally take his seat at the table at 2 PM: The Muslim Brotherhood’s General Masul, the General Guide, Mohamed Badie. It was September 2010 and parliamentary elections, were on everyone’s minds, as they are today. Especially when it came to predicting the power of the Muslim Brotherhood in those elections.

Mohamed Badie Abdul Mageed Samy, a highly educated man with roots in labour rights and a strong commitment to outreach, is poised to become one of the most influential powers in the ‘new Egypt.’ Yet, his rise from relative obscurity to the forefront of national politics has left many Egyptians perplexed. Liberals view him as an uncompromising religious conservative and even within the Muslim Brotherhood some doubt his ability to lead. Will Mohamed Badie succeed in uniting the Muslim Brotherhood and forming a parliamentary majority?

 Maryam Ishani in Majalla. Here and Here

Family first, Job next: Thasneem Fathima

Thasneem Fathima

I first went to the AMU in 2002. At that time, I had never even dreamt that I would study there. After marriage, when my husband planned to go to the AMU for PhD, I too tried hard and passed the GATE. Thus I joined there. The Electrical Engineering Department was excellent. All the professors were eminent in their fields. And I would like to mention two who were highly inspirational and gave me confidence – Dr Yusuf Zaman and Dr Omar Faruq. Compared to the other institutes I have studied, education at the AMU was enjoyable and tension-free. Initially I had a problem of language for communicating with the local students, but I soon got it over. There was a thrill in studying in such a distant place.

Actually I increased contact with Almighty Allah after going to the AMU. There was a Muslim culture and atmosphere in the Department. Teachers used to say ‘Assalamu Alaikum’ when entering classes. There is a masjid in the centre of the Engineering College, with all the departments around it. There were facilities for prayer in the department itself. There were eight students in my class at the AMU – three Muslim girls and five non-Muslim boys. Among the teaching staff, there was only one non-Muslim. But, here in the NIT-C where I am pursuing PhD now, there are no Muslim teachers at all. There are seven students in my batch with one Muslim boy and girl.

Being a married woman with two kids, how do you manage your family and career?
Time management is very important in studying. Normally we study one or two hours daily, and I study when my kids sleep. I utilize the available time well. Also, I had servant to help at home. My youngest son was only one and half years old when I joined for M Tech. The support of family is very important. I got complete support from my husband and in-laws. Actually, my percentage of marks increased after marriage.

Most important things in the matter of education and studies are peace of mind and prayer. I used to call up and talk to my parents and parents-in-law before every exam and ask them to pray. Their prayer is very important for me. Actually I had more people to encourage and inspire after marriage. Help of Allah is the most important thing.

When studying I had never thought of a career in teaching. But now since I want to keep family and career together, I took this up. Even when I am tired during the project days, I get brightened up when I see my kids and their smile. I have dedicated my project work to my husband and kids.

What is your advice to the growing up students, especially girls?
Though family, education and job are important, family comes a bit higher.

Thasneem Fathima in Two circles. Here

Moulana Khudbudeen Ahmed Baqawi is no more!

Moulana Khudbudeen Ahmed Baqawi, former Muawin Ameer-e-Halqa of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Tamil Nadu is no more. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajiwoon. He breathed his last in faraway Singapore today evening. He had gone there to be with his daughter there. It is said that he suffered a massive heart attack which proved to be fatal.

Moulana Khudbudeen Ahmed Baqawi is a legend here. He was involved with the translation of The Holy Quran. It was his magnum opus.Moulana undertook this noble task under the active encouragement of Moulana M A Jameel Ahmed Sahib when there was no translation available in Tamil. Now we have dozens of translations available in the market.

Moulana Khudbudeen Sahib's contribution in the Tamil literary field is enormous. He has translated many books in Tamil. He is from Aravakurichi and got attracted to the Islamic movement when he was serving as a Imam in Villivakkam, Chennai. Moulana S M Malik of Hyderabad who was residing in Chennai then introduced him the revolutionery message of the tahreek. Moulana M. A. Jameel Ahmed Sahib identified and nurtured his talent in translating books.

Besides Moulana has trained, groomed and evolved many activists to the Iyakkam. Br T. E. Naser. Br Sheikh Dawood, Br Ashraf Ali and scores of youngsters were groomed by him. One of his star product is our own Br S. N. Sikkander, the present chief of Welfare Party of India. It could be said that an entire generation of youngsters got inspired by him. There was a time when not a single tarbiyati ijtema would be held without his speech or dars. His room in the IFT complex served as the training centre for all of those who had got attached with the Iyakkam. Moulana is very soft spoken. He had his own way of giving lectures. He was very amiable. He was very humble and polite. He used to lead the salat in Jamaat Office. He had this unique voice. His Qirat was exceptionally good and mellowing.

It is very difficult to think that he is no more. Two or three weeks back he came to see me. We had tea. We discussed a lot. Moulana shared some of his personal thoughts and plans. He declared that he had resigned from the post of Principal of Jamia Kulliatus Salam with his charecteristic smile and shining eyes. He said in the same breath that he had not resigned from the Jamaat and would continue to strive for the Nasbul ayn of the Jamaat till the last breath.May Allah grant him Jannat ul Firdaus. Ameen.  

R K Narayan of Malgudi: "India will go on"

2011 marks the 10th death anniversary of one of India’s most-loved authors, RK Narayan. Step back with us to Malgudi, that “vague place not found anywhere”, peopled with sign-painters and sweet vendors, Swami and his friends. Was it really a timeless stage for the charming human comedy of small men and small schemes? And what would it have been today, this small town in 21st century India?

Rasipuram krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, BA, had just emerged from an unfortunate stint of schoolmastering. An abject failure in the classroom, he had returned to his family home in Mysore, trying hard to give the impression of knowing what he was doing. He would wake, bathe, and take his coffee — his standards were exacting — and head out, an umbrella in one hand, a pen and pad in the other. Under a tree at the foot of Chamundi Hill, he would sit and write.

Inevitably, a sceptical uncle demanded to inspect the fruits of the young man’s endeavours. He was unimpressed: “What’s this Malgudi? Where is it? Why do you write about some vague place not found anywhere, while there are millions of real places you can write about?”

Narayan was not one to speak of these matters explicitly, but Malgudi was a town whose people were divided — as they would be — in all the usual ways: caste, class, gender, and religion. Equally, they were brought together in all the usual ways: blood, friendship, enmity, and work. The Malgudi of the novels is not, contrary to an old cliché, in any sense timeless. It is shaped by all the usual forces of history, religion, conquest, migration, and colonialism, though Narayan never alluded to these matters explicitly.

Some have been troubled by Narayan’s silence on the big questions.

VS Naipaul and Narayan had met once, in London in 1961. Asked about the prospects for India after Nehru, Narayan had pronounced sagely: “India will go on”.

If we could visit Malgudi, we would see changes of the same sort we see elsewhere in small-town India. Cable television, the internet, mobile phones, certainly, and more generally, a rise in wealth and entrepreneurship. No doubt the great social movements based on caste and religion of the last few decades, many of them violent, would have left their mark on the small town. Some of this has been chronicled by other Indian writers — Pankaj Mishra in Butter Chicken in Ludhiana (1995), or Naipaul in his own India: A Million Mutinies Now (1990). Perhaps the novel Narayan was planning from his hospital bed would have dealt with some of these matters.

Yet, the mutinies of contemporary India invite us to pose some of Narayan’s questions. Does money necessarily make one happier? And to what extent are happiness and suffering, success and failure, matters not of individual striving but of luck? These are deep questions, but we should not be too quick to write off Narayan’s response, not so much an answer as an attitude: of irony, of scepticism, of caution, and a faith that Malgudi, and India, will go on.

Nakul Krishna in Indian Express. Here

Kutty on Sonia: Buy one get two free!

When two practitioners, generations apart, sit down to chat, a one-way flow of wisdom should naturally ensue. Among other things, this cartoonist defied this one too. On that August morning in 1985 when I met him first, Kutty was at the INS building earlier than the place had woken up. “I come in by nine to drop my cartoon at the Ananda Bazar office and leave before the wise guys turn up,” were his opening remarks.

He had little use for peer inputs, “however wise or otherwise”. Before anyone else in the Capital, he had made up his mind on the day’s newsmakers and the verdict signed and sealed was ready for dispatch. Quite apart from Abu, Vijayan and Rajinder Puri, the editorial cartoonists I grew up on, Kutty came with no thought balloon. This compact cartoonist just sat there freely chatting, waving his hands about and the cartoon seemed to emerge like a gestural extension. Pen and paper were incidental to his art. He would grab the most non-descript of writing instruments and sketch on anything short of the blotting sheet, waste newsprint to butter paper. The drawing looked amazingly finished, with all things cartoonish in place, including that inimitable impishness which marked his work.

In Ananda Bazar Patrika he went on to become the best known Bengali cartoonist. He had already done his riyaz on B C Sen, Atulya Ghosh and the two barristers who ran Bengal — Siddharth Shankar Ray and Jyoti Basu. Kutty knew his turf but the unknown part is awesome. This Malayali, who knew no Bangla, wrote his terse captions in English for the news desk to translate into Bangla. From Bengal’s Bihari, Oriya immigrants to the rooted bhadralok, none noticed this historic sweep of the fragile news cartoon across three languages.

E P Unny in Indian Express. Here

Khushwant Singh: "I may die any day now"

Last week, lakhs of newspaper readers across the country woke up to find their weekly fix missing. The ‘Sardar in the lightbulb’, loved and loathed in over 17 Indian languages, had hung up his pen without saying goodbye. After more than 70 uninterrupted years of ceaselessly needling readers, Khushwant Singh suddenly decided he’d had enough. “I’m 97,” (he isn’t, he’s 96) “I may die any day now,” is all he’ll say about his self-imposed exile into silence.

 “I’ll miss the money,” he says when I prod him, adding as an afterthought: “And the people fawning over me to write about them in my columns.” Fat chance, considering that the same evening, he was entertaining two editors, one of whom was trying to trawl yet another book out of his old columns and the other had brought along his latest novel for him to review. “You want me to praise it?” he asked, almost innocently. “Yes!” was the fervent response. Perhaps he did not know Khushwant’s column-writing days are over.

It couldn’t have been much fun: getting up before dawn every single day, an endless round of deadlines, chasing payments, readers’ letters, keeping track of events, and people dropping in, hoping to be written about. Now that he has given it all up, you’d think he’d rest. But he’s already reaching for his yellow legal pad, scribbling away as if it’s a guilty pleasure. “I can’t stop,” he says a trifle sheepishly, “I don’t know how to sit and do nothing.” The columns are done and over with—but it looks as if another book is on its way.

Sheela Reddy in Outlook. Here

Sarhad ke uss paar se kuch mehman aye they : A tribute to Jagjit Singh

The crowning glory was without doubt his rendition of Ghalib’s timeless poetry for Gulzar’s unforgettable television serial based on the life of the great poet, brilliantly essayed by Naseeruddin Shah. While the bard has always been a favorite of most ghazal singers, perhaps no one has presented Ghalib as Jagjit has. Each one of those ghazals, every line indeed, is a rare gem, forcing you to listen again and again. He poured his heart into Ghalib forever tugging at the heartstrings of his audience. This from someone who didn’t study Urdu at school nor did inherit it from his parents.

What is most fascinating though is his universal appeal and how he touched millions of lives around the world and helped them connect. I have been amazed by the spontaneous outpouring of grief across the border in Pakistan. Hours after his death, Pakistani television networks paid fulsome tributes to the singer, vying with those across the border. The two leading English dailies of the country, Dawn and the News International, even carried editorials recounting his stupendous contribution. It’s not often that you see Pakistani media shower such unqualified and unreserved praise on an artist from the other side. Which incidentally holds true for Indian media as well.

I remember years ago when I expressed my hopeless admiration for Mehdi Hassan, a Pakistani friend had surprised me by declaring, “but I love Jagjit Singh! He’s incredible.” She found solace in Jagjit’s comforting voice amid all the confusion and pressures and demands of an expat existence.

As India and Pakistan mourn the singer, I am once again struck by all that the separated at birth twins have in common despite the unpleasantness of the past few decades and wars they have fought on and off the field.

Despite the best efforts of our perpetually scheming politicians, duplicitous diplomats and ever zealous media to divide us and poison our relations, what unites and bonds us, Indians and Pakistanis, is still greater than what divides us. From music to culture to literature and from food to sports to arts, the things that ordinary people of India and Pakistan share is truly mind-boggling.

Much of what Jagjit Singh sang was not just about love, longing and the heart-wrenching pain of losing a loved one, usual themes of a traditional ghazal. The songs of innocence and experience that he sang were also about finding peace amid conflict, keeping your sanity when everyone around you is losing theirs. The collection of Gulzar’s pNaetry, Marasim, to which Jagjit lent his voice is a dream about reuniting with long lost friends from across the divide (“Sarhad ke uss paar se kuch mehman aye they”).
The day he suffered that wretched brain hemorrhage, from which he never recovered, the singer was to join his old friend and fellow traveler from Lahore, Ghulam Ali, for a rare concert in New Delhi. Indeed, it was to be a series of concerts bringing together the best of voices from both sides of the Indo-Pak border.

It may sound like a silly call from a sentimental scribe but this is what we all need to do — bring together the voices of reason and sanity from India and Pakistan. There has never been a greater need to speak out for love, peace and reason — and not just in South Asia. There cannot be a better tribute to Jagjit’s enduring legacy.

Aijaz Zaka Syed in Arab News. Here

My pen has not retired: Moulana Kausar Yazdani

What change you find in the Jamaat’s work?
There was a time, say up to first forty years of the Jamaat’s formation that everyone was very sincere without any concern about personal amenities. Now the situation has changed. Even full time workers’ officialdom and personal concerns have increased at the cost of sincerity. Now it has a become a routine job beginning at, say, 9 A.M. and continuing up to, say, 5 P.M. Earlier the atmosphere was of total devotion to the object of the Jamaat. There are exceptions, no doubt, but my feeling is based on overall atmosphere.

What are your engagements these days?
After retirement from the Jamaat I have kept myself busy in translation work into the Hindi language. I have translated Bukhari in three volumes. A publisher provides me books for translation and I do the job. My pen has not retired.

Moulana Kausar Yazdani in conversation with Dr Waquar Anwar in Radiance weekly. Here


A towering personality among Muslims

Moulana Kausar Yazdani was not just a journalist or writer, but an active worker and a leader also. He became chief of J. I. H. (Delhi & Haryana State) in 1979 and remained so till 1995. At that time, he used to start his day before morning prayers (salat Fajr), read daily news paper and wrote editorial, etc. Later, he worked for the Kanti till about 1’o clock. After 3 or 5’o clock in the afternoon, to 11 in the night, he spent his time, visiting different places of Delhi & Haryana for Dawah and Islamic awekening. It was his daily routine. In 1995 he was called to central office of the Jamaat as its all India secretary to look after the Dawah work from which he just retired. Nadvi translated about 40 books in Hindi and wrote a dozen books.

Javed Ali in Milli Gazette. Here

Moulana Kausar Yazdani was laid to rest in New Delhi

Maulana Dr. Kausar Yazdani, a renowned Islamic scholar, author, journalist, activist and former Secretary for Dawah, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), breathed his last on August 29 at his residence in New Delhi following a brief illness. He was 76.

His funeral prayer was led by Amir JIH Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Omari after Zuhr prayers on August 30. He was laid to rest in Batla House Graveyard. He left behind three sons and one daughter.

A report in Radiance Weekly. Here

Syed Tanver Ahmed awarded

Syed Tanveer Ahmed, Chief Editor of www.karnatakamuslims.com, news portal and Karnataka Muslims fortnightly newspaper was conferred with the “Sadbhavna Award for Journalism” yesterday in a glittering ceremony here. The award instituted by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India under the auspices of Nehru Yuvaka Kendra was given to eminent achievers in different fields such as Arts, Literature, Journalism, Sports, Film, Theatre, and others.

While conferring the award in the Journalism category to Mr. Tanveer, the dignitaries acknowledged the “valuable services of Mr. Tanveer under whose leadership the news portal www.karnatakamuslims.com is playing a constructive role in bridging the gap between Muslim and other communities of Karnataka. Within a short span of a year the news portal has done a lot in this direction.” The speakers congratulated him on receiving the award and also on the launch of Karnataka Muslims fortnightly newspaper.

Freedom fighters, Kannada film actors, litterateurs, and other eminent personalities graced the occasion while Sri Shivrudra Mahaswamy of Shri Bele Mutt Sanstha presented the awards. Swamiji addressing the gathering lavishly quoted from Vedas and Kannada poetry of Dr. Nisar Ahmed to emphasize the role of positive journalism in building a just society. He called upon the youth to play their role in the nation building.

Congratulating Mr. Tanveer, the Swamiji was “very happy to see people like Tanveer Sahab and their good work for the society.”

Mr. Tanveer said, “A larger section of the English media does not give proper space to the community activities, instead, negative aspects are highlighted. We at Karnataka Muslims aim to present the positive image and constructive activities of the Muslim community. We have provided a platform for the community and are striving to be the voice of the voiceless. The reader’s support to the Karnataka Muslims is growing by the day. Any award is acknowledgment to the readers’ encouragement and our dedicated team.”

A news in Karnataka Muslims. Here

Indian behind the Downgrading of America

Credit rating firm Standard & Poor’s, which stripped the U.S. of its top-notch triple-A credit rating on Friday, is headed by India-born Deven Sharma.

The downgrade has sent jitters across governments and investors around the world as they try to figure out what this means for them and whether the downgrade could trigger a major market downturn. Major European governments, for instance, held an emergency meeting on Sunday to chart their plan of action.

Meanwhile, S&P has received a lot of flak for the downgrade, especially from U.S. Treasury officials  who complained there was no justification for it and noticed a $2 trillion error in S&P’s calculation.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Sunday, Mr. Sharma said the rating cut was in the best interest of investors. “Our ratings are forward-looking. And part of making ratings forward-looking is for the benefit of investors, to give them a view about how we see the future risks of the credit unfolding,” he said.
It remains to be seen what the long-term impact will be but, in the short-term, stock investors have been hurt.

Asian markets were trading lower midday Monday and India’s benchmark Sensex fell to a 14-month low in morning trading, losing 2.7% to touch 16,835.

But who is Mr. Sharma, the president of S&P?  As the company’s president, he also oversees S&P’s analysts in the rating committees. They are the ones who decided to downgrade the U.S.’s credit rating. Mr. Sharma has been at Standard & Poor’s since 2006 as executive vice-president and was promoted to president a year later. Before that, he was an executive vice-president at The McGraw-Hill Companies, S&P’s parent company, for five years.

Shefali Anand in Wall Street Journal. More Here
 Read Q&A With S&P President Deven Sharma here

Tipu Sultan and the Chennai connection

Ask any Chennaiite about the city’s connection with arms production and the spontaneous reply could be the Heavy Vehicles Factory at Avadi, which manufactures the indigenous Arjun Main Battle Tank. But, South India’s tryst with weaponry and ordnance manufacturing dates back to over 200 years, according to experts at the government museum in Egmore. The exhibit of the model of the State Gun of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan is, they said, a pointer to that. 

The miniature of State Gun displayed at the museum as the ‘Exhibit of the Week’ was fabricated at the Gun Carriage Manufactory of Madras for the Superintendent Major John Maintland, commemorating the victory of English East India Company over Tipu Sultan of Srirangapatnam near Mysore in 1799 during the Mysore War IV.

According to C Maheswaran, Curator, Archaeology Section, Government Museum, the British seized several cannons after defeating Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatman on May 21, 1799. “Thereafter, a miniature of the State Gun was made at the Gun Carriage in Chennai in the same year,” he added.

Interestingly, the Government Museum acquired the model just for Rs 60. During the pre-Independence era, the British government had transferred several objects to the museum  free of cost though a few historical exhibits like the State Gun model, which were sold for a price.

Historians claim that cannons were not conceptualised by the British — a popular belief among the countrymen — but was actually introduced by the Mughal emperor Babur in India. Firearm was an invention of the Chinese, who passed on the technology to the Mughals as the two races had good relations with each other. Hyder Ali and his successor Tipu Sultan developed the cannons to effectively counter the British during the four Mysore wars.Maheswaran said that Tipu Sultan could be termed a master in warfare, including the guerrilla warfare.

“Tipu Sultan was a legend during his lifetime, who ruled Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. He set up arsenals in almost all the areas under his control, constructing watch towers on the hill tops to have a watch on the enemies,” he observed.

The big guns have since gone silent. But the model of the State Gun manufactured by the British tells a tale — of bravery, resilience and resistance – of a ruler called Tipu Sultan to the present generation.

Yogesh Kabirdoss in The New Indian Express dated 9 Aug 2011. Here

Little school kids walk into the main building of the Government Museum Egmore to be stopped in front of a miniature model displayed as the ‘exhibit of the week'. 

“So, what is that?” asks a museum staff. “It is a bullock cart,” says a girl. Most of them have no clue as to the display – the miniature of the gun used by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan to fight the expansion of English East India Company. 

C. Maheswaran, curator, anthropology section, patiently tells them the story — rather, the history — behind the miniature model. “At the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799 A.D during Mysore War III, the English East India Company captured the State gun of Hyder and Tipu. In memory of this historical moment, it created a model of the gun in brass at its gun carriage manufactory in Madras the same year,” he says, adding the state gun is in Srirangapatinam. 

The children keep nodding their heads and walk away and the next batch of noisy kids troops in. “It is like a time capsule. We don't know where the gun carriage manufactory was in Madras but it was fabricated under the supervision of Major John Maintland,” he says. 

Inscriptions

The swell of the muzzle of mounted gun is shaped like the conventional head of Yazhi (the mythical animal). Urdu inscriptions are noticed on the stock of carriage. On the vertical bar, the word ‘Seringapatam' (Srirangapatinam) is noticed and on the horizontal bar the words, ‘progress' and ‘decline', are inscribed in equi-distance. 

“There is this word ‘Hoonsur” inscribed in Kannada. Probably, it could be the place where Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan manufactured the guns,” says Mr. Maheswaran. Interestingly, the Government Museum acquired this miniature exhibit for Rs 60.

A report in The Hindu dated 9 Aug 2011. Here

Dr Fazlur Rahman Fareedi (Faridi) is no more!

Eminent Islamic Scholar, Ideologue and Islamic Economist, Dr. Fazlurrahman Faridi expired today (monday, 25th July 2011) morning. (Inna lillahi wa inna iliaihi rajiiwoon.) Namaz-e-Janaza and Tadfeen will be on 26th July 2011 at 8:30 AM at Aligarh.

Dr. Faridi has been the member of Markazi Majlis-e-Shura of Jamaat, Editor of Zindagi-e-Nau, Director Research and Study, and has been on board of many trusts and organisations. He wrote many books on Islamic Economic, and on the ideology and strategies of Tahreek in India.

His books on general economics and Islamic Economics are:
1. Nature and Significance of Economic Activity in Islam.
2. Towards a Theory of Fiscal Policy in Islam.
3. Economic Developments and Islamic Moral Values.
4. Essays in Islamic Economic Analysis.
5. Islamic Economics and Economy of Indian Muslims.
6. Living as a Muslim in a Plural Society.
7. Economic Development and Fiscal Policy in Egypt.
8. Indian Economic Development and Planning (1951-1965).
Dr. Faridi was born on 2nd April 1932 in Machli Shahar, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. He got Primary Education, high school and intermediate from Jaunpur. He learnt Arabic and Islamiat from Rampur. He did Masters in Economics and Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University. He retired as Professor of Economics after a long career in research and teaching in India and abroad.

More Here and Here

H Abdur Raqeeb writes:  

May Allah grant him Jannah

Dr Fazlur Rahman Faridi, was the Chairman of Indian Centre for Islamic Finance-ICIF, New Delhi which is spearheading and striving the cause of Islamic Finance and Banking in our country. One year ago, when he was in the hospital he inaugurated the website of the organization viz., www.icif.in, which is extremely popular and seen in over 50 countries of the world. (News of the launching ceremony Link Here)

When RBI constituted a Working Group in 2005 to study the feasibility of Islamic banking instruments, he was the chief convener of an international conference by JIH, entitled- Equity & Justice: Message of Islamic Banking in FICCI Auditorium which provided an impetus to the activities increasing awareness among the masses, madarsas and mainstream media and the regulators, the need and relevance of Islamic Finance and Banking in our great country.

May Allah grant him Jannah

H Abdur Raqeeb, General Secretary, ICIF in email.

Hazrat Khadija was my inspiration : Ishrat Shahabuddin Shaikh

She owns Shalimar hotel, a famous and highly successful eating joint in South Mumbai. She also runs a school SAFA, which has the unique distinction of imparting modern as well as religious education to its students.

Meet Ishrat Shahabuddin Shaikh, 42, a widow and an entrepreneur who epitomizes the idea of brilliant management as she runs her eating joint and also brings up five kids all alone. Born and brought up in Azamgarh Shaikh comes from a modestly rich family. She migrated to Mumbai after she got married Shahabuddin Shaikh at the age of 18

Shanno as Ishrat is popularly known within her family, was a housewife enjoying a peaceful and happy life until her family met with an accident in 2002. She lost her husband; her daughter, Khansa and other two daughters Zara and Sara got seriously injured.

While talking to TCN, Ishrat said, “That gruesome accident shattered my life into pieces. I was in a situation, where on the one hand I had to bring up my kids and at the same time I had to take over the business. Then there was SAFA School also, which was the dream of my husband.”

At that time her businessmen brothers and her mother-in-law, Rehana Shaikh, a highly religious woman, who lost her only son, encouraged her to look after the multi crore, multi cuisine restaurant, Shalimar which employs nearly 350 employees and is spread across 18000 sq.ft.

Shaikh takes her inspiration from Hazrat Khadija, “Hazrat Khadija, wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a businesswoman and that finally motivated me to join the business.” Talking about hijab, Ishrat said, “Veil is never a deterrent but interestingly it helped me dealing with outsiders and my employees.”

She also attributed her successful business to her employees and staff in the hotel and in the school. She is very loving and caring towards her staff. Arshad a sweeper in the hotel said, “Madam, always call me as Arshad Bhai that sounds very loving.”

“Love can win you anyone in this world and these are the people who helped me at the time of distress. I am very grateful to them.” Ishrat said.

The most important aspect of the hotel is the taste of food it serves. “Taste of our dishes has improved a lot since the time Ishrat Madam took over,” informed, Abdul Rehman Azmi, manager of the hotel. “She even introduced sweet section and consolidated Dastarkhwan; five enclosed cabins offer sit-down seating from 2 people to a dozen, pure white upholstery and rare privacy in Mumbai. Each cabin has its own telephone and more importantly best suited for the family,” said Abdul Rehman Azmi.

Umaer, 23, Ishrat’s son who joined her mother at the age of 16, is geared up to open two more branches of Shalimar hotel in Andheri, western suburb and at Vashi, an eastern suburb of Mumbai.

Talking about her future plans, Ishrat said that she is planning to handover the hotel to her son, “Umaer is big enough to handle the business and I will concentrate on SAFA School. From this year only we are starting SAFA Junior College.”

Rehan Ansari's report in Two Circle. Here

Signs from the Holy Quran

“I learnt new English words,” writes Sajitha in my notepad. “I want to cultivate my mind. Kafeel has taught us how. I will do my best to spread this,” writes K.V. Karthikeyan. “I'm happy I came,” scribbles A. Abdul Rajeed. It's lunch break for Sayed Abdul Kafeel's class of 50-odd hearing impaired students. The just concluded session on lessons from the Quran has them all pepped-up. 

Value education

This is Kafeel's yearly session in the city organised by the Coimbatore Islamic Cultural Trust (Kafeel is from Kozhikode). He teaches values such as obedience, honesty, generosity, etc. in a way that is appealing. There are jokes and instances from day-to-day life, all woven together as a PowerPoint Presentation. Armed with his laptop and a few CDs, the 42-year-old travels across the country with a purpose — to teach Quran to the hearing-impaired people of his community. 

Speech and hearing-impaired himself, Kafeel has been doing this for over eight years now.

“I am a happy man,” he says in sign language. But, it took him a long time to get here. Kafeel is a school drop-out. “Our family lived in Mandya and I stayed with an aunt to attend school in Bangalore.”

Life was hard for the youngster as none of his relatives made an effort to communicate with him in sign language. “I was lonely,” he says. His family owned a travel company, and Kafeel tried to work there. But, his disability came in the way. “I did not have an interpreter back then, so communicating with customers was very difficult.”

“In 2000, I shifted to Kozhikode and married a hearing impaired girl.” Kafeel smiles at the thought of his marriage. “My wife's family knew no other language but Malayalam and my family knew only Urdu. Whenever they met, the two groups would communicate only in sign language!”

A chance to learn

It was in Kozhikode that Kafeel decided to take the Quran to the hearing impaired. “The hearing impaired in our community did not have a place to learn our scriptures and I decided to do something about it,” he says.

Kafeel approached ISM (Ithihadu Shubhanil Mujahideen), an NGO. With their support, about 300 deaf people from near-by villages were gathered. “Initially, a person read out portions of the Quran which was interpreted into sign language.” Classes were conducted for two hours every Friday. Kafeel watched from a distance. “But, I felt there was something missing. There were misinterpretations and mistakes. Our students had difficulty understanding.” Gradually, the numbers dropped. That's when Kafeel decided to take over. He pored over an English version of the Quran and selected portions of it for the benefit of the hearing impaired.

People came from all over Kerala for his classes. Carpenters, painters, daily wage labourers…Friday evenings with Kafeel became popular in the region. 

“In 2004, we registered our organisation, ‘The Truth of Deaf Da'wa Wings,” he says. Back then, Kafeel also taught value education to school children in the evenings. 

A good influence

“A lot of deaf teenage boys, who indulged in smoking and drinking just to be accepted by the other kids, changed for the better,” he smiles.

Kafeel put together a CD with verses from the Quran in sign language. “I've signed about 25per cent of the Quran so far,” he says. “I hope to complete it in about 20 years.” He has also trained some of his promising students to teach the hearing impaired in their areas. He has trainers in places such as Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Patna and Chennai who take lessons from him every month.

A good response

During his travels Kafeel interacts with speech and hearing impaired people from all walks of life. “A lot of our people are uneducated. They lack any kind of support,” he says. He thus conceived the idea of ‘Ability Institute for the Hearing Impaired,' which was set up with the backing of ISM in 2009. “We have courses such as B.Com with Tally, BCA, BSc I.T, Indian Sign Language, etc. approved by the government of Kerala.” As the principal of the institution, Kafeel is now a busy man. “We have a stream of applications coming in,” he smiles. 

Kafeel is pleasantly surprised at the amount of support and positive response he got from people across the country when he approached them with a proposal to conduct Quran classes.

Akila Kannadasan's report in The Hindu. Here

Omar Mukhtar Lion of Desert

Omar Mukhtar has been my favourite heroes. I came to know about this brave freedom fighter duritng college days when the film Omar Mukhtar the lion of the desert was released.

At those days I got myself attached with the Islamic movement and totally abstained from watching films. It was an experience - soothing, exhilerating one - to shoo away the influence of films.  Initially I counted the days without films. I counted upto 100. Then it is history. But Omar Mukhtar is the only exception. It was the only film I viewed in Theatre. I remember vividly the day I viewed in erstwhile Alankar Theatre in Madras. Note : I watched it with Brs P M Yousuf Patel, C Muhammad Parvez stalwarts of SIO then. We had gone to see the film after attending a three day training camp!


Then Br T Yousuff Basha gave the book on Omar Mukhtar. It was written by marumalarchi Yousuf Sahib and the narration was gripping. I read it while travelling in a bus. And I read it again and again. Here you can watch it.