Bismillāhi al-Raĥmān al-Raĥīm Dear brothers and sisters of Islām, Assalāmu ‘Alaykum Wa Raĥmatullāhi Wa Barakātuhu. We are in dire need of producing home-grown scholars who are not only well-versed with the Holy Qur’ān and the Aĥadīth, but are looking up information in their medical or engineering books. When such scholars sit on the pulpits, we would see youth gathering around them, earnestly listening and learning. We are losing literally thousands of young generation who come out of our Madrassa system with no weaponry to help them combat the challenges they will now face in this fast modern world. A typical child who spent 10 years of his/her life learning, comes to know how little, rather, how s/he was taught incorrectly. Our energies are being wasted in pursuing illusory goals. Our wealth is drained down in organising one-day unproductive events. Our visions are blurred by the negativity of those in authority. Our unity is shattered by the rock-like-hearts of many. Our attention is diverted towards looking at the attractive-colourful walls and architecture and away from looking at the number of those who attend the Fajr prayer. Our priority is feeding the masses to their full rather than educate them to understand . Our slogans and screams have ever increased in Mawlid processions and gatherings yet the cries of the youth are consistently ignored. Our concern is the bank balance of our mosques, whereas we don’t want to give a pay-rise to the well-trained educators. Our feelings and hearts go out to those who are thousands of miles away, whereas our own people are burning in the fire of immodesty and sin. Our teachers are now those who want an extra pocket money, rather than to guide and direct the students. Our talk revolves around intangible arguments. Our hands are smeared with the blood of every child whose lives are sacrificed to the way of the modern world. Our proudness is in spending fortunes on our daughter’s wedding, but somehow we lose our possessions when it comes to teach her Dīn…our state is this and yet we don’t want to do anything… Indeed we are in a famine… We are in a dilemma… We are in a crisis. We have no schools, we have no institutions, we do not have madrassa text-books, we do not have English-speaking Imāms, we do not have female instructors, we do not have resources, we do not have manpower, we do not have a vision… It is a communal obligation that we need our professionals to give their input. You may be a doctor, or a teacher, may be a lawyer or a business person, whatever your role is in the society, you never know what changes and contribution you can bring to the lives of many. We need you to help run our mosques and guide our next generation. We need you to tell them that practicing religion is possible for a General Practitioner, to inform them that being a Surgeon is possible whilst wearing a headscarf and that being a Muslim is possible in this modern world… MHQ
