Maqasid Al Shariah Defined

Maqasid Al-Shariah Defined

I have been a Muslim all my life and I have never heard of Maqasid Al-Shariah until I had to do a paper on it. I believe many Muslims are in the same position as me. What is Maqasid Al-Shariah? When I understood what it meant it had a profound effect on me. I understood the basic rights of a human being.

Maqasid Al-Shariah means the objective of the Shariah Laws. This is a very important field of knowledge because when you study the Shariah Laws you must understand the context in which the ruling was made. The Shariah is based from five primary sources the Holy Quran, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), Ijtihad (based on reasoning by the Mujtahid/Shariah scholars) and Qiyas (analogy based on events that had happened during the Prophet’s time (SAW)).

According to Imam Ghazali the objective of the Shariah Law is to protect the well-being of the people which lies in the safeguarding of their faith (deen), their lives (nafs), their intellect (aql), their posterity (nasl) and their wealth (mal). The underlying theme is the realisation of the benefit for the people (maslahah) or public interest.

The 5 factors fall under the Dharuriyyah or Essentials. These are the basic rights of a human being. The first is the protection of the right of people to practise their religion without any untoward harm to them. No one should fear to wear a hijab or pray in a mosque due to prosecution. Freedom for man to practise his faith is the first objective of the Shariah because the practise of religion allows man to live within a code of law which guides him to behave as a human and not resort to being an animal. We would think the freedom to practise one’s religion is a given but when we study history we can see how the Russian government indoctrinated their people against religion. People were punished for praying.

The second objective of the Shariah is to protect human life. Everyone has the right to live in this world. No one’s life is less valuable than another. Life is a precious gift that we must value and give respect to. No child should die of starvation and malnutrition because each child has a basic right to live.

 The third objective of the Shariah is to protect the intellect. The intelligence that human beings have differentiates us from animals. Man can use his intelligence to think and in the Quran Allah S.W.T, constantly asks us to think and ponder about His creation. That is why intoxicants that make man lose his intellectual ability, like alcohol and drugs are prohibited (haram) in Islam. It is a basic right of a human being to be educated regardless of gender.

The fourth objective of the Shariah is safeguarding the posterity (nasl). This means safeguarding one’s lineage from illegitimate children. Each child has the right to know who the father is and be proud of his or her lineage. It was quite enlightening for me that the Shariah gave importance to proper lineage as an Essential right of a human being. When compared to the Maslow’s Hierachy of Needs, the essentials only covers food, shelter and clothing. This clearly shows the limits of man’s intellect and Allah(SWT)’s ultimate wisdom. The disintegration of values in society has brought many social ills like unwanted teenage pregnancies and baby dumping. The babies that are born already lack their basic right in Islam which is a proper lineage. The feeling of belonging and utmost pride towards ones lineage must be instilled in our children so that it would deter them from tarnishing their lineage. 

The fifth objective is to protect wealth. Every human being has a right to own property regardless of gender. Their wealth must be protected and not be usurped by unruly people. The wealth of the orphans must be cared for by the guardians and returned to them when they are mature. It is constantly repeated in the Quran to not cheat others of the rightful properties.

After the Dharuriyyah is fulfilled then there is the Hajjiyat  or Complementary. In Hajiyyat, one has the right to simplify one’s life. For example in Islam,  one has the right to shorten his prayers while on a journey. After ease in life is achieved then there is Tahsiniyyat or Embellishement; which is enjoying the luxuries in life like wearing good clothes and eating good food.

Allah has enjoined humans to lead a fruitful life and allowed us to even enjoy our lives on earth. As Muslims we must understand what our basic rights are because more often than not Muslims are deprived of the Maqasid Al Shariah even in Muslim countries! There was a study entitled “An Economic Islamicity Index E12” by Scheherazade S. Rehman and Hossein Askari, published in the Global Economy Journal in 2010, which ranked 208 countries on the basis of their adherence to Maqasid Al Shariah in 12 fundamental areas as listed below:

1. Economic opportunity and economic freedom.

2. Justice in all aspects of economic Management.

3. Better treatment of workers including job opportunities and equality of access.

4. Higher education expenditure including equality of access.

5. Poverty eradication, aid, and providing basic human needs, no hoarding of wealth.

6. A more even distribution of wealth and income.

7. Better social infrastructure and provision of social services through taxation and social welfare.

8. Higher savings and investment rates i.e. management of natural and non-renewable resources.

9. Higher moral standard, honesty and trust exhibited in the marketplace and in all economic interactions i.e. less corruption.

10. Islamic Financial System I: risk sharing as opposed to debt contracts i.e. a supportive financial system and elimination of speculation.

11. Islamic Financial System II: financial practices that includes the abolition of interest.

12. Higher trade/GDP, higher foreign aid/GDP and higher degree of environmental preservation and vigilantly supervised markets i.e. overall state effectiveness in achieving economic prosperity -- general economic prosperity.

Scoring the highest on the list was Ireland followed by Denmark and Luxembourg. The first Muslim country on the list was Malaysia at rank 33, followed by Kuwait at 42 and Kazakhstan at 54. Saudi Arabia the birthplace of Islam was at rank 91. This is something to ponder about, as the very principles in life that we as Muslims have to adhere to is practised better by non-Muslims. Such is the sorry state of Muslim governments.

Let us begin to understand Islam better and know our rights, then at least we can make a change!

Great Men and Women

A lifetime is but eighty years, blessed is he who goes down in history, while the rest die without a trace of existence. Famous or rather extraordinary men and women have always intrigued me, an unexplained curiosity to know how they lived.

I began my quest with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). An illiterate shepherd, he was orphaned at a very young age. Despite that he was well known for his noble character. In him, I learned about total submission to the will of God. I saw his great love for the Creator and his tireless worship even though he knew he had been promised Paradise. He wanted nothing for himself except to fulfill his duties to bring Mankind to the right path.

Though not in the same vein, Mahatma Gandhi constantly tried to cleanse his soul from carnal desires by practicing asceticism. Mahatma means great soul, an honorific term coined by Rabrindranath Tagore. And indeed he was a great soul who was able to unite the war-faring Hindus and Muslims to eventually gain Independence for Mother India. What really moved me was his filial piety. His father was getting rather ill and immediately arranged for young Gandhi to be married to Mira Bai. Gandhi and his brother used to dote on their ailing father. But unfortunately on the night his father died, Gandhi was with his wife. He never forgave himself for that and later became celibate.

The founder of Pakistan, Nawab Muhammad Ali Jinnah was from humble beginnings. He went to England to become a lawyer and later represented Muslims in the Indian political arena. What endeared me to him was his great integrity and strong principles. Nothing could budge him from what he thought was right and that did not make him very popular.But he stood his ground and achieved to get a land for the Muslims, which is not an easy feat.

Still in the same arena of Indian politics, we come to the charismatic Indira Gandhi. Indira Nehru was a serious child born into wealth. She was privileged to have grown a midst great thinkers ans reformers who constantly congregated at her parental home.Both her father and grandfather gave away most of their wealth tot he cause of the Indian people - Independence. They became astute followers of Mahatma Gandhi.She carried on her shoulders a heavy burden having been groomed by her father to inherit the political throne and later carry on the family tradition despite being a single mother of two boys. In her, I saw sacrifices made to keep the country together though it may not be her own desire and having to make truly crucial decisions which later resulted in her own death.I admire her strenght in facing adversities, her composure in handling personal tragedies and her wisdom.

Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali, is well-known around the world as the translator of the Holy Quran to al Anglish speaking Muslims. He was well read and learned man, hence his title Allama (the learned), who served the Indian Civil Service for many years and who was a great contributor to the Indian education system. He studied in England and had a great penchant for all things European. But his great strength was in languages for he was proficient in English, Arabic, Latin and Urdu. Sadly his personal life was far from happy and he died a lonely man. To me, he was a man with myriad of talents, tried to educate the Muslim youths to enter intelligentsia and to bridge the gap between the East and the West.

Another man with a similar vision was Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Laureate in Literature. His vision was to see the East and the West meet in a common place and learn its cultures and arts. This vision, he made reality in the form of Shantiniketan- a university for the arts. As a child, Rabi shunned the conventional learning by rote.He was lucky because his parents allowed the children to develop their creativity;all his siblings were inclined towards music, literature and art. Rabi's father was known as Maharishi as he was a very spiritual man with tendencies to meditate for many months. Rabi had his first spiritual awakening when his father took him along to the Himalayas. They would bathe and begin study in the Upanishads (religious scriptures) at sunrise, followed by geography, world history and language lessons. What an experience it would be to sit and learn on top of mountains, instead of the boring classrooms. Rabi never went to university but was writing plays, short stories and beautiful poetry in Bengali. His most famous was Gitanjali for which he received the Nobel Prize. Throughout his life and till his death he campaigned all over the world for the realization of Shantiniketan - a unification of the East and the West. All this is in the midst of World War Two. I was deeply mystified by his upbringing and his international recognition for his poetry, which has universal truth and his fire and zeal to see his vision come true. He was truly a man born many years before his time.

He is a boatman's son from a small fishing village in India. Due to encouragement from his parents and brother-in-law, he managed to join the Indian Ministry of Defense.But he was very much interested to become a pilot. So A.P.J Abdul Kalam philosophized with himself, if he can't fly a plane, at least he will make the plane! And so began his career, which resulted in the production of a hundred percent made in India rocket!Although the rocket is a result of teamwork, he was instrumental in making it a reality due to his sheer determination and focus in life. From him I learned that man can oversome all obstacles due to his circumstances if he had the determination to succeed.

Another example of will power to win over circumstances was the phenomenal Helen Keller. Imagine yourself in a dark quiet room. How long can you live like that?That is exactly how Helen Keller lived since her childhood when she lost her eyesight and hearing due to fever. Due to her utter helplessness, her parents appointed tutors to help her. She threw tantrums and was a difficult child because she felt frustrated she could not express herself. But she labored on and faced all trials and tribulations with sheer grit and determination. She was even accused of plagiarism. When she learns of a story, it is retained in her memory and she is unable to differentiate between her own thoughts and that of others. It was a great blow to her self-esteem and she stopped wiring all together. But with support from her friends, teachers and family , she overcame her obstacles with an iron-will, to obtain a college degree and write her autobiography.

Another woman with an iron-will and tremendous faith, on home grounds, is Sybil Karthigasu. She is midwife from Ipoh. Her doctor husband, two daughters and herself were living a normal life when suddenly everything was shattered with the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Her crime was helping the wounded who happened to be the Communist guerrillas  She was caught and tortured along with her family members. But she never succumbed to their beating, torture and humiliation. The atrocities that the Japanese did to her and other prisoners were abominable. She was strong in spirit even if they crushed her physically; kneeling all night in prayer. Her deep faith carried her through the entire ordeal until the Japanese surrendered. Unfortunately Sybil died two years later due to the injuries sustained under Japanese custody. here is an extraordinary woman who was forced to endure excruciating pain for something she believed in.

These are some of the people whom I have had the opportunity to read about and learn from. Of course certain elaboration of their lives may be the opinion of the biographer or of myself but the truth is they have certainly lived their lives to the fullest.

 

The last Prophet Will Always Be Honoured

The Last Prophet Will Always be Honoured

I forced myself to watch the movie “The Innocence of Muslims” but I could not bear to finish it. It was too disgusting. I understood then the anger that spread like wildfire around the world and caused the death of four Americans including the American diplomat to Libya. Time and time again, there are people who risk their lives to defame the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Do they not learn from the uprising against the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, the death of the Danish film maker of the movie Submission Theo Van Gogh, death threats to Ayaan Hirsi Ali , Salman Rushdie and Taslima Nasrin.

Which part do they not understand; Muslims do not tolerate the defamation of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or Islam, period.  Muslims do not go around defaming the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) or the Prophet Moses (pbuh). Perhaps it is one trait that needs to be emulated by all.

It is quite sad that despite the protest all around the world, the movie can still be viewed on You Tube. Why continue to instigate the Muslims? It is time to understand Muslim sensitivities.

If the issue at hand was a movie spoof about the Holocost, it would have caused a huge uproar and several world leaders condemning the movie and demanding an apology from the film producer . There would be no contention about freedom of speech. Even the prince of England, Prince Harry was forced to apologize for wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party. That is possible because of the strong political influence of those who are sympathizers of Israel. What influence does Muslims have, they are oppressed everywhere by their own leaders or the Western powers.

Sam Bacile must apologize and be responsible for causing so much havoc on earth. There is a very apt surah in the Quran for Islam haters, where the Prophet Muhammad was ordered to address them; surah Al-Kafirun verses 1-6

“Say : O unbelievers! I do not serve that which you serve, Nor do you serve Him Whom I serve:

Nor am I going to serve that which you serve, Nor are you going to serve Him Whom I serve:

You shall have your religion and I shall have my religion.”

As the Quranic verse very clearly states, leave us Muslims be.

Financial Crisis Explained

Assignment for Islamic Economics 2012

The Financial Crisis Explained

The Financial Institutions globally are based on riba or interest. The Central Bank lends money to the government and other banks on interest. Thus money equals debt. In order to pay back the debt and get a profit, banks lend their money to their customers with a higher interest. It’s a vicious cycle.

The root cause of the financial crisis in the USA which spilled over to the European countries in 2008 is due to excessive and impudent lending by the banks. Investment bankers bought mortgages from banks and packaged it as Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) to be sold to investors like the Pension Funds. The CDOs were highly rated and gained a lot of revenue. By the end of 2006, about 55 % of the US$ 10.2 trillion mortgage loans in the U.S.A was packaged and sold to local as well foreign markets. Since the CDOs were very successful, the investment bankers persuaded the mortgage bankers to give more loans to the less creditworthy home buyers called the subprime mortgage. The risk of default of the subprime debt was passed from the mortgage originator to the ultimate purchasers of the CDOs who were not aware of the inherent risks due to the packaging of the CDOs. When the home buyer defaults payment, the investment banker forecloses the house. The price of houses plummets when more houses are foreclosed. The investment banker has worthless houses on his hands which he cannot sell and debt to pay the mortgage bankers. Nobody wants the CDOs. The investment banker becomes bankrupt. The mortgage bankers cannot get their money back from the investment bankers and become bankrupt. The investors lose all their money and the home owner owns a house that is not worth his mortgage. It’s a vicious cycle.

The US government had to bail out the banks by borrowing money from other countries which led to the higher sovereign debts and started minting more money causing an inflation. With higher debts the country has to cut down on spending and charge higher taxes. Unemployment rate increases as cost cutting measures are taken or production is moved to other countries with lower labor costs. The “Occupy Wall Street” protest in New York shows the sentiments of the people who were unhappy that the banks got a bailout but the common man continues to suffer.

A similar scenario unfolded in Europe. The European Union consists of 23 countries that used the Euro currency. Greece a member of the European Union was having difficulty to pay its bills. It started to borrow more money from other member countries like Germany, Spain and Portugal. As its sovereign debt increased with compounding interests, Greece started defaulting payments. This in turn caused the lender countries to borrow from other countries to make up for the default payments. Greece could no longer borrow as no one wanted to lend it money. The country had a liquidity crisis and riots broke out. The European Union had to step in and bailout Greece. The member countries had to write off its debts and are still in talks to remove Greece from the European Union as the crisis in Greece will cause the Euro to plummet with it. The other countries significantly affected are Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy.

Other countries like China, Brazil and Canada are also badly affected by the declining value of the dollar because their economy depends heavily on exports to the US. Many emerging market economies like Russia, the OPEC countries and Latin America are being affected by the falling prices of international commodities. Countries like India though not affected badly, have faced falling stock prices. Japan is in a stage of stagflation which is inflation and longstanding recession and heading towards a financial crisis of its own. A crisis this big in the financial center of the world has led to a domino effect on other countries of the world, since all nations are part of the global market.

Could the Islamic Financial Institution have prevented this crisis and managed it better? The answer is a resounding YES. The Islamic finance is vehemently against the core principle of the conventional financial system which is Interest/Riba. Money cannot be made by simply lending money but must be made through trade as is clearly stated in the Quran 2:275 “Trade is permitted, Riba is forbidden”. 

The crisis in the US occurred because the investment bankers thought nothing about selling the CDOs and CDS to the investors. They thought there was no harm in selling debts, because the risk/gamble (maisir) is taken by the investors who buy the CDOs. There are elements of uncertainty (gharar) whether the payments for the mortgages will be made or defaulted. There are elements of deception when the rating agency gives a high rating to a subprime mortgage. There were no regulators to limit the irresponsible behavior of the bankers.

The rules in Shariah are very clear when a contract is made between the seller and the buyer. The subject matter must be in existence. The selling price is known and the seller is forbidden from making excessive amount of profit or taking advantage of the buyer. There must not be any elements of gharar and all terms and conditions are agreed upon and documented. Maisir (gambling) is clearly forbidden to  Muslims,  as one  party wins  while  the  other loses -a  zero  sum game  with  risky  payoffs. In other  words, speculative  and  gambling  activities  were merely  shifting  the  risk from  one  party  to another.  Hence, derivatives such as CDS would have been prohibited if Islamic finance were applied.  The prohibition of riba’ in debt trading would mean products such as CDOs would have been non-existent in the Islamic Finance system.

Unfortunately some of the financial products offered by Islamic Financial Institution are similar to the conventional products that brought about the crisis. In the Ijarah /Musyarakah Mutanaqisa  sukuk structure  (where asset is securitized as sukuk) ,the sukuk is packaged like a CDO. The rating agencies are giving these sukuks good ratings though these products were not understood.

While the Islamic Finance Institution tries very hard to compete with the Conventional Banking Institution in providing financial products that cater to market needs; it also needs to make sure that the objectives of the Shariah are kept.

Capitalism, Socialism and Islamic Economics Explained

This is an assignment for Islamic Economics, 2012

Capitalism, Socialism and Islamic Economics Explained

Capitalism is derived from the word capital which means money or resources which can be distinguished in the form of land and labor. Capitalism was born during the industrialization period where products were mass produced for example in Great Britain. Mass production required machinery or capital investment and a massive labor force. The wealthy industrialists competed among themselves to maximize profit and minimize costs which they did by enslaving people. Slaves meant no labor costs, and more profit. The rich became super rich and the poor became very poor.

The ideology of classical capitalism was expressed for the first time by Adam Smith in 1776. The definition of capitalism as in A Modern Dictionary of Sociology is “An economic system based upon the accumulation and investment of capital by private individuals who then become the owners of means of production and distribution of goods and services”.

The main features of the capitalism system are

1) Private ownership or enterprise, in a free market thus able to produce any products and distribute it at will. There is no central economic plan.

2) Each individual pursues his self-interest without government interference. The government takes a laissez-faire attitude towards the businessmen.

3) Steep competition between the market players based on the concept of survival of the fittest.

4) Markets and price systems dependant on the demand and supply

The wide disparity between the few super rich and the poor masses led to social injustice. In 1917 a revolution exploded in Russia led by soldiers, workers and peasants who rose against the ruling class. They executed the monarchy and established the Soviet Union, the first communist country. There was no private ownership and everything belonged to the government. Everyone was given a job and had enough to live without falling into poverty.

Communism is derived from socialism. Encyclopedia Americana defines socialism as “a doctrine that espouses public ownership or control of the major means of production. It aims to achieve a more equitable and efficient distribution of social goods and greater planning than exists under capitalism.” Communism is the idea of a classless society where everyone is equal. Although there are many proponents of socialism, Karl Marx is well known because of his books the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital.

These are some key characteristics of socialism

1) The central planning system decides what and how much to produce. The motive to produce is not profit but usefulness to society.

2) Socialists establish equitable income distribution through public ownership of the material means of production.

3) Public enterprise where the industry and price of products are controlled by the government.

Other countries also followed the ideology of socialism and communism like China and Cuba. The USSR collapsed in 1991 after 70 years of rule. The reason it collapsed is true classless society was never achieved. The leaders and their cronies had privileges that the masses were deprived of. It became a police state and the people lived in constant fear for dissent was treated with violence. Capitalism remains the only ideology that is practiced in most parts of the world despite its many faults. Now let’s look at Islamic Economy.

Economy during the time of the Prophet (SAW) and in Medina was solely based on the Shariah. Islamic economy was practised during the period of Ummayyad, Abbasid, Mamluks and finally the Ottoman Empire. Based in Constantinople the Ottoman Empire included southeast Europe, Western Asia and North Africa and ruled for 633 years until the caliphate was abolished on November 1^st 1922.

Muhammad Abdul Mannan, defined Islamic economics as “A social science which studies the economic problems of a people imbued with the values of Islam. It has to deal with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services within the framework of an Islamic society where the Islamic way of life is fully established.”

The key characteristics of Islamic economics are

1) Traders are allowed to trade in a free market with no government interference. Hisbah was established to monitor the market of wrongful acts. Monopolies and cartels are not allowed.

2) Private ownership is a right of each Muslim. The law of inheritance has been outlined in the Quran, and if the person has no legal heir, the property will belong to the public treasury.

3) Zakah is obligatory on all Muslims. The non-muslims have to pay jizyah and kharaj (land tax). Other forms of taxation are forbidden in Islam for example toll and sales tax.

4) Riba or interest is forbidden in Islam. Allah clearly says that whoever involves with riba is at war with Him and His Rasul, Allah forbid!

Islamic economics was practiced successfully for example during the reign of the Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz in the Umayyad era, when zakat could not be distributed due to the economic well-being of his subjects.

This is a synopsis of the book " Searching for Solace" which is a biography of Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

The Life of Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Abdullah Yusuf Ali is best known for his English translation of the Quran which is widely circulated and used in the English-speaking Muslim world. But there was more to this man than literary pursuits. He was actively invloved in public services advocating British rule, contributing tremendously to the field of education and Islamic scholarship.

The book "Searching for Solace" a biography of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, interpreter of the Quran; gives a comprehensive and detailed chronicle of his life. The author, M.A Sherif divides the book into two parts, the first being the chronological account of Yusuf Ali's personal and public life while the other concentrates on the themes that are prevalent in his activities, writings and speeches. Sherif has taken upon himself the task of writing the biography as he feels that "...great Muslim personalities of this century have been inadequately researched by Muslim boigraphers...it will be a tragedy , if Muslims themselves cannot preserve the miniature portrait, so that when the time is right, the collection can be re-examined without the preconceived notions of Western scholarship."

Abdullah Yusuf Ali was born on 4th April 1872 in Surat, Gujrat in Western India. He was the second and younger son of Yusufali Allahbuksh an official in Surat's police force. Yusuf Ali revered his father but spoke little about his mother or brother. His education began in the Anjuman School, which was opened after much lobbying and persuasion by some able Muslims of the time. This was extremely necessary, as there was a dearth of educated Muslims who qualified to be in public services or government. The teaching was in Urdu and English, and it also provided a strong Islamic background in his life. He continued his studies in Wilson College and the University of Bombay obtaining a first class BA. His brialliant academic record made it possible for him to get a government scholarship to read law at Cambridge. It was here that he sat for the legendary Indian Civil Service (ICS) examination and succeeded.

He began his career in the North- Western Provinces of Agra and Oudh. A year later he returned to England to marry Teresa Shalders following Church of England rites.It was probably Yusuf Ali's way of trying to unite the gap between the East and the West.His circles of friends in England included prominent figures like Muhammad Iqbal, Abdul Qader, Justice Ameer Ali and the Tayebji brothers. Yusuf Ali was a rising star in the ICS and continued to contribute papers to distinguished journals and societies.

His intense involvement in public matters caused continuous negelect of his domestic affairs, which ended in a crisis. His wife, mother of his four children, was expecting an illegitimate child. This personal pain devastated Yusuf Ali and it had been one of the reasons why he took refuge in the Quran, which culminated in the translation of it. References to this are made in the Quranic Commentary in his translation.

His career was not spared when he found himself embroiled in the Kanpur Mosque incident. He was a Muslim in power and yet unable to do anything when the precincts of the mosque were abolished; while other Muslim leaders were united to make their stand. A year later, Yusuf Ali resigned from the ICS and left for England to look after his children. When Britain declared war against Turkey that year, Yusuf Ali became their propagandist for the Indian Muslim  community. He had deep-rooted loyalty to the British Sovereign and Empire. This is evident in his writing and lectures where he addressed King George V as chahre-e-mubarak (auspicious face).The British needed him to keep the Indian Muslim's loyalty to the crown as there was sympathy among Muslims for the Ottoman Caliphate. The British Department of Information employed him to give propaganda lecturers as far as Scandinavia. He was selected as a Muslim advisor to the Paris Peace Conference, which was "the high-point in his career in the service of the crown."The conference ended with the Treaty of Versailles and formation of the League of Nations.

When the League of Nations met again, the Treaty of Serves was made, that severed the Ottoman provinces causing deep anger among the Indian Muslims and the League of Nations was despised. This in turn led to serious struggle for Independence. Though Yusuf Ali did not agree with the British, he did not oppose them either. He felt that the Indians needed to be in good terms with the British to benefit from tem.Meanwhile, he remarried, yet again to another English woman whom he named Masuma, who later bore him a son, Rashid.

His involvement in the education syestems began when he participated in the initial stages of the Urdu movement and Osmania University in Hyderabad. He later became the principle of Islamia College, which aims to provide both the deen and dunya types of education. During his tenure, he continued to write and produced a vast number of literary outputs. "His work at Islamia College and educational tours of the Near East, together with the presidency of numerous Indian educational conferences and membership of the court of Aligargh University made him a leading spokesman on Indian education." He spoke widely on "progressive Islam" a phrase he coined for the future generations of Muslims whom he envisioned to form an Islamic Intelligentsia, which would make Islam a World Force. He soon earned the title Allama (the learned). During this time too, he began his monumental task of translating the Quran. He wanted to make the Quran accessible in English as he felt it was the link between all provinces within India and the outside world.

The first installment of the translation and commentary of the Quran was published in 1934.The subsequent installments were published duly and became instant successes. The final installment was published in 1937. It was a stormy period for him. in 1936, he had stood for electionfor the Unionist party in Shaikpur against Barkat Ali. Barkat Ali, a candidate for the Muslim League ran articles criticizing Yusuf Ali. Among the charges was that Yusuf Ali did not know much Arabic and that his translation of the Quran was based on secondaty resources. It is true that Yusuf Ali only knew grammatical Arabic and did not speak the language. Yusuf Ali resigned from Islamia College but was brought back by popular demand.

Back in London, he was involved in bringing Britain and India to co-exist in harmony through spiritual fellowship. This same idea took him to Geneva for the "Peace through Religion" conference which gained him the title "le grand chef Musulman."

His great loyalty for Britain took a beating when Britain wanted to partitionPalestine and crate a Jewish state. He spoke against it but restrainedd from being blunt thus he continued to be in good terms with Britain. He became well known as an Islamic scholar ans was a wonderful ambassador of the Empire. "Yusuf Ali maintained his pattern of activities-propaganda work, diverse literay activities and comments on political developments in India"- for most part of World War II.

By 1945, he had separated from his wife and estranged from all his children, he was in his twilight years. His last days were tragic for such a great man who had rubbed shoulders with the dignitaries of that time. Maybe, he was disillusioned by all the work he did for the British and their total disregard for Muslims. He was 81 when he died alone, a poor and mentally ill man. The Pakistan High Commission arranged the funeral   and he was buried in Surrey. Thus ended the life of a truly remarkable man.

 

Humanity Lives

Enginews, June 1997

She opened her limpid eyes slowly and turned her face towards the sky. Her translucent face reflecting the sun's rays like a beacon; She rose gracefully from her slumber and looked around her with admiration. "Its spring again...What a beautiful time of the year to travel...yes, I'll visit the sons' of Adam."She is no other than Humanity herself.

She walked through the luscious planes now blooming with rich vibrant colors, the trees and rivers bade her farewell as she inched closer to the city. She was welcomed by the choking pollution of the city as the cars and huge vehicles whizzed past her. She was greeted by pale looking people with vacant eyes who looked through her, deep in their morbid thoughts. She witnessed theft, dishonesty, obnoxious behavior...Humanity was disturbed but not disheartened. She walked further into the the great metropolitan city. She saw greed sweeping over the hearts of men and blinding them from the important things in life. She stood helplessly as men embezzled other men's life savings. What is happening to the son's of Adam?

The she heard sounds of merriment- there was a party, she saw men and women wining and dining with a lavish spread of scrumptious food, she was pleased to see them happy until she notices a family living in a dilapidated hut just behind the courtly mansion sharing a meager meal, while the children kept peering into their neighbour's lawn, their mouth watering to relish the delicious food.

Saddened by the selfish ways of man, she continued on her journey. She heard a whimper from a rubbish dump. She went closer and was shocked to find a new born baby shivering in the cold amid all the rubbish; ants biting and flies buzzing all over her. Tears fell from Humanity's cheeks, anguished, she turned away, her face covered by her trambling hands."Why is man so cruel?", she cried. She walked the night with a heavy heart. Then suddenly heard a child weeping Fury and anger seeped into her as watched the child weep as her father abused her trust and invaded her body. Revolted, Humanity ran..."Is there no place for me in the hearts of men?' At that moment a huge monstrous being appeared in front of her. Evil bared his ugly fangs, drooling with saliva and hissed "Death to you Humanity...humans don't want you, they have no need for you. It is that they want now." Humanity stood dejected and alone. She could not refute Evil. Yes, she would die soon. Evil'd shrill laughter echoed in the dark as Humanity retreted back with broken spritits.

A smooth, melidious tune caught Humanity's attention. She peered into a window to find a mother putting her baby to sleep. Humanity saw love in the mother's eyes as she stroked her baby gently. Maybe all hope is not lost yet. Humanity trudged on and she found herself in the midst of a battle. She witnessed a heroic deed of a true friend who risked his own life to save his friends's.She saw a woman aiding an enemy soldier for no other reason than compassion in her heart. Humanity spoke with an indomitable spirit, "No I will not die", she said."" People still remember me. Evil, I will never die while there is still love and compassion in this world."