Jum'ah Journal--Yaum-e-Azadi Mubarak

I know it is too late for Friday but I want to explain Yaum-e-Azadi.
Exactly 63 Islamic years today, we celebrated the real Azadi from British Rule. It was indeed Super Friday because:
It was Jum'at-ul- Wida' of Ramzan-ul-Mubarak of the year1366 Hijri ((15th Aug. 1947).
It was 27th of Ramzan (Then in the newly born Pakistan, just a few hours old.)
No, neither the British knew it nor their "collaborators" (like Pandit Nehru and his well recognised "friendship" with Lord Mountbatten) and perhaps not even the Muslims that:
The new country Pakistan will be born on "LAILATUL-QADR" (may be we should call it "Super Duper Friday?") about the importance of which you Muslims know as Qur'an clearly states:
"It is better than one thousand months". (Sura 97 of Qur'an Majeed)
And so it was, just four minutes before (or whatever number of minutes) the "midnight"hour the paper was signed for a free land for the Muslims in India, called "Pakistan",
Uss Jumay ko meray Walid nay Jumay kay b'ad tamam gaon walon kaysath milker duain mangee theen,
Pakistan ki "salmiyat" (Solidarity) aur Paeindagi (Longevity) kay liyay.

I think Allah SWT was trying to tell us something on this remarkable co-incidence, (As it is this Jum'ah here in USA being 26th, so give and take one day makes me remember the original coincidence) that "this is no ordinary Muslim country We are granting it to you and it should be "sacred", so take good care of it and make it an examplary Muslim country for other Muslim countries to follow". I was a budding teenager, and that's the way I thought then, knowing very little of the politicians who only thought that everything in the new country is up for grab, Position, Property, Paisa aur hukoomat. And see now what have they done to it and are still after the same PPP (Mind you the PPP as a party had not been born then) and the same "hukoomat" but infact are after destroying it. Should we think Zardari-Palin encounter as a Joke? Sharm kay maray hamari to aankhain ooper nahin utha sakteen.
Allah Pakistan per Rehm karay aur bawojood Zardarion aur "Shareefon" kay issay Qaaim rakkhay. That's why in my blog on 14th Aug this year I said Pakistan Paendabad is more a prayer in my heart than a 'slogan'
With slight change of the original
Na samjhogay to mitt jaaogay nadan Pakistan walo
Tumhari daastan tak bhi na hogi daastanoon main

Jum'ah Journal--Biotechnical parenting-iii

Considering Surrogate motherhood as biotech. parenting-ii
About IVF (presuning you all know what it is) there was fatwa of Al-Azhar issued in 1980 (just two years after the birth of the first "test-tube" baby in England).
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi a respected Islamic leader in the USA (well qualified in Islam) who has been Chairman of "fiqh Committee of ISNA" had this to say in answer to the question of "Is IVF allowed in Islam?"
After describing the process of IVF he says "Based on the principle that Shari'ah came to protect the lineage or 'nasab' of the people and thus it is HARAM to marry a woman during her "iddah" or to have an intercourse with a woman who is carrying another person's pregnancy the Muslim Jurists have allowed the use of in vitro fertilization only between the legally married couples during their marriage. Thus IVF is permissible as long as the semen and ovum are from a couple who are legally married and the fertilization takes place during their marriage, NOT after divorce or death of the husband."
Several articles appeared after the fatwa. However I wish to post here a summery of agreed upon statements
1. Baby (in case of rape or resulting from Illicit Sexual intercourse) belongs to the mother who delivered him/her. he-she is considered to be "laqit" or an illegitimate child.
2. If the marriage contract has come to an end because of divorce or death of the husband, medically assisted conception cannot be performed on the ex-wife even if the sperm comes from the former husband.
3. An excess number of fertilized embryos can be preserved by cryopreservation. The frozen embryos are the property of the couple alone and may be transfered to the same wife in a successive cycle, but only during the duration of marriage contract.
4. Multi-fetal pregnancy reduction (or so-called selective abortion) is only allowed if the prospect of carrying a high-order pregnancy (i.e. twins, triplets or more) to viability is very small. It is also allowed if the health or life of the mother is in jeopardy.
5. All forms of surrogacy are forbidden.
6. Establishment of sperm banks is strictly forbidden for such a practice threatens the existence of the family and the race and should be prevented.
7. The physician is the only person qualified to practice medically assisted conception in all its permitted varieties. If he performs any of the forbideen techniques he is guilty, his earnings are forbidden and he must be stopped from his morally illicit practice.

Jirgah Decisions and Islam

Haftay bher say soch raha hun likhun ya nahin
Der hay aur qalam kanp raha hay likhtay huyay.
Pehlay woh hadees apni zaban main sunata chalun jo yad aarahi hay
Aik naya Musalman Baddu ayaa aur Nabi sallahualaihi wasallam ko apna gunah bata ker muafi chahta tha.
Kaha kih Uss ki aik baitee thi yehi koi char panch saal ki jo usay bahut chahti thi aur woh bhi usay chahta tha magar usay marnay kay liyay lay giya aur behla phusla kay kunyain main dala woh chillati rahi abba jan mujhay kiyon dal rahay hain muhjay nikal lain
Main mumkin hay marnay ka tariqa sahi na likh raha hun aap mainsay jo yeh hadees jantan hon meri ghalti muaf karain aur drust ker dain.
Kehnay ka matab yeh hay kih usnay baitee ko mar diya.
AnHuzoor (S) suntay rahay aur issqarad royay kih aapki reesh mubarak ansuon say ter hogaiy.
Hazrat Umar na reh sakay aur usko dantnay kagay kih too nay anhuzzor ko itna rulaya.
Anhuzur nay usay bataya kih Islam say pehlay walay gunah muaf ho jatay hain magar yeh dil hila dainay wali dastan thi.
Aap logonay Balochistan ki kahani parrhi hogi jahan panch auratoon ko Zinda gaarr ker mara giya tha aur bhi is qism ki rongtay kharray karnay wali kahanian suni hongi Jaisay masalan jirgah nay faisla kiya kih larrki ki shadi Quran majeed say ker di jayay

Kiya yeh Jirgay walay log Muslaman hain?
Aur agar hain to inko koi samjhanay wala koi nahin ki begunah aur m'asoom larkian "Izzat" kay liyay qurban kerna gunah-e-azeem hay. 'arab kay Jahil to paida hotay he mar daytay thay magar yeh to jawan larrkiyon ko martay hain.
Sura Takweer main Allah ka kalam hay:
"Wa Izd-al-mauoodato so-elat bi ayye Zdanbin Qutelat"
"Aur baitee jeeti garr di gaiy say poocha jaayayga ki woh too kis gunah main mari gayi" (Allah unn marnay walon ko pochnay kay qabil nahin samajhta, aur uss begunah ko khitab kerta hay)
Pakistan main barray barray president aatay hain aur qanoon bantay hain ki aurat ki hifazat aur uskay hqooq ko mahfuz herna hay.
Laikin police bhi inn jirgay walon say derti hay
I am sure you know these things
Aapka dil dukhaya ho to muafi ka khastgaar hun. Magar jab say yeh kahani parrhi hay dil ro raha hay
Hairan hoon ki yeh musalman (Sahi baat yeh hay inn ko muslaman kehna nahin chahita, Allah mujhay muaaf karay) kaisay Allah ko jawab daingay

Power of Psyche-Human Experience

"Man is a social animal", we all know that. deprivation of social contact is a known "punishment" or "torture method" used in today's "correctional centers" when someone misbehaves, the warden will put him in "Solitary confinement" or in a "hole".
When a human child is born, he/she will require total care by the mother father and others and you are all very much aware of how psychology today teaches us about these early periods of development of the child along with physical mental and social developments. ( Harry Harlow experiments on mother deprivation of infant Monkeys and effects of surrogate mothers etc. - In particular "the mothers do much more than feeding the baby)

 Emotional and physical attachment of the child with parents or "Parent-figures" is of profound importance in the child development. Just see below, such 'deprivation' and its powerful effect.
I am not a psychologist but I guess every physician is bound to experience some psychologic problems in patients he deals with regardless of his specialty.
She was admitted in my Pediatric ward with "Failure to thrive" diagnosis or something like that. Chronologically she was aged 5 but physically and mentally she was way behind, coming up to about three years of age (weight, and height etc. was of 3 yr. old)
She had 'downy hair' all over her body, not emaciated but looking poorly developed. She would sit all day expressionless and look "lost", not pay any attention, not eat very much, like she was withdrawn, not unlike we see in adults the picture of severe depression.
She had no parents and was up for adoption.
I dont remember the history, who were her parents, when and how (or why) did they ended up "abandoning" her etc. but what a horrible picture of effects of parental deprivation
It was a small hospital and I started paying attention to her , trying to talk to her, play with her on a daily basis (Spending more time with her than with others). Within a week she started responding and nurses told me she has started calling me "daddy", was speaking normal and started eating regular. Her rapid visible physical and social emotional recovery were just amazing and the skin became normal in texture and hair growth. I enjoyed playing and laughing with her, seeing the little girl's happiness was so much of a reward for me (although I did not choose pediatrics as my specialty).
The nurse showed me the chart of her physical growth, I could not believe.
I dont remember what medications if any were given but I do vividly remember her progress as everybody else in the hospital appreciated that. It all started with the new "daddy", yes I enjoyed being addressed by her everyday as "daddy" (How much meaningful it was for that little girl, I cant imagine, but I know how I felt,--- "elated")
She was "adopted" after one month and she must have found a new "daddy" and "Mum". I have never forgotten that extraordinary experience as a young physician.

Jum'ah Journal--Suggogate motherhood

Basically there can be several ways of becoming "Surrogate Mother". It is not simply "mothering" a child of somebody else but actually the woman gives birth to a "child of somebody else".
It is not "adoption" either.
A woman agrees to accept artifial insemination to become pregnant and carry the pregnancy to child birth. The sperm can be from
a) husband
b) a male friend or a relative
to impregnate:
a) her own ovum
b) ovum of the wife of the sperm donor
c) ovum obtained from "Ova bank" and A.I. done with Husband's sperm or with sperm obtained from Sperm bank. Once the sperm and ovum are there Gamete can be produced either in the lab and new embryo implanted into the "hired" womb (when the "hired woman" does not or cannot get her own ovum impreganted)
With all these possibilities being available the "commercialization" process has flourished and has seen no boundaries despite all religious and ethical outcry. Now you have the free market where at your convenience are available:
1. Ova
2. Sperms (see my previous note)
3. and of course Children
State your price?
Well, you may think I am exaggerating but I am not.
I was going to Dubai in 2005 to speak on Islamic Medical Ethics in general in a medical conference and in the newspapers in my flights I saw the ads. (British Paper as I was going through London) for Ova and both for "selling" and "buying".
It all came to a head when a combination of a Lawyer and a Physician started doing Artifial Inseminations (Dearborn, MI) in 1986.
A patient of Multiple Sclerosis (Mrs. Elizabeth Stern) who was not infertile but wanted to have a child so she and her husband (William Stern) "contracted" with another woman (MaryBeth Whitehead) for "gestation" (becoming pregnant with Mr. Stern's sperm without intercourse, that is with A.I., and carrying the pregnancy to term) for a price all settled.
The baby ("Baby M"-Mellisa Stern) was born on 3/26/87.
The problem started when Mary Whitehead refused to give custody to Mrs. Elizabeth Stern, saying that she is the mother. (Mother emotionally too much attached to the baby)
Here I would like you to see the 2nd Aya of Qur'an in Sura Mujadelah (57),
"If any men among you "divorce" their wives by "Zihar" (Calling them "mothers"), they cannot be their mothers;
None can be their mothers except those who gave birth........"Noted, that the context here is different but the words are clear.
Any way to cut the story short, the Courts gave custody to Mr. Stern with visitation rights for Mary whithead The feeble (but probably practical) human judgement.
A movie followed that happening and I remember that "Bolywood" also produced a "doosri dulhan" (Shabana 'Azmi played the prostitute who agreed to become pregnant and give birth to the child. Then she realized her love for the child and gave up her "profession" and incidentally I was very impressed by her acting) although this is slightly different "surrogacy".
Needless to say that Islam does not allow Surrogacy of any kind, (Not even in the second wife of the Muslim husband-- though it may be debatable) except that of  Razaei type (Children using the same mother for Nutrition-Milk). The wife who gives birth remains the real mother, has all the love for the child and the emotional attachment.
The reason surrogate motherhood has become so "popular" inspite of religious and ethical objections, because there are Gay and single parents of all kinds seen who are ready to "buy" such things in today's society about which I will say no more as these things have since become more 'acceptable'. I thank God that none of my patients of Multiple sclerosis (or other such disabling chronic illness asked me to get involved in this process, Al-Hamdulillah.

The late, Warith D Muhammad.

The leader of the "American Muslim Mission" dies on 9th and the Muslims will definitely miss him. Inna lillah-i-wa Inna ilaihi Rajeoon.
May his soul rest in peace.
I had some criticisms (minor ones) about him but no doubt he was a good and considerate knowledgeable leader for the African American community especially who would embrace Islam.
Sure he was not as exciting a speaker as Luis Farakhan or Malik Shabazz but he was (single-handedly) instrumental in guiding a large number of "black Muslims"(Fifteen thousand followers of Alijah) to the right path. May Allah accept this gtreat accomplishment from him.
That is not a small thing brothers and sisters. He was recognised all over the world as a leader of Muslims of America and was indeed a spokes person for Islam in the "West". He called the group as "Nation of Islam in the West" (before taking A.M.M. title). Initially the African Amedrican Muslims considered themselves as a "separate Church" but he advised them step by step to become "universal Muslims" (part of the Muslim Ummah).
These Muslims have come a long way from the times of his father Alijah. Warith definitely showe great courage to 'separate' from his father's teachings and had to face his fahter's displeasure including monetary loss but he never wavered from his convictions of true Islam, the one that was realised by Malcom X also.
I feel that African American Muslims would be more free to join the rest of the Muslim Ummah, thanks to the continued teachings of their leader Imam Warith-ud-Din Muhammad.
The American media did not make big news of his death but they are too busy right now in the "Lipstick on the pig" controversy or politics. I cant blame them. This year has been the most exciting political year for the media and an historical one indeed. America is writing a new chapter in its history. How the result of elections will unfold the political landscape of America is something to watch.

Jum'ah Journal- Biotechnical parenting-1

With the exception of Jum'atul-Wid'a, I shall continue the journal insha-Allah and will set specific topics each Jum'ah.
At the outset, let me say what I shall NOT talk about and that is Abortion and Human cloning. Main discussions will be for genetic engineering and such methods in humans and how Islam looks at these technologies where to place restrictions and where to allow the technology.
First, it should be undersood that the primary purpose of the technologies used today for 'parenting' are needed to help persons who are unable to have a child by natural methods and also for therapeutic purposes (treating some diseases by, say, genetic manipulation). We may call these "Assisted reproductive technologies" for the childless couples and 'gene therapy' for the therapeutic methods (for prevention as well as management). Now, just to enumerate the five goals of Sharia:
1. Preservation and protection of (self) life.
2. Preservation and protection of mind (Intellect)
3. Preservation of faith (any faith of the peoples, not just Islam)
4. Preservation of ownership (of property etc.)
5. Preservation of Offspring (ability to procreate; main requirement of family structure)
(Shatibi -- in "Muaffaqat")
All rules and regulations of Islamic Jurisprudence are designed with the above goals in mind.
I will talk about ART (Assisted Reproductive technologies) only.
1. Artificial Insemination. This procedure involves using the husband's semen for impregnation of wife's ovum through intra-uterine placement. Whether the semen is from a 'Bank', frozen and thawed or fresh obtained and "treated" (such as concentration), the condition is that :
a) It must be from the HUSBAND only and from no other person
b) The process can ONLY be valid if the marriage is current. (meaning that for example frozen semen of the husband cannot be used after his death or after divorce)
2. IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) In this process, the ovum (or ova) is fertilized by a sperm in the Lab. (Husband and wife relationship conditions remain the same.)
Fertilized ovum is then transfered into the uterus of the wife for 'take'.
There are several difficulties in the process and many technological advances have been made for this method to be more and more successful. I am not describing technical details.
(My friend Dr. Hussam E. Fadel MD, FACOG, prof. in the dept. of OB-GYN in Augusta GA, has written an excellent account first appeared in FIMA year book 2002 Page 59)
Also please see Booklet on "Medical Ethics: The Islamic Perspective published by IMANA, (Islamic Medial Association of North America)-- 101 West 22nd St. Ste. 106, Lombard Il. 60148 USA.
When you see the goals of Shari'ah it is easy to understand why Islam is strict about the marriage and family and offsprings. No confusion should enter in the family structures as the laws apply to family members, we must know the definite members.
As you will see in the Tafsir books regarding the interpretation of Verse # 37 (....When Zaid had dissolved his marriage with her, We joined her in marriage to thee: in order that there may be no diffiluty for the believers in marriage with the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have dissolved their marriage with them...) and of #40 (Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the prophets: ...) of Chapter 33rd (Ahzab)
CLearly here Allah is defining "Childern" but this is not to say that the "adoption" is not allowed in Islam. One can see that it is vital to differentiate between the adopted and the real children for the laws and their proper application.
Next will talk about "surrogacy"