I am fail to understand why VJ Madiha is against Valentines Day and at the same time is pro-Christmas and pro-Birthday celebrations. The above picture is dedicated to her Facebook fans for wishing her happy birthday. Also all of her TV appearances involve tight clothes. She is the confusing. Why does VJ Madiha have conflicting [...]

Why does VJ Madiha have conflicting beliefs? is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

After the late Arfa Karim raised the nation’s pride by becoming the world’s youngest Microsoft Certified Professional, another Pakistani wonder child has made history after creating seven Microsoft and Google certified computer operating systems in a suburb of Abbottabad.

The 14-year-old student, Sikandar Mehmood Baloch, lives in Bilal Town in Abbottabad. Sikandar not only became a certified expert of 107 computer engineering languages at a young age but has also received certificates of his achievements from Microsoft and performed work for Google. He has also received 25 certificates as acknowledgement of his unique work performed for Google, the biggest search engine in the world. Sikandar is studying in the 9th grade in a local school and has made many Linux Systems (From VVS1 to VVS7) and developed an indigenous anti-virus system as well. He created a world record at the age of nine after making his first operating system. He works with many websites and earns over $70 dollars daily.

Did you feel a bit strange reading this title? I felt strange even as I wrote it.

I was watching television as it documented festivities gaining momentum on the approach of twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal. Rabi-ul-Awwal, the twelfth, is supposedly Prophet Muhammed SAW’s birthday.

The television narrated that there was a bit boost in sales of framed Quranic Verses, Asma-e-Husna and Asma-e-Nabi SAW as Rabi-ul-Awwal proceeded. People believe that adorning walls with these wall-hangings is a source of blessings in homes.

There are also those who believe (I do not, but for the sake of argument, let us all believe that it is true) that reciting Darood Shareef (Salutations) upon the Holy Prophet SAW, inspires the Prophet’s presence. That is, the Prophet SAW himself arrives in that gathering where the Darood Shareef is being recited, although he cannot be seen, and for this reason people stand up in his honor and greeting. Their belief is so resolute that they even position a special chair for him to sit and attend the gathering.

Generally, all this is done in the drawing-room of the house, where generally there are also pictures hanging on the walls for which the very same Prophet SAW said,

Narrated Syedna Ayesha RA: I bought a cushion with pictures on it. When Allah’s Apostle saw it, he kept standing at the door and did not enter the house. I noticed the sign of disgust on his face, so I said, “O Allah’s Apostle! I repent to Allah and His Apostle, (Please let me know) what sin I have done.” Allah’s Apostle said, “What about this cushion?” I replied, “I bought it for you to sit and recline on.” Allah’s Apostle said, “The painters (i.e. owners) of these pictures will be punished on the Day of Resurrection. It will be said to them, ‘Put life in what you have created (i.e. painted).’” The Prophet added, “The angels do not enter a house where there are pictures.” [Hadith Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol. 3, N. 318]

And this is the same drawing room where our girls and boys will dance on the dholki nights of our wedding celebrations!

Consider a wedding set for Rabi-ul-Awwal. In the morning we are going to hold a gathering of Milad and Darood Shareef. And we will set that special chair for our Holy Prophet SAW to visit us and honor our gathering in honor of him. The evening is scheduled for a dholki. Now what about that chair? Are we going to remove that chair? Or do we hope for the Prophet SAW to stay on and attend our other festivities as well?

Is our Prophet SAW welcome to our wedding celebrations as well?

My next worry is another dilemma. A Jew once taunted Syedna Salman Farsi RA regarding the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammed SAW. He said maliciously, ‘We have heard that your Prophet even teaches you how to use the bathroom’. Syedna Salman Farsi RA, instead of crackling down under peer pressure, replied with great pride in the affirmative and defended the great concern, mercy and completion of humanitarian teachings by the Holy Prophet SAW under Divine decree.

The completion of religion by Allah SWT, at the hands of Prophet Muhammed SAW, is marked by the specific Holy Verse,

“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed my favor upon you and approved Al-Islam as a Deen (way of life for you).” [The Holy Quran, (5) Surah Al-Maidah, Excerpt of Verse 3]

Islamic beliefs, worships, mutual dealings, character and life style has been explicitly spelled out in religion. I fail to understand that how come the mention of celebrating birthdays, and that too of the Holy Prophet SAW, got skipped in the entire treasury of the Holy Quran, Ahadith and Fiqh…

Did the Sahaba RA not love or honor the Prophet SAW as we do? Why is there no single narration of his family or friends celebrating his birthday even once in his lifetime? Why is there no mention of celebrating anyone’s birthday at all for that matter?

That is because celebrating birthdays is just not our style.

Not our children’s and not the Prophet’s. I am saying so specifically because when it is said that celebrating Milad is a Bidah, first of all people go all ‘Hawww’ and then they say ‘While we celebrate our children’s birthdays, why not of the Prophet?’ and then they quickly make their children’s birthdays kosher by mentioning that we do not play songs but Naats. On the note of a very wild analogy, but that is like eating dates in a disco…

Celebrating birthdays is not our style because Islam is a very sensible religion. It recommends celebration upon achievements, and not glorifying biological facts and the gone-by past. How is growing another year older a human achievement? It is the Grace of Allah SWT that our timeline in this world has continued another year and we were given more time to score points for the Eternal Life. And if we are celebrating ‘being born’, that is also not our achievement. It is our mother’s. However, we were celebrated when we were born, can we now please move on? It was great when I passed Grade 1. It was my right to celebrate. But imagine if I begin to celebrate passing Grade 1 every year…

There is much which we can celebrate in our lives; birth (Aqeeqa), wedding (Valima). Eid-e-Ramazan, Eid-e-Qurbani, Bismillah of Holy Quran, Ameen of Holy Quran, academic achievements, social achievements, political achievements and so on. However, the greatest achievement which Allah SWT recommends us to celebrate is,

“Say: ‘It is the grace and mercy of Allah (that He has sent this Quran), so let the people rejoice over it, for it is better than (the worldly riches) they are collecting.’” [The Holy Quran, (10) Surah Younus, Verse 58]

In our society, this is usually known as the Ameen of the child who has completed the recitation of The Holy Quran. It is indeed commendable for a child to have completed the recitation of the Holy Quran in Arabic, just like it was commendable for a child to have passed Grade 1. Do we stop after Grade 1 and not proceed to higher classes? What about understanding the Holy Quran by translation and tafseer? What about implementing its commandments in our lives? What about conveying its message to others because many of its chapters begin with ‘O’ Mankind…’? Is it the job of Maulvi Sahab only? No, the Holy Quran claims these five rights upon every individual Muslim.

Then again, compare the celebration quality and quantity we hold for our birthdays and Ameens. We go to Mc Donalds (although I am not for it any day) for birthday celebrations and suddenly remember the simplicity of Islam with dates and chuharae at our humble homes for celebrating Ameen. Does Allah SWT not understand our priorities and values? We fool none other than our own selves, for as we sow, so shall we reap.

As the discussion has gone deep and far, I am yet contemplating the answer for the questioning thought…what will we do with the chair we had set out for Prophet Muhammed SAW? We were celebrating the Prophet’s birthday in the morning and now there is a dholki scheduled for the evening. If we continue to keep the chair, it means we are extending the invitation, and if we remove it…but we cannot be so rude! So do you think our dholkis are legitimate enough to be attended by our Prophet SAW himself, or do we have some events, dresses and cassettes to hide from him?

I will end with a history clarification and correction. The date of birth of Prophet Muhammed SAW has a difference of opinion, with one opinion that of being twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal, but his date of death is confirmedly known to be twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal! What now? Should twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal be celebrated or mourned now? I think it was Allah SWT’s intricate design of events to be so, in order to eradicate anniversary culture, but we are determined people. We will simply ignore this unwanted and spoil-sport information and our youngsters will continue to celebrate twelfth of Rabi-ul-Awwal on Rawalpindi chowks, dancing to Naats recited upon tunes of Indian songs, wearing green bandanas inscribed with Kalimah-e-Shahadah.

The two enclosures situated just outside the southern gate of the Shrine adjacent to the tomb of Bibi-Hafiz Jamal bear the graves of some of the early descendants. The Holy Quran is recited by the devotees especially by ladies in these enclosures and the reward of this virtuous action is offered to the noble soul of Hazrat Khwaja Saheb.

There is a small dome with a kalas on top of it. The doors of this tomb are plated with silver.

In memory of Queen Mary’s visit to the Shrine, the roof of the tank was constructed by the British Government for the convenience of the worshippers.

Langar Khana is a free public kitchen where about 5 mounds of barley meal is cooked twice a day and distributed to the poor without any discrimination.

Buland Darwaza is a high entrance that was erected by Mahmood Khilji or one of his successors. Before the commencement of Urs Sharif a flag is hoisted on top of this gate with grand ceremony on the 25th Jamadiulsaani for ushering the ‘Urs’ of Khwaja Saheb, which starts from 1st of Rajab (The 7th month of lunar Calendar)

Mir Osman Ali Khan, The Nizam of Hyderabad Deccan, erected the main gate of the Dargah Sharif in 1911. Upstairs small drums beat, during the day and night at an appointed hour. A view of Dargah Bazaar can be seen from the top of the gate.