Farrukh Younus travels around the globe. Farrukh is a young British-Pakistani Muslim who travels a great deal for his work. In his monthly series, Farrukh shares his adventures, cultural observations, and spiritual contemplations in his search for that which we share and that which is unique to each place and community.
The session has just started. Please feel free to join us with your questions. I would like to welcome Br. Farrukh.
Watch photos taken by Farrukh during his trip to China by clicking here
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Answer
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Name
Mohammad
- Canada
Profession
Question
Asalam brother
how do you find your experience as a globe- trotter? how many countries you visit till now?
Answer
Walaikum salam Mohammad,
It has only been by the Mercy and Grace of Allah Almighty that I have had the good fortune to visit many countries. Some years ago I ran a count ending up with about 70, since then I have visited a few more, though there have been many repeats.
For example, I have been visiting China regularly for the past 4 years, every 2-4 months. The country itself is fairly large, and I have been fortunate to visit many cities, experiencing a wide variety of cultures from the southeast, to the northeast to the northwest - each area has its own unique charm.
Similarly, when I lived and worked in the US, based in Chicago, I traveled much of the US experiencing again the regional variety of culture.
Often I remember the verses from the Quran where Allah Almighty advises us to travel the lands. And in other verses Allah Almighty tells us that Allah created us in different tribes/ groups/ nations/ ethnicities so that we may get to know one another.
Perhaps the greatest lesson that I have picked up in my travels is that it doesn't matter who were are, or where we are in this world, people as people all want for the same things: food, water, shelter, jobs, opportunity, but above all freedom. The very freedom which is embodied in the Quran, particularly in the context of freedom of faith.
Our differences, have not been created to divide us, rather they have been created as a way of making our time in this life more enjoyable. Take for example food. if we ate the same food day in day out it would become rather boring. The very fact that the world is full of different meats, different vegetables, different spices, different methods of cooking, enables us to always find something which catches our eyes.
Personally I pity those people (which include some close friends of mine) who simple will not sample a different cuisine. This variety is one of the great blessings of Allah, how unfortunate that some chose not to experience them!
The world is full of history with cities such as Istanbul and Rome, even more so; every time you dig you find ancient artifacts. We all need to experience some of that history, particularly in this modern age where international travel is very easy compared to our forefathers. It is said that Imam Bukhari once spent 3 months traveling to verify the isnad (chain of narration) of a single hadith. If a Boeing 747 existed in his time, no doubt he could have done it in less than a week.
Besides, have you noticed, when we pray in mosques, after the obligatory prayer people will move to another spot to pray? If the world is indeed a mosque for us to pray in, then surely we should try and pray everywhere :)
Thank you for your question and may Allah Almighty bless you, your family, your friends and everyone else with the opportunity to travel and see some of this wonderful world that Allah Almighty Our Creator has made for us, Ameen.
Name
Lisa Munyan
-
Profession
Question
Salam Alaikum; I have two questions for this incredible Muslim, traveler and writer . 1) Please describe how a Muslim is perceived and greeted in China as compared to how a follower of Islam is perceived and greeted in the USA, or any other country in which he has traveled in this time of turmoil?
and
2) How does Chinese chocolate compare to Cadburys or Belgium chololate?
Thank you and may Allah bless you and your family and friends and everyone with peace and a fulfilling Ramadan.
Answer
Walaikum salam Lisa,
I have, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah, been fortunate to visit both China and the US pre and post 9/11, where the experiences vary significantly.
When visiting the US pre 9/11 with family I had never experienced any problems, it was only when traveling alone as a young adult was I profiled, stopped, and in some cases questioned on every occasion entering the country.
Post 9/11 this increased in severity with the exception of the few days just after 9/11, ironically, the only time I have visited the US without being profiled, stopped or questioned.
For certain one can understand the concerns of any government in wanting to protect itself particularly after the injustice the US faced, however, this needs to be done in a way which differentiates real terrorist threats (presumably based on something more than guesswork or the way someone dresses) vs the 'average Joe', or 'average Abdullah' as is the case.
When visiting China, I have never been profiled, mistreated, or even for that matter pulled aside for extra questions. Immigration and entry into China is very high tech e.g. for over 4 years visiting one city, boarding tickets had bar codes speeding up the boarding procedures. All foreigners it seems are treated with the same degree of 'welcome', and once the immigration officer stamps your passport they do, more often than not, given you a pleasant smile.
I have often found myself flying to the US/ Canada post 9/11 where the 15 minutes at immigration ruins my mood for the rest of the trip. Yes, we all want security, but I am just as eager not to be a victim of some crazed terrorist plot as every other human being. I would further venture to say that such profiling is one of the many reasons why many Middle Eastern tourists are turning away from North American vacations heading east. Five years ago, spotting a foreign Muslim in downtown Beijing was nearly impossible, today, Muslim tourists are all over the place.
I pray that Allah Almighty blesses those with authority to work with Muslims and non-Muslims alike to help protect ourselves from terrorists, instead of assuming that just because someone is young, of Asian descent and travels frequently that somehow that makes them a bad person.
With regards to your second question, Cadburys/ Belgian vs Chinese chocolate. May I suggest that you do not put yourself through such a trial, life is too short to suffer in such ways. The Chinese may build the new train line to Lhasa months ahead of schedule, they may also be ahead when it comes to cloning European/American cars, they have, however, yet to perfect the art of chocolate making.
Hot tip: if you do like chocolate and you are traveling to China, buy your chocolate in your home country as European chocolate bought in China, does not taste European - something to do with the way it is transported, melting and reforming over and over again.
Thank you for your question and may Allah Almighty keep you, your family, your friends and everyone else, safe in our travels; as well as bless you with good European chocolates, ameen.
Name
REHAB
- Egypt
Profession
Question
how are Muslims in China?
Answer
Assalam alaikum Rehab,
The situation of Muslims in China varies, depending on who you ask and which area you ask about.
From Beijing's NuiJei mosque which is over a thousand years old, Quanzhou's mosque which is also over a thousand years old, to the newer mosques, such JingJeu mosque in Nanjing which is about 600 years old, to even newer mosques, such as the Emin mosque outside Turpan, which is about 200 years old; Muslims have been present in China for a very long time.
In the late 1940s, the Chinese government conducted a survey and discovered that there were more than 40 million Muslims in China. Numbers today tend to be more conservative, and Allah knows best.
Almost every major city has a mosque if not a sensible sized Muslim population, with the majority of Muslims living in the Xinjiang province in north west China.
You will find plenty of instances of halaal food in the oddest of places. For example in the city of Xiamen (southeast China about 1 hours flight from Hong Kong) my colleagues and I stumbled upon a halaal Brazilian bbq restaurant owned my two Pakistani brothers. In another city, Shenzhen (just next to Hong Kong), many of the street hawkers are from Kashgar (northwest China) and sell halaal kebabs on skewers. And of course if you visit many of the cities of northwest China, finding a restaurant which is not halaal is very difficult!
In terms of faith, yes there are some limitations on knowledge in China, but more recently the Chinese government has been opening up (for Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and other faiths). You find strong interest by the government to introduce good religious educational syllabus, such that the Chinese government have even set up colleges to teach imams! This is something the European and American governments have yet to do.
Are Muslims worse off in China? In some cases yes, in other cases no. What is apparent is that China is changing and I can only imagine the rights and opportunities for Chinese Muslims to improve, and Allah knows best.
Name
A.M
-
Profession
Question
I think China is one a difuclt place to live in.. they have customs and rules that are so ahrd to abide by like having one kid.. how muslims cope with such things?
Answer
Assalam alaikum A.M.,
Is China a difficult place to live in, yes and no. If you are an expatriate on an ex-pat package you will have a very high standard of living, similar to the way expats lived in the Middle East in the 80s.
The one child policy, in so far as I am aware relates only to Chinese people, but even so you find quite a few who have two or more, especially in the more Muslim areas of the country.
In terms of other customs and rules, well, this is no different to any other country anywhere else in the world where customs and rules vary among people and nations. Its the way we are as a human nation, we are different. Go to the north of China and you will see people dressed in heavy clothes because of the cold weather. They will eat a dietof predominantly meat but drink ots of tea, and thus preserve their energy. Go to the south, and the clothes are much lighter. Years of living in fixed environments have led to these cultural norms.
The question should not be so much about the cultural norms in China, but more about our ability to be flexible.
As regards to having many children, I pray that Allah Almighty blesses you with as many children as is good for you, and the same for the rest of us, amen. The reality is, the world is becoming much smaller and if we all have very large families we simply cannot sustain ourselves. There is great social responsibility in Islam, and you will find family planning becoming a real issue even in the Muslim world today, and Allah knows best.
Name
Jack
-
Profession
Question
hi,
i like the photos you took in china .. what are the places you visited ?
Answer
Peace be upon you Jack,
As mentioned previously, I have visited the country many times over the past few years so have seen quite a few cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Quanzhou, Chengdu, Urumqi, Turpan, Hohhot, to name but a few.
There is a saying in Islam that Allah Almighty is Beautiful and that Allah likes beautiful things, which is why for example Muslims are encouraged to have the best appearance both when in the home but also when out in public. Part of this love of beauty is reflected in architecture, Muslim or otherwise; and other aspects are reflected in nature.
Of the photos shown in the flash show you can see my attempts to capture some of the historic architecture, from one section of the Great wall of China outside Beijing, to some of the older Chinese mosques of Beijing, Nanjing, Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Turpan and Urumqi.
The photo of the glacier, aptly known as Glacier Number 1, the closest glacier to any city in the world, is located just outside Urumqi in the Xinjinag province; and to be honest it was quite a trek with the -25c wind chill factor!
The photos of the baby tigers, bengal and white, are things which can only really be done in China where safety standards are a little under par compared to those in Europe/North America where, for a relatively small fee, you can actually pick up and hold these amazing creations of Allah. You can see a spec of milk on the whiskers of the white tiger as my translator fed the baby with a bottle.
All in all the country is not only wonderful in terms of heritage, but provides for the avid photographer many opportunities to capture both the history of China as well as its nature.
Development in the country is however booming, the China of 5 years ago is no longer there. Some parts of some cities are so developed and advanced that they
make Europe look even older. If, like me, you enjoy taking photos, you enjoy capturing that beauty, my advice would be to go sooner rather than later, for if you leave it too long, you may just find that some of the history has been lost. The classic example are the hutongs (ancient houses) of Beijing, which are being bought up and knocked down to make space for new developments for the Olympic games. On my last trip to China I walked through them with a friendly lady from Salt Lake City; they will not be there next year.
May Allah Almighty bless you with the opportunity to take wonderful photos of your own, of this wonderful country; and may we all be blessed with something more than point and shoot cameras so as to get even better photos, ameen!
Name
Muslima
- Bahrain
Profession
Question
how many mosques in China and how you find imams there ?
Answer
Assalam alaikum Bahraini Muslimah,
Estimates for the number of mosques in China vary as much as the estimates for the numbers of Muslims in China.
Estimates for the Chinese Muslim population vary from 20 million to over 100 million. With the largest concentration of Muslims in the northwest of China in the Xinjiang provice, conservative estimates are of about 30,000 mosques, though I suspect there are many more and Allah knows best.
My first visit to China, before I started visiting regularly in recent years, was in 1999 when I joined a Muslim tour group. There we visited amongst other places a mosque/ madrasa in Hohhot, where there were some 300 students, all of them girls, learning the Quran, hadith, fiqh, etc. The objective was to educate at least one girl from each village and then send her back to her village to teach her neighbours about Islam. Such mosques/ madrasas are common place in China, and there are many studies on this unique phenomenon of female Imams in China, which you can find through an internet search engine.
In the flash show, the photo with the Chinese inscription on the gate, at the top of which is a dragon's head, this photo is of the oldest mosque in Nanjing. There are also in that city 4 other mosques, two of which are currently being renovated so I could not visit them on my last trip.
In other cities such as Turpan, in the flash show you can see this as the mosque with the green outer facade, when you drive down the main street of this city, every few hundred feet there is a mosque. We actually stopped at this mosque because there were some children playing outside and I wanted my photo taken with them - cute little Chinese Muslim children, great fun.
As for the imams, the majority will speak Chinese and Arabic. In fact one of my articles on Islamonline relates to an experience I had at the Quanzhou mosque when I attended Friday prayers. However when you visit some of the more metropolitan cities, such as Shenzhen (just next to Hong Kong), you find that the imam will also speak in English as there tends to be large immigrant communities from India/ Pakistan/ Bangladesh/ Other, and while the imam will not know the languages in these countries, they know these Muslims will at least know English.
Actually, in some cities of China, such as Lanzhou, so long as you speak Arabic you can get by quite easily on account of the number of Muslims who speak Chinese and Arabic. Of course that doesn't help me as my Arabic is limited and I would still recommend you do not travel there or to any other city in China without ensuring you have a translator/ guide.
My experience with Chinese imams however is very much like my experience with Arab ones. I was actually in Bahrain about 4 weeks ago where I had the good fortune to attend Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque. As a non-Arabic speaker I did not really understand the sermon, just as I rarely understand them in China. However, I am grateful for being able to part take in the blessings of the prayer and above all, thankful to Allah that despite not knowing the local language in the countries I visit, the Muslim communities in these countries whether its the Far East or Middle East are just as hospitable as one another.
May Allah Almighty bless us all with wonderful educational institutions as well as improved language skills such that we may find better ways to communicate with and understand each other, ameen.
Name
Rasha
- Egypt
Profession
Question
Salam brother farrukh,
thanks for joining us today.
So, what about the Chinese food? Do they have halal meat?
Answer
Walaikum salam Rasha,
I actually had a similar question from my sister after I e-mailed a photo of lamb kebab skewers on sale from a street hawker in downtown Shenzhen; a photo of which can be seen on my flickr account here http://flickr.com/photos/swamibu/1276835549/
The vast majority of large cities will either have a historic mosque, or at the very least a newly built mosque. Around these mosque you will find many halaal restaurants as well as supermarkets which stock Muslim products.
In Beijing for example, there is a Muslim supermarket just a few moments walk from the oldest mosque in the city.
I have since my university days been a fan of Chinese food, picking up my then favorite dish sweet and sour kind prawns with egg fried rice. Since visiting China, feasting on Chinese food in China has been an eye opening experience.
My favourite dish to date comes from the south of the country, a stir fried chilli crab which you can see here http://flickr.com/photos/swamibu/205959375/in/set-72157594312388196/
The diet of the Muslims in the northwest is predominantly meat, mostly lamb, mutton and beef. There you can find the most delicious halaal foods that your eyes will ever see and your tongue will ever taste. But then as I discovered on my trip to Urumqi that my translator friend Maryam, she seemed to have a love for Indian curries - so we exchanged recipes and tips.
There are in China just as you have in Singapore and other Muslim countries halaal standards in China. In the bigger cties for example food products will be stamped with halaal, and in fact on one flight I took with China Eastern airlines the crisps came with a halaal stamp. Unfortunately China being China, mistranslations occur fairly often, and most recently, I discovered a packet of biscuits which read "Allah stick" which was a misinterpretation and mistranslation of 'halaal'.
There is therefore no shortage of halaal food, its simply a question of finding out where you have to go to find it. And with millions of Muslims in China to help you find them, you simply cannot go wrong!
Name
Lisa
-
Profession
Question
Salam; What do you believe is the key to global understanding and harmony?
Answer
Walaikum salam Lisa,
There is a verse in the Quran where Allah Almighty says, Verily in the remembrance of Allah does the heart find tranquility. To me, this embodies the the simple truth of life, that is, for each and every one of us, we must find some degree of peace in our hearts, for without that, our efforts can only bring about temporary solutions.
Within this framework, if we as people chose to recognise and understand that we all actually want the same things, and then work with one another towards achieving those, we will find better co-operation between faiths and cultures, leading to peace in all of our lives.
World dynamics have changed throughout the ages. For much of history, social and religious mobility was static. People lived in isolated communities not because they chose to but because of limitations of travel and distance. Today societies are very different. You have multiple people of multiple faiths living not only next door to one another but on top of one another, tall buildings abound.
From an Islamic perspective interfaith rules and regulations were based historically on a very different set of circumstances, where in many towns you had a Jewish quarter, or a Christian quarter or a Muslim quarter, or a Zoroastrian quarter, etc. While these exist to some extent today in many parts of the world, these isolationalist structures are slowly being replaced.
Look at the Middle East with large expatriate populations. Look at London, where when many Americans visit for the first time, my friends included, they are astonished to see so many cultures living side by side with one another in peace.
Look at Malaysia, not only do they celebrate the Muslim holy days such as Eid as a national holiday, but they also celebrate the the holy days of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and others, all as national holidays. Mutual respect despite disagreeing with the belief structures of other faiths has happened in the past, does happen in parts of the world today and can continue to happen in the rest of the world today, if people are so inclined.
The world is changing, faster than any of us perhaps imagined. The areas in which the world's communities agree on, ought to be used as a foundation for building a common framework in which the rights of the people, irrespective of faith are respected.
Often, many Muslims will cite Islam as the solution, and as a Muslim this is my belief as well. But it is the interpretation of Islam which varies, as it is the flexibility of Islam which enables a framework where the rights of people can be recognized and respected.
Take for example the principles of democracy. When you look at how the early Muslims after the death of Prophet Muhammad upon whom be peace, chose their leaders, it was a democratic process. Democracy has always been an 'Islamic principle', unfortunately this 'Islamic value system' was lost in early days of Islam as people reverted to tribal affiliations.
Even when Muslims look at the life of Prophet Muhammad we see a very different life then to what we see now. Then, he, the Prophet would take advice from women of knowledge, where many men today would view that as something negative.
Then, he the Prophet gave women the rights to work and inherit, so much so that there was a clinic in the Prophets Mosque in Medina run by a Muslim woman; but sadly today many Muslims do deny women the right to work, to be independant. Then the Prophet even did his own household chores, today, this is viewed as 'woman's work' by the majority of Muslim men. Then the Prophet allowed a woman to divorce he husband because he couldn't satisfy her physical adult needs, today, many evil Muslim men abuse the divorce laws denying their wives the right to leave them, and our 'Islamic legal system' which is supposed to protect women, stands by watching the men continue this injustice.
There is alot that needs to be done, but the first step must be education, and that is educating the everyday well intentioned Muslim to understand who Prophet Muhammad was, the meaning of his message, and how in fact we can take from his example to improve our understanding of social harmony among ourselves. Instead of manipulating his example to justify our whims and petty desires.
If Muslims en masse can reach this level of self reflection, then and only under such circumstances, will be as a group, a community, be in a proper position to contribute to global harmony and peace; for how can we participate in solving the worlds problems when we cannot even understand or correct our own misunderstandings of faith? And Allah knows best.
Simply put, we, Muslims, just as everyone else, needs to know ourselves, understand ourselves, and react based on understanding who we are. When the worlds communities think in similar ways, by really understanding who they are, and what they actually want, we will find a way for dialogue to progress, enabling us all to find the much needed global understanding and harmony that we all seek.
Change is perpetual and it does happen. The reason why it took more than 20 years for the Quran to be revealed was a reflection of the way in which people change, recognising the process and time required for people to change their attitudes. The prohibition on drinking alcohol wasn't overnight it was over a number of verses over a number of years.
There is a lesson here for us today. No one should expect anyone anywhere to change over night for any reason, be it by choice or by compulsion; such a drastic change is too difficult for any human being to bear productively. There is a saying of the Prophets wife Aisha who once said the deed love most by Allah is the one that is regular, even if it is little. One step at a time and we can reach our goals.
Let us pray that Allah Almighty will bless us all with understanding, binding us all on the common goals we all share, thus enable us to find something more of peace, happiness, security and success in this life and the next, amen.
In the mean time, let us find happiness and harmony in those things which are common amongst us today. And what better way than to invite your neighbors to your home to share a meal.
Name
Kate
-
Profession
Question
Please would you describe the ancient Islamic Mosques that you may have come across on your travels in China. Thank you.
Answer
Peace be upon you Kate,
Answering your question would take perhaps the whole evening given the number of mosques that I have visited, by the Grace and Mercy of Allah.
The shorter answer would be that there tends to be a combination of traditional Arabic with traditional Chinese architecture.
Many mosques will for example adopt a traditional Chinese belief where as you enter the outer gates/ door of the property you are met with a barrier which is designed to stop evil spirits from entering the property, you walk aruond it. Of course in Islam we believe in evil spirits (bad jinn), however this is the first time I have seen a barrier being used as a way to combine the Islamic belief with the traditional Chinese belief.
Another unique feature is the style of calligraphy used. From the great mosque in Xian where the entire Quran is carved into the wooden walls inside the main prayer hall (an amazing sight to see!) to the Arabic calligraphy which is written in such as way as to be viewed as Chinese to the non-Chinese person, when in fact, if you rotate your head 90 degrees you can see that it is in fact Arabic.
The general structure of many of the older and larger mosques such as that in Quanzhou are centered on a courtyard, something which I found rather unique - but again, common styles found in both Arab and Chinese homes.
Many of the mosques have minarets in unique styles. For example the one in Guangzhou used to be the tallest structure in the city for many years even used as a lighthouse to help guide ships home. And more recently, the one Emin mosque is actually famous for the Emin minaret which features sixteen different patterns, a photo of which can be seen here http://flickr.com/photos/swamibu/324729383/in/set-72157594384155235/
Of all the mosques of China that I have visited my favourite would have to be the one in Beijing. Certainly I enjoyed the architecture, but I suspect it has something to do with the easy access to halaal restaurants which sways my opinion :-)
Name
Ramadan
-
Profession
Question
What is the most humorous sitution you face during your tarvels?
Answer
Walaikum salam Ramadan,
Your question is open to a great deal of interpretation, and I suppose it is very difficult to narrow it down to just one.
On my most recent trip, one weekend I found myself on a beach in China. There, I was perhaps one of, if not the only foreigners around. As I took my camera out to take photos, one by one groups of locals came up to me and asked to have their photos taken with me. For the next hour or so I had my photo taken with about 200 Chinese girls, and about 30 Chinese guys most of whom were mid to late teens. I became a tourist attraction of sorts!
On another occasion I was on a tour visiting reactor number 5 at Chernobyl. Despite the clear and evident suffering - may Allah Almighty keep us all safe from any form of nuclear explosion ever again amen! - as I walked through the tall grass, Uri, our guide yelled out to me, 'get off the grass its radioactive!'. There and then, I ran as fast as my two legs could take me, back to the road, only to discover the two Americans, my translator and other visitors were giggling.
On another occassion at the salt mines outside Krakow in Poland, I thought to pose for a photo, licking the walls, which of course were made with salt. Only to miscalculate the distance and lick the wall. The worse part was that neither my translator or the guide showing us around had any water.
Once in Prague as my translator and I decided to go skydiving, when we reached the correct altitude, she chickened out. I myself found myself being pushed out of the plane more or less. To some that would be funny :) In retrospect, I did have a wonderful freefall!
Once when playing with baby panda bears at the Wolong nature reserve in China I found myself trying to get up off the ground only to find a baby bear clinging onto my leg refusing to let go. You really had to be there to appreciate the moment :)
I've had, by the Mercy and Grace of Allah, many strange and enjoyable experiences around the world. I pray that everyone has similar opportunities to visit parts of the world and to have their own experiences, but I also pray that Allah Almighty enables me to continue to have many more fun and enjoyable travel experiences, amen!
Name
Salma
- Egypt
Profession
Question
salam Farruk
how you find the Chinese culture? it is one of the oldest nation that has history in the world
Answer
Assalam alaikum Salma,
As with any culture, I absolutely love it. I enjoy communicating with people from around the world, sharing experiences, trying to understand who they are both as individuals and as people.
When I visit China I always try to do something different. For many years I had always read of the tradition of cupping, or blood letting, it is something that can be found in the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad.
Knowing that this of Chinese origin, I once took to having myself cupped by a Chinese doctor. If you haven't done it before, its really quite an interesting experience.
The doctor took what appeared to be a small hammer which had many sharp needles at the end of it. Ensuring that he had them sterilised, he started prodding the my shoulder blades, on each side. It felt as if someone was pinching me. He then took two bamboo cups, inside each cup lit a match then placed it over the area which has the small needle holes. The fire extinguished the air creating suction and the cups stuck to my back. As time passed I could feel something coming out of my back into the cups. Some minutes later they popped off and inside was what he described as 'bad blood'.
For the next few days I actually felt rather light headed and I was told that is a similar feeling people who donate blood experience.
The thousands of years of history in China, including their medicine, allow for a very enjoyable experience, whether you are there for work or for vacation. And I would certainly encourage you and everyone else, by the Grace of Allah, to take the time should you have the opportunity to visit the country and share in some of those years of history and experience; not to mention the food!
Name
Asif Zaidi
- United States
Profession
Question
As-salaam alaikum Farrukh
Enjoy reading your articles. Two questions
1- Do you plan on publishing a book about your travels in the Muslim World- esp to countries which we don't normally associate with Islam.
Answer
Walaikum salam Asif,
Certainly - by the Grace of Allah - I have the material to write a number of books on my travels, and given my trigger happy nature (that's trigger happy with my camera for photographs!) I have plenty of visual references to add to the text.
I suppose the real question is whether I can find a publisher that would be interested in such a text; if you happen to know of one, send them my way ;)
Name
Closing Message from Farrukh I. Younus
-
Profession
Question
What do the stone-age Kapauku tribe who led their aboriginal lives undisturbed by the spreading western civilization until the 20th century and the Dinka people who live around the swamps of the central Nile basin in the Southern Sudan have in common with Islam and the Muslims? They are some of the living proofs that Allah Almighty did indeed send Messengers to all of humankind.
When we look at the faith of the Kapauku tribe they believe in One God, who they called Ugatame. And when we look at the Dinka, they too believed in One God, who they called, Nhialic. These are some of the nations which still exist today who we can visit to learn about their centuries of culture and tradition, their understanding of right and wrong, their belief in heaven and hell, even their belief in a man and a woman as being the first of creation. Elsewhere in the world we simply have the remains of nations gone by, the Aad, the Thamud, the Jurhamites. It is the duty for every Muslim who has the opportunity to travel the world, to explore, to see, to witness, to understand. For certainly in the Creation of Allah, there are signs for those of understanding.
May each and everyone one of us find freedom from the difficult trials of life that we all face during this blessed month of Ramadan, and may Allah Almighty have mercy and make us all of those who understand, thus find peace in this life and the next, amen.
And I leave you all with the following Chinese proverb, “Those who say a thing cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”
Answer
Rasha Mohammad- IslamOnline.net's editor:
The session has ended. I would like to thank Brother Farrukh for taking the time to answer the questions of IslamOnline readers, and all those who participated in this live dialogue.
Follow our coming sessions, Insha Allah. Do not miss "Muslim Travels Around the World" sessions, only on IOL.
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