Preface
Each time one reads the Quran his or her understanding deepens. One may be blessed to have a command of the Arabic language and read the Quran in the language exactly as revealed from Allah to the Prophet through the Angel Gabriel. However, for most Muslims around the world, even if we know Arabic, the beauty and depth of the Quran eludes us. Therefore, we often rely on the tafseer (explanation) and translations to help us gain an understanding to guide us in our lives. Brother Hashemi continues from his previous works to carefully delineate in the translated text which words or phrases are a mere translation and which few words or phrases were added for easier reading and understanding.
As a revert to Islam, and a humble but imperfect follower of the teachings of Prophet Mohamed, I tried to learn from authenticated sources: The Quran, The Hadiths (substantiated sayings of the Prophet), and Sunnah (practices of the Prophet as witnessed from endorsed sources). Having information does not make someone knowledgeable. Even with authentic sources readily available, it takes a lifetime of study to consolidate the information into knowledge. And, being knowledgeable does not necessarily mean one uses this knowledge to guide one’s life. However, with works like those produced by Brother Badr Hashemi, we can become that much closer to understanding the body of knowledge and incorporating that knowledge in our daily lives.
Allah used his messengers to relay His message to humans and jinn (unseen creation) in order to guide us. The last messenger, Prophet Mohamed was given the final and irrevocable message to mankind, the Quran. It was revealed in the language spoken by the Prophet and the people of Arabia. The Quran confirms...
Importance of specialized health communication has been demonstrated fully during the recent COVID 19 pandemic. New variants of the virus continue to emerge, the larger portion of the country’s population remains unvaccinated, and booster doses are becoming essential. Therefore, the need for sustained interest in health communication through mass media is far from over. Health communication helps public understand the threat and make informed choices about the preventive measures and treatment. Done effectively, it can produce behaviour change, prevent panic and ensure the participation of populations in governments’ public health measures. Healthcare sector possesses the necessary knowledge to impart this information to the media industry which is largely unstructured and learning from experiences. Therefore, the healthcare sector needs to communicate effectively with the mass media representatives in order to influence the population in adopting and continuing healthy behaviour to fight the pandemic.
Pakistan-China defence and strategic ties flourished and consolidated during the Musharraf era (1999-2008). This era was particularly important because it was the time when big changes occurred in the international environment mainly due to 9/11 (2001) attacks in the U.S.A., but the event did not affect the deep-rooted Pakistan-China friendship. In fact, the defence and strategic relations grew further during the phase and that was evident from the extensive exchange of defence delegations between the two states. During these exchanges of delegations, other than the matter of professional interest, issues of international significance were also discussed. The improvement in defence relations can also be observed from the joint ventures in the defence sectors between the two States. These ventures enhance the defence capability of Pakistan. The governments of both States tried their best to improve the trade relations that were below the existing potential. These efforts bring positive results but still there is lot of potential to realise and enhance the economic relations. To improve the economic condition of Pakistan, China also helped Pakistan in energy sector. Various projects related to energy were started in Pakistan with the help of China between 1999 and 2008. In fact, Pakistan and China started and successfully completed strategically important joint ventures during the phase. China also helped Pakistan in the development and upgradation of several projects which were and still are economically and strategically important for Pakistan. Efforts to create misunderstandings and hurdles in the way of cordial relations were tactfully handled by the Governments of Pakistan and China.