Festivals

Sayyid Abul A•la Maududi
}
WORSHIP
AND
·fESTIVALS
IN
ISLAM
Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
English rendered by
Mansoor Durrani
Markazi Maktaba lslami Publishers, New Delhi

Human Welfare Trust Publication No.230
©Human Welfare Trust (Regd.) New Delhi
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the copyright owner.
Name of the Book

Worship And Festivals In Islam
English Version of Urdu
"Shab-e-Bar'at, Rozah Aur Zabt-e-Nafs, Eid-ul-Fitr Kis ke Liye,
Eid-e-Qurban and Mee/ad-un-Nabi"
Pages: 56
Author
Maulana Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi
English Rendered by
Mansoor Durrani
Edition June 2012 1,100 '
Price : Rs. 28.00
Published by
M-trknzi Mnktaba lslami Publishers
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Printed at H.S Offset Printers, N.Delhi-2

CONTENTS
7
SHAB-E-BAR' AT
English Version of Urdu Shab-e-Bar'at
13
FASTING AND SELF-RESTRAINT
English version of Urdu Roza Aur Zabt-e-Nafs
19
EID-UL-FITR FOR WHOM ?
English version of Urdu Eid-ui-Fitr Kis Ke Liye
33
EID-UL-AZHA
English version of Urdu Eid-e-Qurban
43
MEELAD-UN-NABI
English version of Urdu Meelad-un-Nabi
In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
FOREWORD
Maulana Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi was an
outstanding Islamic scholar; a proficient speaker; an
accomplished author; a thinker par excellence. He
illuminated the Twentieth Century by his endeavours
of reviving Islamic way of life in the Muslim society.
He laid the foundation of an Islamic movement which
is known in the sub-continent as Jamaat-e-lslami.
Maulana Maududi realized that a true Islamic
society cannot come into existence unless the basis
concepts of Muslims, with regard to Islam are clarified.
He chose to educate Muslims from scratch and
authored dozens of books which helped in attaining
this goal. He noticed that because Muslims, in this
part of the world, are living with a huge population
of non-Muslim compatriots, they have been
influenced, consciously or unconsciously, by their
culture and civilization.
Islam is a deen which preaches Monotheism, and
based on this faith attempts to build a society which
retains exclusivity in ~very sphere of life. The
philosophy of Islamic ibadah is different and the theory
of Islamic festival is distinct. Maulana Maududi
illustrated the true spirit of Ramazan. He presented
the real objective behind the only Islamic festivals
namely; Eid-ul-fitr and Eid-ui-Azha. He also laid thread
bare the significance of the other two supposedly
Islamic festivals namely; Shab-e-Bar'at and Eid-e-
Meeland-un-Nabee.
Essentially, he presented lectures on each of
these subjects which were subsequently printed in
Urdu, in the form of small separate booklets. Now
the · publishers decided to bring a combined edition
so that readers can take a holistic view on not only
the philosophy of Islamic festivals but also fasting of
Ramazan.
It is a great honour for me to translate these
booklets into English. I am convinced that the spirit
and ch .a risma that is present in Maulana's own
language, could not be translated. I still felt it
important to bring forth the true picture of these
subjects before the English educated masses .
I am also aware mf my constraints that are
reflected in the translati1on, but I have sincerely and
honestly attempted to CJo this in anticipation of a
reward in the Hereafter. May Allah accept this meagre
effort and reward me as I desire. It goes without
saying that all deficiencies in this effort should be
solely attributed to the translator.
Mansoor Durrani
New Delhi
December 30, 1998
SHAB-E-BAR-, AT
Shab-e-bar'at is generally considered a festival_

of Muslims. Certain customs have been evolved which ·
are adhered to, vigorously. From celebrations point· .
of view, this is second to only Muharram. But the
truth is that this is absolutely man-made festival.
Neither Our' an nor Hadees and the era of companions
of Prophet Mohammed Sallal/allhu Alaihi Wasallam indicate
the existence of this festival, then. None of the Islamic
scholars of early post - Khilafat-e- Rashida period
have called such a feast Islamic.
As a matter of fact, Islam is not a religion of
customs and festivities. It is a straightforward and
reasonable religion which restrains human beings from
the shackles of rituals, futile and time consuming fete.
Islam urges people to save precious time, energy and
wealth and pay attention towards unshakable realities
of life. It wants people to spend their time on activities,
which prove to be the cause of happiness and
prosperity in this, life and Hereafter.
It is highly uncharacteristic of such a religion to
mark one day in a year for fire-cracking and
confectionering and allow people to keep on wasting
valuable time and h1rd-earned money every year. It
is further remote of the spirit of Islam to make people
observe a custom which is not only a drain on time
and money but, at times, even proves fatal and
reduces property to ashes. Instead of asking people
to celebrate such baseless customs, if it was already
a trend during the lifetime of Prophet Mohammad
8 WORSHIP & FESTIVALS IN ISLAM
It would have surely been

Sal!al!ahu Alaihi Wasallam.
stopped forcefully. All such festivities, which were
performed during those days were banned, as it is.
The matter of confectionery and firework is so
explicit that every individual, · with even little
knowledge of Islam, will instantly acknowledge that
these practices are against the values of Islam. When
it is endeavoured to figure out link of recognised
religious belief, with this specific day of Shaban, no
such association is traceable. At the most, Islamic
literature reveals only an event : once, on the night
of Shaban the 15th, Hazrat Ayesha did not find
Prophet Mohammad Sallallahu Ala!hi Wasallam on his bed,
so she left in his search and reached Jannat~ul Baquee.
He was present there. On quizzing, he replied on this
night, Allah turns His attention from the sky to this
world and forgives as many sins of people as the
total number of hair of all the sheeps put-together of
the clan, called Ka/b. But a prominent writer of
Hadees, Imam Tirmizi has declared this tradition a
fragile and has claimed, through his research, that it
can not be believed with certainty that Hazrath Ayesha
was its source. There are other narration which are
found in lesser known compilations of Hadees. The
excellence of this night is said to be only because
human fates are decided in this, and affairs of birth
and death are finalized. But all these traditions are
w eak . Every argument, in its favour, suffers one or
the other fl w . This is why none of the reliable old
collt.:ction of Hadees mentions about these stories.
Even if their authenticity is recognised in toto, then
also, the only inference could be that praying and
asking for His forgiveness for the sins, during this
night, is an appreciable act. If this is done individually,
then they will be rewarded. Other than this, the
perusal of these narrations does nor prove that either
SHAB-E-BAR' AT 9
14th or 1 5th night of Shaban is proclaimed to be Eid

or some collective prayers are pronounced for this
occasion.
The more reliable books on Hadees acknowledge
-that Prophet Mohammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam used to
be in a peculiar state, in the month of Shaban, prior
to the commencement of Ramazan. It is in the month
of Ramazan that the stupendous honour of
Prophethood was bestowed upon him and the
revelation of immortal Book, the Our'an, commenced.
Due to these reasons, he not only used to keep
unusually regular fasts and perform longer prayers
during Ramazan, but even in advance, Prophet
Mohammad Salla!lahu Ataihi Wasa!lam would inch closer to
Allah. Hazrath Ayesha and Umme Salma state that
besides Ramazan, Shaban was the only month during
which Prophet Mohammad Sa!la!lahu Alaihi Wasa!lam fasted
most, rather the entire month was spent in fasting.
But this practice of his was specifically for his own
sake. It was due to his deep spiritual attachment, he
had with the month of revelation of Our' an. For,
cor:nmon Muslims were instructed by him to stay
away from fasting during the second fortnight of
Shaban. He suspected that if Muslims got habitual of
fasting during this period, then gradually this would
turn into a trend and people will have to bear
unnecessary burden of 1 0-1 5 fasts, in addition to
· the compulsory fasting of the entire month of
Ramazan. Thus people would have borne the burden,
which had not been put on them by the injunction of
Allah.
Islam has taken necessary care of the fact that
its followers do not adopt rituals and rites which Allah
has not asked them to. None of the self-created
custom, artificial ceremony or any collective practice
should take the shape of Farz. Allah knows better as
to what will and what will not be beneficial for the

people. He also knows that how much of it is
necessary for human beings to perform. By exceeding
the limits prescribed by Him, if peqple establish certain
customs and rituals of their own, and practice them
like Faraiz, then they will make the life unnecessarily
difficult for themselves. Past nations had committed
the same blunder of pioneering rituals and customs
and made them essential and part of their religion.
Consequently , they were entangled in such a web
of their making that they could not find exit route
and eventually got para'l ysed. Qur' an has declared
customs as synonymous to "shackles" and the chief
objective of the life of Prophet Mohammad Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasal!am is said to be setting free the mankind
from such chains and shackles. Due to this, the shariat
of Prophet Mohammad Sal!allahu Alaihi Wasa!lam has
proposed a lean and mean stream of faraiz and
eliminated all other customs and traditions. There is
no third festival in Islam other than Eid-ui-Fitr .. and
Eid-ui-Azha. There is no pilgrimage other than Hajj
and besides Zakah there is no charity or donation
which is declared as Farz. Thereafter, a simple rule is
laid forever that man is not authorized to cut down
on any of the faraiz. Similarly, he is not mandated to
make any additions either.
Initially, people who understood the spirit of
Islamic injuctions, they strictly adhered to these
principl es. They restrained from pioneering and
establi sl ing new custom s and when they noticed
alarming trend s, th ey w ere uprooted, for good. They
knew that t he se conventions, though initiated with
noble intentions and considered righteousness, would
gradually turn into sunnah, then wajib and finally farz
and thereafter will even overtake farz . Due to sheer
ignorance, people tend to mix up this piety with
SHAB-E-BAR' AT 11
various ills and make it an ugly practice. Such

customs, put together, become a curse for society
and impediment for the progress of humanity. It is ·
because of this, the Ulemah and Imams of early
Islamic era used to be very careful in guarding Islam
from such unwarranted additions. They had
unflinching faith that considering anything as part of
Shariah, which is actually not, and adding more
ignificance to something than given by Shariah :
both instances are heresy and every such act was
considered to be apostasy.
Unfortunately, in subsequent centuries, .Muslims
became reckless and gradually started slipping into
the vicious circle of customs, as other nations did~
One of the primary reasons of this has been that
nations which came into Islamic fold in the later era,
could not get proper Islamic orientation and training.
They embraced Islam along with some of their
primitive customs and lifestyles. They were, for ages,
accustomed to disgraceful festivities, customs and
pilgrimage, without which their religious lives were
colourless. After embracing Islamic Shariah, instead
of feeling relieved from getting rid of old rituals and
freeing themselves from the shackles of bad customs,
they got worried as to how to recapture the burden
which Islam had eliminated and how to wear the
hackles which Islam had broken. Thus, they modified
tl e f ucade of some of their old customs; they invented
some others and even turned Islam into the same
religion of fun and frolicing, as their old religion were.
heso inventions were made very aptly, Our' an and
Hadees were never scrutinized with the objective of
I arning the principles and guidelines of leading an
I Iamie life , rather it was done to find excuse.s for
continuing their old customs and inventing new
conventions. When they managed to find a minor
clue, they converted it into a mammoth and perpetual

custom. People felt proud on filling the gap by
inventing festivities, which were originally not there,
without realizing that they have worn the same
shackles which were destroyed by Allah, through His
Prophet Mohammad Sa/la/lahu Alaihi Wasa/lam, and they have
again fallen into the trap from which no nation has
ever managed to come out.
000
Fasting and
Self-Restraint
Among numerous other , spiritual and moral
benefits of fasting, one is to prepare man for develop-
ing self-control. In order to have a comprehensive
understanding of this, one ought to know the Islamic
conception of self-restraint and then how fasting helps
in achieving this.
The meaning of self-restraint is that man's
psyche* exercises blanket control on his body and
its energies, and the requisition and desires of baser-
self** should be in its clutches to make them abide
by its demands. Psyche occupies the same position
in a human body as that of a ruler in his empire. Body
and its different parts are the subordinates of psyche.
All mental and physical powers are meant to be at its
disposal. The rule of baser-self is limited to presenting
t hem to psyche, with request . The final decision rests
with psyche as to how these energies and tools be
put to use and which of t he baser-self requisitions be
uc epted or rejected. If ones psyche is so frail that it
i unable to rule the er.1pire of his body, according to
its wi shes, and begins to take the desires of baser-
..;olf as com mand or instructions, then it becomes a
p roly sed ps yche . ' Such people cannot lead a
uccessful and purposeful life. Those who have left
' Islam defines psyche as that part of one's self, which

ta kes decision on good or evil deeds.
In Islam ic terminology, baser-self is defined as that part
of one' s self w hict1 motivates people for evil deeds .
a mark in history and human civilization are the ones

who had domination on the human energies, at their
disposal; who have not lived as prisoners of their
wishes and slaves of their desires but have-kept their
wishes and desires under check; and those who have
had firm determination and rock-solid resolution.
But there is a contrasting difference between a
psyche which itself assumes the role of Allah and
the one which functions' under the subordination of
Allah. For a successful life, complete domination on
psyche is nevertheless a must, but if it is free of its
Creator and unmindful of its Lord; which is not
restrained by a superior moral system; which
presumes that it is not accountable for its deeds, if
such a psyche dominates the power of his baser-self
and body and becomes a rock like psyche, then it
could merely produce Fir'aun, Namroud, Hitler and
Mussoline. Such a self-restraint is neither appreciable
nor is it desirable in Islam. The self-restraint whi.ch is
required by Islam is that man's self, firstly, surrenders
itself to Allah; makes compliance of His instructions
and the desire to fulfil His wishes its sole objective;
assumes himself to be accountable to Him, then such
a virtuous and Muslim psyche exercises iron rule on
its body and wields complete domination on its baser-
self and its demands, so that it becomes a strong
and vibrant force in this world.
This. is the definition of self-restraint, from
. Islamic
point of view. Now, it is elaborated as to how fasting
instills this energy into human beings.
If the demands of human body and baser-self
are analysed, it will be inferred that three demands
are pivotal, and all of them are most vehement. First
is the demand for food, on which relies the
subsistence of life. Second is the carnal desire,
FASTING AND SELF-RESTRAINT 15
depends on which the survival of humanity. Third is

the longing for rest and relaxation which is a must
for reenergising and rejuvenating human physique.
All the three demands, within reasonable limits, are
absolutely compatible with nature. But the same three
loops, at the disposable of baser-self and body are
such, that at the slightest lapse, they make man's
conscience their own slave. Each of these demands
turns into a long list of sub-demands and each one
struggles to make man forget his principles and ignore
the decries of his conscience, in order to attract his
ntire attention for its realisation. A fragile psyche,
once entrapped, the demand for food makes it a
glutton. Sensual desires force him to stoop to in-
human level, and lethargy does not allow him to reach
new heights. It, then, becomes the governed rather
than the ruler of baser-self and its function is reduced
to executing orders of baser-self by hook or crook
and through every hanky-pankay route, available to
it.
Fasting encompasses these three demands of
baser-self and trains the psyche to control them.
Fasting notifies the psyche, which is faithful to Allah,
that your Allah has prohibited dining and drinking for
the whole day; during this period you are also
forbidden from carnal pleasures; you cannot, from
d wn to dusk, enjoy such pleasure even through
means which are otherwise permissible. It also
apprises the psyche that the will of Allah is, after
breaking the daylong fast, do not slacken and lie
down, rather get up and offer prayers longer than
normal days. It instructs that after long and tiring
prayer, when you go to bed, do not take a long sleep
till morning, rather wake up long before dawn, against
the normal course and eat something before starting
the fast. After communicating these injunctions, the
~ ...
responsibility of pursuing them is left on every

individual. Constabulary, intelligence or any other
external agency is not deployed to implement these
instruc.tions. If one dines or gratifies sensual desire,
clandestinely, then no one is around him, except Allah,
to notice. If one makes lame excuses to avoid long
prayers in the night (taraveeh), then no force on the
earth will quiz him. Every thing depends on his own,
if the psyche of a Muslim is pledged with Allah and if
his will power is strong enough to tame the baser-
self, then he will himself mould the demand for food,
desire for sex and wish for rest into a system which
has been established, against the routine.
This exercise is not restricted just for a day. One
day training cannot be sufficient for this kind of
activity. This is conducted for a month, at a stretch.
This programme has been chalked out for 720 hours
in a year; to get up towards the last part of the night;
stop eating at the break of dawn (sahar); restrict from
dining through out the day; break the fast (iftaar),
immediately after the sun set; then spend early part
of the night by standing for unusually long prayers
(taraveeh); and after relaxing for few hours, repeat
the same course the following day; Thus, three
strongest and most common urges of the baser-self
are moulded, perpetually, to provide strength to the
psyche· for ruling the baser-self according to the will
of Allah. This conditioning programme is not held
just once in a lifetime, rather one month is devoted
every year, from the age of reaching adolescence till
one dies. This repetition is meant to revitalize and
strengthen the grip of psyche over baser-self.
This exercise is not carried out to make the
psyche of a Muslim control just his hunger, thirst,
carnal desires and the urge to relax. Nor is this done
to retain control over baser-self and body, for a month
FASTING AND SELF-RESTRAINT 17
only. Strictly, the primary objective is that after having

t med the three stron~est cravings of the psyche,
1 e should emerge strong enough to exercise restrain
over his all desires and emotions; and be prepared to
comply with the injunctions of Allah during the
1 maining eleven months of the year as well, through
hi body; and its forces. One should strive for every
pi ty which consents with the will of Allah, restrict
hun elf from every vice which is abhored by Allah
md strictly adhere to those restrictions which Allah
h placed on his demands and demotions. Baser-
.t If should not be put in the driver's seat to steer
hltn at will, the responsibility of navigation should
r 1her be in his own hands to direct the urges as
cJ ired by Allah. One sbould not have such a weak
will power that even after recognising the mandatory
in stru ctions (faraiz) as a must and wishing to fulfill
them; but finding the body beyond his control. Never!
within the physical empire, should one behave like a
minant ruler who always commands his
ubordinates according to his own whims. Creating
tl is power is the ultimate objective of fasting. One
who fails to achieve this strength through fasting, he
unn cessarily puts himself to the inconvenience of
hur ger, thirst and loss of sleep and rest.
Our' an and Hadces (the sayings of Prophet
Mohammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) both have clearly
dabornt d this: Our' an states: Fasting has been made
mandatory for you so that you attain the trait of self-
1
mstraint. Hadees of Prophet Mohammed Sa!lallahu Ataihi
Wnsn!lem is: One who tells lies and practices lies, he is
not required by Allah to stop eating and drinking. He
I luther added that most of the tasters are such that
t hey do not gain anything from fasting, except hunger
nd thirst. (5th July, 1 948)
000
EID-UL-FITR
FOR WHOM?
Some sections of the society are vigorously pur.::

suing the view that Eid-ui-Fitr is a prominent symbol
lf Islamic unity, therefore all the Muslims should cel-
brate it on one particular day. Some people hold the
vi w that all the Muslims, across the world, should
observe it on the same day, while there are others
who feel that at least Pakistani Muslims should cer-
t ainly havf;) it concurrently. However, these are the
fl aws of views and thoughts. Such views are floated
primarily due to the ignorance of religious values :
Moreover, those are the people, on the forerlront of
uch theories, who do not even fast during Ramazan,
but are very 'concerned' about Islamic unity with re-
oard to Eid.
The very first misconception these folks have is
that, for them, Eid is a festival akin to Christmas,
Holi or Diwali or it is a national festival that is mani-
1 t d as a symbol of unity for Muslims. However,
I 1d is essentially related to supplication that com-
ll •r1 s at the beginning of Ramazan and culminates
tfter th e end of Ramazan, by thanking Allah, with
' 1-> ial Eid prayers. According to the clear instruc-
Li ns of Islamic law, this adoration can not begin until
it i ascertained, through reliable sources, that
amazan have <;:ommenced and similarly it can not
c ase unless it is acknowledged, through depend-
bl e authority, that they have come to an end. Holy
Our' an has cl ea rly stated :
20 WORSHIP & FESTIVA IN ISLAM
"Month of Ramazan is that, in which Qur'an is

revealed,
.
therefore
·C'
each of you who is present, dur-
ing this m tim th, should fast".
This . verse categorically resolves that from the
beginning of Ramazan, and till its end, every Musli.m
should fast and without ~he fulfillment of fasting dur-
ing this month, there is absolutely no question of
commemorating Eid. This is evident that Ramazan is
a lunar month and the commencement of which de-
pends upon the appearance of crescent and Prophet
Muhammad Sallaitahu Alaihi Wasallam has very clearly in~
structed to begin and end fasting only after seeif)g
crescent. But if the horizon is not very clear, com-
plete the .fasting of thirty days, unless two reliable
witnesses testify the advent of crescent. In this· in-
struction, Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
' has distinctly notified two points : firstly, the testi-
mony of appearance is required when the horizon is
not clear and ·secondly, in that case, the decision of
the appearance of crescent will be based on the tes-
timory of two trustworthy witnesses and not infor-
mation. Because this is an accepted f act t hat deposi-
tion, through telegram or t elephone is invalid. For
this, physical presence of witn sses is a must . If you
try to testify in a court through t I gram or telephone,
you would co me to know immed iately whethe r it is
acceptable t o t he court orr ot. Here, the question is
that when suc h "t tlmon y " can not be ace nr ble
to any court in rhi • world , t hen why are wo w 111 t d
to rely on this, i"' t1 m tter of Shariah, d p1 ttd•. on
which the validity f f t of millions of Mu·~h , n· ..
EID UL FITR- FOR WHOM? 21
Those who toe the· idea that Muslims, throughout

the world, should ce~ehrate Erd on the same day,
clearly speak ridiculously, because the advent of
crescent, throughout the world, always and
necessarily, on the· same day is impossible.. Even
celebration of Eid, in a country or re.gion, on the same
day is not made mandatory rn Shariah. If it is made
possible in any country through proper system of
te lecasting and broadcasting to the entire nation,
according to the principle-s of Shariah, then this is
not forbidden either. But Shariah never makes it
essential, nor Shariah considers it maleficent that
people in different reg·ions cel·e brate Eid on different
days.
The canon of AITah i·s meant for the entire
humanity and for all times to come. Today, due to
th revolution in information technology that people
xp ct the Eid to be celebrated concurrently. But just
1 f w decades back, leave aside communicating about
tho npp arance of crescent throughout the sub-
conti n nt, it was not possible to inform the inhabitants
of v n one state, if the crescent appeared on the
29tl1 of Ramazan. If Shariah had made it mandatory
f r all Mu slims to celebrate Eid on a single day, then
how would Muslims, over the l~st few centuries,
practice this impossible iniorrcti'on. Even in today's
· tollite age, it is not possible to follow it strictly.
Mu lims do not live only in metros and urban towns
where they have access to state-of-the-art
uommunication facilities. They ctre ~lso populated in
f r-flung rural areas where communication facilities
re not available.
Making the celebration of l:id on the same day a
hariah instruction translates that, to be a Muslim,
ot only one radio station is necessary in a country,
but also every individual or family or at least one
22 WORSHIP .& F'ESliVALS IN ISLAM
radio set .in every town would be a must. Or else

they will not be able to pursue their religious duties.
Will then communi·cation equipment too become an
integra1 part of ~slam ? The Shar·iah of Allah has ·laid
down such a smooth set ·Of guidelines by which it 1s
possible for ev·ery ·Mustii m to ·.eas;i1ly perform his or her
religious duti:es. Shar·iah has not specified the tim-
ings of Namaz accordi:n _ g t·O the movem•e nt of watch
to make watch an indispensable ·p art of Islamic reli-
gion. Rather, it has made universa'l 1indicator:s like
ascent anct descend of ·sll!.l:n for .determ:i ning the tim-
ing of Namaz, to which ev:ery irndividlllal ·o n the earth
has acce:ss. Similar·ly, for ·commencing and ending
fasts also, it has declared the ·appear.ance of Shawwal
and Rar.nazan crescent as a symbol which is a uni'-
versal indicator and ·e very Muslim, anywhere .in the
world, car:~ find out when did Hama.z,an begin and
end. Had Shar:iah link.ed'to thedates ·o .f calendar, then
it would be necessary ·f,oT ·every Muslim to learn the
art of reading stars or calendar would have become
inevitable part of hts 1tii<e without h.avin,g which he =
would not be able to perform his relt:g,i.ous duties. Or
if it was made mandatory that after :tlile appearance
of crescent, in one p.art ·o·f :the w0rld., :the entire world
or every nook and corner of the universe will begin to
observe and end fasting, then before the invention of
present means of communication, ·it would not be
possible for Muslims to .pr-actice this religion. Even
after the evolution of j!lr..esent cornrnwnicati.on net-
work, ev.ery ·Muslim wotlld have to bear the burden
of subscribing to these services, if they want to re-
main Muslims, regardless of whether he or she can
afford br.ead and butter for .self-feeding.
WHO TRULY DESERVES EID GREETINGS 1

After necessary clarification on thi s subj ct, I
extend my greetings to you and to all of my Muslim
ID UL FITR - FOR WHOM 7 23
brothers. People who genuinely deserve the greetings

f Eid are those who fa$ted for the whole month of
Ramazan; who endeavoured to take maximum benefit
from the instructions of Qur'an; who tried to read,
understand and take guidance from Our' an and took
1dvantage of the character-building exercise which
H. rnazan seeks to impart to every Muslim. Our' an
t xplains only two primary objectives of the month of
Humazan :firstly, Muslims should build their character

·· J·.:~ .. 'tt:f :tt';: :'.J1 r.;~~\:.~1 Jt'r.;~,
~~ r--~~IY--/ ...s- . / ~" r--~ . /
11t1d se condly, Muslims pay gratitude to Allah for the
I wour He has bestowed on Muslims, in the form of
1 v aling Our'an, during the month of Ramazan.
If thor 1 n biggest favour Allah has done to

Uu hum nity, it i the r velation of Qur'an. This is
tl11 fl' t • t l livin bl ing, because food and other
r l'• Hilt. ., for instanc , oxygen, water, food grains
.11 HI •.trnilur sources of econom y, through which man
uo~rns the bread, constructs house, provides clothing,
lll ugh these provisions too are the blessings and
ktndn s of Allah, but they are merely meant for the
IHIIIIut body. Holy Qur'an, is the blessing which is
1 lllll u1v 'd for the soul of man, for his character and
w,·.nnl11l ly for his real altruism, is the ultimate

~mlltidlt 11~111 . A Muslim can offer true gratitude to Allah
urlly 111 1t ·.ttu tion when he thanks on the food
pr vldod hy Him and also on the gracious
· rnm 1 dn 111 which have been issued to him in
th f r ul our'an. The most appropriate way to
til nk Him :. n I just verbal appreciation that thank
you Allah for g1v1ng us Our'an, rather the precise

approach for doing that is to acknowledge Our' an as
the well-head of guidance ; recognize it as a true
navigator and take practical advantage of its
counseling.
Our' an gives you instructions about your personal
life that how should you lead a devout life. It forbids
you from deeds that are harmful in shaping a
characterful life. It gives you guidelines, by pursuing
which, your personality will develop in an upright
manner and you could become an exemplary human
being. It also provides extensive guidance about your
collective life. How to shape your social life and your
domestic life? What should be the outline of your
culture and civilization. How should you conduct the
affairs of your state? What would be your
constitution? How should you manage the social life?
What should be the avenues to earn your bread and
butter? Where should you and should not spend your
earned money? How should be your relation .with
Allah? How should be your relation with your own
conscience? What should be the nature of your
relationship and behaviour with other human beings,
your spouse, your off-springs, your parents, ·your
folks, members of your own society and the entire
human population of the earth, even with plants and
animals, and with various blessings of Allah? Our' an
·gives you specific instructions about each of these
aspects of life. The obligation of every M-u slim is to
accept it as real fountainhead for guidance; turn
towards it for counseling; truly recognize those
instructions, directions and principles which it is
dispensing. Muslims should reject all those beliefs
and practices which contradict them, wh at ever is
there source. If an individual has, during th e month
of Ramazan, read through Our' an and und erstood it
EID UL FITR - FOR WHOM ? 25
from this perspective. And has endeavoured to absorb

its teachings and instructions, to the maximum
possible extent, in his life and character, then he has
ffered true gratitude to Allah for this divine
blessings- in the form of Our' an. For this, he literally
u serves the greetings that he has completely fulfilled
the responsibility, which the month of Ramazan placed
n him.
Second and equally important objective of fast-
Ing, in the month of Ramazan, for which it has been
111ade mandatory is that you should lead a pious and
righteous life. If you consider the reality of fasting,
th n you would know that righteousness and piety
·, n not be injected in a better and more effective
W<JY t~an this. What is righteousness and piety? Right-
uuusn s is, essentially, to refrain from violating the
curnm. nd of Allah and adhere to His guidelines. Fast-
'' ·•II w y u to cont inuously practice this for a
llHHllll ,
i h re usually permissible in yoyr life,

IJ1 1 rl.... wl
lhoy I n lHOforbidden during fasts, by the order or
All.tll, mJ c:.ont inu to be so until they are again per-
tnt! led by All h on ly . Even water which is pure and
p ,rrni ible, during fasting when Allah instructs you
not to consume this, then not a single drop can be
w11 lluwed down the throat, even if the throat be-
U"''· tu crac k by thirst. However, the moment drink-
itl\1 ul w ter is allowed by Allah, then you tend to
Ill' ll I ow, rds it as if you were tied down and you
IHWM jrJ .r ~~~ . n released. This process of caging and
Iron 1111 fHJ!',I ·t , for a m<;mth, so that you are pre-

!Jurud fur th complete submission to Allah. You get
us d to t y away from those activities, which are
b nn I y I ftrn nd undertake things, which ar.e per-
mitted y H 111 You manage to exercise full control
ov er your inn .r • If that it could not force you to
26 WORSHIP & FES IVALS IN ISLAM
carry out its unwarranted demands, against the will

of Allah . This is the second real motive for which
fasting is made mandatory for you.
If during the month of Ramadan any individual
has imbibed this spirit of Fast, then he truly justifies
the greetings of Eid. And the one who does not throw
up this month-long training on the very first day after
Eid, but keeps benefiting from this for the r~maining
eleven months of the year, he is even mor~ worthy
for Eid greetings. Consider a hypothetical situation
where an individual eats highly lavish fooc;i, which is
extremely nutritious for him. But immediately after
feeding, he vomits it out by putting a finger into the
throat, then there will be no benefit of this diet, be-
cause he has not allowed the food to digest and trans-
late into blood. On the contrary, if an individual eats
and digests food and then blood is- made which cir-
culates in his body, then this is the actual reward of
eating which he has gained. Eating and digesting ~im
ple .food is better than eating very lavish food and
throwing it up. This is the case of Fasts of Ramazan.
The real payoff of Ramadan can be gained only when,
after Eid, you do not puke the vigorous training, im-
parted to you for a month. Rather, for remaining
eleven months, allow its effects to work on your life.
If one can achieve this goal from Ramazan, then he
truly deserves hearty greetings; that he has bagged a
very precious blessing of Alla h.
OUR TREATMENT WITH ISLAMIC CHASTITIES

Unfortunately, a large number of people among
us are those who do not turn towards Allah even
during Ramazan. The holy month comes and goes
but their homes do not indicate any sign that these
are inhabited by Muslims, for whom this month has
nny special signi~icance. Leave fasting, th ey do not
~ ; .
ID UL FITR- FOR WHOM ? 27
ven care to show any respect for this month. Their

ating and drinking persists even during Ramazan,
like any Christian, Hindu or Sikh. Clearly, those who
behave like this are akin to a situation of a barren
li-lnd that, even during monsoons, when every inch
of land turns lush green and the crop blooms and
flourishes, does not produce a single leaf of grass.
l he way monsoons are a season of cultivation and
Jrowth for land, similarly Ramazan is an era of sprout-
In and flowering of the spirit of Islam. If Allah had
1 • ued the directive of fasting, giving an option to
Mu lims to keep 30 days fasts at their own conven-
tun ce , then there would have never been this sea-
!.on-like feeling in our religious life. But, the direction
of upreme Sage has been that all Muslims fast to~
q« lh r, in one particular month only. This move has
r·todtud th feeling of a season. When the season
cu rn w., lo IV aside high quality fertile lands, even
Iho .•r. 1 111 • f I nd which have limited level of fer-
flllty, I Huh of vug toble begin to sprout even in 'those
I 11uJ•. I ht buun y of season is such that land with
nvnt t ltnut •d pot nti I of growth is not deprived from
th l1lc ,. Ill!") • .1\n I th I nd that does not grow even a
hwJ, thll ina 111 n oons, is indicative that it is' free
lrotn til • fucwlty of growth. Similarly, Ramazan is such
u pur iud that those Muslims having a ray of Faith and
n luuJ of lslamic. emotions, comes this month and
Ill" dt ply buried Faith in them becomes restless,
It• ,w V«'r ir1sensitive has been their lifestyle during
rr·11t11111111 1 eleven months.
t ltlllUHJ ltp of all Muslims together for Sahar, for
11 lltulllll, 11' ting together the whole day; breaking
tht• r... r .11 Htltaneously; and offering Taraveeh dur-
1111) fttqltl'. 1ll various places creates an · impressive
1 ull •cllvu cHtvtr onment in Muslim districts, by virtue
ul whi II Mu·.q11 s get flooded. Reciting of Our'an

becomes a common sight everywhere, even those

who do not pray otherwise, start offering prayers
regularly; those also start fasting who are not inclined
towards Islamic way of life, in ordinary months. If a
person is relentless even in this ambience; he does
not develop any leaning towards Allah; his heart is
still not inclined for prayers; fasting and reciting of
Our' an, then this is a clear indication that his heart is
absolutely empty from the feeling of Faith. He has no
link left with Islam. All ties, which he could have had
with Allah and His religion, and with the Muslim com-
munity, he has severed them all. Thus, how can you
trust that, a person who was born and has opened
his eyes in, and being a part of Muslim community,
severs his holiest bonds and connections with the
lifestyle and religion of this community, in future, he
will not anempt to backbite and desert this commu-
nity. This fs obvious that his conduct is only to sat-
isfy desires of his inner-self. Here the question is,
when his desires are making him behave like this,.the
same desires, in future, may move him on a worse
course.
Gentlemen, we need to think very sincerely about
the reasons that have resulted into this situation. If
handful of people behaved like this, it could have
been ignored. But we find hundreds of thousands of
people present among us, who very vocally and
proudly keep eating and drinking in Ramazan and per-
versely humiliate to those who fast. This is clearly a
very alarming development and we should attempt
to understand the causes behind this.
This situation is actually born because for a long
time we are oblivion of the fact that the greatest
reforms Allah, His prophet, His book had affected in
our lives is still left in our society or it is lost. We
have been very conscious about the economic pros-
ID UL FITR - FOR WHOM ? 29
p rity of our community, and we have been making

great efforts for this. But we have no concerns about
I hose grand moral and spiritual reforms on which the
n< tion of our society was established. Rather, there
,., widespread existence of such education and train-
Ill , law and order system, which is disastrous for
1·,1 m ic system. Consequently, we are witnessing that
111 influential sections of our society careless for the
do truction of most sacred places of Islam than they
do for the crease of their trousers.
LA TUFISIDU FIL ARDE...

G ntlemen, reforming human beings is a gigan-
tic ta sk; while vitiating them is amazingly simple.
Holorms are brought about by years of hard work
111 l p rp tual efforts while corrupting them takes no
H till·. r special efforts. At times, only negligence of
fHJI•,uinn r form s is enough for this fallout. Take the
' ,,.,. o1 1 ,hild. If you want to groom him as a nice
111 I cl Ll t. to human being, you wi!l have to make years
ul p.tiJl~;tr.~kin efforts, only then you will be able to
·. ht~JHI 111.• mit cl, character and traits. But if you want
Lu Jllll v r t him, he will not require any special efforts
lur 111 11. iving him a long rope would be enough.
Mt ,ft ,ly •,I<Jying in the company of crooks and culprits
Will .puil him on his own. Efforts and stress are re-
quu od I r n truction and not for destruction. If you
W rtlll to t. kc a vehicle to a steep hill, it will go up in
n l,lu I"' ~Ju :u , but if you want to bring it down, no
Ju •H 1. ll tt ud d, just leave the breaks loose and it will
lw 11 HIIJ fl ltHif:l s there is downward slope. Same
·.lllldllufl r• i h 111 4 human society. Making a society
11dh• 11 to 11oblu rdc . I OY and very high quality of
dt l d , I.Jy t nrt l111ly .h<Jping it, is a demanding job
whr h I f ce nturies. But the fruits
md r ffo t c an go waste, by just
stopping the efforts of preserving and maintaining

thern and; when the decline spreading in the society
goes unnoticed.
T~e traits, which Muslims had, were not born
out of coincidence. Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Ataihi
Wasal!am and his companions and subsequently hard
work and devotion of virtuous, pious theologians and
jurists of Muslim nation, for centuries together, pulled
out billions of human beings from the gloom of infi-
delity and polytheism. Destroyed customs and con-
ventions of ignorance. Prepared them for the wor-
ship of one and only Allah. Convinced and instilled
faith in them, about the quiz of Hereafter. Developed
their strong character by imparting superior ethical
training and coaching. Established the practice of
chaste rituals like Prayers, Fasts, Hajj pilgrimage and
Zaka.t and prepared a strong mould of Islamic system
of culture and civilization, due 'to which Muslims at-
tained those characteristics which fascinated others.
This, which has been developed with hard work of
centuries and unceasing .efforts, if we wish to lose
and destroy it, we can very easily do it. But if we
want to regain this, it shall again require centuries.
It is extremely unfortunate that the reforms our
ancestors had made in us, with their efforts of cen-
turies, we have badly let it go in the last one century
only. Firstly, we lost it during the period of British
imperialism and now our own leaders are causing us
greater damage. This is the same aberration on which
Our' an has pointed out at various places u After hav-
ing achieved peace on the earth, do not deviate from
that. u All the reforms, in the life of inhabitants of the
earth, have been due to the result of the efforts of
thousands of years of Prophets of Allah and chaste
individuals of humanity .
EID UL FITR - FOR WHOM ? 31
In the destruction of ev_ery single evil and estab-

lishment of each virtue, pious subjects of Allah haye
strived for years, only then the development of hu-
man culture, on the lines of universal ethics, could
be made possible in the world. This can very easily
be devastated but rebuilding the same is not a kid
tuff . Look at a very tiny example, only convincing,
1 r suring and establishing as a strict regulation that
xual relationship between a man and a woman
•, llould not occur, without entering into Nikah, was
• u h a tough task that Prophets and theologians must
II IV struggled for this, for thousands of years, only
tit ' n t his single social reform must have got imple-
lllUilted . Since cardinal urge is so intense in human
l11 ing , th at regulating it on purely ethical basis is
nut n asy job . Eradication of this reform, though,
d111 ; not cu ll for great efforts. Just throw the doors
ul 111t urm ingling of men and women wide open. Al-
luw (' n m en t o have access to the ways and
111n m o f f<-~ rn i ly planning, then the bull of sexual.
nl\rm hy. w hi h w caged with great difficulty, once
f re1n d , wuu ld d .mo li sh the change, which was
ru hit vud 1f t 1 thousa nd s of years of struggle. But
Mflt 1 .,, ' in di a t rou s consequences , the way west-
Of n . 1.1t l y is fac ing them in an extremely dreaded
f u rn , rf y ou attempt to cage the bull again, it will not
t n 11 c.1ko w olk . Thi s will again need pains of centu-
1lnli 1o choc k t hi s, Our' an warns the destroyers of
liwwml t y t hot you do not let go by your idiocy the
elmm which have been brought about with great
pn/11•
011 thn b . i of this single case, you can guess
tit . I huw ltu ti o u ·; would have been the development
o l I hu 11fldltl I h ritage which is called Islamic cui.,
tw md ~ IV liJdtion. By wiping out how many igno-
r tn I Llu f'lp l l n and by destroying so many evils,
the ground would have been prepared for this asset.

How many forfeiture it would have taken to drill true
convictions and correct beliefs into human minds.
What labour must have gone into practically imple-
menting moral guidelines and regulations in the soci-
ety, and then in supporting this entire structure, by
firmly laying the five pillars of Islamic system namely
Shahadah (Testimony of Allah and His Prophet),
Tawheed (Belief in the Unity of Allah}, Namaz (Five
Prayers .a day), Roza (Mandatory Fasting for the whole
month of Ramazan)' I
and Hajj (Annual pilgrimage at
Makkah, once in a pfetime). Whatever is achieved is
due to the painstaking effort of our ancestors. We
have inherited this great ·wealth absolutely free of
cost, if we can not add to this, at least we must not
impair this either.
The manner and speed at which our system of
education and training, our literature, our cultural
·N'jews, and overall our laws and rules & regulations;
and the whole system of sociology and economics,
producing an army of people to disregard and erode
this wealth, on a daily basis, we cannot rule out the
possibility of completely losing this one day. And once
it is lost, replenishing this from scratch will not be a
simple exercise. Allah forbids if we ever come across
such a situation and may Allah open our eyes prior to
that.
000
EID-UL-AZHA
Festivals and social life of human beings are
c.losely inter-related. Since man has commenced social
hfo on the earth, festivals have, perhaps, been held
r1 Jht through. There is no nation in the world, and
h 1 every been, which has not earmarked a few days
lo this purpose. The festivals are, in fact, the life
Itrw of the society. Getting together of individuals,
d• rnonstration of common sentiments, collective
111• rry-making, performing uniform rituals signifies
tlu. binding trait, by which people collectively
1r .111 s f rm into a well-knit society, and not only spirit
of llll ity ta kes route but gets refresh and revived,
tn1 111 1nit t ntly .
U l h lly, an analytical study of festivals celebrated
Ill dtff uron t countries and among various nations
how tlltt every festival is celebrated in memory of
v en t s, either linked to a revered
11 tlrty r c oncerned with a specific religious
I lo ll. Nevertheless, one such celebration is
"" " ury for a festival, which has common interest

r li lt mbf r of a nation or citizens of a country and
Wnr I w hi h t hey have deep emotional attachment.
r tl Ill Vt ry r a on, people of one nation or country
du Ill t li1 n nny interest in the festivities of another
ntH It 11 ur nmtry , and even if they want to take, for
o"'" f H rtutl w npul sions, they can not. The reason
l nr til l • i •. trmJtll u n• w hi h are linked to the festivities
o f olltJ rHIIUi 11 t rHI nut, • m uc h, stir the sentiments
u l IJ' uJJit uf nnull nr lt .t f tu ll , as they can in its own
I I
There are numerous ways, in various nations, of

celebrating festivals. Some carnivals are confined to
dancing and singing, fun and frolicing. In others,
revelry exceeds all perimeters of civilization to reach
indecency, coercion and horror. In still others, decent
recreations are performed alongwith serious rituals.
While in some cases, capitalising on social gatherings,
people are infused with superior values and efforts
are made to make them enamour and endear some
singular objective. In other words, the style in which
festivities are conducted, is a scale on which the
nature, ambitions and longings of a nation can be
smackly guaged. Higher the moral spirit in a nation,
more civilized and temperate will be its festivities.
Similarly, the more morally depraved will a nation be,
the more degenerating scenes it will present in its
feasts.
Since Islam is a universal reforming movement,
which is not related to a specific nation or country,
rather invites people of the whole world towards a
single Allah-worshiping culture. Hence, where it has
moulded every part of human life into a peculiar mode,
festivals of Islam have also been given a unique shape,
which is contrasting to all the other festivities in the
world. The significance of festivities in a social life
and the urge for collective celebrations, felt in the
society, is not ignored in Islam, rather all efforts have
been made to derive maximum benefit from such
occasions, but the style and celebrations of festivals
and its moral values are fundamentally differentiated.
Here, an attempt is being 'made to draw the attention
of the readers towards the three most significant
aspects of which :
A global movement can not favourably view the
national festivals which are based on varying national
traditions, to which are associated the interest and
liD UL-AZHA 35
ntiments of just one community and in which it is

11 1turally imposs·i ble for one community to
wholeheartedly celebrate with another. Such are, in
f .t, the forces which trigger the national division
nd dis,i ntegration. As they facilitate one community
t on solid ate within jtself, similarly they also assist
n dotaching and driving away one community from
n ther. Thus, a movement which skips nations and
rJr ses humanity as a whole and strives to bring
II th human creatures on a uni-culture platform,
Will not only reject such festivals but can not even
t I r t them because they prove to be stumbling
hi< .k in the achievement of its objectives of global
unity • d universal brotherhood. The natural need
f r Its objective is that all nations, which are in its
fold, HOt ri f their national festivals and earmark
I tJV I. i which all of them could participate: which
I llnlllf«tllt uusly n tional and international. The base
f which b< not on national traditions and sentiments
ut em tlu nd maxims having common
1 nlflt n . f >r hum nity.
Ad lltl< 11 1lly, wh n a global movement is Allah
rtn too, thu11 It forbids all such festivals and
lttbrntton. which remind of pri~tine faith. Islam
r pi t u t ht rn with festivals which strongly reflect
w r IUf in 1 f the singular Allah.
AI HI 1 with the worship of Allah, the objective of
t lgh rm r tllty mandatorily comes into existence which
t:ttl ftt1dP t h lt a God-worshiping movement should
fhn ltM ft llow rs such festivals which are free from
r 1olty 1ur n .o and indecency; in which fun and
f li It 0 ID Within civilized limits and expression of
I V li!l with • pht tic tion; which should not merely
nn I un ru lY lng, rather the fervour brought about
hy f..., .tl 111, 111 tt toil ctive life, should be fully utilised
ro 11tl lt1 11ltlttt11tu moral goals.
All the three traits are apparent from the festivals

earmarked by Islam for its followers. Islam dispensed
with a~l national and religious festivals of nations, in
Iran, Egypt, Arabian Peninsula and Syria, which came
into Islamic fold. They were replaced by festivals
which are known as Eid-u/-Fitr and Eid-ui-Azha. Former
is celebrated after successfully completing 30 days
of fasting during the month of Ramazan - observed
to obey the instructions of Allah. Thus after complying
with His instructions, Muslims are required to thank
Him, for enabling them to do so. Latter is
commemorated in the memory of an unparalleled
sacrifice, offered over 4000 years ago by a truly loyal
individual, to his Allah. It can be distinctly established
that none of these two festivals are associated with
a specific nationality. Rather two such factors are
made the basis of their festivals with which the
sentiments of all single-Allah-worshiping human
beings can be evenly attached. Thus both the festivals
are a reflection of pure obedience of Allah. Ther:e is
not an iota of hero-worshiping or devotion to some
human being. Further, the course prescribed for the
celebration of these festivals is such that a style more
decent, sophisticated, sober and brimming with moral
benefits can not be hypothesized. Subsequent
generations of Muslims have smudged, to some
extent, the true glory of Islamic era, by ignorant deeds.
The form of celebrating Eid during the lifetime· of
Prophet Mohammad Sal!al!ahu Alaihi Wasal!am is outlined
below, to give readers an idea, by which they can
accurately visualize the decency of festival.
On the morning of Eid, all Muslim men, women
and children would bathe and slip in.to the best
apparels, provided to them by Allah. Before leaving
for the prayers of Eid-ui-Fitr, all the affluent people
donated a specific mount as sadaqah, to ensure that
l[l lJL AZHA 37
n I> dy remained unfed on Eid. On the contrary, after

I .
th prayers of Eid-ui-Azha, animals were sacrificed,

t tl e early hours of the day people would come out
t their homes. It was mandatory for men, women
d kids to exit so that the strength and glory of
Mu lims is demonstrated; everyone participated in
y rs and also got an opportunity to enjoy this get-
ther. Eid prayers were held on the outskirts of
wn for enabling larger number of people to
rticipate. All the Muslims would chant:
-...w l~lW~~~~~ c~~~~
~ I
. ~~~j~:Jli~A.JJ,j
Allah is great, Allah is great. No one but Allah be
wshipped. Only Allah is great. All the praise are
t IVt d for Him-on their way to prayers . The
tnw ph re of every lane, by-lane, market and street
u to be filled with these slogans, by which the
1 tlr t wn would echo. After assembling at the
11 ground, the entire gathering would line-up to
f rm prayer under the stewardship of Prophet
M I Jlllllild Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. Then Prophet
M h rnrnod allallahu Alaihi Wasallam would get up to
C~IIV r t rrnon. Unlike Friday prayers, the sermon was
111 v r d aft r the prayers to allow maximum number
f ft I t listen to the most important speech of
t olr lo tJur. This occasion came 'j ust twice a year. In
tl ~ "' &~Ill 1 of microphone, then, first address used
t b~ t t hn gathering of men, then Prophet
t Ct 1 ~ t allnllnhu Alaihi Wasallam would move to that
1 Prl f the r u11d where women were gathered, to
MddrmHI tl ~ .t pnrately. These sermons, besides
rtLIW 11t111 1 nil J JWt • ad ing, counseling and preaching,
would tluuw lluhf ~m II the critical issues, concerning
h i LH11! ·.ot lf"lt'/, w it ch were present at that time. In
case of a potential armed or political mission, the

arrangem ents to be made were also announced there
and t hen. Attention of the people were also drawn
to w ard s t he organizational requirements and every
individual, in accordance to his status and capacity,
would partake in fulfilling them. There are some
precedents where women even offered to remove
their jewellery, to present t,o the Islamic organisation.
This gathering would then return from Eidgah, and
the instruction was to return from a different route
from the one they came, so that no part of the town .
remains untouched by their rejoicings and from the
echo of - Allah is great.
On their return from the prayers, all the affluent
Muslims would offer sacrifice on Eid-u/-Azha. This
sacrifice is not only meant to recap the event but
also the spirit of an aged alien from Iraq, who offered
to sacrifice his only son, at the b~hest of Allah, and
by His grace Allah, just in time, permitted hi_m to
sacrifice the lamb, instead. Exactly on the same date
and time, every year, Muslims the world over repeat
the same act and revive their spirit that they too, like
Prophet lbraheem Ataihissatam, are submissive and docile
subjects of Allah. Like him, they are also prepared to
.sacrifice their lives, offsprings, wealth and every other
'belonging, on the will of Allah and their life and death
is just for Allah. This spirit is reflected by the act of
sacrificing animal and by the words uttered at the
time of sacrificing animal.
~~J~~~~~jc 's ~1~1

~1 '~.r=> ~Q ll ~ Gl Loj I~>;. <.)~~~~J
/ /
ID-UL-AZHA 39
,., ' , J. , "" _.._.._, J , J"" I. "" ( ,., "' , "' ""'
.0-~/~} ... ~I~ UIJ ..:.t~I ~..l..!) A.J ~yJ~

/ /
I have turned to the One who is the Creator of

the skies and the earth. I follow the same path,
followed by Prophet lbraheem, and I am not among
those who share others with Almighty. My prayers
nnd my sacrifice, my life and my death; every thing
1s devoted to Allah- the Sustainer of the world- Who
h s no associate. This is what I have been ordered
nnd I am among the obedient subordinates of Allah.
0 Allah! this b(!longs to You and is being presented
to You, in the name of Allah, Who is great.
While cutting the animal, the above words were
vult.ed and this scene was watched by .all women
· ruJ hildren in the family so that all of them have the
1111 .pirit of sacrifice and obedience revived. Then
tlu nu,ut was distributed among relatives and under-
prtvlluged. Skin of the animal or its monetary value
Will u n ted to poor folks. Additionally, charity was
uontj nerously and wholeheartedly so that the Eid
l~ not r ,duced to be the festival of only prosperous
§Ot tlot 1 f the society.
llu w s the Eid, celebrated during the era of

• r lpluH Mohammad Sal/al/ahu Alaihi Wasallam. Besides
tiiUiD ·· lft c ial celebrations", youngsters would
oruaniJ~o 1 mu Hames privately and girls would get
tu fit(lt'!l. at lmm s, for singing folk songs. But this
p1 1 It• t~ Wfl ' onfined within the acceptable limits
nil I llt 1bw ly Will. permitted to exceed that. Rather,
thc, I utJ"' "i attd J-ll minent figures would even maintain
arm length distance from these permitted forms of

rejoicin gs of yout hs so that they are not encouraged
t.~ n d do not d r to indulge in unwarranted exhibits.
The attitude of leaders, at that time, can be

judged from an inst ance, .quoted in authentic traditions
that once, on the day of Eid, Prophet Mohammad
Sa!la!lahu Alaihi Wasallam entered his house and found that
two girls from the neighborhood were sitting with
his wife Hazrat Ayesha and singing songs. The songs
were not based on romance and passion or boozing
and reveling, rather they' were the songs written at
the .time of Battle of Bag has. Even the girls were not
professional artists or vocalists but belonged to
respectable families who, when getting together,
would sing virtuous songs for the sake of relaxing
and entertaining themselves. Prophet · Mohammad
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasa!lam did not interfere in their self-
entertainment and quietly went into a corner and lied
down by covering himself, with a bed sheet, from
head to toe. After a while, Hazrath Abu'bakr turned
up and scolded his daughter Hazrath Ayesha saying
what menacing act is going on at the residence of
Prophet of Allah. Hearing him, Prophet Mohammad
Sallal!ahu Alaihi Wasallam removed the sheet from his face
and said: leave them, every nation has an ~id, today
is ours. On this, Hazrath Ai'sha remained silent but
the girls stopped singing. As soon as Hazrath Abu'bakr
turned his back from them, Hazrath Ayesha signalled
them and the girls quickly disappeared. It is evident
from this instance that youngsters were allowed to
enjoy, through decent games and singing, but seniors
never participated or encouraged them. Subsequently,
the rope was let loose and the elders ignored to keep
a tab. As a result, in addition to rejoicing and freaking
out, the situation has arisen where :
FID-UL-AZHA 41
J.::;S' ~_,JT c:......""~ ~

• C-<JI..W:..
• JJJ
.A.::5 ~Jj '-'W ~ L' ~.r J\5" ~J~
It is the day of festival,

Let dry lips soak wme,
0 people having thirsty lips!
Manage it as soon as you can.
000
MEELAD-UN-NABEE
I
Today is the day of great bounties for the world,

h cu use on this date, the trailblazer of this planet,
F r ophet Muhammad Sal!al!ahu Alaihi Wasal!am had arrived
111 this world. Though, Islamic law has not declared
tlu birthday of Prophet Muhammad as Eid, nor has it
lit 1.1blished any customary practice for its celebra-
tl Hl, but if people consider it as Eid, due to this being
tl " u y of arrival of the greatest Prophet of Allah and
lh p1 rless saviour of the world, and observe it as a
j y on which the biggest blessing of Allah for man-
n t come into existence, then there is no harm ei-
th r H wever, the manner in which it should be eel-
~~ rt'llt cJ is not all about eating and drinking, electrifi-
tttlon of private and public premises, taking out pro-
fl loll nd parades, and undertake wasteful and
• hll 1tory act iv~ties for mere entertainment and self
fiUHI f c:tion . .If you do this, then there will be no dis-
In tlon between you and the ignorant communities.
oy t > ~ lebrate distinguished events of their his-
ry hrc u Jl fun, fete and frolicking and if you also
a thf!Jif tylo of celebration, then you will meet their
on ly.
rophet lbraheem, to commemo-

iill1 will It, laid down the criterion of Prayers
nnu ~ •f1l t ifh ~ 1f hd ui -Azha and Hajj. After consider-
Ill~ tlth, yuu t flll w ·.o s as to how Muslims should
celebrate the memory of. great historical events. You

should also ascertain that how does this date of 1 2th
of Rabi-ui-Awwal holds any significance for you. It
was not because a baby boy was born in the family
of ~m Arab individual, but because that day the great-
est Prophet was sent down on the earth and through
whom humanity received guidance of Allah, and
through whom man literally learnt to be human, whose
individuality was the blessing for the entire humanity
and who spread the light of faith and noble deeds
across the earth. Thus, if these are the reasons for
the significance of this date, then it should be ob-
served by extending the same message of Prophet
Muhammad, more on this day than any other day.
Take some lessons from his character and from his
teachings, and at least his message should be reso-
nated in such a manner that it remains effective for
coming one year. If you commemorate like this, then
it will truly demonstrate that you sincerely consider
the birthday of Prophet Muhammad as Eid. But if it is
confined t9 fun, food and frolicking then it will not
be an Islamic Eid but it will only be an ignorant cel-
ebration that has no significance.
In line with today's pertinence, I shall deliver the
sermon, relevant to the occasion. Allah has stated in
His Holy Book that the Prophet whom I have sent,
has been sent so that he is followed. This is also the
reason why it is mandatory for every Muslim to fol-
low him, because he was also Prophet of Allah. Be-
sides this generic instruction, Allah has also issued
specific commands to Muslims pertinent to the sta-
tus of Prophet Muhammad, which are given below :
Say: #If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah
will love you and forgive your sins : Far Allah
is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." (3: 31)
MEE LAD-UN -NABEE 45
The answer of the Bo/iov r. , when summoned

to Allah and His M es t ngnr, in order that he
may judge between thom , is no other than this:
They say, "We hear and W t obo y. " (24: 51)
Is it not fitting for a belioVt r, m n or woman,
when a matter has been d cicl d by Allah and
His Messenger, to have an y option, about their
decision : If anyone disobe ys Allah and His
messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong
path. (33 _. 36)
But no by the Lord, they can h a ve no (real)
faith. Until they make you judge in all disputes
between them, and find in their souls no re-
sistance against the decisions but accept them
with the fullest conviction. (4 : 65)
Deem not the summons of Messenger among
yourselves like the summons of one of you to
another. (24 : 63)
Nor is it right for you that you should annoy
Allah's Messenger. (33: 53)
Those who annoy Allah and His Messenger,
AIIBh has cursed them in this world and the
Hereafter, and has prepared for them a humili-
a ting punishment. (33: 57)
t those beware who withstands the mes-
ng r 's order, Jest some trial befall them.
·{24 _. 63) ,.
y u who believe ! Raise not your voices
• the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud
him In t lk, as you may speak aloud- to one
f flf. ~ t your deeds become vain and you
, , fHV not- (49 .- 2)
11 Ill nor find any people who believe in
1/oh awl tlw L s t Da y, (but) loving those who
oppose Allah and His Messenger, even though

they are their fathers or their sons, or their
brothers or their kindred. ( 58 : 22)
Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your
brothers, your mates, or you kindred : the
wealth that you have gained; the commerce in
which you fear a decline or the dwellings in
which you delight are dearer to you then Allah
or His Messenger, or the striving in his cause ;
then wait until Allah brings about His decision:
and Allah guides not the rebellious. (9 : 24)
It is difficult to state all relevant verses here. My
sole objective is to make you understand as Muslim
that what is the nature of your relationship with
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. This fact is
highlighted by few verses that I have stated above.
It is evident from them that an individual ceases
to be Muslim unless he is obedient to Prophet
Muhammad Sal/allahu Alaihi Wasallam. If Prophet
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam gives some instruc-
tions and in turn if some one says that I do not ac-
cept this, then it shows that his heart is free from
Faith. The demand of Faith is to bow down after
hearing the command. Faith can not co-exist with its
and buts.
Now please listen carefully, the instructions
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has given
on behalf of Allah. Thereafter every individual should
go on assessing the level of Faith in his or her heart
and how sincere Muslim he or she is.
1. Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand
Muslims are safe . Means who does not trouble
his fellow brothers-in-Islam either through his
tongue or his hands.
M ELAD-UN-NABEE 47
None of you can be <~ILI!Iul 11111 ss he prefers

the same path for oth r ~ .. w l111 11 lu chooses for
himself. M eans the w ay ym.1 w 1111 your own wel·l-
bei.ng, similarly you should I .. 111 11 lur your broth-
ers-.in-lslam and the way you u nut w, r t t o harm
yourself, do not wish th e m tor y1 111 brother.
Hazrat Abuzar Ghafari Razi A ll /)II llrJiu, fl•lfl • l s that
rH.e I had picked up fight with som ll rl J I. bused
lwn. Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu A I 1111 w.,;.o/1,," , h ard
It llld said, " You still have shad es of i left
111 y u and Islam has not compl ete ly
II f t "
Prophet Muhammad states that there are four
ttllr rbutes of hypocrisy and the one who has all of
lhnrn is an accomplished hypocrite and the one who
h one of them, he too has one part of duplicity.
I 11 t . ign is that when some thing is handed over to
lrlrll 111 good faith, he swindles it; secondly, when he
nv• r , s, he certainly misrepresents ; thirdly when
I f'l promises or enters into a contract with someone,
lu" tiiVdr iob ly backtracks ; and finally, when he has a
I friw l w rth so mebody, he turns abusive and gets down
t lllllllllrdt his opponent, through wrongful means.
Pr ophot Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam stated :
Mll l11n is the brother of another Muslim, he him-
&~lf wi ll not uppress him nor will he hand him over
it rw I. ne who is busy fulfilling the needs of his
tl or, 1\ llo~h does the same for him ; and the one
t fHt "'' I ·llo w Muslims from inconvenience, AI-
IQI til 1111 ul one of his pains of the Day of Judge-
r t fill I tlu one who conceals the deficiencies of
o f II n1llrll. will receive the same treatment from
IIQt I thD n 'Y n1 Judgement. II
If tplu~t Mtalr.unmad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says :

t lf'IJt 1111 t 1 1tl1t~1, wh ther he is tyrant or aggrieved. II
ht!ll Ill§ 111 'I ~lilt 11 • ught clarification that we shall

certainly aid the oppressed but how should we help

the cruel ? He replied, "The aid of an oppressor is to
hold his hand so that he does not commit atrocities."
On another occasion he said : " Beware of the
curse of an oppressed, because there is nothing be-
tween him and Allah, means it directly flies to the
thorn of Allah."
Prophet Muhammad Sal!allahu Alaihi Wasal!am stated :
The one who deprived his Muslim brother from his
rights or has caused damage to his respect, wealth
or any other thing, he should compensate him in this
life only or else if it is carried forward to the day
when money or other material objects would not ex-
ist, rather he will have to pay out of his good deeds
or a part of a tyrant's burden will be shifted to his
account.''
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam enumer-
ates : "If someone has grabbed even an inch of land,
he will have to wear a collar in his neck, seven !imes
the weight of that land."
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that
three sins are the gravest : ( 1) Sharing the Unity of
Allah with some one (2) Disobedience of parents and
recklessness towards their rights and (3) Lying and
false testimony.
He further stated that Gabriel (Jibra' eil) told me
so repeatedly about treating the neighbour decently,
that I began to wonder whether they would be enti-
tled to share the inheritance as well.
On another occasion, Prophet Muhammad Sallalfahu
said, " That person is absolutely ' apos-
Alaihi Wasallam
tate, completely faithless whose neighbour is .scared
of his mischief." ·
One more tradition of Prophet Muhammad Salfalfahu
Ataihi Wasalfam is : The one who is faithful, should not
M t: LAD-UN-NABEE 49
use pain to his n l t~ hb tll ll , It f 1t • hi s guest with

r pect; and when sp 1b, 11 .llo uld I with kind-
11 s or else remain qui t.
Prophet Muhammad 'utla/1.11111 -1/mtn Ww. r~/t.,rn stated
th tone of the worst pers on·, 0 11 th o l l •Y of Judge-
' nt, would be the one wh o h ·• th 1 tl I 11 c , n ans if
hn meets one of the two rival s, h ,pt 1 •• 111 hi s fa-
ur while meeting the other riv I, l .t hn•. 111 ~; ide ;
1k one thing on the face and an LI H 1 bullind t he
f rophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi W<~ ·u/1,1/n t iI:
A bdi c ation of prayers (Sa/at) lies between man

~~ d lnftd lity. It means that there is one stage in be-
n 11 •r> roaching infidelity from Islam and that is
f 1fn1k 111 1prayers . If you have renounced prayers that
n nm1 yo u re hanging between Faithlessness and
l~hun, ' "" te p more and you will enter the boundary
t ·~; y .
n one occasion, Prophet Muhammad Sal!al!ahu

"' allrun enumerated : those who stay at home,
ilf I 1 11 ari ng azaan, I feel like torching their
l l u t are numerous traditions for the reitera-
J rnvu rs, but I have talked about these two
tn w l1i h you can assess that how strong is ·
ru t1u n, nd what is the meaning of this de-
Tt In 1 wi th regard to that farz from which
oro t "' Hning usually oblivious these days.
llil~ttu•nol v HI
mu st also know about the sin
u 11111 .t di sastrous for Muslims, mean-
1 hHntit l ~rmd ltn .m c ing. Prophet Muhammad
It 11 !11 , teg orically stated that tak-
iiiU 111t~• ~'Hit , lnu 111 lt rost , keeping record of and
being witness to it are all poohibited, and men com-

mitting any of these acts will be punished in hell.
Brothers, you celebrate EID-E-MEELAD UN NABI,
it is very nice, but I would only say that at the time
of entering the darbar of our chief, just think what
face are taking to that pious spirit. If a servant lapses,
then he fears in facing his employer and tries to hide
away. Then how should we face someone whose
one or two instructions are not defied every day but
numerous. 0 Allah ! Guide me to comply with the
instructions of my Prophet Muhammad Sa!lallahu Alaihi
Wasallam and to my brothers as well.
II
Today is the anniversary of the birth of an in-
credible personality, who arrived as a boon for the
entire humanity and brought with him a set of princi-
ples, pursuing which guarantees even triumph and
well-being for every individual, every nation and ~oun
try and the whole mankind. Though this day comes
every year, but this year it has come at such a crucial
time when inhabitants of the earth are more indigent
of the guidance of that sagacious person, than ever
before. It is difficult to say whether Mr. Bernard Shaw
made this statement consciously or not, but what-
ever he stated was absolutely fitting that "Had
Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasa!lam been the dictator of
the world, at present, then peace would have been
prevailing in the world." I would go one step further
and say that, though Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam is not present in this world, yet the doctrine
presented by him are available hook line and sinker.
If we sincerely presume his tenets as Dictator, then .
all the evils can be rid, the fire of which has turned
the abode of humanity into hell.
Ml ELAD-UN-NAB E 51
Over fourte en h•u tdr Nd yruu•. bock, when Prophet

Muhammad Sallallahu Al.l/111 l \ il 14//lfm t t his foot on the
rth, that time his ow n 11 ttlull lin t r ched the nadir'
f moral ebb, chaos and turntntl 0111'1 11 has explained
h ituation of that, in the word you were stand-
n the edge of fire-fill ed 1-Jit, frollt which Allah
n u d you. Other countrie s o l rlu wo rld had no
ott r condition than this. Persi n .tnd Homnn em-
1 were, then, the biggest cradl e of htlllldll . ivili -
~tlo n, and both of them were engulf I r rnutual
otlllti os on the one hand .and domesti • ,on mic
1 o 1ll 11ity, economic distinctions ahd religious rift
tlu other hand. Under these circum st r c
lu t Muhammad got up and within a span of 23
~' . not only did he change the shape of Arabian
r In 11l1, but the movement which set off under his
n llHHH I from Arab, within a quarter of a century,
f rtnnd o large portion of the earth, from the bor-
f lnrlia to North Africa, in culture & civilization,
1 11 •; & politics, and all other spheres of life.
H 1w this revamping was achieved? It is difficult

urnll out the details in one brief talk, but I shall
nllt ym~ its broad principles :
Thn vt ry first point which he stressed upon was
aiiiHIIJHtn beings should recognize only Allah as
ool Kurn, real Owner, the Most Wise and the
liUJIIIDfOIQn LJo not accept to be the subject of any-
1ft tllnr than Allah, should bow down to the
I rrty of Allah, not only within the limited
f Gil tou matters, but in every sphere of
DOiQIQUfi. gl} nd 'i mportant aspect of his preach-
~ 1 tan sovereignty and recklessness
n wtnding halt. Every person, indi-
Ofl himself to be accountable to Al-
nlltl fiilllihul hurn Ul organizations too, whether
thoy £'11 f' i11 tho f '"" ul I tmilies and clans or sections
; in the form of nations or governments and states.

Nevertl1eless, all of them should consider themselves
responsible and accountable before Allah. The very
image of men, which Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu A!aihi
Wasaltam presented was that of a representative or
deputy of Allah on the earth. In whatever and which-
ever capacity he is empowered, that is essentially
· not his own rights, rather they have been entrusted
by Allah and in its dispensation he is answerable to
Allah.
On the basis of supreme sovereignty of Allah
and every human being his deputy, Prophet
Muhammad Sal!al!ahu Alaihi Wasa!lam established the rela-
tionship of equitable unity and cooperation among
human beings which could not have been achieved
otherwise. Race and lineage, language and colour,
national and economic interests and all other elements
forming the genesis of the society, necessarily divide
human beings into various groups and make them
rival of one another. Even if they find unanimity among
themselves, that compatibility is temporary and purely
on selfish motives . Conflicts and hostilities are the
natural outcome of this division and injustice is its
mandatory consequence . There is no way to avert
this, except having the entire humanity united on the
allegiance of Allah and by making them aware of their
accountability before Allah, they should be persuaded
to do justice.
Instead of nationalism and socialism, Prophet
Muhammad Sa!la!lahu Alaihi Wasallam laid the foundation
of universal social life on the basis of obedience of
Allah and Khilafah . He molded every aspect of that
life into durable moral principles. His morality were
not meant for reclusive saints, but for very people
who run the show on the earth like farmers, land-
lords, labourers, industrialists, traders, customers,
Mf:E LAD-UN-NABEE 53
c.o ps, jurists, administrator , v m ors, soldiers/ su-

I r me commanders, minist t ; .tnd diplomats. Each
of these functionaries were m ad to odh re to moral
code within its precincts, the boltin g nd unbolting
of which and the making and breaking of its princi-
1 I! : would not rest on the desires of any individual
) I 111asses. He disciplined all facets of human life on
1111 basis of rectitude, whether it is social or interper-
unol relation, art or culture, trade or commerce, poli-
tlt or administration, international relations or war
mul peace. Everything that is linked to human life
w ·· denied the right to bloom and prosper independ-
nnt of moral restrictions.
I hese are the broader principles depended on
wlut.: h the reforms program of Prophet Muhammad .
llu ·,trategy he adopted to implement this program
lllltll tHmced from individual reform. He did not over-
1 HI the fact that every map of collective reforms
nvt 11 lu lly depends upon .the success of individual
1uf J llll . Even the best of programs can not be suc-
,fu lly implemented with having people of loose
1 ltur 11 -tor and questionable standing along. Flaws in
tltu 1 It racter of individuals may cause serious dam-
no 111 the implementation of a noble system, which
mr trot be averted by merely theoretical remedies.
Th~urc ti ·ally, whatever imaginary precautions one can
d h f,H the prevention of deficiencies . But practi-
1 11 Ill· people who are fesponsible for executing
1 1 11 tual plan are vulnerable to desires, vested
~ ~!ilttii nr ul partisan; if they lack true piety and char-
t ~~~do pite your utmost caution, there would
' ~ I t ~ Jltnunls for your plans and that too from
!W"rl~l"' hldt you never expected. On the contrary,
It I 1 1 illy At th black board, you can prove the pos-
~ilttlll •f €11\lllnb r of loopholes. But if a reliable team
is E'l E'lili'!ldi!! tn, H uc uting this plan, then their correct
actions will plug the holes, which you think can pop
up in your hypothetical simulation.
This is why Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasattam expended all his energy on the grooming of
such human capital that could put his plan of trans-
forming the world into action in the best manner. He
produced people who ·were God-fearing and pious
under every situation. Who held themselves account-
able to Allah in every sphere of their lives. Who re-
strained themselves from every single deed which
they suspected could make Allah furious with them
and who were willing to dedicate themselves to a
cause which they felt would please Allah. Who could
sacrifice everything which could win them favour of
Allah. In whose heart there was no fear, no greed of
favours or desires of awards from anyone other than
Allah. For whom there was no distinction between
their private and public lives. Who were as pious,
decent, and virtuous behind the veil as they appeared
in front of the whole world . Who could prove to be
trustworthy, if they were entrusted with the respon-
sibility of protecting the life, property and honor of
the servants of Allah. If they took oath on behalf of
their self, nation or government, they would not back-
track. If they were made jurist, they would not be
held cruel. If they undertook commercial transaction
then they would not be declared as crooks. They
might be slow in claiming their rights, but will be
quick in dispensing others. They used their intelli·
gence, prudence, diligence and qualifications for trutt-
and justice and for the welfare and prosperity of hu·
manity and not for deceiving and depriving other~
from their rights because of individual and nationa
gains.
After spending full 15 years for the developmen
of such people, Prophet Muhammad raised a task
MEELAD-UN -NA B 55
'
force of handful of true believers which was pot ·com-
rnitted to the reforms of only Arabian peninsula but
for the mankind of the whole world, and which was
co mprised of people other than Arab nationals also.
Having raised this team, he moved on to make
lrrge scale efforts to bring about social reforms and
in merely eight years, brought comprehensive social,
m.o nomic, cultural and political revolution on the land
u f Arabian peninsula, spreading over 1 5,00,000
qt.J re miles. Then, the same team, which was inte-
r 1ted by him, accomplished its task of reforming
Ar 1bs, proceeded further and showered the grace of
tlw, revolution, which was initiated in Arab, over a
lm 1 part of the then civilized world. These days we
lw 11 the idea of new world order everywhere, but
wu fail to understand that how the very fundamental
llnws which have ultimately turned the old system
1111u urmoil, if still exist in the new system, with a
lllfc r nt fa_ce, can be considered a new order? It
wo uld essentially be the same""System whose bites
i!tll I • tings have pushed us to the deathbed for which
w~ m seeking antidote of the new system. Fear-
hHuuH and apathy towards Supreme authority of
llrth by human beings, national and racial distinc-
t n, political and economic self-interests of nations
a ions and non-god-fearing people ruling the
o nr the real drawbacks which have been de-
It y t11 humanity till date and will continue to
If w lifestyle remains the victim of the same
If rut mns are to be brought about, then only
10 1111 iples through which one of the great-
t iahm of humanity not only guided us, cen-
blll J.lractically showed us reforms.
000
Oth March, 1942, from A I/ India Radio Station,
ar Lahore}
/ " ·. ·',: /
/ / • . • • I. - 'Y ;I~ ;I.:
Maulana SayyidA.
;;,-/
IJ~IA"Ia Ma~ual)dl ·... ,·
' . __ ', ' /
· (190.3-1979), :-~one · /of · the · ct;Jie( /6irchitects ami

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is .
,-,%'
.the most outsJal:lding Islamic th1nl<eh and writer ofy.'
our time. ,H~ ,devbted his entire life to e~pounding
• ' !,
tpe ffn eaning and message of Islam, inviting

individuals (o renew " their commitment to . their ,
, Creator, and to organizing a movemel)t to establish.
" ' '
Islam fully: In this struggle, he had fo pass through
all kinds ·~{suffering : betw~en 1Q48 and 1967, he If
/ , . .., / /. ';I // ;;:,:
was put behind .bars on four'

oGcasjohsr spending ·c:~
/
/' ·
total of five years in different pris~ns of Pakistan; in .
1953, he was also sentenced to death by a. Martial
/ /
Law court_for writing a 'seditious' ~pa!Jiphlet, this

sentence la'ter being commuted to life
/ ' imprisonment. In 19~ 1; he founded Jama'at lslami, . /
/ / ' '
/ of which .he remained Amir·(Cniefy.imtil 1972 and

" w;'lich
'
is on~ ~f the most pf~~fhe~t .
lsl~mic :/' · /
movements of our: day. -He "authored more !Han a ', .i
·/ hundred works. on Islam, both scholarly anp

;_ popular,,and his writings have be~n t~~u1sJated into '
. /
forty languages.
' /

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Sayyid Abul A•la Maududi

Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi

Markazi Maktaba lslami Publishers, New Delhi

All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced,

Name of the Book

Edition June 2012 1,100 '

Price : Rs. 28.00

Printed at H.S Offset Printers, N.Delhi-2

Shab-e-bar'at is generally considered a festival_

It would have surely been

14th or 1 5th night of Shaban is proclaimed to be Eid

to what will and what will not be beneficial for the

various ills and make it an ugly practice. Such

clue, they converted it into a mammoth and perpetual

' Islam defines psyche as that part of one's self, which

a mark in history and human civilization are the ones

depends on which the survival of humanity. Third is

responsibility of pursuing them is left on every

only. Strictly, the primary objective is that after having

Some sections of the society are vigorously pur.::

"Month of Ramazan is that, in which Qur'an is

Those who toe the· idea that Muslims, throughout

radio set .in every town would be a must. Or else

WHO TRULY DESERVES EID GREETINGS 1

brothers. People who genuinely deserve the greetings

Humazan :firstly, Muslims should build their character

If thor 1 n biggest favour Allah has done to

w,·.nnl11l ly for his real altruism, is the ultimate

you Allah for g1v1ng us Our'an, rather the precise

from this perspective. And has endeavoured to absorb

i h re usually permissible in yoyr life,

Iron 1111 fHJ!',I ·t , for a m<;mth, so that you are pre-

carry out its unwarranted demands, against the will

OUR TREATMENT WITH ISLAMIC CHASTITIES

ven care to show any respect for this month. Their

ul whi II Mu·.q11 s get flooded. Reciting of Our'an

becomes a common sight everywhere, even those

p rity of our community, and we have been making

LA TUFISIDU FIL ARDE...

stopping the efforts of preserving and maintaining

In the destruction of ev_ery single evil and estab-

the ground would have been prepared for this asset.

"" " ury for a festival, which has common interest

There are numerous ways, in various nations, of

ntiments of just one community and in which it is

All the three traits are apparent from the festivals

n I> dy remained unfed on Eid. On the contrary, after

th prayers of Eid-ui-Azha, animals were sacrificed,

case of a potential armed or political mission, the

~~J~~~~~jc 's ~1~1

.0-~/~} ... ~I~ UIJ ..:.t~I ~..l..!) A.J ~yJ~

I have turned to the One who is the Creator of

llu w s the Eid, celebrated during the era of

arm length distance from these permitted forms of

The attitude of leaders, at that time, can be

J.::;S' ~_,JT c:......""~ ~

.A.::5 ~Jj '-'W ~ L' ~.r J\5" ~J~

It is the day of festival,

Today is the day of great bounties for the world,

rophet lbraheem, to commemo-

J~~~jc 's ~1~1