It is estimated that there are at least 50,000 nuclear bombs in existence in the world today. There are at least one million bombs as strong as the two dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Those atomic bombs killed about 120,000 people, many thousands were wounded or suffered the effects of atomic radiation. It…
A group of Muslim jurists once got together, and because they could not think of anything better to do they proceeded to talk on trivial matters. One of them asked: “During a funeral procession, should one walk on the right side of the coffin or on the left?” Immediately the group was confused and extremely…
In light of the present political and economic scenarios, a step forward towards fostering a better relationship between Europe and Asia through the bridging of differences between the two continents needs to be initiated. By virtue that Asia is becoming an emerging market of the world, a better understanding of its cultures is vital for a…
We have had four occasions before (see IKIM Views of 28 October 2008, 23 December 2008, 5 May 2009, and 26 May 2009, respectively) to expound the meaning of tadbir as the proper Arabic term for any act or process that may generally be referred to as administration, management, or governance. It has been made…
There is a hadith which states “Part of someone’s being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern him”. It is beneficial to avoid meddling into things or affairs that are of no concern to us. It is impossible for a person to entertain all things at once. Prioritizing matters according…
Struggle (jihad) has two aspects. First is the external struggle between the believers against the deniers of religious truths, their enemies and ill-wishers “who mock at Religion and make jest of it” (al-Ma’idah, 5: 57). Second, the internal struggle against one’s carnal self. In this spiritual battle-constantly engaged between ones’ intellectual faculties and the animal…
We celebrated Teachers’ Day a few weeks ago. Talk of education always brings to my mind a speech given by Dorothy L.Sayers at Oxford in 1947, which was later printed in essay form bearing the title The Lost Tools of Learning. Although Sayers was not an educationist but rather a novelist, her profound critique of…
We have stated earlier (see IKIM Views of 28 October and 23 December 2008) that there has been unanimity among Muslim scholars with regard to the meaning of tadbir, a major Arabic term signifying administration, management, or governance. To illustrate the aforementioned, we also related the definitions offered by three past Muslim scholars, namely: al-Baydawi (d. 791H); al-Jurjani (d.…
Over the years, a number of cases decided in court like Susie Teoh (1990), Chang Ah Mee (2003), Shamala (2004) and Subashini (2008) have caused a lot of confusion to the masses. The latest case involving Indira Gandhi and Pathmanathan has made Malaysians more anxious. Again, when a party to a non-Muslim marriage converts to…
There was a group of people who, when it was said to them “do not commit corruption”, they responded, “we are but putting things right”. Whereas, in God’s view, they are the ones who are truly spreading corruption even though they admit that they are neither cognizant nor mindful of it. Even though those people think that…
