On September 7, 1974, Zulifqar Bhutto, secular himself, gave in to extremist Mullahs and have Ahamdis declared non-Muslims under Second Amendment. It was saddest day in the history of Pakistan. Under pressure from same extremist Mullahs, on September 7, 2018, a similar sad day occurred when Imran Khan removed Atif Mian, a proud Pakistani and brilliant economist, from the Economic Advisory Council just because he was Ahmadi. Decision by Imran Khan was especially painful because he promised the nation that only merit will count in his regime. Bhutto committed the original sin, but he let Ahmadis serve in important posts as citizens of Pakistan. Imran Khan went further than Bhutto and denied a citizen to serve his own country just because he was Ahmadi. Imagine if Bhutto have denied Abdus Salam to serve the country to help establish Pakistan’s Nuclear Energy program?

Imran Khan is also trying to go further than Zia to expand extremist religious ideology in education. He is trying to bring regular schools, colleges, and universities at par with Madrasas. Under new Single National Curriculum (SNC) elementary schools will have at least as much religious material as Madrasas, including memorizing verses. Hafiz and Qaris will be hired from Madrasas to teach in regular elementary schools.

Pervez Hoodbhoy writes following paragraph in one of his columns; “Still bigger changes are around the corner. The Punjab government has made teaching of the Holy Quran compulsory at the college and university level. Without passing the required examination no student will be able to get a BA, BSc, BE, ME, MA, MSc, MPhil, PhD or medical degree. Even the Zia regime did not have such blanket requirements. To get a university teaching job in the 1980s, you had to name all the wives of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and recite some difficult religious passages such as Dua-i-Qunoot. Still, students could get degrees without that. That option is now closed.”

It seems we have not seen the bottom yet.

f.sheikh 

Can any of our knowledgable intellectuals point out the following, as I get conflicting information, that too, not from authentic sources.

1. When did the first Al-Foussha version of the holy Quran came out in print (Not hand written) on paper like a book?

2. When did Al-Foussha version of the holy Quran come out as a manuscript, and where?

3. How many oldest manuscripts of the holy Quran are in existence and where? Their ages?

4. Do all the manuscripts described in #3 above, carry the same number of Suras and Aya, or have different numbers? Do they have any variance in their texts?

5. What was the method of recording or preserving the revelations when Prophet Muhammad SAW announced the arrival of a Vahee? Are there any authentic samples of how any Ayet was recorded?

6. What were the alphabets in Arabic language when individual Vahee was written down during the life of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Is there a chart showing those letters.

Intellectuals like Azeem Farooki, Mirza Ashraf and others who have more knowledge of these historical facts are earnestly requested to offer their guidance.

Thanks. Wequar

ON SHARI’AH LAW: The term Shari’ah appears only once in the Qur’an, where God states, “We have set you on a Shari’ah of command, so follow it” (Q. 45:18). In Islam, the Qur’an and Sunnah (the precepts and traditions of the Prophet) are the basis of a uniform and codified version of Shari’ah, or “Islamic law.” The Shari’ah is a complex ethico-legal religious tradition, whose meanings and application, given today’s demand for liberal democracy and the separation of religion and state, have emerged as a hot subject of discussion. Though the word Shari’ah is generally defined as Islamic law, and it indeed contains law, it also embraces elements and aspects that are not, strictly speaking, limited to law. Shari’ah is a total discourse, one in which all kinds of institutions—religious, legal, moral, political, and economic—find simultaneous directives for all those who are the citizens of an Islamic state. It offers prescriptions on everything from prayers, diet, and dress to commerce, taxation, and warfare. Rather than definitive law, Shari’ah is best understood as God’s commanding guidance for an Islamic way of life. Muslim scholars from the early period concluded that the Shari’ah lies at the heart of God’s revelation and that it is, in some sense, all-encompassing. Gen Zia-ul-Haqq the with full dictatorial power in his hand failed to implement Shariah law. Major problem was how to impose Shariah law in modern times. As we can understand from Imam Malik’s famous interpretation which I quote here below:

Abu Jaffer Al Mansoor, a great Muslim ruler, who was in power for over twenty years in the beginning of the Abbasid regime, once requested Imam Malik to write a comprehensive book on Shariah Law outlining Islamic verdicts on matters that occurred to people in daily life. He wanted that book to be the standard by which all matters are resolved. Imam Malik, the founder of one of the four major schools of thought, counseled Al Mansoor not to do so. He argued: “The Prophet’s companions settled in different provinces with each of them having his share of knowledge about Islam. If you were now to enforce a single opinion on them all, this will inevitably lead to a great deal of chaos and trouble.” ~

 MIRZA ASHRAF