Our relationship with Nature should be one of stewardship, not mastery. By Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz The Quran teaches us that human beings have been placed on planet Earth as God’s khalifa or vicegerent. In other words, we are guardians or custodians, not owners, of this planet. Accordingly, our relationship with Nature should be one of…
By Dr Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz What makes a person what she is? In many cases, it is the opportunities that she gets in life, which are generally shaped by which family she was born in. In many societies, a large section of people are deprived of opportunities. I always studied in government schools and colleges.…
Shahin Ashraf Ali’s collection of short stories has some wonderful tips and fun activities that your kid will love By Vidhya Thakkar What made you write this book (Super Stories With Tips and Activities)? I believe it was an epiphany. During every academic year, one day my alma mater Duruelo Convent High School, Bandra had…
It was only when I started trying to study the Quran myself in translation that I began to realise and appreciate the broad understanding of duties that according to the Quran are binding on us. By Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz The Quran refers to several things that are duties binding on us. In fact, in Surah…
As Muslims began to move away from the Quran, their understanding of knowledge and learning also began to change. By Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz That Muslims were once leaders in many fields of knowledge is a fact that is readily acknowledged even by many non-Muslim scholars. The early Muslims’ contributions to various sciences were truly impressive.…
The resources of this planet aren’t meant only for human beings. Rather, they are meant for all forms of life. By Mohammad Aslam Parvaiz This planet, with its many bounties, is our home while we live here. But it isn’t just for human beings that God created the earth. God prepared and created it for…
The Quran must be interpreted in every age with all the sorts of relevant knowledge that are available in that age. This verse, being part of the Quran, will be read in exactly the same way, till the last day, the Day of Judgment. So, we can take it to mean that the process of…
There is no reason why students of Urdu-medium schools should not be enabled to speak excellent English. I am from Old Delhi. I was born in Ballimaran our house was just a short distance from where the famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib had lived. Ours was an Urdu-speaking family. I studied in an Urdu-medium government…
If God is already so close to us, what does getting close to God mean? It means to be coloured in God’s colour, to adopt, imbibe and reflect God’s attributes. Practising justice is a cardinal Islamic teaching. One can conceive of the practice of justice in different ways. One way is to consider how far…
The Quran has 6,236 verses, none of which tell the faithful to stifle blasphemy by force. By Mustafa Akyol The agony of Asia Bibi, a 54-year-old Roman Catholic and mother of five, shows there is something rotten in her country, Pakistan “ and in the broader world of Islam. She was arrested for blasphemy in 2009…
