The Supplication andAl-Qadar

Here there occurs a very popular question and it is:
If the thing that is being supplicated for is already decreed for the
servant, then there is no doubt that it is going to come to pass for
him, regardless of whether he supplicates forit or not. And if it has
not been decreed for him, then it will not come to pass, regardless of
whether he asks Allaah forit or not.
There is one group that perceives this question to be valid and so
they have abandoned the supplication and are of theview that there is
no benefit in doing it. These people, along with their excessive
ignorance and misguidance are in clear contradiction, for if we were
to follow their opinion, it would require us to reject all the
different means for attaining something (desired).
So it can be said to one of them:
If satisfying your appetite and quenching your thirst were already
decreed for you, then there is no doubt that they are going to come to
pass, whether you eat and drink or you don't. And if they were
notdecreed for you, they will not come to pass, whetheryou eat and
drink or you don't.
And likewise, if a child were decreed for you, then you will
definitely receive it, whether you have sexual intercourse with your
wife or you don't. And if that was not decreed for you, then it will
not come to pass. Thus there is no need for marrying, having sexual
relations and so on and so forth.
Who says such a statement? Is it one possessing common sense or a
beast? Rather, even the animal has a natural inclination (fitrah)
towardsseeking the means of attaining something (desired), which (for
example) will give it sustenance and livelihood.So the animals have
more common sense and possess more understanding than these types of
people who are like cattle – nay, far worse!
Some of them try to be clever and say:
Preoccupying oneself withsupplication falls into the realm of worship
solely – Allaah will reward the onesupplicating, without that having
an effect on what he is asking for in any way. According to this type
of person, there is no difference between supplicating and
refrainingfrom supplicating by heartand tongue, with regard to that
having an effect onattaining what is being asked for. And according to
them, the relation of the supplication to it (what is being asked for)
islike its relation with silence. There is no difference between them.
Another group, more slick than this one says:
Rather, the supplication is a sign, which Allaah displays as a symbol
that amatter has been carried out. So when Allaah grantshis servant
the ability to supplicate, it is a sign and a symbol that the matter
he was requesting has been carried out. This is just as if one were to
see afrigid black cloud during the winter season. It is a sign and an
implicationthat it will rain.
They say: Similarly is enacting good deeds with respect to reward, and
committing disbelief and sins with respect to punishment – they are
pure signs for the occurrence of (either) reward or punishment – not
means (by which the result will be attained).
Likewise, according to them, with the matters of breaking, kindling
and destroying – none of thesethings serves as a means for the
occurrence (result) of a wreck, fire and death, respectively. Nor is
there any connection between those things and what results from them,
other than the fact that they are normally paired together – not that
one is caused due to the means of the other!
They have contradicted perceptual observation and common sense with
this opinion, as well as revelation and fitrah (natural inclination),
not tomention all of the other intellectual groups. Rather,those with
intellects laughat them!
The correct view: There is a third category, apart from those
mentioned by the questioner. And it is that the decreed result is
preordained along with itsproper means, which lead to its occurrence.
One of these means is the supplication. It is not preordained just
like that, without any means (leading to its occurrence), rather it is
preordained along with its proper means (which will ensure its
occurrence). So when a person comes across the means, the decreed
matterwill come to pass. And if he does not come across those means,
the decreed matter is denied.
So satisfying one's appetite and quenching one's thirst are
preordained with (the means of) eating and drinking. Children are
preordained with (the means of) sexual intercourse. Harvesting crops
is preordained with (the means of) planting and, the withdrawal of
thesoul from an animal is decreed with slaughter. Likewise, entrance
into Paradise is preordained with (good) deeds,

Authentic Supplications of the Prophet

When Going on a Journey (190)
It is reported of the Prophet that he said: Whoever wants to go on a
journey, then let him say to those whom he leaves behind:
'Astawdi`ukumul-lãha 'allathee lã tadhee`u wadã'i`uhu (203)
Footnotes
(203) I entrust you unto Allah, Whose trusts are not lost.
Reporters
Al-Albãni said it was of comely ascription and that it was reported by
Ibn Mãjah, and An-Nisã'ee in his [`Aml al-yaum wal-lailah]. He said
that also Ibn As-Sunni, and Ahmad reported it, and that Al-Hãfith said
it was comely. Al-Albãni included this hadeeth in The Authentic of
Good Sayings as #133.

Modern History of India

Modern History of India generally refers to the period of Colonial
rule and domination on India. The advent of the British on theIndian
soil at around 17th century can roughly be delineated as the beginning
of the Modern Age in Indian history. For two centuries, the British
exercised complete subordination over the Indian landmass till the
blazing inferno of the freedom fighters forced their departure. The
two hundred years of their rule not only had an impact in the sphere
of politics and economy, but also was instrumental in bringing about
considerable changes in the realm of education, society and culture.
Advent of British Era
The British, however, were not the first of the foreign powers to set
their foot on the Indian soil. In the closing years of the 15th
century, the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama had reached Calicut in
South India. Since then, theFrench, the Dutch and subsequently the
British colonisers made their forayinto India, the land of immense
wealth and riches. By the 18th Century,the British Empire in India had
already established their supremacy. The enormous Indian Territory was
characterised by a comprehensive lack of unity amongst the independent
rulers, an aspect of which the British took complete advantage. It was
further escalated by the fall of the Mughals in 1739 and the constant
strife between the various ruling dynasties and the power monger
nobles in the various Indian provinces who wanted to establish their
supremacy independently. Some of themost powerful ruling clans in
India during this period were the Marathas, Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan
of Mysore , the Nawabs of Bengal and the Sikhs under the leadership of
Ranjit Singh. The British encouraged rampant commercial exploitation
to exercise their dominance and soon the British East India Company `s
policy of annexation resulted in securing the influence of the British
Empire as the supreme authority. The Governor-Generals and Viceroys
during this time unleashed unscrupulous means to implement their
authority. The imposition of the Dewani (1765), the practice of
Private trade by the East India Company, introduction of the Permanent
Settlement (1793) by Lord Cornwallis were some of the reforms that the
British introduced during their tenure, addingto the woes of the
colonised.
Influence of British
While the British left no stone unturned to ascertain their influence
over the Indian population,they were also prominently involved in
bringing about certain changes in the field of education, culture, as
well as society. This was primarily a form of their cultural
imperialistic designs. Macaulay, an eminent member of the
Governor-General`s Council,in his Minute (1835), despised the
scriptures andwealth of knowledge that India treasured and called for
the introduction of English education which heconsidered to be
superior and necessary to educate the barbaric Indians. However, noted
educationists like Raja RamMohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
were instrumental in imbibing the intellectual trends of Western
Education with those of the ancient Indian scriptures and literary
works. It was towards the end of the 18th and the beginning of the
19th century, that some of the premier educational institutions like
the Hindu College or the Presidency College were established in
Bengal. This era is often referred to as the Bengal Renaissance . The
spread of education though was masked by the spread of Christian
religious doctrineswith the Christian missionaries being deputedthe
task of extending education.
The cause of women`s education was propagated by Vidyasagar, who set
up around thirty schools for women in Bengal. Social reformers like
Raja Ram Mohan Roy played a key role in the abolition of the Sati
(1829) or the custom of women surrendering their lives in the funeral
pyres of their husbands. In 1856, the Widow Remarriage Act was
sanctioned by the British Government under the patronage of Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar.
The British were also instrumental in the establishment of the
IndianRailways which began functioning in 1853. This too was a means
of extending their imperialistic designs as the British believed that
the railways would not only make communication swifter, but at the
same time they would escalate the swift movement of troops which had
become extremely necessary to subjugate the uprisings and rebellions
that recurrently spurted againsttheir domination.

Ancient History of India

Ancient history of India is hugely magnificent, affluent and diverse.
The rich tradition of verbal account makes India the subcontinent
whose history is deep buried in the antiquities of 5000 years. Though,
nothing wasrecorded about the ancientperiod, yet historians traced
about the existence of several ancient civilisations through the
innumerable sources of history. In the year 1922 archaeological
exploration brought forth the survival of an ancient city of
Mohenjodaro and Harappan. In addition to that various other evidences
such as, the remains of Homo erectus and fossils of various ages prove
that India was inhabited between 200,000 to 500,000 years ago.
Stone Age
The saga of the Ancient History of India begins with Stone Age. Stone
Age is a broad prehistoric time period and in this period human beings
used stone for tool making. Though, atthat period of time there was no
geographical demarcation, yet the archaeological records depicts that
75,000 years ago, there was human presence in the Indian subcontinent.
The remains of the Homo erectus in Hathnora in the valleys of Narmada
in Central India indicate that India was inhabited since the Middle
Pleistocene era, The Mesolithic period also saw the permanent
settlementsin the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka in modern Madhya Pradesh
, India. Neolithic culture also emerged in South Asia, the Mehrgarh
findings in present day Balochistan, Pakistan and in the Gulf of
Khambat in India are foundand the late Neolithic cultures augmented in
the Indus Valley region between 6000 and 2000 BCE and in southern
India between 2800 and 1200 BCE.
Bronze Age
Bronze Age in India startedwith the Indus Valley Civilization . This
civilizationis known by the name of the two of its great cities -
Harappan and Mohenjodaro and points out the Indus Valley Civilization
as one of the oldest known civilizations of ancient India beside the
three earliest urban civilizations along with Mesopotamia and Ancient
Egypt. According to the Ancient History of India, Bronze Age is the
timeline when the human being started using bronze for the purpose of
tool making. This age began in India around 3300 BCE. Theremains of
the great civilisation are found in modern day India, in the cities of
Gujarat , Haryana and Rajasthan as well as in Pakistan, Sindh and
Punjab . This ancient Indian civilisation developed techniques of
metallurgy and introduced copper , bronze, lead and tin to the
country.
Aryans in India
History in India is a crossroads of cultures from China to Europe. The
first group to invade India was the Aryans , who came out of the north
in about 1500 BC. The Aryans brought with them strong cultural
traditions that, miraculously, still remain inforce today. It was the
Aryans who migrated from the Northwest into the Indian subcontinent
and settled in the Saptasindhu region whilst adapting the existing
Indian culture. It was the 2nd century BC and in the ancient history
of India the period is known as the Vedic civilisation. Aryans lived
in tribes and they spoke Sanskrit language , which was a part of
Indo-European group of languages. Aryans started to intermingle with
the locals.
Ancient Dynasties of India
History of ancient India during this time witnessed therise of major
kingdoms known as the Mahajanapadas. There are sixteen Mahajanapadas
spread across different parts of thecontinent. The births of Mahavira
and Gautama Buddha in the 6th century BC heralded a new religious
movement in India. Mahavira propagated Jainism whose message was
asceticism, austerity and non-violence; GautamaBuddha, preached that `
Nirvana ` was to be attained through the conquest of self. The
political map of ancient India was made up of myriad kingdoms with
fluctuating boundaries. Thethird century BC in the timeline of ancient
India heralded the reign of the Maurya Empire . Chandragupta, Bindusar
and Ashoka were the famous kings of the Maurya dynasty. It was Ashoka
who converted intoBuddhism, and it is in his reign that Buddhism
spread to other parts of Asia. During the Mauryas, Hinduism took the
shape that fundamentally informsthe religion down to the present day.
The 4th and the 5th centuries A.D., Gupta Empire flourished almost
inevitably. The ancient history of India witnessed the Gupta periodas
the Golden Age in Indiantimeline with an overall development of Hindu
culture and political administration.
With the downfall of GuptaEmpire in the 6th century North India almost
inevitably reverted back to small republics and small monarchical
states. It was the time of chaos.