Podcasts about Islamic Movement

This gripping episode explores one of climbing's most harrowing incidents—the 2000 kidnapping of four young American climbers in Kyrgyzstan's remote mountains. Tommy Caldwell, Beth Rodden, Jason Singer Smith, and John Dickey were world-class athletes with a North Face sponsorship to establish first ascents on untouched granite walls. Their dream expedition turned into a nightmare on August 12, 2000, when they were awakened by bullets striking the rock around their portaledges 1,000 feet up the Yellow Wall. Armed militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan forced them to rappel down and took them hostage, executing their Kyrgyz guide to demonstrate their seriousness. For six days, the climbers endured starvation (sharing one PowerBar daily among six people), forced night marches through freezing terrain, and firefights between their captors and military forces. The dramatic escape came when the militants left only one young guard named Su to watch all four hostages on treacherous rocky terrain. When Su became distracted trying to reach safer ground, Tommy Caldwell pushed him off the cliff, believing he had killed him. All four climbers fled through the night to a military outpost. The trauma affected each climber differently. Tommy channeled the experience into obsessive climbing focus, which proved crucial when he accidentally severed his index finger in 2001—he chose amputation and learned to climb better with nine fingers. This mental fortitude led to his famous 2015 Dawn Wall ascent on El Capitan, considered the hardest big wall climb in history. Beth struggled with PTSD, nightmares, and initially lost her love for climbing, though she later became a mental health advocate and published a memoir. The incident became a watershed moment in climbing, highlighting both the sport's capacity to develop mental toughness and the importance of recognizing trauma in extreme sports communities. Show Notes & Timestamps [02:30] Setting the Scene - Introduction to the four sponsored climbers and their dream expedition to establish first ascents in Kyrgyzstan's Pamir Alay Mountains in August 2000. [08:15] The Kidnapping - How the climbers were awakened by gunfire while sleeping in portaledges 1,000 feet up the wall, forced to rappel down to armed militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. [15:45] Six Days of Captivity - Details of their ordeal including starvation (sharing one PowerBar daily), forced marches through freezing mountains, and witnessing the execution of their Kyrgyz guide. [22:10] The Escape - The dramatic moment when Tommy Caldwell pushed 20-year-old guard "Sue" off a cliff, allowing all four climbers to flee to safety at a Kyrgyz military outpost. [28:40] Long-term Impact - How the trauma affected each climber differently, Tommy's later finger amputation and Dawn Wall achievement, Beth's PTSD struggles, and the bizarre conspiracy theories questioning their story's authenticity. Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/ Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

Haviv Rettig Gur is a veteran Israeli journalist and the Senior Analyst at The Times of Israel. Since 2005, he has reported on Israel's politics, foreign policy, education system, and its relationship with the Jewish diaspora, with coverage spanning over 20 countries. A former combat medic in the 50th Battalion of the IDF's airborne infantry, Haviv brings a deep understanding of the complexities facing Israel, shaped by both his professional and military experiences. To learn more about Haviv, follow him on X @havivrettiggur. SPONSORS TARGETED: BEIRUT – The first in Jack's new non-fiction series https://www.officialjackcarr.com/books/targeted-beirut/ Bravo Company Manufacturing: Visit us on the web at http://jackcarr.co/bcm and on Instagram @BravoCompanyUSA.com SIG: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the legendary SIG SAUER P226. Learn more here - https://jackcarr.co/SIG40thP226 Jack Carr Gear: Explore the gear here - https://jackcarr.co/gear 00:00 - Intro 01:29 - Family and Community Support 07:50 - Journalist's Path and Challenges 11:25 - Life in Israel Post-Conflict 16:22 - Israel's Vulnerability Revealed 21:45 - Trust in Military Leadership 29:26 - Political Failures and Accountability 36:40 - Public Trust in Leadership 39:45 - Understanding the Philadelphia Corridor 47:40 - First vs. Second Entry Doctrine 50:10 - US Pressure on Israeli Operations 58:40 - Consequences of Delayed Actions 01:03:10 - Hostage Negotiation Dynamics 01:05:03 - Military vs. Diplomatic Strategies 01:07:07 - Israeli Public's Distrust in Leadership 01:15:23 - Hamas's Impact on Hostage Value 01:19:19 - Hamas's Historical Context 01:30:40 - Understanding Israeli Politics 01:32:15 - Iran's Military Escalation 01:35:30 - Escalation Strategies Against Iran 01:37:45 - The Future of Middle Eastern Conflicts 01:43:35 - The Internal Muslim War 01:45:10 - Understanding Islamic Political Ideology 01:47:21 - Differences in Sunni and Shia Islam 01:49:10 - The Islamic Movement in Israel 01:52:39 - Sharia Law and Its Implications 01:58:30 - Hope for Gaza's Future Price of War,Living the Price of War,Hope Amidst the Chaos,How Our Family Found Hope,Hope,jack carr,targeted,jack carr book,the terminal list,targeted:beirut,jack carr danger close,living the price of war,hope amidst chaos,October 7th,impact of conflict,families in conflict,Hope Amidst Chaos,Israel and Iran Conflict,Vulnerability and Solidarity,Coping with War,Iranian Aggression,Israel,october 7th survivors,iran missile strike israel,Haviv Rettig Gur

 National security expert and former FBI agent John Guandolo joins us to discuss what he says America is not prepared for: A very SERIOUS and deadly Islamic jihad. Listen as John describes the way in which violent Muslim extremists infiltrate the highest echelons of our government and even woo conservatives like Dennis Prager. PLUS the Harrison Butker "scandal" explodes as Kansas City's mayor is forced to delete a tweet that doxxed the Chief's kicker.

The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) is an Islamic separatist group composed mostly of Uighurs in Xinjiang, China who wish to create an Islamic state called East Turkestan that would include parts of Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Xinjiang. The ETIM was founded in 1997 by Hasan Mahsoum. The US, beginning in the Trump administration, asserts that TIP and ETIM are two separate entities and have removed what they consider to be ETIM from the Terrorist Exclusion List, citing a lack of activity despite the fact that Uighur fighters are present in Syria and Afghanistan. According to a State Department spokesperson, "ETIM was removed from the list because, for more than a decade, there has been no credible evidence that ETIM continues to exist as the same organization that was conducting terrorist attacks in Syria at the time of their designation." This stance has continued with the Biden administration.In this episode, our host Joey speaks to Jeff Hanrahan, one of our writers, about the group. We explore its history within the Xinjiang province, as well as controversy surround the group's existence, leadership, and activities.Our article on the ETIM → https://www.moderninsurgent.org/post/east-turkestan-islamic-movement-etim

Please note that this episode contains material of a highly sensitive nature including kidnapping, violence and abuse that may be triggering for some individuals. In late August 2011, a few months after the assassination of his father Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab, Mr Shahbaz Taseer was dragged from his car at gunpoint and kidnapped by a group of Taliban affiliated militants called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan(IMU). For almost five years Mr Taseer was held captive, moved from Mir Ali to Zabul Afghanistan, frequently tortured and forced to endure extreme cruelty, his fate resting on his kidnappers' impossible demands and the uneasy alliances between his captors, the Taliban and ISIS. Dr Rajan Basra, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and post-doctoral researcher on the XCEPT programme, speaks to Mr Shahbaz Taseer about his experience and the release of his memoir "Lost To The World - A memoir of faith, family and five years in terrorist captivity". They discuss the details of his kidnapping and the impact it has had on his life since. Read Shahbaz Taseer's memoir: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/437701/lost-to-the-world-by-taseer-shahbaz/9780552175357

Was Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in 2000 the trigger for what the Arab community calls the Al Aqsa Intifada? Or was this a pre-planned assault orchestrated by the likes of Marwan Barghouti, Raed Salah of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel and even the Palestinian Authority? In this final installment of the Temple Mount series, learn about the assassination attempt against Rabbi Yehudah Glick, the lynching of two Israelis in Ramallah, the rejection of Jewish history by PLO leader Yasser Arafat during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, the and the rioting that took the lives of thousands including that of Muhammad al-Durrah during the Second Intifada. Plus, Yehuda Etzion and the Hai Vekayam movement who sought to ensure Jewish people had the right to pray at the Har HaBayit, the site of the Beit HaMikdash. Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alisdare/51202927760/in/photostream/

Was Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in 2000 the trigger for what the Arab community calls the Al Aqsa Intifada? Or was this a pre-planned assault orchestrated by the likes of Marwan Barghouti, Raed Salah of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel and even the Palestinian Authority? In this final installment of the Temple Mount series, learn about the assassination attempt against Rabbi Yehudah Glick, the lynching of two Israelis in Ramallah, the rejection of Jewish history by PLO leader Yasser Arafat during his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, the and the rioting that took the lives of thousands including that of Muhammad al-Durrah during the Second Intifada. Plus, Yehuda Etzion and the Hai Vekayam movement who sought to ensure Jewish people had the right to pray at the Har HaBayit, the site of the Beit HaMikdash. image license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alisdare/51202927760/in/photostream/

This event was the launch of Tilde Rosmer's latest book 'The Islamic Movement in Israel' published by University of Texas Press. Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then explores how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state. Tilde Rosmer is Assistant Professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Zayed University in the United Arab Emirates. Rosmer's research on collective identity formation and religious-political movements with a particular focus on Israel-Palestine is published in peer-reviewed journals such as the British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies; Journal of Palestine Studies; Die Welt des Islams; Journal of Islamic Studies and Cultural Dynamics. Currently her research in the emerging field of Environmental Humanities focuses on awareness and knowledge of sustainability among Emirati youth. Jeroen Gunning is a Visiting Professor at the LSE Middle East Center and the Department of Political Science, Aarhus University. His research focuses on political contestation in the Middle East, with a specific focus on the interplay between social movements, religion, electoral politics, repression, violence and structural change.

Tilde Rosmer (Zayed University) discusses the history and politics of the Islamic Movement in Israel. The Islamic Movement in Israel was established in the early 1980s by and for Palestinian citizens of Israel. It has a non-violent approach focusing on providing its community with grassroots Islamization, as well as catering to this community's socio-economic needs. Its trifecta of goals is to protect Palestinian land, religious sites, and people. In response to the shifting realities of the Israeli social and political context, the leaders and activists of this movement continuously adjust (and sometimes disagrees on) its methodology and interaction with the state. The movement split in 1996 due to disagreement whether to participate in national elections or not and it has since has two branches. In 2015 the Northern branch of the movement was outlawed, whereas the Southern branch is today part of the Israeli government coalition. Thus, today its supporters are left with the choice between criminalization and integration.

In this week's episode of #SecurityCode, Praveen Swami unravels the journey of the PFI –  the allegations of its members joining jihadist groups, the similarities it shares with Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), and the social and political issues that frame islamism in India. Read Praveen Swami's column here: https://theprint.in/opinion/security-code/pfi-ban-is-no-quick-fix-for-jihadi-threat-see-how-simi-ban-birthed-indian-mujahideen/1147320/

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/israel-studies

Since its establishment in the late 1970s, Israel's Islamic Movement has grown from a small religious revivalist organization focused on strengthening the faith of Muslim Palestinian citizens of Israel to a countrywide sociopolitical movement with representation in the Israeli legislature. But how did it get here? How does it differ from other Islamic movements in the region? Particularly, what are the differences and connections – if any – with Hamas? And why does its membership continue to grow? Tilde Rosmer examines these issues in The Islamic Movement in Israel (U Texas Press, 2022) as she tells the story of the movement, its identity, and its activities. Using interviews with movement leaders and activists, their documents, and media reports from Israel and beyond, she traces the movement's history from its early days to its 1996 split over the issue of its relationship to the state. She then tell us how the two factions have functioned since, revealing that while leaders of the two branches have pursued different approaches to the state, until the outlawing of the Northern Branch in 2015, both remained connected and dedicated to providing needed social, education, and health services in Israel's Palestinian towns and villages. The first book in English on this group, The Islamic Movement in Israel is a timely study about how an Islamist movement operates within the unique circumstances of the Jewish state that may also help the listeners to make sense of the upcoming Israeli elections. Roberto Mazza is visiting professor at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Twitter and IG: @robbyref Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Clare Lopez is the Founder/President of Lopez Liberty LLC, with a mission to educate Americans to the national security threat from the Islamic Movement/Muslim Brotherhood and its collaborators among the ranks of Marxists/communists in this country. She is also a former career operations officer with the CIA, and a Senior Analyst for Ravenna Associates, a strategic corporate communications firm. From 2014-2020, Lopez served as Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy. She has been a Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Canadian Mackenzie Institute. Lopez provides her expertise as an instructor on Iran, Hizballah, and the Red-Green Axis for Understanding the Threat, on the Global Islamic Movement and jihadi networks.. www.gatestoneinstitute.org/biography/Clare+M.+Lopez

Introduction: Time: 0.10 - 2.00 2019 में हैदराबाद में एक वेटरनरी डॉक्टर के साथ 4 लोगों ने रेप किया था और फिर हत्या कर वहीं छोड़ दिया था। उस समय कई बड़े नामी-गरमी लोगों ने tweets भी किये, Saina Nehval जैसे खलाड़ियों ने हैदराबाद पुलिस की सराहना करते हुए कहा था कि वो उन्हें सलाम करते हैं, कि यही होता है fast justice. हालांकि इस एनकाउंटर की तफ्तीश के लिए एक जांच committee बैठाई गई। क्यों? क्योंकि भारत में अदालत का कानून चलता है, भीड़ का नहीं। तो उसी पैनल की रिपोर्ट अब आ चुकी है और जांच कमेटी ने चौंकाने वाली रिपोर्ट दी है। सुप्रीम कोर्ट की ओर से बनाई गई जांच commission ने पुलिस की पूरी कहानी को मनगढ़ंत बताते हुए एनकाउंटर को फ़र्ज़ी करार द‍िया है। इसके साथ ही जांच कमीशन ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में एनकाउंटर में शामिल सभी 10 पुलिसकर्मियों पर हत्या का मुक़दमा चलाने की सिफारिश की है। कमीशन ने कहा क‍ि पुलिसकर्मियों ने ‘जानबूझकर' गोली चलाई थी। अब इन पुलिसकर्मियों पर हत्या का आरोप लगा है। मगर आज भी कई लोग सबसे बेसिक सवाल में ही उलझ कर रह जाते हैं कि एनकाउंटर होने पर जांच समिति क्यों बैठाई जाती है, क्या एनकाउंटर करना गलत है, अगर है तो क्यों है, और आख़िर क्यों लोकतंत्र में एनकाउंटर पर खुश नहीं होना चाहिए।  Body: Time: 2.10 - 16.25   नमस्कार मैं हूँ Sahiba Khan और आप सुन रहे हैं ABP Live Podcasts की पेशकश FYI आज हम बात करने वाले हैं फ़र्ज़ी एनकाउंटर की। पहले तो जान लेते हैं कि एनकाउंटर क्या होता है। भारत में encounter शब्द का इस्तेमाल 20वीं सदी में शुरू हुआ। जब self-defence यानी कि आत्मरक्षा को कारण बता कर पुलिस या आर्मी मुजरिमों और आरोपियों को मारने लगे, तब इस शब्द का इस्तेमाल किया जाने लगा।   केंद्रीय गृह राज्य मंत्री नित्यानंद राय ने खुद National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), यानी कि राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग का डेटा quote करके लोकसभा में बताया था कि पिछले पांच वर्षों में देश में कुल 655 पुलिस encounter हुए हैं, जिसमें छत्तीसगढ़ सबसे आगे रहा जहां पर 191 मामलों के साथ सबसे अधिक ऐसे मामले दर्ज किए गए हैं। ये भी  समझना होगा कि Chattisgarh में आए दिन पुलिस की माओवादियों के साथ मुठभेड़ भी होती रहती है। आगे डेटा में कहा गया कि encounter में उत्तर प्रदेश दूसरे नंबर पर आता यही जहाँ पर 117 एनकाउंटर दर्ज किये गए। फिर असम, झारखंड, ओडिशा, जम्मू कश्मीर और महाराष्ट्र का नंबर आता है। ( तो अब हमें पता है कि encounter क्या होता है और फ़िलहाल एनकाउंटर के आंकड़े क्या हैं। कुछ मशहूर encounter जो हम सभी को पता हैं वो हैं  -2004 में Ishrat Jahan का एनकाउंटर जहाँ कहा गया था कि उसने तब के गुजरात CM नरेंद्र मोदी को मारने की साज़िश रची है - फिर 2005 में Sohrabuddin Sheikh और उसकी पत्नी Kauser Bi का एनकाउंटर। वजह? Sohrabuddin Sheikh Lashkar-e-Taiba का हिस्सा है - 2008 में Batla House एनकाउंटर - 2016 में Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) के 8 छात्र कथित तौर पर भोपाल जेल से भाग निकले थे, तो उनका भी एनकाउंटर कर दिया गया - 2019 में Telangana Police Encounter का एनकाउंटर और - 2020 में Uttar Pradesh का कुख्यात माफिया Vikas Dubey का encounter   इन सभी एनकाउंटरों में एक चीज़ मिलती-जुलती ज़रूर है - वो है शक का होना। हर केस में कहीं न कहीं विपक्ष ने सत्तारूढ़ सरकार पर इलज़ाम लगाया था कि चीज़ें दबाने के लिए एनकाउंटर किये जा रहे हैं। अगर जांच बैठी तो मुजरिम सच उगलेगा। और ताकि उसके लपेटे में बड़े नाम न आ जाएं इसलिए पुलिस से कह कर फ़र्ज़ी एनकाउंटर करा देते हैं। ABP News ने 2019 में कुछ लड़कियों से बात की थी : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQWmRWbaDMc&ab_channel=ABPNEWS All India Progressive Women's Association की सचिव Kavita Krishnan कहती हैं   कि #HyderabadEncounter not justice but 'ploy' to shut down demands for justice & dignity for women, and accountability from police, judiciary, and governments   हैदराबाद एनकाउंटर के बाद Justice Markandey Katju ने भी ट्वीट किया था कि “इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट के Justice AN Mulla ने यहां एक कह दिया कि मैं पूरी ज़िम्मेदारी से ये कहूंगा कि पुरे देश में एक भी कानूनविहीन समूह नहीं है, जिसका crime record भारतीय पुलिस बल के crime  records के आस-पास भी आता हो।”   मगर जब एनकाउंटर पर इतना बवाल होता है तो एनकाउंटर होता क्यों है और कौन इसे वैद्यता प्रदान करता है। हम बात करेंगे दिल्ली पुलिस में Ex Joint Commissioner of Police SBS Tyagi से जो खुद सिस्टम का हिस्सा रहे हैं। जानते हैं encounter पर उनका क्या मानना है। SBS Tyagi Sir Time: 6.37 - 16.25 Conclusion: Time: 16.30 - 18.00 तो ये तो त्यागी जी और उन्होंने हमारे सभी सवाल, मेरे हिसाब से, हल कर दिए हैं। कि एक लोकतंत्र में क्यों एनकाउंटर को celerbrate नहीं करना चाहिए, क्यों ज़रूरी है क़ानून को क़ानून का काम करने देना। ये बात सच है कि कहीं न कहीं जनता क़ानून इस बात से हताश है कि क़ानून सही से लागु नहीं किया जा रहा है या फिर इन्साफ की डगर बहुत लम्बी है, बहुत समय लगता है भारत में अगर एक बार केस अदालत पहुँच गया तो। मगर एनकाउंटर की ये प्रथा, जिसे कोई बेगुनाह भी मारा जा सकता है, या जिसमें असल mastermind का पता नहीं चल पता है, वो देर के इन्साफ से कितना बेहतर है ये हमें सोचने की ज़रूरत है। बहुबलायों के नाम पर खुश होना, फिल्मों में encounter specialists को बढ़ा-चढ़ा कर दिखाना असल ज़िन्दगी नहीं दर्शाता। और न ही दर्शन चाहिए। हम एक लोकतंत्र हैं जो लोगों के वोट से बनता है। यहाँ भीड़-चाल और जनता का नहीं बल्कि अदालत का क़ानून है। और पुलिस का काम है लोगों को पकड़ना है, उन्हें मारना नहीं।  Spider Man फिल्म में कहा था कि With great power comes great responsibility. अगर सरकार ने किसी संस्थान को अस्त्र-शास्त्र दिए हैं जनता की रक्षा के लिए, तो वो उसी के लिए इस्तेमाल हों, ये भी ज़रूरी है। हम सबने अलग-अलग देशों में देख रखा है कि भीड़ का कानून कितनी त्राहि ला सकता है। बाकी आप समझदार हैं। फिलहल आज FYI में इतना ही। दुबारा हाज़िर होउंगी अगले FYI में ऐसे ही कुछ ज़रूरी सवालों और उनके जवाबों के साथ। तब तक के लिए सुनते रहे ABP Live Podcasts.   मैं हूँ Sahiba Khan, नमस्कार। Host and Producer: @jhansiserani Sound designer: @lalit1121992 Guest advocate: @sbstyagi

Introduction: Time: 0.10 - 2.00 2019 में हैदराबाद में एक वेटरनरी डॉक्टर के साथ 4 लोगों ने रेप किया था और फिर हत्या कर वहीं छोड़ दिया था। उस समय कई बड़े नामी-गरमी लोगों ने tweets भी किये, Saina Nehval जैसे खलाड़ियों ने हैदराबाद पुलिस की सराहना करते हुए कहा था कि वो उन्हें सलाम करते हैं, कि यही होता है fast justice. हालांकि इस एनकाउंटर की तफ्तीश के लिए एक जांच committee बैठाई गई। क्यों? क्योंकि भारत में अदालत का कानून चलता है, भीड़ का नहीं। तो उसी पैनल की रिपोर्ट अब आ चुकी है और जांच कमेटी ने चौंकाने वाली रिपोर्ट दी है। सुप्रीम कोर्ट की ओर से बनाई गई जांच commission ने पुलिस की पूरी कहानी को मनगढ़ंत बताते हुए एनकाउंटर को फ़र्ज़ी करार द‍िया है। इसके साथ ही जांच कमीशन ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में एनकाउंटर में शामिल सभी 10 पुलिसकर्मियों पर हत्या का मुक़दमा चलाने की सिफारिश की है। कमीशन ने कहा क‍ि पुलिसकर्मियों ने ‘जानबूझकर' गोली चलाई थी। अब इन पुलिसकर्मियों पर हत्या का आरोप लगा है। मगर आज भी कई लोग सबसे बेसिक सवाल में ही उलझ कर रह जाते हैं कि एनकाउंटर होने पर जांच समिति क्यों बैठाई जाती है, क्या एनकाउंटर करना गलत है, अगर है तो क्यों है, और आख़िर क्यों लोकतंत्र में एनकाउंटर पर खुश नहीं होना चाहिए।  Body: Time: 2.10 - 16.25   नमस्कार मैं हूँ Sahiba Khan और आप सुन रहे हैं ABP Live Podcasts की पेशकश FYI आज हम बात करने वाले हैं फ़र्ज़ी एनकाउंटर की। पहले तो जान लेते हैं कि एनकाउंटर क्या होता है। भारत में encounter शब्द का इस्तेमाल 20वीं सदी में शुरू हुआ। जब self-defence यानी कि आत्मरक्षा को कारण बता कर पुलिस या आर्मी मुजरिमों और आरोपियों को मारने लगे, तब इस शब्द का इस्तेमाल किया जाने लगा।   केंद्रीय गृह राज्य मंत्री नित्यानंद राय ने खुद National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), यानी कि राष्ट्रीय मानवाधिकार आयोग का डेटा quote करके लोकसभा में बताया था कि पिछले पांच वर्षों में देश में कुल 655 पुलिस encounter हुए हैं, जिसमें छत्तीसगढ़ सबसे आगे रहा जहां पर 191 मामलों के साथ सबसे अधिक ऐसे मामले दर्ज किए गए हैं। ये भी  समझना होगा कि Chattisgarh में आए दिन पुलिस की माओवादियों के साथ मुठभेड़ भी होती रहती है। आगे डेटा में कहा गया कि encounter में उत्तर प्रदेश दूसरे नंबर पर आता यही जहाँ पर 117 एनकाउंटर दर्ज किये गए। फिर असम, झारखंड, ओडिशा, जम्मू कश्मीर और महाराष्ट्र का नंबर आता है। ( तो अब हमें पता है कि encounter क्या होता है और फ़िलहाल एनकाउंटर के आंकड़े क्या हैं। कुछ मशहूर encounter जो हम सभी को पता हैं वो हैं  -2004 में Ishrat Jahan का एनकाउंटर जहाँ कहा गया था कि उसने तब के गुजरात CM नरेंद्र मोदी को मारने की साज़िश रची है - फिर 2005 में Sohrabuddin Sheikh और उसकी पत्नी Kauser Bi का एनकाउंटर। वजह? Sohrabuddin Sheikh Lashkar-e-Taiba का हिस्सा है - 2008 में Batla House एनकाउंटर - 2016 में Students' Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) के 8 छात्र कथित तौर पर भोपाल जेल से भाग निकले थे, तो उनका भी एनकाउंटर कर दिया गया - 2019 में Telangana Police Encounter का एनकाउंटर और - 2020 में Uttar Pradesh का कुख्यात माफिया Vikas Dubey का encounter   इन सभी एनकाउंटरों में एक चीज़ मिलती-जुलती ज़रूर है - वो है शक का होना। हर केस में कहीं न कहीं विपक्ष ने सत्तारूढ़ सरकार पर इलज़ाम लगाया था कि चीज़ें दबाने के लिए एनकाउंटर किये जा रहे हैं। अगर जांच बैठी तो मुजरिम सच उगलेगा। और ताकि उसके लपेटे में बड़े नाम न आ जाएं इसलिए पुलिस से कह कर फ़र्ज़ी एनकाउंटर करा देते हैं। ABP News ने 2019 में कुछ लड़कियों से बात की थी : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQWmRWbaDMc&ab_channel=ABPNEWS All India Progressive Women's Association की सचिव Kavita Krishnan कहती हैं   कि #HyderabadEncounter not justice but 'ploy' to shut down demands for justice & dignity for women, and accountability from police, judiciary, and governments   हैदराबाद एनकाउंटर के बाद Justice Markandey Katju ने भी ट्वीट किया था कि “इलाहाबाद हाई कोर्ट के Justice AN Mulla ने यहां एक कह दिया कि मैं पूरी ज़िम्मेदारी से ये कहूंगा कि पुरे देश में एक भी कानूनविहीन समूह नहीं है, जिसका crime record भारतीय पुलिस बल के crime  records के आस-पास भी आता हो।”   मगर जब एनकाउंटर पर इतना बवाल होता है तो एनकाउंटर होता क्यों है और कौन इसे वैद्यता प्रदान करता है। हम बात करेंगे दिल्ली पुलिस में Ex Joint Commissioner of Police SBS Tyagi से जो खुद सिस्टम का हिस्सा रहे हैं। जानते हैं encounter पर उनका क्या मानना है। SBS Tyagi Sir Time: 6.37 - 16.25 Conclusion: Time: 16.30 - 18.00 तो ये तो त्यागी जी और उन्होंने हमारे सभी सवाल, मेरे हिसाब से, हल कर दिए हैं। कि एक लोकतंत्र में क्यों एनकाउंटर को celerbrate नहीं करना चाहिए, क्यों ज़रूरी है क़ानून को क़ानून का काम करने देना। ये बात सच है कि कहीं न कहीं जनता क़ानून इस बात से हताश है कि क़ानून सही से लागु नहीं किया जा रहा है या फिर इन्साफ की डगर बहुत लम्बी है, बहुत समय लगता है भारत में अगर एक बार केस अदालत पहुँच गया तो। मगर एनकाउंटर की ये प्रथा, जिसे कोई बेगुनाह भी मारा जा सकता है, या जिसमें असल mastermind का पता नहीं चल पता है, वो देर के इन्साफ से कितना बेहतर है ये हमें सोचने की ज़रूरत है। बहुबलायों के नाम पर खुश होना, फिल्मों में encounter specialists को बढ़ा-चढ़ा कर दिखाना असल ज़िन्दगी नहीं दर्शाता। और न ही दर्शन चाहिए। हम एक लोकतंत्र हैं जो लोगों के वोट से बनता है। यहाँ भीड़-चाल और जनता का नहीं बल्कि अदालत का क़ानून है। और पुलिस का काम है लोगों को पकड़ना है, उन्हें मारना नहीं।  Spider Man फिल्म में कहा था कि With great power comes great responsibility. अगर सरकार ने किसी संस्थान को अस्त्र-शास्त्र दिए हैं जनता की रक्षा के लिए, तो वो उसी के लिए इस्तेमाल हों, ये भी ज़रूरी है। हम सबने अलग-अलग देशों में देख रखा है कि भीड़ का कानून कितनी त्राहि ला सकता है। बाकी आप समझदार हैं। फिलहल आज FYI में इतना ही। दुबारा हाज़िर होउंगी अगले FYI में ऐसे ही कुछ ज़रूरी सवालों और उनके जवाबों के साथ। तब तक के लिए सुनते रहे ABP Live Podcasts.   मैं हूँ Sahiba Khan, नमस्कार। Host and Producer: @jhansiserani Sound designer: @lalit1121992 Guest advocate: @sbstyagi

In this week's episode, the gang returns from their break to bring you an action-packed story of adventure and tragedy in the country of Kyrgyzstan.In the year 2000, 4 young American rock climbers would depart on a trip of a lifetime to a remote region of Kyrgyzstan to do some epic climbing, sponsored by The Northface. Sadly, the group would be taken hostage by members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the days that followed would test the Americans to the ends of their mental and physical limits.Credits:Over The Edge: The True Story of the Kidnap and Escape of Four Climbers in Central AsiaBy Greg ChildWikipedia.comOutsideonline.comWondery podcast- Against the Odds, Season 9Music By:Brokeforfree.comMatt EdwardsEdited By:MichaelWebsite:https://anxiousandafraid.com/Support the show by purchasing our merch!https://www.teepublic.com/stores/anxious-and-afraid-the-pod?ref_id=13121You can also support the show by becoming a Patreon!Join today and get early ad-free episode releases and a shout-out on the show as well as a cool sticker!https://www.patreon.com/anxiousandafraidCheck us out on Repod and join the community!https://joinrepod.com/anxiousandafraid

Claire Lopez is the Founder/President of Lopez Liberty LLC, with a mission to educate Americans to the national security threat from the Islamic Movement/Muslim Brotherhood and its collaborators among the ranks of Marxists/communists in this country. She is also a former career operations officer with the CIA, and a Senior Analyst for Ravenna Associates, a strategic corporate communications firm. From 2014-2020, Lopez served as Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy. She has been a Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Canadian Mackenzie Institute. In 2016, she was named to Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign national security advisory team. Lopez provides her expertise as an instructor on Iran, Hizballah, and the Red-Green Axis for Understanding the Threat, on the Global Islamic Movement and jihadi networks. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/imp_clarem_lopez/ www.freedommail.us

Claire Lopez is the Founder/President of Lopez Liberty LLC, with a mission to educate Americans to the national security threat from the Islamic Movement/Muslim Brotherhood and its collaborators among the ranks of Marxists/communists in this country. She is also a former career operations officer with the CIA, and a Senior Analyst for Ravenna Associates, a strategic corporate communications firm. From 2014-2020, Lopez served as Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy. She has been a Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Canadian Mackenzie Institute. In 2016, she was named to Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign national security advisory team. Lopez provides her expertise as an instructor on Iran, Hizballah, and the Red-Green Axis for Understanding the Threat, on the Global Islamic Movement and jihadi networks. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/imp_clarem_lopez/

After being taken hostage by members of the Al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the lives of four American climbers were never the same. And just one year later, the attack on the World Trade Center made the threat of terrorism more real for everyone. Mountaineer and author Greg Child interviewed all four climbers to tell their story in his book, Over the Edge. On this episode, he joins host Cassie De Pecol to describe the effect 9/11 had on the climbers, his own experiences climbing in Kyrgyzstan, and returning to the region with John Dickey and Jason Smith to face one of the men that had held them captive.Listen early and ad free with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App https://wondery.app.link/againsttheodds.Support us by supporting our sponsors!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An interfaith forum on how to empower prayer will take place virtually Thursday October 7th at 7pm hosted by First United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville, featuring Rev. Phil Butin. Also on the panel will be Imam Abdellah Essalki —Islamic Center of NWA; Mr. Mehmet Ulupinar — Gülen Islamic Movement, Little Rock; and Temple Shalom Rabbi Emeritus, Jacob Adler. The forum will be moderated by Rev. John King, emeritus Prof. Of Sociology — University of Arkansas. To obtain forum registration, call 479-442-4411.

Claire Lopez is the Founder/President of Lopez Liberty LLC, with a mission to educate Americans to the national security threat from the Islamic Movement/Muslim Brotherhood and its collaborators among the ranks of Marxists/communists in this country. She is also a former career operations officer with the CIA, and a Senior Analyst for Ravenna Associates, a strategic corporate communications firm. From 2014-2020, Lopez served as Vice President for Research and Analysis at the Center for Security Policy. She has been a Senior Fellow at the London Center for Policy Research and a member of the Board of Advisors for the Canadian Mackenzie Institute. In 2016, she was named to Senator Ted Cruz's presidential campaign national security advisory team. Lopez provides her expertise as an instructor on Iran, Hizballah, and the Red-Green Axis for Understanding the Threat, on the Global Islamic Movement and jihadi networks. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/imp_clarem_lopez/www.freedommail.us

After more than four years of war, Yemen teeters on the brink of what the European Union has described as “the world's largest humanitarian crisis.” Conservative estimates count at least 10,000 civilian deaths in the ongoing conflict, with millions more threatened by disease and famine. Yet for many in the West, Yemen remains a forgotten war, despite the fact that the Saudi-backed forces fighting the northern Houthi rebels continue to deploy weapons produced in the United States and in Europe with devastating effect. This month, History Talk explores the current conflict in Yemen and its historical antecedents with two experts on the region: Dr. Asher Orkaby and Dr. Austin Knuppe. We examine the conflict in its multiple facets – a civil war between regional parties, an anti-terrorism campaign, and a proxy war between regional foes: it's all three – to better understand why peace remains so elusive. To learn more about the War in Yemen, read this month's feature article, Yemen: A Civil War Centuries in the Making, by Dr Asher Orkaby. For more coverage of the Middle East, be sure to check out The Secular Roots of a Religious Divide in Contemporary Iraq, Alawites and the Fate of Syria, and Syria's Islamic Movement and the 2011-12 Uprising. Posted: April 2019 Connect with us! Email: Origins@osu.edu Twitter: @OriginsOSU Instagram: @OriginsOSU Facebook: @OriginsOSU Find transcripts, background reading, and more at origins.osu.edu

Co-hosts Leticia Wiggins and Patrick Potyondy interviewed guests Ayse Baltacioglu-Brammer and Patrick Scharfe on the the civil war in Syria, which continues to dominate headlines across the globe. As negotiations and fighting continue, Leticia and Patrick spoke with the two historians of the Middle East to explore the nation's diversity, the role of women in the Arab Spring, intervention, and the way forward. For more on Syria, see Origins' two articles, “Syria's Islamic Movement and the 2011-12 Uprising” and “Alawites and the Fate of Syria” Posted: January 2014 Connect with us! Email: Origins@osu.edu Twitter: @OriginsOSU Instagram: @OriginsOSU Facebook: @OriginsOSU Find transcripts, background reading, and more at origins.osu.edu

Allison Kaplan Sommer, Don Futterman and Noah Efron discuss three topics of incomparable importance and end with an anecdote about something in Israel that made them smile this week. Listen To the Extra-Special, Special Extra Patreon Segment —Casablanca Dreamin’— Might peace between Morocco and Israel be kinda a game changer? —Netanyahu’s Man in the Islamic Movement— Is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s newest BFF a representative of the Islamic Movement? —Checkin’ Facts— Real-time, live, fact-checking Netanyahu seems like a good idea, but is it? —Political Bait and Switch?— For our most unreasonably generous Patreon supporters, in our extra-special, special extra discussion, we ask, do politicians who bolt from one party and join another, in order to stay in the Knesset, really deserve to be mocked and scorned? All that and the music of Yagel Harush & Ensemble Shir Yedidut.

In Point #4, we discuss the importance of establishing Islam in every aspect of the group. But why does keeping standards matter so much, even to the extent of not being late to programs and meetings? What can happen when a group member's personal character comes Into question? How do we deal with the "don't judge me" culture that flies in the face of trying to enforce ideals upon the group?Join Imam Naseeb Khan and co-host Jawaad Ahmad Khan as they speak on this imperative area of establishing standards within the Islamic group. Listen as they provide examples and guidance around holding members to those standards without shunning or alienating them.Get your own copy of "Tried and Tested" at CollectiveIslamicWork.com//To support this show, please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes, and to support us with a donation, visit Paypal.me/jawaadkThis show is produced and edited by Jawaad Ahmad Khan.

Who are the people of the town of Kfar Qassim? In this episode, we discuss their community and history - from the massacre of 1956 to the founding of the Islamic Movement. We're joined by Fatima Amer, born and raised in Kfar Qassim, who shares her village's stories and ideals, what their community is like today, and gives insight on coexistence and the Arab-Israeli experience, from her unique perspective. Credits: Hosted by Zachy Farber-Hennessey Produced and written by Eden Farber-Hennessey Special thanks to Fatima Amer Music: Bass Walker Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Cold Funk Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

In Point #3, we delve into the invisible factors that can unravel a group, and specifically, to avoid the minor, petty issues that can arise. But why is internal strife more important to deal with than external criticism? How should a group's structure allow for its members to share their opinions without diluting the group's mission? Why is the "bottom line" of a group so important for every member to know?Join Imam Naseeb Khan and co-host Jawaad Ahmad Khan as they discuss  the role of feedback within a group, and how it should be a means of improving the group, but with a process in place for it. Listen as they bring examples of accessible leadership, while maintaining order within a group.Get your own copy of "Tried and Tested" at CollectiveIslamicWork.com//To support this show, please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes, and to support us with a donation, visit Paypal.me/jawaadkThis show is produced and edited by Jawaad Ahmad Khan.

In Point #2 we discuss the idea that the Prophet (s) came with a message and a method. But how do we best manifest this methodology? Why should an Islamic group not start by gathering a large amount of people as its first step? What is the measure by which we validate the methods and strategies we use in the Islamic work?Join Imam Naseeb Khan and co-host Jawaad Ahmad Khan as they dive into the "what" and the "how" of establishing any Islamic effort. Listen as they discern between the different ways Muslims start their groups, and how to best establish them with correctness and effectiveness.Get your own copy of "Tried and Tested" at CollectiveIslamicWork.com//To support this show, please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes, and to support us with a donation, visit Paypal.me/jawaadkThis show is produced and edited by Jawaad Ahmad Khan.

In our inaugural episode, we talk about the story behind "Tried and Tested: 123 Guidelines For Collective Islamic Work." But how did a short flight from Guyana birth this book? What is its first point, and why did it start out talking about halaal and haraam? What are the foundations an Islamic group should be built upon?Join Imam Naseeb Khan and his son and co-host Jawaad Ahmad Khan as they discuss this important starting point for any Islamic group. Listen as they distinguish the essentiality of knowing the source and goal of your work: Allah.Get your own copy of the book at CollectiveIslamicWork.com//To support this show, please rate, review, and subscribe on iTunes, and to support us with a donation, visit Paypal.me/jawaadkThis show is produced and edited by Jawaad Ahmad Khan.

My guest today, author James Simpson in his latest book Red-Green Axis 2.0, dives deeply into the subject and how it might be impacting the Chinese Communist Party Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic disinformation campaign.

Name This Surah takes its name from v. 33. Al-i-Imran, like the names of many other surahs, is merely a name to distinguish it from other surahs and does not imply that the family of Imran has been discussed in it. The Period of Revelation This Surah consists of four discourses The first discourses :- The first discourse (vv. 1-32) was probably revealed soon after the Battle of Badr. The second discourse (vv. 33-63) was revealed in 9 A. H. on the occasion of the visit of the deputation from the Christians of Najran. The third discourse (vv. 64-120) appears to have been revealed immediately after the first one. The fourth discourse (vv. 121-200) was revealed after the Battle of Uhd. Subject Though these discourses were revealed at different periods and on different occasions, they are so inter-linked and so inter-connected iii regard to their aim, object and central theme that they make together one continuous whole. This Surah has been especially addressed to two groups-the people of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) and the followers of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). The message has been extended to the Jews and the Christians in continuation of the invitation in Al-Baqarah, in which they have been admonished for their erroneous beliefs and evil morals and advised to accept, as a remedy, the Truth of the Quran. They have been told here that Muhammad (Allah's peace be, upon him) taught the same right way of life that had been preached by their own Prophets; that it alone was the Right Way, the way of Allah; hence any deviation from it will be wrong even according to their own Scriptures. The second group, the Muslims, who had been declared to be the best Community in Al-Baqarah and appointed torch-bearers of the Truth and entrusted with the responsibility of reforming the world, have been given additional instructions in continuation of those given in the preceding Surah. The Muslims have been warned to learn a lesson from the religious and moral degeneration of the former communities and to refrain from treading in their footsteps. Instructions have also been given about the reformative work they had to perform. Besides this, they have been taught how to deal with the people of the Book and the hypocrites who were putting different kinds of hindrances in the way of Allah. Above all, they have been warned to guard against those weaknesses which had come to the surface in the Battle Uhd. Background The following is the background of the Surah: The Believers had met with all sorts of trials and hardships about which they had been forewarned in Al-Baqarah. Though they had come out victorious in the Battle of Badr, they were not out of danger yet. Their victory had aroused the enmity of all those powers in Arabia which were opposed to the Islamic Movement. Signs of threatening storms had begun to appear on all sides and the Muslims were in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety. It looked as if the whole Arabian world around the tiny state of Al-Madinah - which was no more than a village state at that time -- was bent upon blotting out its very existence. This state of war was also adversely affecting its economy, which had already been badly disturbed by the influx of the Muslim refugees from Makkah. Then there was the disturbing problem of the Jewish clans who lived in the suburbs of Al-Madinah. They were discarding the treaties of alliance they had made with the Holy Prophet after his migration from Makkah. So much so that on the occasion of the Battle of Badr, these people of the Book sympathized with the evil aims of the idolaters, in spite of the fact that their fundamental articles of the Faith - Oneness of Allah, Prophethood, Life-after- death -- were the same as those of the Muslims. After the Battle of Badr, they openly began to incite the Quraish and other Arab clans to wreak their vengeance on the Muslims. Thus those Jewish clans set aside their centuries-old friendly an...

Name This Surah takes its name from v. 9 in which the word (al-kahf) occurs. Period of Revelation This is the first of those Surahs which were sent down in the third stage of Prophethood at Makkah. We have already divided the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah into four stages in the Introduction to Chapter VI. According to that division the third stage lasted from the fifth to the tenth year of Prophethood. What distinguishes this stage from the second and the fourth stages is this. During the second stage the Quraish mainly resorted to ridiculing, scoffing, threatening, tempting, raising objections and making false propaganda against the Holy Prophet and his followers in order to suppress the Islamic Movement. But during the third stage they employed the weapons of persecution, man handling and economic pressure for the same purpose. So much so that a large number of the Muslims had to emigrate from Arabia to Habash, and those who remained behind were besieged in Shi'ib Abi Talib along with the Holy Prophet and his family. To add to their misery, a complete social and economic boycott was applied against them. The only redeeming feature was that there were two personalities, Abu Talib and Hadrat Khadijah, whose personal influence had been conducive to the support of two great families of the Quraish. However, when in the tenth year of Prophethood these two persons died, the fourth stage began with such revere persecutions as forced the Holy Prophet and all his Companions to emigrate from Makkah. It appears from the theme of the Surah that it was revealed at the beginning of the third stage when in spite of persecutions and opposition, migration to Habash had not yet taken place. That is why the story of "Ashab-i-Kahf" (the Sleepers of the Cave) has been related to comfort and encourage the persecuted Muslims and to show them how the righteous people have been saving their Faith in the past. Subject and Topics This Surah was sent down in answer to the three questions which the mushriks of Makkah, in consultation with the people of the Book, had put to the Holy Prophet in order to test him. These were: (1) Who were "the Sleepers of' the Cave"? (2) What is the real story of Khidr? and (3) What do you know about Zul-Qarnain? As these three questions and the stories involved concerned the history of the Christians and the Jews, and were unknown in Hijaz, a choice of these was made to test whether the Holy Prophet possessed any source of the knowledge of the hidden and unseen things. Allah, however, not only gave a complete answer to their questions but also employed the three stories to the disadvantage of the opponents of Islam in the conflict that was going on at that time at Makkah between Islam and un-belief: The questioners were told that "the Sleepers of the Cave" believed in the same doctrine of Tauhid which was being put forward in the Quran and that their condition was similar to the condition of the persecuted Muslims of Makkah. On the other hand, the persecutors of the Sleepers of the Cave had behaved in the same way towards them as the disbelievers of the Quraish were behaving towards the Muslims. Besides this, the Muslims have been taught that even if a Believer is persecuted by a cruel society, he should not bow down before falsehood but emigrate from the place all alone, if need be, with trust in God. Incidentally the disbelievers of Makkah were told that the story of the Sleepers of the Cave was a clear proof of the creed of the Hereafter, for this showed that Allah has the power to resurrect anyone He wills even after a long sleep of death as He did in case of the Sleepers of the Cave. The story of the Sleepers of the Cave has also been used to warn the chiefs of Makkah who were persecuting the small newly formed Muslim Community. At the same time, the Holy Prophet has been instructed that he should in no case make a compromise with their persecutors nor should he consider them to be more impor...

Knesset plenum convenes in special session to debate security situation in the south. Head of Islamic Movement northern branch sentenced to 28 months in prison for incitement to terror. Report: Israeli on quarantined cruise ship developed fever, not clear if coronavirus infection.

THE PETE SANTILLI SHOW Episode #1711 - Monday - December 16, 2019 - 6PM  Live Broadcast Link - https://youtu.be/UVPnR84aQnM   House Accuses Trump Of Bribery & Fraud NOT IN ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT! 1711-6P The House Judiciary Committee’s new report accompanying articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump accuses him of committing the crimes of bribery and honest services fraud, though neither is mentioned in the articles of impeachment. The report, released Monday ahead of Wednesday’s anticipated vote on impeachment, accuses Trump of violating 18 U.S.C. § 201 — federal criminal bribery — because he “demanded” an announcement of investigations, which the report describes as a thing of “value.” In return, the report alleges, the president was influenced in his performance of official acts. (The report disagrees with recent Supreme Court precedent that a “meeting” is not an “official act.”) In addition, the report rejects that there was “any public purpose” associated with Trump’s request for investigations. E-Militia Article: House Judiciary Committee Report Accuses Trump of ‘Bribery,’ ‘Honest Services Fraud’ — Not in Articles – http://ow.ly/tNuu30q2tbb  GUEST: John Guandolo is the President and Founder of Understanding The Threat, an organization dedicated to providing strategic and operational threat-focused consultation, education, and training for federal, state and local leadership and agencies. n 1996, Mr. Guandolo joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), serving at the Washington Field Office. From 1996-2000, he primarily conducted narcotics investigations domestically and overseas. In 2001, he served as the FBI Liaison to the U.S. Capitol Police investigating threats on the President, Vice-President, Members of Congress and other high-level government officials. Shortly after 9/11, Mr. Guandolo began an assignment to the Counterterrorism Division of the FBI’s Washington Field Office developing an expertise in the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic Doctrine, the global Islamic Movement, and a myriad of terrorist organizations to include Hamas, Al Qaeda, and others. In 2006, Mr. Guandolo created and implemented the FBI’s first Counter terrorism Training/Education Program focusing on the Muslim Brotherhood and their subversive movement in the United States, Islamic Doctrine, and the global Islamic Movement. He was designated a “Subject Matter Expert” by FBI Headquarters Save Our APP To Your Smartphone! https://one.cards/PeteSantilli Morning Prayer Requests: http://petelive.tv/prayer 

THE PETE SANTILLI SHOWEpisode #1624 - Wednesday - September 11, 2019 - 6PMLive Broadcast Link -  https://youtu.be/qZ9Q2kzhW84   FORMER FBI AGENT: Robert Mueller helped Saudi Arabia cover up its role in 9/11 attacks - 1624-6PAfter a lengthy investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller charged Russia made “multiple, systematic efforts to interfere in our election” and said the incursion “deserves the attention of every American.”  But former FBI investigators say their old boss didn’t feel the same concern when they uncovered multiple, systemic efforts by the Saudi government to assist the hijackers in the lead-up to the 9/11 attacks GUEST: John Guandolo  is the President and Founder  of Understanding The Threat, the only organization in the nation which provides a detailed assessment of the enemy threat in your local area, provides law enforcement investigative solutions, and creates state level counter-insurgency strategies to identify, dismantle and defeat the jihadi network in your area."   In 1996, Mr. Guandolo joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), serving at the Washington Field Office. In 2006, Mr. Guandolo created and implemented the FBI’s first Counter terrorism Training/Education Program focusing on the Muslim Brotherhood and their subversive movement in the United States, Islamic Doctrine, and the global Islamic Movement. He was designated a “Subject Matter Expert” by FBI Headquarters. This course was hailed as “groundbreaking” by the FBI’s Executive Assistant Director in a brief to the Vice President’s National Security Staff. For his efforts, in 2007 Mr. Guandolo was presented the “Defender of the Homeland” Award by U.S. Senators John Kyl and Joseph Lieberman on behalf of the Center for Security Policy in Washington, D.C. While in the FBI, Mr. Guandolo received two United States Attorney’s Awards for Investigative Excellence.  Raising a JihadiGenerationWorld Wide Who’s Who List of 2014Understanding The Threat     www.WVWTV.com.  E-Militia Article: FORMER FBI AGENT: Robert Mueller helped Saudi Arabia cover up its role in 9/11 attacks http://ow.ly/L1B130pwaAS 

 Leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, and his wife, Zeenat, departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja Monday evening for their trip to India for medical treatment. This was sequel to the order of Justice Darius Khobo of the Kaduna State High Court granting El-Zakzaky and his wife leave to undergo treatment at an Indian hospital of their choice. El-Zakzaky , and his wife , had last week turned down the Federal Government’s offer of a private jet for their Indian medical trip which they embarked upon. A source at the airport told reporters on Monday that officers from National Intelligence Agency were already on ground to accompany them to India in line with the order of the Kaduna State High Court. El-Zakzaky and his wife have been in protective custody in Kaduna after the court ruling.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/newscast-africa/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen to the Sat. June 29, 2019 edition of the Pan-African Journal: Worldwide Radio Broadcast hosted by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The program features our regular PANW report with dispatches on the reintroduction of a national currency for the Republic of Zimbabwe; Republic of South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has met with his Russian counterpart Vladimer Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit being held in Japan; the Islamic Movement of Nigeria has expressed concern about the deteriorating health of its leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky; and the Sudanese security forces have used teargas to disperse youth protesters demanding the installation of a civilian government. In the second and third hours we continue our monthlong focus on Black Music Month highlighting the life, times and contributions of Blind Willie McTell and Lena Horne.

Message from Pastor Pete Lasutschinkow on April 22, 2018

Message from Pastor Pete Lasutschinkow on April 15, 2018

Message from Pastor Pete Lasutschinkow on April 8, 2018

Message from Pastor Pete Lasutschinkow on March 25, 2018

Message from Pastor Pete Lasutschinkow on March 18, 2018

Message from Pastor Pete Lasutschinkow on March 11, 2018

Name This Surah takes its name from v.33. Al-i-Imran, like the names of many other surahs, is merely a name to distinguish it from other surahs and does not imply that the family of Imran has been discussed in it. The Period of Revelation This Surah consists of four discourses: The first discourse (vv. 1-32) was probably revealed soon after the Battle of Badr. The second discourse (vv. 33-63) was revealed in 9 A. H. on the occasion of the visit of the deputation from the Christians of Najran. The third discourse (vv. 64-120) appears to have been revealed immediately after the first one. The fourth discourse (vv. 121-200) was revealed after the Battle of Uhd. Subject Though these discourses were revealed at different periods and on different occasions, they are so inter-linked and so inter-connected with regard to their aim, object and central theme that they make together one continuous whole. This Surah has been especially addressed to two groups--the people of the Book (the Jews and the Christians) and the followers of Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him). The message has been extended to the Jews and the Christians in continuation of the invitation in Al-Baqarah, in which they have been admonished for their erroneous beliefs and evil morals and advised to accept, as a remedy, the Truth of the Quran. They have been told here that Muhammad (Allah's peace be, upon him) taught the same right way of life that had been preached by their own Prophets; that it alone was the Right Way, the way of Allah; hence any deviation from it will be wrong even according to their own Scriptures. The second group, the Muslims, who had been declared to be the best Community in Al-Baqarah and appointed torch-bearers of the Truth and entrusted with the responsibility of reforming the world, have been given additional instructions in continuation of those given in the preceding Surah. The Muslims have been warned to learn a lesson from the religious and moral degeneration of the former communities and to refrain from treading in their footsteps. Instructions have also been given about the reformative work they had to perform. Besides this, they have been taught how to deal with the people of the Book and the hypocrites who were putting different kinds of hindrances in the way of Allah. Above all, they have been warned to guard against those weaknesses which had come to the surface in the Battle Uhd. Background The following is the background of the Surah: The Believers had met with all sorts of trials and hardships about which they had been forewarned in Al-Baqarah. Though they had come out victorious in the Battle of Badr, they were not out of danger yet. Their victory had aroused the enmity of all those powers in Arabia which were opposed to the Islamic Movement. Signs of threatening storms had begun to appear on all sides and the Muslims were in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety. It looked as if the whole Arabian world around the tiny state of Al-Madinah - which was no more than a village state at that time -- was bent upon blotting out its very existence. This state of war was also adversely affecting its economy, which had already been badly disturbed by the influx of the Muslim refugees from Makkah. Then there was the disturbing problem of the Jewish clans who lived in the suburbs of Al-Madinah. They were discarding the treaties of alliance they had made with the Holy Prophet after his migration from Makkah. So much so that on the occasion of the Battle of Badr, these people of the Book sympathized with the evil aims of the idolaters, in spite of the fact that their fundamental articles of the Faith - Oneness of Allah, Prophethood, Life-after- death -- were the same as those of the Muslims. After the Battle of Badr, they openly began to incite the Quraish and other Arab clans to wreak their vengeance on the Muslims. Thus those Jewish clans set aside their centuries-old friendly and neighborly relations with the people of Al-Madinah. At last when their mischievous actions and breaches of treaties became unbearable, the Holy Prophet attacked the Bani-Qainu-qa'a, the most mischievous of all the other Jewish clans who had conspired with the hypocrites of Al-Madinah and the idolatrous Arab clans to encircle the Believers on all sides. The magnitude of the peril might be judged from the fact that even the life of the Holy Prophet himself was always in danger. Therefore his Companions slept in their armors during that period and kept watch at night to guard against any sudden attack, and whenever the Holy Prophet happened to be out of sight even for a short while, they would at once set out in search of him. This incitement by the Jews added fuel to the fire which was burning in the hearts of the Quraish and they began to make preparations to avenge the defeat they had suffered at Badr. A year after this an army of 3,000 strong marched out of Makkah to invade Al-Madinah and a battle took place at the foot of Mount Uhd. The Holy Prophet came out of Al-Madinah with one thousand men to meet the enemy. While they were marching to the battle-field, three hundred hypocrites deserted the army and returned to Al-Madinah, but there still remained a small band of hypocrites among the seven hundred who accompanied the Holy Prophet. They played their part and did their worst to create mischief and chaos in the ranks of the Believers during the Battle. This was the first clear indication of the fact that within the fold of the Muslim Community there was quite a large number of saboteurs who were always ready to conspire with the external enemies to harm their own brethren. Though the devices of the hypocrites had played a great part in the set-back at Uhd, the weaknesses of the Muslims themselves contributed no less to it. And it was but natural that the Muslims should show signs of moral weakness for they were a new community which had only recently been formed on a new ideology and had not as yet got a thorough moral training. Naturally in this second hard test of their physical and moral strength, some weaknesses came to the surface. That is why a detailed review of the Battle of Uhd was needed to warn the Muslims of their shortcomings and to issue instructions for their reform. It should also be noted that this review of the Battle is quite different from the reviews that are usually made by generals on similar occasions. Subject: Guidance This Surah is the sequel to Al-Baqarah and the invitation therein is continued to the people of the Book. In Al-Baqarah the Jews were pointedly invited to accept the Guidance and in this Surah the Christians have particularly been admonished to give up their erroneous beliefs and accept the Guidance of the Quran. At the same time, the Muslims have been instructed to nourish the virtues that may enable them to carry out their obligations and spread the Divine Guidance. Topics and their Interconnection In these introductory verses, the fundamental truths about Allah, Revelation and Life-after-death have been reiterated to serve as fitting preliminaries, leading to the main topics discussed in the Surah. 1 - 32 This discourse is particularly addressed to the Christians and invites them to accept Islam. It clears Jesus and his mother not only from the stigma maliciously set upon them by the Jews, but also refutes the erroneous Christian creed of the Divinity of Jesus which had been formulated because of his miraculous birth. For this purpose the instances of John the Baptist to a barren woman and an extremely aged man, and that of Adam without father or mother have been cited to show that there is nothing in the birth of Jesus without a father to entitle him to Divinity. 33 - 65 In these verses the people of the Book, the Jews, have been invited to give up their sinister ways and accept the divine Guidance. At the same time the Muslims have been warned to be on their guard against their malicious intentions, erroneous ways and absurd objections. 66 - 101 The Muslims have been instructed to learn lessons from the history of the people of the Book and also to guard themselves against their machinations, and to prepare and train themselves to establish virtue and eradicate evil. 102 - 120 In this portion, a review of the Battle of Uhd has been made to teach and reassure the Muslims that the machinations of their enemies could do them no harm, if they would practice restraint and fortitude and have fear of Allah. It has been pointed out that the set-back they had suffered was due to the lack of some moral qualities and the existence of some evils. As the main cause of the defeat was the greed of the archers guarding the pass, the taking of interest has been prohibited to eradicate part of this evil (greed). 121 - 175 The main theme of the verses 109 - 120 has been resumed to reassure and encourage the Muslims against the dangerous plots of their enemies. 175 - 189 This is the conclusion of the Surah and is not directly connected with the verses immediately preceding it but with the theme of the Surah as a whole. 190 - 200 Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran

Name The Surah takes its name Al-Anfal (The Bounties) from the first verse. The Period of Revelation It was revealed in 2 A. H. after the Battle of Badr, the first battle between Islam and kufr. As it contains a detailed and comprehensive review of the Battle, it appears that most probably it was revealed at one and the same time. But it is also possible that some of the verses concerning the problems arising as a result of this Battle might have been revealed later and incorporated at the proper places to make it a continuous whole. At any rate, in the whole Surah there is nothing that might show that it is a collection of a couple of discourses, that have been patched up together. Historical Background Before reviewing the Surah, it is worthwhile to consider the events that led to the Battle of Badr. During the first decade or so of the Prophethood at Makkah, the Message had proved its firmness, and stability. This was the result of two things. First, the Messenger, who possessed the highest qualities of character, was performing his Mission with wisdom, foresight and magnanimity. He had shown by his conduct that he had made up his mind to carry the movement to a successful end and, therefore, was ready to face all sorts of dangers and obstacles in the way. Secondly, the Message was so charming that it attracted the minds and hearts of the people irresistibly towards itself. So much so that all obstacles of ignorance, superstition and petty prejudices failed to check, its advance. That is why the Arab upholders of the ways of "ignorance,' who looked down upon it in its initial stages, had' begun to reckon it as a serious menace during the last period of the stay of the Holy Prophet at Makkah, and were bent on crushing it with all the force at their command. But in spite of the above-mentioned strength, the movement still lacked certain things to lead it to victory:- First, it had not yet been fully proved that it had gathered round it a sufficient number of such followers who not only believed in its truth, but also had such an intense devotion to its principles that they were ready to expend all their energies and all that they possessed in the struggle for its success and establishment. So much so that they were ready to sacrifice their lives in the fight against the whole world itself even though they should be their own nearest relative. It is true that the followers of Islam had endured the severest persecutions at the hands of the Quraish of Makkah and had given a good proof of the firmness of their faith and their strong relation with Islam, yet further trials were required to show that Islam had succeeded in acquiring such a band of followers which considered nothing dearer than its ideal and was ready to sacrifice life for it. Secondly, though the voice of Islam had reached' every part of the country, its effects were yet scattered and its acquired strength was spread here and there: it had not yet gathered sufficient force essential for a decisive conflict with the old established order of "ignorance". Thirdly, Islam had yet no home of its own and had not established itself firmly anywhere in the land where it could consolidate its power and make it a base for further action. For the Muslims were scattered all over the country and were living among the unbelievers as aliens whom their bloodthirsty enemies wanted to uproot from their own homes. Fourthly, the Muslims had not yet had an opportunity to demonstrate practically the blessings of the system of life based on Islam. There was neither any Islamic culture, nor any social, economic or political system; nor were there any established principles of war and peace for their guidance. Therefore the Muslims had no opportunity for demonstrating those moral principles on which they intended to build their entire system of life; nor had it been proved on the touchstone of trial that the Muslims as a community were sincere in their proclamation of the Message. Allah created opportunities for making up these deficiencies. During the last four years or so of the Prophet's stay at Makkah, the voice of Islam had been proving effective at Yathrab and the people for various reasons had been accepting the message more readily than other clans of Arabia. So much so that in the twelfth year of Prophethood on the occasion of Haj a deputation of 75 people met the Holy Prophet in the darkness of night. These people not only accepted Islam, but also offered to give him and his followers a home. As this was a most epoch making opportunity provided by Allah, the Holy Prophet took advantage of it. The significance of this offer was quite clear to the people of Yathrab, and they fully realized that this was not an invitation to a mere fugitive, but to the Messenger of Allah so that he should become their leader and ruler. Likewise they knew that they were not inviting the Muslim refugees to give them shelter from persecution but to assemble them from all over the country for their integration with themselves to form an organized community. Thus the offer of the people of Yathrab was to make Yathrab the "City of Islam." Accordingly the Holy Prophet accepted their invitation and made it the first "City of Islam" in Arabia. And the people of Yathrab were fully aware of the implications of this offer. It was indeed a declaration of war against the whole of Arabia, and an invitation to their own social and economic boycott as well. And when the Ansar from Yathrab declared their allegiance to the Holy Prophet at Aqabah, they knew fully well its consequences. During the course of the formal declaration of allegiance, Asad-bin- Zurarah, the youngest of all the delegates from Yathrab, stood up and said, "0 people of Yathrab! Just listen to me and consider the matter carefully in all its aspects. Though we have come to him, regarding him only as a Messenger of Allah, we should know that we shall be inviting the enmity of the whole of Arabia. For when we take him away to Yathrab, we shall be attacked and our children may be put to the sword. Therefore if you have the courage in your hearts to face it, then and then only, you should declare your allegiance to him and Allah will give you its reward. But if you love your lives more than him and his Message, then leave this matter and frankly excuse yourselves, for at this time Allah may accept your excuses." Abbas bin Ubadah bin Naalah, another member of the delegation, reiterated the same thing, saying, Do you understand the implication of the declaration of your allegiance to this person?" (Voices, "Yes, we know it.") "You are challenging the whole world to war by your declaration of allegiance to him. There is every likelihood of a serious menace to your lives and properties. Therefore consider it well. If you have any idea lurking in your minds that you will then hand him over to his enemies, it is much better to leave him alone now, because that conduct shall bring shame and disgrace to you in this world and the next. On the other hand, if you have sincerely resolved that you will endure all kinds of consequences that will follow as a result of this invitation, then it would be the best thing to take the oath of allegiance to him because, by God, this will surely bring good to you in this world as well as in the next world." At this all the members of the delegation cried with one voice, "We are ready and prepared to risk all our wealth and our noble kith and kin for his sake." It was then that the famous oath of allegiance, which is known as the "Second Oath of Allegiance at Aqabah" was taken. On the other side, the people of Makkah also understood fully well the implications of this matter from their own point of view. They realized that Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him), who, they knew well, had a great personality and possessed extraordinary abilities, was going to gain a strong footing, by this allegiance. For this would help integrate his followers, whose constancy, determination, and unwavering fidelity to the Messenger had been tried, into a disciplined community under his wise leadership and guidance. And they knew that this would spell death for their old ways of life. They also realized the strategic importance of. Al-Madinah to their trade, which was their chief means of livelihood. Its geographical position was such that the Muslims could strike with advantage at the caravans traveling on the trade route between Yemen and Syria, and thus strike at the root of their economy and that of other pagan clans very effectively. The value of the trade done by the people of Makkah alone on this route, not to count that of raif and other places, amounted to about two hundred thousand dinars annually. As the Quraish were fully aware of the implications of the oath of allegiance at Aqabah, they were greatly perturbed when they got wind of it the same night. At first they tried to win over the people of Al-Madinah to their side. But when they saw that the Muslims were migrating to Al- Madinah in small groups, they realized that the Holy Prophet was also going to emigrate soon from there. Then they decided to adopt an extreme measure to prevent this danger. A few days before his migration, the Quraish held a council to consider the matter. After a good deal of argument; they decided that one person should be taken from each of the families of Quraish other than that of Banu Hashim to put an end to the life of the Holy Prophet. This was to make it difficult for the family of the Holy Prophet to fight alone with all the other families of the Quraish and thus to force them to accept blood-money for his murder-instead of taking revenge from them, but by the grace of Allah their plot against the life of the Holy Prophet failed because of his admirable foresight and full trust in Allah, and he reached Al- Madinah safe and sound. When they could not prevent his emigration, it occurred to them to exploit Abdullah bin Ub`ai who had begun to cherish a grievance against the Holy Prophet since his arrival at Al-Madinah. He was an influential chief of Al-Madinah and the people had agreed to make him their king. But when the majority of Aus and Khazraj clan became Muslims and acknowledged the Holy Prophet as their leader, guide and ruler, all his hopes of becoming a king came to an end. Therefore the Quraish wrote to him, "As you have given shelter to our enemy, we tell you plainly that you should either fight with him yourself or exile him from your city otherwise we swear by God that we will invade your city, kill your males and make your females our slave girls." This letter added fuel to the flames of his jealousy and he was inclined to do some mischief, but the Holy Prophet took timely precautions and defeated his evil designs. The Quraish got another opportunity to hold out a threat. When Sa'ad bin Mu'az, another chief of Al-Madinah, went to Makkah to perform `Umrah, Abu Jahl interrupted him at the very door of the Kabah, saying, "Do you think we will let you perform `Umrah in peace while you give shelter and help to renegades from us? Had you not been a guest of Ummayyah bin Khalf, you would not have gone alive from here." Sa'ad replied, "By Allah, if you prevent me from this, I will retaliate in a worse manner and block your route near Al-Madinah." This incident virtually led to a declaration from the people of Makkah that they would prevent the Muslims from a pilgrimage to the Kabah, and from the people of Al- Madinah that as a retaliation they would block their trade route to Syria against the opponents of Islam. As a matter of fact there was no other alternative for the Muslims than to keep a strong hold on this route so as to force the Quraish, and the other clans, whose interests were vitally bound with this route, to reconsider their inimical and antagonistic attitude towards them. That is why the Holy Prophet attached the greatest importance to this problem. As soon as he was free from making the preliminary arrangements for organizing the newly formed Muslim Community and settling peace terms with the neighboring Jewish habitations, he adopted two measures in this connection:- First, he entered into negotiations with those clans who lived between the Red Sea and this route so as to make alliances with them or at east to persuade them to make treaties of neutrality with the Muslims. He was successful in this, and he entered into a treaty of non-alignment with Juhainah, which was a very important clan of the hilly tract near the sea coast. Then, at the end of the first year of Hijrah, he made a treaty of defensive alliance with Bani Damrah, who lived near Yanb'u and Zawal Ushairah. In 2 A. H. Bani Mudlij also joined the alliance, as they were the neighbors and allies of Bani Damrah. Then ii so happened that quite a large number of these people were converted to Islam as a result of the missionary work done by the Muslims. Secondly, he successively sent small bands of his men on this route to serve as a warning to the Quraish, and himself accompanied some of them. In the first year of Hijrah, four expeditions were sent there, that is, the expedition under Hamzah, the expedition under Ubaidah bin Harith, the expedition under Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas and the Al-Abwa' expedition under the Holy Prophet himself. In the first month of the second year two more incursions were made on the same route. These are known as Buwat Expedition and Zawal Ushairah Expedition. Two things about all these expeditions are noteworthy. First, no blood was shed and no caravans were plundered in any of these expeditions. This proves that the real object of these expeditions was to show to the Quraish which way the wind was blowing. Secondly, not a single man from the people of Al-Madinah was sent by the Holy. Prophet on any of these incursions. All the bands consisted purely of the immigrants from Makkah so that the conflict should remain between the people of the Quraish themselves and should not further spread by the involvement of other clans. On the other side, the Quraish of Makkah tried to involve others also in the conflict. When they sent bands towards Al-Madinah, they did not hesitate to plunder the people. For instance, an expedition under the leadership of Kurz bin Jabir al-Fihrl plundered the cattle of the people of Al-Madinah from the very vicinity of the city to show what their real intentions were. This was the state of affairs when, in Sha'aban, 2 A. H. (February or March, 623 A. D.) a big trade caravan of the Quraish, carrying goods worth $50,000 or so, with only a guard of thirty to forty men, on its way back from Syria to Makkah, reached the territory from where it could be easily attacked from Al-Madinah. As the caravan was carrying trade goods worth thousands of pounds, and was scantily guarded, naturally Abu Sufyan, who was in charge of it, from his Past experience feared an attach from the Muslims. Accordingly, as soon as he entered the dangerous territory, he dispatched a camel rider to Makkah with a frantic appeal for help. When the rider reached Makkah, he, following an old custom of Arabia, tore open the ears of his camel, cut open his nose and overturned the saddle. Then rending his shirt from front and behind, he began to cry aloud at the top of his voice, "O people of Quraish dispatch help to protect your caravan from Syria under the charge of Abu Sufyan, for Muhammad with his followers is in pursuit of it; otherwise I don't think you will ever get your goods. Run, run for help." This caused great excitement and anger in the whole of Makkah and all the big chiefs of the Quraish got ready for war. An army, consisting of 600 armored soldiers and cavalry of 100 riders with great pomp and show marched out for a fight. They intended not only to rescue the caravan but also to put to an end, once for all, the new menace from the Muslims who had consolidated themselves at Al-Madinah. They wanted to crush that rising power and overawe the clans surrounding the route so as to make it absolutely secure for future trade. Now the Holy Prophet, who always kept himself well informed of the state of affairs, felt that the decisive hour has come and that was the right time when he must take a bold step; otherwise the Islamic Movement would become lifeless for ever and no chance would be left for it to rise again. For if the Quraish invaded Al-Madinah, the odds would be against the Muslims. The condition of the Muslim Community was still very shaky because the immigrants (Muhajirin) had not been able to stabilize their economy during the short period (less than two years) of their stay at Al-Madinah; their helpers, (the Ansar) had not yet been tried; and the neighboring Jewish clans were antagonistic. Then there was a strong group of hypocrites and mushriks in Al- Madinah itself; above all, the surrounding clans lived in awe of the Quraish and had all their religious sympathies with them. The Holy Prophet, therefore, felt that the consequences of this possible invasion would not be favorable to the Muslims. The second possibility was that they would not invade Al-Madinah but try only to escort their caravan safely and securely by a mere show of force. In that case, too, if the Muslim remained inactive, it would affect their reputation adversely. Obviously, this weak stand in the conflict would embolden the other Arabs also and make the position of the Muslims very insecure in the country and the surrounding clans would, at the instance of the Quraish, start hostilities against them, and the Jews, the hypocrites and the mushriks of Al- Madinah would openly rise against them and not only endanger their security of life, property and honor but make it difficult for them even to live there. The Muslims would not be able to inspire the enemy with awe so as to keep safe from them their life, property and honor. A careful study of the situation led the Holy Prophet to make up his mind to take a decisive step and go into the battle with whatever little strength he could muster, for thus and thus only could he show whether the Muslim Community had the right to survive or was doomed to perish. When he arrived at this momentous decision, he called the Muhajirin and the Ansar together and placed the whole position before them, without any reservation. He said, "Allah has promised that you will confront one of the two, the trade caravan coming from the north or the army of the Quraish marching from the south. Now tell me which of the two you want to attack!" A large majority of the people replied that they wanted to attack the caravan. But the Holy Prophet who had something else before him, repeated the same question. At this Miqdad bin 'Amr, a Muhajir, stood up and said, "0 Messenger of Allah! Please march to the side to which your Lord commands you; we will accompany you wherever you go. We will not say like the Israelites, 'Go and let you and your Lord fight we will wait'. In contrast to them we say, 'Let you and your Lord fight; we will fight by your side to our last breath'." Even then he did not announce any decision but waited for a reply from the Ansar who had not yet taken any part in any battle of Islam. As this was the first opportunity for them to prove that they were ready to fulfill their promise of fighting for the cause of Islam, he repeated the question without directly addressing them. At this, Sa'ad bin Mu'az, an Ansar, stood up and said, "Sir, it appears that you are putting the question to us." When the Holy Prophet said, "Yes", the Ansar replied, "We have believed in you and confirmed that what you have brought is the Truth, and have made a solemn pledge with you that we will listen to you and obey you. Therefore, 0 Messenger of Allah, do whatever you intend to do. We swear by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth that we are ready to accompany you to the sea shore and if you enter it, we will plunge into it. We assure you that not a single one of us will remain behind or forsake you, for we will not hesitate at all to go to fight, even if you should lead us to the battlefield tomorrow. We will remain steadfast in the battle and sacrifice our lives in the fight. We do hope that by the grace of Allah our behavior will gladden your heart. So, trusting in Allah's blessing, take us to the battlefield." After these speeches it was decided that they should march towards the army of the Quraish and not towards the trade caravan. But it should be noted that the decision was of an ordinary nature. For the number of people, who came forward to go to the battlefield, was only a little more than three hundred (86 Muhajirs, 62 from Aus and 170 from Khazraj). Then the little army was ill-armed and hardly equipped for battle. Only a couple of them had horses to ride and the others had to take their turn in threes and fours on the back of a camel, out of the 70 they had in all. Above all, they had not got enough weapons for the battle; only 60 of them had armors. It is, therefore, no wonder that with the exception of those who were prepared to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Islam, the majority of those who had joined the expedition, were so filled with fear that they felt as if they were knowingly going into the jaws of death. Then there were people who always looked at things from a selfish point of view. Though they had embraced Islam, they did not realize that their faith would demand the sacrifice of their lives and properties from them; they were of the opinion that it was a mad expedition prompted by irrational enthusiasm for religion. But the Holy Prophet and the true Believers had realized the urgency of that critical hour which required the risk of life: therefore they marched straight to the south-west, wherefrom the army of the Quraish was coming. This is a clear proof of the fact that from the very beginning they had gone out to fight with the army and not to plunder the caravan. For if they had aimed at plundering the caravan they would have taken the north- westerly direction and not the south- westerly one. The two parties met in combat at Badr on the seventeenth of Ramadan. When the two armies confronted each other and the Holy Prophet noticed that the Quraish army outnumbered the Muslims by three to one and was much better equipped, he raised his hands up in supplication and made this earnest prayer with great humility: "O Allah! Here are the Quraish proud of their war material: they have come to prove that Thy Messenger is false. O Allah! now send that success that Thou hast promised to give me. O Allah! If this little army of Thy servants is destroyed, then there will be left none in the land to worship Thee." In this combat the emigrants from Makkah were put to the hardest test for they had to fight against their own near and dear relatives and put to the sword their fathers, their sons, their paternal and maternal uncles and their brothers. It is obvious that only such people could have come out successful in this hardest of tests as had accepted the Truth sincerely and cut off all relations with falsehood. And in another way the test to which the Ansar were put was not less hard. So far they had only alienated the powerful Quraish and their allies by giving shelter to the Muslims against their wishes but now, for the first time, they were going to give fight to them and to sow the seeds of a long and bitter war with them. This was indeed a very hard test for it meant that a small town with a population of a few thousand inhabitants was going to wage a war with the whole of Arabia. It is obvious that only such people could take this bold step who believed in the Truth of Islam so firmly that they were ready to sacrifice every personal interest for its sake. So Allah accepted the self-sacrifices of the Muhajirin and the Ansar because of their true faith, and rewarded them with His success. The proud, well- armed Quraish were routed by these ill-equipped devotees of Islam. Seventy men of their army were killed and seventy captured as prisoners and their arms and equipment came into the hands of the Muslims as spoils of war. All their big chiefs, who were their best soldiers and who had led the opposition to Islam, were killed in this Battle. No wonder that this decisive victory made Islam a power to be reckoned with. A Western research scholar says that before the Battle of Badr, Islam was merely a religion and a state but after the Battle it became the state religion, nay, the state itself. Topics of Discussion It is this great Battle that has been reviewed in this Surah. But let it be noted that in some respects this review is quite different from the reviews that are usually made by the worldly commanders after a great victory. Instead of gloating over the victory, the moral weaknesses that had come to the surface in that expedition have been pointed out so that the Muslims should try their best to reform themselves. It has been impressed upon them that the victory was due to the success of Allah rather -than to their own valor and bravery so that the Muslims should learn to rely on Him and obey Allah and His Messenger alone. The moral lesson of the conflict between the Truth and falsehood has been enunciated and the qualities which lead to success in a conflict have been explained. Then the Surah addresses the mushriks, the hypocrites, the Jews and the prisoners of this war in a very impressive manner that should teach them a good lesson. It also gives instructions in regard to the spoils of war. The Muslims have bean told not to regard these as their right but as a bounty from Allah. Therefore they should accept with gratitude the share that is granted to them out of it and willingly accede to the share which Allah sets apart for His cause and for the help of the needy. Then it also gives normal instructions concerning the laws of peace and war for these were urgently needed to be explained at the stage which the Islamic Movement had entered. It enjoined that the Muslims should refrain from ways of "ignorance" in peace and war and thus should establish their moral superiority in the world. It also meant, to demonstrate to the world in actual practical life the morality which it had been preaching to the world from the very beginning of Islam and had been enjoining that practical life should be based on the same. It also states some articles of the Islamic Constitution which help differentiate the status of the Muslims living within the limits of Dar-ul-Islam (the Abode of Islam) from that of the Muslims living beyond its limits. Subject: Problems of Jihad This surah enunciates general principles of war (one aspect of Jihad) and peace while reviewing the Battle of Badr and uses them for the moral training of the Muslims. Topics and their Interconnection This portion deals with the problems of the "Spoils of War". The Quran says that these are not the spoils of war but the "Bounties of Allah" and proves this by showing that the victory at Badr (and in all other battles, too,) was won by His succor and not by the efforts of the Muslims. It also declares (in v. 40) that the war aim of the Muslims should be to eliminate all unfavorable conditions for the establishment of Islam and not to gain spoils. Moreover, the spoils, being the bounties of God, belong to Allah and His Messenger and they alone are entitled to allocate them. Then after conditioning the Muslims to accept these things, the different shares have been allocated in v. 41. 1 - 41 The Battle of Badr was ordained by Allah so that Islam should triumph over "ignorance". The lesson from this is that the Muslims should trust in God and prepare themselves for war and should not be beguiled by Satan as the disbelievers were. 42 - 54 Sanctity of treaties has been enjoined and the Muslims commanded to observe them as long as the other party does not break them. 55 - 59 The Muslims should always be prepared for war on every front, but should be ready to make peace if the other party is inclined towards it. 60 - 66 In these verses, instructions about prisoners of war have been given. 67 - 71 In order to keep the Muslims joined together against their enemies, they have been taught to have cordial relations with one another. 72 - 75 Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran

Name This Surah is known by two names -- At-Taubah and Al-Bara'at. It is called At-Taubah because it enunciates the nature of taubah (repentance) and mentions the conditions of its acceptance.(vv. 102. 118). The second name Bara'at (Release) is taken from the first word of the Surah. Omission of Bismillah This is the only Surah of the Quran to which Bismillah is not prefixed. Though the commentators have given different reasons for this, the correct one that which has been given by Imam Razi: namely,this is because the Holy Prophet himself did not dictate it at the beginning of the Surah. Therefore the Companions did not prefix it and their successors followed them., This is a further proof of the fact that utmost care has been taken to keep the Quran intact so that it should remain in its complete and original form. Discourses and Periods of Revelation This Surah comprises three discourses:- The first discourse (vv. 1-37), was revealed in Zil-Qa'adah A.H. 9 or thereabout. As the importance of the subject of the discourse required its declaration on the occasion of Haj the Holy Prophet dispatched Hadrat Ali to follow Hadrat Abu Bakr, who had already left for Makkah as leader of the Pilgrims to the Ka'abah. He instructed Hadrat Ali to deliver the discourse before the representatives of the different clans of Arabia so as to inform them of the new policy towards the mushriks. The second discourse (vv., 38-72) was sent down in Rajab A.H. 9 or a little before this, when the Holy Prophet was engaged in making preparations for the Campaign, of Tabuk. In this discourse, the Believers were urged to take active part in Jihad, and the shirkers were severely rebuked for holding back their wealth and for hesitation to sacrifice their lives in the way of Allah because of their hypocrisy, weak faith or negligence. The third discourse (vv. 73-129) was revealed on his return from the Campaign of Tabuk. There are some pieces in this discourse that were sent down on different occasions during the same period and were afterwards consolidated by the Holy Prophet into the Surah in accordance with inspiration from Allah. But this caused no interruption in its continuity because they dealt with the same subject and formed part of the same series of events. This discourse warns the hypocrites of their evil deeds and rebukes those Believers who had stayed behind in the Campaign of Tabuk. Then after taking them to task, Allah pardons those true Believers who had not taken part in the Jihad in the Way of Allah for one reason or the other. Chronologically, the first discourse should have come last; but being the most important of the three in regard to its subject matter, it was placed first in the order of compilation. Historical Background Now let us consider the historical background of the Surah. The series of events that have been discussed in this Surah took place after the Peace Treaty of Hudaibiyah. By that time, one-third of Arabia had come under the sway of Islam which had established itself as a powerful, well organized and civilized Islamic State. This Treaty afforded further opportunities to Islam to spread its influence in the comparatively peaceful atmosphere created by it. After this Treaty, two events took place, which led to very important results: Conquest of Arabia The first was the Conquest of Arabia. The Holy Prophet was able to send missions among different clans for the propagation of Islam. The result was that during the short period of two years, it became such a great power that it made the old order of ignorance' feel helpless before it. So much so that the zealous elements from among the Quraish were so exasperated that they broke the Treaty in order to encounter Islam in a decisive combat. But the Holy Prophet took prompt action after the breach so as not to allow them any opportunity to gather enough force for this. He made a sudden invasion on Makkah in the month of Ramadan in A. H. 8 and conquered it. Though this conquest broke the backbone of the order of ignorance, it made still another attack on Islam in the battle-field of Hunain, which proved to be its death-knell. The clans of Hawazin Thaqif, Naur, Jushm and others gathered their entire forces in the battle field in order to crush the reformative Revolution, but they utterly failed in their evil designs. The defeat of 'ignorance' at Hunain paved the way for making the whole of Arabia the 'Abode of Islam' (Dar-ul-Islam). The result was that hardly a year had Passed after the Battle of Hunain, when the major portion of Arabia came within the fold of Islam and only a few upholders of the old order remained scattered over some corners of the country. The second event that contributed towards making Islam a formidable power was the Campaign of Tabuk, which was necessitated by the provocative activities of the Christians living within or near the boundaries of the Roman Empire to the north of Arabia. Accordingly, the Holy Prophet, with an army of thirty thousand marched boldly towards the Roman Empire but the Romans evaded the encounter. The result was that the power of the Holy Prophet and Islam increased manifold and deputations from all corners of Arabia began to wait upon him on his return from Tabuk in order to offer their allegiance to Islam and obedience to him. The Holy Quran has described this triumph in Surah An-Nasr: "When the succor of Allah came and victory was attained and you saw people entering the fold of Islam in large numbers... Campaign to Tabuk The Campaign to Tabuk was the result of conflict with the Roman Empire, that had started even before the conquest of Makkah. One of the missions sent after the Treaty of Hudaibiyah to different parts of Arabia visited the clans which lived in the northern areas adjacent to Syria. The majority of these people were Christians, who were under the influence of the Roman Empire. Contrary to all the principles of the commonly accepted international law, they killed fifteen members of the delegation near a place known as Zat-u-Talah (or Zat-i-Itlah). Only Ka'ab bin Umair Ghifari, the head of the delegation, succeeded in escaping and reporting the sad incident. Besides this, Shurahbll bin Amr, the Christian governor of Busra, who was directly under the Roman Caesar, had also put to death Haritli bin Umair, the ambassador of the Holy Prophet, who had been sent to him on a similar minion. These events convinced the Holy Prophet that a strong action should be taken in order to make the territory adjacent to the Roman Empire safe and secure for the Muslims. Accordingly, in the month of Jamadi-ul-Ula A. H. 8, he sent an army of three thousand towards the Syrian border. When this army reached near Ma'an, the Muslims learned that Shurahbil was marching with an army of one hundred thousand to fight-with them and that the Caesar, who himself was at Hims, had sent another army consisting of one hundred thousand soldiers under his brother Theodore. But in spite of such fearful news, the brave small band of the Muslims marched on fearlessly and encountered the big army of Shurahbil at M'utah. And the result of the encounter in which the Muslims were fighting against fearful odds (the ratio of the two armies was 1:33), as very favorable, for the enemy utterly failed to defeat them. This proved very helpful for the propagation of Islam. As a result, those Arabs who were living in a state of semi independence in Syria and near Syria and the clans of Najd near Iraq, who were under the influence of the Iranian Empire, turned towards Islam and embraced it in thousands. For example, the people of Bani Sulaim (whose chief was Abbas bin Mirdas Sulaimi), Ashja'a, Ghatafan, Zubyan, Fazarah, etc., came into the fold of Islam at the same time. Above all, Farvah bin 'Amral Juzami, who was the commander of the Arab armies of the Roman Empire, embraced Islam during that time, and underwent the trial of his Faith in a way that filled the whole territory with wonder. When the Caesar came to know that Farvah had embraced Islam, he ordered that he should be arrested and brought to his court. Then the Caesar said to him, "You will have to choose one of the two things. Either give up your Islam and win your liberty and your former rank, or remain a Muslim and face death." He calmly chose Islam and sacrificed his life in the way of the Truth. No wonder that such events as these made the Caesar realize the nature of the danger that was threatening his Empire from Arabia. Accordingly, in 9 A.H. he began to make military preparations to avenge the insult he had suffered at M'utah. The Ghassanid and other Arab chiefs also began to muster armies under him. When the Holy Prophet, who always kept himself well-informed even of the minutest things that could affect the Islamic Movement favorably or adversely, came to know of these preparations, he at once under- stood their meaning. Therefore, without the least hesitation he decided to fight against the great power of the Caesar. He knew that the show of the slightest weakness would result in the utter failure of the Movement which was facing three great dangers at that time. First the dying power of 'ignorance' that had almost been crushed in the battle-field of Hunain might revive again. Secondly, the Hypocrites of Al: Madinah, who were always on the look-out for such an opportunity, might make full use of this to do the greatest possible harm to it. For they had already made preparations for this and had, through a monk called Abu Amir, sent secret messages of their evil designs to the Christian king of Ghassan and the Caesar himself. Besides this, they had also built a mosque near Al-Madinah for holding secret meetings for this purpose. The third danger was of an attack by the Caesar himself, who had already defeated Iran, the other great power of that period, and filled with awe the adjacent territories. It is obvious that if all these three elements had been given an opportunity of taking a concerted action against the Muslims, Islam would have lost the fight it had almost won. That is why in this case the Holy Prophet made an open declaration for making preparations for the Campaign against the Roman Empire, which was one of the two greatest empires of the world of that period. The declaration was made though all the apparent circumstances were against such a decision: for there was famine in the country and the long awaited crops were about to ripen: the burning heat of the scorching summer season of Arabia was at, its height and there was not enough money for preparations in general, and for equipment and conveyance in particular. But in spite of these handicaps, when the Messenger of Allah realized the urgency of the occasion, he took this step which was to decide whether the Mission of the Truth was going to survive or perish. The very fact that he made an open declaration for making preparations for such a campaign to Syria against the Roman Empire showed how important it was, for this was contrary to his previous practice. Usually he took every precaution not to reveal beforehand the direction to which he was going nor the name of the enemy whom he was going to attack; nay, he did not move out of Al-Madinah even in the direction of the campaign. All the parties in Arabia fully realized the grave consequences of this critical decision. The remnants of the lovers of the old order of 'ignorance' were anxiously waiting for the result of the Campaign, for they had pinned all their hopes on the defeat of Islam by the Romans. The 'hypocrites' also considered it to be their last chance of crushing the power of Islam by internal rebellion, if the Muslims suffered a defeat in Syria. They had, therefore, made full use of the Mosque built by them for hatching plots and had employed all their devices to render the Campaign a failure. On the other side, the true Believers also realized fully that the fate of the Movement for which they had been exerting their utmost for the last 22 years was now hanging in the balance. If they showed courage on that critical occasion, the doors of the whole outer world would be thrown open for the Movement to spread. But if they showed weakness or cowardice, then all the work they had done in Arabia would -end in smoke. That is why these lovers of Islam began to make enthusiastic preparations for the Campaign. Everyone of them tried to surpass the other in making contributions for the provision of equipment for it. Hadrat Uthman and Hadrat Abdur Rehman bin Auf presented large sums of money for this purpose. Hadrat Umar contributed half of the earnings of his life and Hadrat Abu Bakr the entire earnings of his life. The indigent Companions did not lag behind and presented whatever they could earn by the sweat of their labor and the women parted with their ornaments. Thousands of volunteers, who were filled with the desire of sacrificing their lives for Islam, came to the Holy Prophet and requested that arrangements for weapons and conveyance be made for them so that they should join the expedition. Those who could not be provided with these shed tears of sorrow; the scene was so pathetic that it made the Holy Prophet sad because of his inability to arm them. In short, the occasion became the touchstone for discriminating a true believer from a hypocrite. For, to lag behind in the Campaign meant that the very relationship of a person to Islam was doubtful. Accordingly, whenever a person lagged behind during the journey to Tabuk, the Holy Prophet, on being informed, would spontaneously say, "Leave him alone. If there be any good in him, Allah will again join him with you, and if there be no good in him, then thank Allah that He relieved you of his evil company". In short, the Holy Prophet marched out towards Syria in Rajab A. H. 9, with thirty thousand fighters for the cause of Islam. The conditions in which the expedition was undertaken may be judged from the fact that the number of camels with them was so small that many of them were obliged to walk on foot and to wait for their turns for several had to ride at a time on each camel. To add to this, there was the burning heat of the desert and the acute shortage of water. But they were richly rewarded for their firm resolve and sincere adherence to the cause and for their perseverance in the face of those great difficulties and obstacles. When they arrived at Tabuk, they learned that the Caesar and his allies had withdrawn their troops from the frontier and there was no enemy to fight with. Thus they won a moral victory that increased their prestige manifold and, that too, without shedding a drop of blood. In this connection, it is pertinent to point out that the general impression given by the historians of the campaigns of the Holy Prophet about the Campaign of Tabuk is not correct. They relate the event in a way as if the news of the mustering of the Roman armies near the Arabian frontier was itself false. The fact is that the Caesar had begun to muster his armies, but the Holy Prophet forestalled him and arrived on the scene before he could make full preparations for the invasion. Therefore, believing that "discretion is the better part of valor," he withdrew his armies from the frontier. For he had not forgotten that the three thousand fighters for the cause of Islam had rendered helpless his army one hundred thousand strong at M'utah. He could not, therefore, even with an army of two hundred thousand, dare to fight against an army of thirty thousand, and that, too, under the leadership of the Holy Prophet himself. When the Holy Prophet found that the Caesar had withdrawn his forces from the frontier, he considered thee question whether it would be worthwhile to march into the Syrian territory or to halt at Tabuk and turn his moral victory to political and strategical advantage. He decided on the latter course and made a halt for twenty days at Tabuk. During this time, he brought pressure on the small states that lay between the Roman Empire and the Islamic State and were at that time under the influence of the Romans, and subdued and made them the tributaries of the Islamic State. For instance, some Christian chiefs Ukaidir bin Abdul Malik Kindi of Dumatul Jaiidal, Yuhanna bin D'obah of Allah, and the chiefs of Maqna, Jarba' and Azruh also submitted and agreed to pay Jizyah to the Islamic State of Al- Madinah. As a result of this, the boundaries of the Islamic State were extended right up to the Roman Empire, and the majority of the Arab clans, who were being used by the Caesar against Arabia, became the allies of the Muslims against the Romans. Above all, this moral victory of Tabuk afforded a golden opportunity to the Muslims to strengthen their hold on Arabia before entering into a long conflict with the Romans. For it broke the back of those who had still been expecting that the old order of 'ignorance' might revive in the near future, whether they were the open upholders of shirk or the hypocrites who were hiding their shirk under the garb of Islam. The majority of such people were compelled by the force of circumstances to enter into the fold of Islam and, at least, make it possible for their descendants to become true Muslims. After this a mere impotent minority of the upholders of the old order was left in the field, but it could not stand in the way of the Islamic Revolution for the perfection of which Allah had sent His Messenger. Problems of the Period If we keep in view the preceding background, we can easily find out the problems that were confronting the Community at that time. They were: to make the whole of Arabia a perfect Dar-ul-Islam, to extend the influence of Islam to the adjoining countries, to crush the mischiefs of the hypocrites, and to prepare the Muslims for Jihad against the non- Muslim world. Now that the administration of the whole of Arabia had come in the hands of the Believers, and all the opposing powers had become helpless, it was necessary to make a clear declaration of that policy which was to be adopted to make her a perfect Dar-ul-Islam. Therefore the following measures were adopted: A clear declaration was made that all the treaties with the mushriks were abolished and the Muslims would be released from the treaty obligations with them after a respite of four months.(vv. 1-3). This declaration was necessary for uprooting completely the system of life based on shirk and to make Arabia exclusively the center of Islam so that it should not in any way interfere with the spirit of Islam nor become an internal danger for it. A decree was issued that the guardianship of the Ka`abah, which held central position in all the affairs of Arabia, should be wrested from the mushriks and placed permanently in the hands of the Believers, (vv. 12-18) that all the customs and practices of the shirk of the era of 'ignorance' should be forcibly abolished: that the mushriks should not be allowed even to come near the "House" (v. 28). This was to eradicate every trace of shirk from the "House" that was dedicated exclusively to the worship of Allah. The evil practice of Nasi, by which they used to tamper with the sacred months in the days of 'ignorance', was forbidden as an act of kufr (v. 37). This was also to serve as an example to the Muslims for eradicating every vestige of the customs of ignorance from the life of Arabia (and afterwards from the lives of the Muslims everywhere). In order to enable the Muslims to extend the influence of Islam outside Arabia, they were enjoined to crush with sword the non- Muslim powers and to force them to accept the sovereignty of the Islamic State. As the great Roman and Iranian Empires were the biggest hindrances in the way, a conflict with them was inevitable. The object of Jihad was not to coerce them to accept Islam they were free to accept or not to accept it-but to prevent them from thrusting forcibly their deviations upon others and the coming generations. The Muslims were enjoined to tolerate their misguidance only to the extent that they might have the freedom to remain misguided, if they chose to be so, provided that they paid Jizyah (v. 29) as a sign of their subjugation to the Islamic State. The third important problem was to crush the mischiefs of the hypocrites, who had hitherto been tolerated in spite of their flagrant crimes. Now that there was practically no pressure upon them from outside, the Muslims were enjoined to treat them openly as disbelievers (v. 73). Accordingly, the Holy Prophet set on fire the house of Swailim, where the hypocrites used to gather for consultations in order to dissuade the people from joining the expedition to Tabuk. Likewise on his return from Tabuk, he ordered to pull down and burn the 'Mosque' that had been built to serve as a cover for the hypocrites for hatching plots against the true Believers. In order to prepare the Muslims for Jihad against the whole non-Muslim world, it was necessary to cure them even of that slight weakness of faith from which they were still suffering. For there could be no greater internal danger to the Islamic Community than the weakness of faith, especially where it was going to engage itself single-handed in a' conflict with the whole non-Muslim world. That is why those people who had lagged behind in the Campaign to Tabuk or had shown the least negligence were severely taken to task, and were considered as hypocrites if they had no plausible excuse for not fulfilling that obligation. Moreover, a clear declaration was made that in future the sole criterion of a Muslim's faith shall be the exertions he makes for the uplift of the Word of Allah and the role he plays in the conflict between Islam and kufr. Therefore, if anyone will show any hesitation in sacrificing his life, money, time and energies, his faith shall not be regarded as genuine. (vv. 81-96). If the above-mentioned important points are kept in view during the study of this Surah, it will facilitate the understanding of its contents. Subject: Problems of Peace and War In continuation of Surah Al-Anfal, this Surah also deals with the problems of peace and war and bases the theme on the Tabuk Expedition. Topics and their Interconnection This portion deals with the sanctity of treaties and lays down principles, rules and regulations which must be kept in view before breaking them, in case the other party does not observe them sincerely. 1 - 12 In this portion the Muslims have been urged to fight in the Way of Allah with the mushrik Arabs, the Jews and the Christians, who were duly warned of the consequences of their mischievous and inimical behavior. 13 - 37 In this discourse, the Muslims have been told clearly and explicitly that they will inherit the rewards promised by Allah only if they take active part in the conflict with kufr, for that is the criterion which distinguishes true Muslims from hypocrites. Therefore true Muslims should take active part in Jihad, without minding dangers, obstacles, difficulties, temptations and the like. 38 - 72 This portion deals with the problems of hypocrites and lays down rules and regulations governing the treatment that should be meted out to them and points out their distinctive marks from true Muslims. 73 - 90 This portion deals with the case of those who remained behind and did not accompany the Holy Prophet for Jihad to Tabuk. For this purpose they have been separated in different categories, that is, the disabled, the sick, the indigent, the hypocrites, the believers who realized their guilt and punished themselves before the return of the Holy Prophet from Tabuk and those who confessed their error. Their cases have been dealt with in accordance with the nature and extent of their offense. 91 - 110 In order to make their noble qualities look all the more conspicuous and dignified by contrast, the characteristics of the Believers have been mentioned, and they have been reassured that Allah, the Sovereign of the Universe, is their helper and guardian. Accordingly, because of their sincerity, He has forgiven the Three Believers who did not take part in the expedition. 111 - 118 In the concluding portion, general instructions have been given to the Believers for their guidance. 119 - 127 This is the conclusion: "Follow the Messenger who is gentle and compassionate and your greatest well-wisher, and trust in Allah, the Lord of the Universe". 128 - 129 Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran

Name This Surah takes its name from v. 9 in which the word (al-kahf) occurs. Period of Revelation This is the first of those Surahs which were sent down in the third stage of Prophethood at Makkah. We have already divided the life of the Holy Prophet at Makkah into four stages in the Introduction to Chapter VI. According to that division the third stage lasted from the fifth to the tenth year of Prophethood. What distinguishes this stage from the second and the fourth stages is this. During the second stage the Quraish mainly resorted to ridiculing, scoffing, threatening, tempting, raising objections and making false propaganda against the Holy Prophet and his followers in order to suppress the Islamic Movement. But during the third stage they employed the weapons of persecution, man handling and economic pressure for the same purpose. So much so that a large number of the Muslims had to emigrate from Arabia to Habash, and those who remained behind were besieged in Shi'ib Abi Talib along with the Holy Prophet and his family. To add to their misery, a complete social and economic boycott was applied against them. The only redeeming feature was that there were two personalities, Abu Talib and Hadrat Khadijah, whose personal influence had been conducive to the support of two great families of the Quraish. However, when in the tenth year of Prophethood these two persons died, the fourth stage began with such revere persecutions as forced the Holy Prophet and all his Companions to emigrate from Makkah. It appears from the theme of the Surah that it was revealed at the beginning of the third stage when in spite of persecutions and opposition, migration to Habash had not yet taken place. That is why the story of "Ashab-i-Kahf " (the Sleepers of the Cave) has been related to comfort and encourage the persecuted Muslims and to show them how the righteous people have been saving their Faith in the past. Subject and Topics This Surah was sent down in answer to the three questions which the mushriks of Makkah, in consultation with the people of the Book, had put to the Holy Prophet in order to test him. These were: (1) Who were "the Sleepers of' the Cave"? (2) What is the real story of Khidr? and (3) What do you know about Zul-Qarnain? As these three questions and the stories involved concerned the history of the Christians and the Jews, and were unknown in Hijaz, a choice of these was made to test whether the Holy Prophet possessed any source of the knowledge of the hidden and unseen things. Allah, however, not only gave a complete answer to their questions but also employed the three stories to the disadvantage of the opponents of Islam in the conflict that was going on at that time at Makkah between Islam and un-belief: The questioners were told that "the Sleepers of the Cave" believed in the same doctrine of Tauhid which was being put forward in the Quran and that their condition was similar to the condition of the persecuted Muslims of Makkah. On the other hand, the persecutors of the Sleepers of the Cave had behaved in the same way towards them as the disbelievers of the Quraish were behaving towards the Muslims. Besides this, the Muslims have been taught that even if a Believer is persecuted by a cruel society, he should not bow down before falsehood but emigrate from the place all alone, if need be, with trust in God. Incidentally the disbelievers of Makkah were told that the story of the Sleepers of the Cave was a clear proof of the creed of the Hereafter, for this showed that Allah has the power to resurrect anyone He wills even after a long sleep of death as He did in case of the Sleepers of the Cave. The story of the Sleepers of the Cave has also been used to warn the chiefs of Makkah who were persecuting the small newly formed Muslim Community. At the same time, the Holy Prophet has been instructed that he should in no case make a compromise with their persecutors nor should he consider them to be more important than his poor followers. On the other hand, those chiefs have been admonished that they should not be puffed up with the transitory life of pleasure they were then enjoying but should seek after those excellences which are permanent and eternal. The story of Khidr and Moses has been related in such a way as to supply the answer to the question of the disbelievers and to give comfort to the Believers as well. The lesson contained in this story is this "You should have full faith in the wisdom of what is happening in the Divine Factory in accordance with the will of Allah. As the reality is hidden from you, you are at a loss to understand the wisdom of what is happening, and sometimes if it appears that things are going against you, you cry out, 'How and why has this happened'. The fact is that if the curtain be removed from the "unseen", you would yourselves come to know that what is happening here is for the best. Even if some times it appears that something is going against you, you will see that in the end it also produces some good results for you. The same is true of the story of Zul-Qarnain for it also admonishes the questioners, as if to say, "0 you vain chiefs of Makkah you should learn a lesson from Zul-Qarnain. Though he was a great ruler, a great conqueror and the owner of great resources, yet he always surrendered to his Creator, whereas you are rebelling against Him even though you are insignificant chieftains in comparison with him. Besides this, though Zul-Qarnain built one of the strongest walls for protection, yet his real trust was in Allah and not in the "wall". He believed that the wall could protect him against his enemies as long as it was the will of Allah and that there would be crack and holes in it, when it would be His will : whereas you who possess only insignificant fortified abodes and dwellings in comparison with him, consider yourselves to be permanently safe and secure against all sorts of calamities." While the Quran turned the tables on the questioners who had tried to "expose" the Holy Prophet, in the end of the Surah the same things have been reiterated that were stated at its beginning: "Tauhid and the Hereafter are absolutely true and real and for your own good you should accept these doctrines, mend your ways in accordance with them and live in this world with this conviction that you are accountable to Allah: otherwise you shall ruin your life and all your doings shall be set at naught." Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran

Name This Surah takes its name, An Nur, from verse 35. Period of Revelation The consensus of opinion is that it was sent down after the Campaign against Bani al-Mustaliq and this is confirmed by vv. 11-20 that deal with the incident of the "Slander", which occurred during that Campaign. But there is a difference of opinion as to whether this Campaign took place in 5 A. H. before the Battle of the Trench or in 6 A. H. after it. It is important to decide this issue in order to determine whether this Surah was sent down earlier or Surah Al- Ahzab(XXXIII), which is the only other Surah containing the Commandments about the observance of purdah by women. Surah Al-Ahzab was admittedly sent down on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench. Now if this Battle occurred earlier, it would mean that the initial instructions in connection with the Commandments of purdah were sent down in Surah Al-Ahzab and they were complemented later by the Commandments revealed in this Surah. On the other hand, if the Campaign against Bani al-Mustaliq occurred earlier, the chronological order of the Commandments would be reversed, and it would become difficult to understand the legal wisdom and implications of the Commandments of purdah. According to Ibn Sa'd, the Campaign against Bani al Mustaliq took place in Shaban 5 A. H. and the Battle of the Trench in Zil- Qa'dah the same year. This opinion is based on some traditions from Hadarat Ayesha about the events connected with the "Slander" in which she refers to a dispute between Hadrat Sa'd bin 'Ubadah and Sa'd bin Mu'az. Hadrat Sa'd bin Mu'az, according to authentic traditions, died during the Campaign against Bani Quraizah, which took place immediately after the Battle of the Trench. It is, therefore, evident that he could not be present in 6 A. H. to take part in a dispute about the "Slander". On the other hand, Muhammad bin Ishaq says that the Battle of the Trench took place in Shawwal 5 A. H. and the Campaign against Bani al-Mustaliq in Sha'ban 6 A. H. This opinion is supported by many authentic traditions from Hadrat Ayesha and others. According to these traditions, (1) the Commandments about purdah had been sent down in Surah Al-Ahzab before the incident of the "Slander", (2) the Holy Prophet had married Hadrat Zainab in Zil-Qa'dah 5 A. H. after the Battle of the Trench, (3) Hamnah, sister of Hadrat Zainab, had taken a leading part in spreading the "Slander", just because Hadrat Ayesha was a rival of her sister. All this evidence supports the view of Muhammad bin Ishaq. Now let us consider the two opinions a little more closely. The only argument in favor of the first opinion is the mention of the presence of Hadrat Sa'd bin Mu'az in a dispute connected with the incident of the "Slander". But this argument is weakened by some other traditions from Hadrat Ayesha, in which she mentions Hadrat Usaid bin Hudair instead of Hadrat Sa'd bin Mu'az in this dispute. It may, therefore, be assumed that there has been some confusion regarding the two names in reporting the traditions. Moreover, if we accept the first opinion, just because of the mention of the name of Hadrat Sa'd bin Mu'az in some traditions, we encounter other difficulties that cannot be resolved in any way. For, in that case, we shall have to admit that the revelation of the Commandments of purdah and the Holy Prophet's marriage with Hadrat Zainab had taken place even earlier than the Battle of the Trench. But we learn from the Qur'an and many authentic traditions that both these events happened after that Battle and the Campaign against Bani Quraizah. That is why Ibn Hazm, Ibn Qayyim and some other eminent scholars have held the opinion of Muhammad bin Ishaq as correct, and we also hold it to be so. Thus, we conclude that Surah Al Ahzab was sent down earlier than Surah An-Nur, which was revealed in the latter half of 6 A. H. several months after Surah Al Ahzab. Historical Background Now let us review the circumstances existing at the time of the revelation of this surah. It should be kept in mind that the incident of the "Slander", which was the occasion of its revelation, was closely connected with the conflict between Islam and the disbelievers. After the victory at Badr, the Islamic movement began to gain strength day by day; so much so that by the time of the Battle of the Trench, it had become so strong that the united forces of the enemy numbering about ten thousand failed to crush it and had to raise the siege of Al Madinah after one month. It meant this, and both the parties understood it well, that the war of aggression which the Disbelievers had been waging for several years, had come to an end. The Holy Prophet himself declared: "After this year, the Quraish will not be able to attack you; now you will take the offensive." When the disbelievers realized that they could not defeat Islam on the battlefield, they chose the moral front to carry on the conflict. It cannot be said with certainty whether this Change of tactics was the outcome of deliberate consultations, or it was the inevitable result of the humiliating retreat in the Battle of the Trench, for which all the available forces of the enemy had been concentrated:They knew it well that the rise of Islam was nor due to the numerical strength of the Muslims nor to their superior arms and ammunition nor to their greater material resources; nay, the Muslims were fighting against fearful odds on all these fronts. They owed their success to their moral superiority. Their enemies realized that the pure and noble qualities of the Holy Prophet and his followers were capturing the hearts of the people, and were also binding them together into a highly disciplined community. As a result of this, they were defeating the mushriks and the Jews both on the peace and on the war front, because the latter lacked discipline and character. Under the above mentioned circumstances, the wicked designs of the disbelievers led them to start a campaign of vilification against the Holy Prophet and the Muslims in order to destroy the bulwark of morale that was helping them to defeat their enemies. Therefore the strategy was to attain the assistance of the hypocrites to spread slanders against the Holy Prophet and his followers so that the mushriks and the Jews could exploit these to sow the seeds of discord among the Muslims and undermine their discipline. The first opportunity for the use of the new strategy was afforded in Zil-Qa'dah 5 A. H. when the Holy Prophet married Hadrat Zainab (daughter of Jahsh), who was the divorced wife of his adopted son, Zaid bin Harithah. The Holy Prophet had arranged this marriage in order to put an end to the custom of ignorance, which gave the same status to the adopted son that was the right only of the son from one's own loins. The hypocrites, however, considered it a golden opportunity to vilify the Holy Prophet from inside the community, and the Jews and the mushriks exploited it from outside to ruin his high reputation by this malicious slander. For this purpose fantastic stories were concocted and spread to this effect: "One day Muhammad (Allah's peace be upon him) happened to see the wife of his adopted son and fell in love with her; he maneuvered her divorce and married her." Though this was an absurd fiction it was spread with such skill, cunning and artfulness that it succeeded in its purpose; so much so that some Muslim traditionalists and commentators also have cited some parts of it in their writings, and the orientalists have exploited these fully to vilify the Holy Prophet. As a matter of fact, Hadrat Zainab was never a stranger to the Holy Prophet that he should see her by chance and fall in love with her at first sight. For she was his first cousin, being the daughter of his real paternal aunt, Umaimah, daughter of Abdul Muttalib. He had known her from her childhood to her youth. A year before this incident, he himself had persuaded her to marry Hadarat Zaid in order to demonstrate practically that the Quraish and the liberated slaves were equal as human being. As she never reconciled herself to her marriage with a liberated slave, they could not pull on together for long, which inevitably led to her divorce. The above mentioned facts were well known to all, yet the slanderers succeeded in their false propaganda with the result that even today there are people who exploit these things to defame Islam. The second slander was made on the honor of Hadrat Ayesha, a wife of the Holy Prophet, in connection with an incident which occurred while he was returning from the Campaign against Bani al-Mustaliq. As this attack was even severer than the first one and was the main background of this Surah, we shall deal with it in greater detail. Let us say a few words about Abdullah bin Ubayy, who played the part of a villain in this attack. He belonged to the clan of Khazraj and was one of the most important chiefs of Al-Madinah. The people had even intended to make him their king a little before the Holy Prophet's migration there, but the scheme had to be dropped because of the changed circumstances. Though he had embraced Islam, he remained at heart a hypocrite and his hypocrisy was so manifest that he was called the "Chief of the Hypocrites". He never lost any opportunity to slander Islam in order to take his revenge. Now the main theme. When in Sha'ban 6 A. H. the Holy Prophet learned that the people of Bani al-Mustaliq were making preparations for a war against the Muslims and were trying to muster other clans also for this purpose, he fore- stalled and took the enemy by surprise. After capturing the people of the clan and their belongings, the Holy Prophet made a halt near Muraisi, a spring in their territory. One day a dispute concerning taking water from the spring started between a servant of Hadrat Umar and an ally of the clan of Khazraj, and developed into a quarrel between the Muhajirs(immigrants) and the Ansar(Muslims of Madinah), but was soon settled. This, however, did not suit the strategy of Abdullah bin Ubayy, who also had joined the expedition with a large number of hypocrites. So he began to incite the Ansar, saying, "You yourselves brought these people of the quraish from Makkah and made them partners in your wealth and property. And now they have become your rivals and want domination over you. If even now you withdraw your support from them, they shall be forced to leave your city." Then he swore and declared, "As soon as we reach back Al-Madinah, the respectable people will turn out the degraded people from the city." When the Holy Prophet came to know of this, he ordered the people to set off immediately and march back to Al-Madinah. The forced march continued up to noon the next day without a halt on the way so that the people became exhausted and had no time for idle talk. Though this wise judgment and quick action by the Holy Prophet averted the undesirable consequences of the mischief, Abdullah bin Ubayy got another opportunity for doing a far more serious and greater mischief, i. e. by engineering a "Slander" against Hadrat Ayesha, for that was a mischief which might well have involved the young Muslim Community in a civil war, if the Holy Prophet and his sincere and devoted followers had not shown wisdom, forbearance and marvelous discipline in dealing with it. In order to understand the events that led to the incident of the "Slander", we cite the story in Hadrat 'Ayesha's own words. She says : "Whenever the Holy Prophet went out on a journey, he decided by lots as to which of his wives should accompany him. Accordingly, it was decided that I should accompany him during the expedition to Bani al Mustaliq. On the return journey, the Holy Prophet halted for the night at a place which was the last stage on the way back to Al- Madinah. It was still night, when they began to make preparations for the march. So I went outside the camp to ease myself. When I returned and came near my halting place, I noticed that my necklace had fallen down somewhere. I went back in search for it but in the meantime the caravan moved off and I was left behind all alone. The four carriers of the litter had placed it on my camel without noticing that it was empty. This happened because of my light weight due to lack of food in those days. I wrapped myself in my sheet and lay down in the hope that when it would be found that I had been left behind, a search party would come back to pick me up. In the meantime I fell asleep. In the morning, when Safwan bin Mu'attal Sulami passed that way, he saw me and recognized me for he had seen me several times before the Commandment about purdah had been sent down. No sooner did he see me than he stopped his camel and cried out spontaneously : "How sad! The wife of the Holy Prophet has been left here!" At this I woke up all of a sudden and covered my face with my sheet. Without uttering another word, he made his camel kneel by me and stood aside, while I climbed on to the camel back. He led the camel by the nose-string and we overtook the caravan at about noon, when it had just halted and nobody had yet noticed that I had been left behind. I learnt afterwards that this incident had been used to slander me and Abdullah bin Ubayy was foremost among the slanderers.(According to other traditions, when Hadrat Ayesha reached the camp on the camel, led by Safwan, and it was known that she had been left behind, Abdullah bin Ubayy cried out, 'By God, she could not have remained chaste. Look, there comes the wife of your Prophet openly on the camel led by the person with whom she passed the night.') "When I reached Al-Madinah, I fell ill and stayed in bed for more than a month. Though I was quite unaware of it, the news of the "Slander" was spreading like a scandal in the city, and had also reached the Holy Prophet. Anyhow, I noticed that he did not seem as concerned about my illness he used to be. He would come but without addressing me directly, would inquire from others how I was and leave the house. Therefore it troubled my mind that something had gone wrong somewhere. So I took leave of him and went to my mother's house for better nursing. "While I was there, one night I went out of the city to ease myself in the company of Mistah's mother, who was a first cousin of my mother. As she was walking along she stumbled over something and cried out spontaneously, 'May Mistah perish!' To this I retorted, 'What a good mother you are that you curse your own son -- the son who took part in the Battle of Badr.' She replied, 'My dear daughter, are you not aware of his scandal mongering?' Then she told me everything about the campaign of the "Slander".(Besides the hypocrites, some true Muslims also had been involved in this campaign, and among them who took leading part in it, were Mistah, Hassan bin Thabit, the famous poet of Islam, and Hamnah, daughter of Jahsh and sister of Hadrat Zainab). Hearing this horrible story, my blood curdled, and I immediately returned home, and passed the rest of the night in crying over it. "During my absence the Holy Prophet took counsel with Ali and Usamah bin Zaid about this matter. Usamah said good words about me to this effect:'O Messenger of Allah, we have found nothing but good in your wife. All that is being spread about her is a lie and calumny.' As regards Ali, he said, 'O Messenger of Allah, there is no dearth of women; you may, if you like, marry an other wife. If, how- ever, you would like to investigate into the matter, you may send for her maid servant and inquire into it through her.' Accordingly, the maid servant was sent for and questioned. She replied, 'I declare on an oath by Allah, Who has sent you with the Truth, that I have never seen any evil thing in her, except that she falls asleep when I tell her to look after the kneaded dough in my absence and a goat comes and eats it.' "On that same day the Holy Prophet addressed the people from the pulpit, saying:'O Muslims, who from among you will defend my honor against the attacker of the person who has transgressed all bounds in doing harm to me by slandering my wife. By God, I have made a thorough inquiry and found nothing wrong with her nor with the man, whose name has been linked with the "Slander". At this Usaid bin Hudair (or Sa'd bin Mauz) according to other traditions) stood up and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, if that person belongs to our clan, we will kill him by ourselves, but if he belongs to the Khazraj clan, we will kill him if you order us to do so.' Hearing this Sa'd bin 'Ubadah, chief of the Khazraj clan, stood up and said, 'You lie you can never kill him. You are saying this just because the person belongs to our clan of Khazraj. Had he belonged to your clan, you would never have said so.' Hadrat Usaid retorted, 'You are a hypocrite: that is why you are defending a hypocrite.' At this, there was a general turmoil in the mosque, which would have developed into a riot, even though the Holy Prophet was present there the whole time. But he cooled down their anger and came down from the pulpit." The remaining details of the incident will be cited along with our commentary on the Text, which honorably absolved Hadrat Aishah from the blame. But here we would only want to point out the enormity of the mischief that was engineered by Abdullah bin Ubayy: (1) It implied an attack on the honor of the Holy Prophet and Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq.(2) He meant to undermine the high moral superiority which was the greatest asset of the Islamic Movement (3) He intended to ignite civil war between the Muhajirs and the Ansar, and between Aus and Khazraj, the two clans of the Ansar. Theme and Topics This Surah and vv. 28-73 of Surah Al-Ahzab(of which this is the sequel) were sent down to strengthen the moral front, which at that time was the main target of the attack, vv. 28-73 of Al-Ahzab were sent down concerning the Holy Prophet's marriage with Hadrat Zainab, and on the occasion of the second attack (the "Slander" about Hadrat Aishah), Surah An-Nur was sent down to repair the cracks that had appeared in the unity of the Muslim Community. If we keep this in view during the study of the two Surahs, we shall understand the wisdom that underlies the Commandments about purdah. Allah sent the following instructions to strengthen and safeguard the moral front, and to counteract the storm of propaganda that was raised on the occasion of the marriage of Hazrat Zainab: The wives of the Holy Prophet were enjoined to remain within their private quarters, to avoid display of adornments and to be cautious in their talk with other persons (vv. 32, 33). The other Muslims were forbidden to enter the private rooms of the Holy Prophet and instructed to ask whatever they wanted from behind the curtain.(v. 53). A line of demarcation was drawn between the mahram and the non-mahram relatives. Only the former were allowed to enter the private rooms of those wives of the Holy Prophet with whom they were so closely related as to prohibit marriage with them.(v. 55). The Muslims were told that the wives of the Prophet were prohibited for them just like their own real mothers; therefore every Muslim should regard them with the purest of intentions.(vv. 53, 54). The Muslims were warned that they would invite the curse and scourge of Allah if they offended the Holy Prophet. Likewise it was a heinous sin to attack the honor of or slander any Muslim man or woman.(vv. 57, 58). All the Muslim women were enjoined to cover their faces with their sheets if and when they had to go out of their houses.(v. 59). On the occasion of the second attack, this Surah was sent down to keep pure and strengthen the moral fiber of the Muslim society, which had been shaken by the enormity of the slander. We give below a summary of the Commandments and instructions in their chronological order so that one may understand how the Qur'an makes use of the psychological occasion to reform the Community by the adoption of legal, moral and social measures. Fornication which had already been declared to be a social crime (IV: 15,16) was now made a criminal offense and was to be punished with a hundred lashes. It was enjoined to boycott the adulterous men and women and the Muslims were forbidden to have any marriage relations with them. The one, who accused the other of adultery but failed to produce four witnesses, was to be punished with eighty lashes. The Law of Li'an was prescribed to decide the charge of adultery against his own fife by a husband. The Muslims were enjoined to learn a lesson from the incident of the "Slander" about Hadrat Aishah, as if to say, "You should be very cautious in regard to charges of adultery against the people of good reputation, and should not spread these; nay, you should refute and suppress them immediately." In this connection, a general principle was enunciated that the proper spouse for a pure man is a pure woman, for he cannot pull on with a wicked woman for long, and the same is the case with a pure woman, as if to say, "When you knew that the Holy Prophet was a pure man, nay, the purest of all human beings, how could you believe that he had experienced happiness with a wicked woman and exalted her as the most beloved of his wives? For it was obvious that an adulterous woman could not have been able to deceive, with her affected behavior, a pure man like the Holy Prophet. You ought also to have considered the fact that the accuser was a mean person while the accused was a pure woman. This should have been enough to convince you that the accusation was not worth your consideration; nay, it was not even conceivable. Those who spread news and evil rumors and propagate wickedness in the Muslim Community, deserve punishment and not encouragement. A general principle was laid down that relations in the Muslim Community should be based on good faith and not on suspicion: everyone should be treated as innocent unless he is proved to be guilty and vice versa. The people were forbidden to enter the houses of others unceremoniously and were instructed to take permission for this. Both men and women were instructed to lower their gaze and forbidden to cast glances or make eyes at each other. Women were enjoined to cover their heads and breasts even inside their houses. Women were forbidden to appear with make-up before other men except their servants or such relatives with whom their marriage is prohibited. They were enjoined to hide their make-ups when they went out of their houses, and even forbidden to put on jingling ornaments, while they moved out of their houses. Marriage was encouraged and enjoined even for slaves and slave girls, for unmarried people help spread indecency. The institution of slavery was discouraged and the owners and other people were enjoined to give financial help to the slaves to earn their freedom under the law of Mukatabat. Prostitution by slave girls was forbidden in the first instance, for prostitution in Arabia was confined to this class alone. This in fact implied the legal prohibition of prostitution. Sanctity of privacy in home life was enjoined even for servants and under age children including one's own. They were enjoined not to enter the private rooms of any man or woman without permission; especially in the morning, at noon and at night. Old women were given the concession that they could set aside their head covers within their houses but should refrain from display of adornments. Even they were told that it was better for them to keep themselves covered with head wrappers. The blind, lame, crippled and sick persons were allowed to take any article of food from the houses of other people without permission, for it was not to be treated like theft and cheating, which are cognizable offenses. On the other hand, the Muslims were encouraged to develop mutual relationships by taking their meals together, and the nearest relatives and intimate friends were allowed to take their meals in each other's house without any formal invitation. This was to produce mutual affection and sincere relationships between them to counteract any future mischief. Side by side with these instructions, clear signs of the Believers and the hypocrites were stated to enable every Muslim to discriminate between the two. At the same time the Community was bound together by adopting disciplinary measures in order to make it stronger and firmer than it was at the time so as to discourage the enemies from creating mischief in it. Above all, the most conspicuous thing about this discourse is that it is free from the bitterness which inevitably follows such shameful and absurd attacks. Instead of showing any wrath at this provocation, the discourse prescribes some laws and regulations and enjoins reformative commandments and issues wise instructions that were required at the time for the education and training of the Community. Incidentally, this teaches us how to deal with such provocative mischiefs coolly, wisely and generously. At the same time, it is a clear proof that this is not the word of Prophet Muhammad (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) but of a Being Who is observing all human conditions and affairs from the highest level, and guiding mankind without any personal prejudices, feelings and leanings. Had this been the word of the Holy Prophet; there would have been at least some tinge of natural bitterness in spite of his great generosity and forbearance, for it is but human that a noble man naturally become enraged when his own honor is attacked in this mean manner. Source: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Quran

This episode features part 2 of Aaron’s conversation with Don Rassler. If you haven’t heard part 1 you can find it here. This two part series is based on Don’s article, “Situating the Emergence of the Islamic State of Khorasan,” in the CTC Sentinel. This episode covers a variety of topics related to the Islamic State in the AfPak region, including: Important events since Don’s article came out in March The relevance of the Afghan Taliban to younger generations How the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan plays into this situation Al Qaeda’s relevance to, and role in, the region How the presence of the Islamic State could affect the Afghan peace process This episode also features our #SocialMedia segment, covering postings from July 11th to July 22nd. Links: Mr. Don Rassler | Combating Terrorism Center at West Point Don Rassler (@DonRassler) | Twitter TTP Says That Baghdadi’s Caliphate Is Not Islamic—But Is Anyone Listening? by Dur-e-Aden on Jihadology.net The podcast is produced by Karl Morand. If you have feedback you can email podcast@jihadology.net or find us on Twitter: @JihadPod.

The George Washington University’s Marc Lynch, director of the Project on Middle East Political Science, speaks with François Burgat, senior researcher at CNRS at the Institut de Recherches et d’Etudes sur le Monde Arabe et Musulman (IREMAM) in Aix-en-Provence, France and principal investigator of When Authoritarianism Fails in the Arab World. Burgat’s research focuses on politics in the contemporary Arab world and Islamism with a concentration on Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. He is the author of Islamism in the Shadow of al Qaeda (2008), Face to Face with Political Islam (2002), and The Islamic Movement in North Africa (1997). Lynch and Burgat discuss the evolution of Islamic Movements and current dynamics in political Islam.

The George Washington University’s Marc Lynch, director of the Project on Middle East Political Science, speaks with François Burgat, senior researcher at CNRS at the Institut de Recherches et d’Etudes sur le Monde Arabe et Musulman (IREMAM) in Aix-en-Provence, France and principal investigator of When Authoritarianism Fails in the Arab World. Burgat’s research focuses on politics in the contemporary Arab world and Islamism with a concentration on Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and Iran. He is the author of Islamism in the Shadow of al Qaeda (2008), Face to Face with Political Islam (2002), and The Islamic Movement in North Africa (1997). Lynch and Burgat discuss the evolution of Islamic Movements and current dynamics in political Islam.

Sheikh Raid Salah and the Islamic Movement in Israel (pt. 1)