Life before birth

When does life begin?
Not from your 'birthday'. Science (Biology and Human Embryology)teaches that life begins after fertilization of the ovum by a sperm. What goes on from the fertilized egg (Zygote), in Humans, to the full term pregnancy and birth of a baby is what I am proposing to talk about in three or more parts.
Very briefly, when an ovum comes to maturity it is shed from the Ovary, taken up by the finger-like processes, Fimbria, of the Fallopian tubes and travels through the tube into the uterus (its cavity) and if not fertilized, goes out with the next menstrual period.If it does get ferilized by a sperm, it is usually at the beginning of its journey and by the time it reaches the uterus it is a tiny ball of cells which will get attached to and then embedded in the uterine wall. This journey takes 5-7 days. Further growth of cells with multiplication and differentiation takes this tiny creature through various stages of development until it is ready for the outside world at birth.I have left out the various names intentionally.
At about 120 days of development its movements can be discerned by the mother (Quickening)although many movements and other activities of the fetus do occur before this time, (recorded beautifully in the recent times only).
Verses of Qur'an Majeed and Ahadeeth related to this process are numerous. In Qur'an Majeed, the purpose of these revelations is not to teach Embryology but to make the Man realize his humble origin and total dependence on God's bounties for everything. The Qur'an described 'stages' of development in terms understandible by people of 7th century Arabia, and at the same time carrying full significance and relavancy to the scientific understanding of 20th and 21st century. First is beginning with 'dust'(xxx, 20 and xxii, 5) or 'clay' (xxiii,12 and xxxii, 7)and then 'despicable fluid' (xxxii, 8 and lxxvii,20) that contains the 'Nutfah'which transforms into 'alaqah' and then 'mudhghah' and then bones that are clothed by muscles and then into 'another creation.
" It is He who has given the best form to everything that He has created. He originated the creation of Man from clay, then (automated the creation of)his progeny by an extract of a despicable water, then He fashioned him in due proportion and breathed into him of His spirit (Rooh). He gave you ears, eyes and heart yet you are seldom thankful" (Sura Al-Sajdah, 32, Ayaat 7,8 and 9).
"Indeed We have created Man from an essence of clay. Then placed him as a drop of semen (Nutfah) in a firm resting place, then changed the semen into a leech-like mass (Alaqah) then leech-like mass into a fetus lump (Mudhghah), then fetus lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh and then We brought him forth as quite a different creature (from the embryo);so blessed is Allah the best of all creators. (Al-Mo'minoon 23rd Sura, ayaat 12-14)
The words of Arabic I have placed in brackets are the Key words of so profound a significance that we as non-Arabic speaking and even the Arabic speaking persons cannot appreciate their full depth. The experts (Embryologists) of today had no words to say except, "These words are undoubtedly not human" and compelled some to accept the Truth, embracing Islam. Some power of words of God. See in "Tafseers" the details if you wish, though most of them may lack in the scientific explanations.
(see Prof. Kieth L. Moore, "A scientist's interpretation of references to Embryology in the Qur'an" Journal of IMA, 1986, Jan Issue)
I plan to take up Hadeeth next, insha-Allah.

ERA and IndoPakistan Subcontinent

"Correctness of opinion goes along with changes of the times; it comes with them and it goes with them."
LIVING AND DYING WITH GRACE (Counsels of Hadzrat Ali)

During my recent travel through India and Pakistan I could'nt help noticing the headlines of both country's newspapers, that laws were being passed for security and safety of women. Pakistani laws (may have already been passed and signed by the President) were for the rapists and zina and "hudood" were modified , which to my thinking as a Muslim cannot be changed or modified because Hudood are divine in origin and 33rd sura's 36th verse clearly says, "Now whenever God and His Apostle have decided upon a matter it is not for the believing man or a believing woman to claim freedom of choice in so far as they themselves are concerned....". Not being an Islamic scholar I cant say anything more May Allah forgive me if say something wrong due to my ignorance. I have been learning from Qur'a and will stick to its teachings only. I read (and heard) Justice M. Taqi Usmani a well-known and respected Judge and Islamic scholar of Pakistan, who says that these laws are against the teachings of Qur'an.
How women are treated in both these countries is very similar. May be Muslim women fare a shade better than Hindu women who have come a long way from "sati". However,coming back to America, I think that Muslim women should be allowed to go to Masjid, not only for Jumah but also for attending other Islamic teachings. They should, in fact be encouraged to learn more and more for they are the first teachers of the children, our most valuable investment here. "Give me a good mother and I'll give you a good Nation", is attributed to Napoleon. The author is not important but the statement is, with its profound meaning and it is very relevant. I dont want mothers of Muslim children at least in this country to have limited knowledge.
As a child I remember two things were given to a bride as gifts, Qur'an Majid and (another bible) Bahishti Zaiver" which is a good "Islam made easy book for women of India" but only the less educated women who can only read it (Like reciting Qur'an without gaining any knowledge) but cannot comprehend it. I think it served a purpose in the Indian subcontinent at the time it was written by that erudite scholar Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi but today it appears to me somewhat debasing the Muslim Female Intelligentsia. We need more Female "maulavis" or Islamic scholars (like Maulavi Koonj). I dont care myself much whether they are wearing Naqab (Like Dr. Farhat Hashmi who is said to be good but I am not convinced Naqab wearing is applicable in the west) and Jalbab or they wear only "Hijab" or even if they dont wear it as long as their dress is appropriate and modest.
May be I hurt some readers feelings for which I am sorry and apologise. I certainly feel I may have done injustice to the author of Bahishti Zaiver but my intention was to make a point and definitely not to injure his authority as scholar for I am nobody and He is a Giant scholar and I do have great respect for him
I shall wait for the day when in the whole Muslim world the women will start attending Masajid when they have time and opportunity (I know it is not fardh for them and I also know it is so for the men)

My village

Name: Kotla Arbalikhan also written Arab Ali Khan or Arwalikhan (Starting with alif and not ain). "Kote" stands for a "walled city" and so its smaller version is Kotla or Kotlah.
They say there are many "Kotlah's",( for example another one "Kotlah Qasim Khan".). Kotla A.A.Khan is located about 19 miles from Gujrat city in Panjab  by road,(to north) and 9 miles  from it to south is Bhimber in Azad Kashmir. It used to be a small village without electricity when I arrived there in 1944. It had two 'mohallahs' (and two masjids) the Gujjar's Mohalla and "Non-Gujjar" mohalla (for lack of other name) and the road connecting it with the city of Gujrat was non-metalled. There were a few shops in our street but most of the bazar was further down in the village (One street, and on it we had one Mandir, part of that building is still there) Most of the persons were Muslims with some Hindu and a couple of sikh families. Many Hindus were well-to-do and had "Pukka" houses (also called "chobaras" when they had two stories, like our own house).
There was one distinguishing feature of our village, a "sarai" which was looked after by one villager. and it had a few rooms, one with a "ceiling fan" (Non-electric old variety) . It also had some buildings suggestive of where horses could be held and probably servent quarter type. It was probably built as places of sojourn enroute to Kashmir (Mirpur and Srinagar) and the road belongs to those mughal times or English times also. This "sarai"assumed great importance after partition as it was transformed into a new (Pakistan Army) camp. Pak. Army was posted to (save) and monitor the Kashmir border, because the Indian Airforce jets when they started bombing etc. in Kashmir area they did not respect the Pakistani border. Also after 1947 as more everyday things were in demand so the shops and bazars increased rapidly. As Hindus and Sikhs departed Muslims coming from Kashmir took over many houses and started their own businesses and other locals also started businesses with the result that the village mushroomed into its double size in a short period of time and also extended to the next smaller village called "Pahara". All those empty grounds of sarai and adoining pieces of land were used for new buildings, houses and streets springing up in places of crop fields.
I had left the village in 1948 for further studies and now the village having grown so much, has a large bazar, bustling with activity, big businesses, hotels, a bank or two etc. and most recently I hired a taxi from my village for Rawalpindi, (pretty impressive, hunh!) the road from Kotla going west to Ladian-Kharian-Sarai Alamgir-Jhelum-Islamabad/Pindi.
Going east from the village first you cross the Nala Bhander (the same one that continues toward Gujrat and Lalmusa) and first village is Sahontra next the two Sidwaals (S. Kalan and S. Khurd), some north to them is Pindi awan and next "Aachh-Gocch) the village of the well-known Panjabi folksinger, Aalam Lohar who during the time I was there was known as "Aacch-Gocchia Lohar" (And of course "Jugnee" was a popular folk song which he sang with his "chimta") A little further up north and west were Cchamb-jaurian and further was the city, Jammun though I never visited there. Direct north from Kotla were other villages before the Kashmir border.
A mile or so southward was "Kakrali". There was more business in Kakrali before partition and It was more important village, so much so that Kotla was also known as "Kotla-Kakrali"
There was a middle school in Kakrali which I attended and it was updated to High in 1946-7 so I am one of the 16 first "graduates" of that school.
This is my village KOTLA ARBALI KHAN today.

meezaan

This is an offshoot of JAG's movie-line

Yes it is true that balance is a much more comprehansive and profound word for life
There is so much that requires balancing in life in your own self as well as in the universe around that we know and the universe not known to us. I believe it is all maintained because of the delicate but vitally important balance as it is.
When I first learnt its meaning in Surah Rahman (Qur'an is chapter) I was confused. (That was many many years ago). Now it seems to me how could everything exist without balance. Go look for it in the Qur'an if you are not already familiar with exact verse.
I dont want to appear too philosophical but it is so truly chalanging for the human mind that now I get almost lost in the sheer depth of its meaning