TAWARRUQ: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

Tawarruq is a transaction where one party buys some goods on credit at a marked-up price and sells the same at a lesser value for the purpose of getting cash (i.e. the spot value of the goods). The purpose of this transaction is not the possession of the goods, but the obtainment of liquidity.

The parties to a tawarruq transaction are the seller or creditor ("musawwariq") and the purchaser ("mutawarriq" or "mustawriq").

 

Tawarruq contracts developed as a means of getting ready cash (and on the part of the party providing the cash, of granting financial assistance and being compensated for it) whilst circumventing the prohibition against the payment and charging of interest.

 

An illustration of the basic tawarruq process:

 

 

Nowadays, it is commonly used by Islamic banks as a mode of financing (for example, for personal financing) as well as an important tool for liquidity management (for example, by means of short-term placement mechanism involving the sale and purchase of commodities on the international commodities market i.e. commodity murabaha).

 

An example of the current utilisation of tawarruq is as offered by HSBC Amanah's Personal Finance, where the customer buys metals from the bank at a pre-agreed profit margin (which sum is payable in instalments), and then sells the metals on the customer's behalf to an international broker (wthe proceeds of which sale is transferred into the customer's account.

 

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad also utilises tawarruq in its Muamalat Cash-Line Facility-i, which is offered for working capital purposes.

 

The basic form of tawarruq is considered permissible by all four schools of Islamic thought.

 

Types of Tawarruq:

"Classical tawarruq" or "real tawarruq" is the traditional method of tawarruq whereby the financier sells the goods to the mutawarriq, who then disposes of the goods in the open market.

 

"Organised tawarruq" or "managed tawarruq" is the term bestowed on the type of tawarruq practised by Islamic banks today, i.e. where the financier manages the tawarruq process. One example is when the financier sells the goods to the mutawarriq, financier or its nominee is then appointed the mutawarriq's agent to on-sell the goods on his behalf on the open market.

"Reverse tawarruq" is similar to organised tawarruq but where the bank is the mutawarriq/customer seeking liquidity.

 

The Difference Between Tawaruq and Bai Inah:

Bai Inah is a mode of financing wherein the financier sells goods to the customer on credit terms, with a mark up of the price, and subsequently purchases the same goods from the customer at the spot price.

 

Although Bai Inah is accepted in Malaysia, it has not been accepted as a shariah-compliant financing instrument in the Middle East as it is considered a legal fiction, in that there is a buy-back of the goods on the part of seller; therefore the sale and purchase transaction is merely to create a debt obligation which is no different from, or tends to lead to, usury.

 

Usury is not permitted in Islamic transactions, pursuant to the oft-quoted Quranic source, Al-Baqarah:275 -

 

"Those who consume interest cannot stand [on the Day of Resurrection] except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity. That is because they say, "Trade is [just] like interest." But Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden interest. So whoever has received an admonition from his Lord and desists may have what is past, and his affair rests with Allah. But whoever returns to [dealing in interest or usury] - those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide eternally therein."
Tawarruq is distinguished from Bai Inah in that there is no buy-back; rather, the mutawarriq is free to dispose goods to any other party on the open market. Therefore, it is seen as a true sale and therefore permissible.

 

Tawarruq Now:

As previously stated, tawarruq is, among others, an important tool for Islamic banks to manage their liquidity requirements. It is also seen as a shariah-compliant alternative to Bai Inah.

 

However, the Fiqh Academy of the Organisation of Islamic Conference ("OIC Fiqh Academy"), has, by its Resolution No. 179 (19/5) at its 19th Session held on 26-30 April 2009, held that although classical tawarruq is permissible (so long as it complies with the requirements of sale transactions), organised tawarruq and reverse tawarruq are not permissible.

 

Even so, in the absence of a more suitable mode of transaction, tawarruq continues to be utilised by Islamic banks. Indeed, some scholars have even argued for the continued use of tawarruq, albeit with some changes so as to strengthen the structure so as to avoid those practices which violate the shariah.

 

 

Source: http://www.azamlaw.com/

Manager vs Leader

A young manager was saying the other day. "I've been reading all about leadership, have implemented several ideas, and think I'm doing a good job at leading my team. How will I know when I've crossed over from being a manager to a leader?" he wanted to know.
I thought long and hard, and came up with three tests that will help you decide if you've made the shift from managing people to leading them.

1. Counting value vs Creating value

You're probably counting value, not adding it, if you're managing people. Only managers count value; some even reduce value by disabling those who add value. If a diamond cutter is asked to report every 15 minutes how many stones he has cut, by distracting him, his boss is subtracting value.

By contrast, leaders focuses on creating value, saying: "I'd like you to handle ‘A’ while I deal with ‘B’." He or she generates value over and above that which the team creates, and is as much a value-creator as his or her followers are. Leading by example and leading by enabling people are the hallmarks of action-based leadership.

2. Circles of influence vs Circles of power

Just as managers have subordinates and leaders have followers, managers create circles of power while leaders create circles of influence.

The quickest way to figure out which of the two you're doing is to count the number of people outside your reporting hierarchy who come to you for advice. The more that do, the more likely it is that you are perceived to be a leader.

3. Leading people vs Managing work

Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual's ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control.

In the arabia, Mohammad (sallallah wasalam) inspired millions of people to believe in the true God, and he walked shoulder to shoulder with Muslims so they could achieve the success. His vision became everyone's dream and ensured that this nation's push for victory was unstoppable. The world needs leaders like him who can think beyond problems, have a vision, and inspire people to convert challenges into opportunities, a step at a time.

I encourage my colleagues to put this theory to the test by inviting their team-mates for chats. When they stop discussing the tasks at hand, and talk about vision, purpose, and aspirations instead, that's when you will know you have become a leader.
Agree?

Gravity

by
May Rostom


An apple falls from a tree. It didn’t want to fall. It wasn’t sure someone would be down there to catch it. It wasn’t sure the fall would be worth it all. It wasn’t optimistic about the change that would eventually take place, and the bruises it would have from the freefall. The apple fell anyway; the tree didn’t push it though.


Gravity sucks you right where you should be, right where destiny wants you. Right in the middle of the classroom that is life. Gravity and nothing but gravity.

You can’t stop gravity from pulling you down, even if you tie a rope around your waist, all you can do is cross your fingers and hope to God that this fall won’t break you. That this lesson is one you haven’t learned before; that even though gravity is working against you, deep down inside you want to be drained into this whirlpool of love. The downside of it though, is once the apple falls from the tree, it can’t go back where it used to be. It can’t be tied back to the branches like before but can be glued together to resemble itself in an earlier state prior to falling.

That apple is you and me.

You and me in a temporary madness called love. A series of ups and downs that create a bittersweet symphony referred to as infatuation. A life threatening disease that alters the most delicate organ in your human body; your heart. An unexpected blow to the head that will leave you light-headed whether you like it or not. The one thing that I'm sure of though, the apple falls from the tree only when it’s ripe and hard enough to hit that ground without shattering into pieces. And if the apple is lucky enough, it’ll find someone to pick it up and appreciate its existence.

This my friend, is what gravity is all about.

PROHIBITION OF INTEREST (RIBA) IN ISLAM - THE SOCIAL, MORAL AND ECONOMIC RATIONALE

By ZAHID ZAMIR


INTRODUCTION

Islam is a complete code of life which offers its own social, political and economic systems to guide human behavior in all spheres of life. History has recorded that the economic system of Islam, for the first time in the world had established social and economic justice during the period of al-Khalifah al-Rashidah. In any ideal Muslim society, socio-economic justice is considered as one of the most significant characteristics for the social, political, and economic as well as all realms of human interaction. Exploitation and any source of unjustified enrichment in Islam are prohibited. The Holy Qur’an has emphatically instructed Muslims not to acquire each other’s property wrongfully. Islam is not an ascetic religion. It takes a positive view of life as the natural outcome of the belief that human beings are the vicegerents of Allah (swt).

The goals of socio-economic justice and equitable distribution of income and wealth are integral parts of the moral philosophy of Islam. However, one of the socio-economic reforms made by Islam was the prohibition of riba (interest). About the efficacy and usefulness of the prohibition of interest in Islam, Muslim economists have tried to provide the juridical clarity and support based on reason, as opposed to mere belief. The purpose of this paper is to spell out the meaning of riba or interest, its different kinds, and the social, moral, as well as economic rationale of its prohibition.

INTEREST

In modern secular economic systems interest plays a very important role. In fact, in the Western world people cannot think of any economic system without interest. From a theoretical standpoint, interest has been a debatable subject among economic and political theorists. Abu Saud defines interest as “the excess of money paid by the borrower to the lender over and above the principal for the use of the lender’s liquid money over a certain period of time”. Economists have presented different interpretations of interest. Samuelson states that “Interest is the price of rental for the use of money”. Don Patinkin gives the following definition: “Interest is one of the forms of income from property, the other forms being dividends, rent and profit”. However, J.M. Keynes did not define interest but mentioned the rate of interest as “The percentage of excess of a sum of units of money contracted for forward units of time over the spot or cash price of the sum thus contracted for forward delivery”.

However, Muslim, socialist and a number of capitalist economists have questioned these explanations on both theoretical and technical grounds. They often stress the point that money capital cannot be treated as capital goods on the same basis as productive factors. It is pertinent to remark here that lending of money for interest was abhorred and, in most cases, prohibited by all the monotheistic religions. An eminent Western economist, Roy Harrod, regards the abolition of interest is the only way to avert a collapse of capitalism. Not only this, but he speaks with great admiration for an interest-less society in his work on Economic Dynamics. Harrod clearly recognizes that, “It is not the profit itself, earned by services, by assiduity, by imagination, or by courage, but the continued interest accruing from the accumulation that makes that profit taker eventually appear parasitical…” and he further states that an interest-less society which will be a totally new kind of society” would be the correct and final answer to all that is justly advanced by the critics of capitalism.

PROHIBITION OF RIBA (INTEREST) IN ISLAM

Riba is prohibited in Islam as it appears explicitly in the Holy Qur’an. There is complete unanimity among all Islamic schools of thought regarding the prohibition of riba. Since the Qur’an is the undisputed source of guidance in Islam for all Muslims, there is unanimous agreement on the fact that Islam has forbidden the practice of riba. The debate on whether interest is riba or not has been settled. The ulama have made crystal clear that interest is riba. The modern banking system is organized on the basis of a fixed payment called interest. That is why the practices of the modern banking system are in conflict with the principles of Islam which strictly prohibit riba. Islam is opposed to exploitation in every form and stands for fair and equitable dealings among all men. To charge interest from someone who is constrained to borrow to meet his essential consumption requirement is considered an exploitative practice in Islam. Charging of interest on loans taken for productive purposes is also prohibited because it is not an equitable form of transaction. Now let’s have a look on the prohibition of interest in the light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (tradition of Prophet Muhammad (saw)).

PROHIBITION OF RIBA IN THE HOLY QURAN

In several verses of the Holy Qur’an, Allah (swt) has mentioned the consequences of riba. The Qur’an did not declare the prohibition of riba in the early stage of revelation; rather we find that the complete prohibition of interest came sequentially.

In the Qur’an Allah (swt) says:

“That which ye lay out for increase through the property of (other) people, will have no increase with Allah: But that which ye lay out for charity, seeking the countenance of Allah (will increase): it is these who will get a recompense multiplied”. (30:39)

“That they took riba (usury), through they were forbidden and that they devoured men’s substance wrongfully – We have prepared for those among men who reject faith a grievous punishment.” (4:161)

“O ye who believe! Devour not usury doubled and multiplied; but fear Allah, that ye may (really) prosper.” (3:140)

“Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the evil one by his touch hath driven to madness. That is because they say: ‘Trade is like usury.’ But Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving direction from their Lord, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for Allah (to judge). But those who repeat (the offence) are companions of the fire, they will abide therein (forever)” (2:275)

“O you who have attained faith! Remain conscious of God, and give up all outstanding gains from Usury, if you are (truly) believers” (2: 278)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his commentary on the Holy Qur’an mentioned that usury is condemned and prohibited in the strongest possible terms. There can be no question about the prohibition. Owing to the fact that interest occupies a central position in modern economic life, and especially since interest is the very life blood of the existing financial institutions, a number of Muslim countries have been inclined to interpret it in a manner which is radically different form the understanding of Muslim scholars throughout the last fourteen centuries and is also sharply in conflict with the categorical statements of the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

PROHIBITION OF RIBA IN THE HADITH

Jabir reported: The Prophet (saw) cursed the receiver and the payer of interest, the one who records it (the contract) and the two witnesses to the transaction and said, “They are all alike (in guilt).”

Jabir ibn Abdullah, giving a report on the Prophet’s farewell pilgrimage, said: The Prophet (saw), addressed the people and said, “All the riba al-jahiliyyah is annulled, the first riba that I annulled is our riba, accruing to al-Abbas ibn Abdul Mutalib (the Prophet’s uncle).”

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw), said: “riba has seventy segments, the least serious is equivalent to a man committing incest with his own mother.”

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said: “God would not allow four persons to enter paradise or to taste its blessings: he who drinks wine, he who takes riba, he who usurps an orphan’s property without right and he who is undutiful to his parents.”

THE MEANING OF RIBA

The word riba has been used in the Holy Qur’an on several occasions. So it is necessary to know what it means or what it really stands for. Riba has been extracted from Raba. It means addition, increase. So, riba literally means to increase, to grow to rise, to add, to swell. It is, however, not every increase or growth which has been prohibited by Islam. In the Shari’ah, “riba” technically refers to the premium that must be paid by the borrower to the lender along with the principal amount as a condition for the loan or for an extension in its maturity. In this sense riba has the same meaning as interest in accordance with the consensus of all jurists without any exception. So the Holy Qur’an and the Hadith do not make any such difference between usury and interest. Interest and usury both are taken as synonymous for the Arabic word riba.

TYPES OF RIBA

Although the Qur’an did not specify any particular kind of riba, it is generally held that the word al-riba in the Qur’an is that kind of dealing which had been in vogue during the pre-Islamic days. Muslim jurists have classified riba in two types: 1. riba al-nasi’ah, and 2. riba al-fadl.
RIBA AL- NASI’AH

The term nasi’ah means to postpone or to wait and it refers to the time period that is allowed for the borrower to repay the loan in return for the addition of the premium. Hence it refers to the interest on loans. The prohibition of riba al nasi’ah essentially implies that the fixing in advance of a positive return on a loan as a reward for waiting is not permitted by the Shari’ah.

RIBA AL-FADL

Islam, however, wishes to eliminate not merely the exploitation that is intrinsic in the institution of interest, but also that which is inherent in all forms of unjust exchange in business transactions.

Riba al-fadl is the excess over and above the loan paid in kind. It lies in the payment of an addition by the debtor to the creditor in exchange of commodities of the same kind. The following tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is cited as evidence. It is related that Abu Said al-Khurdi said: “the Prophet Muhammad (saw) has said that gold in return for gold, silver for silver, wheat for wheat, barley for barley, dates for dates and salt for salt, can be traded if and only if they are in the same quantity and that is should be hand to hand. If someone gives more or takes, then he is engaged in riba and accordingly has committed a sin.”

To sum up, riba al-nasi’ah and riba al-fadl are both covered by the verse, “Allah has allowed trade and prohibited riba” (2:275), while riba-al nasi’ah relates to loans and riba al-fadl relates to trade. Although trade is allowed in principle it does not mean that everything in trade is allowed.

Khorasan's Black Flags

Islamic Flags:

There are two types of flags in Islam.

The first is called Al-Liwaa and serves as the sign for the leader of the Muslim army. It is also the flag of the Islamic State. The Liwaa of the Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him) was a piece of white cloth with the words لآ اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدُ رَّسُوْلُ اللّهِ written across it.

The other is termed as Ar-Raya and is used by the Muslim army. The Raya of the Messenger (Peace Be upon Him) was a piece of black wool with the words لآ اِلهَ اِلَّا اللّهُ مُحَمَّدُ رَّسُوْلُ اللّهِ written on it.

Therefore, the Liwaa is a white flag with black inscription and the Raya is a black flag with white inscription

Khorasan:

Khorasan in the time of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) included the whole of Afghanistan, Northern parts of Pakistan including Malakand Division, Central Asian States, part of Iran. Still a province in the North East of the Iran is named as Khorasan.

The basic purpose of this page is to create awareness among our Muslim youth about the army that will rise from the area of Khurasan holding Black Flags of Islam . This army will conquer many occupied lands of Muslims till it reaches to Jerusalem . Then it will pledge its allegiance to Imam al Mahdi (A.S).

HADITHS

Narrated by Anas (RA):
The Prophet had informed the people of the martyrdom of Zaid, Ja'far and Ibn Rawaha before the news of their death reached. The Prophet said, "Zaid took the flag (as the commander of the army) and was martyred, then Ja'far took it and was martyred, and then Ibn Rawaha took it (Ar Raya) and was martyred." At that time the Prophet's eyes were shedding tears. He added, "Then the flag was taken by a Sword amongst the Swords of Allah (i.e. Khalid) and Allah made them (i.e. the Muslims) victorious." Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (Peace Be upon Him) - (Al-Maghaazi) - Bukhari: Book 5: Volume 59: Hadith 561

Al-Barra’a Ibnu Azeb (ra) was asked about the Messenger’s (Peace Be Upon Him) Raya. He said: “It was black, had four corners and was made of wool.”

These and other ahadith clearly prove that Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) had designated a flag for his Ummah.

The Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him) of Allah conquered and entered Makkah with a Liwaa (white flag)
Black Flags / Black Banners From East i.e. Khurasan (Afghanistan)

Abu Abdullah Nuaim Ibn Hammad on a chain of transmission on the authority of Al Zuhari who said " The black flags will come from the East, led by mighty men, with long hair and beards, their surnames are taken from the names of their home towns (i.e. Khosti or from Khost etc.) and their first names are from a "Kunya" (Asmal Masalik Lieyyam Mahdiyy Maliki Li Kull-id Dunya Biemrillah-il Malik, Qalda bin Zayd).
Hadhrat Buraidah (R.A.) says that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said: "There will be many armies after me. You must join that army which will come from Khurasaan." (Ibn Adi)

On the authority of Thawbaan (May Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah said:
"If you see the Black Banners coming from Khurasan go to them immediately, even if you must crawl over ice, because indeed amongst them is the Caliph, Al Mahdi." [Narrated on authority of Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim, Ahmad]

Narrated by Abdur Rehman Al-Jarshi that I heard companion of Dear Prophet(salallaho alayhay wa sallam), Hazrat Amr Bin Marra Al-jamli(R.A) that Dear Prophet(salallaho alayhay wa sallam) said: Surely Black Flag will appear from the Khorasan until the people(under the leadership of this flag) will tie their horses with the Olive Trees between Bait-e-Lahya and Harasta. We asked are there any Olive trees between these places. He said,”If there isn’t then soon it will grow so that those people(of Khorasan) will come and tie their horses there.” [Kitab-al-Fitan Page 215. Also at Page 108 in the book “Islam main Imam Mahdi ka Tasawer” by Maulana Professor Muhammad Yousaf Khan,Jamia Ashrafia Lahore,Pakistan.]

Harasta (Arabic: حرستا, transliteration: Ḥarastā) , also known as Harasta al-Basal, is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Rif Dimashq. Harasta has an altitude of 702 meters. It has a population of 38,184 as of 2007, making it the 43rd largest city per geographical entity in Syria.

Beit Lahia (Arabic: بيت لاهيا or بيت لاهية) is a town under Palestinian Authority of about 40,000 people in the northern Gaza Strip. It is located north of Jabalia, near Beit Hanoun and the border with Israel. Hamas, an Islamic party, took control of it during the 2005 municipal elections.

The word “Lahia” is Syriac and means “desolate” or “tiresome”. It is surrounded by sand dunes, some rise to 55m above sea level. The area is renowned for its many large Sycamore trees. The Israeli settlements of Nisanit, Elei Sinai, and Dugit that were in close proximity to Beit Lahia were evacuated during August 2005.Beit Lahia بيت لاهي Beit Lahiya Bayt Lahiya.

Thawban said, "The Prophet said: 'Three men will be killed at the place where your treasure is. Each of them will be the son of a Khalifah, and none of them will get hold of the treasure. Then black banners will come out of the east...' If you see him, go and give him your allegiance, even if you have to crawl over ice, because he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.'”.

Above  hadith is reported in Sunan Ibn Majah vol 3 number 4084 in 'Kitab al-Fitan, Baab Kharuj al-Mahdi' and 'Mustadrak' al-Hakim. Hakim classified it as saheeh on the conditions set by al-Bukhari and Muslim and al-Dhahabi agreed. Ibn Kathir wrote about it in his 'al-Nihaya (al-Fitan wa al-Malahim)' that its isnaad is 'qawii' (strong). al-Albani considers some of the chains as unacceptable, but writes the hadith is correct in meaning without the addition, 'he is the Khalifah of Allah, the Mahdi.' He rates the isnaad of Ibn Majah from 'Alqama from Ibn Mas'ud as hasan which does not have the words, 'khalifa-tullah.' He then goes on to discuss why this addition is not acceptable. ('Silsilah al-Ahadeeth al-Da'eefah wa al-Maudu'a', vol 1, p. 195-198, Hadith #85)

You’ll join hands with a Christian group and war with another. You’ll gain victoryAt that time, you will be present in a plain of great mountains with plenty of trees. In the meantime, the Christians will raise the crucifix and refer the victory to it. At this, a Muslim will become angry, and will pull the crucifix down, at which, the Christians will unite breaking all treaties with the Muslims.The Christians will demand their wanted people, to which the Muslims will answer:"By Allah! They are our brothers. We will never hand them over. This will start the war. One-third Muslims will run away. Their ‘Tawbah’ (Repentance) will never be accepted.. One-third will be killed.They will be the best 'Shaheed' (martyrs) near Allah The remaining one-third will gain victory (6708,6709 Ibn Hibban).

At the time, when the Muslim Ummah will have abundance of wealth, gold and silver, the Muslims will be extremely belittled, weak and helpless. The enemy nations will invite each other to pounce upon them as hungry people invite one another for food. The Sahabah (R.A) asked with utter worry, "O Prophet of Allah! Would we be very few in number?" Prophet Muhammad (S) replied: "No! You’d be as great in quantity as the foam of the sea is, seen wherever the eye can reach. But you’ll be overtaken by ‘wahn’." The Sahabah (R.A) asked, "O Prophet of Allah! What is ‘wahn’?" He (S) replied: "Love of this world and fear of death!" You’ll join hands with a Christian group and war with another. You’ll gain victory. At that time, you will be present in a plain of great mountains with plenty of trees. In the meantime, the Christians will raise the crucifix and refer the victory to it. At this, a Muslim will become angry, and will pull the crucifix down, at which, the Christians will unite breaking all treaties with the Muslims.The Christians will demand their wanted people, to which the Muslims will answer:"By Allah! They are our brothers. We will never hand them over." This will start the war. One-third Muslims will run away. Their ‘Tawbah’ (Repentance) will never be accepted. One-third will be killed. They will be the best 'Shaheed' (martyrs) near Allah. The remaining one-third will gain victory, until, under the leadership of Imam Mehdi, they will fight against Kufr (non-believers)..(Ibn Majah)
Reported on a chain of transmission on the authority of Kaab "The sign of the Mahdi's appearance will be war banners coming from the west, lead by a man with a disability from "Kinda". (Nuaym son of Hammad, Al-Fitan page 205)

*Note: Genreral Richard Meyers, commander of the US Joint chiefs of staff decalared the war on Afghanistan in October 2001 on crutches.

There is a Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) about the symbols of the Judgment day that people with the Black Flag will rise up from the land of Khurasaan to fight against Kuffar Alliances in the Final War of Armageddon. Geographically, Syria is a land of great diversity that includes coastline, mountainous areas, steppe, and desert. Geographically, Syria can be divided into four regions. A narrow fertile coastal plain runs along the Mediterranean border and extends inland to a narrow range of mountains and hills. The coastal climate is moderate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters; the average annual rainfall is this area is between 30 and 40 inches. The mountainous region runs from north to south, parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. The interior semiarid plains region is found to the east of the mountains. Much of the southeastern part of Syria is desert region that extends to the borders of Jordan and Iraq; most of the desert is a rock and gravel plateau that receives less than four inches of rain annually and is extremely hot.

You will make a firm truce with the Christians (al-Rum) until you and they wage a campaign against an enemy that is attacking them. You will be granted victory and great spoils. Then you will alight in a plain surrounded by hills. There, someone among the Christians shall say: 'The Cross has overcome!' whereupon someone among the Muslims shall say: 'Nay, Allah has overcome!' and shall go and break the cross. The Christians shall kill him, then the Muslims shall take up their arms and the two sides shall fall upon each other. Allah shall grant martyrdom to that group of Muslims. After that the Christians shall say to their leader: 'We shall relieve you of the Arabs,' and they shall gather up for the great battle (al-malhama). They shall come to you under eighty flags, each flag gathering 12,000 troops." [Approx. 1 million]

Narrated with sound chains from Dhu Mikhbar al-Najashi by Abu Dawud, Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim who declared it sahih and al-Dhahabi concurred. See Shaykh Shu`ayb Arna'ut's documentation of this hadith in his edition of Sahih Ibn Hibban (15:101-103 #6708-6709).

Narrated Abu Hurayrah: Allah's Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) said: The Last Hour will not come until the Romans land at al-A'maq or in Dabiq [north of Aleppo (a city in Northern Syria).] An army consisting of the best (soldiers) of the people on Earth at that time will come from Medina (to oppose them). When they arrange themselves in ranks, the Romans will say: Do not stand between us and those (Muslims) who took prisoners from among us. Let us fight them. The Muslims will say: Nay, by Allah, we shall never turn aside from you and from our brethren so that you may fight them. They will then fight and a third (part) of the army, whom Allah will never forgive, will run away. A third (part of the army), which will be constituted of excellent martyrs in Allah's eyes, would be killed. The third who will never be put on trial will win and they will be the conquerors of Constantinople (and/or Rome). As they are busy in distributing the spoils of war (amongst themselves) after hanging their swords by the olive trees, Satan will cry: The Dajjal has taken your place among your families. They will then come out, but it will be of no avail. When they reach Syria, he will come out while they are still preparing themselves for battle, drawing up the ranks. Certainly, the time of prayer will come and then ‘Eessa (peace_be_upon_him), son of Maryam, descends and will lead them in prayer. When the enemy of Allah sees him, it will (disappear) just as salt dissolves in water and if he (‘Eessa) were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve completely. Allah would kill them by his hand and he would show them their blood on his lance. (Muslim Book No: 40 No: 6924)

*Note: This is the part of the victorious army from Afghanistan-Taliban war facing similar fate in three categories, here connecting the old victorious army's fate with the current victorious army. Hence the victorious army never lost continuity in its entirety.

Details of Khorasan

Critical territories and lands in mapping Greater Old Khorasan:
• North West Afghanistan (Spread through Herat, Balkh, Kabul, Ghazni, Kandahar) (Heart of Khorasan)
• North South East Uzbekistan (Spread through Samarkand, Bukhara, Shehrisabz, area between Ammu Darya & Syr Darya)
• North East Iran (Spread through Nishapur, Tus, Mash'had, Gurgan, Damaghan)
• South Turkmenistan [Mery Province (Merv, Sanjan) ]
• South Kazakstan
• North & West Pakistan [Malakand Division (Malakand, Swat, Dir, Chitral) ]
• North West Tajikstan [Spread through Sughd province (Khojand, Panjakent)]

Expand of Khorasan
• Extended to entire Transoxiana (portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it means the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers) prior to 8th century AD.
• Extended to Soghdiana (included territories around Samarkand, Bukhara and Kesh (Shahrisabz) in modern Uzbekistan & Khujand (Tajikstan). Sogdiana lay north of Bactria, east of Khwarezm, and southeast of Kangju between the Oxus (Amu Darya) and the Jaxartes (Syr Darya), embracing the fertile valley of the Zarafshan (ancient Polytimetus). Sogdian territory corresponds to the modern provinces of Samarkand and Bokhara in modern Uzbekistan as well as the Sughd province of modern Tajikistan. ) in the north
• Extended westward to the Caspian Sea.
• Extended southward including Sistan deserts and eastward to the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan
• Extended to Kabul, Ghazni and Kandahar; also Pakistan Indus valley.

By Dr. Israr Ahmed & Sheikh Imran Hosein:

Khorasan (i.e. area which now includes Afghanistan, NW Pakistan (Malakand Division) , NE Iran, Central Asia in north of Afghanistan etc).

By Mir Ghulam Mohammad (Afghan historian):

Balkh(in the East), Merv(in the North), Sistan(in the South), Nishapur(in the West) and Herat known as ‘The Pearl of Khorasan’, in the center.

While Improper Khorasan's boundaries extended to Kabul and Ghazni in the East, Sistan and Zabulistan in the South, Transoxiana and Khwarezm in the North and Damaghan and Gurgan in the West.

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The Making of Bilad-e-Khurasan

Where is Khurasan Actually? (The Making of Bilad-e-Khurasan? In Articles by Bilal Khan)

Research Finding by Bilal Khan, March 30, 2008

{The paper is purely for research purposes; briefly doing a comparative analysis of the End of Times prophecies with the current geo-political conditions & state and non-state players in the back drop of Bush Administration’s Crusade Mentality}

The Ancient Khurasan:

The ancient Khurasan was the last eastern province of the Persian Empire. Khurasan, in Persian, means the “land of the sunrise”, a natural synonym for East. The term was loosely applied to territories of Persia east and north east of Dasht-e-Kavir.

Emperor Babur wrote in his memoirs (1) that Indians used to call all non-Indians as Khurasanis. Regarding the boundary of Hindustan (India) and Khurasan, it is written: “On the road between Hindustan and Khurasan, there are two great marts: the one Kabul, the other Kandahar.”

In modern day world the ancient Khurasan is divided into five central Asian countries i.e.

1. Iran

2. Afghanistan

3. Tajikistan

4. Turkmenistan

5. Uzbekistan

The largest part of the ancient Khurasan is in Afghanistan today. The present day cities of these modern countries would give a better idea of the geographical map of the ancient Khurasan. These cities include:

1. Nishapur and Tus in Iran.

2. Herat, Balkh, Ghazni and Kabul in Afghanistan

3. Khujand and Panjakent in Tajikistan

4. Merv and Sanjan in Turkmenistan

5. Samarqand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan

Ghulam Mohammad Ghubar, an ethnic Tajik scholar and historian from Afghanistan, talks of Proper Khurasan and Improper Khurasan in his book titled “Khurasan”. According to him, Proper Khurasan contained regions lying between Balkh (in the East), Merv (in the North), Sijistan (in the South), Nishapur (in the West) and Herat, known as The Pearl of Khurasan, in the center. While Improper Khurasan’s boundaries extended to Kabul and Ghazni in the East, Balochistan and Zabulistan in the South, Transoxiana and Khwarezm in the North and Damaghan and Gurgan in the West.

Khurasan in Islamic Prophecies:

Khurasan plays an important role in the Islamic prophecies of end times, the wars before appearance of Dajjal and the second coming of Jesus Christ (AS).

One must wonder why Afghanistan has been the centre stage of the world for more than three decades now. What is there in the barren land of rugged mountains of Afghanistan that attracted almost every super power in the course of history?

Every super power in the world, since the time of Alexander the Great till the United States, have turned to Afghanistan when it was their turn to fall from grace.

God has His own ways of making histories and turn fates.

We have already established that Afghanistan has the most land area of ancient Khurasan in it. The Islamic prophecies that speak of the appearance of Imam Mehdi also speak of an army of black flags from Khurasan that will come to help Imam Mehdi to establish his Caliphate in the Holy Kabah.

“Narrated by Hazrat Abdullah bin Masood (RA) that Prophet (SAW) said: A Nation will come from the east with black flags and they will ask for some “Khair” (because of them being needy) but the people will not give them, then, they will fight and win over those people (who did not give them what they asked). Now the people will give them what they asked for but they will not accept it until they will hand it over to a person from my progeny who will fill this earth with justice just as it was previously filled with oppression and tyranny. So if anyone of you finds this nation (i.e. from the east with black flags) then you must join them even if you have to crawl over ice” (2)

We have to keep in mind that the holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) lived most his life in Makkah and the last 10 years in Medina in present day Saudi Arabia. Geographically there are only three Muslim countries, today, in exact east of Saudi Arabia i.e. Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. So it becomes easy for us to establish that whoever this army of black flags is, it belongs to one or more of these three countries.

Another Hadith says:

“Abu Huraira (RA) reported Allah’s Apostle (SAW) saying: You have heard about a city; the one side of which is in the land and the other is in the sea (Constantinople). They said: Allah’s Messenger, Yes. There upon he said: The last hour would come unless seventy thousand persons from Bani Ishaq would attack it. When they would land there, they will neither fight with weapons nor would show arrows but would only say: There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest, that one side of it would fall. Thaur (one of the narrators) said: I think that he said: The part by the side of the ocean. Then they would say for the second time: There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest that the second side would also fall, and they would say: There is no god but Allah and Allah is the Greatest, that the gates would be opened for them and they would enter therein and, they would be collecting spoils of war and distributing them amongst themselves that a noise would be heard and it would be said: Verily, Dajjal has come. And thus they would everything there and would turn to him.” (3)

Constantinople is present day Istanbul and this particular Hadith verifies that it would be either siding with Anti-Imam Mehdi forces or would be occupied by Non-Muslims in the time of Imam Mehdi. From other Ahadith we get clarified that this attack on Istanbul by seventy thousand people of Bani Ishaq or the descendants of Prophet Isaac (AS) would be led by Imam Mehdi himself. In the language of Ahadith seventy thousand means a very large number, it may or may not be actually seventy thousand. The descendants of Prophet Isaac (AS) have been referred with different names in religious scriptures and in different Ahadith i.e. Aal-e-Haroon, Nation of Liberated Slaves and Bani-Israel.

Israel is the alternate name of Prophet Jacob (AS) who was the son of Prophet Isaac (AS). Haroon or Aaron was the brother of Moses (AS) and both of them were descendants of Isaac (AS) and Jacob (AS). So the army of Imam Mehdi will be from the descendants of Prophet Isaac (AS) and Jacob (AS) or popularly Bani-Israel.

Now, the very term Israel itself hints of the present day Jewish nation-state of Israel and one would ask why Israel would help Imam Mehdi. No, they certainly will not. This army of Imam Mehdi that will come from the East, with black flags, will be from Bani-Israel who would already be Muslims.

One of the Ahadith further elaborate:

“Narrated by Abdur Rehman Al-Jarshi that I heard companion of Prophet (SAW), Hazrat Amr Bin Marra Al-Jamli (RA) that Prophet (SAW) said: Surely Black Flags will appear from the Khurasan until the people (under the leadership of this flag) will tie their horses with the Olive Trees between Bait-e-Lahya and Harasta. We asked are there any Olive trees between these places: He said, “If there isn’t then soon it will grow so that those people (of Khurasan) will come and tie their horses there.” (4)

Another of the Ahadith says:

“Abu Huraira (RA) says that Rasul-Ullah (SAW) said: (Armies carrying) black flags will come from Khurasan, no power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags” (5)

Interestingly, another Hadith says:

“Anas ibn Malik narrated that Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) said: The Dajjal would be followed by seventy thousand Jews of Isfahan wearing Persian shawls.” (6)

Now, from the above three Ahadith we can establish that the army of Mehdi will consist of Muslims from Bani-Israel from Khurasan holding black flags. No power in the world will be able to stop them till they reach Jerusalem and erect their flags where there is Aqsa Mosque standing today.

Dajjal will also have an army of Bani-Israel. Both Muslim and Christian sources (other than evangelical Christians) establish that the Anti-Christ will be a Jewish Leader. The Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) clears that the Dajjal will have an army of Persian Jews from Isfahan. Interestingly, Iran supports the largest Jewish population in the Muslim world of approximately 40,000 mainly in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz. (7) It has already been said that in Hadith language 70 thousands mean a very large number that may or may not be actually 70 thousand.

This leaves us with the judgment that Imam Mehdi will lead an army of Muslim Bani-Israel from Khurasan and Dajjal will lead an army of Jew Bani-Israel from Isfahan.

Israel and the Lost Tribes:

In order to find out who these Muslims Bani-Israel from Khurasan are, it would be important to critically examine the history of Israelites.

Prophet Jacob (AS), or Hazrat Yaqoob (AS) in Urdu, was the son of Prophet Isaac (AS) or Ishaq in Urdu and grandson of Prophet Abraham (AS). He was popularly known by his alternate name “Israel”. All of his children were subsequently called Bani-Israel or Israelites i.e. the descendants of Israel (Jacob).

Prophet Jacob (AS) had twelve sons, one of which was Prophet Joseph (AS) or Hazrat Yousuf (AS) in Urdu and Prophet Joseph (AS) had two sons. The Bani-Israel, consequently, are divided into thirteen tribes i.e. eleven from Prophet Jacob (AS) and two from Prophet Joseph (AS). The names of these sons of Jacob (AS) and Joseph (AS), which are in turn the names of the tribes of Bani-Israel, are:

1. Reuben

2. Simeon

3. Judah

4. Issachar

5. Zebulun

6. Dan

7. Naphtali

8. Gad

9. Asher

10. Levi

11. Benjamin

12. Ephraim (son of Joseph)

13. Manasseh (son of Joseph)

According to Bible, the descendants of Jacob (AS) united to form the first united Monarchy or Kingdom of Israel in approximately 1050 BCE. King David, or known as Prophet David (AS) or Hazrat Dawood (AS) to Muslims, was the second King of this Kingdom and also the father of the famous King Solomon or Hazrat Suleiman (AS) for Muslims. David (AS) and his son Solomon (AS) constructed the Temple Mount of the Jews on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. This temple is also known as the First Temple. The temple was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 597 BCE. Nebuchadnezzar II not only destroyed the temple and conquered Jerusalem but also took the Jewish people along with him as slaves to Babylon where they stayed until Cyrus the Great (the founder of ancient Persian Empire) destroyed Babylon. The Persians allowed the Jews to return to the Holy Land where they constructed the Temple Mount again in 516 BCE known as Second Temple until the Temple was destroyed again by the Romans in 70 CE. Muslims constructed the Dome of the Rock or the Aqsa Mosque at the ruins of the Second Temple when they conquered Jerusalem in 635 CE.

Interestingly, in 722 BCE the Assyrians under Shalmaneser V and then under Sargon II conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel, destroyed its capital Samaria and sent the Israelites into exile and captivity in Khurasan.

In Jewish popular culture, the ten tribes disappeared from history, leaving only the tribes of Benjamin, Judah and Levi to become the ancestors of modern day Jews.

Today, many ethnic groups claim descent from the lost tribes of Israel. Let us see who among them is located in the geographical Khurasan and are Muslims as well (to keep our track to find the army of Imam Mehdi).

1. Bene-Ephraim in Southern India – are Jews.

2. Bnei-Menashe in Northeast India – are Jews.

3. Beta Israel in Ethiopia – are Jews.

4. Persian and Bukharan Jews in Isfahan, Iran – are Jews.

5. Igbo of Nigeria – are Jews.

7. Samaritans in Israel – are Jews

8. The Lemba tribe in South Africa – religious practice similar to Jews.

9. House of Israel in Ghana – are Jews

10. Pashtuns or Pathans in Afghanistan/Pakistan – are Muslims

11. Kashmiris in Indo-Pakistan – are Muslims

12. Jews of Kaifeng – are Jews

In all these ethnic groups, there are only two groups that are Muslims and only one group that is geographically present in Khurasan i.e. the Pathans of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The only group that is warlike, undefeated and untamed throughout the course of history, staunch in religious fervor, filled with honor and pride and is unforgiving of its enemy; one that will fight its enemy until one of them is dead.

One now starts to understand why Afghanistan is the center of the world and why Pakistan became Independent of United India?

God has His own ways of making histories and turn fates.

Israeli History of Pashtuns:

The Pashtuns or Pathans are the world’s largest patriarchal ethnic group in existence with an estimated population of around 40 Million distributed in present day countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE, Iran, UK, USA and India with the largest population in Pakistan that is approximately 28 Million.

A lot of research has been done on the origin of Pashtuns. Taaqati-Nasiri, a book that records historical traces of Pashtuns, states that in the 7th century a people called the Bani Israel settled in Ghor, southeast of Herat, Afghanistan, and then migrated south and east. These Bani Israel references are in line with the commonly held view by Pashtuns that when the twelve tribes of Israel were dispersed the tribe of Joseph, among other Hebrew tribes, settled in the region. [8] Hence the largest tribe of Pashtuns i.e. Yousuf Zai in Pashtu translates to the ’sons of Joseph’. A similar story is told by the Iranian historian Ferishta. (9)

The Pashtuns have been living in the Afghanistan area for over 2,000 years. Their language Pashtu/Pakhto borrows widely from the Arab-ized Persian of their neighbors (now Iran), yet it was a purely spoken dialect. There was no Pakhto/Pashtu written script whatsoever, the first Pashtu book appearing about the 1500s. Hence the traditions, customs, tribal genealogy and law orally transferred from father to son. The first book on Pashtun genealogy, the Makhzan-al-Afghani was written in 1613, and contained for the first time a printed table of descent from Abraham to the Pashtun tribes, through the tribe of Binyamin or Benjamin. While the book was not accepted initially by British historians, modern historians consider it the most accurate account as compared to the other theories proposed by classical historians.

Interestingly, the word “Zionist” is created from the mountains of Jerusalem which are called “Zion”. Similarly the language of the Pathan tribesmen is called Pashtu, and its speakers call themselves Pashtun, from the Persian word “Pasht” which means “back of the mountain” so in reality Pashtun is a person who lives in the mountains. The mountains the Pathan’s have been living in after exile are called the Suleiman (Solomon) mountains. The Jews/Bani Israel from Russia also claim to be Mountain Jews and are said to be from the same exile.

The word Pathan is a Pashto written form of the original word Pithon, the great grandson of King Saul. (10)

Kashmir was under direct control of the Durrani Afghan Empire in the 1800s, and the majority of the population there were the Yousuf Zai Pashtuns who had moved eastward from Peshawar. They were living in Kashmir in great numbers, about 600,000 families who were later forcibly subdued for about 40 years by the Sikhs. (11)

Dr. Bernier, A French traveler in the frontier villages of Kashmir around the 1880’s remarked on the striking physical similarity of the locals with Jews. (12) He noted that their expressions and manners were distinguishable from the other people in this land. He finally adds that “You are not to ascribe what I say to mere fancy, the Jewish appearance of these villagers having been remarked by our Father, the Jesuit, and some other Europeans long before I visited Kashmir”.

The Jesuit Dr. Bernier points to is Dr. Joseph Wolff who says “I was wonderfully struck with the resemblance of the Youssoufszye (sons of Joseph) and the Khyberi, two of their tribes, to the Jews”. (13) Moorcroft also says of Khyberis “They are tall, and of singularly Jewish cast of features… they have been named by themselves Beni Israel, children of Israel from time immemorial.”

Bernier was also referring to George Forster who wrote in 1808 “On first seeing the Kashmirians in their own country I imagined from their garb, the cast of their countenance which was long and of a grave aspect, and the forms of their beard, that I had come among a nation of Jews”. (14)

Colonel G. Malleson of the British Army did not believe that the Afghans were Beni Israel, but commented on the issue of physical features “This no doubt has its weight”. (15)

A British army officer summed up the emotional behavior of a Pashtun:

“Even when he leaves his native heath behind he takes his manner with him. He will come down, a stalwart manly looking ruffian with frank and open manners, rather Jewish feature… He is certain to be filthy and he may be ragged, but he will saunter into a viceregal durbar (Royal court) as proud as Lucifer and with the air and manner a diplomatist might envy. Not in the least like any Indian subject.” (16)

Pashtuns follow peculiar customs like:

1. “Passover Practice” of sacrificing an animal and smearing the doorway to avert death and calamity

2. Placing the sins of the people upon a heifer or goat which is driven out in the wilderness in the manner of the biblical scapegoat

3. Stoning to death of blasphemers

4. Periodical distribution of land by lot (17)

5. The rites of circumcision and purification

These were all given in the Book of Leviticus of the Bani Israel, and modern Muslim historians like Dr. Azmat Hayat Khan accept them as indicators, if not proof of their Israelite heritage. [18] They are the only tribes in the area to practice all of these customs, as the ancient Bani Israel did 2,300 years ago.

Likewise, if anyone travels in the local bus transport of the Pakistani Pashtun areas, he or she would see fascinating art works in their buses but strikingly all these art works have Israelite origin, these peculiar diagrams include:

1. Peacocks (Torah was written with peacock feathers)

2. The Symbolic ark

3. The Mogen David or the Star of the David – also found in the Israeli flag

4. Tree of Life of Kaballah

5. Fish of the Sabbat/Shabbos

6. The heart shape lamp of the Sabbat

7. Number of Leaf petals signifying Kaballah practices.

Similarly many Hebrew inspired names of people, tribes and places are commonly found in Pashtuns and Pashtun areas of Pakistan/Afghanistan. Some tribes with visible similarities with Hebrew names are:

1. Yousuf Zai – Sons of Joseph

2. Gadoon – Gad

3. Rabbani – Reuben

4. Abdali or Naftali – Naphtali

5. Shinwari – Simeon

6. Zamand – Zebulun

7. Levani – Levi

8. Afridi & Afandi – Ephraim

9. Pathan – Pithon

The popular places that trace their origin in Hebrew are:

- Koh-e-Suleiman – Solomon Mountains

- Takht-e-Suleiman – Throne of Solomon (the highest peak in Solomon mountains)

- Afghanistan – Afghana (the grandson of King Saul)

- Kohat – a town in NWFP, Pakistan, means assembly in Hebrew and it is also the name of the second son of Levi and father of Amram.

- Zabul – A province in present day Afghanistan, in the days of Mahmood Ghaznavid the whole region of Afghanistan was known as Zabulistan – Zebulun was one of the sons of Prophet Jacob (AS).

- Khyber – A Jew Fort in Arab in the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and a place on Pakistan/Afghanistan border.

- Peshawar – The Capital of NWFP province of Pakistan – PESH means the Pass and HAWAR means City i.e. The City after the Pass. Peshawar is a short drive from Khyber Pass. A Place named Habor is mentioned in Torah as the place of the exile of the tribes.

- Gozan – The historical name of Amu River in Afghanistan, hence the Torah says: “The God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul King of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath Pilnesser King of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Ruebenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought to Halah, and Habor, and Hara and to the river of Gozan to this day.” (Kings II, 17 and 18; Chronicles 1:5)

- Kerak – A City in Jordan and another in NWFP, Pakistan

- Lugar – A province in Afghanistan and a Jewish family name; the famous wrestler Lex Lugar.

- Kabul – in Hebrew Cab means dirty and Bul means city hence a dirty city

- Herat – The pearl of Khurasan – a city in Afghanistan, Hara is one of the places of the exile along with Habor and Gozan i.e. Peshawar and Amu River.

- Kash/Kish – name of numerous personalities in Chronicles of Hebrew Bible – and there is a Dasht-e-Kash north of Helmund, a City of Kash mentioned in map of Afghanistan 1912 of the Library of Congress, USA. There is also a mountain range named Hindu-Kush in Afghanistan/Pakistan and Kash Rod in Nimroz Province of Afghanistan.

- Dasht-e-Yahoodi – or the Jewish Plain – a famous place in Mardan district of NWFP, Pakistan.

- Killa Yahoodi – or Jewish town – a place on Afghanistan border of Pakistan.

The Christian Belief of End Times:

The historical Christian view of End Times and that of Jews have been different of what we see today. It was not the Muslims but the Christians who persecuted Jews ever since Constantine the Great (the founder of Constantinople) converted to Christianity. Through out the centuries Jews have been disgraced, tortured, molested and wronged not by Muslims but by Christians. It was the Christians of the Nazi Germany that allegedly mass murdered Jews and today Arabs are forced to pay for the crimes of Nazi Germany.

Christians have always thought of Jews of not only as God’s chosen people but also as God’s most hated people because of their ill-treatment of Prophets. Christians have also, in similarity with Muslims, always believed that the Anti-Christ (or Dajjal for Muslims) would be a Jewish Leader.

Christians have also always believed on the Biblical prophecy that the Jews will return to Holy Land have been fulfilled long ago when Persians allowed them to go back to Jerusalem to build the second temple.

But the rise of Dispensationalist Christianity in North America and the subsequent publication of Reverend Scofield’s Reference Bible in 1909 changed the course of history and the mindset of a major Christian power that was destined to become the super power of the world; the USA.

Dispensationalists, or evangelical Christians, or more commonly known as born again Christians stressed that Jews are God’s chosen people and Christian powers must join hands with Jews in order to bring Jesus Christ back to the world. Dispensationalism changed how Book of Daniel and Book of Revelation of the Bible were seen by Christians; these books of Bible contain the prophecies of End of times.

Reverend Scofield’s Reference Bible stressed on three important events to take place in order to bring Jesus Christ back to the world.

1. The Return of Jews to the Holy Land

2. Creation of the Kingdom of Israel

3. Destruction of the Dome of the Rock

Reverend Scofield essentially believed that Jews will go to the Holy land again and the prophecy has not yet been fulfilled. The Jewish settlements in Palestine after the World War I was seen in the USA as the fulfillment of first pre-requisite of Christ’s return to earth. The so-called Independence of Israel in 1948 was seen as the fulfillment of second requirement by the USA and ever since the USA have been an ardent and blind supporter of Israel, as the US politics has been over shadowed by born again Christians ever since the World War II. These political born again Christians are known as Neo-Conservatives. President Ronald Reagan is famously known for his statement, about Armageddon (or the last war), made in a visit to Israel 1981-82.

The destruction of the Dome of the Rock (or the Aqsa Mosque) is the final requirement of the return of Christ (AS) and the final war. Today many born again Christians, individuals and organizations, collect and donate funds to Israel for the destruction of the Aqsa Mosque. People like late Jerry Falwell and Billy Graham are popular faces of such evangelists. Events in Jerusalem disclose that there is a current Israeli excavation project going on at the foundations of Aqsa Mosque and a recent report tells that if the project goes on for a while more the Mosque will fall.

Imagine the consequences of such a madness to destroy Islam’s third holiest shrine – a shrine revered by almost 1.5 billion humans – where are their human rights?

Rise of Neo-Cons and US’s War on Terror:

The political evangelists are called Neo-Conservatives or just neo-cons. George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld are most recognizable Neo-cons for the rest of the world.

In 1997, William Kristol and Robert Kagan co-founded a neo-con think tank named The Project for New American Century. The think tank has extra-ordinary influence on George W. Bush’s Foreign and Military Politics especially the Iraq War.

The Project for New American Century or PNAC published a review in 1999 on how the USA must reposition its strategic dominance on the world in the 21st century. The Report called for a “New Pearl Harbor” to enforce America’s military and economic dominance over the world. The New Pearl Harbor emerged in the shape of 9/11 in 2001.

“Two years ago a project set up by the men who now surround George W. Bush said what America needed was a new Pearl Harbor. Its Published aims have, alarmingly, come true. (19)

Today, many born again Christians like George ask their priests “when would Christ return”. (20)

Not very surprisingly, if one identifies US or Allied bases in the Central Asian and Middle East region, one would realize that the Allied powers have shockingly circled Syria i.e. the host of the last war of the world.

The US’s War on Terror is a deceptive game and a mind boggling riddle. The term terrorism is itself vague and un-defined and built on repetitive lies upon lies as evident in the case of 9/11. It is almost always blindly used against Muslims. The unilateral, pre-emptive extra-judicial violence by the western powers is always named as wars of democracy and freedom.

But if one makes an unbiased examination of the term and the war itself then one would realize that all these terrorists demand is the right of self-determination and self-rule and their wars of insurgencies are nothing but wars of self-defense against foreign occupational forces and aggressors against their land, sovereignty and religion.

Important Players in Present Day Khurasan:

Now that we have analyzed what Khurasan is, what is its importance in Islamic prophecies, what is going around us and what lies behind the US’s political mentality? Now it would be ideal to see what important Muslim players are present in the region that is historically known as Khurasan.

It is also imperative to understand that, unlike Ronald Reagan or evangelical Christians, no Muslim can be sure of End of times and the time of appearance of Imam Mehdi and second coming of Jesus Christ (AS). We shall only look into these critical state or non-state players in the region considering the American and Jewish mentality of preparation of the last war, and to realize what important Muslim players are there who pose a vital threat to Western interests.

Pakistan: Pakistan is the only state player in our list of Muslims involved in the region. It is currently a frontline ally of the US in War on Terror. But the recent developments of the war, the reports of American exercises in 2006 to secure Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal, blueprint designs of possible assault by the US on Pakistani territory, an endless demand of US to do more and more, the growing uncertainty and desperation in the Pakistani masses, the political turmoil and the rebellions of Red Mosque in Islamabad, tribal Pashtuns as well as Baloch separatists may push Pakistan to re-think over its policies and shift according to its vital national interests.

Pakistan also possesses the largest Pashtun population in the world i.e. 28 Million. It is one of the world’s seven declared nuclear powers and is running a state of the art ballistic missile program with current declared capability of hitting as far as Tel Aviv, Israel. It also possesses GPS precision guided undetectable cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads as far as 700 KM. It is considered militarily the strongest Islamic country with one of the most professional armies and intelligence services in the world – the fearsome ISI.

People like Gen (R) Hameed Gul (Ex-Director General of the ISI), Dr. Israr Ahmed of Tanzeem-e-Islami and Abid Ullah Jan, the writer of The Musharraf Factor: Leading Pakistan to Inevitable Demise, have, on different occasions, forecasted some sort of joint roles or alliance by Afghanistan and Pakistan in future.

Taliban: The Taliban were born from the dissent and displeasure found in Afghans on the Mujahideen Government formed after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. They emerged from Kandahar in 1994 and occupied Kabul in 1996. By the late 1990s they were controlling more than 90 % of Afghanistan and their government was only recognized by Pakistan, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The Taliban leadership can be described as the second tier of command of the Russian-Afghan Jihad of the 1980s. None of the now known Taliban leaders were known during the Afghan Jihad except the famous veteran Jalal-ud-Din Haqqani.

Taliban had studied in the Deobandi seminaries mostly run by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam of Maulana Fazl-Ur-Rehman and Maulana Sami-ul-Haq before the two Maulanas created two separate factions of the JUI.

The Taliban are known for their non compromising application of the Deobandi doctrine of Sharia now also inspired partly by Wahabbism due to their relations with Osama Bin Laden. They are famous for their fighting zeal, their religious fervor and their traditional Pashtun trait of hospitality that they chose a war and abandoned their government just to protect few guests.

The Taliban were blamed for, cooperating with and, harboring Osama Bin Laden and his comrades allegedly involved in 9/11. The Taliban had agreed to turn Osama Bin Laden to a neutral party if evidences were provided against him. But the evidences were never provided and so the Taliban chose for the War and abandoned Kabul to keep the war of insurgency go on. Ever since then the war of insurgency has spread both in Afghanistan and by their supporters in Pakistan self-termed as Pakistani Taliban.

Very interestingly, the Taliban hail from the Pashtun ethnicity and have traditionally used two flags, a white flag with a black Shahada (Kalma) embossed for their government and diplomatic purposes and a reversal of this i.e. a black flag with a white Shahada embossed for their military. These types of black flags are also vividly seen across the tribal Pashtun areas that are now reportedly under the control of Pakistani Taliban.

The popular mainstream media presents a very horrible view of the Taliban whereas one alternate view is given by a “woman” journalist from Britain who was captured by the Taliban and later released on a mere promise that she will study Quran once she goes back home. That lady is named as Yvonne Ridley, a Muslim now, is outspoken political and journalistic personality, member of the RESPECT party and known for her unequivocal support for the freedom fights in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir and elsewhere in Muslim world. Her book on Taliban “In the Hands of the Taliban: Her extra-ordinary story” is a must read for anyone who wants to see Taliban from eyes other than the western media.

Al Qaeda: Al Qaeda is a mythical organization only known to the world of its existence through the western media. It may or may not actually exist. But has become an important player in the region since the 9/11. Every kind of explosion or sabotage activity is tirelessly blamed to Al Qaeda the next moment after it happens anywhere in the world – no investigations, no proofs nothing at all are ever needed.

Osama Bin Laden is the head of the Al Qaeda but merely a figure head now as, reportedly, his deputy Aiman al-Zawahiri is Incharge of operational affairs of Al Qaeda. A long strategic partner of the Taliban – they were actually guests of the Taliban and it was because of them that the Taliban opted for War and abandoned their government in Kabul.

Very interestingly, Al Qaeda has a black flag as well with a yellow/orange Shahada embossed on it. According to Syed Saleem Shehzad of Asia Times Online, Al Qaeda shares this belief with the Taliban that Afghanistan is the promised land of Bilad-e-Khurasan.

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: Formed in 1998 by a Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani and Tahir Yuldeshev, both ethnic Uzbeks. Its first objective was to overthrow the government of Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan and later on to expand to the whole of Central Asia under the banner of Islamic Movement of Central Asia.

Labeled as a militant terrorist outfit, the IMU was also a strategic partner and guests of the Taliban. And surprisingly enough, the IMU shares the identities of Black Flags and Black turbans with the Taliban.

Hizb-ut-Tahrir: Hizb-ut-Tahrir an International Sunni pan-Islamist political party whose goal is to unite all the Muslim countries to form a united Islamic state or Caliphate. Formed by Palestinian scholar named Taqiuddin Nabhani in 1953. It is active in many countries especially in the Central Asia (21). It is however viewed by an affiliate group of Al Qaeda as a moderate political party rather being strictly religious. However, interestingly, Hizb-ut-Tahrir also boasts a black flag with a white Shahada embossed on it. Though a non-military organization, it has a vast political following.

Tableeghi Jama’at:

It is a Muslim missionary and revival movement. It was founded in the late 1920s by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Kandhalawi in the Mewat province of India. It draws a large following from the South Asia i.e. Pakistan, India and Bangladesh but also from across the globe. The annual gathering of the followers of Tableeghi Jama’at known as Ijtimah pulls millions of Muslims from across the globe and it is confirmed to be the second largest human congregation of the world after the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage.

It is purely a non-political and non-violent loosely built organization with no formal structure but is known to have very high profile links and has influenced people of every walk of life from common man to popular celebrities. Former Presidents of Pakistan General Zia-ul-Haq and Rafiq Tarar, Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Ex-Director General of ISI Javed Nasir, famous pop singers Junaid Jamshed, Abrar ul Haq and Shehzad Roy, famous cricketers Inzamam ul Haq, Shahid Afridi, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, Jonty Rhodes and Hashim Amla of South Africa are few popular names. It was also responsible for the convert of Yousuf Youhana to Muhammad Yousuf that raised eyebrows in Washington.

Tableeghi Jama’at has no direct or indirect relations with any militant outfit or insurgencies going around the Muslim world but yet it is one of the reasons of US’s suspicion on Pakistan. It has been cited as the ideological backyard of Al Qaeda (22) by various western think tanks in their attempt to get the Jama’at banned as well that has been unsuccessful so far.

The Lawyers Movement: All of Pakistan’s 60 years of life, ever since independence, the lawmakers and law-enforcers have equally manipulated the law and constitution of the country for their personal adventures and benefits ignoring public rights and sentiments. There have been four Martial Laws in the country in this short span of life. Every new dictator suspended, abrogated and amended the constitution on his very will. The power, respect and fear, of the strong armed forces of the country has produced many opportunists, civil servants, technocrats and politicians alike who committed every possible sin against the law of the land just to please and prolong the rule of a general.

Whereas the constitution itself has a prescribed way for its amendment, it clearly identifies anyone who suspends or abrogates the constitution as a traitor worth a death penalty.

For over sixty years the law and constitution was raped and, the civil society, the people silently watched this crime ruining their lives and their country over and over again until March 9th, 2007. The date one man braved the generals who had cornered him in the Army house. First time in the history of Pakistan a bare handed Judge defied a Martial Law administrator; something changed in Pakistan that day. The year that ensued saw the occupied President and Martial Law administrator General on continuous humiliation, defeat and retreat. The whole nation either joined the lawyers or supported them. The civil society was re-born in Pakistan, lawyers, political workers, members and employees of NGOs, Media persons, and westernized Students of Pakistan who were earlier thought of as western wannabes who did not care about anything related to Pakistan fuelled the movement. The struggle grew until February 18th, 2008 the people of Pakistan gave a thrashing defeat to political allies of President Musharraf.

Ever since there is a voice demanding reversals of President Musharraf’s actions and policies including the Provisional Constitutional Order on November 3rd, 2007 and to restore the deposed 60 judges of the higher judiciary.

The United States of America has clearly opposed this to happen because they fear that the restored judiciary will reopen the cases of disappeared people, investigate the extra-judiciary violence on Jamia Hafsa (Red Mosque, Islamabad) and in Karachi on May 12th, 2007, the political imprisonments, military actions in the two provinces and the political killings of the likes of Nawab Akbar Bugti and Benazir Bhutto. This clearly means the defeat of American, lies, agenda in Pakistan as well as the end of the so called War on Terror which is filled with nothing but deceptive mantra of repetitive lies.

But the victors of February 18th elections have vowed their conviction to restore the judiciary regardless of American pressure. And to defy the American pressure strong and positive messages are being sent to Beijing as the new leadership clearly realizes that the key to the freedom from American traps lies with China’s support.

But the most interesting fact in the whole struggle of lawyers and the civil society is the symbolic presence of Black Flags and the deep aura of revolution within. It is imperative to compare the basic demand of the right wing strongholds in the country and the lawyer’s movement. The basic commonality between the two is the demand for justice and the rule of law and that clearly means freedom from American clutches that means asking for a confrontation. That reminds of the statement by President Musharraf during the Jamia Hafsa Saga that “the alliance of Black Veils and Black coats will not be allowed”.

Watch out for the Lawyer’s black flag, they are the force to reckon with in the political future of this country.

Concluding Remarks:

All these state or non-state players are, somehow or the other, on the hate list of the Western Powers due to their somewhat common interests, ideas and beliefs. These players also have a tendency to re-design their strategic partnership anytime in the future in face of a common enemy i.e. the imperialist design of the Western Powers especially the US. The solution to avoid destruction of unimaginable proportions does not lie in brute use of force against these players but to recognize their role and influence in this part of the world, to withdraw occupational forces and let them devise and evolve their own political systems. True democracy can only be evolved not enforced.

If the world does not realize this, we are all hopeless. We cannot stop the world from a head on collision. A war would be inevitable with destruction yet has never been witnessed by human kind – a war to extinct our own kind. The destruction of Aqsa Mosque will drive 1.5 billion Muslims to a dead-end street where they will be forced to fight their way back – and the world would see the Black Flags of Khurasan the day it happens.