The real enLightment…
Posted by: Admin on: April 29, 2007
- In: Islam| Karachi| Life| Muslim Life| My writings| News| Pakistan| Women's Issues
- Comment!
Look at Pakistan before the year 2000. Hardly would you find any lady in a hijab- forget the jilbab! Study and understanding of Quran was unheard of amongst the women.
Islam revolved only around having Quran Khwani at the death of a person and doing Quran khwani for obtaining blessings…fasting in ramadan- with no spirit. Wearing the abaya was uncool and un modern, praying 5 times a day? Impossible… life too busy in shopping and socializing… practicing Islam… uncool… impossible.. not for the present times. Reciting Quran? No just reciting punj soorahs for obtaining blessings… without understanding a word of it. In any trouble ? read some wazifiz.. and Allah will help you out.. even if u dont pray 5 times a day… This is all there was to Islam – amongst the general women population of Pakistan.
Roam around Karachi now, lots and lots of ladies are taking up hijab and jilbab. Roam around Defence and clifton now, the posh localities of Karachi, you will find many women in full niqab and jilbab driving cars and shopping around… so many darse Qurans and Quran study circles are being held for women in houses all over DHA.
It was the revival of study of Quran among women initiated by Dr. Farhat Hashmi that began this revolution among women. So much was said against her by people and even the molvis, so much false stories were spread against her. But it was her efforts and determination to make women read and understand Quran, that it is payig off now with her soo many students spread all over the country teaching Quran and changing people.
I have seen sleeveless wearing girls and women change and take up the full hijab. I have seen filthy rich fashion conscious ladies change and become simple and veiled and beautiful practicing Muslimahs…I have seen the rich donate money and their entire houses for the spread of deen. So much good has spread and a lot needs to spread further!It is a blessing of Allah – Study of Quran has revived and now many ladies are spreading the true deen Alhamdulilah. Some of Dr. Farhat Hashmis’s best students like Huma Najmul Hasan, Safiya Khan,Dr. Imrana and many many more are further spreading the true teachings…a still a lot more needs to be done.
Listen to Dr. Farhat Hashmi’s lectures online in urdu.
Listen to the latest Taleem ul Quran course held at Toronto
Various Lectures in Urdu
Explanation of Sahih Bukhari in Urdu
28 Responses to "The real enLightment…"
April 30, 2007 at 9:45 am
Indeed, I found the progress. And I listened few of the lectures of Dr. Farhat Hashmi, I don’t have any negative comments about those. But even then I don’t know why, I found the era before 2000 better in quite a few ways. I think today people are seeking knowledge to impress others, may be, may be not. Or just for debate purposes. I felt disappointed when I visited Karachi after 2 years in 2004 and remain there till 2006. I am just telling what I felt in those two years of dwelling. I would like to point out a few of the disappointments.
- Woman starts doing Hijab and the other class started wearing see through cloths. See through in the sense you can easily tell the color of their private clothings.
- People, who used to travel in public transport, are not supporting any girl when she complain against someone. Because they think that the lady is corrupt and making allegations. And sometimes I found them right.
- Its very common for a woman to wear tight cloths, “Pehen ke silaaye huey”,
- I went for shopping some clothings for my wife. It was extremely difficult to get any cloth reasonably thick, even the cloths that suppose to be used in stitching shalwars are see-through.
- No-one was offering their seats to senior citizens in public buses. They prefer to have a mock sleep and let that old man bear the pain.
- Once two guys came, pulled a gun on me and asked for my mobile phone. Everybody was watching the incident but no one dares to say anything. Of course I resisted but couldn’t save my cell.
- Watching TV and listening music became a necessity especially in ladies.
- Nobody cares to know if their neighbours are hungry or not. Not talking about Defense and Clifton.
- When I was a school kid, I can remember we used to receive food from our neighbours, just for nothing. They used to feel like sharing whenever make something special.
- We became less aware of our surroundings.
- Our youth is busy in downloading/dumping new funky tunes in their mobiles
- A guy of 10th standard raped his class fellow. This incident happened in prestigious CIty School. And the news was suppressed.
- I have seen the night fixing in N.N.’s McDonalds, Park Tower’s Food Court, Gulshan’s Burger King.
- Once my cousin of 12 years of age was like, “Adeel Bhai aaiye main aap ko batata hoon shaadi ke baad kya hota he”
- I have seen kids are not interested in studies, not even in sports, they are interested in girlfriends/boyfriends, video games, mobiles, parties etc.
Bottom line is, I found there nothing but soulless bodies. I am not contradicting your views, indeed we had a fair bit of progress towards good but the progress of bad is much much more relatively. We are facing this because our past was shameful. I believe, that the primary concern of our forefathers was making money, hell amount of money. To the contrary, now we are noticing that a number of people are also interested in Islam. We can hope for a good future. We will, insha allah, keep on doing this great work. May Allah bless us and help us in doing good. Aameen.
“Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless”. – Thomas A. Edison
“Whoever strives for knowledge for the life to come obtains great gain in righteousness. But he is in utter loss who seeks knowledge to obtain an advantage over people” – Abu Hanifa
Thanks.
April 30, 2007 at 10:02 am
Assalaamu ‘Alaykum
Yes Brother Adeel you are right in your way the people in general in our country have become really selfish and corrupt and I’ve maintained for quite some time now that our society is filled with hypocrisy. But the point Javeria has made is also valid that people are interested in Deen now and are trying to gain knowledge and we cannot expect any revolution that would change everything suddenly. One must never give up hope and appreciate the good that is there InshaAllah. And its important to hold on to our religion because the suffering muslims are going through today throughout the world is because we didn’t hold on to the rope of Allah and I guess the situation for muslims won’t improve so those who dont try to come upon their deen are going to find survival even more difficult and may even apostate. May Allah save us from that and Guide us to the Sirat-al-Mustaqeem Aameen
Danish.
Share Islam in Simple English Terms
http://www.shareislam.com
April 30, 2007 at 11:36 am
Dear javeria.
Beautiful article. I’ve reference’d it on Karachi Metblogs since it is something more people should be made aware of.
Jazak Allah.
April 30, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Dear Jaweria,AoA
A wonderful post,asusal. I do second your article after hearing few cases by my friends who are directly involved in tableeghi jamat and busy in educatiing their muslim fellows in posh areas of Karachi as well. I am not fully aware of how Dr.Asrar and Farhat Sahiba are busy in spreading Islam in posh areas but since I am closely linked with tableeghi friends, they do tell me stories that people of areas like Clifton,defence etc are getting attracted towards Islam and the reason I was told that they have got fedup taking sleeping pills for comfortable sleep. The other reasons was told that unlike other karachiites, these people have enjoyed most of fantasies which are not common in Karachi and not considered good at all. As I was told by one of my journalst friend of a famous magazine that he was reported about atleast two Incest cases in Clifton area where young girls got pregnant due to their brothers.
In presence of such darkness, it’s quite natural that Islam is being accepted and with ease as well.
If you are in Pakistan ..or even not in Pakistan then do try to grab last Sunday mag of Jang paper which covers the story of spreading Islam in Australia. Very intrested read.
April 30, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Danish, I have said the same 
. You might missed the part I quoted below from my original comment.
“Indeed, I found the progress”
AND
“To the contrary, now we are noticing that a number of people are also interested in Islam. We can hope for a good future. We will, insha allah, keep on doing this great work. May Allah bless us and help us in doing good. Aameen.”
Thanks.
April 30, 2007 at 3:07 pm
@Adeel
Well there is no doubt what you said is true… but things could have been worse…
You would have seen ALL ladies in inappropriate dresses…had it not been the guidance of Quran…
Now if you see one end wearing jeans and sleaveless… in the same place you will full veiled woman.. doing it happily with their own…
Attend some weddings…. where majority you will find in full fashio… but you might be able to spot 2…3… or 4 ladies in veil.. Alhamdulilah.
You should not generalize and make a statement that many are doing it just for winning some arguments…and getting information or simply to impress others…. This is unjust.. only Allah knows the neeat.
It is extremly sad when people say to those ladies trying to study Quran… “Oh its just a trend these days to go to Quran circles”
Jo bhee hai.. atleast they are going and trying.. Hidayat tu srif Allah he daita hai – only Allah gives Hidayat….and Alhamdulilah many ladies and even young girls are changing and becoming practicing Muslims..
About shopping in Karachi.. you are right.. there was no cloth thick enough! all cloths and dresses that were available were sooo thin.. almost transparent.. trust me.. iv had to shop and go crazy looking for a thick material… in the end .. there was no other way but to get clothes stitched with lining!
But Alhamdulilah.. now thick material IS available.. quality has improved greatly… u do find transparent material.. but on the other hand u also find the thick now!
Why has this happend? Rich wives of industrialists are changing…
until last year.. there used to be Basant celebrated in Creek Club.. not this year… I wonder why?
There has been a Dora-e-Quran for ladies held since the last 2 years in Creek club during Ramadan…
I firmly believe its the women behind the changes.. as its said
“The Hand that rocks the cradle- is the hand that rules the world”
The soulless bodies you find..,are obviously those to whom the light of Quran has not reached…and if people keep striving in spreading the teaching of Quran and Sunnah… Inshallah they will change.
@H.Q
You are absolutely right.. when ladies change and become practicing Muslims..and when they become mothers.. the coming generation changes..
The effects of revolution have started….
@Mansoor
JazakAllahu Khair for linking it…
April 30, 2007 at 3:34 pm
@ Adnan
Wsalam
Thanks for your comments…
The solution to the problems of our society IS ISLAM.
It is because Muslims have given up their religion that such horrible and in fact worse incidents are happening in our society.
I know a lady – infact i heard her talk… she works with victims of such kinds of incidents..incest and rape of young girls…..
she has become so sensitive that she does not let her 1 year old daughter wear revealing clothes like dresses and skirts.. she keeps her fully covered with full sleeves and trousers and never leaves her alone with any male person, whoever it may be…
We really have no clue how wide spread this horrible thing is in our society – esp among the lower income people… it is beyond imagination….AstaghfurAllah.
Islam needs to be spread at all levels… that is the only cure for such diseases.
April 30, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Javeria –
You should not generalize and make a statement that many are doing it just for winning some arguments…and getting information or simply to impress others…. This is unjust.. only Allah knows the neeat.
Me -
No, absolutely not. Its not about winning some argument. I was just trying to show you the other side of the mirror. We acheived better and lost some other precious things which we used to have. That was my whole point.
Javeria –
Attend some weddings…. where majority you will find in full fashio… but you might be able to spot 2…3… or 4 ladies in veil.. Alhamdulilah.
Me -
Cent percent agreement
Javeria –
It is extremly sad when people say to those ladies trying to study Quran… “Oh its just a trend these days to go to Quran circles”
Me -
No Javeria, I didn’t pointed out the ladies. How can I, who knows that at least they are doing something good and I know quite a few of gentlemen sucks. Believe me.
Javeria -
Jo bhee hai.. atleast they are going and trying.. Hidayat tu srif Allah he daita hai – only Allah gives Hidayat
Me –
Very cute and very right.
Javeria -
About shopping in Karachi.. you are right.. there was no cloth thick enough! all cloths and dresses that were available were sooo thin.. almost transparent.. trust me.. iv had to shop and go crazy looking for a thick material… in the end .. there was no other way but to get clothes stitched with lining!
Me –
Hana hana….. Hamesha bekaar baatein thorai karta hoon main.
April 30, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Javeria -
We really have no clue how wide spread this horrible thing is in our society – esp among the lower income people… it is beyond imagination….AstaghfurAllah.
Me -
So, you think its about income? Shouldn’t it because of lack of knowledge, awareness, intellects, education etc.? Poverty is the gift of rich people to poors.
April 30, 2007 at 4:18 pm
@Adeel
You took me wrong..
I dont mean that this thing is about income….
what i mean is it is more common there in low income areas. coz a number of reasons… many families live in the same room. men women boys girls, they all sleep in one big room..
there is not even the slightest bit of concept of Sharam and haya… and coz of ample opportunities such incidents are more common there.
This point was highlighted by the lady who works with such victims…
Yes and reason is lack of knowledge, lack of sharam n haya.
April 30, 2007 at 10:41 pm
Islam needs to be spread at all levels… that is the only cure for such diseases.
Javeria, Islam will be spreaded and it’s spreading as Allah doesn’t need our help to spread it. How many of us made effort to spread Islam in USor other countries? still you see Cat stevens become Yousuf, Yousuf Yuhanna became Muhamamd Yousuf and Journalist Ms. Riddley become Maryam.
Allah doesn;t need us and He said it several times in Koran. Allah created Quran and His quran is enough to propagate His message.
The thing is that we shouldn’t miss the train by not participating to spread it otherwise if we are not doing duty then Allah would bring someone else. This is what he said in Quran as well.
May 1, 2007 at 1:22 am
farhat hashmi is an fundamentalist nutcase who spreads “feel good” lies like muslims didn’t commit 9/11 etc…
she is dangerous because of her extremist views. she wants to make muslims barbaric and backwards by liiterally calling for muslims to be like they were in the 7th century.
literally.
she also support beating women, ENFORCEMENT of body hijab, not just the head covering
she is a wahhabi through and through…
and one of the most wierdest things she teaches:
put a spoon across an open pot containing food so that “jinn” don’t eat it/spoil it.
…
insane.
May 1, 2007 at 10:30 am
an intresting article appeared in Jang:
tinyurl.com/2z6ghh
Can anyof you find out the orignal article? I was unable to spell the surname of the author.
15 | FarhatHashmi.com Launched « a i R e V A j
August 3, 2007 at 9:37 pm
[...] to clarify some misconceptions about Dr. Farhat Hashmi. When i mentioned her in my previos post here, i received some nasty comments about [...]
August 4, 2007 at 10:17 pm
Salamalikum,
(Sister Javeria…my goal is to post a comment on all your posts!!…just kidding)
H.Q. said: Muslim mothers to bring up a generation of fine youngmen who’ll be “learned” more in terms of Islam than in terms of modern Arts
I couldn’t agree more. Imam Shafi’ was raised by his mother who moved him from Giza, where he was born, to Makkah. Imam Bukhari, from near Bukhara (Uzbekistan today) went for Hajj with his mother and then studied with scholars there while his mother left. Imam Ahmed’s mother would take the young Imam Ahmed for fajr prayer in a Baghdad masjid and wait for him there until Imam Ahmed studied with his teachers for several hours after fajr prayer, and then his mother would come home with him. In all these cases, the fathers had died when the children were young!
Women and men should read a book by Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi about his mother, Khairun Nisaa. Nadwi’s own father had died when he was 10. The book is called: Zikr Khair. It is easily available in Pakistan but online can be bought at: http://www.albalagh.net/bookstore/?action=view&item=0614
September 12, 2007 at 9:46 am
AOA,
Please help and locate some shops in karachi where thick cloth (non-see through strictly) is available. Jazakallah
September 13, 2007 at 8:37 am
Wsalam,
Well if you are looking for thick good quality material, then Khaddi or Junaid Jamshed. However their clothes are very expensive around 3000, 4000 Rs. Plus….
There is a cotton shop at Uzmas right at the front, there is a shop on Khayaban e Sehar, in a lane behind Hob Knob.
There are 2/3 shops in khadda market.. but you still have t check out the cloth for thickness before you buy it.
September 13, 2007 at 11:53 am
Jazakallah,
any choices in bahadurabab, tarique road, saddar, hyderi. This side of the bridge
September 13, 2007 at 12:46 pm
@ Worried
LoLzz @ “This side of the bridge”… Hahaha, reminds me of all my friends who live on “That side of the bridge” and look down upon those who live on “This” side…
H.Q.
September 16, 2007 at 4:03 pm
Well here Mr Salhuddin has written about farhat hashmi that she is a fundamentalist and all that stuff. He has also written that she is a wahabi. ?????. What is this ? I mean was it necessary to mention here.
September 17, 2007 at 7:59 am
Fundamentalist is a word of praise. No doubt about it.
Einstein was a fundamentalist physicist.
Leibniz was a fundamentalist mathematician.
So, how can a fundamentalist Islamist is bad.
In short, “if you don’t follow the fundamentals of any thing, you can not be a specialist in that thing” – Adeel Ansari.
“Wahabi” term came from a scholar, “Abdul Wahab”, who was one of the most righteous scholar of that time. He is also known as “Mujadid-e-Islam”. He was a follower of Sha’afi school of thoughts. Hence, being a Wahabi is not a bad attribute at all.
Dr. Farhat Hashmi on the other hand is not a Sha’afi follower, I suppose. So, how can she be a follower of Abdul Wahab? Yeah but she may be doing the same work what Abdul Wahab did for the sake of Muslim Ummah.
Its just the surface. There is much more detail regarding this “Wahabi” issue, though. But I would like to keep it simple and till here, for some reasons.
September 17, 2007 at 8:11 am
To Salahuddin,
I love Abdul Wahab and his book Kitab At Tauheed.
I would love to be in 7th century, if there is a chance.
And yes I am extreme in following Islam. If you will call me extremist for this reason. Please do so, I feel very glad when I heard this term for myself in this sense.
Hijab does not just mean the head covering. The hijab is not a piece of cloth, its an idea. The idea to cover yourself up by a proper mean, not just the head or the face or the hairs.
I don’t know but sometimes I found personalities totally contradicting their names. For example this pal, Salahuddin. Sharm tum ko magar naheen aati.
September 18, 2007 at 9:20 am
adeel, only in your eyes… 
but that’s okay… jis kee izzat hotee hay, us kay toknay say banda bura bhee maanta hay… LOL
as for H.Q: Oh my lord Towelie, you’ve totally shown me. if you need me, i’ll be in a corner shivering in shame, with tears streaming down my face and neck because i’ve been rebuked by the stereo typical JUVENILE put down… which ironically is telling ME to mature up…
September 19, 2007 at 8:22 am
H.Q. This is just to remind you.
“Never argue with an idiot. They pull you down to their level, then beat you with experience.”
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April 29, 2007 at 6:21 pm
alhamduliLLAH. Guess we won’t be able to see the revolution in this generation of ours… We’ll have to wait for the great upcoming Muslim mothers to bring up a generation of fine youngmen who’ll be “learned” more in terms of Islam than in terms of modern Arts….. May ALLAH bless all those who are working in HIS way and grant the wishes of those who want to work for the cause of Islam but are too entangled in their own lives to move a single finger for Islam. Aameen.
Regards,
H.Q.