As my research fellowship in Islamabad is coming to an end, I wanted to share some of the best experiences I’ve had across Pakistan over the past 6 months 🇵🇰

1/7 I attended a friend’s wedding in Karachi last year, particularly enjoying the live qawwali music. This also gave me the chance to do some sightseeing in the city and try different meals on the incredible Burns Road. The beauty of Karachi is in its diversity.

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The second para of the Qur’an (2:142-252) contains a great deal of detailed commandments about what is and what is not within the ‘limits’ prescribed by God. These relate to general conduct, prayer, pilgrimage, Ramadan, warfare, inheritance, marriage and divorce.

1/12 But first, more details about Allah and the Prophet (PBUH).

The oneness (tawhid) of Allah, a key principle of Islamic theology, is stated in 2:163: ‘Your God is only One God. There is no god worthy of worship except him.’
This is a statement of monotheism central

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I’ve read two fascinating books by Pakistanis written in the 1960s.

1. Khalid B. Sayeed’s 2nd ed. of ‘Pakistan: The Formative Phase, 1857-1948’

I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in how Pakistan came about, esp re the fluctuating relationships between the

1/8 British, Congress and the Muslim League, as well as much detail about their negotiations about the constitution of an independent India.
The role of Jinnah and the wider League in bringing about Pakistan is widely noted, but Sayeed also accounts for criticisms of both

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Pakistani Muslims ko Eid Mubarak ho 🌙
To finish up my Ramadan daily threads on the Qur'an, I'd like to share the main things I learned and took away from reading the whole Qur'an throughout the sacred month as a non-Muslim.
1/10 1. Charity, kindness and empathy
These are celebrated as some of the greatest virtues and those who practice them are praised throughout. The religion is in itself empathetic, making exceptions to its expectations of prayer and charity based on personal circumstance.
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Thoughts on final Para 30 (78:01-114:06):
I have to admit that it wasn't always easy, given work, life and travel, to commit to reading the Qur'an everyday this Ramadan, but I'm glad I did. I've learned a lot from it and from others who have done the same, so shukriah 🙏
1/9 By my reckoning, the names of most of the Surahs of this Para relate to at least one of the following themes:
1. Day of Judgement
2. Unbelief
3. God's attributes and interventions
4. Comforting Muhammad (PBUH).

I'll highlight one significant example of each.
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Just watched the compelling Pakistani film, 'Khuda Kay Liye.'
Coincidentally, a court scene in this film depicts a Maulana defending the place of music, among other things, in Islam, quoting from an ayat I discussed in today's Para for Ramadan.
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m.imdb.com/title/tt106895… The Maulana refers to 38:18-9 of the Qur'an and even cross-references it with the Bible, to show how the prophet David was given the gift of a melodious voice and music. This is part of a wider scene that challenges the misuse of Islam in relation to marriage and lifestyle.
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Thoughts on Para 23 (36:22-39:31):
Some earlier themes reappear in this Para, and I'd like to draw your attention to two in particular:
1. Muhammad (PBUH) and his association with poets
2. The concept of sound before the Day of Judgement.
1/8 In terms of Muhammad (PBUH) and poets, you will recall the earlier Surah 26 named 'Ash-Shu'ara' (The Poets). The criticism of poets makes sense in the context of this Para, as the unbelievers question giving up their current faith for God's:
'Are we to renounce our gods
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Thoughts on Para 22 (33:31-36:21):
The remainder of Surah 'Al-Azhab' contains a great deal more information about Muhammad (PBUH) and what was lawful, as per the Qur'an, for him compared to others and how Muslims were expected to interact with him.
1/16 Qur'anic info about Muhammad (PBUH):
- He married the ex-wife of his adopted son, Zayd, as 'sanctioned' by God (33:37-8).
- He was the 'father of no man amongst you' (had no male heirs, 33:40).
- He is described as the 'Seal of the Prophets' (33:40) This has been
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Thoughts on Para 21 (29:45-33:30):
Just as previous sections encouraged kindness among the Abrahamic faiths, this Para enjoins Muslims to be 'courteous' in discussions with Christians and Jews and to say: 'Our God and your God is one' (29:46).
1/9 An interesting fact this Surah (Al-Ankabut) says about Muhammad (PBUH) is that he never read nor wrote a book prior to the revelation of the Qur'an, otherwise 'the unbelievers might have doubted' (29:48).

This Para contains four other Surahs:
1. 'Ar-Rum' (known as The Greeks
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Thoughts on Para 8 (6:111-7:87):
The two main things that stood out to me in this Para was the rejection of excess in life and also the similarities and differences between Islam's take on certain matters as compared with that of Christianity and Judaism.
1/12 In terms of excess, there are two main statements:
-After a description of the wonderful foods God has bestowed on earth, the Qur'an states: 'But you shall not be prodigal; He does not love the Prodigal.' (6:141 - prodigal means wastefully extravagant).
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One of the most interesting works I've come across in my research on Islamisation of 🇵🇰 is this by Martin Lau, whose emphasis on the role of the Objectives Resolution (before and after Article 2A) in the Islamisation of the legal system I agree with.
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brill.com/display/title/… Lau's vital contribution is in his exhaustive analysis of legal cases to explore the point that Zia's insertion of Article 2A in 1985, which made the Objectives Resolution a substantive part of the constitution, caused unprecedented divisions in and between the High Courts.
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Thoughts on Para 7 (5:83-6:110):
Like I've pointed out in the previous Paras, the Qur'an encourages non-violence towards those that insult Islam and not to insult non-Abrahamic beliefs in turn:
-'When you see those that scoff at Our revelation, withdraw from them till they
1/9 engage in other talk.' (6:68) Muslims can even remain in such company as long as it doesn't cause them to forget their faith in God.
-'Do not revile the idols which they invoke besides God, lest in their ignorance they revile God with rancour.' (6:108)
This discourages
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Thoughts on Para 6 (4:148-5:82):
This Para contains one ayat (verse) I have seen quoted often:
'whoever killed a human being, except as a punishment for murder or other villainy in the land, shall be looked upon as though he had killed all mankind... whoever saved a human
1/14 life shall be regarded as though he had saved all mankind.' (5:32)
Interestingly, the Qur'an explains that this was laid down because one of Adam's sons, Cain, killed the other, Abel, after his sacrifice was accepted while Cain's wasn't (5:27-31). This shows the deadly
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In my latest for @CSCR_pk, I explore the life and work of AR Cornelius, one of the more surprising advocates of constitutional Islamisation in Pakistan 🇵🇰 on account of his Christian faith.
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https://twitter.com/CSCR_pk/status/1637755917046370305

He settled in Lahore, first working for the civil service before beginning his judicial career in the High Court. He went on to become the 4th and second-longest-serving Chief Justice of Pakistan (1960-8) and was later awarded the Hilal-e-Pakistan.
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One of the most interesting figures I've come across in my research on the Islamisation of Pakistan is AR Cornelius (1903-91). He was a former Chief Justice of Pakistan and a Roman Catholic convert who supported the Islamisation of the constitution to achieve liberal results.
1/4 Cornelius believed that the constitution had to reflect the religious sentiments of the people, as well as their fundamental rights, in order to find legitimacy with the people. He even took Ayub Khan to task over the direction of secular autocracy.
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