DR. ISRAR AHMED

Though the Muslim Ummah as a whole gets strayed every now and then from the true path, Allah (SWT) oft sends blessings and guides for humanity in the form of individuals, be they pious saints or religious scholars.

Dr. Israr Ahmad is one such individual. An encyclopedia of knowledge, to be precise. His speeches and talks are probably most effective because he is an educated scholar (medical doctorate) and also has constant interaction with the masses, especially the youth through his Sam'o Basar (Audio/Video) Department at the Tanzeem-e-Islami, which uploads each of his Friday sermons.

This is quite surprising, considering the fact that most people consider him to be like the rest of the cocooned-up scholars whose teachings are mostly limited within the frameworks of their mosques. As Dr. Israr puts it: "Many religious scholars are "dams" of knowledge... in the sense that they posess tons of valuable knowledge, but all of that is useless unless the "water" or knowledge is allowed to pass through the barriers so that it can fertilise the "soil" or the masses"

Dr. Israr Ahmad started his da'wah career from his late teenage years i.e. when he was about 19 or 20 years old. He was a prominent member and later Head of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba of the Jamaat-e-Islami. Also being an aide of Maulana Maududi himself, Dr. Israr learned a lot from his tafseer, alogn with those of Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani and others. But he left the Jamaat in 1957 because he sensed early on that the Jamaat had deviated from its aims and objectives. During pre-partition, there was loud-talk of establishing an Islamic Government. Sadly, the Jamaat decided to enter national electoral politics soon after partition, which was a big mistake, as it later proved to be the main cause for the Jamaat's downfall and the abuse target of people.

Dr. Israr admits that his Tanzeem is also political, but not with respect to electoral politics. It is political with respect to teaching, upbringing and leading the masses by the Help of Allah (SWT), that also not by electing people but rather by nurturing the masses with the teachings of pure social Islam as a Just World Order. Not the conspiratorial New World Order, the system of Dajjal that is getting ever more popular these days around the world.

The Tanzeem-e-Islami is a unique organisation in the sense that it solely is struggling and striving for the establishment of the true Islamic system of life, Khilafah or Caliphate. That too, not by guns and swords or suicide bombings, as some rumour-mongers allege, but briefly by the following methods:

> TEACHING THE ARABIC LANGUAGE & THE QUR'AN
> TEACHING THE HADI'TH
> TEACHING HOW TO LIVE ONE'S LIFE PRACTICALLY ACCORDING TO THE SHARIAH
> CONSTANT REFRESHMENT OF EDUCATION

The revolution in Iran was not carried out by armed combat. People were taught about the importance of Islam as a system and hence were also ordered to stand ground silently even if killed. It was a very bloody move, many Iranians peacefully gave up their lives to the Shah's regime. It was then that the Shah realised that there was no stopping the people... they had been indoctrinated with meaningful literature and powerful writings... just like Karl Marx's writings led people to put up Communism in the former USSR.

Dr. Israr verily states that Islam is not merely a religion, as the word itself is a very limited term referring just to some forms of worship, social customs and a specific dogma. And surprisingly, the Arabic word for religion is madhab. Which is used nowhere for Islam in The Qur'an or Hadi'th literature! Amazing! Then what word is used for Islam? That word is deen, which basically means a way of life, a system of life.

Allah is the Owner of the Day of Judgment (maaliki yaumid-deen, Al-Fatiha, V3). The word deen is used for judgment. A judgment is definitely made in the conformity of a particular judicial system. Similarly: It is He Who Has sent His Messenger (Muhammad SAW) with Guidance (Qur'an) and the True System of Life (Islam) [Al-Fath : 28]. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) not only left us The Qur'an but also with the True System of Life i.e. the Islamic politico-socio-economic system.

Deen, when pressurized from all sides and rounded to the corner, becomes a religion. Before independence, the Sub-Continental populace was on British Deen i.e. the system of the British Imperialist Forces. Hence, we should be following the Deen of Allah, or the Deen Al-Haq (the True Way of Life).

I advise all of you to watch Dr. Israr's programs on Peace TV. The schedule is:

"RAH-E-HIDAYAT" (Path to Guidance): Mon-Sat @ 4 p.m., repeats on 10 p.m.
"RAB KA NIZAAM" (The Lord's System): Every Sunday (timing changes)

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