Gambling In Islam In Urdu
- Gambling In Islam In Urdu Language
- Gambling In Islam In Urdu Dunya
- Gambling In Islam In Urdu English Dictionary
The police have arrested 25 persons on charge of gambling from various parts of the city during past 24 hours. Police spokesman said here on Tuesday that the police nabbed five persons including Sheikh Younus etc. From Mohallah Kausar Abad Jhang Bazaar, five persons Shaukat and Tanveer etc. We are sharing Islamic Quotes, Islamic rules, Islamic Hadis and many more which everyone likes. We are feeling fortunate by sharing Islamic status, Islamic poetry, Islamic Hadis and Islamic quotes with you. So keep stay connect with our website urdu-whatsapp-status.com because we daily update new and latest WhatsApp status in Urdu & English. A detailed discussion about the regulations Islam has set in regards to dealing with crime in society. Part 5: A discussion of what the legislation of these types of punishment seeks to bring about in a society., A detailed discussion about the regulations Islam has set in regards to dealing with crime in society. Part 4: The second and third types of punishments, retribution and discretionary.
THE EVILS OF GAMBLINGCONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
THE DEFINITION OF GAMBLING
THE PROHIBITION OF GAMBLING
THE NOBLE SAHAABAH'S SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE AFTER THE ORDER OF PROHIBITION
CROSSWORD PUZZLES
THE PRIZE WINNING TICKETS OF (CAR) SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
HORSE RACING
LOTTERY
Gambling has unfortunately become an acceptable practise in Muslim Society due to its wide scale promotion by the media. A large number of good Muslims are also caught in the web, not realising that they are gambling and that the earnings from the gambling are haraam.
The following is a translation of a scholarly article by the late Mufti Muhammad Shafi rahmatullahi alaihe which is being published to make Muslims aware of the different forms of transactions and other items which are classified in Shar'iah as gambling.
Return to TitleTHE DEFINITION OF GAMBLING
Every transaction in which gain and loss is obscure is known as Qimaar' and 'Maisar' in the Shar'iah terminology, and as 'Juwa' in the Urdu language. For instance, if two people compete in a race with the following conditions, that if you surpass me, then I will give you a thousand pounds and if I surpass you then you will have to give me a thousand pounds. Or if someone says, 'If it rains today you will have to give me a thousand pounds and if it does not rain then I will give you a thousand pounds.'
Likewise if some packed boxes are being sold for a fixed price, for example four pounds per box and some of the boxes have contents with a value of five pounds with others containing a value of two pounds, then the purchase of these boxes will be Qimaar. Because of the obscurity of the gain and loss. There are numerous methods of gambling and in every age and region, gambling has been played in different forms and methods.
There was a certain procedure amongst the Arabs for gambling. There would be ten arrows, each with a special name, all having different shares allocated to them, for example, one share, two shares, three shares, etc. There would also be some without a share at all. They would then jumble the arrows and ask someone to pick an arrow for each person. Whichever arrow was picked out for a person, that would be his allocated share and thereafter would be considered the owner of it. On the other hand, whosoever happened to acquire a share-less arrow he would receive nothing at all. The custom, which went hand in hand with this, was that a camel would be slaughtered and distributed according to the shares entitled to them by the arrows. A person who was unlucky would not only be deprived of the camel meat but he would also have to pay for that camel. This kind of gambling has been labelled Maisar and Azlaam by the Qur'aan. Maisar is that particular camel which is slaughtered and distributed because of gambling and Azlaam are the arrows that are used to define the amount of the shares in gambling. Apart from this, gambling was prevalent in trade in different forms. They were known as Mulamasa and Munabaza, etc., the prohibition of which is present in the Ahaadith of the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam.
Before the advent of Islam, gambling was not only customary but also taken to be a cause of pride, nobility and honour. For excessive show of pride, these people would distribute their share of the winnings amongst the poor.
THE PROHIBITION OF GAMBLING
As Islam plays a moderate role in worship, similarly it plays a role in economics and social orders. How can Islam, the moderate way of life, cope with a state where one can take possession of somebody else's property without any valid reason, due to which, the latter gets poorer and his state diminishes and the former, without working, gathers the wealth equivalent to that of Qaroon (Korah, a kaafir whom Allah bestowed with great wealth at the time of Musa alaihis salaam)? Alternatively, without any religious excuse, a great amount of wealth is taken from the poor people's pocket and a single person is made to own it. Therefore, it was vital for Islam to prohibit these unfair ways of taking possessions. For this reason the open mindedness of the all-encompassing religion, Islam, took consideration and concern of the human passions. When alcoholic drinks and gambling were intended to be banned, their prohibition was not revealed immediately, but firstly all the disadvantages concerning them were made clear. Once these were totally engraved into their hearts, then the laws of prohibition were revealed.
In the early days of Islam the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam was questioned regarding the permissibility of gambling and alcohol. The first verse that was revealed regarding this, is in Surah Baqarah which is as follows:
'They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say, 'In them is great sin and some benefit for men; but the sin is greater than the benefit.'
In the above aayah, the permissibility and non-permissibility of wine and gambling is not clarified. Soon after understanding the tone of discountenance in the verse, the highly ranked companions of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam abstained from them. On the other hand, Muslims in general were still involved in them and the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam had not said anything that indicated their prohibition, until Allah revealed the following verse:
'O believers! Intoxicants and gambling, worshipping stones and divination by arrows are impure, of shaytan's handiwork: refrain from such abomination that ye may prosper. '
In this verse, the total prohibition of alcoholic drinks and gambling has been clearly revealed. Its prohibition has been mentioned with such assurance that Imaam Razi rahmatullahi alaihe states as follows:
'Firstly, the Arabic word 'innama' has been placed in the beginning of the verse. In Arabic, this creates emphasis on what is mentioned afterwards. Secondly, these prohibited things have been classified as being 'rijs' (impure), from which natural disposition abstains. Thirdly, they have been branded as satanic acts. Fourthly, their severity has been categorised in the same level as idol worshipping (shirk) in the sense that they all are links of a single chain.'
After mentioning that these all are 'rijs' (impure), Allah Ta'ala orders:
'Keep away from them.'
Allah Ta'ala does not terminate the subject here, but He carries on mentioning their religious and worldly harm in the following aayah. Allah, the Almighty states conclusively that shaytaan wants to ruin our worldly life and the life of the Hereafter. These forbidden things, (alcohol and gambling), lay the seeds of hatred and hostility between human beings. These evil outcomes are innumerable. Their habit distracts a man from obligatory duties such as salaah and the remembrance of Allah.
Gambling In Islam In Urdu Language
May Allah protect all the Muslims from their evil.
Return to TitleTHE NOBLE SAHAABAH'S SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE AFTER THE ORDER OF PROHIBITION
Generally, habits and old customs that become part of a person's temperament are almost second to human nature. This was a time of great trial when, up to now, these sinful acts were part of their life and nobility, but today, they became expressly prohibited. This period is of a great importance for the Muslim Ummah in Islamic history.
It is amazing that, on one hand, there was the concern of human feelings and habits in the Shari'ah, and on the other hand, there was a great desire in the Ummah to obey the revealed commandments.
After the revelation of the above mentioned verse, Rasoolullah sallallahu alaihe wasallam sent out a caller to proclaim:
'Behold, alcoholic drinks (intoxicants) have been made haraam.'
It was the cry of the caller or perhaps a lightning which immediately changed their habits and feelings.
Intoxicants were very popular among the Arabs. They were manufactured and imbedded almost in every home and to drink had, so to speak, become a mark of advancement in culture. As soon as the announcement was made, the people who were greatly addicted to it and who regarded it a virtue and sign of social and cultural eminence and who would spend lavishly in the state of drunkenness from which the poor and needy profited. These very same people now in a short span of time were ready to forsake and sever any ties they may have had in regards to alcohol which had, for years played a major role in their lives. Those who held goblets in their hands immediately threw them on the ground. Many others who were in the act of drinking, spat the contents out. Sounds of pitchers and jars being smashed up were soon audible from neighbouring houses. Wine was running to such an extent that the streets of Madinah were overflowing.
Hazrat Anas radiyallahu anhu, an eminent companion of the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam narrates that some friends including Abu Ubayda ibn Jarrah, Abu Dujahna, Mu'az ibn Jabal and Sahl ibn Bayzah radiyallahu anhum had gathered at the house of Abu Talha. Alcohol was flowing and I was acting as the cup-bearer when suddenly the cry of the announcer reached our ears. None of us considered it necessary to go out and investigate the matter. Instead, the containers and jars were smashed to the ground and the wine thrown onto the streets of Madinah. After performing wudhu and ghusl we proceeded towards the Masjid where upon our arrival we found the blessed Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam reciting the aforesaid verse.
Hazrat Buraidah radiyallahu anhu also narrates a similar account wherein a group of Sahaabah were busy consuming liquor when the announcement was made. The words no sooner reached their ears that the cups were thrown to the ground. Others who were about to swallow the alcohol immediately spat it out, numerous barrels were also destroyed in the process.
This is not the occasion for a lengthy discussion regarding the prohibition of alcohol, nonetheless, due to the fact that the prohibition was revealed at the same time to that of gambling, it was necessary to give an example of the Sahaabah's habitual obedience, courage and passion. From these incidents it can be imagined just how difficult the situation had become for the Sahaabah. Likewise it can be conceived as to how much hardship they must have endured when the prohibition of gambling was also revealed. Therefore, history itself is a witness that after the revelation of the aayah, the Companions refrained from associating with anything that was even minutely related to gambling. In an authentic hadith of Bukhari the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam is reported to have said, 'If one person says to another, 'Come lets gamble.' (regardless of whether he acts upon it or not) then he shall be liable of committing a sin; and the compensation for that sin will be to give Sadaqah.'
It is a disgrace that today's Muslims, despite the fact that severe and grave warnings have been given in the Qur'aan and Ahaadith relating to gambling and alcohol, lead a life of complete ignorance and unconcern. It seems that they no longer have faith in the Qur'aan and Ahaadith, Allah save us! It is not only the illiterate who are involved, but the sad fact is that those who hold lofty positions in society and who are regarded as religious, because they perform their fasts and salaah, have also fallen prey to its evil clutches. Hence for the benefit of those who are unaware or not acquainted, a few forms of gambling are being mentioned that are currently prevalent.
Return to Title
CROSSWORD PUZZLES
Nowadays, just like the epidemic of plague, the art of gambling too has now become so common that it has become virtually a means of trade and commerce. Under such headlines as 'Solve this Puzzle', or 'Win this Lottery' of innumerable newspapers and monthly journals that are on an ever-increase. They offer prizes for solving puzzles subject to the submitting of a fee. The participants are lured into false belief that they can win substantial sums of money. Some organisers fix huge prizes for the winners due to which the poor public think that the fees is only a small amount and will not bring no harm and therefore enter trying to win a substantial amount.
Because people have fallen prey to this disease, thousands of individuals are entering the lottery.
It is crystal clear that when a person enters into playing this game he submits his fee on the understanding that he either loses a small amount or wins a fortune; according to the divine law of Islam this act is classified as 'gambling'.
In some monthly magazines this form of gambling has expanded very widely and the income runs into millions from which the businesspersons gain overall benefit. Even if the company tries not to indulge in any form of cheating, and distributes the prize money justly, a substantial amount of money is left over which is the blood and sweat of the poor people.
The outcome of all this, is that it is the public who ends up in poverty whilst the organisers benefit from the expenses of the poor. In confirmation of the prohibition of gambling, the above mentioned evidence is sufficient; the democratic rules and curriculum of lslam and its fundamental principles forebears the public money to go in the possession of few individuals. Gambling in the form of crosswords which are prevalent today, are to be reprimanded furthermore severely since they are an aggregation of vices and sins.
The sole reason for this is that the public is being urged and exhorted to go against the commandments of Allah Ta'ala and His disobedience and the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam'.
Each and every person that takes part in this vice is disobeying the commandments which are stated by Allah Ta'ala very clearly in the Holy Qur'aan. The participator becomes a doer of major sins, most of which falls upon the organisers. The people who help them in any form also become guilty of this particular major vice.
Likewise, thousands and millions of Muslim brethren openly go against the clear order of Allah Ta'ala and his Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. In addition, thousands and millions of Muslims become involved in this act of gambling with the result that it becomes an unending and everlasting vice. May Allah Ta'ala bestow the entire mankind with salvation and freedom from this disease, Aameen.
Return to TitleTHE PRIZE WINNING TICKETS OF (CAR) SHOWS AND EXHIBITIONS
It has been observed throughout the years in Karachi, Lahore and many other places that various types of tickets are being sold to enter exhibitions. The organisers issue tickets with lucky numbers and then prizes are allocated to the lucky persons whose numbers appear.
This form is not regarded as open gambling because the ticket owner receives the returns by entering the exhibition but now it is all depending on the intention. The person who purchases this ticket on the basis of winning a prize will be indulging in gambling. On the other hand if his intention is solely to enter the exhibition with no desire of winning a prize, and wins the prize then it will not be classified as gambling according to the rules pertaining to gambling.
HORSE RACING
The present day horse racing where one stakes a certain amount on a particular horse is in fact gambling. It is exactly that form where loss and gain is based on something indistinct, where one person loses his initial amount and the other wins a substantial amount.
Return to TitleLOTTERY
In this present day each and every kind of lottery is included within gambling and is prohibited. It is found in bazaars and factories and out of which, a few well-known forms are mentioned.
The lottery business of this category has now reached an international level. The purchaser of this ticket does not buy the ticket solely with the intention of just buying it but he buys it on the basis of it being a possible winning dice by which he can win the amount of money he has aimed for. That is the reason why this is not merely trade or business venture but rather it is an act of sin to buy these or even to sell them. Because he is not merely committing a sin and transgressing but is also promoting it.
Islam gives peace to the mind, body and soul, keeping the human in perfect harmony. Every iota balanced and scaled to perfection. A serene picture of bliss and joy but when a shattering and destructive vice strikes through the heart it leaves it in a weak and downtrodden state. The National Lottery, a new religion, has hit Britain. A moneymaking, exciting, nail-biting game of chance, preying on the human soul and wealth.
This modern lottery system of gambling came from the crusades. The crusaders during a siege of the Islamic citadel of Azhar were forced to pass their time by developing new pass-times. One of those was called hazard and today this is the usual French word used for games of chance.
Hazard developed into a state enterprise and since then it has been upgraded and reformed constantly, without any feeling of guilt. Now it has, ultimately, hit Britain with a vengeance. It seems it is here to stay for a long time to come.
The saddening thing however is that from the constant onslaught of the Modernity on Islam, the National Lottery will contribute a great deal towards their ultimate goal, the total assimilation of the Muslims into the British society.
Coming towards the main aspect of our argument that in no manner can it be justified that it is permissible to play the lottery or to take part in any form of gambling whatsoever will follow. Gambling developed and turned into a money-maker, all in the name of charity. The Qur'aan has commanded the prohibition and total ban of any form of gambling and in no way whatsoever can it be proven permissible. Thus, any person who denies the prohibition of any form of gambling such as lottery etc. will be committing an act of kufr.
Gambling is prohibited with absolute proof as the Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur'aan, 'O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds ofalcoholic drinks), gambling, Al-Ansab, and Al-Azlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination ofsatan, handiwork. So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful.'
When the Sahaabahs received the order to refrain from gambling they did not hesitate to fulfil. This is because the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam had said, 'Whosoever invites a person towards gambling should give some amount of charity to the poor.'
Due to inviting a person towards gambling, he has committed a minor sin and created zulmat (darkness) in his heart, thus it is necessary to cleanse it and replace it with the noor (light) of Imaan by giving charity. The indication is that even uttering the word gambling is very dire and leads to bad consequences.
There are sound and noble objectives behind this strict prohibition of gambling.
1. Islamic teachings urge the Muslims to follow Allah's directives, for earning a living, which is direct means for the attainment of His objectives. On the other hand gambling, which involves raffling or the lottery makes a person dependant on chance, luck and empty wishes taking him away from honest labour, serious work and productive effort. The gambler loses respect for the laws of caution that Allah has established for the people.
2. In Islam an individual's property is sacred; it may not be taken unless given willingly or by lawful exchange. The Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has said, 'A person's wealth is not halal but with his good pleasure. '
What happens in lotteries is that people's wealth is gathered and then one of them takes the lot (e.g. £18 million in the recent lottery draw). The money given to a certain person is not from the lottery organisers in fact it is from individuals' pocket. If you were asked to present your money to the winning person, would you willingly do so? I am sure you would reply no. This is one of the reasons for prohibiting gambling.
3. Gamblers develop hatred and enmity towards one another, although they may claim that losing does not trouble them. However, I would seriously question this, a loser may seem composed but behind his composure is frustration, due to disappointment, anger at the loss of money and regret for not winning the game. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has said, 'Do not harbour envy or ill-will; and neither spy nor be inquisitive for other persons 'faults nor make bogus offers of prices to spoil a bargain, and O Allah's servants! Be brethren to each other.'
4. Gambling has its own compulsion. The loser plays in the hope of winning and to regain his earlier losses, while the winner plays again to enjoy the pleasure of winning and the greed for more. Naturally, luck changes hands, the loser becomes the winner and the winner the loser. Thus, the gambling addiction is such that gamblers are unable to leave it.
5. The person engaged in gambling does not stop at a point. Satan the accursed, who is our grave enemy, conquers the mind to such an extent that the gambler does not realise as to how much he has spent. If he were to sit down and think of the amount he has lost, he would then surely understand the situation.
We read in the papers that a charity firm who greatly in need of cash for renovating their premises gathered a few thousand pounds and were quiet happy to take the chance and gamble it in the lottery. Had this amount been rightly used, it would have at least given some benefit.
6. Because of this addiction, gambling takes a person away from the remembrance of Allah resulting in negligence of his duties towards his Creator. How correct is the Holy Qur'aan in mentioning drinking and gambling together in its verse, since their harmful effects are so similar. That is why usually one is not found without the other.
To sum up on the filth of gambling, the saying of Almighty Allah is enough for a fearing Muslim:-
'O' you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, Al-A nsab, and Al-Azlam (arrows for seeking luck or decision) are an abomination of Satan's handiwork So avoid (strictly all) that (abomination) in order that you may be successful. Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayers. So will you not then abstain? And obey Allah and the Messenger, and beware (of even coming near to drinking, or gambling, or Al-Ansab, or Al-Azlam, etc.) and be afraid of Allah. Then if you turn away, you should know that it is Our Messenger's duty to convey (the Message) in the clearest way.
The non-permissibility will encompass everyone taking any part, whether it be selling, buying, playing or keeping a vending machine. Muslims should refrain from it as much as possible. Because gambling is a process in which a small sum of money is deposited with the greed of possibly attaining a much greater sum, it is very much appealing to the heart and soul, hence it becomes very hard to even want to believe that it is haraam.
May Almighty Allah give us all the ability to act upon His commandments and abstain from His prohibitions, Aameen.
This refers to Shekhar Gupta’s article, “5 reasons for the crisis in global Islam”, published in The Print. He tries to make Muslims believe that:
• Muslim World is in crisis;
• What has happened in France is something particular to Muslims;
• Muslims alone tend to think in terms of a worldwide dominance;
• Muslims alone fight one another
• Muslim countries alone are largely undemocratic with high inequality;
• Muslims alone can’t face criticism
Let us dwell on his arguments one by one!
Muslim World is in crisis?
Shekhar Gupta makes a whirlwind statement that there is crisis in Global Islam. The truth on the other hand is that while the Global Islam is fast coming out of crisis, which gripped it during the last few centuries, the rest of the World is getting embroiled deeper and deeper in crisis.
Is India not in crisis, where the communal and caste confrontation has reached an intolerable level, and the tensions with its two neighbours has reached a flash point, which can lead to open war any time?
Is the World not in crisis due to huge and ever rising rate of crimes, the so-called most advanced countries being at the top in terms of crime rates including murders and rapes?
The more “advanced” and “civilized” a country is the more is its rates of crimes, its rates of suicides, its disintegration of family system, its economic inequality and its exploitation of women in sex trade, its rate of foeticides and its involvement in world wars and civil wars in other countries.
On the other hand, the crime rate in Muslim countries happens to be among the lowest.
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And now the world is facing a big crisis in the form of Covid-19 pandemics. In the last 25 years, HIV/AIDS has killed more than 35 million. Millions of children are aborted every year in the name of “Freedom of Choice”. Several million are consumed by alcoholism and smoking.
Economic inequality is rising with every passing day. But thanks to the world media dominated by the forces of economics and political power, only deaths attributing to political reasons attract media attention, especially if this involves Muslims.
There has been a ubiquitous practice in the recent times that religion is seen as something different from ‘ideology’. The truth is that the world has religious and non-religious ideologies, and every single ideology goes political as soon as it starts winning sizeable followers.
The most dominant ideologies in the world in the last century have been Capitalism and Socialism (including Communism). They fear Islam because Islam threatens their theories of economic fundamentalism, which defines ‘good’ and ‘bad’ on the basis of their importance to the economics, especially market economics.
Islam also distinguishes “good” and “bad” on the basis of their impact on health and social peace, prohibiting or discouraging all such practices as pose threat to life and healthiness of life.
Today’s dominant political ideologies fear “Political Islam” just because it might further deepen their crisis, with statistics and scientific facts more and more proving their ideological position on issues such as alcohol and sex as pervert and dangerous for health and peace and their judicial system is an abysmal failure.
What has happened in France is something particular to Muslims?
Out of a feeling of extreme religious hurt, a student killed a teacher who had caricatured the Muslim Prophet. This was followed by another incident, which killed three people. There is no doubt that the insult and injury to Muslim sentiments as well as the extreme reaction by the student and even more specifically the killing of three persons who had nothing to do with the cartoons, all are condemnable.
Unfortunately, most of the non-Muslim world, including Indian Prime Minister, who claims to be the Prime Minister of Hindus as well as Muslims, did not care at all about the sentiments of Muslims and chose to condemn “Islamic” terrorism/Islamofascism alone'. And now it is being argued as if such reactions are specific to Muslims.
In America, several thousands fall prey to hate crimes every year. The recent killings and brutalities against Blacks by police led to the protests all over the country. Mass shootings are common occurrences, some of which are related to racial or religious motives. Most of the culprits are white Christian Americans.
In India, Muslims have been lynched just because of the suspicion of carrying cow meat and not shouting Jai Shree Ram. According to a Reuters report, in India, a total of 63 cow vigilante attacks had occurred between 2010 and mid 2017, mostly since the Modi government came to power in 2014. In these attacks between 2010 and June 2017, '28 Indians – 24 of them Muslims – were killed and 124 injured', states the Reuter's report.
Out of more than 35,000 terrorist related deaths in India in the last 30 years, an overwhelming majority has been at the hands of non-Muslims (Naxalites, Bodos, Ulfa, Maoists), most of whom are Hindus by Census.
In the nearby Sri Lanka, tens of thousands to one hundred thousand killings were at the hands of Tamil terrorists. Only last year, in New Zealand, more than 50 Muslims were massacred by a Christian shooter.
9/11 killed around 3000 people, and without any inquiry, within few minutes American President blamed Al-Qaedah for this. Those who carried out the plan perished with the planes. The declared “mastermind” was killed in an isolated attack in Pakistan eleven years later. In between, the America-led war killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan who had nothing to do with 9/11.
Still America, France and other countries involved, and the Christian community who are in majority in these countries continue to be “peace-loving”, while Muslims continue to be “violent”. Nobody had the courage to condemn the west for these pogroms in the Muslim countries.
From all accounts, it appears that ISIS was formed with the support of West in order to topple President of Assad. It became their enemy only when, due to its failure in Syria, it converged on Iraq, which was under the America-supported Government.
If we have to establish peace in the world, we have to combat all forms of violence, wars, civil wars, day-to-day violence due to failed Judicial System, violence like induced killing of fetuses and all forms of terrorism. Out of all these, terrorism is the least lethal.
Every single death of an innocent needs to be condemned, irrespective of the identity of the perpetrator and the victim, irrespective of the motivating ideology, religious or non-religious and irrespective of the method used; and the condemnation and response should be proportionate to the magnitude of violence rather than the identities of those involved. If we use this criterion, we will have to condemn West millions of times while condemning Muslims few thousand times.
Muslims alone fight one another?
Hardly a century has passed since the First World War and the centenary of Second World War is still about two decades away. Who were the people fighting each other in these wars? The majority of the countries involved were predominantly Christian countries. More than 70 million perished.
Till a few decades back, the major Cold War had been between America and Russia, again both having either Christian or atheist population. If the majority of the countries are either Christian or Muslim, obviously their internal rivalries would be most noticeable. But compared to Christian countries, the list of wars within Muslim world is much shorter.
In the ancient past, before Muslim rule, Indian history too is full of bloody wars between different Hindu rajas. Hindus happen to be perhaps the only community in the country where its religious scriptures as well as festivals are related to wars.
Muslims alone tend to think in terms of a worldwide dominance?
This again is a mistaken generalization. All the ideologies, religious or non-religious, have a desire to become dominant in the world. There is no exception. It is particularly true for the ideologies which have either big following in the world or big power. During the last few hundred years, the fight has mainly been between the two economic ideologies of Communism and Capitalism. Before that, it was between Christians and Muslims.
In India, Hindutva is trying to emerge as a dominant power at least in this country. Currently, Westernism is perhaps the most radical ideology seeking world domination in terms of its concepts like West-style democracy, freedom and market fundamentalism.
As Mr. Gupta himself admitted, in recent times, Muslim countries have not invaded other countries; but so many of their countries have been invaded.
In fact, others feel threat from Muslims because of their sheer numbers in terms of the population as well as the countries. Though most of the statisticians tell that Muslims are the second largest community after Christians, the truth is that in terms of real beliefs, they outnumber Christians by a big margin. While a large number of born Christians in Western countries, ranging from 20-60 pc, are no more believing Christians, more than 95 pc of Muslims continue to be believing Muslims.
As already said, another reason of feeling threatened from Muslims is that Islam poses threat to the vested interests of the market forces, which commercialise not only human needs but also human susceptibilities. Islam prohibits alcohol, sex outside proper male-female marriage and gambling, all of which are big markets. Dominance of Islam means threat to these markets.
Interestingly, while Christians have a Pope as a world leader, there is no pope of Muslims. Pope often speaks on behalf of all Christians, but there is no Muslim Imam who can speak on behalf of all Muslims.
Muslim countries alone are largely undemocratic?
This again is something which looks to be more a propaganda than truth. The truth is that the percentage of democratic countries in the Muslim world is higher than the percentage of democratic countries in the whole world.
Most big countries like Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Malaysia are democratic. And the number is growing with Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, all becoming democratic. And of course, about 12-15 per cent of Muslim population live in India.
Moreover, the most populous country of the world China remains largely undemocratic. Even Russia was not democratic till the breakdown of Soviet Union. When we talk of Christianity, we tend to think about the West. We forget that a large number of Christian countries in Africa and South America are hugely backward and poor, with hardly any democracy.
What is however unfortunate is that even democracy has not proved to be a saviour of the masses. The conditions in democracies prove that democracies in themselves are no guarantee to better conditions. The Western model of Democracy has proved to be a total failure becoming in effect Corporatocracy, which works mostly for the few corporate at the cost of the people. The political leaders in Democracies – from West to India, have proved no less corrupt and inefficient than “monarchs”.
Muslim countries have one of the lowest crime rates, lowest suicide rates, lowest number of deaths due to alcoholism and sex related diseases, good life expectancy and good per capita income. In the list of top 15 countries in terms of economic inequality, Turkey alone happens to be the Muslim country, South Africa, USA, India and China being among the top 5.
Coming to the question of Economic Inequality, let us first see some of the statistics:
• Recent figures show that the per capita income of the highest income country is 400 times greater than that of the lowest income country. The difference between Switzerland’s per capita income of $40,080 and Ethiopia’s $100 is striking, to say the least. (World Development Report 1999) (Both Christian)
• Statistics also show that 13 economies have per capita income exceeding $20,000, compared to 26 countries with per capita income less than $350. Indeed the gap between the affluent and deprived economies in the global economy is so great that if one were to add the per capita GNP of 50 Least Development Countries (LDC), it does not exceed half of the per capita income of one of the developed countries. (World Development Report 1999)
• 47% of the population of the second most populous nation on earth lives under the international poverty line of $1 a day, and 87% below $2 a day. This adds up to over 700 million human beings.. (World Development Report 1999)
• Currently, the richest 1% of people in the world receives as much as the bottom 57%. The ratio between the average income of the top 5% in the world to the bottom 5% increased from 78 to 1 in 1988 to 114 to 1 in 1993 (Milanovic 1999).
• Income disparity between the richest one billion and the poorest one billion people has doubled over the last three decades and reached by now a dangerously high level of 150 times. (This is surely much more than the internal economic disparities of the developed and developing nations. The income disparity between the richest 20% and the poorest 20% of the people within nations is far smaller 5 times in Sweden, 6 times in Germany, 9 times in USA and 26 times (the highest) in Brazil.) (hdrnet.org/40/1/humandevelopment.pdf)
• Even mighty international institutions like the World Bank and the IMF are now taking more money out of the developing world than they are putting in, adding to the reverse transfer of around $50 billion a year from the commercial banks.
(hdrnet.org/40/1/humandevelopment.pdf)
• It is estimated that 28% of the total net wealth is held by the richest 2% of families in the U.S.
• The top 10% holds 57% of the net wealth.
• A survey of 26 industrialised nations (the Luxembourg Income Study) found that the gap between the wealthiest 10% and the poorest 10% is greater in the United States than any other country except Russia (Wallechinsky). (Again both Christian)
Not only several Muslim countries have very high per capita income, Economic Inequality within Muslim countries is surely much less than most Christian countries. Islam’s system of Zakat ensures that the rich contribute at least 2.5 per cent of their wealth at the end of every year to poor. This helps true cause. What comes out of the Zakat system is that the world must tax Wealth rather than Income and Expenditure. If the world adopts this formula, Economic Inequality will drastically reduce.
Muslims alone can't face criticism?
The truth is that Muslims have been at the receiving end of unbearable criticism. Mostly, others are questioning Muslims, and they are defending themselves. Muslim intellectuals, on the other hand, are more involved in criticising themselves rather than questioning others.
While the world is full of Islamophobic material, actively propagated by Jew, Christian, Hindu and many atheistic organisations, Muslims never indulge in derogation of other religions. This is because Islam clearly prohibits speaking ill of others’ gods and figures.
In India, cow slaughter was banned just because it hurts the sentiments of Hindus. Violence over insult or desecration to statues is quite common in India. Let France make some derogatory cartoons of Ram and Krishna and see the reaction. Let French “Heroes” be caricatured in a Muslim country and see the reaction.
As far as the Mahathir Mohamad's statement is concerned, it is surprising coming from him. It cannot be condoned. But Shekhar Gupta would have been more just if he at the same time had condemned the Macron’s support for the Cartoons in the name of Free Speech. Surely, the selective interpretation of Freedom of Speech is even more condemnable.
Any utterance against Jews is condemned as anti-Semitism and any remark about women that irks the market forces is sexism. Even if one starts telling about the medical dangers associated with homosexuality, one will be hounded. But mocking Islam is freedom of speech.
First, terrorism is defined in a way that becomes exclusive for any violence involving Muslims, and then Muslims are blamed for the majority of terrorist incidents. And France is a country which was part of the “War on Terror” which killed millions of innocents in Iraq and Afghanistan, none of whom had any involvement in 9/11 attacks. But any violence committed by West becomes “understandable”.
In conclusion, I would like to assert that we must learn to become objective in our thinking and aims. The most important aim for the world must be to safeguard life and healthiness of life. To create a health-protective and crime-free system must be the ultimate goal of our efforts.
All religions need to unite on the ground of religious morality, which is almost common to all religions as well as health sciences, rather than fighting on the ground of religious identity.
Gambling In Islam In Urdu Dunya
Islam will continue to emerge stronger because it aims to discipline the world, protect them against unhygienic and self-destructive substances and practices and provides a more effective judicial system, which supports the innocent rather than the criminals.
The challenge for Muslims is to present true facts to the world, counter the propagandists of market-driven ideologies and work for the unity of all religions with the aim of building a cleaner, healthier and more peaceful world.
[Dr Javed Jamil is India based thinker and writer with over a dozen books including, “The Devil of Economic Fundamentalism”, “The Killer Sex”, “Islam Means Peace”, “Muslim Vision of Secular India: Destination & Road-map”, “Qur’anic Paradigms of Sciences & Society” (First Vol: Health), “Muslims Most Civilised, Yet Not Enough”, “Economics First or Health First?” and “Justice Imprisoned”.]
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