Insight Islamicus

Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 0975-6590

An international organization of 120 countries, the Non Alignment Movement (NAM), founded in 1954, once an effective deterrent during the decades of the Cold War, is still an international forum that could play its role in an era of new conflicts, new challenges, and new political, economic and cultural realities of the world. The rise of a unipolar world, the spate of globalization and invincibility of US war technology have given rise to a wave of pessimism that tends to make us believe in the gratuity of all peace movements, futility of all defence strategies, international summits and resolutions. On the contrary, there is an equally vehement optimism that the world with a ‗ New World Order‘ under the dictates of the single Supreme Power, is sure to be free from regional conflicts, moving towards unification rather than disintegration, and complete homogenization to sweep away all diversities and discords. This kind of optimism is essentially irrational as variety is the essence of human nature, conflict is the driving force of civilization, and heterogeneity is the basis of culture. A unified NAM, with revised programme, is the only force to counter the hegemonic and imperial designs of the New World Order proposed by USA.

The story of the Tibetan Muslims is a unique and interesting story that has blended different cultural strains to forge a distinct identity that has been kept alive even in the face of adversity. What is interesting to know is that Islam arrived almost thousand years ago in Tibet, a region that has always been synonymous with monolithic Buddhist culture. How the first Muslim settlers reached Tibet and how both the communities Buddhists and Muslims lived in harmony is an interesting as well as a hot debate for the academic pursuits since decades. This paper elaborates the emergence of Islam in Tibet in detail.

The contemporary world, as experienced from a rational perspective, is in a total state of chaos. Be it the family system, political system or the social system, the disintegration is all pervasive as the intrinsic fabric of the politico-socio-economic setup affecting every individual‟s life stands essentially compromised. The reason for such a virtual pandemonium, as seen from an Islamic prism, happens to be the abandonment of the divine guidance. With the modern economic system being no exception to an intriguing sphere of the vicious pillars of interest, gambling, and speculation, the Muslims across the globe, willingly or unwillingly, are falling prey to the disobedience of Almighty Allah and his Prophet (Sallahualaihi wasallam).The clear guidance of the Holy Qur’an regarding the prohibition of interest (riba or usury) made it indispensable for the Muslim world to alternate the conventional financial system with the one that is enacted on the principles of justice, equity, and fairness. As a consequence, an alternative system of financial intermediation and asset mobility, commonly referred to as Islamic Financial System (IFS), came into existence. The IFS being relatively novel to the modern world requires significant research attention from all concerned quarters. As such, an attempt has been made in this paper to elucidate the concept and fundamentals of the IFS that render it advantageous over the conventional financial system. Moreover, while explaining the technicalities of a financial system, the paper tries to assume a lucid orientation to facilitate a better understanding. The present paper has only dealt with the conceptual dimension of Islamic financial system, the application of such concepts under the contemporary economic scenario does not fall within the purview of this paper.

The paper attempts to delineate the contours of the legacy of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani (RA) (1314-1385) in Kashmir and seeks its restoration which owing to numerous socio-economic, political and other factors has been bruised in various phases of its beleaguered history. The legacy is sought to be poised as a panacea in the present predicament. The legacy is approached for being the authentic, genuine and all comprehensive representation of the Prophet of Islam (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as the only reliable manifestation of realization of the truth in all gamuts of life in both horizontal and vertical planes of individual and society. The legacy of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani(RA) could be fathomed from his writings, missionary activities in Kashmir and its wide scale influence on the religious, political, economic, social and cultural ethos of Kashmir. The legacy is nurtured and complemented by the illustrious son of Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani(RA) , Mir Muhammad Hamadani(RA) and the hundreds of Sayyids from Iran and other parts of central Asia who labored and settled as the beacons of the new manifestation of truth there. Mir Sayyid Ali Hamadani(RA) has been acknowledged as Amir-e-Kabir, the great leader and a reference point for the religious and cultural legacy of Muslims in Kashmir. His mission, like that of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was all pervasive—equally transforming the faith, ethics, ideology, society, economy and polity of the people. On one side it was set to see its flourishing as a vibrant religio-cultural movement of an ethnic group—Kashmiris on the basis of a universal faith and culture and on the other it fostered new religious, political, social and cultural linkages in the region and the world. A new make and break criterion was formulated, which if in action shall foster unity in the ethnic group within and reformulate its relations with the outside world.