Dear readers, SOI<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>responded to this challenge first by going digital. To produce content of high quality and to make it more interactive, the second change we have embraced is to make SOI bimonthly. Now, this bimonthly comes with insightful new features. We are making Children\u2019s Corner, Book Reviews, Opinions and Letters, and Newsletter permanent features of the magazine. Thus,\u00a0<\/span>we now publish Spirit of Islam as a BIMONTHLY and DIGITAL-ONLY edition.<\/strong><\/p>\n The magazine aims to cultivate a constructive and positive mind. We strive to introduce pristine teachings of Islam directly from the Quran and the Prophetic model enshrined in the books of Hadith. You will find in these pages answers from the Quran and the Prophetic model to the modern-day challenges.<\/p>\n The Quran makes it a solemn obligation of the believers to understand the message of the Quran and spread this message to every nook and corner of the earth. Believers not only failed to convey the message of Islam but they also misinterpreted and then misrepresented the divine teachings of Islam. The Islam of the Quran makes a person afraid of his fate in the Hereafter. He should live his life with the feeling that after death, he has to give an account of his deeds to God. SOI carries the message of Islam as it is.<\/p>\n We also wish to acknowledge our gratitude to the readers who throughout the years have continued to offer us words of encouragement and criticism. This magazine is for a serious and discerning reader. It has nothing to offer in the way of entertainment. In fact, it carries forebodings of a dire future if our lives are not God-oriented. That the magazine finds readership in all continents of the globe is a testimony that man is by nature a seeker of Truth and Meaning in life. God willing, we will continue to produce articles that provide answers to most fundamental urge of human beings.<\/p>\n In view of the present challenging situation, we conclude with the following prayer from the Quran: Mohammad Usman<\/strong> [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN PASSES AWAY” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n FOUNDER of Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS) International, author of more than 200 books, editor-in-chief of Spirit of Islam magazine and our guide and mentor passed away in the night of April 21, 2021. He was 96-years old. He was undergoing treatment in Delhi\u2019s Apollo Hospital. A lifelong crusader for peace, tolerance, nonviolence spiritual way of life, he had gained respect from the who\u2019s who of the world. He was an epitome of a God-fearing personality. A rare amalgam of classical Islamic disciplines and modern thought, he firmly believed that modern science has enlarged the canvas of Godrealization. He leaves behind his family and innumerable people from all around the world who identify themselves as part of CPS fraternity. They are fired by the zeal to propagate the ideology of peace enshrined in the Sacred Scripture of Islam. It is true that death has taken him away from us, but our relationship with him and what he stood for remains intact. His demise was mourned by the President of India Mr Ram Nath Kovind in these words: (I am) deeply grieved by the demise of renowned Islamic scholar Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. A recipient of Padma Vibhushan, Maulana Wahiduddin made significant contribution to peace, harmony and reforms in the society.<\/p>\n Mr Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India also paid tribute to Maulana. He wrote on twitter: (I am) saddened by the passing away of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. He will be remembered for his insightful knowledge on matters of theology and spirituality. He was also passionate about community service and social empowerment.<\/p>\n Maulana spent his whole life in anticipation of meeting God. We pray for him the way Prophet of Islam taught us to pray for the deceased: \u201cO God, forgive Maulana Sahib, raise his rank among the rightly guided, grant him a successor in his remaining descendants. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the universe, and make his grave spacious, and light it for him.\u201d (Sahih al-Muslim)<\/p>\n Grieving the loss of Maulana, his granddaughter Sadia Khan prayed: [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”FROM MAULANA\u2019S DESK” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called \u2019Islam\u2019s spiritual ambassador to the world\u2019 and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims . His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi.<\/p>\n IN the post-scientific age, it became commonplace for many to register themselves as following \u2018no religion\u2019. People started to introduce themselves as \u2018nonreligious\u2019. It is true indeed that science opened up for human beings hitherto unknown knowledge. Man has penetrated macro- as well as microworld. Facilities and ease of life that a person enjoys today could never be conceived without science. Science proved many ideas about the physical world as unfounded. Scientific enquiries continued, by leaps and bounds, shattering one cherished article of faith after another. Though major scientific minds refrained from making a direct claim about the non-existence of God, a crop of academicians emerged who fashionably started calling themselves \u2018atheists\u2019. This practice had gained ground.<\/p>\n The question arises then if religion indeed is a vestigial part of human life. Is the universe as far as we know it, which is just 4% of the cosmos, enough to convince of looking no further? Is there nothing beyond this material world? Does science account for every question that is posed by everyday human experiences? These questions can be summed up as: Does science provide meaning to life?<\/p>\n The New Year celebrations of 2020 were shadowed by an imminent pandemic, which then became a reality. The blissful world we were accustomed to turned upside down. With the constant threat of contracting the disease, we were forced to stay away from our families and workplace. Suffering the loneliness and the pangs arising out of lockdown and the mental burden of a future that doesn\u2019t bode well, our very ideas of life became shaky. The Guardian columnist John Harris contrasts a religious and a nonreligious person in this regard. March 28, 2021 issue of The Guardian carried a very insightful piece (How do faithless people like me make sense of this past year of Covid?) by John Harris that directly touches this question. He writes: Like millions of other faithless people, I have not even the flimsiest of narratives to project on to what has happened, nor any real vocabulary with which to talk about the profundities of life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n Thus, it becomes quite clear that an ideology that negates the authenticity of the religious narrative is quite incapable of finding meaning in seemingly negative experiences. When the limit of human intelligence is reached without providing credible answers, where do human beings turn to? The same article provides the following statistics: This human tendency is described in the Quran in these words: When man suffers some affliction, he prays to his Lord and turns to Him in penitence, but once he has been granted a favour from God, he forgets the One he had been praying to. (39: 8)<\/p>\n When an affliction befalls men, they cry out to their Lord, turning to Him in repentance. (30: 33)<\/p>\n The truth of the matter is that religious narrative is an integral part of human life. Disbelief makes this world meaningless. The bad experiences in life are part of the divine test. Those who respond positively to this test would be rewarded in the Hereafter. The only possible explanation of this universe is to believe in a \u2018universe with God\u2019. The other option, according to John Harris, poses questions: \u201c(\u2026) life without God has turned out to be life without fellowship and shared meaning.\u201d<\/p>\n Maulana Wahiduddin Khan [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”FROM THE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Prof. Farida Khanam is an author, editor, translator, public speaker and former professor of Islamic Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. Among her books are \u2018A Simple Guide to Sufism\u2019 and \u2018A Study of World\u2019s Major Religions\u2019. She has translated into English many books authored by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. Currently the chairperson of CPS International, she is a regular contributor of articles to various publications. Prof. Khanam has edited Maulana\u2019s English translation of the Quran and has also translated his Urdu commentary of the Quran into English.<\/p>\n Prof. Farida Khanam Reminisces about Her Teacher PROFESSOR MAJIDA ASAD was born in 1939 in Chandpur town in Bijnor district. Her father had an M.A. in philosophy from Aligarh Muslim University. He was editor of an Urdu newspaper, Madinah, and taught in Government College. Despite this, there were many obstacles to the education of Muslim girls. However, on seeing her great interest in education, her father sent her to a local Hindi medium school, Vedik Kanya Pathshala. She studied in this school till class VIII. After the eighth class, she took private exam for HSC from Gokuldas School in Moradabad. She vividly remembers the day when she went there to get admission. Every girl from the school came out, curious to see a Muslim girl wearing a burqa. There was not a single Muslim girl student in the school. That was a strange sight indeed for those girls. Facing all odds she managed to pass her HSC exam with flying colours. With the support from one of her father\u2019s friends, she got admission to Aligarh Muslim University. She was very good at her studies. She passed mathematics with distinction. Her excellent results provided her a chance to move ahead in the field of education.<\/p>\n In 1960 she completed her M.A. in Hindi from Delhi University. In 1961 she got a dictionary job in the Urdu department of Delhi University. She completed her Ph.D. in Hindi in 1964.<\/p>\n By now she had developed expertise in many aspects of her profession. She was an adept translator and writer. She wrote in fluent Hindi characterized by both simplicity and force\u2014essential features of a good style. The then-President of India, Dr Zakir Hussain had translated Plato\u2019s Republic into Urdu. She translated it into Hindi. Dr Zakir Hussain\u2019s daughter had penned her father\u2019s biography. This was also rendered from Urdu into Hindi by Prof. Majida Asad.<\/p>\n She then started teaching at Rani Lakshmi Bai College in 1966. Later she was appointed as an executive member of the Hindi Academy. She has authored 10 books, two of which have been published by the Publications Division. One book is on Festivals of the Indian Muslims (Bhartiya Muslim Teuhaar aur Riti Riwaj) and the other is on Dr Zakir Hussain. These books are very popular, and are available in the US as well.<\/p>\n To tackle any situation of disagreement and confrontation, she advises one to speak in a soft tone, present one\u2019s arguments with complete conviction. It is truthfulness in your personality that would subjugate your opponent is what she believes in.<\/p>\n In spite of the complete incompatibility of the environment she found herself in, she managed to overcome seemingly immovable obstacles to her journey towards academic excellence. She has been widely recognized for her academic output on both national and international fronts, by State as well as National governments of India. She has participated in many feature programmes on All India Radio, Doordarshan and other channels. She has contributed more than 300 articles, stories, memoirs, travelogues, etc. to leading Hindi newspapers and magazines<\/p>\n She has been appointed as secretary and member of various academic institutions such as Delhi Hindi Sansthan and Delhi Hindi Academy. She was a member of the Delhi Advisory Committee of the Delhi Administration. She was also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of External Affairs. She is mentioned in the book Jawahar-eBijnor (Gems of Bijnor), select biography of notable people from Bijnor. She now lives in the United States. She has a house in New Delhi. Once in a year or two, she visits New Delhi. She has not forgotten her long and arduous journey. She knows the importance of the support that members of society can offer to the needy and the underprivileged people. She welcomes her guests and visitors with open arms. As a host, she appears like a family to her visitors.<\/p>\n Prof. Farida Khanam<\/strong>
You are reading the 100th issue of Spirit of Islam. Publication of this issue is a solemn occasion for us to offer our profound gratitude and thanks to Almighty God. This spiritual journey began in 2013. We have come a long way since then. With the grace of God, the editorial board under the guidance of Maulana Wahiduddin Khan continues to bring articles on the most pressing current challenges. It is our constant endeavour to address the current challenges from religious and spiritual perspectives. Without these perspectives, the very existence of humankind finds itself bereft of meaning as the editorial of this issue aptly illustrates. Confined in their homes during the lockdown, living under the constant threat of contracting Covid-19, people craved for meaning in this chaos and uncertainty. During this period, Spirit of Islam (SOI<\/strong>) published special issues from May to November 2020 covering topics such as Truth, Science, God, Religion, Creation Plan of God, Death and Hereafter.<\/p>\n
\u2018Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake! Our Lord, do not place on us a burden like the one You placed on those before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a burden we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy on us. You are our Lord and Sustainer. (2: 286)<\/p>\n
Editorial Committee<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n
May God grant you the highest Paradise, may angels envy your stature in the Hereafter. You lived a poor man\u2019s life, replete with God\u2019s wisdom. You guided man well and served God better. May your meeting with God be one of eternal pleasure. Amen<\/i><\/p>\n
\nLIFE WITHOUT GOD<\/h4>\n
\u201cI felt a pang of envy that has occasionally surfaced in the past \u2013 this time to do with a year of lockdown, the sudden fear of serious illness and death, and the sense of all of it being wholly random and senseless. Was this, I wondered, how religious believers were feeling? Or were they able to give their recent experiences at least a semblance of coherence and meaning?<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first phase of the pandemic, there were clear signs that a lot of us needed much more. Across 95 countries, Googling the word \u201cprayer\u201d increased by 50%, surpassing the level associated with Christmas and Ramadan. In April 2020, a service led by the Archbishop of Canterbury from his kitchen table drew 5 million viewers, described by the Church of England as the largest congregation in its history. And since then, as churches, mosques, synagogues and temples have been at the heart of some communities\u2019 Covid experiences, the symbols and rituals of religion have made very visible comebacks. They were seen again in (\u2026) doorstep vigil, complete with candles and massed silence, for the people lost to Covid.\u201d<\/p>\n
thecentreforpeace@gmail.com<\/a><\/span>
Follow Maulana at http:\/\/www.speakingtree.in (The Times of India)<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPAYING HOMAGE TO MY TEACHER<\/h4>\n
thecentreforpeace@gmail.com<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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[\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”A SERIOUS MISTAKE” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n
Applying a Different Yardstick to Religion<\/h4>\n
IT is a common observation that people are very intelligent in their worldly affairs. They apply their reason as much as they can, they plan with understanding in every aspect, but in the matter of religion, their method is completely different. Here they think that asking an exalted religious personality to pray for them, visiting a shrine, paying a visit to an elder, reciting some words on the prayer beads, or repeating some rituals would ensure that their religious matters will be corrected automatically. But this dual approach is completely baseless. No one is going to benefit from this method.<\/p>\n
The fact is that just as man uses his intellect in worldly affairs, so he must use his intellect in matters of religion. In the matter of religion too, he has to use all the power of his consciousness. Without it, no one can be truly religious or deserving of Paradise.<\/p>\n
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