By: Syed Mustafa AhmadSyedmustafaahmad9@gmail.com Covid-19 brought many problems with it. The problems are social , political , economic , health problems, moral , etc. All but health problems are visible. People, being closer, are far apart from each other, businesses are shut and poverty is increasing with each passing day, governments don’t have any other concern but how to respond to the grievances of the people, who are shattered due to the novel Corona Virus, people or students misbehave or have become aggressive due to the pandemic; however, there are many health problems that are invisible. Anxiety, depression, forgetting, mental fatigue, intellectual stagnation, etc., are hidden. All are dangerous, but the new trend that I have been experiencing among my students, is that they forget things. I run a private coaching centre, where I have come the cases where students tell me plainly that sir, I am unable to do the assignments and homework due to forgetting. This thing motivated me to write the article. I have been thinking about for a long time and I have come to conclude that it not only is pandemic, but there are other factors that have supported the pandemic to make our students a burden for themselves as well for society. In the coming lines, the causes responsible for this are discussed. The first is Covid-19. It has restricted the movements of students. They are confined to their homes. Their mental horizon is narrowed. They are only used to the fear of the novel Corona virus, that will spread to them. It brings anxiety. It restricts your social horizon, political horizon, economic horizon, etc., as they fear in touching each other. In this way, they are lost in the world of isolation, where others have no entry. In this vaccum, students forget basic things. As already said, their lives are so narrowed that there is minimal area in their minds to tread upon. The second is Covid-induced smartphone addiction. Apart from many miseries, one of the miseries it brought with it, is the addiction of smartphones. From a kid to the university scholar, all are busy in so-called online classes. However, a majority of them are busy in some other things like games, video making, useless chats, etc. Lost in the virtual world has made them lose contact with the actual world. It has become necessary for them to remember the things related to the virtual world than the actual world. It has consequences in the form of forgetting. I remember that students remember efficiently how many likes and dislikes they get on the social media. In this way, they have no inclination towards the basic things of life like food, shelter, clothing, education, etc. The third is negative concept of globalization. When the pandemic hit the world, at that time, globalization had spread its wings far and wide. In this coincidental situation, remaining at homes and embracing the modern technology, acted as the last nail in the coffin. Now, anybody who doesn’t have technical know how, in the form of a smartphone, is considered illiterate and unfit to live. It would have been like this: technology in the restricted manner, while having a close contact with the nature. However, it is vice versa. The negative concept of globalization or technology has made it hard to live the actual lives, but the life of forgetting. The fourth and last is our societal behaviour. We behave in an awkward manner with our children. They, at this moment, need support and care. Leave competition for a moment. Enjoy time with them. Make them optimistic that this time will go away. Those days will come back when everything was good. They will go through this difficult time in this manner. However, its opposite can be dangerous. So, the need of the hour is to make a long-term arrangement for the future of our students, by safeguarding their present. They need our attention. Calmly try to listen to them and make it possible that they take interest in the homely things as well. Forgetting is a beginning of the chain of diseases. If God forbid, the present situation remains as it is, we may a tsunami of diseases among the children. Let us rise to the occasion and prove mature.
Politics of purdah (1) Zainab Maqbool (Shaista Zainab)
And I encountered the politics.Of Purdah.Purdah -that enveloped them from head to toe.Revered them the most ; among others.And evinced : staunch faith , righteousness, piety .Faith- sadly ; that God even can’t weighAnd, measure in the folds of purdah ; as he is disinterested.Purdah – that covered their physical frame .And why would one not revere these appearancesAppearances – that are deceptive ,As the misnomer ‘ burka ‘ for it .Where the nubs leading to it lay naked ! As the shingles of the world !The eyes !The heart ! The eyes that shut on truth to cherish fakery.The heart that leaps and treads on the unexpected; Nakedly disgraceful !I remember the eternal sadness in Rahi ;Long ago;Who envisioned: “No purity of heart by zam- zam but by Taqwa”Which emphasises the original meaning here of – Purdah.- Batin purdah .I read him saying : ‘zahir ‘ Purdah is only meaningful thence.
The best among you are those who bring greatest benefits to many others.
Dr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.” (Al-Tirmidhi)The best among you are those who bring greatest benefits to many others. Charity preached by every religion of the world, is a way of bringing justice to society. And justice is the essence of religion, Islam has therefore made charity that is Zakah, obligatory and binding upon all those who embrace the faith; it has been made into an institution in order to give in permanence and regularity. You know that charity, is the Third Pillar of Islam, a major teaching. Being charitable and providing for the needy are important features of the Muslim character. Why is charity so important?The existence of countless starving, poor, hungry and destitute Muslims and non-Muslims in the world points to the need for this essential teaching to be put into practice. Affluent Muslims may not realize how their wealth could strengthen whole communities. Giving charity correctly is crucial to both the well-being of the needy as well as the ultimate happiness of the wealthy. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) emphasized this principle repeatedly. The one who does not pay zakaah either believes that it is obligatory or he does not. If he does not believe that it is obligatory, then he is a kaafir according to the consensus of the Muslims, because he is denying something that no Muslim has any excuse for not knowing. If he believes that it is obligatory but he does not pay it because he is stingy, then he is not a kaafir according to the majority of scholars, but some of the scholars are of the view that he is a kaafir. Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah swt have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (2/228): Whoever denies it out of ignorance, and he is ignorant of it because he is new in Islam or because he grew up in a remote area far from the cities, should be informed that it is obligatory and should not be regarded as a kaafir, because he is excused. But if he is a Muslim who grew up in a Muslim land where there are a lot of scholars, then he is an apostate to whom the rulings on apostates apply: he should be asked to repent three times; if he repents, all well and good, otherwise he is to be executed, because the evidence that zakaah is obligatory is clearly stated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and the consensus of the ummah, and it can hardly be unknown by someone in his situation. If he denies it, that can only be because he is denying the Qur’aan and Sunnah and does not believe in them. If he withholds it although he believes it is obligatory, and the ruler is able to take it from him, then he should take it and punish him (ta’zeer), but he should not take any more than the zakaah that is due, according to the view of the majority of scholars, including Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafa’i and their companions. Ishaaq ibn Raahawayh and Abu Bakr ‘Abd al-‘Azeez said: He should take it and half of his wealth. … But if the one who is withholding zakaah is beyond the ruler’s reach, he should fight him, because the Sahaabah (may Allah swt be pleased with them) fought those who withheld it. Abu Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allah swt be pleased with him) said: If they withhold from me a rope that they used to give to the Messenger of Allaah Myhammad (peace and blessings of Allah swt be upon him) (in zakaah), I will fight them for it. End quote. Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah swt have mercy on him) said concerning zakaah: It is obligatory according to the consensus of the Muslims. Whoever denies that it is obligatory is a kaafir, unless he is new in Islam or grew up in a remote area far from knowledge and scholars, in which case he is excused, but he should be told. If after he is told about it he still denies it, then he is a kaafir and an apostate. As for the one who withholds it out of stinginess and carelessness, there is a difference of opinion among the scholars. Some of them said that he is a kaafir, and this was one of the two views narrated from Imam Ahmad. Others said that he is not a kaafir, and this is the correct opinion, but he has committed a major sin. The evidence that he is not a kaafir is the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah swt be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah swt be upon him) mentioned the punishment of the one who withholds zakaah on gold and silver, then he said: “until judgement has been passed among all people, then he will be shown his path, either to Paradise or to Hell.” If it is possible that he may be shown his path to Paradise, then he is not a kaafir, because the kaafir cannot be shown his path to Paradise. But the one who withholds it out of stinginess or carelessness is committing a great sin which Allah swt mentions in the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “And let not those who covetously withhold of that which Allah swt has bestowed on them of His Bounty (wealth) think that it is good for them (and so they do not pay the obligatory Zakaah). Nay, it will be worse for them; the things which they covetously withheld, shall be tied to their necks like a collar on the Day of Resurrection. And to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is WellAcquainted with all that you do” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:180]“And those who hoard up gold and silver (AlKanz: the money, the Zakaah of which has not been paid) and spend them not in the way of Allah swt, announce unto them a painful torment.35. On the Day when that (AlKanz: money, gold and silver, the Zakaah of which has not been paid) will be heated in the fire of Hell and with it will be branded their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, (and it will be said unto them:) ‘This is the treasure which you hoarded for yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard’” [al-Tawbah 9:34, 35]End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (918/14). Those who are careless about paying zakaah should be advised and reminded of how important it is, and should be told of the texts which warn against being stingy in paying it. It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah swt be pleased with him) that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah said: ‘Spend, O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you.’” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5073; Muslim, 993. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The believer’s shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity.” (Al-Tirmidhi)On the day when all other shade will be gone, Allah swt will shade and shelter those who give charity and care for the poor. The Muslim’s sacrifice in this life will be their protection on the Day of Judgment. Suhaibbhatt85@gmail.com
Social media and how the jihad conversations go is no more a hogwash now .Many jihad’s have been discussed in this third space like love jihad and sub technical terminology that has erupted off lately like ‘arm chair jihadist’ is it much ado about nothing? Or do we really skip the thin line of reality and imagination in validating the real one ?Of all the above quoted “jihad’s” men (males) have been seen upfront and prominent in doing so (no pun intended) have we ever considered the one that are real and fought in silence ? Consider a person fighting against his own nafs (that prophet of mercy salalahualiwasalam declared the best one ) and more so , consider the women in particular who do it in silence , whilist bidding adieu to her paternal home and embracing the displacements of emotions , displacement of soul , identity ,self per se.nonetheless the second step of this silent jihad is embracing the ‘haplessness’ in the new ‘kinsfolk’ ,this haplessness confounds itself more so when religion takes a backfoot and cultural idiocies thrives at the front .This should not sound as a generalization ar any exageration per se, as the tales are same in every household almost especially in this part of world This haplessness that’s thrusted to you and asked to reconcile yourself with it; can take a toll on mental and overall health of someone who don’t succumb to the stereotypes.this haplessness (as said) is to tell you and teach you that be that as it may ,in the new ‘kinsfolk’ your female leader mother in law has to be a dispenser of nonsense and she has fundamental right on bickering ,but your poor self has to brace up by going in a mute embarassed,for a retailatoin could mean danger (even if you are right in doing so) this haplessness is taught and deliberated upon women as not to retort to the toxophhilus sister in law ,if any come what may,for that could be a blasphemy,and of done so you are again at the receiving end , folks might question that its women who belittle women ,but trust me it’s always more than what meets the eyes The question here also is not whether to embrace or not this deliberate haplessness on you , but question here is not showing resistance n rebellion , but the instances of these acts that could end up in a rift and seperation..as has now become an abnormal trend and reality. When we have kept Islam on backfoot,it cannot be an exaggeration to say most men fail in creating a proper balance ,as has been assigned to them as ‘quwaams’ Let alone taking up the side of the partner which has been inculcated in his as a serious blasphemy again. Since our men are not taught during a Jummah khutbah as to how to treat a women, how not to do lopsidesness, how prophet salalahualiwasalam emphasized on if the women is treated well, whole world will be better .it’s upto you .but to an utter dismay our Jummah khutbah consists of discussion in that no one understands and debates on gas cylinder prices and other petty things , no one understands a language that is alien to him, that is truth, can’t they teach in comman parlance and teach what is truth ?Next onus is squarely on these moulanas /muftis who read nikah to the couples at the first place , knowing the other limitations they could have sought different possibilities for the sake of Allah and contributed in making world better Least they do is to take contact information of groom and ask him to visit him personally for the married life guidance and how to tackle things there of ,do counseling sessions nd if they could ever charge for it a little amount it was not at all bad ,bit to an utter disgust these muftis /moulanas are in haste as to feed their bellies on these ceremonies,rather than do the opposite .Some women do it and can do it to a large extent at their home themselves who are well in deen , alhumdulliah, or have other possible compatibility and cordialities ..but think of those who have no voice, till a collective conscience of these people and particularly of these moulanas/muftis awaken .women would continue to do an unsung silent jihad , a jihad of deliberated haplessness thrusted upon her as to fit in and not to be a consequence in a collatral damage too, their antidote will be hereafter and when they will hold these muftis (our enlightened scholars ) by collar on the day of recompense as not all can be well acquainted in every possible manner as people have to be , specialisation differ and what worth is degrees if not spent in a cause that is upright and just . Zainab maqbool .Email maqzainab418@gmail.com.Zainab teaches English language and literature at department of higher education.
Syed Mustafa Ahmad My love, I am writing to you after a long time. I hope are hale and hearty. This letter to you is to tell you that I can no longer love you. It doesn’t mean that there is lack in intensity of my love. Actually, I am not in a position to carry our relationship forward from my side. I love you like in the past. But now, I have some problems that don’t allow me to love you more. As this is the situation, you must wonder what has happened to me that I will no longer you formally. So, I don’t want to keep you in dark. You have the liberty to choose the partner of your choice. But still I am happy that you loved me so much. You healed me when it was impossible to heal. You acted like a breeze in desert. This is past and past hurts. I don’t want to waste your time. So, without beating around the bush, let me spill the beans. The first is that I have no money. In today’s world, money is everything. So, without money, you cannot live. I can do anything for my survival, but for your happiness, it needs money. You like expensive dresses that I cannot buying. You change cell phones now and then. I can’t carry with it. You like picnics, but I have no money to offer to you. The second is that I have no personality. I am a skeleton-like. From the childhood to the present, I have been working hard. So, it means that you can no longer bear with me. As it is a fact that you were ashamed if I walked with you, I can no longer make you feel humiliated. So, for your respect, I want to end my relationship. The third is unemployment. You were happy that I might get a job till 2019. But after that when the chances of getting a job has become meagre, I thought it is better to stop and ponder over the truth. And the truth is that it is quite difficult to get a job in the present circumstances. So, I am going to end it. What is the need of loving a person who is not able to fill his stomach? You will curse your fate, if you live with me. So, I, for the sake of you, have decided to stop this journey and let you free, though you were free from the beginning. It was me who cannot think of life without you. The fourth are your relatives. My relatives are lower than your standard. We live to eat. But you eat to live. We find it difficult to get a morsel of food while you can dream of anything. In this way, I fear that you will be humiliated, God forbid, when you would come across my relatives. So for the sake of your status, I end this relationship. For me, it is like eating a mound of poison. I am a prisoner while you are a jailer you jail people while we become prisoners. The fifth and last is our mud house. How can you sweep dust everyday? Your bangles strike with each other to produce melodious tones in my inner graveyard. Your anklets are like a queen sleeping on lush green grass. In my home, you will feel choked. We have only one fan. Windows are less. Your adolescence increases your body temperature and I cannot afford to bring breezes for you. Breezes cost money while I have no money. We have wooden stair at my home. It has no furnishing at all. Nails are everywhere. You will get hurt and my world be devastated by storms. So, I keep you safe. You will become the queen of some prince. He will take you to Paradise. The fire of Hell will never come close to you in his presence. He will make you sleep in his fragrant arms. You will sleep peacefully on a decorated bed. While in my home, you have to sleep on the floor, where the traditional Kashmiri rug that will leave scars on your delicate skin. With tears in my eyes, I am ending this letter. Like Masroor Sahb, I want this letter to keep on going. I know how hard it is to live without you. I know I will never sleep again. Your message used to make me sleep. But your messaged would be missed. I will be lost in the crowd. Who will find me? No, I will find myself. For your happiness, let me kill me again. I am already killed and another death won’t hurt much. I will bear. I will miss you. Why God has created poverty? I think he created poverty to test the love of the poor with the rich. For the poor, love is forbidden. After loving you, I will never love. Love is forbidden, after loving you. Love is forbidden. Long live your love! Your love, Mustafa
Maleeha Khurshid The pandemic of Coronavirus has in all terms ravaged entire humanity with millions dying and crores being infected by this deadly virus .Health Sector has undoubtedly assumed the number one priority in these circumstances for entire world .Medical University that could organise all our health care professionals and institutions is the need of hour for Kashmir .We need to remember that the Medical University or Medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians and surgeons. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MBChB, MBBCh, BMBS), Master of Medicine (MM, MMed), Doctor of Medicine (M.D), or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O). Many medical universities offer additional degrees, such as a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D), master’s degree (M.Sc,) or other post-secondary education. Medical universities can also carry out medical research and operate teaching hospitals. Around the world, criteria, structure, teaching methodology, and nature of medical programs offered at medical universities vary considerably.Different organisations who espouse better health care for Kashmir have started to raise their voices for establishing a fully operational medical University in Kashmir .Expert voices urge that now is a time that medical university to be set-up to bring all medical colleges, para-medical and nursing colleges and other related institutions under one umbrella. The other side of the spectrum shows that medical university has been a long-pending demand of the medical faculty in Kashmir and in its absence, the medical students and professionals had to “undergo hardships.” Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) also recently sought setting up of a medical university in Kashmir. “The medical university would strengthen and expand the health sector and transform the health care scenario in the region,” said DAK President Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement here at Srinagar. With expanding medical, nursing and other allied health sciences, medical university is the need of the hour,” he said adding the DAK President said medical varsity would integrate the health care system and provide effective and efficient patient care. One hopes Medical University in Kashmir would be a reality soon. The writer can be reached at shahmaliha7@gmail.com
HAS EDUCATION LOST ITS RELEVANCE? Syed Mustafa Ahmad It is a universal fact that the main aim of education is enlightenment. Enlightenment means the clouds of ignorance must go away. Ignorance in the sense of superstitions, gender bias, immorality, communalism, unfair means, etc. If these things still persist in the presence of education, then there is something terribly wrong with the education system. It is not the malaise of some days, but the handiwork of many factors that have been constantly going for many years. The criteria to know about the compatibility of education in the society is to see etiquettes or manners. In another sense, if there are mannered people, then this society is learned, if not then we can easily say that this society has to overhaul their every domain of life in order to grow. When this is the case, how can a society afford to ignore education? In Kashmir, the relevance of education had been lost long ago. Corruption, proxy candidates, question paper leakages, faulty recruitment, etc., have made our educational system a commodity to be bargained. After getting into the educational sector through illegal ways, how these people can do anything for society. When their motives are to earn back the money, which they have spent in getting jobs, we cannot expect from them to do anything positive. This situation has many causes. Let us try to know some of them. The first is materialism. When the main motive of life is to earn money, education itself follows the path of money. Every moral or immoral class runs around money and nothing else. In this way, education loses its main value and the society doesn’t produce enlightenment personalities that are assets for a nation. The second is faulty syllabi. With changing times, everything must undergo a reasonable change. However, in case of education, the change is quite slow. In the 21st Century, when AI and Machine Learning are occupying our minds, we cannot go on admonishing machines nor we can go on following them blindly. A man is planning to colonize the Mars, the Venus, etc., in order to live a happy life, but in some parts of the world, students are taught to learn about the things that have no relevance in the present. In this way, students get fed up and they think that it is futile to learn and consume our marvellous brains in such things that are of no use, but money and fake fame. The third is religion. Religiosity in the garb of religions, has made lives hellish. Religions are for the sake of comfort, but due to orthodoxy and superstitions, they have hijacked the whole society. Students are taught that science is atheism. It makes a person atheist. It is better to prepare ourselves for the Hereafter. In this situation, students fall prey to them. They abhor scientific things like medicine, smartphones, electricity, televisions, etc. And the result is that science and technology and other disciplines, that have come to our rescue, become the soft targets. The fourth and last is our attitude. We never ponder over things and become fascinated by some charming words or slogans. If we had pondered over everything, we would not have reached the present situation. We work in haste and regret at the end of the day. So, the need of the hour is to make education relevant. Without education, it is quite unthinkable to grow and develop. We have live examples of America, USA, Britain, Singapore, etc., that are doing quite well in this regard. They have made it possible not to let education become the soft target of any kind of disturbance. They have set a goal before them and are living for that goal. Their mornings and evenings revolve around that goal. Last but not the least, they are corruption free. They don’t allow corruption to seep into their countries and decompose the tall pillars of society. They are strongly opposite to it. So, it is an opportunity for us to show our mettle in the competitive world.
NEW NORMAL SHOULD BE A BETTER ONE. Dr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, food systems and the world of work. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people, currently estimated at nearly 690 million, could increase by up to 132 million. Millions of enterprises face an existential threat. Nearly half of the world’s 3.3 billion global workforce are at risk of losing their livelihoods. Informal economy workers are particularly vulnerable because the majority lack social protection and access to quality health care and have lost access to productive assets. The pandemic has been affecting the entire food system and has laid bare its fragility. Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures have been preventing farmers from accessing markets, including for buying inputs and selling their produce, and agricultural workers from harvesting crops, thus disrupting domestic and international food supply chains and reducing access to healthy, safe and diverse diets. The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk. As breadwinners lose jobs, fall ill and die, the food security and nutrition of millions of women and men are under threat, with those in low-income countries, particularly the most marginalized populations, which include small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples, being hardest hit.Millions of agricultural workers – waged and self-employed – while feeding the world, regularly face high levels of working poverty, malnutrition and poor health, and suffer from a lack of safety and labour protection as well as other types of abuse. With low and irregular incomes and a lack of social support, many of them are spurred to continue working, often in unsafe conditions, thus exposing themselves and their families to additional risks. Further, when experiencing income losses, they may resort to negative coping strategies, such as distress sale of assets, predatory loans or child labour. Migrant agricultural workers are particularly vulnerable, because they face risks in their transport, working and living conditions and struggle to access support measures put in place by governments. Guaranteeing the safety and health of all agri-food workers – from primary producers to those involved in food processing, transport and retail, including street food vendors – as well as better incomes and protection, will be critical to saving lives and protecting public health, people’s livelihoods and food security. Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order often initiated by the debtor.Bankrupt is not the only legal status that an insolvent person may have, and the term bankruptcy is therefore not a synonym for insolvency. Many governments have called on youth to embrace the effort to protect themselves and the overall population. Youth are also in a position to help those who are most vulnerable, and to aid in increasing public health social awareness campaigns among their communities. Thus, youth are critical to limiting the virus’s spread and its impact on public health, society, and the economy at large.In terms of employment, youth are disproportionately unemployed, and those who are employed often work in the informal economy or gig economy, on precarious contracts or in the service sectors of the economy, that are likely to be severely affected by COVID-19.More than one billion youth are now no longer physically in school after the closure of schools and universities across many jurisdictions. The disruption in education and learning could have medium and long-term consequences on the quality of education, though the efforts made by teachers, school administrations, local and national governments to cope with the unprecedented circumstances to the best of their ability should be recognized.Many vulnerable youth such as migrants or homeless youth are in precarious situations. They are the ones who can easily be overlooked if governments do not pay specific attention, as they tend to be already in a situation without even their minimum requirements being met on health, education, employment and well-being.If you’re considering bankruptcy, here is how the process works: If your debts have become unmanageable or you’re facing foreclosure on your home, you might be thinking about declaring bankruptcy. While bankruptcy may be the only way out for some people, it also has serious consequences that are worth considering before you make any decisions. For example, bankruptcy will remain on your credit report for either seven or 10 years, depending on the type of bankruptcy that can make it difficult to obtain a credit card, car loan, or mortgage in the future. It could also mean higher insurance rates and even affect your ability to get a job or rent an apartment.Bankruptcy can do severe damage to your credit score and should be considered as a last resort.As an alternative, you may be able to negotiate with your creditors and work out a payment plan or other satisfactory arrangement.If you decide to file for bankruptcy, you have two basic options: Chapter 7 and Chapter 13.A Chapter 7 bankruptcy will sell off many of your assets to pay your creditors. In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, you keep the assets but must repay your debts over a specified period. Bankruptcy is generally considered a last resort for people who are deep in debt and see no way to pay their bills. Before filing for bankruptcy, there are alternatives that are worth exploring. They are less costly than bankruptcy and likely to do less damage to your credit record. For example, find out if your creditors are willing to negotiate. Rather than wait for a bankruptcy settlement—and risk getting nothing at all—some creditors will agree to accept reduced payments over a longer period of time. In the case of a home mortgage, call your loan servicers to see what options may be available to you. Some lenders offer forbearance (postponing payments for a period of time), repayment plans (such as smaller payments stretched over a longer period), or loan modification programs (which might, for example, lower your interest rate for the remainder of the loan).
In the COVID-19 crisis food security, public health, and employment and labour issues, in particular workers’ health and safety, converge. Adhering to workplace safety and health practices and ensuring access to decent work and the protection of labour rights in all industries will be crucial in addressing the human dimension of the crisis. Immediate and purposeful action to save lives and livelihoods should include extending social protection towards universal health coverage and income support for those most affected. These include workers in the informal economy and in poorly protected and low-paid jobs, including youth, older workers, and migrants. Particular attention must be paid to the situation of women, who are over-represented in low-paid jobs and care roles. Different forms of support are key, including cash transfers, child allowances and healthy school meals, shelter and food relief initiatives, support for employment retention and recovery, and financial relief for businesses, including micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. In designing and implementing such measures it is essential that governments work closely with employers and workers.Countries dealing with existing humanitarian crises or emergencies are particularly exposed to the effects of COVID-19. Responding swiftly to the pandemic, while ensuring that humanitarian and recovery assistance reaches those most in need, is critical.Now is the time for global solidarity and support, especially with the most vulnerable in our societies, particularly in the emerging and developing world. Only together can we overcome the intertwined health and social and economic impacts of the pandemic and prevent its escalation into a protracted humanitarian and food security catastrophe, with the potential loss of already achieved development gains.We must recognize this opportunity to build back better, as noted in the policy brief issued by the United Nations Secretary-General. We are committed to pooling our expertise and experience to support countries in their crisis response measures and efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We need to develop long-term sustainable strategies to address the challenges facing the health and agri-food sectors. Priority should be given to addressing underlying food security and malnutrition challenges, tackling rural poverty, in particular through more and better jobs in the rural economy, extending social protection to all, facilitating safe migration pathways and promoting the formalization of the informal economy. We must rethink and tackle this situation with ambition and urgency. Only then can we protect the health, livelihoods, food security and nutrition of all people, and ensure that our ‘new normal’ is a better one.
The best of marriage is that which is made easiest.
Dr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat Love is a decision to be committed to another person. It is far more than a fleeting emotion as portrayed on television, the big screen, and romance novels. Feelings come and go, but a true decision to be committed lasts forever—and that is what defines healthy marriages.Marriage is a decision to be committed through the ups and the downs, the good and the bad. When things are going well, commitment is easy. But true love is displayed by remaining committed even through the trials of life. Honesty and trust become the foundation for everything in a successful marriage. But unlike most of the other essentials on this list, trust takes time. You can become selfless, committed, or patient in a moment, but trust always takes time. Trust is only built after weeks, months, and years of being who you say you are and doing what you say you’ll do. It takes time, so start now—and if you need to rebuild trust in your relationship, you’ll need to work even harder. Although it will never show up on any survey, more marriages are broken up by selfishness than any other reason. Surveys blame it on finances, lack of commitment, infidelity, or incompatibility, but the root cause for most of these reasons is selfishness. A selfish person is committed only to himself or herself, shows little patience, and never learns how to be a successful spouse. Give your hopes, dreams, and life to your partner. And begin to live life together.We all have weaknesses and relationships always reveal these faults quicker than anything else on earth. An essential building block of a healthy marriage is the ability to admit that you are not perfect, that you will make mistakes, and that you will need forgiveness. Holding an attitude of superiority over your partner will bring about resentment and will prevent your relationship from moving forward. The general principle according to which a man should conduct his spending is the same general principle according to which he should conduct his life, which is the middle way and moderation. Allah swt, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “And those, who, when they spend, are neither extravagant nor niggardly, but hold a medium (way) between those (extremes)” [al-Furqaan 25:67]. The middle way and moderation cannot be identified by specific amounts or specific limits, that if a person oversteps that mark he can be described as being extravagant and if he falls short of it then he is being a miser or niggardly; rather that varies according to the individual’s situation, whether he is rich or poor, whether it is a case of ordinary expenses or an emergency. It also varies from one place to another, one time to another, and so on. The ruling on whether something is extravagance or not takes into account all of these things. Allah swt, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah swt has given him. Allah swt puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him” [al-Talaaq 65:7].Secondly:One of the things that people have gone too far in, until they reached the level of extravagance and excess, is the matter of exaggerating concerning the mahar, and being extravagant in clothing, wedding feasts, and so on. The knowledgeable and wise people have started to complain about this because of the many evil consequences to which it leads, such as many women remaining unmarried, because many men cannot afford the expenses of getting married, which leads to many kinds of evil consequences. Scholars, Philosophers and Writers are urging people not to be extravagant in wedding parties and other expenses that have to do with weddings in general. All of them suggest that this is one of the factors that make the issue of marriage complicated for those who want to get married, to such an extent that the numbers of young women who remain unmarried have increased. The most blessed marriage is that which is affordable; the less the expenses are, the greater the blessings. Going to extremes in dowries and competing in offering lavish wedding feasts leads to overstepping the mark, and because there are so many celebrations that are done before and after the wedding, and because of what accompanies that of haraam things that lead to immorality, such as singing and mixing between men and women on some occasions, and men serving women in hotels if the party is held in a hotel, which is regarded as one of the greatest of evils, and because going that path of extravagance means that many people are unable to afford the expenses of marriage and indeed this indecent extravagance may lead to many young people, both boys and girls, going astray.There should be a ban on extravagance and overstepping the mark with regard to wedding feasts. People should be warned against that through the officials who record marriages and through the media. People should be encouraged to lower the dowry and extravagance in such matters should be discouraged from the minbars of the mosque, in learning circles and through the media. Wedding parties are among the things in which it is prescribed to express happiness and joy and to instil that in the family and the wife, but that does not mean that one should fall into extravagance or spend unnecessarily. The argument that it is only once in a lifetime cannot be an excuse to spend too much. Being extravagant only once is not allowed and is haraam, just as being extravagant more than once is repeatedly falling into something that is not allowed and is haraam. The evil consequences of exaggerating concerning dowries are well known. How many free, chaste women have been prevented from marrying by their guardians, who have wronged them and left them without husbands and children. How many women has that led to respond to the calls of their own desire and the Shaytaan, so they have committed evil actions and brought shame upon themselves and their families and clans, because they have committed sins that anger the Most Merciful? How many young men have been unable to meet these demands for which no authority was sent down by Allah swt, so the devils and evil companions took control of them, until they led them astray and caused them to lose out, so they lost their families and lost their way, and they became lost to their ummah and homeland, and they lost out in this world and in the Hereafter.Extravagance is not allowed and is blameworthy in all matters, whether it has to do with marriage or otherwise. What is prescribed in Islam is that the individual should not make things difficult for himself and should not burden himself with more than he can bear. Rather he should spend according to his means and what he is able to afford, whilst avoiding extravagance and going to extremes in spending. But this does not mean that spending on wedding parties and marriage should be like spending on ordinary days, for example. Of course this is not appropriate; rather it is prescribed to spend more generously than usual at this time. For that reason it is Sunnah for a man to offer a feast at his wedding and to invite people to it. This is an expense that is greater than usual, but what matters, as we have said, is to avoid extravagance and wasteful spending in all of that. Each individual should pay attention to his own situation and what he can afford. suhaibbhatt85@gmail.com
The writers are siblings from Hajibagh, HMT, Zainakote It is a universal fact that the ultimate aim of education is personality development. Education is both a way and an end in itself that provides opportunities to a student to become a realized personality. To become a realized personality, both memorization and observations are necessary. The former opens up the closed sections of the brain, while as the latter is all about exposing an individual to the realities of life. But the irony is; when the memorization is solely taken for education. Cramming notes and facts are never an education in itself. It, in the long run, manipulates the very aim of education for nothing. This malaise is not a product of some years. Since 1835 Act, we have been caught in the rat race of memorization. Thomas Macaulay was aware that if the ancient period of India was glorious, their modern was not. For this purpose, he introduced the system of learning where clerks and subordinates are manufactured. This system is all about mugging up of both facts and falsehoods. If this is the case, there must be reasons for this. In the coming lines, let us know some of the causes for this curse. The first is outdated syllabi. For decades, thinkers and common people have been stressing upon this fact we must have the child-centered curriculum rather than exam dominated curriculum or in other words, happy curriculum. Moreover, they disagree with the people, who believe in strict discipline. They believe that it hampers the progress of child’s brain. But their suggestions have been falling on deaf ears and the result is that for the sake of so-called learning, students memorize things without understanding it. Furthermore, notes are prepared by someone. In this way, it goes from bad to worse. The second is laziness. Students have been made lazy enough to go for readymade things. They are not ready to observe, experiment and criticize anything. Instead, they want something that is acceptable and very short in nature. Their brains are filled with the suggestions that rote learning is better learning because it fetches marks. On the other hand, critical thinking may lead in trouble. In this way, they waste a lot of their time in other pursuits rather than investing their time in doing something on their own level. The third is competition. In the present world, to remain in the competition means that one has to pass and qualify legally or illegally. Critical thinking and experimental things may shut out a student from the competition. The only way to get through is to memorize the derivations of both Physics and Maths and become a physicist as well as Mathematician. Who, at the end of the day, is going to ask them about what they have done? Outward display of learning is more charming than an ocean of knowledge and experience inside a child. The fourth and last is ignorant society. Our society is illiterate as well as uneducated. For it, reading and writing is education. This is the narrowest kind of education. Education is something lifelong process. In the unequal society, to find equality is education. Finding beauty in ugliness is education. But this type of mindset is unknown to people. Our society judges on the basis of jobs, fluency, memory, etc. However, there is nothing about facing the real challenges of life. Society needs problem solvers; not problem creators. So, the need of the hour is to do away with the rote learning and come up with something beneficial for the students as well as society. We cannot go on losing our precious brains in the name of education. It is best that we get awakened now.
