Insight Islamicus

Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies

University of Kashmir

ISSN: 0975-6590

The valley of Kashmir is also known as Rashi-Vatika or Reshvar on account of the fact that it has served as an abode for the rishis from the ancient times. But this fact needs to be given due consideration that before the advent of Islam in Kashmir the rishis of Kashmir could not demonstrate any social activism owing to the verity that they preferred to live a secluded life in the forests or in the caves and as a consequence many forests are named after them. However, with the emergence of the rishi order of the Muslim sufis , founded by Shaykh Nur-ud Din, who was born on the threshold of a significant period of Kashmir History, the social authenticity of the rishi tradition came to be established for the first time in the valley. Under the influence of Nur-ud-Din , the rishis undoubtedly emerged as a socio-historical force that attracted the attention of such keen observers as Abul Fadl and the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. A number of Kashmiri folk songs, Persian hagiographical works and chronicles which are abound in the praise of rishis also testify to their socio-historical role. The present paper is a humble attempt to uncover dispassionately the socio-historical dimensions in the Sirah and thought of Shaykh Nur-ud Din. The methodology adopted will be of objective and historical nature.

Zakah is a means of purification. It has been made obligatory upon the Sahib e Nisab believers. It is not merely a tax that is collected from the people, but its foremost purpose is to clean ones property of the worldly impurities and to raise the standards of the society to the heights of decency and purity. The main purpose of Zakah has been stated in the Holy Quran as “(Oh Prophet)! Take charity from their property so that it can clean them and purify them” (IX: 103). In addition to this its purpose is to sow the seeds of kindness, sympathy and benevolence and to provide a chance of their introduction among the various sections of the society and to establish the relationship of love and friendliness. One of the significant objectives of prescribing of Zakah is to promote economic justice in the society. Taqwa includes the use of economic prosperity to achieve a higher and nobler goal. In fact, economic prosperity is a means not an end; it is a source for life, not the end of life; it is a prerequisite for growth and development in life, not the final goal of life. zakah is coupled with compulsory prayer in at least thirty verses of the holy Quran, thereby exemplifying its obligatory significance. From the verse of the Quran which identifies eight categories of the people as beneficiaries of zakah the first and second category are the poor and needy. The foremost mention of these categories indicates that zakah is also an intended alleviator of absolute poverty. zakah can materialize in a surfeit of ways that are conducive to societal development thereby addressing its ethical paradigm. In the present article the treatment would be given to various ethical dimensions of zakah and their relevance in the contemporary times and the methodology followed will be objective and analytical in nature.

The present paper is an attempt to provide an opportunity to its readers about the history of origin of Ulama in Iran. It provides information about how Ulama in Iran emerged as leading force since the beginning of modern period. The paper also discusses about social as well political situations persistent in the country under the tyrannical Pahalvi regime. As a whole, the paper briefly discusses socio-political role of Ulama in Iran, and special emphasis has been given to Murtaza Mutahhari’s life, works and role as leading personality of the country.

There are multiple religions extant in the world we live in. Each religion claims to be the way to salvation, and at times, the only way to salvation. On certain occasions such claims assume such rigidness that the religionists adopt fanatic and intolerant attitude, resulting in certain harmful activities towards other religionists. Every known religion offers measures to neutralize the religious differences prevalent among religions. Islam however is seen as the most intolerant and exclusive of all the religions. Certain people of other faiths hold Islam as the stumbling block to religious understanding. It (Islam) is often ignored in dealing with the theme of religious diversity. The present paper is intended to reveal the attitude of Islam towards religious diversity, and what It offers for the settlement of differences among religions. A survey through the Islamic Texts- Quran and Ahadith shall be made to unveil the approach of Islam with respect to religious pluralism. Besides, an attempt will be made to analyse the current way of intolerance sprouting out in the Muslim lands.

Social Work has a philosophy based on the ideals of inherent human worth and dignity. The professional relationships developed in Social Work practice are based on the premise of problem solving and are not devoid of warmth, compassion, empathy and kindness. Similar ideals are also advocated and propagated by almost all religious philosophies. In particular, this paper is an attempt to draw convergences between the value base of social work and the Islamic ideals associated with these values, as substantiated by the verses of the holy book and the prophetic traditions (Sunnah). Whereas Social Work as a profession has developed into an organized disciple as early as in the sixteenth century, the written Islamic prescriptions regarding an individual and his social way of living date back some fourteen hundred years ago. In the effort towards explicating the Social Work values in the light of Islamic references, it was observed that there are notable similarities between the two directing us to the fact that the Social Work philosophy has roots in religious ideals.

That Islam gave women a position, status and rights unequalled is becoming clearer with more scholarly works coming to fore. That Islam considers her equal to men spiritually, socially, legally, politically, ethically and psychologically is a long drawn fact to the saner scholarship around the world. And to this effect a number of works have been written by the eminent scholars of the field. However, on the position and role of women during the all-important period of Khulafāʾu-ar-Rāshidūn not much has been written. The present article is a humble endeavor to this effect. It will essentially be a desk research with descriptive methodology.

The spirit of the Quran is so broad based that it encompasses the whole span of life practically. Al Quran presents universe in its pure form. It presents a comprehensive, all embracing and all inclusive proofs for the complete understanding of universe. It constantly prompts to reflect upon the laws of nature that operate in this universe and which lie within the domain of comprehension of every human being. The place and position of science and scientific attitude under the Quran will be taken under the discussion. In the present paper, study of universe by observation and experimentation with Quranic references will be elaborated.

Life is the most important gift from God. Everything becomes beautiful when an individual is health both physically and mentally. For an economically sound individual, dealing with any health problems is to some extent easy when it comes to negotiating with the health related expenditures , but for an individual who is economically weak, illness appears difficult and stressful and almost impossible to manage especially if the health problem is severe and not curable like Down syndrome. In such situations people often resort to seek help from the religion. In case of Muslims, the belief is that whatever Allah bestows upon them is best for them. Among Muslims having children with Down syndrome is considered a curse for the parents, while in some other societies it is considered reward from God. So the perceptions vary while interpreting the phenomenon of Down syndrome. Despite different interpretations, the socio-economic burden of the disease remains the same. The present paper focuses on those parents whose children are suffering from Down syndrome and are working in unorganised/ informal sector as workers in this sector generally lack any public funded social security support, therefore have low economic status. The research has been carried out not only to study socio-economic problems of parents with children having Down syndrome but also to study the various coping strategies parents adopt in order to deal with the problem. So far the present research is concerned; it has been carried out in district Srinagar. Qualitative method has been used in order to gather the data.

The fundamental concept in the Islamic thought that dominates every other domain of culture and civilization connotes to the word ‘Ilm. This concept has been determinant to other basic concepts like Tawhid, al Din etc and has been highly acknowledged within the intellectual circles as well. While analyzing this concept from the earliest Islamic period to the Modern period, it witnessed to the diversity of interpretation and utility. Some mean by it the cognition, some comprehension, conscience and some prudence (Hikmah). All these multifaceted connotations maintain their legitimacy in the Islamic perspective if viewed within the parameters of the Quran and Prophetic Traditions. Both Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم extensively deal with this vital concept with priority and significance. The present paper is a humble attempt to find out the various perspectives of knowledge (‘Ilm) in the light of Quran and Hadith along with the scholarly outlook in terms of its composite characterization in the light of primary sources. The methodology in this paper will be conceptual, analytical and historical in nature so as to present the relevance of this concept in a broader and glorified way.