Indian Muslim & Family planning is Haram in Islam : A review of on Islamic Law

This is a very common question between our young generation as well as in Islamic intellectuals.As per my knowledge,Birth control is permissible according to Islam,which recognizes that the sexual act is more than just a means of procreation.During the time of the Prophet Muhammad(SAW),the most commonly practiced method of birth control was'azl or the withdrawal method.According to the ulama (scholars),withdrawal is permissible but generally thought to be makruh(reprehensible), since it deprives the woman of her right to be able to have sexual satisfaction and to bear children if she so desires,so therefore the conclusion reached by most scholars is that withdrawal should not be practiced unless the woman agrees to it.

If repeated pregnancies have weakened the woman's body or becoming pregnantwould threaten her life,such birth control may be construed as a necessity,and not makruh.Modern scholar Shaykh Ahmad al-Sharabassi of Egypt has pronounced the following as genuine reasons for practicing contraception.So that the woman may rest between pregnancies.If either partner has a transmittable disease.For the sake of the woman's health.For example if she is already breast-feeding a child it would be damaging for both her and the child to have another pregnancy.If the husband can not afford to support any more children.
Since most"modern"methods of birth control have the same aim as the withdrawal method --- to frustrate the attempt of the sperm to fertilize the egg --- we can by analogy assume that modern birth control is also permissible.
Among the methods that work by preventing fertilization of the egg by the sperm are:-the "Pill",IUD,diaphragm,condom,sponge,spermicides, and the rhythm method.Of these the most questionable is the IUD(Intrauterine Device), since if a woman becomes pregnant while using this device,there is a higher likelihood that the pregnancy will occur outside the womb (ectopic)or be aborted during the second term. This method is best for women who have already had at least one child.The Pill is a very effective method if the woman can remember to take the pill at the same time everyday, and can tolerate the side effects that sometimes effect pill users.This method is generally considered safe for women who are under the age of 35 who do not smoke.The diaphragm is a barrier method which is most effective when the woman has experience with inserting the device and her partner has the patience to wait.
The condom and sponge are easily available barrier methods that don't require a visit to the doctor.

Again,patience is needed on the part of both partners while the condom is put on or the sponge is inserted.Spermicides are usually used in conjunction with another method(such as the sponge,diaphragm,or condom)to increase the contraceptive effectiveness of that method. Some people have allergic-type reactions to the chemicals in these jelly-like substances,and must discontinue using them.
Douching is considered to be a very ineffective way to prevent a pregnancy,since it actually forces the sperm up towards the uterus.The Rhythm Method,also called Fertility Awareness, involves avoiding intercourse on the days when the women is most fertile.
Other methods of birth control are called "irreversible"methods,and include vasectomy, tubal ligation and hysterectomy.All three involve surgical procedures to permanently end the fertility of the man or woman. Sometimes these procedures are reversible,but it is not guaranteed.
Islamic scholars usually say that such irreversible methods of contraception are forbidden,based upon a hadith of the Prophet (SAW) forbidding some early Muslim men to castrate themselves.In addition,such surgical intervention into the human body without need, alters the true nature of our bodies as Allah (SWT) created them. Again,such methods become permissible in the case of necessity.
Occasionally even reversible birth control can become unlawful.This can happen on a temporary basis if the issue of population control is politicized.For example,if a non-Muslim government tries to impose birth control on its Muslim citizens in order to deplete their numbers,a sheikh could issue a fatwa(ruling) saying that birth control is forbidden,until that situation passes.Many of the Muslims who opposed the Family Planning conference in Egypt in 1994 did so because they saw birth control being used as a weapon against Muslims,to control the Muslim population,which is growing faster than that of any other religion.
After a woman gives birth,she is temporarily unable to become pregnant,while her body recovers from the pregnancy.If she is breast-feeding the new baby,she is even less likely to become pregnant.This breast-feeding"method"of birth control is NOT guaranteed to prevent pregnancy,but it has been shown that if a woman is breast-feeding regularly,like every 4 hours, without giving supplemental feedings,then she is unlikely to ovulate.If a woman goes 10-12 hours or longer without breast feeding her infant,then her cycle is likely to return.
For a nursing mother there is a 1% chance that she will become pregnant within the first 3 months after delivering a baby,a 5% chance within the first 6 months,and a 10% chance within the first year.For a non-nursing mother, the percentages are 3% for the first 3 months, 15% for 6 months and a 25% chance she will becomepregnant again within a year.These figures assume that no other method of birth control is being used.Abortion
"And do not kill your children for fear of poverty: We give them sustenance and yourselves (too): surely to kill them is a great wrong." (17:31)
The abortion of a fetus from the mother's womb is a different issue,since the sperm and egg have already met and fertilized what could become a human being.The scholars all agree that abortion is forbidden after the first four months of pregnancy,since by that time the soul has entered the embryo.The schools of shari'ah (Islamic law) vary regarding the exact time the soul is believed to have entered the embryo. Some say that pregnancy begins as soon as the fertilized egg implants itself in the uterus, and to end the pregnancy after that point would forbidden.This is almost like saying that abortion itself is forbidden,since the fertilized egg will have implanted itself in the uterus within a few days after intercourse, but it would allow the use of RU486(the "morning-after pill"),as long as it could be reasonably assumed that the fertilized egg has not become implanted on the wall of the uterus.
Most scholars say that abortion is legal under Islamic shariah (law),when done for valid reasons and when completed before the soul enters the embryo.To abort a baby for such vain reasons as wanting to keep your youthful figure, are not valid.
"...and do not slay your children for (fear of) poverty -- We provide for you and for them --- and do not draw nigh to indecencies, those of them which are apparent and those which are concealed, and do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden except for the requirements of justice: this He has enjoined you with that you may understand."(6:151)
References:-
1."Contemporary Jurisprudence Research Journal," 15th Ed., 4th yr., Oct. & Nov. & Dec. 1992, pp. 57-59, 

2."Biomedical Issues Islamic Perspective," Abul Fadl Mohsin Ebrahim,
3."The New Birth Control Book," by Howard I. Shapiro, M.D.,

4."Marriage and Morals in Islam," by Sayyid M. Rizvi

5.Family planning in Islam by Dr.Moulona Abdul Bari(MM,MA,M.Th,Phd)

Muslim Brotherhood In India :Post Independent Early years & now

Jawaharlal Nehru,the first Prime Minister of Independent India gave a concept of synthesis culture that was also supported by Maulana bul Kalam Azad.A number of scholars including even Muslims do not agree to this thesis."It may be wondered what Nehru and Azad thought of their words when they witnessed the pitiless ferocity with which the supposed'synthesized'Hindus, Muslims,and Sikhs fell on each other during the partition riot"(The Muslim Dilemma by M.R.A.Baig,1974, Page 28).The writer even being a Muslim questioned pointedly - "why did Hinduism fail with Muslims when it succeeded with the Greeks,Scythians,Parthians and Huns"(Ibid.Page 26 )? The politics of communal solidarity was in fact the real cause behind the failure of the Hindus to assimilate the Muslims in Indian society. 

Propagation of the concept of Muslim brotherhood for political gain prevented the crystalisation of harmonious nationhood in the country.The Muslim leaders never took a forceful lead to effect a compromise between their Community members and the Hindu majority of the Muslim society so that both the communities could live peacefully.
Muslim politics in post-Independence India remained dominated by a combined mindset of pre-partition Muslim orthodoxy that believed in political domination of Muslims and those of Aligarh movement who supported the two-nation theory and created Pakistan.They often raise the communal voice of Muslim Brotherhood for Ian slamic solution to all the problems of Muslim society.In the name of Muslim brotherhood they continue to exhibit closed minds on medieval history.They are not ready to understand the contradiction between the spirit of Muslim brotherhood propagated by the Prophet and of Aurangzeb,who had executed his own brother Dara Shikoh only for the throne of Delhi.Ironically,Aurangzeb continues to be the hero of Muslim orthodoxy in India.Ignoring such heinous crime against Islam,the Muslim thinkers ignore the need for assimilation of their community members in the larger space of pluralistic Indian society.The key issue of social peace and harmony could be achieved only if they have a broad meeting of hearts and minds with the nationalist scholars of the larger majority of the land.
"The liberal Islam advocates separation of Islam from social and political life of the Muslims"(Muslims in free India by Moin Shakir, 1972,Page 67).The concept of Muslim brotherhood in any religion is to promote peace,harmony and unity in the society but in the case of Islamic brotherhood in India it is only promoting communal divide,which is detrimental to national interests.The assimilation of Muslims in Indian society does not mean change of faith .It is only to dilute the rulers and ruled syndrome of medieval era being carried forward by the Muslim leaders.That is major foul of those leaders.

Indian Muslims Problems & Islamic Brotherhood In India : A Study Of Close View Circuit

The word Muslim brotherhood,Islamic solidarity or pan-Islamism are all rooted to the Quranic concept of the word'Umma',which originally meant community but later referred to the followers of Prophet Mohammed in his"Last Pilgrimage"address the Prophet said,"Oh ye people,a Muslim is another Muslim's brother and thus all Muslims are brothers among themselves" [The Muslim Dilemma by M.R.A.Baig,1974,Page 12]

Religious brotherhood and solidarity in the Muslim community are therefore,the main pillars of Pan-Islamism.This spiritual message of seventh century had anobjective to create an egalitarian society among the warring Arab tribes but the Islamic history of thirteen centuries contradicted it as the Muslim society remained divided due to political and material reasons.The Indian Muslims however,carried forward the legacy of Islamic invaders,who used this concept of Muslim brotherhood to keep the new Islamic recruits socially separated from the Hindus obviously with a political design. The slogan of Muslim brotherhoodremained the main weapon for the political fight of Muslims even in post-partition India.The social elite of Muslim society also exploited the spiritual concept of Islamic brotherhood only to expand the autonomous space for Muslim politics in the country.Keeping the Muslim masses ignorant of the realities of modern age,their leaders continue to arouse the sentiments of internal religious unity for maintaining a distinct communal identity.What exactly was the concept of Muslimbrotherhood meant in a larger space of democracy always remained an unanswered question.Against whom they want communal solidarity is a big question mark for the Muslim thinkers.By raising the cry of religious identity they in fact callously neglected the assimilation of their community members in the national mainstream and kept alive the communal divide in the country.They performed the ritual of Islamic brotherhood at an opportune time only to unite the uneducated masses for their political ends.This was the root cause behind Muslim separatism.Indian society was always liberal in the matter of faith as it believed in unity of God.Traditionally,the Indian majority had nothing against Islam. But the vast majority of Indian society rejected the Islamic recruits as alien cultural group,when the Islamic clerics accompanying the Muslim i nvaders propagated Arabicism as synonym to Islam and thereby moulded the new recruits of their religion in a character,which was completely different from the locals. In the new environment the Indian Muslims developed a sense of superiority complex and they maintained exclusiveness towards the indigenous community.Their political masters gradually succeeded in creating a new ethnic group and separated it from the original inhabitants.The stress on the distinctive cultural identity of the Muslims was in fact a political ploy to separate the followers of Islam from the Hindu majority.Instead of using the spirit of religious brotherhood to secure a permanent communal harmony in the country they used this spiritual concept only for separating the Muslims permanently from the Hindus.

Muslims & Islamic architecture of India caught on a documentary in present days vision

Taj Mahal may count amongst the most stellar Mughal monuments in India but numerous lesser known mosques and tombs,across the country stand testament to the heritage of Islamic architecture.

From the oldest mosque in the country located in Kerala to fine monuments in Agartala and Kashmir,art historian and filmmaker Benoy K Behl has captured almost all of them in "A world of beauty and grace - Islamic Architecture of India."

"India has perhaps as much medieval Islamic architectural heritage as that of the rest of the world put together.The quality of the beautiful monuments of Indiaranks with the best anywhere.The world is not aware of how much or how great India's Islamic heritage is,"says Behl.The 31-minute documentary with a 26 minute TV version made by Behl for the public diplomacy division of External Affairs travels from Kerala in the south to Kashmir in the north, from Tripura in the east till Gujarat in the west.The historian captures the confluence of local talent with inspirations from Iran,Arabia and Central Asia in the mosques,tombs,madrasas,palaces and fortresses that reflect the cultural links that India shares with other countries."Islam came to India not from the North,as is commonly believed. but from Arab traders in what is today the region of Malabar in Kerala and Muslims developed as a trading community there. You can see still traces of that community amongst the Mopalas in Kerala, who trace their ancestry back to the Arabs," says Behl.The film shows the first mosque built in India at Kodungalur in Kerala by Raja Cheraman Perumal in 629 AD. In Kayalpattanam Arab traders built the first mosque in Tamil Nadu in 633 AD."A distinct culture developed in the cosmopolitan community of the Deccan.The streets of the Deccani sultanates were filled with Turks,Persians,Arabs and Africans,"says Behl.The documentary shows Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, tomb of Sultan Muhammad Adil Shah,who ruled from 1627 to 1657AD and is the second largest in world after St Peter?s Basilica in Rome.The massive Bidar Fort built in the 14th and 15th centuries,Humayun's Tomb,considered the first great masterpiece of the Mughals, Akbar's most ambitious architectural project the city of Fatehpur Sikri are among other monuments figuring in the documentary."Several hundreds of mosques and Islamic tombs of great beauty are spread throughout India.In Gujarat there is 15th century world heritage site of Champaner. In the east,there is the impressive Nakhoda Masjid and several others in Kolkata. There are famous dargahs in Hajo and other places in Assam,"says Behl."There are fine mosques even in the furthest corners of India. In the North East of India,in Agartala in the state of Tripura,is the beautiful Gedu Mia Ki Masjid, says the filmmaker who has travelled extensively to document the sites."In the mountainous state of Kashmir,Islamic architecturewas influenced by ancient Hindu and Buddhist traditions.This was combined with influences from Persia and Turkish.Wood was used extensively in the mosques and tombs of Kashmir,"points out Behl.
The filmmaker and photographer has to his credit over 35,000 photographs of Asian monuments and art heritage and has previously made a hundred documentaries on art history. His exhibitions have been received in 24 countries around the world and he holds the Limca Book Record for having travelled to all corners of India.