Makkah – The Ministry of Haj and Umrah is currently giving final touches to a fascinating project that will allow pilgrims and visitors as well as citizens and residents of the Kingdom to travel to Madinah on camels following the route that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had taken during his Hijrah (migration) to Madinah.
The ministry said it had agreed to launch the initiative in collaboration with the Royal Commission for Makkah and the Holy Sites.
The project includes the development of 27 points on the Hijra Road consisting of hotels, rest houses, museums and others.
Under the initiative, titled the Road to Thaniyat Al-Wada, a plateau near Madinah, the travelers will be able to tread the same route that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had taken during his migration from Makkah in 622 AD.
The caravan will start from Ghar Thor, the cave on Mount Thor in Makkah where the Prophet and his closest companion Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had stayed hiding from the eyes of the enemy plotters for about three days before setting out on their journey to Yathrib, which would become famous as Al-Madinah Al-Munawwara, the enlightened city, after the Prophet settled there. The caravan will then stop at the location of the tent of Umm Maabad, who had hosted the Prophet on his way to Yathrib and where he had milked her sheep.
Umm Maabad’s place used to provide generous hospitality to travelers, but that was a year of scarcity with little rain. The drought had adversely affected people and cattle and Umm Maabad had no food to offer to her visitors. But when the Prophet rubbed the udders of Umm Maabad’s cattle, milk came gushing and everyone drank to their fill. The incident has come to be known as a miracle of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
The caravan will then pass through the location where Suraqa Bin Malik met the Prophet. Suraqa had reached the location after following the Prophet’s footprints in the hope of winning the reward the Quraish had placed on his head.
It will also go through the site where the camel had tumbled down and then took a shortcut pointed out to the Prophet by the Bedouin guide Masoud Al-Aslami.
The caravan will stop at Thaniyat Al-Wada completing the journey to Madinah.
The ministry said there would be alternatives other than camels to reach Madinah taking the route, such as 4-wheel drive vehicles, fire balloons and motorbikes.
When the Prophet reached Quba on the outskirts of Yathrib on the 8th day of Rabiul Awwal, he had already traveled for eight days. The Hijra Road, which was known as the caravan road in olden times, is 380 kilometers long.
Haj Ministry giving final touches to project for revisiting Prophet’s Hijra route. — Makkah Daily
Camel Caravans to Madinah to start soon—Kingdom’s new initiative to learn Prophet’s Hijrah journey
Minimum price of Indo-Pak War would be Rs.5000-10000 Crores 20-years ago
by Shrikant Rao
In 1990s, a full-scale war lasting a 1000 hours, or
more specifically 41.6 days, would cost New Delhi Rs 27,000 crore.
In June 1990, as summer drew to a close and the monsoon sounded a
warning note in the plains of Southern Punjab, Pakistan’s armed
forces began striking aggressive postures along the border with
India. The belligerence, coming as it did after a major military
exercise, the Zarb-e-Momin, led India’s military minders to
wonder if this wasn’t a build-up to another Indo-Pak war.
Also contributing to such an assessment was the war rhetoric
unleashed by prime minister Benazir Bhutto. Not unlike her father
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Benazir had publicly pledged to conduct a
1000 year war with India. Incidentally the aggro seemed to have
rubbed on to the seemingly pacifist V.P.Singh, Indian prime
minister, who replied that Pakistan wouldn’t last 1000 hours.
In any case, defence experts in New Delhi were taking no chances.
According to the war games scenarios discussed by them at South
Block, the war if it did take place, could easily last six weeks
or even longer.
It was computed that a full-scale war lasting a 1000 hours, or
more specifically 41.6 days, would cost New Delhi Rs 27,000 crore
(Rs 270,000 million). This estimate was as close a figure the
army top brass could arrive at. An exact assessment was well nigh
impossible since the confrontation would have involved several
battles, large and small along the long border with Pakistan.
India’s 14-day war with Pakistan which culminated in the creation
of Bangladesh, contributed majorly towards combat cost
assessment. New Delhi had officially declared that the cost of
the war was in the region of Rs 200 crore (Rs 2000 million) a week.
Ergo, in June 1990 with military prices increasing ten-fold, the
army’s top brass in New Delhi suggested that any possible
conflict at the 1971 level of intensity would involve an
expenditure of Rs 2000 crore (Rs 20,000 million) per week — and
this was only a conservative estimate.
Circa 1999. Kargil. Though the conflict is currently localised,
defence analysts claim that the military operations are expected
to cost anything between Rs 5000-10000 crore (Rs 50,000 to
100,000 million).
It’s 56 days since India’s defence machinery launched Operation
Vijay to dislodge the Pakistani intruders who are occupying the
strategic heights above the Srinagar-Leh highway. The 300-350 air
strikes carried out by the Indian Air Force along cost in the
region of Rs 2000 crore (Rs 20,000 million).
The cost of operations carried out by the army roughly hovers
around Rs 10-15 crores (Rs 100-150 million) per day at present.
But with the possibility of the Kargil conflict intensifying and
continuing till September (or beyond?) it is anybody’s guess what
the overall expenditure will be.
Certainly, previous wars pale in comparison with the ongoing one.
In 1948, for instance, it took three months for Indian troops to
drive away Pakistani infiltrators from the Drass-Kargil region
but the operation cost just a couple of crores.
What is significant, indeed revealing, is that Kargil is expected
to be one up on Siachen, the world’s highest, coldest and most-
expensive-to-maintain battlefield.
Since April 13, 1984, Indian and Pakistani troops have engaged
with one other, eyeball to eyeball, for control of the 76-km long
glacier. At Rs 3 crore (Rs 30 million) per day, the Indian Army’s
expenditure on Operation Meghdoot, another term for maintaining
control over the icy heights, over 5557 days amounts to a
whopping Rs 16,601 crore (Rs 166010 million).
Most of this amount is spend on air sorties, IAF helicopters and
aircraft. At least four to six helicopters are deployed on daily
to drop ammunition, and food supplies to the 108 posts at
Siachen. The cost of being airborne for one hour: Rs 26,000. For
the IL-76 and AN-32 aircraft which have to fly to the base
closest to the glacier the cost works out to Rs 45,000 every hour.
What the IAF ferries also ends up costing a bomb. For instance, a
packet of Frooti, normally available for Rs 10, reaches Siachen
at a cost of Rs 85; a litre of kerosene works out to Rs 138.
Besides this, high altitude clothing for the jawans, imported
from Austria and Switzerland, costs Rs 50,000 per head while snow
taxis used to cart the supplies to places where helicopters
cannot reach, cost a couple of lakhs each.
But the damages, monumental as they are, are not merely
financial. The conflict has resulted in 2500 soldiers losing
their lives, and 10,000 others being incapacitated more due to
harsh terrain, adverse climatic conditions — which lead to frost
bite, hypoxia, whiteouts and severe mental stress — than actual
military engagement. The Pakistanis, meanwhile, are said to have
spent only a quarter of India’s Siachen bill.
The irony is that the powers that be in both countries do not
seem to realise the futility of the military exercise. In 1989,
just when there was a possibility of an accord being reached on
Siachen, Rajiv Gandhi is said to have backed out. The reason, as
an acolyte would later point out, was that photographs of Indian
troops withdrawing from Siachen would not look good for the
government in an election year.
Ten years later things don’t appear any different with elections
round the corner. Further, with New Delhi understandably
hardening its resolve to remove the intruders from Kargil the
defence costs are naturally expected to soar. The fact that the
Kargil conflict is spread over a larger area and involves a large
number of troops — an infantry and artillery brigade are
currently in action while another is being held in reserve —
means that it is well on its way to displace Siachen from the top
of India’s defence expenditure ladder.
Air Commodore (Retd) Jasjit Singh of the Institute for Defence
Studies & Analysis in New Delhi is led to say, “Throwing the
enemy out is our top priority. Cost-benefit analysis can wait.”
Can India sustain this war without being crippled economically?
Experts say that a foreign exchange reserve of $33.5 billion, a
larger and diverse economy and a defence budget in excess of $10
billion, which is thrice the size of Pakistan’s, can keep it
going militarily. An external debt of $32 billion, forex reserves
to the extent of a mere $2 billion and excessive dependence on
external aid will lead to Pakistan’s economy going awry. Lt Gen V
R Raghavan, former head of military operations, is gung ho about
India being able to survive the cost of war. “Even if our defence
spending is doubled to run a protracted campaign in Kargil, India
can still absorb the expense.”
Such confidence notwithstanding, it is sad for the people of the
two countries that the heat of battle has dulled the cold fact
that war is both costly and wasteful.
Can anything be done to reverse the tragedy of war? (ENDS)
Reference: Sunday Mid-Day, July 4, 1999 p 10.
RSS chief insults Indian army, says they can prepare and deploy faster than Army
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat made a political controversy on February 11 2018 when he claimed that his organisation could assemble its cadres to fight much faster than the Indian army could in a situation of war.
“The Sangh will prepare military personnel within three days, something the Army would do in 6-7 months. This is our capability. Swayamsewaks will be ready to take on the front if the country faces such a situation and constitution permits us to do so,” the Times of India quoted the RSS sarsanghchalak as saying.
Bhagwat, during his 10-day tour of Bihar, was addressing a gathering of RSS workers in Muzaffarpur, Bihar on February 11 2018.
His trumpeting of the military might of the influential RSS, which often describes itself as only a socio-cultural organisation, immediately raised eyebrows in political circles, partly because of the disparaging comparison he made with the army, and also because the military exercises imparted in RSS shakhas have been widely documented.
However, soon after he made this claim in his speech, Bhagwat clarified that the RSS wasn’t a military outfit. “We are a parivarik organisation(family organisation), but we have discipline and preparedness like in the military. RSS workers are ready to happily sacrifice their lives for the nation in times of crisis,” he added.
“The day India becomes a powerful Hindu nation, there will be no need for RSS. Members of the RSS would then keep meeting one another as friends do as usual…Every Indian should attend the RSS shakhas everyday. If not daily, then at least once every month. If time is too scarce, then they should follow the six basic tenets of RSS,” the 67-year-old leader said, urging the youth to join the RSS.
While RSS leaders frequently resort to war-like rhetoric against “enemy states”, Bhagwat went a step further and compared his organisation’s skills with the Indian army.
Bihar’s primary opposition party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, was quick to raise objections. The party spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari said Bhagwat’s claim was an insult to the Indian Army and demanded an apology from him.
“The Indian Army is a highly respected organisation with countless sacrifices for the nation. Bhagwat has denigrated the Army by saying the RSS is more capable than it. He must apologise for his words immediately,” he said.
Congress president, Rahul Gandhi digged at RSS for making such derogatory remarks against the army.
The RSS Chief's speech is an insult to every Indian, because it disrespects those who have died for our nation.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) February 12, 2018
It is an insult to our flag because it insults every soldier who ever saluted it.
Shame on you Mr Bhagwat, for disrespecting our martyrs and our Army. #ApologiseRSS pic.twitter.com/Gh7t4Ghgon
On February 12 2018, in the face of the mounting backlash against Bhagwat’s perceived “insult” to the army – the hashtag #RSSInsultsArmy trended on Twitter for several hours – the RSS issued a “clarification” saying what the sarsanghchalak had meant to compare was not the RSS and the army but the RSS and “general society”, which did not have the benefit of the Sangh’s “discipline”.
Article first published on TheWire.in.
Don’t need a govt that can’t protect its Army, said Modi in 2014
An Article of April 2014 from FirstPost is going viral on social media where current Prime Minister of India, Narender Modi, was criticizing then Congress Government for their incompetent response towards the protection of Army against terrorist attacks.
Interestingly the article is getting shared, reminding Modi his own advices.
Modi said, “More jawans were killed by terrorists that they were killed in wars. Pakistan has been beheading our soldiers. But Delhi govt is serving chicken biriyani to the Pakistani PM.”
“A government that cannot safeguard its own army, then such a government is not needed,” said Modi.
Modi later asked if jawans should be allowed to die, the crowd shouts back in chorus, “No.”
Every Kashmiri has a right to live free from fear in India, tweets MIM chief Owaisi
New Delhi – Barrister Asaduddin Owaisi, president of All India Majlis Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) expressed through his tweets on Saturday that Kashmiris all over India should be allowed to live free from fear, while he also condemned the xenophobic attacks against Kashmiris and said – “India cannot let the rule of law be replaced by a rule of mob.”
Every Kashmiri has a right to live free from fear, to reside in any part of India. These xenophobic attacks against Kashmiris are deplorable & must be condemned.
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 16, 2019
We cannot let our rule of law be replaced by a rule of mobs
After the ghastly suicide terrorist attack in Pulwama Kashmir, hate-crimes against Kashmiris badly increased throughout the nation.
Former Chief Minister of Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and urged him to ensure safety of Kashmiris living in different parts of India.
Over 44 CRPF personnel were killed in a ghastly terror attack in Pulwama Kashmir on Thursday when a Jaish’s terrorist blew himself up.
Over 50 countries have criticized the suicide attack, while curfew has been imposed in the troubled regions of Kashmir.
Saudi Arabia condemns Pulwama Terrorist attack and pledges to support India against extremism
Riyadh – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday released a statement to condemn the Kashmir’s Pulwama terror attack which killed over 49 Indian Military personnel.
“The Kingdom strongly condemns and denounces these cowardly terrorist acts and stands with India against terrorism and extremism”, the statement released by the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated.
“Saudi Arabia offers condolences to the Indian government, families of the victims and wishes the injured a speedy recovery,” the statement added.
A Jaish’s terrorist blew himself in the Pulwama district on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway on Thursday, making a worst terror attack ever against the Indian military forces.
Saudi-Israel cooperation is a Delusion, Saudi has always been with Palestine, says Prince Turki al-Faisal
In an exclusive interview with Al Arabiya English, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, dismissed the idea of Saudi Arabia cooperating with Israel saying that there’s no change in the Saudi position.
Responding to a question regarding the claims that the recent intersection of interests in the Iran file could translate to normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Prince Turki dismissed the notion. “There has been no change in the Saudi position and the media and other wishful thinking about the Israeli-Saudi cooperation because of the Iranian threat is only that, wishful thinking (delusion),” the prince said.
As part of a wider interview, the prince reminded of the last Arab summit that was held in Saudi Arabia following the American administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in which Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said the summit is the Jerusalem summit.
“The statement that came out at that summit affirmed the insistence of the Arab world that Jerusalem be the capital of the Palestinian independent state, according to the Arab peace initiative,” he said.
Prince Turki referred to King Salman’s recent statement during his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas where he reiterated that Saudi Arabia stands by the Palestinian people’s right in establishing their own state with Jerusalem as its capital.
“Look at the statements that came out yesterday from King Salman about the Kingdom’s commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative and to the independence of the Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem,” he said.
The statement of King Salman is “only the recent vocalization of a long-standing policy,” he added.
Article first published on Al-Arabiya English.
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemns Pulwama Terrorist attack
New Delhi – Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) on Saturday condemned the Pulwama terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir against the Indian army personnel.
The president of JIH, Moulana Syed Jalaluddin Umri said, “the path of violence and killing can cause death and destruction but will not lead to solution of problems.”
“It is very painful to hear that 44 CRPF soldiers had to lay down their lives yesterday. Instead of vitiating the atmosphere, efforts should be made to restore peace and security in the area and this is possible only through negotiation and dialogue. This will lead to the solution of the grievances of the Kashmiri people and help create a climate of peace and stability,” Moulana added.
Moulana requested the Government to carry out a thorough investigation into the attack and reasons entailing it.
“We appreciate the move by the government of India to carry out a thorough investigation into the reasons for the attack. This may uncover the truth behind the incident. We may be able to find the motive behind the attack, whether it was meant to spoil the atmosphere in Kashmir or to wreck the relations between India and Pakistan or whether it was a big conspiracy to damage the climate of peace and coexistence in our country just before the general elections. We express our deepest condolences for the soldiers and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Moulana said.
A deadly suicide attack by a Jaish terrorist killed 44 CRPF Jawans. The attack has been condemned by all Muslim organizations.
Turkey condemns Kashmir Terror Attack killing Indian Military Forces
Ankara – Turkey has condemned the Thursday’s terror attack on paramilitary personnel in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Yasafaka sources, “We have received the news with sorrow that a terrorist attack targeting a convoy of security forces in Jammu Kashmir resulted in many losses of lives and left many wounded today,” Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement.
Earlier on Thursday, an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a paramilitary bus in Awantipora, a town along the highway connecting state capital Srinagar to Anantnag, a southern district.
“We condemn this heinous attack. We extend our condolences to the families of the deceased and to the people and Government of India, and wish speedy recovery to the wounded,” the statement added.
“We […] hope that the problem will be settled through dialogue and within the framework of the relevant UN resolutions,” the statement said.
Islam strictly prohibits Suicide attacks
Blowing oneself up is suicide, which is haraam (forbidden) because Allah, may He be exalted, says—“And do not kill yourselves” [an-Nisa’ 4:29].
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills himself with a piece of iron will have that iron in his hand, thrusting it into his belly in the Fire of Hell for ever and ever.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5442; Muslim, 109.
This cannot be compared to the child in the story of al-Ukhdood (the ditch), because he did not kill himself; rather he was killed by the disbelieving king.
And it cannot be compared to the story of al-Bara’ (may Allah be pleased with him) being thrown over the wall (to open the gates of the fort), or the hadeeth about charging into the midst of the enemy, for the same reason.
In those cases there was the possibility of surviving, unlike when a person blows himself up.
Moreover, such operations sometimes result in the death of a person for no benefit or very little benefit, or they cause the death of innocent people, or they lead to far greater revenge from the enemy.
This is what has been stated in fatwas by a number of senior contemporary scholars. The great scholar Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: What is the ruling on one who blows himself up in order to kill a number of Jews thereby?
He replied:
What I think, and I have pointed out on more than one occasion, is that this is not acceptable, because it is killing oneself, and Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And do not kill yourselves” [an-Nisa’ 4:29].
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills himself with something will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5700; Muslim, 110.
When there is a legitimate jihad, then he may strive in jihad with the Muslims, and if he is killed, then praise be to Allah.
But to kill himself by attaching explosives to himself, so that he is killed with them, this is wrong and is not permissible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hciR4pl-odk
The faqeeh Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on suicide missions.
He replied:
We think that the suicide missions in which a person is certain that he is going to die are haraam; in fact they come under the heading of major sins, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever kills himself with something in this world will be punished with it on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5700; Muslim, 110.
He did not make any exceptions; rather this is general in application. Moreover the purpose behind jihad for the sake of Allah is to protect Islam and the Muslims, but this suicide bomber is destroying himself and by committing suicide is causing the loss of a member of the Muslim community.
Moreover, it involves causing harm to others, because the enemy will not kill only one person (in retaliation); rather because of him they will kill as many as possible.
Furthermore, this will result in pressure on the Muslims because of this suicide bomber who may kill only ten or twenty or thirty others. So it results in a great deal of harm to the Muslims, as is happening now in the case of the Palestinians with the Jews.
The view of those who say that this is permissible has no basis; rather that is based on a wrong perspective, because the negative consequences are many, many times worse than whatever can be achieved by that.
They have no proof in the story of al-Bara’ ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) in the campaign of al-Yamaamah, when he instructed his companions to throw him over the wall so that he could open the gate for them.
The actions of al-Bara’ were not bound to lead to certain death, hence he survived and opened the gate, and the people entered the fort. So there is no proof in this story.
End quote from Majmoo‘ Fataawa wa Rasaa’il al-‘Uthaymeen, 25/358
In fact he (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his fatwa for Majallat ad-Da‘wah (1418 AH), when he was asked about this issue: My opinion concerning that is that he is killing himself and that he will be punished in Hell for having killed himself, as is mentioned in a saheeh report from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)…
Taken from Islamqa Fatwa Base, Fatwa – 217995