Tag: religion

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi is writing a book on God

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has announced that he is in the process of writing a book on religion and God.

    The actor said that he hopes to complete it by June 2021.

    “Will be a little inactive on social media because of that,” shared Hamza.

    In November last year, Hamza announced that he is taking a break from acting to focus on his spiritual journey and get a better understanding of Islam.

    “I had this divine revelation some time back, that all that I am doing in this world will end the moment I die,” Hamza said in a video message, adding that death is inevitable.

    “All these trophies, all these accolades will not bring me any good on the day of judgment when I meet my Maker. I have decided that I want to leave everything that might be a hurdle when it comes to making my matters easier on the day of Judgment.”

    Hamza later clarified that he is only taking a break from acting and will continue to make videos and use his voice and popularity to spread the message of Islam and inspire others to undertake this spiritual journey.

    The actor turned evangelist also often shares his thoughts and understanding of religion on social media. He also takes out time to interact with his followers and other social media users and explains them things they do not understand.

    He also encourages people to “rise above sectarian and political biases and see Islam for [what] it really is”.

  • Hardliners smear portrait of Nobel laureate Dr Abdus Salam outside National Science College

    A group of youngsters, allegedly science students, has smeared a portrait of the only Nobel laureate physicist from Pakistan and champion of science in the developing world, Dr Abdus Salam.

    A video doing rounds over the internet showed the group, consisting of State Youth Parliament Pakistan members, painting the portrait black while raising slogans against the minority Ahmadiyya community, of which Dr Salam was a member, outside Gujranwala’s National Science College.

    “They are students of so-called science colleges, what a shame,” read a strongly-worded post by Facebook page ‘The Hoodbhoyist’ that describes itself as a “social club for liberal, secular, humanists and progressive”.

    When he won the Nobel prize in 1979, Dr Salam became the very first Pakistani to achieve this distinction, and only the fourth from the subcontinent.

    Born in 1926 in a remote village in Punjab, British India, Salam was a child prodigy. He came from humble beginnings, growing up in a small brick house with a large family of eleven. While Salam’s legacy looms large in the world of physics, he is largely forgotten in Pakistan because of his faith.

    “Salam — The First ****** Nobel Laureate” — a feature-length film on Dr Salam’s life — was released on Netflix in October last year.

    It has won accolades on the international film festival circuit, including DFW South Asian Film Festival, South Asia Human Rights Festival, South Asian International Film Festival and the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal, among others.

  • Tips to raise kids in line with Islamic values

    Tips to raise kids in line with Islamic values

    Proper upbringing is every parent’s biggest concern. But at the same time, it can be confusing and difficult with so many ideas and suggestions pouring in from all around. And in this age and time, where there are so many distractions, parents are also worried about raising pious children and bringing them close to religion. Blogger Zunaira, who runs a blog From Dresses to Diapers shared some tips on the subject with The Current. 

    Zunaira has shared a few tips using her knowledge of child development and religion. She has also listed some mobile apps, tools, and books to assist you in this journey. You can find their Instagram accounts at the end of the posts.

    Islam and kids – From 0 to 2 years:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CE7JIq9Biet/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Islam and kids – From 2 to 4 years:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFIA-8jBNcf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Islam and kids – From 4 to 6 years:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFcgOTNBZ-R/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
  • ‘Surahs & duas on YouTube should not be monetised’, says Bilal Maqsood

    ‘Surahs & duas on YouTube should not be monetised’, says Bilal Maqsood

    Bilal Maqsood has voiced his distaste for advertisements which start running every time you tune into YouTube. As annoying as they are, advertisements while watching a drama or listening to a song are not as bothersome as the ones that pop up when you are listening to or watching religious content.

    “Imagine listening to Surah-e-Rehman and it is interrupted in the middle by a lawn or a cooking oil ad, it’s highly disrespectful,” said the singer in an Instagram post.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjdLL5peeW/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Most of Bilal’s followers agreed with him under the post.

    Read more – Did you know Bilal Maqsood is ambidextrous?

    Meanwhile, the Strings band member has been keeping his followers entertained by sharing throwback pictures and interesting tidbits of the band’s journey through the years.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDbu5_VpkOj/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDMapiyJp7r/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDElcrvpDWG/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CC3sNzoJuA2/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCWOVCMpv4x/
  • Hamza Ali Abbasi urges people to rise above sectarian, political biases

    Hamza Ali Abbasi urges people to rise above sectarian, political biases

    Following the killing of an elderly man during the hearing of a blasphemy case against him at the Peshawar Judicial Complex on Wednesday, Hamza Ali Abbasi has urged authorities and the government “to take decisive action against individuals/organisations who are glorifying murderers”.

    “If we don’t legally/ideologically tackle them now, very dark times await us,” said Abbasi.

    The actor also urged his followers to “rise above sectarian and political biases and see Islam for [what] it really is”.

    Abbasi condemned the unfortunate incident and said that “if you support murder and oppression in the name of Allah, his Deen and his last Prophet (PBUH)…then know that you are among those evil people who knowingly attribute lies to Allah.”

    Later, Hamza emphasized his stance further, by penning a detailed note on his religious views, urging everyone to rise about sectarian, political and emotional biases.

    When someone criticised Hamza for “corrupting people around with your superficial Islamic knowledge”, Hamza said that he is merely a student of Islam.

    While Hamza condemned the incident, Shahroz Sabzwari posted a picture of the alleged killer with the caption ‘Salute Ghazi’.

    However, most Twitter users agreed with Hamza’s point of view.

    https://twitter.com/_lezayy/status/1288574028479901699?s=20

    The incident

    According to details, 47-year-old Tahir Ahmed Naseem, a resident of Pishtakhara, appeared before the court for the hearing of a blasphemy case against him when a man barged in and opened fire on him.

    The 24-year-old shooter, Khalid, was arrested by the police on the spot.

  • Quran complex to be set up in Islamabad

    Quran complex to be set up in Islamabad

    Minister for Religious Affairs, Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri has announced that the government is planning to build a Qur’an complex in Islamabad to preserve historical manuscripts of the Muslim scripture.

    According to Radio Pakistan, Qadri revealed the government’s plans while talking to the media during his visit to an exhibition of historical manuscripts of Holy Quran in the Federal capital.

    The minister also shared that the government is encouraging such activities and is working towards publishing a translation of the Holy Quran acceptable to all school of thoughts.

    Read more – Space museum to be set up in Islamabad

    He added that the publishing of Holy Quran on papers used in printing newspapers has been banned.

  • Channel boasts getting construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad stopped, backtracks later

    Channel boasts getting construction of first Hindu temple in Islamabad stopped, backtracks later

    A private media outlet that had claimed credit for getting stopped the construction of Islamabad’s first Hindu temple later retracted its story amid severe backlash.

    As per the details, the construction of the first Hindu temple in the federal capital has been stopped by the authorities after fierce opposition from religious hardliners as well as an ally of the ruling party, Chaudhrys of Gujrat’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML).

    The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday stopped construction of the boundary wall on the plot meant for the temple citing legal reasons.

    A joint team of the CDA’s enforcement and building control departments reached the site of the temple in Sector H-9/2 and directed workers to stop constructing the boundary wall.

    According to reports, a CDA official said that the building control laws of the civic authority clearly stated that no activity could take place on a plot until the building plan was approved.

    However, according to another CDA official, it was possibly the first time that this clause had been enforced as all owners were allowed to construct boundary walls and ensure possession of their plot while formalities regarding approval of the map continue.

    READ: Islamabad to get its first Hindu temple

    Meanwhile, a private media outlet, 92 News, claimed the credit for stopping the construction of the temple.

    “Owing to successful efforts of 92 News, the CDA stopped the construction of a temple in Islamabad on Friday,” the news channel said in a report titled “92 News Efforts Bear Fruit As CDA Stops Construction Of Temple In Islamabad“, which has now been retracted.

    Earlier, the construction of the temple had been opposed by religio-political among other right-wing organisations.

    A leading religious school had issued a fatwa against construction of the temple, calling it “un-Islamic”, while parties like Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) had voiced their concerns over the same for they said it was “against Pakistan’s ideology”.

    PML leader and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi had also said that Pakistan was created in the name of Islam and construction of a temple on its soil “was against the very spirit of Islam”.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi’s take on religion irks fellow actors

    Hamza Ali Abbasi’s take on religion irks fellow actors

    By now everyone knows that Hamza Ali Abbasi has taken a break from acting to focus on his spiritual journey and getting a better understanding of Islam. The actor turned evangelist also often shares his thoughts and understanding of religion on social media.

    Recently Abbasi tweeted that he fails to understand why we need a Messiah or an Imam when we have the Quran.

    When a follower shared his thoughts on the matter, Hamza said that he is “referring to terms that denote self-proclaimed directly divinely guided people.”

    Read more – Hamza Ali Abbasi says he is the ‘happiest’ he has ever been

    Hamza further asserted that all problems within Islam exist today because we have started neglecting the Quran.

    Following Hamza’s comments, Mohsin Abbas Haider and Shahroz Sabzwari expressed their reservations and disagreed with Abbasi. While Mohsin advised Hamza to keep learning, Sabzwari commented that he fails to understand why some people become the thaikaydaar (custodians) of Islam.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Hamza supported Haider’s former wife Fatima Sohail when she accused him of domestic abuse and cheating.

    “We need to make a horrible example of Mr Mohsin for all those men who dare raise there hand on the female servants of Allah & try to justify it,” Hamza had said.

    On the other hand, Yasir Hussain supported Hamza’s stance and said that he is saying the right thing.

  • Groundbreaking: Islamabad to get its first Hindu temple

    In a first, a ceremony was held to start construction of a Hindu temple in the federal capital, Dawn reported.

    According to reports, a crematorium will also be built in Islamabad for the Hindu community, members of which earlier had to travel out of the city to perform religious rituals.

    The Krishna temple will be constructed on a 20,000 sq ft plot in the H-9 sector, and has been named Shri Krishna Mandir by the Islamabad Hindu Panchayat.

    According to Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri, the government will bear the construction cost, presently estimated to be Rs100,000,000.

    Parliamentary Secretary on Human Rights Lal Chand Malhi had on Tuesday performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the temple.

    While addressing the gathering at the ceremony, Malhi mentioned the presence of pre-1947 era temple structures in the capital and its adjoining areas, including one in Saidpur Village and at the hill point overlooking the Korang River near Rawal Lake. However, they have been abandoned and not used.

    “Besides, there is no crematorium in Islamabad,” he said, adding the Hindu population in Islamabad had increased significantly in two decades, therefore, the temple was necessary.

    “The Hindu community in Islamabad has been demanding a temple for a long time now. The population has also increased while many Hindu temple structures in the capital have been abandoned,” he said. “Besides, there is no crematorium in Islamabad.”

    The plot on which the temple is being built was allotted to the Hindu Panchayat by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 2017. However, the construction work could not begin on time because of some formalities, like the site map’s approval by the CDA and other authorities.

  • Danish Kaneria faced ‘discrimination’ for being a Hindu: Akhtar

    Former cricketing star Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that his teammate Danish Kaneria faced discrimination at the hands of a few Pakistani cricketers, who were reluctant to even eat with him because he is a Hindu.

    According to The News, Kaneria, who is only the second Hindu to play for Pakistan after his maternal uncle Anil Dalpat, took 261 wickets in 61 Tests at an average of 34.79, and also played 18 ODIs.

    Akhtar made the revelation during a show ‘Game on Hai‘ aired on PTV Sports, foreign media reported on Thursday. “In my career I fought with two three (in the team) when they started talking on regionalism. Things like ‘who is from Karachi, Punjab or Peshawar’, that used to infuriate.

    “So what if someone is a Hindu, he is doing well for the team. They used to say ‘sir ye yaaha se khaana kaise le raha ha‘ (how is he taking food from this place)?’” said the 44-year-old, who played 46 Tests and 163 ODIs. “The same Hindu won the Test for us against England. If he is taking a bagful of wickets for Pakistan, he should play. We could not have won the series without Kaneria’s effort. But not many gave him credit for that,” said Akhtar.

    When contacted, Kaneria supported Akhtar’s claims.

    “Shoaib has been a legend of the game. His words are also as blunt as his bowling. When I was playing I did not have the courage to speak on these matters but after Shoaib bhai’s comments, I do. He has always supported me and also Inzy bhai (Inzaman-ul-Haq), Mohammad Yusuf and Younis bhai (Younish bhai),” Kaneria told a news agency over phone from Karachi.

    “Those who did not support me, I will make their names public soon. Having said that, I feel fortunate and honoured that I got to play for Pakistan,” added Kaneria.

    Kaneria, now 39, was found guilty of spot-fixing alongside Mervyn Westfield while playing for Essex against Durham in 2009.

    The leg-spinner was found to have convinced Westfield to concede 12 runs during the one-day game. Westfield was handed a four-month prison sentence and ECB banned him for five years.

    Kaneria admitted to spot-fixing in 2018 after six years of denial.