Pre-Islamic World is the era of "Ignorance" (Jahiliah)

Before the advent of Islam, people all over the world were sadly
impoverished in thought,opinions, and individual and social attitudes.
Although such conditionswere not the same in all parts of the world,
generally speaking, all the people of the world shared superstitious
beliefs, intellectual deviations, inhumane social traditions, myths
and social and moral conflicts.
Before Islam emerged, the Jews had changed the religion of Prophet
Musa / Moses (as) into hidebound dogma and its principles into
hollow,lifeless rules and precepts. The spirit of materialism had
penetrated into people's lives. Unfortunately, Christianity, which had
been presented for the moral rectification and spiritual refinement of
the people, was changed in nature by the Christianclergy and became a
vehicle for the passionateambitions of most of them. Since it lacked
complete, comprehensivelaws and regulations for social systems, it
proved unable to provide the people with deliverance and comprehensive
guidance.
It was due to such conditions that people allover the world shared
superstitious ideas, inhuman social traditions, myths, social and
moral conflicts.
The fire of corruption and perdition was raging. Superstitions
andfalse views ruled people in the name of religion! Paganism and the
concept of the Trinity had been imposed upon them. Many worshipped
idols, fire, cows and stars.This same moral and spiritual corruption
and regression, which had spread everywhere, caused dishonesty,
darkness and deviations in human societies. Bloodshed, murder,
tyranny, and oppression prevailed all over the world. In fact,
humanity had been put on the verge of the abyss of total destruction!
Arabia during the dark Pre-Islamic Times (BeforeProphet Muhammed (saw))
The people of the Arabian Peninsula suffered from their tribal and
pastoral life in the deserts, coupled with blood-thirsty feudalism.
The economic crisis resulting from the exploitation of the people by
the ruling classand by bands of usurers had robbed human life ofits
meaning and darkened the horizon of social well-being.
What was lacking was law and justice. The wealthy usurers who engaged
in trade in Makkah had amassed enormous amounts of wealth by
illegitimate means and exploited the weak and poor classes of society
and by overcharging the orphanand the widow. In fact, they
increasingly exacerbated anti-human social class differences through
usury and oppressive exploitation.
Due to their ignorance, the Arab tribes in those days generally
engaged in worshipping natural phenomena. Most shameful of all was
their worship of lifeless statues- idols. The House of God, the Kaaba,
was used as the idol-temple of the Arabs.
Any one of the indecent, degrading social and moral customs in Arabia
at that time was enough to destroy the honour of a whole nation. False
beliefs and class differences were strong. The Arabs wrongly believed
that only those were superior who descended from the Arab race and had
Arab blood!As a matter of fact, the twentieth-century form of
nationalism and racism was quite prevalent among the Arabs during the
first pagan period.
Murder, bloodshed, drinking, and illegitimatesexual intercourse were
quite ordinary and commonplace. Plunder, robbery, savagery,
aggression, and treachery were their obvious characteristics, and
genocide was considered a sign of bravery and courage. As the Arabs
before the timeof the Prophet Muhammed (saw) believed the birth of a
daughter to be harmful or were either afraid of poverty and
destitution, they either killed their innocent daughters or buried
them alive. In some cases even the existence of one daughter in a
family was considered shameful.
"And do not kill your children for fear of poverty; We give them
sustenance and yourselves (too); surely tokill them is a great wrong."
(Noble Qur'an 17:31)
Such was the situation and moral conditions of amiserable society out
of whose dark horizon came the light of Islam.
There is no doubt that a leader who is himself immoral, unscrupulous,
and without praise-worthy human characteristics is unable to rectify
human societiesand save the people. It is only divine leaders who,
inspired by Almighty Allah (SWT), are able to make profound basic
transformations in all phases of the people's individual and social
life.
Now we must try to understand what kind of person such a leader of the
worldwide revolution was and what changes he made in the world. It is
crystal clear that a person who not only is not affected by such a
corrosive society, but also grieves over it and attempts to combat it,
possesses a great divine character and is competent to lead peopleand
guide them onto the path of salvation.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) and Animal Rights
In that age when men were often cruel to each other, let alone to
animals, Prophet Muhammed's (saw) taught his companions (Sahabah) ,
that one should be kind to all living things, animal or plant, since
they are all part of Allah's creation. Prophet Muhammed's (saw) mercy
and compassion was so deep that animals, even plants would benefit
from His existence as their guardian.
"Fear Allah (SWT) with regard to animals", said Prophet Muhammed
(saw), "ride them when they are fit to be ridden, and get off their
backs when they are tired; surely, there are rewards for being kind
and gentleto animals, and for givingthem water to drink."
Islam has taught that in the eyes of Almighty Allah(SWT), animals also
have rights in the same way asman has. They should notbe treated
badly, tortured or left to starve without food or water.
One day, Prophet Muhammed (saw) told hiscompanions (Sahabah) the story
of two women:"A prostitute was guided by Allah's truth and ultimately
went to paradise because she gave water to a dog dying of thirst in
the desert." While a dog was going round a well and was about to die
of thirst, prostitute saw it and took off her shoe and watered it. So
Allah (SWT) forgave her because of that good deed." And for the other
women, Prophet Muhammed (saw) said, "Awoman was tortured andwas put in
Hell because of a cat which she had kept locked till it died of
hunger." Prophet Muhammed (saw) furthersaid, "You neither fed it nor
watered when you locked it up, nor did you set it free to eat the
insects of the earth."
Prophet Muhammed (saw) said: A man walking along a path felt very
thirsty. Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and
cameup. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick
up mudto quench its excessive thirst.
The man said, "This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt." So he
went down into the well again, filled his shoe withwater and gave the
dog a drink.
So, Almighty Allah (SWT) forgave his sins.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) was asked, "O Messenger of Allah (SWT),are we
rewarded for kindness towards animals?" Prophet Muhammed (saw)
replied: There is a rewardfor kindness to every living animal or
human.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) was once performing ablution (Wudhu) for
prayers froma pot of water. A Cat passed there and turned its eyes at
the pot of water with a thirsty look.Prophet Muhammed (saw) realized
at once that the Cat was very thirsty, so he stopped theablution
(Wudhu) and placed the pot before theCat.
Only after the Cat had fully quenched its thirst, did Prophet Muhammed
(saw) resume the ablution (Wudhu). By thisaction, Prophet Muhammed
(saw) has shown that quenching the thirst of even a small dumb animal
is a noble act full of virtue and should be given first attention
before one prepares for offering prayers to Almighty Allah (SWT).
A man brought the chick of a bird to the gatheringof Prophet Muhammed
(saw) and his companions (Sahabah), and they noticed that theparent of
the chick was following it, flapping around it. When the man sat down
its parent threw itself upon its chick, and did not concern itself
with the danger, out of care towards its chick. This astonished the
companions.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) then turned to his companions said: 'Are you
amazed at this bird? You have taken its chick and it threw itself into
danger out of mercy for the chick! I swear by Allah (SWT), your Lord
is more merciful to you than this bird is to its chick. Then he turned
to the man and asked him to let the chick go.
Even the means of slaughtering animals in Islam is done in a way which
will bring minimal pain to the animal. Is not it amazing that these
laws came about 1400 years ago. Yet, we are still struggling to keep
animals from being abused and mistreated.
Prophet Muhammed (saw) and Beating the Servant
Once, a companion of Prophet Muhammed (saw) began hitting his slave.
The slave kept pleading: "By Allah! Do not beat me. For Allah's sake
forgive me." The master, however, refusedto pardon him and continued
to shower beatings upon him.
Some people informed Prophet Muhammed (saw) of the slave's predicament
whereupon he (saw) got up and started out towards the scene of this
incident. As soon as the companion's eyes fell upon Prophet Muhammed
(saw) he stopped his beatings whereupon Prophet Muhammed (saw) said to
him: "He placed you under the oath of Allah (SWT), but you refused
topardon him and now that you have set your eyes upon me, you have
restrained yourself?"
The man, in order to make amends for his deplorable behaviour, said:
"I now free him for the sake (and pleasure) of Allah (SWT)!"
Prophet Muhammed (saw) said: "Had you not freed him, you would have
dropped face-downinto the fire of Hell."
Prophet Muhammed (saw) and Impartiality between Children
Once, a lady entered the house of Aishah, the wifeof Prophet Muhammed
(saw), with her two children. Aishah presented three dates to the
lady, who gave one date to each of her two children and taking the
third date she halved it and once again distributed it evenly amongst
them.
When Prophet Muhammed (saw) returned, Aishah narrated the episode to
him whereupon he (saw)said: "Did the lady's act leave you astonished?
Due to her fairness and even-handedness, Allah (SWT) shall place her
in Paradise."
It has also been reported that once, a father arrived in the presence
of Prophet Muhammed (saw) accompanied by his two children. In his
presence he kissed one child and ignored the other. Noticing this
incorrect act Prophet Muhammed (saw) commented: "Why do you not treat
your children equally?"

Cultural India : Indian Monuments : Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India. The Jama Masjid
stands across the road infront of the Red Fort. Built between 1644 and
1658, Jama Masjid is one of the last architectural works of the Mughal
emperor Shah Jahan. The spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds
thousands of faithful. Jama Masjid is located on a mound in the heart
of the old city and projects beautifully into the Old-Delhi skyline.
Jama Masjid Mosque wasbuilt in red sandstone and marble by more than
5000 artisans. Originally called the Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa, or"mosque
commanding view of the world", the Jama Masjid stands at the center of
the erstwhile capital city of the Mughals, Shahjahanbad.
The Jama Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan,
the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was spent on
the construction of the Jama Masjid. The Jama Masjid is built on a red
sandstone porch, about 30 feet (10 m) from the level of the ground and
is about 1400 square yards (1200 m²) in extent. The Jama Masjid has
three gateways, fourtowers and two minarets. The gateways in the north
and south are led by a fleet of steps. The main entranceis on the
eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by the
emperors. The towerof the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive
storeys. Each one of the storeys has a projecting balcony. The
adjoining edifices are beautifully done with calligraphy.
The first three storeys of the Jama Masjid tower are made of red
sandstone and the fourth one is made of marble, while the fifth is
made of sandstone. The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings
and has verses inscribed from the holy Koran. Thegrand Red fort (Lal
Qila) stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid. The main prayer
hall of the Jama Masjid is made up of high cusped archesand marble
domes. The cabinet in the north gateof the Jama Masjid contains a
collection of Muhammad's relics - the Koran written on deerskin, a red
beard-hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted
in a marble block.

Precious Stones

Agate
Agate is a semi-precious gemstone and belongs to the Chalcedony family
and can be distinguished only by its color and stripes. The word
慳gate� is derived from a Greek word which means 慼appy�. Agate is
available in a wide range of colors. This stone is said to havebeen
discovered along the banks of the river Achates, now known as river
Drillo, by the famous Greek naturalist and philosopher- Theophrastus.
Aquamarine
'Aquamarine� gemstones resemble the greenish- blue color of the sea.
In fact the name aquamarine is derived from the Latin word for sea
water. Aquamarine gemstones look like the crystal blue seas and are
normally pastel blue to greenish or the deep blue. The larger the
stone the more the sheen is.
Carnelian
The carnelian is a varietyof microcrystalline quartz and chalcedony
and is said to have been used in jewelry as early as 1800 B.C. It is
consists of silicon oxide and a few impurities that givesit its color.
Carnelian is an attractive stone that is deep red to brownish orange
in color. It has a long past and was considered the stone of the upper
classes in ancient times. The Egyptian people even buried this stone
in the tomb along with the dead pharaohs.
Citrine
Citrine is a crystal whose color varies from lemon yellow to a deep
red brown or amber. The name "Citrine" is derivedfrom the French word
for lemon. It is a popularand affordable substitute to the much more
expensive yellow sapphire or yellow diamond. To create stunning
multi-colored jewelry, it is often combined with other stones such as
amethyst, peridot, and garnet. It is the birthstone for the month of
November.
Emerald
Emerald is a much admired fantastic green stone. It is the green
variety of the mineral beryl and one of the most well prized gems. All
over history emerald has been one of the most preferred and popular
gems. Due to its dazzling beauty, emerald jewelry such as earrings,
finger rings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets are highly cherished.
Garnet
Garnets belong to the semi-precious stone category. The name is
derived from the Latin word 揼ranatus� which was a reference to the
fruit 憄omegranate� which has seeds similar to the shape, size and
color of garnet crystals. Archeologists have discovered garnet jewelry
dating back to 3100 B.C.
Kunzite
Kunzite, the beautiful icypink colored gemstone and was discovered in
the year 1902 by the gemologist George Frederick Kunz in a placecalled
Pala in California. It was named 慿unzite� after the discoverer. It is
available in countries like Brazil, Canada, Afghanistan, USA, Mexico,
Western Australia, Pakistan and Sweden.
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis lazuli is a semi-precious gemstone which appears as though it
might have come straight out of the 慉rabian Nights�: 慉 deep blue
background with golden insertions of pyrites which shimmer like little
stars�. Lapis Lazuli is a semiprecious stone valued for its deepblue
color, and one can often spot golden pyrite inclusions. Lapis Lazuli
has a stretched history and has been consideredprecious by people
around the planet for centuries.
Moissanite
Moissanite, the exact replica of diamond, is a distinctive mineral
discovered by the Noble prize winner Dr. Henri Moissan in the year
1893. He found it as tiny bits of silicon carbide, inside a meteorite
in canyon Diablo, Arizona. The stone was named after him. In the year
1959, moissanite was found with an inclusion of kimberlite in a
diamond mine in Yakutia, Siberia and Wyoming- Western United States.
Moonstone
The moonstone is namedfor its resemblance to the color of the moon. It
owes its name to the softmilky white stone with abluish or yellowish
tint. It is also known as 慡tone of Emotional Balance� and represents
the moon goddess. It is an excellent gemstone usedin meditation to
understand oneself. It is believed that the stone transmits lunar
energy and helps soothe and balance human emotions.
Obsidian
揂pache tears�, the other name given to obsidian is a natural volcanic
glass which is formed by swift cooling of the glutinous lava inside
the earth. This is made of rich silica without a trace of water. The
making process of obsidian is the same as that of granite. However, it
cools down so quickly that there is exactly no time to crystallize.
Opal
The Opal is considered a symbol of clarity, optimism and confidence.
Any jewelry designed with opal gemstone adds beauty to the ornament.
There are numerous myths enveloped with this enchanting gemstone.
According to the ancient dream of the Australian aborigines, the
creator came down to the Earth on a rainbow to convey the message of
peace to all the humans. As soon he stepped on the ground
Pearl
Pearls are exquisite to behold and have been used in jewelry for
hundreds of years. Unlike other gems, the pearl is organic matter
obtained from the living creatures of the sea like the mollusks and
oysters.The pearl is actually formed as the mollusks or the oyster
coats itself with layers of nacre to protect itself from unwanted
materials thatcould damage them. Theprocess is very delicate and it
takes years for a pearl to be formed.
Quartz
The quartz gemstone is probably one of the most popular and versatile
gemstones that are available. Quartz is a rock crystal and has been in
use since ancient times. Despite the most sought varieties of quartz
like citrine, amethyst, rose quartz, agates, ametrine,chrysoprase,
onyx and rutilated quartz, there are many other varieties available
too.
Sapphire
Sapphire is the blue variety of corundum andis made up of aluminum
oxide. Excluding the red and pink color, all the other colors of
corundum are sapphires.The red colored corundum is called a ruby. The
sapphire resembles the ruby in all properties except for thecolor.
Sapphire is a wordderived from the Greek word 憇appheiros� whichmeans
慴lue stone�. Certain other elements like chromium, iron, etc
Tiger抯 Eye
Tiger Eye also called as the 憈iger抯 eye�, 慶rocidolite cat抯 eye� or
慉frican cat抯 eye�, as the name entails, resembles the eyes of a tiger
or a female cat. The surface of the stone glistens as a small ray of
light passes through. Tiger抯 eye is a variety of quartz and contains
fibers of crocidolite which is thenaltered to silica.
Turquoise
Turquoise is one of the oldest known semi precious gemstones known to
man. This popular gemstone is opaque, clear and transparent. This
stone was used to make jewelry for the Pharaohsof Egypt and also used
asjewelry to compliment the ceremonial dress of the early native
Americans.

Justifying Evil Acts in the light of Noble Qur'an andIslamic Teachings

Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) had heard that an old man had become famous
for his piety. One day, he saw him surrounded by alarge crowd. A
little later, the man came out of the crowd and distancing himself
from them, proceeded alone, whereupon Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) began
to follow him. After a short time, Imam Jafar al-Sadiq(AS) observed
that he hadstopped near a bakery from where he stealthily picked up
two loaves of bread. After a short distance, he stopped at a fruit
store, picking up two pomegranates in thesame manner and once again
continued on his way.
As he walked further, the old man approached a sick person, handed
over the loaves and fruits to him and was about to move on when Imam
Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) came up to him and said, "I have witnessed
something greatly astonishing from you", and then proceeded to narrate
the acts, which he had witnessed.
The old man said, "I suppose you are Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS)."
Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) replied in the affirmative.
The man continued, "It is really unfortunate that inspite of being of
the progeny ( Ahlul Bayt ) of Prophet Muhammad (saw) You do not seem
toknow anything."
Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) asked, "What act of ignorance have you
noticed from me?"
The man said, "But do you not know that God has said in the Noble
Qur'an "Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it and
whoever brings an evil deed, he shall be recompensed only with the
like of it".
On this basis, since I have stolen two fruits and twoloaves of bread,
I have four sins in my account, but on the other hand, since I have
given it in the way of God, I have earned forty good deeds.Reducing
four from forty,I still have thirty-six gooddeeds in my account; a
pity that you possess no knowledge of such computations!"
Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) explained to him, "But have you not heard
this verse of the Noble Qur'an, which says: "Allahonly accepts from
those who guard (against evil)". [5:27] You have earned four sins by
stealing those four items and four more sins for giving them to
someone else without the permission of the owners, so you have
collected eight sins but not a single good deed."
Later, Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (AS) said to his companions, "With such
interpretations and justifications, not only dothey mislead
themselves, but others as well."