Awaz the voice

Eman Sakina One of the important characteristics of a Muslim is that he remains in a positive state of mind, whatever the circumstances. He tries for the best and looks for wisdom. A Muslim is never in despair, not even in the most difficult moments. That is because they believe that Allah is the Creator of all things; that He has the power to create whatever He wants by saying to “Be!” Friday Musings The faithful knows that any trying times, he finds himself in, are a God-sent test. He takes things in his stride, recalling what Allah Almighty has advised him: “...it may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know.” (Qur’an, 2:216) For a Muslim with such a deep soul, everything works out well. Whatever the hardship or trouble, it is Allah Who bestows it onto that person. He is the protector and helper of believers. Everything that Allah, the Almighty, has made is for the best and is fil

Cinema halls across the country and especially Hyderabad are fully booked in advance for the opening show of Pathan, the much-awaited Shah Rukh Khan's Hindi film that was also the target of boycott gangs some time ago. Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan counted among the most followed people in the world has come up with his film after a hiatus of four years. Pathan is due for release across India on  January 25, Shahrukh Khan’s movie has been in controversy ever since the release of its Besharam track featuring Deepika Padukone and Khan. Various right-wing politicians objected to certain scenes calling for its boycott and a ban on its release. However, the censor board made changes in the film before allowing its release. In the pre-booking, the cine lovers are showing a good response. On Thursday, the Book My Show site crashed due to the rush of booking tickets for the opening show. Film critics are predicting a grand comeback of King Khan as the cine-goers are buying even overpri

Shabir Hussain/Kargil (Ladakh) When an elderly patient who had suffered a paralytic stroke was carried to the District Hospital of Kargil’s emergency, the case was referred to the hospital’s Neuro Surgeon Dr. Mohd Abbas. Dr. Abbas realized that this 65-year-old patient had suffered from RT-sided Paralysis as the left lobe of his brain showed hematoma (Blood clot due to bleeding). He had to make some quick calculations to ensure the life of his patient is saved. In such cases, the doctor’s quick and timely reaction is what makes the difference between life and death. Dr. Abbas knew that his hospital is not fully equipped for conducting the risky and complicated brain surgery that his patient needs without delay. Flying him to Srinagar or Leh would mean the loss of precious time.   Dr Mohd Abbas, Dr Asif and Dr Shazia and their team operating on the patient  After speaking with the family members of the patient and getting their nod, Dr. Abbas quickly decided to conduct the surgery on th

 The 811th annual Urs of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti began with flag hoisting in Ajmer, Rajasthan Thursday evening with a 21-gun salute and the flag-hoisting ceremony at the mausoleum of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisty, the leading Sufi saint of Indian sub-continent. The formal religious function will start as soon as the new moon of Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar is sighted on January 23. The Flag hoisting was done by Fakhruddin Ghori of the Bhilwara family. The procession started from Garib Nawaz Guest House located at Dargah in Ajmer after the Urs prayers. Drummers accompanied the procession and reached the dargah via the Nizam Gate from Langarkhana street. Meanwhile, the Qawwali, a special genre of music devoted to Sufism, was also played at the dargah. The devotees managed to break the barricade placed around the flag to kiss it in reverence of the Saint who is also called Gharib Nawaz (The benefactor of the poor). Before the dargah was illuminated, the flag was hoisted ove

Kashmir’s Abid Fayaz and Danish Mushtaq, the class 12 students, have developed a model to make mathematics learning easy. Their model resembles a wooden box with angles marked on it. It can be used as such and also online. In the latter mode, it has to be connected to a mobile phone application, which is further connected to a Wireless Local Area Network. According to the Kashmir Life portal, the application provides a variety of options related to the properties of angles like corresponding angles, opposite angles, etc. The model works by highlighting the angles on the board when a user selects an option in the application.  This model will give students a better understanding of the properties of the angles, especially for middle and high school level students. Abid Fayaz and Danish Mushtaq with their model (Image Courtesy: Kashmir Life) Abid and Danish are students in 12th standard at the Boys Higher Secondary School, Zainakote with mathematics as the main subject. “Since childhood,

Shujaat Ali Quadri Chhoti Beri of Nagaur in Rajasthan was dotted with shanties till a few years back. Today, the village scene has changed: big and palatial houses with modern amenities inside have sprung up. People no longer wear only coarse clothes; they are donning colorful clothes made of attractive fabric. The village is home to some 400 Kayamkhani caste people; 95 percent of them Muslims, who have preserved their traditions. Former Sarpanch Captain Kasim Khan said that no villager drinks alcohol nor do they accept interest on money as both are considered against the tenets of Islam. The Kayamkhani caste has a history: Kayam Singh, the son of the Chauhan king of Daderwa, was converted to Islam during the time of Emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq in Delhi. However, while he became a Muslim, the progeny of his brothers remained Hindus with Chauhan Rajput as their caste. Even after becoming Muslims, the Rajput culture remained intact with the family of Kayam Singh, whose successors are call

Ehsan Fazili/Srinagar Doodpathri, a magnificent Pine fringed meadow with many streams crisscrossing it, is the newest resort ready to welcome tourists from all over the world in winter in Kashmir. Located in the Budgam district, Doodpathri is already a must-visit for tourists in the summer. The Tourism department recently declared it open for winter tourism. Earlier Pahalgam, Sonamarg, and Yusmarg were opened for the same. The Kashmir valley attracted the largest ever - more than 22 lakh tourists - in 2022. Over some time the authorities have been exploring the hitherto lesser-known areas for creating facilities with a view to adding these to the tourism circuit, particularly during the winter which was a lean period for tourism-dependent people. Besides, the Tourism department is also developing 75 villages across the Union territory as Tourist villages. “We are keeping the destination open this winter to promote it as a winter tourist destination,” said Dr. Nargis Suriya, Chief Execu

The central government filed a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court justifying its eighth successive ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) as an 'unlawful association'. The Centre told the SC that 'any organisation that has the objective of establishing Islamic rule in India cannot be permitted to exist.' They should not be allowed to be perpetuated in our secular society, the Centre further added. The Centre has filed an affidavit pertaining to a petition challenging the ban on SIMI. The affidavit was considered on Wednesday by a bench led by justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, which is seized of a petition filed by a former SIMI member challenging the 2019 ban order of a tribunal constituted under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). The Centre, in its affidavit, submitted alleged, "SIMI objectives are contrary to the country's laws as the organisation aims to mobilize students and youth in the propagation of Islam and obtain support for

Mukut Sharma/Guwahati Bajali in western Assam's Barpeta has earned the reputation of producing many talents in the field of education. Another such new talent is Illias Khan Rana. Illias who secured first position in Chemistry in the postgraduate examination from IIT Guwahati was recently honoured with an honorary Ph.D. degree from the College of Arts and Sciences at Stony Brook University in New York City, USA. Rana, the only son of the late Bilayet Hussain Khan and retired Superintendent of Khandakarpara High School Hamida Begum had earlier secured fifth place in the State in the High School Leaving Certificate Examination or Matriculation examination and fourth place in the Higher Secondary Examination (Plus II final examination). "I am elated to get the opportunity to do my Ph.D. in the United States. I applied to several universities and recently received an offer to do my Ph.D. from Stony Brook University in New York,” Illias said in a conversation with Awaz-The Voice. I

Atir Khan In the fast-moving world of disruptions, nations and communities are looking inwards at the big picture trying to find space for themselves. Indian Muslims also need to do some introspection for the larger good. The learnings from the worldwide disruptions last year tell us moderation is the key to human survival. Saudi Arabia, a country where Islam originated has started opening itself up to the unthinkable ideas, which were taboo until a couple of years ago. Indian Muslims should not be any exception and they must explore ways of moderation with the changing times and practice moderate Islam as a way of life. This does not mean they should compromise with the teaching of the Quran and Hadis. But the right interpretation is what is required today. Opening of the window of  ijtihad  – free and independent thinking based on reason - without departing from the Holy Scriptures, but thinking through the implications of scripture creatively need to be encouraged. Muslim scholars h

Saeed Naqvi  How would the Indian media respond if 6,00,000 people of Indian origin lost power in perpetuity on a remote Pacific island? Even if they had been incarcerated, I suspect the reaction would have been the same – ask Reuters to file more details.  When I read last week in The Economist a 1,000-word report on Fijian strongman Sitiveni Rabuka installed as the island nation’s Prime Minister for the third time, my mind went back to the frightful anti-Indian coup staged by this very gent in 1987.  The Sunday Story A series of coups and Prime Ministerships has made Rabuka a familiar figure. Searching for him in the summer of 1987 was like looking for the yeti.  What had happened was this. After the first ship bringing Indian labourers to Fiji under the indenture system in the 19th century, devised to circumvent the abolition of slaves in 1833, the Indian population just grew and grew. There was plenty of work on the sugar plantations and plenty of Ngona, and Fijian bhang to relax o