Pakistan, A Superpower by 2050

In a recent article, “Turning Challenges into Opportunities” we argued that Pakistanis are a brave, resilient, and highly intelligent people who, under a strong, determined, and patriotic leadership, can surmount any crisis. Furthermore, there are many reasons that Pakistan could become a global superpower within few decades.

Of course, in the sublime sense, the only superpower is the Almighty Allah. However, in more mundane terms, a superpower can be defined as having the ability to influence events and project power on a worldwide scale. Unfortunately, the traditional definition of a superpower represents a raw and crude psyche that only exacerbates violence, environmental decay, inequality, tyranny, and instability.

We must then redefine “superpower” to emphasize morality, international cooperation, world peace, clean and healthy environment, eradication of poverty, and promotion of equality among nations. Pakistan can take up the challenge under a two-pronged doctrine, namely possessing an effective and successful deterrence against aggression and the will and the means to enhance international cooperation, peace, and prosperity.

The defeatists, uttering doomsday scenarios, will question our proposition. These elements have always infused distress, despondency, and despair among the masses. Pakistan has survived many odds since its birth. To the dismay of its detractors, Pakistan has achieved a reasonable degree of self-sufficiency in food and other essential commodities. The poverty level has declined to 25%, while wealth distribution has been relatively much better compared to many developed and developing countries.

In the vital fields of agriculture, science and technology, industry, medicine and engineering, nuclear technology, art and architecture, as well as in sports, cultural, and the literary world, it has won a respectable place in the community of nations. The Pakistani people have courageously defied what the proponents of gloom and doom had wished. At the time of its inception in 1947, the country lacked the basic infrastructure for development, but it had the romance of youth, the diversity of its people, and a kind of mysticism for survival. The birth of Pakistan in less than ten years since the idea of nationhood was conceived in the 1940 Resolution is truly a gift of Allah to the Ummah. And its survival is a miracle.

Many serious analysts believe that with proper management and governance, Pakistan can become the sixth biggest economy within the next fifteen years and one of the most developed economies by 2050 AD. (Adjusting for unreported economic activities and comparative prices, the current GDP estimates can actually be four times higher putting Pakistan in the middle-income category.) Moreover, with an estimated population of 350 million by 2050, it will be fourth largest country in the world. Similarly, the literacy rate, 52% at present, is expected to reach 90% in next twenty years.

However, Pakistan’s biggest asset is its 100 million people below the age of 25, a highly productive age, which can play a vital role in the economic development of the country. These young people have entered the phase of their economic life cycle, whereas in many other countries most of the population is aging. Moreover, some ten million overseas Pakistanis, with estimated assets of $500 billion, constitute a huge reserve and strength as well as a source of considerable remittances and investment.

On the geo-physical scene, Pakistan has adequate natural resources. For example, of a total land area of nearly 882,000 sq.km. (ranking fifth among the developed countries while it is larger than France, Germany, Britain, Japan, and Italy), it has over 30 million hectares of land under agriculture. It has rich soils, favorable agro-climatic conditions, one of the most extensive irrigation systems in the world, and a hard-working farming community. Pakistan also has a large population of cattle, buffalo, goats and sheep, camel, and poultry while it ranks among the highest producers of meat, milk, and animal products.

In addition, the country has tremendous opportunities for developing fresh water and sea fisheries. With the introduction of improved farming techniques, the country can produce at least 60 million tons of food (wheat, rice, and maize) — enough to meet the nation’s food requirements and for exports. Pakistan can also boost its existing significant production and export of fruits and vegetables. The potential exports of food products alone to the Middleast are estimated at $200 billion per year. Development of the agriculture sector could also release surpluses of income and manpower for the industrialization of the country.

Pakistan has been bestowed with huge deposits of mineral resources and stands among the top ten nations in the world in vital mineral resources such as gold, copper, silver, gas, precious stones, and coal. In the case of energy, the country has immense hydroelectric power generation potentials as well as solar, wind, nuclear, and thermal power and can boost electricity production several times its present levels. For example, Pakistan has the world’s fourth largest coal reserves equivalent to over 600 billion barrels of oil, which can be developed for electricity generation both for domestic and export markets, coal byproducts, gasification, petrochemicals, and many other chemicals.

In terms of its geography, Pakistan enjoys a unique central and strategic setting. It is also a potential hub of trans-regional trade and commerce, and scientific and technological linkages. In addition, its over 1,000 kilometers of coastline has many suitable sites for developing the most modern ports linking all five continents. Pakistan’s proximity to the Islamic world, accessibility to the Indian Ocean and to the markets of East Asia, steadily growing economy, and principled stand in international affairs, good relations with other important neighbors, the PRC, Iran, and Turkey, and its emerging relations with the Central Asian countries and Russia should be a positive force in bringing peace, stability, and prosperity to this region.

It could also help integration of the region with the rest of the world, and promote international peace and cooperation. Pakistan could benefit from increased exports to these countries of agricultural, textile, engineering, and steel products, as well as advanced weapons, fighter aircrafts, tanks, UAVs, and ships, electronics, mobile phones, chip, and computers and software.

Pakistan’s armed forces have attained global dimensions since the end of the Cold War. It has a million strong, fiercely patriotic, battle-hardened, and highly mobile professional armed forces equipped with advanced weaponry. The country has nearly achieved self-sufficiency in production of arms and ammunition while its nuclear weapons and short and long-range missiles are awesome. For many years, Pakistan’s armed forces have played an important role in the security of its friends and under the aegis of the UNO. While they are capable of deterring any aggression, they could become a force for peace and stability for the region and the world.

Finally, Pakistan’s cultural and historical diversity and a challenging topography truly offer a delight to those seeking the most exciting adventures. The country is blessed with terrain ranging from coastal areas with attractive sea spots to the highest mountain summits. In terms of the beauty and magnificence of its landscape, Pakistan can also rightfully claim to have at least five of its mountains rising above 8,000 meters. There are many other spectacular mountain panoramas, glaciers, treacherous rives, valleys, and gullies containing some of the most dangerous cliffs in the world.

Its soil contains the ruins of the Gandhara University, unique historic places such as Mohenjodaro and Taxila, and sites in Balochistan with the oldest civilization (estimated to date back to 4000 BC) known to-date. Its colorful cities, with a beautiful mix of ancient culture and modern habitations, beautiful architecture, mosques and shrines, and cuisine are of great interest to visitors. Finally, Pakistan’s free and vibrant media can play its role in projecting the country’s true image to the world.

In conclusion, there is no doubt that Pakistan can become a superpower by 2050. China, which at the time of its independence in 1949, was behind Pakistan in many vital sectors, has made it to the superpower status. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, with sheer intelligence and will power, created a homeland for the Muslims of the region in less than ten years since the 1940 Lahore Resolution.

The greatest strength of 170 million Pakistanis is their strong faith in religion, their glorious history, their culture, their beautiful geography, and their immense natural resources. The birth of Pakistan was the first step; for it to become a formidable force in the world is the ultimate objective of its birth. Much hope for the present and the future rests upon the steely will of the people. With “unity, faith, and discipline,” the people and the leaders of Pakistan can transform the country to its fullest capabilities and superpower status.

Daily.pk

World Agenda: BJP in the frame for Babri mosque massacre

(AFP/Getty Images)
The demolition of the Babri mosque triggered a wave of religious violence that claimed 2,000 lives
For 17 years, the destruction of the Babri mosque by a Hindu mob in the northern town of Ayodhya has marked one of the darkest days in the history of independent India.
The demolition, on December 6, 1992, is making headlines once again after the official inquiry into the razing of the 16th-century mosque – an event that triggered a wave of religious violence across India that claimed 2,000, mostly Muslim, lives – was leaked yesterday, forcing the Government to make the full findings public.
The report, prepared by a former judge, Justice M.S. Liberhan, blames several senior figures in the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) – including the former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee – for inciting Hindus to commit violence while giving outward assurances that they were doing their best to maintain calm.
The indictment of Mr Vajpayee will shock many in India, as he was supposed to represent the moderate face of his party. The harshest criticism, however, appears to be directed at Kalyan Singh, a BJP-linked politician who was chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the state in which Ayodhya is located. The Liberhan Commission concludes that he orchestrated a “pogrom”.
The central government of the time, by contrast, appears to have been largely exonerated – even though most analysts believe the prime minister of the day, P.V. Narasimha Rao, a member of the Congress Party, could have done more to protect the mosque, especially as the Supreme Court had ruled that it should be left standing.
The findings, though open to charges of political partisanship, confirm a widely accepted version of events. Senior BJP figures – most notably L.K. Advani, the party’s current leader, who is also named as culpable in the Liberhan report – had campaigned for years for a Hindu temple to be built on the Ayodhya site. Indeed, the demand remains a BJP policy. The party’s argument: is that the Babri mosque was built by a Muslim invader at the birthplace of Lord Rama, the Hindu god.
Behind the BJP – then and now – stands the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a shadowy 83-year old movement that wields enormous power but prefers to stay out of the limelight. The RSS claims to campaign peacefully to rid India of the legacies of foreign invasions, such as Islam. Its final aim is to establish a state built entirely on hindutva – or “hinduness”.
That mission seems to have floundered. The BJP took a mauling in the general election this year in favour of the opposition Congress Party, a secular movement that has fostered an economic renaissance and which boosted its popularity by shelling out billions of pounds worth of aid to the poor.
The RSS, as a consequence, seems to have slumped into an enforced period of self questioning, unsure what its role should be in today’s India. The criticism meted out by the Liberhan Commission seems likely to undermine its claims to have adopted a new ethos of inclusiveness – though it may also serve to galvanise its extreme core.
Analysts suggest that India’s rising economic fortunes have neutered the RSS’s rallying cry – that Indian secularism is tilted in favor of the country’s minorities. Nevertheless, the mindset behind the Babri destruction persists. It was behind the anti-Muslim riots that erupted in Gujarat in 2002 and anti-Christian violence in Orissa last year.
An attack on women dressed in Western-style clothes in a pub in Mangalore this year by members of the hardline Hindu group Sri Ram Sene suggested that the RSS’s rejection of “alien” cultures still has a resonance.
The Liberhan Commission’s findings are not binding. It is likely that those it judges culpable – most of them old men now – will escape punishment for their roles in the Babri massacres. The report is still important, however, in that it spells out that politicians are guilty not only if they actively organise violence, but also if they stand aside while others incite it.
As it says of the BJP hierarchy at the time of the Babri demolition: “They have violated the trust of the people …There can be no greater betrayal or crime in a democracy and this commission has no hesitation in condemning there pseudo-moderates for their sins of omission.”

Pakistan existed 8000 years ago as Melluha

As an ardent fan of the Professor Dr Ahmed Hasan Dani’s concept of Pakistani history and a protagonist of the Indus people philosophy of Ahtizaz Ahsan, it is always a joy to hear about another book about the ‘Melluhas’ of the Pakistani Civilization.
The Melhulans were the Indus people who lived on the River Indus. They were the early ancestors of the present day Pakistanis. the DNA results from the remains of the people in the graves show a 98% congruence with the Baluch, Punjabis, Pakhtuns and Sindhis of the current era. This is why Professor Dani, Ahtizaz Ahsan and this author want to refer to the “Indus Valley Civilization” as the Pakistani Civilization. The temple education from across the border notwithstanding. the facts remain that the people of the Indus is spectacularly different than the people of the Ganges. It is the stupidity of the leaders of the Ganges to refer to themselves as Indusians or “Indians”. The could call themselves Ganians or the rural people or whatever. They were certainly not the urban people of the Pakistani Civilization.
http://www.zimbio.com/World+Politics/articles/3072/Balauchistan+join+Pakistan
http://www.zimbio.com/Indus+Valley+Civilization/articles/7/Pakistan+Bactrian+Hellenistic+Parthian+Gandharan
The temple education in Bharat teaches them that their land extends from Kabul to Raj Kalhani (mythical island East of Hindu Bali in Indonesia). Thus this temple education prohibits them from accepting any of the countries in their borders–Tibet, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal, Lanka, Mayanmar, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Pakistani Mehergarh civilizition preceded Pakistani Indus Valley Civilization
Any intellectual capital that can refute this irredentist, revanchist “Akhand Bharat” type of thinking. The book is not available on Amazon.com. Here is a review by Naeem Tahir.

This maps looks like the map of Pakistan. It is. It is the map of Indu Valley 3500 years ago. This is the map of the Indus Valley Civilization which existed 5000 years ago on the banks of the Indus. This represent the Indus Pakistanis (see Indus Saga by Ahtizaz Ahsan, and Professor Dani's prolific writings). The IVC was not Hindu. They buried their dead, wrote a non-Sanskirt pictographic language, ate beef, did not know the horse, wre not vegetarian, wrote right to left, did not know the horse (No Arjun), and did not worship any of the Hindu pantheon (Arjun, Agni, Mithra, Nag). This map shows the Indus Valley Civilization which traded with the Muslim Moses in Mesopotamia. Pakistan is the latst Muslim incarnation of the IVC. The Indus people banded together to live togther as they had lived together for thousands of years. This was the contract once the Britain left. Bharat never existed as a united country--WHAT PARTITION?. This map shows the later stages of the IVC in Lothala and part sof Gujerat. The original IVC thrived only on the banks of the Indus (http://moinansari.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/pakistan-existed-5000-years-ago-as-ivc.gif)

Books on ancient history and research are usually read by those who are interested in the subject or those who are working on the subject themselves, but they have no attraction for the average reader. So it is a pleasant surprise to read Naeem Tahir’s book, ‘Melluhas of the Indus Valley 8000 BC — 500 BC’, which is comparatively less ‘heavy’ than the average tome on the subject. A beautifully produced book of two hundred and fifty pages, it features reproductions of the art work of that era and tells in simple, easy to understand language about the life and times of our ancestors who are part of our heritage and ancient civilization. For history lovers it provides an absorbing read of our historical and ancestral past.
In his interesting prelude, Naeem Tahir has stated that he began by wanting to know more about his own ancestors and build up a family tree, but the search for a credible lineage soon turned into a search for roots and he ended up delving deeper into the fascinating history, archaeology, anthropology and civilisations of South East Asia and in particular the Indus Valley. Thus his search developed a stronger focus, which ultimately led to the writing of the book after a decade of reading and research since his first foray into finding his lineage. He concludes with the question, “Have I reached the truth?” and answered it with a quote by Greek philosopher Xenophanes, ‘No man knows or ever will know the truth, for even if one happened by chance to say the complete truth, nevertheless one would not know it.’
The introductory note has been written by the late Professor Dr Ahmed Hasan Dani, who said, “This study for the first time, speaks about the people who were instrumental in building our great past. Full of engrossing illustrations, maps photographs and little known facts about the ancient Indus people, this book is both valuable reference material and a readable book of general interest for all those who take pride in their national heritage.”
Archaeology and Museums Department Director General Dr Fazal Dad Kakar said, “The great value of this book lies in creating a comprehensive profile of the people who developed one of the greatest civilizations of humanity. His ten years of study have ended with the production of a remarkable document.”
Professor Emeritus, Dr Anwar Dil has written a detailed review essay on the book, which will be helpful for those who want to know and understand the contents of the book to the fullest. He has taken it chapter by chapter using many references by other scholars and an updated bibliography and ends his review with the question, “Is it possible that the Melluhas that Naeem Tahir holds up in his book with such devoted affection as his ancestors had become ossified and their social and economic life weakened or was it a natural disaster like the one that struck Harappa where several hundred unburied dead bodies were discovered lying scattered in a street? A full length study is needed to approach these and related questions from the perspective of the rise and fall of civilizations.” The book has been designed and produced by Ayesha Taslim. — Ishrat Hyatt. ‘Melluhas of the Indus Valley’:An interesting addition to history books. Wednesday, September 09, 2009 By Naeem Tahir Publisher: PNCA Price: Rs2,000
Pakistani Mehergarh civilizition preceded Pakistani Indus Valley Civilization: Pakistan is the home of several Civilizations. As we navigate the corridors of time and look into the seeds of time we discover the seven thousand year old Mehergarh Civilization that encompassed much of Pakistan. After the demise of the Mehergarh Civilization the Indus Valley Civilization came to its zenith around 3500 BC.
If one looks at the map of the Indus Valley Civilization one is astonished that the civilization was within the borders of current day Pakistan. The Mehergarh and the Indus Valley Civilizations were not “Hindu“. The Indus Valley Civilization for example buried their dead, used a pictographic language, read right to left, did not use horses and did not worship the Hindu pantheon. Similarly the Mehergarh Civilization was similar in character.

4 Ancient Superpowers: China (Yangtze valley), Egypt (Nile Valley), Iraq (Tigris Valley), Pakistan (Indus Valley)

THE FOUR SUPERPOWERS OF PROTO-HISTORY: China, Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan. The Nile, the Tigris-Euphrates delta, the Yangtze Delta, and the Indus, are the wombs of all civilizations on our earth. These river valley spawned and nurtured humanity. Imagine a world with four superpowers at peace with each other. Imagine a planet where each civilization was immersed in humongous construction projects, urban edification and trade. . How did these proto-world powers interact with each other? Imagine a civilization without any implements of war. Let us look into pre-history and peek into the “seeds” of time. Let us look at the valleys of the world that engendered the Superpowers of the ancient world..

The IVC was on the banks of the Indus which is present day Pakistan

PAKISTAN 5000 YEARS AGO:-The Indus Valley Civilization of South Asia was one of the inceptive civilizations on the planet. It was contemporaneous with the Chinese, Egyptian, and Sumerian civilizations. These were the times when the Egyptians were building huge monuments to their God-kings,the pyramids and the Sphinx. These were the centuries when the Chinese were building palaces for the Shun dynasty. These were exciting eons in the Holy lands too.
These were the centuries when Moses was battling the pharaohs, Abraham was building the Kaaba, David was ruling the kingdom, and Solomon was building the Temple of Yahweh. It was during these centuries that the Indus Valley Civilization flourished and reached its zenith in South Asia.
The IVC built well planned municipalities for its citizens. While the Egyptians spent three generations of their labor force (estimated between 20,000-10000) building useless mausoleum-pyramids to bury the God-kings, the Harappans were successful in eradicating, disease, hunger, and malnutrition.
The Harappans of the IVC did not build huge commemorative, deifying, dedicatory, cenotaphs. The Harappans of Meluhha-IVC built the finest cities of the third millennium.
Mehergarh situated strategically near the Bolan Pass, is located at the foot of the Balochistan hills on the Katchi plain southeast of Quetta. A 9000 year old site of settlement, Neolithic Mehergarh consists of four mounds. Supported by the Pakistan Department of Archeology, French archeologists have been carrying out extensive excavations there for some years. These excavations, studies and research have led to pushing back these settlements to some 9000 years.
Accessibility: Mehargarh is well connected by road, air and by train with the rest of the country by Quetta
The 5000 yeard old Pakistan as it interacted with the other 3 superpwoers
The Pakistani civilization interacted with many regions of the world
The history of Baluchistan is fascinating. Mehergarh is the oldest agricultural site in the Subcontinent. The artifacts found there go back 7000 years. The people of Mehargarh have been living peacfully with the Indus Valley Civilization for tousands of years. During the British colonial rule no such province existed. It is a merger of many independent states. At the end of the colonial era the Provinces of West India decided to band together and form Pakistan.

Universal Lessons of Hajj & Sacrifice

Muslims dont worship the Kaabah, they worship what it repesents the ONE GOD, the God of Abraham(pbuh)


Malcolm X -"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white." -

"America Malcolm X -"America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white – but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color."

The Universal Lessons of Haj



As Dale Eickelman and James Piscatori explain in Muslim Travellers: Pilgrimage, Migration, and the Religious Imagination, "Faith is accepted and sustained through symbol and metaphor, the very stuff of imagination which not only enlarges adherents' perceptions but reorders them so that the validity and rationality of religious faith and practice seem only natural." Pilgrims are to contemplate on the inner meaning of the rites and, using their abilities to imagine and innovate, apply the significance of those rites beyond the Hajj to their everyday lives.



Ebrahim Moosa notes in Pilgrims at Heart: "After paying homage to the two women Eve and Hagar in the rites of pilgrimage, how can some Muslims still violate the rights and dignity of women in the name of Islam? Is this not a contradiction?" Indeed, God's commentary on women's dignity is nestled within the Hajj rituals honoring Eve and Hagar ."



Indeed, the Qur'an teaches: "I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors in my way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other." (3:195)

Clearly, the white sea of men and women side by side performing tawaf (circling) around the Kaaba (the stone building Muslims believe was originally built by Adam and rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael) should lay to rest any claim that Islam -- as opposed to some Muslims – degrades women.



Hagar asked Abraham(pbuh) "Oh Abraham, where are you going, leaving us here without any people or sustenance?"

He gave no reply. When she asked again and found he would not reply,

she asked, "Is this ordained by God?"

After Abraham replied yes,

Hagar faithfully answered, "God will not let us die then."

As the pilgrims in Mecca complete the annual ritual of pilgrimage today, Muslims across the globe will begin the Id al-Adha(Eid - Ul- Zuha), the three-day Feast of Sacrifice, in solidarity with them.

For Muslims seeking to make sense of the annual pilgrimage, a question arises: "is the hajj only an elaborate ritual?"

Hajj literally means, "to continuously strive to reach one's goal."



Exile, sacrifice and atonement underscore the commandment of pilgrimage in Muslim religious life. The faithful re-enact the pilgrimage rituals in imitation of their spiritual forbears. They relive exile by treading in the footsteps of Abraham. But the hajj also recalls the temporary exile of Adam and Eve, who wandered the earth after their expulsion from paradise. According to Muslim tradition, Adam and Eve reconciled with God in the desert of Arabia . The spot where they met each other again and atoned - an obligatory destination for pilgrims - is called Arafat, from the Arabic word 'arafa, "to know."

The theme of knowing and imagining the divine is embroidered through the trials of Abraham and his family. After Abraham's first child, Ishmael, was born to his slave wife Hagar, he was confronted by the jealousy of his other wife, Sarah, who was then childless. God upgraded this domestic squabble into a legacy issue for the Patriarch and his admirers. But he ordered the dutiful Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael to Arabia .

Years later, Muslim tradition holds, Abraham reconciled with Hagar and Ishmael. But more trials awaited. This time Abraham had to do the unthinkable: Sacrifice his Son. Mainstream Muslim tradition believes that the son in question was Ishmael, while Jews/Chrisitans view holds that it was Isaac, Sarah's son. But after a miraculous substitution of Ishmael (or Isaac) by a ram, Abraham's reputation was sealed as the "friend of God."

"For Allah did take Abraham for (an intimate) friend " (4:125)

Abraham (pbuh), is an important prophet in Islam, and the father of the Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), his firstborn son, who is considered the Father of the Arabs. Ibrahim(Abraham) is commonly termed Khalil Allah, Friend of God .



To express their loathing of evil, the pilgrims will participate in that ancient drama of Abraham and Ishmael. They will first stone three pillars, each symbolizing Satan's failed attempts to mislead Abraham's family . Then, in a place called Mina, meaning "desires," each pilgrim will sacrifice an animal. With this act they seek to replace their destructive desires with productive ones. Away from Mecca, non-pilgrims with means will also slaughter animals as a show of hospitality to friends, family and the indigent. As a performance, the pilgrimage links people to a past shared by several Abrahamic traditions, just as, by bringing together Muslims from a great multiplicity of cultures, it celebrates the diversity of our common humanity.



The Hajj is essentially a re-enactment of the rituals of the great prophets and teachers of faith. Pilgrims symbolically relive the experience of exile and atonement undergone by Adam and Eve . They also retrace the frantic footsteps of the wife of Abraham, Hagar, as she ran between the hills of Safa and Marva searching for water for her thirsty baby (which according to Muslim tradition, God answered with the well of Zam Zam). Lastly, the pilgrims also commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son for the sake of God. God later substituted a ram in place of his son.



The faithful hope after Hajj is that it will bring about a deep spiritual transformation, one that will make him/her a better person. If such a change within does not occur, then the Hajj was merely a physical and material exercise devoid of any spiritual significance.



The fact that millions of Muslims transcending geographical, linguistic, level of practice, cultural, ethnic, color, economic and social barriers converge in unison on Mecca , attests to the universality of the Hajj.



One of the most celebrated Western Hajjis (one who has completed the Hajj) is none other than African-American civil rights leader El-Hajj Malik El Shabbaz, more commonly known as Malcolm X. The man who was renowned for preaching that whites were "devils" -- especially the blond, blue-eyed ones -- profoundly reassessed these views during the Hajj. This transformation, of course, sealed his break with the Black nationalist movement of the Nation of Islam.

Contrary to the teachings of the Nation, he concluded that Islam encompassed all of humanity and transcended race and culture. Malcolm X later said, " In my 39 years on this Earth, the holy city of Mecca had been the first time I had ever stood before the Creator of all and felt like a complete human."

In Mecca , he discovered himself mixing with, "fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was whitest of white ." Malcolm X was so inspired by what he witnessed, that, in letters to friends and relatives, he wrote, " America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem ."

Upon returning to America , he embarked on a mission to enlighten both blacks and whites with his new views.



Indeed, the Qur'an teaches: "We created you from a single pair of a male and female (Adam and Eve), and made you into nations and tribes that ye may know each other and not that you might despise each other. The most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you" (Al Hujurat: 13) . This is a great celebration of the differences and at the same time unity of all of humanity.

Another essential spiritual message of the Hajj is one of humility to God and His supremacy and control over all that we know. The multitude of people and their inner beliefs and practices are all to be judged by God and God alone in His infinite wisdom and full knowledge. Indeed, as the Qur'an insists, "Let there be no compulsion in matters of faith, truth stands out clear from error." (2: 256)

The result of a successful Hajj is a rich inner peace, which is manifested outwardly in the values of justice, honesty, respect, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, mercy and empathy. And it is these values – all attributes of God almighty -- that are indispensable to us all if we are just to get along in this world.



SIGNIFICANCE OF SACRIFICE



The All Knowing and Sublime Creator has declared the rights of each of His creation, and says in his divine revelation(s)



"It is not their meat (of sacrifice) nor their blood that reaches Allah: it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them subject to you that ye may glorify Allah for His guidance to you: and proclaim the Good News to all who do right".

-Holy Quran 22:37



"the Lord of creatures (Prajapati) created this whole world to be the sustenance of the vital spirit; both the immovable and the movable (creation is) the food of the vital spirit. What is destitute of motion is the food of those endowed with locomotion; (animals) without fangs (are the food) of those with fangs, those without hands of those who possess hands, and the timid of the bold. The eater who daily even devours those destined to be his food, commits no sin; for the creator himself created both the eaters and those who are to be eaten " (V.28-30).

-The law book of Manu (200 BC-AD 200),







The Purpose of Hajj: Allah says: [And (remember) when We prepared for Abraham the place of the (holy) House, saying: Ascribe thou no thing as partner unto Me, and purify My House for those who make the round (thereof) and those who stand and those who bow and make prostration. And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine.] (Al-Hajj 22: 26-27) ]



"Your Lord hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours)..So establish worship, pay the poor due, and hold fast to Allah." (Qur'an 22:78





Islam regards many of the biblical patriarchs as prophets of God, and hence as Muslims (i.e., monotheists).

Abraham and his son Ismail are said to have built the Kaaba in Mecca. ( Qur'an 2:125).

Abraham also has an important role in one of the Pillars of Islam, the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the Holy Mosque. The principal aspect of the Hajj is remembering Abraham's sacrifice of Ismail (Abraham's firstborn son) and his path to the altar where Iblees ( Satan ) attempted to dissuade him three times. Those places where Satan appeared are marked with three symbolic stones where pilgrims throw stones .



Moreover a part of the Hajj is a commemoration of the sacrifice and efforts of the wife of Abraham, Hajre, Hagar, to find water for her son Ismail, when he was near dead with thirst . She ran between the two hills, Safa and Marwa, seven times and this ritual, Saaee (means effort/struggle in Arabic) is mandatory for all pilgrims to Mecca. During her quest for water she saw that a spring of fresh water had erupted near where her son Ismail lay.



According to the Qur'an, Abraham reached the conclusion that anything subject to disappearance could not be worthy of worship, and thus became a monotheist ( Qura'n 6:76–83).



Abraham said : "My Lord is He who giveth life and death.'

King Nimrod(atheist) replied : "I give life and death.'

Said Abraham : "But it is God that causeth the sun to rise from the East. Do then(you) cause it to rise from the West.'

Thus was he(king) confounded(confused) who (in arrogance) rejected God.



Abraham said, "Nay, your Lord is the Lord of heavens and the earth, He who created you (from nothing) : I am a witness to this (truth)."



As usual, when falsehood is defeated on intellectual grounds it resorts to plotting and oppression.



"So naught was the answer of (Abraham's) people except that they said : Slay him(Abraham) or burn him " (29:24)



Abraham could have given up his message and his beliefs to save himself from the fire. Nay he chose martyrdom.He chose to die for Allah's message to live. He chose to step into the fire of ignorance and tyranny in order to save humanity from the fire of ignorance and tyranny. So he was cast into the fire.

But Allah had a different plan for Abraham and he was unhurt by the grace of Allah :

"But Allah did save him from the fire. Verily in this are signs for people who believe " (29:24).

"We(Allah) said "O fire ! Be cool and a means of safety for Abraham' " (21:69).



"For Allah did take Abraham for (an intimate) friend " (4:125)



The Enemies : Slay him or burn him " (29:24)



"Abraham was indeed a model. Devoutly obedient to Allah, and true in faith, and he joined not gods with Allah " (16:20).

"Lo ! Abraham said to his father Azar : Do you take idols for God ? For I see you and your people in manifest error ? " (6:74).







And throughout his century of prophethood and service of God, as Abraham grew older, his desire to have a son grew stronger. The Prophet Abraham desperately longed for a son but his wife Hajar was barren.







"O my Lord ! Grant me a righteous son !" (37:100)







Against every expectation, Allah fullfilled his promise of making Abraham the seed of a great line of Prophets, the root of the great universal religions.







"So we gave him the good news of a forbearing boy" (37:101).



The name Ishmael was also chosen by AlMighty Himself: Genesis 16:11:



"And the Angel of the Lord said unto her [Hager] : 'Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction."' Ishmael means "God hears."



Genesis 17:20 : "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. Twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. "



That covenant was made with Abraham and Ishmael:



Genesis 17:10 This [is] my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.







Allah brought mercy to the agedness, loneliness, hopelessness and anguish of his trustworthy Messenger.







Ismael being the promise of future generations was in some sense the whole world for Abraham.



Abraham(PBUH) was to be tried once more.



Abraham(PBUH) had a vision in which he was commanded by Allah to slaughter his only son.







It is not possible to convey in words what it must have meant for Abraham to be commanded by Allah (ta'ala) to sacrifice his only son Ismail.How can Abraham take his beloved son, the fruit of his life, the joy of his heart, the meaning of his living and staying, his Ismail, and hold him on the ground, put a knife to his throat and kill him ?







Within him, there must have been a war?







The war between God and Ismail !







The difficulty of choice !







Love of God or Love of self ?



Prophethood or Fatherhood ?



Loyalty to God or loyalty to family ?



Faith or Emotion ?



Consciousness or Instinct ?



Responsibility or Pleasure ?



Duty or Right ?



Tawheed (Monotheism) or Shirk (Polytheism) ?



And finally, God or Ismail ?



What should Abraham(PBUH) choose ?







He doubted and wavered under the crushing force of pain and anguish.







Only after the third vision did he finally decide to carry out Allah's command.







This is reflected in the hajj ritual of stoning the three idols representing Iblis who tempted Abraham to disobey Allah.











But Abraham chose God and gave up Ismail.







Abraham said to Ismail : "O my Son, I see in a vision that I offer you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view ? " (37:102)







Realising his father's distress, Ismail gave him these comforting words : "O my father ! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so wills, patient and constant " (37:102)







Abraham had consulted his son who willingly offered himself to Allah's command. The choice of Abraham was sacrifice. That of Ismail was self-sacrifice : Martyrdom.







And so he slaughtered Ismail. But, by Allah's grace, the knife did not cut.







Abraham received a sheep and was called by Allah :



"O Abraham ! You have confirmed the Vision Thus indeed do We reward those who do right This is indeed the manifest trial !" (37:104-105)







Brothers and Sisters, Abraham gained everything and kept Ismail.







This means that the God of Abraham is not thirsty for blood







Mankind has needs but God has no needs. Allah o­nly wants o­ne thing from His slaves.



"And I (Allah) created not the Jinn and mankind except they should worship Me (alone). I seek not any provision from them nor do I ask that they should feed Me. Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong." [51:56-58]



"Say He is Allah, the One and Only God, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like unto Him!" Qur'an112:1-4



Allah (ta'ala) promoted Ismail to the highest peak of being the great sacrifice of God without bringing any harm to him.