Details

Category: Polygyny/ Polygamy

Hits: 5228

It has been misunderstood for years that Islaam does not give equal rights to men and women, and that it considers women only as subjects of comfort for males. This opinion has been delivered time and time again by renowned women activists, although their basis of arguments are only alleged facts. Their main argument is against the permission given for polygamy in Islaam.

Islaam's approach to polygamy is most balanced and rational and is based on the moral, psychological and physiological demands of men and women. It should be remembered that taking more than one wife is only permissible, not ordained and binding by the Qur'aan - as some 'progressive' activist would like to believe.

The Qur'anic verse that allows polygamy should be read in the context it was revealed. The verse says, {And if you fear that you cannot act equitably towards orphans, then marry such women as seem good to you, two, three and four, but if you fear that you may not do justice to them, then (marry) only one.} (4: 3).

This verse was revealed after the battle of Uhud. In that battle, many Muslim men died and as such a great social problem for the protection of widows and orphans arose, necessitating institutionalized polygamy for a convenient solution of the problem.

Some of the eminent Western scholars who actually studied Islaam, quite blatantly criticized the Western and other writers for venting their opinion as facts. In her book 'The Life and Teachings of Muhammed', Dr. Annie Besant, the renowned English leader of Theosophical Movement, says,

"There is pretended monogamy in the West, but in reality, there is polygamy without responsibility; the mistress is cast off when the man is weary of her ... the first lover has no responsibility for her future, and she is a hundred times worst off then the sheltered wife in a polygamous home. When we see thousands of miserable women who crowd the streets of Western towns during the night, we must surely feel that it does not lie in the Western mouth to reproach Islaam for polygamy. It is better for woman, happier for woman, more respectable for woman to live in polygamy, united to one man only, with a legitimate child in her arms and surrounded with respect, than to be seduced and then cast out into the streets perhaps with illegitimate child outside the rule of law, uncared, unsheltered, to become victim to any passer-by, night after night, rendered incapable of motherhood despised by all."

Annie Besant continues,

"You can find others stating that the religion of Islaam is evil because it sanctions a limited polygamy. But you do not hear the criticism that monogamy, with a blended mass of prostitution was a hypocrisy and more degrading than a limited polygamy.... it must be remembered that the law of Islaam in relation to women was until lately, when parts of it was imitated initiated in England, the most just law, as far as women are concerned, to be found in the world.

Dealing with property, ...rights of succession,... cases of divorce, it was far beyond the law of the West, in the respect which was paid to the rights of women. These things are forgotten while people are hypnotized by the words monogamy and polygamy and do not look at what lies behind it in the West - the frightful degradation of women..."

Details

Category: Polygyny/ Polygamy

Hits: 5210

A study of polygamy in Russia suggests we have a lot to learn about how to beat the recession.

A study of polygamy in Russia might not seem an obvious place to look for insights into how the financial crisis might play out in suburban Kent or rural Yorkshire. But Caroline Humphrey, Sigrid Rausing professor of collaborative anthropology at Cambridge University, says central Asia and Russia have much to teach us.

“In the 1990s, Russia and central Asia experienced huge economic change: what a bank was, how your career was going, what you could expect from life, everything changed overnight,”

she explains.

“And of course it had a huge impact on people’s lives, from family life to politics, and polygamy is part of that whole scene. So far, we haven’t had such dramatic change in the west, but you never know.”

Humphrey specialises in the anthropology of communities on the edges of the former Soviet Union, and has spent much of her career studying the Buyrat people who live north of the Mongolian border in Siberia. Humphrey says that anthropologists slowly build a deep knowledge and understanding of a place and culture, but nevertheless, her discovery that there is a polygamy lobby was a surprise.

“Friends of mine in Siberia told me that their friends were lobbying parliament to legalise polygamy,”

she says.

“I always knew that there were men who like the idea of polygamy, but what I found fascinating was that women were also in support.”

So is the recession going to turn the good burghers of Tunbridge Wells into polygamists? It’s unlikely. But it remains the case that the reasons why men – and, even more interestingly, women – are advocating polygamy in Russia and Mongolia are as much about economics as they are about sex. The critical issue is demography. The Russian population is falling by 3% a year – and there are 9 million fewer men than women. Nationalists, such as the eccentric leader of the Liberal Democratic party, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, claim that introducing polygamy will provide husbands for “10 million lonely women” and fill Mother Russia’s cradles.

Elsewhere, in the former Islamic regions of Russia, men argue that polygamous marriage is traditional and will encourage men to take greater responsibility – thereby alleviating poverty and improving “moral” education.

Improbably, for both groups, this is polygamy as a solution to contemporary social ills – and, according to Humphrey, is appearing outside Islamic regions. In rural areas the “man shortage”, exacerbated by war, alcoholism and mass economic migration, is even more serious. But when it comes to polygamy, rural women have a quite different agenda from their nationalist male counterparts.

“A lot of women live on what were collective farms, which are often deep in the forest and miles away from the nearest town,”

Humphrey says.

“You live very close to nature, and life can be very hard – your heating is entirely through log stoves, there’s no running water and inside sanitation is rare. If you are lucky enough to keep animals, you must care for and butcher them yourself. So if you are looking after children as well, life can be near impossible for a woman on her own.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, Humphrey’s investigations have uncovered women who believe that, “half a good man is better than none at all”.

“There are still some men around – they might be running things, with a job as an official, for example, or they might be doing an ordinary labouring job, but either way, there aren’t very many of them,”

she says.

“Women say that the legalisation of polygamy would be a godsend: it would give them rights to a man’s financial and physical support, legitimacy for their children, and rights to state benefits.”

Legalising polygamy has been repeatedly proposed and discussed in the Russian Duma, or parliament – and always turned down. For the urbanites of Moscow and St Petersburg it is a step too far.

In Mongolia, too, the legalisation of polygamous marriage is anathema. Yet in Ulan Bator, the thrusting capital city, well-educated women are combining traditional and modern to create something that looks suspiciously like a form of polygamy.

Surprisingly, it starts with the dowry. Eschewing the traditional gifts (horses, cushions, clothes), successful Mongolian families are increasingly giving their daughters a good education in place of a dowry. In contrast, their brothers often have to leave school early to either manage the herds or run the family business.

“In Mongolian culture, the bride’s family are the senior family; and a bride should be clever. And they had 70 years of communism, so the idea that women should be well-educated is not new,”

Humphrey explains.

“Since Mongolia, in common with Russia, also has a problem with alcoholism, there is an imbalance between urban educated women and the number of men these educated women deem to be suitable husband-material.”

The solution is simple: they just don’t get married. Instead, they take what is known as a “secret lover” – usually a well-educated man who just happens to be married to someone else. Any children resulting from the union are brought up by their mother and the maternal family.

“It is completely accepted. These women are among the elite of Mongolian society – they might be a member of parliament or a director of a company and they are tremendously admired,”

Humphrey says.

“They would be horrified by the idea of polygamous marriage because they don’t want to risk their independence.”

So what does this mean for marital relations in Russia and central Asia? Humphrey says it’s unlikely that polygamous marriage will ever be legalised in Russia – but perhaps that doesn’t matter.

“An insufficiency of men, educated women who want to realise themselves, rural women who want to protect themselves, all these things are going to give rise to arrangements like polygyny,”

says Humphrey,

“whether it’s called that or not.”

Source: Published in the Guardian, Oct 09.

Details

Category: Domestic Violence/ Wife-Beating

Hits: 6134

{Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because They support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly); but if They return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance): for Allah is Most High, great (above you all).} (Qur'aan, chapter 4, verse 34)

Beating & desertion of the marriage bed are forms of treatment reserved only for the very disobedient or rebellious wife. This is an exception to the rule, in Islaam, of treating your wife with kindness and love. As a matter of fact, those forms of treatment reveal the Qur’an’s amazing insight into the phenomenon of wife-disobedience or rebelliousness (nushooz) & they also accord with the latest findings of modern psychology about the abnormal behaviour of women. The first form of submissiveness scientifically known as ‘masochism’ –the abnormal condition in which a woman finds pleasure in being beaten, tormented, and subjugated.

The other kind is the domineering behaviour or ‘sadism’, to put it in psychological jargon. It is that abnormal condition in which a woman derives pleasure from domineering, controlling, subjecting, tyrannizing over, & inflicting harm on others. The only way to deal with such a type is to disarm her & render her weapon hegemony useless.  That weapon is her feminity & by deserting her bed she is disarmed. As for the first abnormal type, the woman who finds pleasure only in being beating & subjected, beating will be the best cure for her...The hadith in Muslim states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his Farewell Pilgrimage said,

"Lo! My last recommendation to you is that you should treat women well. Truly, they are your helpmates, and you have no right over them beyond that -except if they commit a manifest indecency (fahisha mubina = adultery). If they do, then refuse to share their beds and beat themwithout indecent violence (fadribuhunna darban ghayra mubarrih*)." `Ata' said: "I asked Ibn 'Abbas, 'What is the hitting that is ghayr al-mubarrih?'

He replied,

'[With] the Siwaak and the like'." (Narrated by al-Tabari in his Tafsir (Dar al-Fikr reprint 5:68))

Details

Category: Domestic Violence/ Wife-Beating

Hits: 4963

Once the following points are taken into consideration, one will realise that Islaam does not promote nor initiate domestic violence. Rather, there is a disciplinary measure for women have suffer from the ill-conduct of recalcitrancy, but even that is not what we would term 'domestic violence'.

1 – The Qur’aan enjoins good treatment of one's wife; she is to be honoured and treated kindly, even when one no longer feels love in one's heart towards her. Allaah (the Beneficent) says (interpretation of the meaning), “And live with them honourably. If you dislike them, it may be that you dislike a thing and Allaah brings through it a great deal of good.” (an-Nisaa’ [4]:19)

2 – The Qur’aan explains that women have rights over their husbands, just as their husbands have rights over them. Allaah (the Glorious) says (interpretation of the meaning), “And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree (of responsibility) over them. And Allaah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (al-Baqarah 2:228)

This verse indicates that the man has additional rights, commensurate with his role as protector and maintainer and his responsibility of spending (on his wife) etc.

3 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined kind treatment and honouring of one’s wife, and he described the best of people as those who are best to their wives. He said, “The best of you are those who are the best to their wives, and I am the best of you to my wives.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 3895; Ibn Maajah, 1977; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.)

4 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke beautiful word concerning kind treatment of one’s wife, stating that when the husband feeds his wife and puts a morsel of food in her mouth, he earns the reward of doing an act of charity. He said, “You never spend anything but you will be rewarded for it, even the morsel of food that you lift to your wife’s mouth.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6352; Muslim, 1628.)

5 – And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, “Fear Allaah with regard to women, for you have taken them as a trust from Allaah and intimacy with them has become permissible to you by the words of Allaah. Your right over them is that they should not allow anyone to sit on your furniture whom you dislike; if they do that then hit them but not in a harsh manner. And their right over you is that you should provide for them and clothe them on a reasonable basis.” (Narrated by Muslim, 1218.)

What is meant by “they should not allow anyone to sit on your furniture whom you dislike” is that they should not allow anyone whom you dislike to enter your houses, whether the person disliked is a man or a woman, or any of the woman’s mahrams (close relatives to whom marriage is forbidden). The prohibition includes all of them, according to the words of Imaam an-Nawawi (may Allah be pleased with him).

The Hadeeth may be understood as meaning that a man has the right to hit his wife, in a manner that is not harsh and does not cause injury if if there is a reason for that, such as her going against his permissible wishes or disobeying him in this which is right.

This is like the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning), “As to those women on whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allaah is Ever Most High, Most Great.” (an-Nisaa’ [4]:34)

If a woman rebels against her husband and disobeys his commands, then he should follow this method of admonishing her, forsaking her in bed and hitting her. Hitting is subject to the condition that it should not be harsh or cause injury. Al-Hasan al-Basri said,

This means that it should not cause pain.

‘Ata’ said: I said to Ibn ‘Abbaas, what is the kind of hitting that is not harsh? He said,

"Hitting with a Siwaak and the like." (A Siwaak is a small stick or twig used for cleaning the teeth - Translator).

The purpose behind this is not to hurt or humiliate the woman, rather it is intended to make her realize that she has transgressed unjustifiably, and that her husband has the right to set her straight and discipline her. He does so while undertaking preliminary steps of discipline before this major step. Even when he does undertake this step, he must do so with caution and not with the intention of harming his wife, but rather for her own benefit.

Such a measure of discipline is uncalled for when it comes to the pious, Allah-fearing and upright wife. It is intended for women who have gone astray, need guidance and a push towards the right path. And even then, without pain, hurt, scars, punches and beating which is done in an animalistic fashion.

The truth is clear for those who sincerely seek the answer.

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 5156

It is because of you yourself, O man, because of your disobedience and your going against the command of Allaah, that calamities befall you, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” [al-Shoora 42:30].

To understands the concept of evil, let's study there following verse of the Qur'aan: al-Nisa’, 4:78.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) says: The words “And if some good reaches them” [al-Nisa’ 4:78] mean: abundance and provision, of fruits, crops, children and the like. This is the meaning of the words of Ibn ‘Abbaas, Abu’l-‘Aaliyah and al-Saddi.

“they say, ‘This is from Allaah,’ but if some evil befalls them” [al-Nisa’ 4:78], i.e., drought, famine, lack of fruits and crops, or death of children, and so on – as Abu’l-‘Aaliyah and al-Saddi said.

“they say, ‘This is from you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him)’”, i.e., because of you, and because of our following you and following your religion, as Allaah said concerning the people of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):

“But whenever good came to them, they said: ‘Ours is this.’ And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Moosa (Moses) and those with him” [al-A’raaf 7:131]

As Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And among mankind is he who worships Allaah as it were upon the edge (i.e. in doubt): if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter." [al-Hajj 22:11]

“Say: ‘All things are from Allaah’” [al-Nisa’ 4:78], i.e., everything happens by the will and decree of Allaah, which applies to the righteous and evildoer, to the believer and disbeliever, alike. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn ‘Abbaas:

“Say: ‘All things are from Allaah” i.e., both good and bad."

Al-Hasan al-Basri said something similar.

Then Allaah said, addressing the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), although this message is also for mankind, that the answer to this question is: “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah”, i.e., by the grace, bounty, kindness and mercy of Allaah.

“but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself” i.e., from you, and because of your own actions, as Allaah says elsewhere (interpretation of the meaning): “And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much” [al-Shoora 42:30]. Al-Saddi, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Jurayj and Ibn Zayd said: “is from yourself” means, because of your sins.

Qataadah said: “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself” [means] it is a punishment, O son of Adam, for your sins. And he said: We are told that the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say:

“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, no worry or grief or hardship befalls a believer, not even a thorn that pricks him, but Allaah will expiate some of his sins thereby.” (End quote. Tafseer al-Qur’aan il ‘Azeem (2/361-363).)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote:

"Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah,” [al-Nisa’ 4:79], i.e., what reaches you of victory, provision and well being, comes from Allaah, a blessing that He has bestowed upon you; even if it is because of your good deeds, He is the One Who has guided you, helped you, made things easy for you, blessed you with faith and made it attractive to you, and has made disbelief, evil and sin hateful to you.

At the end of the saheeh hadeeth qudsi that was narrated by Abu Dharr from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he tells us that his Lord, may He be blessed and exalted, said:

“O My slaves, they are merely your actions which I am recording for you, then I will requite you for them. Whoever finds it to be good, let him praise Allaah, and whoever finds it to be otherwise, let him blame no one but himself.”

According to the saheeh hadeeth: “The best prayer for forgiveness is to say:

‘Allaahumma anta rabbiy laa ilaaha illa anta, khalaqtani wa ana ‘abduka wa ana ‘ala ‘ahdika wa wa’dika ma astata’tu, a’oodhu bika min sharri ma sana’tu aboo’u laka bi ni’matika ‘alayya wa aboo’u laka bi dhanbi, faghfir li fa innahu laa yaghfir ul-dhunooba illa anta

(O Allaah, You are my Lord and I am Your slave, You have created me and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise (to You) as much as I am able. I seek refuge with You from the evil of that which I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me and I confess to You my sin. Forgive me for there is no one who forgives sin except You).’

Whoever says this during the day believing in it with certainty and dies that day before evening comes, will be one of the people of Paradise, and whoever says it at night believing in it with certainty and dies before morning comes will be one of the people of Paradise.”

Then Allaah says: “but whatever of evil befalls you”, such as humiliation, fear and defeat, such as what befell you on the day of Uhud, “is from yourself”, i.e., because of your sins and errors, even though that is already decreed and ordained for you, because the divine decree is not a justification for anyone, and will not be accepted by against Allaah, or by people. If it were permissible for anyone to refer to the divine decree to justify what he does of bad deeds, then no wrongdoer would be punished, no mushrik would be fought, no hadd punishment would be carried out, and no one would refrain from wronging anyone else. This would cause a great deal of mischief and corruption in both religious and worldly affairs, which is something that no one can dispute, whether on a rational basis or on a shar’i basis." [Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (8/113-114)]

Al-‘Allaamah al-Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

"Allaah tells us of those who do not know, who turn away from that which the Messengers brought, who are opposed to them: that if something good comes to them, i.e., abundance, a lot of wealth, many children, good health, they say: “This is from Allaah”, but if something bad comes to them, i.e., drought, famine, poverty, sickness, death of children and loved ones, they say: “This is from you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him)”, i.e., because of what you have brought to us, O Muhammad; they regard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as a bad omen as others like them regarded the Messengers of Allaah as bad omens, as Allaah tells us that the people of Pharaoh said to Moosa:

“But whenever good came to them, they said: ‘Ours is this.’ And if evil afflicted them, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Moosa (Moses) and those with him” [al-A’raaf 7:131]

And the people of Saalih said: “They said: ‘We augur ill omen from you and those with you’” [al-Naml 27:47]

And the people mentioned in Soorat Yaa-Seen said to their Messengers: “They (people) said: ‘For us, we see an evil omen from you; if you cease not, we will surely stone you…’” [Yaa-Seen 36:18].

Just as the people of disbelief think alike, so too their words and deeds are similar. This applies to everyone who attributes the occurrence of bad things or the loss of good things to what the Messengers brought or to part of it; that comes under this stern criticism.

Allaah says in response to them: “Say: ‘All things”, good and bad, “are from Allaah”, i.e., by His will and decree and creation.

Then Allaah says: “Whatever of good reaches you”, i.e., in your religious and worldly affairs, “is from Allaah” who is the One Who bestows them and makes it easy to attain them by facilitating their means.

“but whatever of evil befalls you”, in your religious and worldly affairs, “is from yourself”, i.e., because of your sins and what you have earned, and what Allaah forgives is greater.

Allaah has opened to His slaves the gates of His kindness and has bid them enter by His grace and bounty. He has told them that sins prevent His bounty, so if a person does them he should not blame anyone but himself, because he is the one who has prevented the grace and bounty of Allaah from reaching him." [Tafseer al-Kareem al-Rahmaan (p. 188)]

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked:

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And if some good reaches them, they say, ‘This is from Allaah,’ but if some evil befalls them, they say, ‘This is from you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him).’ Say: ‘All things are from Allaah’” [al-Nisa’ 4:78], then in the next verse He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Whatever of good reaches you, is from Allaah, but whatever of evil befalls you, is from yourself”. How can we reconcile between them?

He replied:

"They may be reconciled by noting that the first verse refers to the decree of Allaah, i.e., it is from Allah; He is the one who decrees it. The second verse refers to the cause i.e., whatever of evil befalls you, you are the cause, and the One Who decrees evil and decrees the punishment for it is Allaah." [Liqaa’aat al-baab il-Maftooh (no. 15, question no. 15)]

And Allaah knows best.

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 8180

It is part of the justice of Allaah that He does not punish any people until He has first sent a warning to them and unless there is evidence against them. Allaah does not treat anybody unfairly. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “… And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning).” [al-Israa’ 17:15].

In his tafseer (commentary) on this aayah, Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “These words, ‘…And We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)’ tell us of the justice of Allaah, may He be exalted, and that He does not punish anyone until after He has established evidence against him by sending a Messenger to him.

This is like the aayaat (interpretation of the meaning): ‘… Every time a group is cast therein [into Hell], its keeper will ask, “Did no warner come to you?” They will say, “Yes indeed; a warner did come to us, but we belied him and said: ‘Allaah never sent down anything (of revelation), you are only in great error.’”’ [al-Mulk 67:8] and:

‘And those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in groups, till, when they reach it, the gates thereof will be opened (suddenly like a prison at the arrival of its prisoners). And its keepers will say, “Did not the Messengers come to you from yourselves, - reciting to you the Verses of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of this Day of yours?” They will say: “Yes, but the Word of torment has been justified against the disbelievers!”’ [al-Zumar 39:71]…”

A person who has never heard of Islam or the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and who has never heard the message in its correct and true form, will not be punished by Allaah if he dies in a state of kufr (disbelief). If it's asked what his fate will be, the answer will be that Allaah will test him on the Day of Resurrection: if he obeys, he will enter Paradise and if he disobeys he will enter Hell. The evidence (daleel) for this is the hadeeth of al-Aswad ibn Saree’, who reported that the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“There are four (who will protest) to Allaah on the Day of Resurrection:

• the deaf man who never heard anything,
• the insane man,
• the very old man,
• and the man who died during the fatrah (the interval between the time of ‘Eesaa (Jesus, upon whom be peace) and the time of Muhammad SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The deaf man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I never heard anything.’

The insane man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but the children ran after me and threw stones at me.’

The very old man will say, ‘O Lord, Islam came but I did not understand anything.’

The man who died during the fatrah will say, ‘O Lord, no Messenger from You came to me.’

He will accept their promises of obedience, then word will be sent to them to enter the Fire. By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, if they enter it, it will be cool and safe for them.”

According to another report, he said: “Whoever enters it, it will be cool and safe for him, and whoever does not enter it will be dragged to it.” (The hadeeth was reported by Imaam Ahmad and Ibn Hibbaan, and deemed saheeh by al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami’, 881).

Everyone who hears the message of Islam in a sound and correct form and rejects it, will have evidence against him. Whoever dies without having heard the message, or having heard it in a distorted form, then his case is in the hands of Allaah.

Allaah knows best about His creation, and He will never treat anyone unfairly.

And Allaah is All-Seer of His slaves.

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 6411

"Let me explain the problem science has with God." The atheist professor of philosophy then pauses before his class and asks one of his new students to stand.

Professor: "You're a Muslim, aren't you, son?"

Student:

"Yes, sir"

Professor: "So you believe in God?"

Student:

"Absolutely"

Professor: "Is God good?"

Student:

"Sure! God's good"

Professor: "Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"

Student:

"Yes"

The professor grins knowingly and considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?"

Student:

"Yes sir, I would"

Professor: "So you're good...!"

Student:

"I wouldn't say that"

Professor: "Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed person if you could in fact most of us would if we could... God doesn't."

(No answer)

"He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Muslim who died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. How is this God good?  Hmmm? Can you answer that one?"

(No answer)

The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can you?" He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. "In philosophy, you have to go easy with the new ones."

"Let's start again, young fella."

Professor: "Is God good?"

Student:

"Er... Yes"

Professor: "Is Satan good?"

Student:

"No"

Professor: "Where does Satan come from?"

Student:

"The student falters. From... God..."

Professor: "That's right. God made Satan, didn't He?"

The elderly man runs his bony fingers through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking, student audience. "I think we're going to have a lot of fun this semester, ladies and gentlemen". He turns back to the Muslim.

"Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"

Student:

"Yes, sir"

Professor: "Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make everything?"

Student:

"Yes"

Professor: "Who created evil?"

(No answer)

Professor: "Is there sickness in this world? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All the terrible things - do they exist in this world?"

The student squirms on his feet.

Student:

"Yes"

Professor: "Who created them?"

(No answer)

The professor suddenly shouts at his student. "WHO CREATED THEM? TELL ME, PLEASE!"

The professor closes in for the kill and climbs into the Muslim's face. In a still small voice, "God created all evil, didn't He, son?"

(No answer)

The student tries to hold the steady, experienced gaze and fails. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front of the classroom like an aging panther. The class is mesmerized. "Tell me, he continues, How is it that this God is good if He created all evil throughout all time? The professor swishes his arms around to encompass the wickedness of the world. All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all the torture, all the death and ugliness and all the suffering created by this good God is all over the world, isn't it, young man?"

(No answer)

"Don't you see it all over the place? Huh?" Pause. "Don't you?" The professor leans into the student's face again and whispers, "Is God good?"

(No answer)

"Do you believe in God, son?"

The student's voice betrays him and cracks, "Yes, professor. I do"

The old man shakes his head sadly, "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. You have never seen God, Have you?"

Student:

"No, sir. I've never seen Him"

Professor: "Then tell us if you've ever heard your God?

Student:

"No, sir. I have not"

Professor: "Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God or smelt your God...in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God whatsoever?"

Professor: "Answer me, please"

Student:

"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't"

Professor: "You're AFRAID... you haven't?"

Student:

"No, sir"

Professor: "Yet you still believe in him?"

Student:

"Yes..."

Professor: "That takes FAITH!"

The professor smiles sagely at the underling. "According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Where is your God now?"

The student doesn't answer. "Sit down, please." The Muslim sits...Defeated.

Another Muslim raises his hand. "Professor, may I address the class?"

The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, another Muslim in the vanguard! Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to the gathering."

The Muslim looks around the room. "Some interesting points you are making, sir. Now I've got a question for you. Is there such a thing as heat?"

Professor: Yes, the professor replies. There's heat.

Student:

"Is there such a thing as cold?"

Professor: "Yes, son, there's cold too."

Student:

"No, sir, there isn't"

Professor: The professor's grin freezes. The room suddenly goes very cold.

The student continues. You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than 458, You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it"

Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the classroom.

Student:

"Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"

Professor: "That's a dumb question, son. What is night if it isn't darkness? What are you getting at...?"

Student:

"So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"

Professor: "Yes..."

Student:

"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something, it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker and give me a jar of it. Can you... give me a jar of darker darkness, professor?"

Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young effrontery before him.

"This will indeed be a good semester. Would you mind telling us what your point is, young man?"

Student:

"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must be in error...."

The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare you...!

Student:

"Sir, may I explain what I mean?"

The class is all ears.

Professor: "Explain... oh, explain..."

The professor makes an admirable effort to regain control. Suddenly he is affability itself. He waves his hand to silence the class, for the student to continue.

"You are working on the premise of duality",

the Muslim explains.

"That for example there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism but has never seen, much less fully understood them. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, merely the absence of it."

The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the desk of a neighbor who has been reading it.

"Here is one of the most disgusting tabloids this country hosts, professor, Is there such a thing as immorality?"

Professor: "Of course there is, now look..."

Student:

"Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely the absence of morality. Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is the absence of justice. Is there such a thing as evil?"

The Muslim pauses.

"Isn't evil the absence of good?"

The professor's face has turned an alarming color. He is so angry he is temporarily speechless. The Muslim continues.

"If there is evil in the world, professor, and we all agree there is, then God, if he exists, must be accomplishing a work through the agency of evil. What is that work, God is accomplishing? Islam tells us it is to see if each one of us will, choose good over evil."

The professor bridles. "As a philosophical scientist, I don't vie this matter as having anything to do with any choice; as a realist, I absolutely do not recognize the concept of God or any other theological factor as being part of the world equation because God is not observable."

"I would have thought that the absence of God's moral code in this world is probably one of the most observable phenomena going",

the Muslim replies.

"Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it every week! Tell me, professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"

Professor: "If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do."

Student:

"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"

The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth and gives his student a silent, stony stare.

Student:

"Professor, Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a priest?"

Professor: "I will overlook your impudence in the light of our philosophical discussion. Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses.

Student:

"So you don't accept God's moral code to do what is righteous?"

Professor: "I believe in what is - that's science!"

Student:

"Ahh! SCIENCE!",

the student's face splits into a grin,

"Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of observed phenomena. Science too is a premise which is flawed..."

"SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the professor splutters.

The class is in uproar. The Muslim remains standing until the commotion has subsided.

Student:

"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, may I give you an example of what I mean?"

The professor wisely remains silent. The Muslim looks around the room.

"Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen air, oxygen, molecules, atoms, the professor's brain?"

The class breaks out in laughter. The Muslim points towards his elderly crumbling tutor,

"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain... felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain?"

"No one appears to have done so",

The Muslim shakes his head sadly.

"It appears no one here has had any sensory perception of the professor's brain whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I declare that the professor has no brain!"

The Muslim sits...Because that's what a chair is for!!!

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 6355

Isn’t it irrational to believe in God?

• Being rational means being a moral thinker.
• Being a moral thinker means believing in Allah.
• Only the irrational disbelieve.

God says, {Say thou: "This is my way: I do invite unto Allah, - on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes, - I and Whoever follows Me. Glory to Allah and never will I join gods with Allah."} (Qur'an, Surah 12, Verse 108)

The signs of his existence are everywhere. Look deeply at your self, look at your fingertips can you create that?

If God exists who created him?

In your question you first grant that God is a Creator and then you ask who created him, making him both creator and the created in the same sentence, which is a contradiction.

Secondly, the question is meaningless as you imagine the Creator as subject to laws which govern his creatures, he created space & time and is necessarily transcendent in relation to both.

In this sophistry of yours your are like those dolls that seeing they move by strings, imagine that the human who made them must also derive his motion from the action of those springs. God is the *uncaused causer*.

Aristotle followed the chain of causality tracing the chair from wood, wood from the tree, the tree from a seed, & the seed fro the planter. He had to conclude that this chain which regresses into infinite time must have begun with an ‘uncaused’ cause, a primum mobile in no need of a mover, a creator who has not been created. This is the same thing we assert of God.

This question can only occur to a distorted mind. God is the one that substantiates existence. Just as saying that light indicates day & it would be a lopsided argument to claim that day proves the existence of light.

The German Philosopher Immanuel Kant realized in his Critique of pure reason, that the mind cannot comprehend infinite realities and that it is by nature fitted only to apprehend particulars. It is incapable of apprehending such a universal or total existence as that of divinity. Just as our thirst for water is proof that it exists, our yearning for justice is proof to us that a Just being exists.

Allah is the proof, which is in no need of another proof. He is the self-evident Truth; and He is the evidence that substantiates everything. He is manifest in order, precision, beauty & regularity; in tree leaves, in the feathers of a fawn, in the wings of the butterfly, in the fragrance of flowers, in the chanting of the nightingale, in the harmony of planets & stars which makes up that symphonic poem we call the universe. The Qur’an spares us all these arguments with a few, expressive words. It says without sophistry & in a decisive clarity the beautiful words found in Surah Ikhlas,

{Say (O Muhammad (sal-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam)): "He is Allâh, (the) One. Allâh-us-Samad (the Self-Sufficient master, whom All creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). He begets not, nor was He begotten; "And there is none co-equal or comparable unto him."} (Qur’an, Chapter 112, verses 1-4)

Why is He one?

The entire universe is built out of one material and according to a unified plan. The 92 elements in the Mendelev table are built from hydrogen and in the same manner in which stars & suns flame-up in space; namely, by fusion & the emission of atomic energy.

All forms of life are built of carbon composites- they are all charred when burned- according to 1 anatomical plan. An anatomy of a frog, a rabbit, a pigeon, a crocodile, a giraffe, & a whale reveals the same anatomical structure in all. The same arteries, veins, cardiac chambers, & bones correspond in all of them. They all breathe, breed, die, & are born in the same way.

What is so strange, then, in asserting that the creator is one? Does he suffer from a deficiency to need completion? It is the imperfect only who multiply. If there were more than one god, they would fall among themselves, each taking his own creation to his side and the world would be ruined. To God is sublimity & compelling-attributes, which brook no associates.

If God preordained my deed, why should he judge me?

Your deeds are foreknown to Allah in his Records but they are not preordained for you against your will. They are only preordained in His prescience just as you may foresee, in the light of your knowledge, that your friend will commit fornication and she actually goes on to do it. Have you compelled her to do it? Or was it a foreknowledge, which came true, founded on your comprehension of the situation.

The cause of your confusion is that you conceive freedom to be absolute, the same freedom as doing what you wish in the world. Allah says in the Qur’an, {Thy Lord does create and choose as He pleases: no choice have they (in the matter): glory to Allah. And far is He above the partners they ascribe (to Him)!} (Qur'aan, chapter 28, verse 68)

Allah will not judge you for that which you have no control over, but you will be judged for the decisions you willingly took.

{Whoever disbelieved In Allâh after his belief, except Him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with faith, but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is Wrath from Allâh, and theirs will be a great torment.} (Qur'an, chapter 16, verse 106).

This latter kind of freedom is real and the evidence for its reality is our innate, intuitive sense of it. We feel bad for the wrong we commit and good for the good. But all our actions are within the sphere of Divine Will. We find in the Qur'an,

{But you cannot will, unless Allâh wills. Verily, Allâh is ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.} (Qur'an, chapter 76, verse 30)

That is Allah, he who can to whatever he wishes. he created both predestination & free-will. Only such a God is worthy of worship! Compulsion is not a part of Divine law. The evidences,

{If we will, we could send down to them from the heaven a sign, to which they would bend their necks in humility.} (Qur'an, chapter 26, verse 4)

{And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers.} (Qur'an, chapter 10, verse 99)

Fate & predestination should not be conceived as a forcing of people to what is against their natures; on the contrary, Allah destines each human being to a fate which corresponds to his intentions- He wills him to what he himself really wills and he desires for him what he himself desires. There is no duality here.

{In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: and grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves).} (Qur'an, chapter 2, verse 10)

{But to those who receive guidance, He increases the (light of) guidance, and bestows on them their piety and restraint (from evil).} (Qur'an, chapter 47, verse 17)

Why did the ‘all-loving’ God create evil?

We say that Allah is all-merciful and good- he did not enjoin evil. Allah wanted us to be free and freedom necessitates error; it would be meaningless if it did not allow us the right to trial, error, and right judgement with the unrestricted choice between sin and disobedience...health is the rule, disease the exception.

We can discern a benevolent aspect in almost everything. Sickness bequeaths immunity, suffering engenders hardiness, fortitude, & endurance; earthquakes relieve the pent-up pressures inside the earth preventing its crust from blowing up & restoring mountains to their places; volcanoes spew up minerals & other hidden resources thus covering the land with rich soil. The ancient wisdom holds true:

“Out of the snakes poison comes the antidote”.

Health glitters as a crown on our heads that is only known when we are ill, it is also impossible to know beauty but for ugliness or know their normal without the abnormal.

As Imaam al-Ghazali said,

“The universe’s imperfections are the essence of its perfection just as the curving shape of the bow is the essential feature…”

Evil sort out men & reveal their true nature, tribulations and trials are tests which determine our degrees in the sight of Allah.

This world is but one play that has many deaths; this is not the end of the story but it’s beginning. It is inadmissible to judge a play on the testimony of just one act or to reject a book because its first page did not appeal to us. The judgement in both cases is incomplete. The entire significance of any such work can only be known at its end. We now ask you, what have you done to deserve paradise on earth? Evil in the universe is like the shaded specs in a painting; if you come very near to the painting, you will see these parts as defects and faults in it; but if you draw back a distance and take a general view of the painting as a whole, you will discover that the shades are necessary & indispensable. How far and just is the artist! Allah sends the winds and makes the river flow but a greedy captain may overload his ship with people & goods & when it sinks, he curses fate and destiny. What is Allah’s fault here? He sent a benevolent wind and caused the river to flow smoothly but greed and avarice turned this good into evil. In a nutshell, with such fine beautiful words we end this section.

'All good is from Allah, and all evil: the consequences of the whispering of satan.'

What about those who were not reached by the Qur’an or a miracle so they believe?

You have based your question on a false premise; many messenger were sent with the same message some we know & some we don’t. Allah sends intimations to everything,

{And your Lord inspired the bee, saying, "Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect.} (Qur'an, chapter 16, verse 68)

This inspiration maybe a revelation, a Book delivered by Gabriel, or an illumination caused by Allah in a person’ heart. It can be a state of ‘relief’, in a mental disposition, an insight into truth, or an understanding of things. It can take the shape of reverence towards and fear of Allah aswell as an attitude of piety. Indeed no-one that ever ‘tunes-up’ their senses will be deprived from receiving a favour from Allah. But those who block their ears & hearts will have no benefit from any number of books, Messengers, or miracles. Some have lived in the time of Moses and saw him with their own eyes parting the sea with his staff; others lived in the time of Jesus and witnessed how he raised the dead. We see that sometimes belief & disbelief do not hinge upon miracles. Obdurate non-believers just called these miracles 'fabricated sorcery’. Allah blesses whomever He wills of his creature with His mercy and He is accountable before NONE for his decisions.

Indeed only such a God is worthy of worship! He, who can do whatsoever he wishes and he has no one to answer! He may send warnings to some but not to others. A mere fearful glance at the sky and the true conviction of monotheism by the primitive negro may make him a Muslim. A closer consideration of the creed of such primitive Negroes reveals that they had messengers and revelations like our own. We know,for instance, that:

The Mau May tribe believes in a God called ‘Magabe’ & describes him as a single being neither begotten nor begets and that has no equal or like.

Niam Niam people believe in a single divinity they call ‘Mbole’ who according to their sayings, moves everything in the jungle, visits the evildoers with thunderboilts, and rewards the virtuous with livelihood, blessing and security.

The Shylock tribe, we also know, believes in Jok, a single deity whom they describe as both invisible & manifest. He abides in the sky and He is the creator of everything.

The Denkas believe in a single God, Nialok, whose name literally means ‘he who is in the sky’ or the sublime.

Allah says, {Verily! those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes In Allâh and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.} (Qur'an, chapter 2, verse 62)

Even the Sabeans will have their wages from Allah, the most high.

{And to Allâh belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn yourselves or your faces there is the face of Allâh (and He is High above, over his Throne). Surely! Allâh is All-Sufficient for his creatures' needs, All-Knowing.} (Qur'aan, chapter 4, verse 115)

Allah knows what is in the heart.

The coming of miracles is always accompanied by an increase in the severity of punishment for those who disbelieve after seeing them. Happy indeed are those who believe in revelation without witnessing any miracles. And woe to those who see them but persist in disbelieving. Allah sayings the Qur’an that he will only punish those who he warned beforehand through his message,

{Whoever goes right, Then He goes right Only for the benefit of his own self. And whoever goes astray, Then He goes astray to his own loss. No one laden with burdens can bear another's burden. And we never Punish until we have sent a Messenger (to give warning).} (Qur'an, chapter 17, verse 15)

The peculiar aspect of this question, in this connection is the deceptive pretence of belief an pity for those unreached by the Qur’an. The questioner is endeavouring to persuade us of an argument, for which they personally do not have any proof. Thus their reasoning is in need of mending.

Paradise & hell

What we first need to learn is the fact that we are not insignificant in the eyes of Allah. Didn’t He command the angels to bow for us? Didn’t He promise us the inheritance of the earth and the heavens?

Although our bodies may be like grains in the wide, spacious world, but don’t we comprehend this universe with our minds, realizing its law and defining the orbits of its planets & stars? Thus our deeds do necessitate accountability. Allah knows they lie in their promise of improvement. We are definitely not dealing with a transgression limited to a point in time but one that continues through time and after time itself has ended. We are really confronting a psyche that carries within itself its eternal evil. Hence, everlasting torment is only equitable for such souls. If they were admitted to Paradise they would not be able to enjoy it. Didn’t they disdain peace while on earth? Torments in the hereafter are not a form of tyranny Allah exercises over His creatures but a kind of purification enlightenment, correction & mercy. Allah does not punish the believer who has knowledge him; he only visits his torment on the obdurate disbeliever with whom all means of guidance and acquainting with the faith and all explanations of it have failed. It is Allah’s law that they should taste the minor punishments of this world to be roused from their torpor and frightened out of their deafness & slumber ‘so that they may return to the right path’. If all such approaches fail, with the disbelievers persisting in their attitude, there remains only one option open: to inflict the promised torments on him so that he may come to know the truth. Acquaintance with the truth is the essence of mercy. Should Allah neglect those obstinate disbelievers in their blind ignorance, He would be unjust- far removed is He from this.

Question: Would Allah be just if He treated both sinners and sinned against, murderers & murdered in the same manner throwing up a tea party for all on the Last day? Is justice synonymous to equalling wrong & right? To those that find it impossible for Allah to inflict punishment we may say: Doesn’t He actually inflict suffering on us in the world? Aren’t old age, sickness, cancer….etc. basic forms of torment? Who created the microbe? Aren’t these all warnings that the True One God  does as he wishes without being account able to anyone?

Religion in just an opium for those who want to help their guilt(s)

Those who ask this question are referring to materialists and their Ideas and is an extremely erroneous accusation. Firstly Islaam stresses work and not laziness, watchfulness, attentiveness, alertness, self-questioning & heeding of conscience in every deed and word; this is not the way of opium-eaters!!

Islaam in its quintessence is rationalistic. It accepts dialogue & argument & encourages the use of mind as reasoning. In more than one place we find in the Qur’an, Allah asking rhetorically,

‘Don’t they reason?', ‘Don’t they understand?’ (Q: The spoils:22, The pilgrimage:40)

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 5606

Congratulating the Atheist

Normally, when I meet an atheist, the first thing I like to do is to congratulate him and say, "My special congratulations to you", because most of the people who believe in God are doing blind belief - he is a Christian, because his father is a Christian; he is a Hindu, because his father is a Hindu; the majority of the people in the world are blindly following the religion of their fathers. An atheist, on the other hand, even though he may belong to a religious family, uses his intellect to deny the existence of God; what ever concept or qualities of God he may have learnt in his religion may not seem to be logical to him.

My Muslim brothers may question me, "Zakir, why are you congratulating an atheist?" The reason that I am congratulating an atheist is because he agrees with the first part of the Shahaadah i.e. the Islamic Creed, ‘La ilaaha’ - meaning ‘there is no God’.

So half my job is already done; now the only part left is ‘illallah’ i.e. ‘BUT ALLAH’ which I shall do Inshaa' Allah. Whereas, with others (who are not atheists) I have to first remove from their minds the wrong concept of God they may have and then put the correct concept of one true God.

Logical Concept of God

My first question to the atheist will be, "What is the definition of God?" For a person to say there is no God, he should know what is the meaning of God. If I hold a book and say that ‘this is a pen’, for the opposite person to say, ‘it is not a pen’, he should know what is the definition of a pen, even if he does not know nor is able to recognise or identify the object I am holding in my hand. For him to say this is not a pen, he should at least know what a pen means. Similarly for an atheist to say ‘there is no God’, he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God would be derived from the surroundings in which he lives. The god that a large number of people worship has got human qualities - therefore he does not believe in such a god. Similarly a Muslim too does not and should not believe in such false gods.

If a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion with something to do with terrorism; a religion which does not give rights to women; a religion which contradicts science; in his limited sense that non-Muslim is correct to reject such Islam. The problem is he has a wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but at the same time, it becomes my duty as a Muslim to present the correct picture of Islam to that non-Muslim i.e. Islam is a merciful religion, it gives equal rights to the women, it is not incompatible with logic, reason and science; if I present the correct facts about Islam, that non-Muslim may Inshallah accept Islam.

Similarly the atheist rejects the false gods and the duty of every Muslim is to present the correct concept of God which he -the atheist- shall Inshaa' Allah not refuse. (You may refer to my article, ‘Concept of God in Islam’, for more details)

Qur'an and Modern Science

The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy some but not all.

Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.

If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a question is asked, " Who is the first person who will be able to provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’ Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’ What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the meaning will be same, therefore accept it.

Scientific Facts Mentioned in the Qur'aan

For details on this subject please refer to my book, 'The Qur'an and Modern Science - Compatible of Incompatible?'

Theory of Probability

In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%.

A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %.

Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct.

At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30.

The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60.

Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%.

The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it upto you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.

Creator is the Author of the Qur'an

The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic language, ‘ALLAH’.

Qur'an is a Book of Signs and Not Science

Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of verses. The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 verses, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.

But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed 1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible with it.

Science is Eliminating Models of God but not God

Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God, but they are not eliminating God. Surah Fussilat:

"Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?" [Al-Quran 41:53]

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 6133

Firstly:

The atheist needs someone who will call him to Allaah and remind him of the blessing and signs of Allaah which point to His existence, Oneness and might.

The entire universe points to Allaah, may He be exalted, how can anyone deny it?

How could anyone disobey God or how could anyone deny Him when God has a sign in everything that exists and which points to His Oneness?

No attention should be paid to the specious arguments of the atheists and those who have gone astray, except by the one who is qualified to refute them. So we must be very cautious, because a specious argument may become settled in the heart, after which it is difficult to get rid of it.

Secondly:

This argument is one of the oldest specious arguments offered by the atheists, and the scholars have a well known answer to it, which may be summed up in two points:

1 – This matter is impossible, because if the other one was a god, it would not be possible to create him. To assume that he can be a god and be created is impossible.

It says in al-Durar al-Saniyyah min al-Ajwabah al-Najdiyyah (3/265): A story discussing a different issue was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas, which is that the devils said to Iblees, 'O our master, why do we see you rejoicing over the death of a scholar in a way that you do not rejoice over the death of a worshipper? For we cannot influence the scholar but we can influence the worshipper.'

Iblees asked the worshipper:

'Can your Lord create another like Himself?' The worshipper said:

'I do not know.'

Ibless said to the devils: 'Don’t you see that his worship cannot benefit him when he is so ignorant?'

They asked a scholar about that and he said:

'That is impossible, because if he were like Him, he could not have been created, and the idea that he is created and is like Him is impossible. If he is created he is not like Him, rather he is just one of His slaves.'

He (Iblees) said: "Don’t you see that this man can destroy in an hour what it took years to build?"

2 – The idea of another god existing alongside Allaah is inherently impossible. There is a great deal of evidence to suggest that it is impossible, the least of which is the existence of this organized universe. If there were another god, the system of the universe would be spoilt because they would compete with one another and each of them would want to prevail over the other, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Had there been therein (in the heavens and the earth) aalihah (gods) besides Allaah, then verily, both would have been ruined. Glorified be Allaah, the Lord of the Throne, (High is He) above all that (evil) they associate with Him!” [al-Anbiya’ 21:22]

“No son (or offspring) did Allaah beget, nor is there any ilaah (god) along with Him. (If there had been many gods), then each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have tried to overcome others! Glorified be Allaah above all that they attribute to Him!” [al-Mu’minoon 23:91]

Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his Tafseer:

'i.e., if there was a number of gods, each one of them would have taken away that which he created and the universe would be in disarray. What we see is that the universe is organized and orderly, and each realm, upper and lower, is connected to the other in the most perfect manner. “You can see no fault in the creation of the Most Gracious” [al-Mulk 67:3].  And each of them would seek to dominate the others and some of them would prevail over others.'

The same applies to the creation of an object so heavy that Allaah could not lift it. It is impossible, because Allaah is the One who creates it, and He is able to destroy it at any moment, so how can He be unable to lift it?

The atheist only wants to cast aspersions on the general meaning of the words of Allaah, “Allaah has power over all things” [al-Talaaq 65:12].  So he says, if He has power over all things, why does He not have the power to do this?

The answer is: Because it is impossible, it is nothing.

That which is impossible does not exist, because it cannot exist, so it is nothing, even if the mind can imagine it. It is known that the mind can assume and imagine the impossible, the mind can imagine two opposites, such as something existing and not existing, at the same time.

The verse states that Allaah has power over “things” but that does not include things that are inherently impossible, because they are not things, rather they do not exist and they cannot be brought into existence.

Hence more than one of the scholars have stated that the power of Allaah has to do with that which is possible, for the reason that we have mentioned, which is that that which is non-existent and impossible is not a “thing”.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

'As for Ahl al-Sunnah, in their view Allaah, may He be exalted, has power over all things, and everything that is possible is included in that. As for that which is inherently impossible, such as a thing both existing and being non-existent, there is no reality in it and its existence cannot be imagined, so it cannot be called a “thing” according to the consensus of the wise. This includes the idea of creating another like Himself, and so on.' (Manhaaj al-Sunnah (2/294).)

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Shifa’ al-‘Aleel (p. 374):

'Because that which is impossible is not a “thing”, so His Power has nothing to do with it. Allaah has power over all things and no possible thing is beyond His power.'

Details

Category: Atheism/ Agnosticism

Hits: 5299

If someone asks how is it that Allah wants something yet He dislikes it? How one can understand such concept?

We all know that there are many drug prescriptions disliked and hated for their smell and taste, yet when it is known that there is a cure in them, we take them and we love them for that! Traveling a long and difficult journey to achieve something desired and loved is another example. If it is known that a surgical removal of a diseased part of the body would save the rest of it, it is disliked and hated from one side and liked from another. So, it is not contradictory to have love and hate combined in addressing one matter. This is true with the created being, so what about Allah the Creator Whom there is nothing hidden from Him and to Whom belongs the Perfect Wisdom? He, the Exalted, hates a matter in itself and, on the other hand, wants it because of its link to yet another matter, or because it is a means that leads to something He loves. In all of His actions, Allah has the Perfect Wisdom. We may recognize part of His Wisdom, or the general aspects of it, but not its complete details. One vivid case about this subject, is the Creation of Iblees, who is the sponsor of every corruption and evil in this world. He is hated from one side, yet Allah wanted his creation because he is a means for many beloved things to Allah, and that there is great wisdom behind his creation. 

Similarly, there is wisdom behind the creation of calamities, sufferings, hardships, etc. that speak about the Favors of Allah, His Justice, and His Mercy. Some of this wisdom includes[1]:

*Tests for the believers. 

*Training and strengthening of the believer’s faith. 

*An evidence for the weakness of man and his need for his Rabb, and that he has no success unless he humbles himself to his Creator. 

*A way to expiate sins and an elevation to higher degrees in the Sight of Allah. 

The Prophet ( sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: “There is nothing (in the form of trouble) that touches the believer, even the pricking of a thorn, except that Allah decrees a good for him or effaces one of his sins because of that.” [2] 

*It is a means for receiving reward for both, the ill Muslim and the Muslim doctor in charge. 

*Witnessing the occurrence of favors and blessings after calamities and hardships, has more profound effects and generates a meaningful and proper appreciation of Allah’s Power, Wisdom, Mercy and Justice. He, the Exalted, is to be Praised on all of His Decrees. 

*An appreciation for good health and the well-being of one’s self. 

*A reminder about what is more devastating, Hell. A lesson to remember and a build up of eagerness for Paradise. 

*...And many more wisdoms of which we may know or we may not know. We cannot say: How did Allah allow this and prevent that? Nor how did He create this, and how come He did not create that? …Nothing escapes His Ability, and nothing occurs in His Kingdom except that He had willed it; He owes us nothing; if He gives, then its His Favor and if He prevents, then it is His Justice. 

“If Allah (swt) puts a person under certain tests and trials and the person recognizes that He must resort to Allah alone seeking His help, then this is a good sign for him; the trials turn to purification and mercy. If, on the other hand, he rejects, complains, and turns away from Allah and resorts to human beings like him, then this is a bad sign for him; the trials turn to punishment and misery upon him”[3].

--------------------------------------------------------------
Footnotes
1. See The Belief in Al-Qadaa' wal Qadar by Muhammad bin Ibraheem Al-Hamad, PP. 85-89. Published by Daar Ibn Khuzaymah, Riyadh, K.S.A 1415AH/1994.
2. Saheeh Muslim, V. 4, Hadeeth # 6241.
3. Summarized from lbn Qayyim’s Tareequl Hijratayen, FN # 103, P. 259.

Details

Category: Christianity

Hits: 10131

*Please click here if you can't see the above video.

Our vision is to deliver the message of Islam to millions of people in Africa and by doing so turn the Muslim minority areas into a peace loving progressive majority. We believe Islam is the solution to all the problems of Africa. Whether it is poverty, illiteracy, Corruption, HIV, disease or anything else, Islam will help solve some of these issues. Our method is based upon the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and we intend to deliver the message of Islam to every single house, village and city in southern Africa by 2060 inshAllah.­ Africa is one of the most receptive places to dawah in the World and the people are naturally inclined to Islam due to its simplicity and monotheistic beauty. l believe Allah will question us about Africa and the Convivencia Trust intends to help Muslims fulfill their obligation in the best way possible­.

- Adnan Rashid
Founder of Convivencia

Support the Convivencia mission, visit their Facebook page or Website.

Details

Category: Christianity

Hits: 4951

Qur'ân: "And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allâh and His messenger. As for these, Allâh will have mercy on them. Lo! Allâh is mighty, wise." (9):71)

Qur'ân: "And they (women) have rights similar to those of men over them in a just manner" (2):228)

Qur'ân: "Whoso does an ill deed, he will be repaid the like thereof, while whoso does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, (all) such will enter the garden, where they will be nourished without stint." (40):40.)

Bible:

"Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (1 Timothy 2:11-14)

Bible says:

"Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church." (1 Corinthians 14:34)

Bible says:

"Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the savior of the body. But as the church is subject to christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything." (Ephesians 5:22-24)

Qur'ân: "And of His signs is this: he created for you spouses from yourselves that you might find tranquillity in them, and he ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for folk who reflect." (30):21

The Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said: "The best believers are the best in conduct, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives." (Tirmidhi)

Bible:

"A bad wife brings humiliation, downcast looks, and a wounded heart. Slack of hand and weak of knee is the man whose wife fails to make him happy. Woman is the origin of sin, and it is through her that we all die. Do not leave a leaky cistern to drip or allow a bad wife to say what she likes. If she does not accept your control, divorce her and send her away." (Ecclesiasticus 25:25).

Qur'ân: "...But consort with them in kindness, for if you hate them it may happen that you hate a thing wherein Allâh has placed much good." (4):19)

Bible: If a father/ husband does not endorse his daughter' / wife's vows, all pledges made by her become null and void, in other words a woman cannot make any contract on her own without the permission of a husband or father:

"But if her father forbids her when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand ....Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself" (Numbers. 30:2-15)

In Islam a woman's wealth is her own and her husband has no rights over it:

Qur'ân: "...and covet not the thing in which Allâh has made some of you excel others. Unto men a fortune from that which they have earned, and unto women a fortune from that which they have earned. (Envy not one another) but ask Allâh of his bounty. Verily! Allâh is knower of all things." (4):32)

Bible says:

"A virgin who is raped must marry her rapist (if they are "found")." (Deut 22:28-29)

"if a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives" Deuteronomy 22:28-30)

Qur'ân: "And those who launch a charge against chaste women, and produce not four witnesses (to support their allegations) - flog them with eighty stripes; and reject their evidence ever after: for such men are wicked transgressors." (24:4)

The Bible blames Eve for the original sin in Genesis 3:12-16:

"and the man (Adam) said, the woman (Eve) whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord god said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat..unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."

In the Qur'ân, both Adam and Eve share the blame for eating from the tree. This can be seen in the Qur'ân in such verses al-Baqarah (2):36, al-A'raf (7):22-24. They were also both forgiven by God Almighty for this sin.

Qur'ân: "O Adam dwell with your wife in the garden and enjoy as you wish but approach not this tree or you run into harm and transgression. Then satan whispered to them in order to reveal to them their shame that was hidden from them and he said: 'your Lord only forbade you this tree lest you become angels or such beings as live forever.' And he swore to them both that he was their sincere adviser. So by deceit he brought them to their fall: when they tasted the tree their shame became manifest to them and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: 'did I not forbid you that tree and tell you that satan was your avowed enemy?' They said: 'our Lord we have wronged our own souls and if You forgive us not and bestow not upon us Your mercy, we shall certainly be lost' " (7:19-23).

The Bible says that giving birth to a female child makes a woman more "unclean" than if she had a male child. Leviticus 12:2-5:

"Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, if a woman have conceived seed, and born a male child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying thirty three days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled. But if she bear a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying sixty six days."

Ecclesiastics 7:26-28:

"and I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare....While I was still searching but not finding, I found one upright man among a thousand but not one upright woman among them all."

Qur'ân: "And their Lord has heard them (and he says): Verily! I suffer not the work of any worker, male or female, to be lost. You proceed one from another." (3):195)

Qur'ân: "And whoso does good works, whether of male or female, and he (or she) is a believer, such will enter paradise and they will not be wronged the dint in a date stone." (The Noble Qur'ân, an-Nisâ (4):124)

Qur'ân: "Whosoever does right, whether male or female, and is a believer, him verily we shall quicken with good life, and We shall pay them a recompense in proportion to the best of what they used to do." (16):97)

A man asked the Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam), 'Whom should I honor most?' The Prophet replie.: 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?', Asked the man. The Prophet replied, 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?', Asked the man. The Prophet replied, 'Your mother'. 'And who comes next?' Asked the man. The Prophet replied, 'Your father'." (Bukhari and Muslim).

Bible says that a woman must cover her head as a sign of man's authority over her:

"And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head." (1 Corinthians 11:3-10)

Bible: 1 Corinthians 11:5-10:

"But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head."

Bible: 1 Corinthians 11:13:

"Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto god (with her head) uncovered?"

The Qur'ân teaches that a woman must be covered out of modesty and to protect her from harassment:

Qur'ân: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty......And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms...." (24:30,31)

Qur'ân: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested." (33:59).

According to the Bible (Numbers 27:1-11), widows and sisters don't inherit at all. Daughters can inherit only if their deceased father had no sons:

Qur'ân: "Unto the men (of a family) belongs a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, and unto the women a share of that which parents and near kindred leave, whether it be little or much, a legal share." (4):77.

Bible: Leviticus 15:19-30,

"And if a woman have an issue (her period/menses), [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even. And every thing that she lieth upon in her separation shall be unclean: every thing also that she sitteth upon shall be unclean. And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And whosoever toucheth any thing that she sat upon shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even. And if it [be] on [her] bed, or on any thing whereon she sitteth, when he toucheth it, he shall be unclean until the even.....(It goes on and on)."

Details

Category: Christianity

Hits: 5876

JESUS (PBUH) SAID, "THE DAY THAT I DIE", not "THE DAY THAT I DIED"

It is mentioned in Surah Maryam, Chapter 19 verse 33 "So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)". [Al-Qur'ân 19:33]

The Qur'ân mentions that Jesus (pbuh) said "Peace is on me the Day I was born, the day that I die". It is not stated: "the day that I died". It is in the future tense and not in the past tense.

JESUS (PBUH) WAS RAISED UP ALIVE

The Qur'ân further says in Surah Nisa, Chapter 4 verse 157-158:

"That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Jesus Christ the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’ But they killed him not, Nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not- Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is exalted in Power, Wise." [Al-Qur'ân 4:157-158]

Details

Category: Christianity

Hits: 6159

I. INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY:

Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world. Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). The Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians. 

a) The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus (peace be on him). The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (peace be on him).

b) The complete Bible, i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books. However, the Protestant Bible i.e. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority.

Therefore the Old Testament of the Catholics, contains 46 books and that of the Protestants, 39 books. However the New Testament of both these sects contains 27 books.

II. POSITION OF JESUS (Peace Be Upon Him) IN ISLAM:

(i) Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (peace be on him). No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (peace be on him).

(ii) We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (the Almighty).

(iii) We believe that he was born miraculously, without any male intervention, which many modern day Christians do not believe.

(iv) We believe he was the "Messiah", translated Christ (peace be on him).

(v) We believe that he gave life to the dead with God's permission.

(iv) We believe that he healed those born blind, and the lepers with God's permission.

III. CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY:

1. Jesus Christ (peace be on him) never claimed Divinity

One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (peace be on him), where exactly is the parting of ways? The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians' insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (peace be on him). A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (peace be on him) never claimed divinity. In fact there is not a single unequivocal statement in the entire Bible where Jesus (peace be on him) himself says, "I am God" or where he says, "worship me". In fact the Bible contains statements attributed to Jesus (peace be on him) in which he preached quite the contrary. The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ (peace be on him):

(i) "My Father is greater than I." [The Bible, John 14:28]

(ii) "My Father is greater than all." [The Bible, John 10:29]

(iii) "...I cast out devils by the Spirit of God...." [The Bible, Mathew 12:28]

(iv) "...I with the finger of God cast out devils...." [The Bible, Luke 11:20]

(v) "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." [The Bible, John 5:30]

2. The Mission of Jesus Christ (peace be on him) – to Fulfill the Law

Jesus (peace be on him) never claimed divinity for himself. He clearly announced the nature of his mission. Jesus (peace be on him) was sent by God to confirm the previous Judaic law. This is clearly evident in the following statements attributed to Jesus (peace be on him) in the Gospel of Mathew:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." [The Bible, Mathew 5:17-20]

3. God Sent Jesus (peace be on him)

The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (peace be on him) mission in the following verses:

(i) "... and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." [The Bible, John 14:24]

(ii) "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent." [The Bible, John 17:3]

4. Jesus Refuted even the Remotest Suggestion of his Divinity

Consider the following incident mentioned in the Bible:

"And behold, one came and said unto him, 'Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?' And he said unto him, 'Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.' [The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17]

Jesus (peace be on him) did not say that to have the eternal life of paradise, man should believe in him as Almighty God or worship him as God, or believe that Jesus (pbuh) would die for his sins. On the contrary he said that the path to salvation was through keeping the commandments. It is indeed striking to note the difference between the words of Jesus Christ (peace be on him) and the Christian dogma of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus (peace be on him).

5. Jesus (peace be on him) of Nazareth – a Man Approved of God

The following statement from the Bible supports the Islamic belief that Jesus (peace be on him) was a prophet of God.

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know." [The Bible, Acts 2:22]

6. The First Commandment is that God is One

The Bible does not support the Christian belief in trinity at all. One of the scribes once asked Jesus (peace be on him) as to which was the first commandment of all, to which Jesus (peace be on him) merely repeated what Moses (peace be on him) had said earlier:

"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adonai Ikhad."

This is a Hebrew quotation, which means:

"Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord." [The Bible, Mark 12:29]

It is striking that the basic teachings of the Church such as Trinity and vicarious atonement find no mention in the Bible. In fact, various verses of the Bible point to Jesus' (peace be on him) actual mission, which was to fulfill the law revealed to Prophet Moses (peace be on him). Indeed Jesus (peace be on him) rejected any suggestions that attributed divinity to him, and explained his miracles as the power of the One True God.

Jesus (peace be on him) thus reiterated the message of monotheism that was given by all earlier prophets of Almighty God.

Note: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version.

IV. CONCEPT OF GOD IN OLD TESTAMENT:

1. God is One

The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (peace be on him ):

"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad".

It is a Hebrew quotation which means:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]

2. Unity of God in the Book of Isaiah

The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:

(i) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour." [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]

(ii) "I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me." [The Bible, Isaiah 45:5]

(iii) "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]

3. Old Testament condemns idol worship

(i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]

(ii) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy:

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth."

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God." [The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]

Details

Category: Judaism

Hits: 5015

Judaism is one of the important Semitic religions. Its followers are known as Jews and they believe in the prophetic mission of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him).

CONCEPT OF GOD IN JUDAISM:

(i) The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh):

It is a Hebrew quotation which means:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]

The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:

(ii)

"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour." [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]

(iii)

"I am Lord, and there is none else There is no God besides me." [The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]

(iv)

"I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]

(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the following verses:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]

(iv) A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy:

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth."

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]

In Judaism too, we find the same thread of monotheism, that is seen in other religions.

MUHAMMAD IN JEWISH SCRIPTURES (THE OLD TESTAMENT):

1) Muhammad (peace be upon him) prophesised in the book of Deuteronomy:

A) God Almighty speaks to Moses in Book of Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 18:

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."

B) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is like Moses (peace be upon him):

i) Both had a father and a mother.

ii) Both were married and had children.

iii) Both were accepted as Prophets by their people in their lifetime.

iv) Both besides being Prophets were also kings i.e. they could inflict capital punishment.

v) Both brought new laws and new regulations for their people.

vi) Both died a natural death.

e) Muhammad (peace be upon him) is from among the brethren of Moses (peace be upon him). Arabs are brethren of Jews. Abraham (peace be upon him) had two sons: Ishmail and Isaac. The Arabs are the descendants of Ishmail (peace be upon him) and the Jews are the descendants of Isaac (peace be upon him).

f) Words in the mouth:

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was unlettered and whatever revelations he received from God Almighty he repeated it verbatim. Deuteronomy (18:18):

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."

2) Muhammad (peace be upon him) is prophesised in the book of Isaiah; it is mentioned in the book of Isaiah, chapter 29, verse 12:

"And the book is delivered to him that is not learned saying, ‘Read this, I pray thee’; and he saith, ‘I am not learned’.

When Archangel Gabriel commanded Muhammad (peace be upon him) by saying ‘Iqra’ (read!), he replied, "I am not learned".

3) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon; Chapter 5, verse 16:

"Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim Zehdoodeh wa Zehrace Bayna Jerusalem."

"His mouth is most sweet: ye, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughter of Jerusalem."

All the prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament regarding Muhammad (peace be upon him) besides applying to the Jews also hold good for the Christians (H Q. 61:6).

Details

Category: Hinduism

Hits: 5216

1. Common Concept of God in Hinduism:

Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God.

The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the sun as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!

Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.

Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is God. The Muslim says everything is God’s.

2. Concept of God according to Hindu Scriptures:

We can gain a better understanding of the concept of God in Hinduism by analysing Hindu scriptures.

BHAGAVAD GITA

The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita. Consider the following verse from the Gita:

"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures." [Bhagavad Gita 7:20]

The Gita states that people who are materialistic worship demigods i.e. ‘gods’ besides the True God.

UPANISHADS:

The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus. The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:

"Ekam evadvitiyam"
"He is One only without a second."

[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1-The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]]

"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah."
"Of Him there are neither parents nor lord."

[Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9-2[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page 263.]

"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him."

[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19-3[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]]

The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:

"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."

"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye."

[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]- 4[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]

THE VEDAS

Vedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.

Yajurveda

The following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:

"na tasya pratima asti
"There is no image of Him."

[Yajurveda 32:3-Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]

"shudhama poapvidham"
"He is bodyless and pure."

[Yajurveda 40:8- Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]

"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste"

"They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.).

"They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."

[Yajurveda 40:9- Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]

Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.

The Yajurveda contains the following prayer:

"Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."

[Yajurveda 40:16- Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith page 541]

Atharvaveda

The Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3:

"Dev maha osi"
"God is verily great"

[Atharvaveda 20:58:3- 9[Atharveda Samhita vol 2 William Dwight Whitney page 910]]

Rigveda

The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus. The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46:

"Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names."

[Rigveda 1:164:46]

The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty God. Many of these are mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.

Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.

Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda:

"Na tasya Pratima asti"
"There is no image of Him."

[Yajurveda 32:3]

Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of Vishnu among Hindus, is that of a God who has four arms, with one of the right arms holding the Chakra, i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a ‘conch shell’, or riding a bird or reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of God. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.

"Na tasya pratima asti"
"There is no likeness of Him"

The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:

"Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata"
"O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone."

[Rigveda 8:1:1-Rigveda Samhita vol. 9, pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]]

"Devasya samituk parishtutih"
"Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."

[Rigveda 5:1:81- 11Rigveda Samhita vol. 6, pages 1802 and 1803 by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]

Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:

The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:

"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"
"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."

Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.

Details

Category: Hinduism

Hits: 4960

The most popular among the Aryan religions is Hinduism. ‘Hindu’ is actually a Persian word that stands for the inhabitants of the region beyond the Indus Valley. However, in common parlance, Hinduism is a blanket term for an assortment of religious beliefs, most of which are based on the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.

INTRODUCTION TO HINDU SCRIPTURES.

There are several sacred scriptures of the Hindus. Among these are the Vedas, Upanishads and the Puranas.

1. VEDAS:

The word Veda is derived from vid which means to know, knowledge par excellence or sacred wisdom. There are four principal divisions of the Vedas (although according to their number, they amount to 1131 out of which about a dozen are available). According to Maha Bhashya of Patanjali, there are 21 branches of Rigveda, 9 types of Atharvaveda, 101 branches of Yajurveda and 1000 of Samveda).

The Rigveda, the Yajurveda and the Samveda are considered to be more ancient books and are known as Trai Viddya or the ‘Triple Sciences’. The Rigveda is the oldest and has been compiled in three long and different periods of time. The 4th Veda is the Atharvaveda, which is of a later date.

There is no unanimous opinion regarding the date of compilation or revelation of the four Vedas. According to Swami Dayanand, founder of the Arya Samaj, the Vedas were revealed 1310 million years ago. According to other scholars, they are not more than 4000 years old.

Similarly, there are differing opinions regarding the places where these books were compiled and the Rishis to whom these Scriptures were given. Inspite of these differences, the Vedas are considered to be the most authentic of the Hindu Scriptures and the real foundations of the Hindu Dharma.

2. UPANISHADS:

The word 'Upanishad' is derived from Upa meaning near, Ni which means down and Shad means to sit. Therefore ‘Upanishad’ means sitting down near. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrines.

According to Samkara, ‘Upanishad’ is derived from the root word Sad which means ‘to loosen’, ‘to reach’ or ‘to destroy’, with Upa and ni as prefix; therefore ‘Upanishad’ means Brahma-Knowledge by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed.

The number of Upanishads exceeds 200 though the Indian tradition puts it at 108. There are 10 principal Upanishads. However, some consider them to be more than 10, while others 18.

The Vedanta meant originally the Upanishads, though the word is now used for the system of philosophy based on the Upanishad. Literally, Vedanta means the end of the Veda, Vedasua-antah, and the conclusion as well as the goal of Vedas. The Upanishads are the concluding portion of the Vedas and chronologically they come at the end of the Vedic period.
Some Pundits consider the Upanishads to be more superior to the Vedas.

3. PURANAS:

Next in order of authenticity are the Puranas which are the most widely read scriptures. It is believed that the Puranas contain the history of the creation of the universe, history of the early Aryan tribes, life stories of the divines and deities of the Hindus. It is also believed that the Puranas are revealed books like the Vedas, which were revealed simultaneously with the Vedas or sometime close to it.

Maharishi Vyasa has divided the Puranas into 18 voluminous parts. He also arranged the Vedas under various heads.

Chief among the Puranas is a book known as Bhavishya Purana. It is called so because it is believed to give an account of future events. The Hindus consider it to be the word of God. Maharishi yasa is considered to be just the compiler of the book.

4. ITIHAAS:

The two epics of Hinduism are the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

A. Ramayana:

According to Ramanuja, the great scholar of Ramayana, there are more than 300 different types of Ramayana: Tulsidas Ramayana, Kumbha Ramayana. Though the outline of Ramayana is same, the details and contents differ.

Valmiki’s Ramayana: Unlike the Mahabharata, the Ramayana appears to be the work of one person – the sage Valmiki, who probably composed it in the 3rd century BC. Its best-known recension (by Tulsi Das, 1532-1623) consists of 24,000 rhymed couplets of 16-syllable lines organised into 7 books. The poem incorporates many ancient legends and draws on the sacred books of the Vedas. It describes the efforts of Kosala’s heir, Rama, to regain his throne and rescue his wife, Sita, from the demon King of Lanka.

Valmiki's Ramayana is a Hindu epic tradition whose earliest literary version is a Sanskrit poem attributed to the sage Valmiki. Its principal characters are said to present ideal models of personal, familial, and social behavior and hence are considered to exemplify Dharma, the principle of moral order.

B. Mahabharata:

The nucleus of the Mahabharata is the war of eighteen days fought between the Kauravas, the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra and Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu. The epic entails all the circumstances leading upto the war. Involved in this Kurukshetra battle were almost all the kings of India joining either of the two parties. The result of this war was the total annihilation of Kauravas and their party. Yudhishthira, the head of the Pandavas, became the sovereign monarch of Hastinapura. His victory is supposed to symbolise the victory of good over evil. But with the progress of years, new matters and episodes relating to the various aspects of human life, social, economic, political, moral and religious as also fragments of other heroic legends came to be added to the aforesaid nucleus and this phenomenon continued for centuries until it acquired the present shape. The Mahabharata represents a whole literature rather than one single and unified work, and contains many multifarious things.

C. Bhagavad Gita:

Bhagavad Gita is a part of Mahabharata. It is the advice given by Krishna to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It contains the essence of the Vedas and is the most popular of all the Hindu Scriptures. It contains 18 chapters.

The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most widely read and revered of the works sacred to the Hindus. It is their chief devotional book, and has been for centuries the principal source of religious inspiration for many thousands of Hindus.

The Gita is a dramatic poem, which forms a small part of the larger epic, the Mahabharata. It is included in the sixth book (Bhismaparvan) of the Mahabaharata and documents one tiny event in a huge epic tale.

The Bhagavad Gita tells a story of a moral crisis faced by Arjuna, which is solved through the interaction between Arjuna, a Pandava warrior hesitating before battle, and Krishna, his charioteer and teacher. The Bhagavad Gita relates a brief incident in the main story of a rivalry and eventually a war between two branches of a royal family. In that brief incident - a pause on the battlefield just as the battle is about to begin - Krishna, one chief on one side (also believed to be the Lord incarnate), is presented as responding to the doubts of Arjuna. The poem is the dialogue through which Arjuna’s doubts were resolved by Krishna’s teachings.

Details

Category: Hinduism

Hits: 5775

Many religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human. Their contention is that Almighty God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings. In order to set the rules for human beings, He came down to earth as a human. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages. Let us now analyze this argument and see if it stands to reason.

The Creator prepares the instruction manual: 

Suppose I manufacture a video cassette recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR to know what is good or what is bad for the VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction manual: "In order to watch a video cassette, insert the cassette and press the play button. In order to stop, press the stop button. If you want to fast forward press the FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water or it will get spoilt". I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine.

Qur’an is the instruction manual for the human being:

Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (swt) need not take human form to know what is good or bad for the human being. He chooses to reveal the instruction manual. The last and final instruction manual of the human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are mentioned in the Qur’an.

If you allow me to compare human beings with machines, I would say humans are more complicated than the most complex machines in the world. Even the most advanced computers, which are extremely complex, are pale in comparison to the myriad physical, psychological, genetic and social factors that affect individual and collective human life.

The more advanced the machine, greater is the need for its instruction manual. By the same logic, don’t human beings require an instruction manual by which to govern their own lives?

Allah chooses Messengers: 

Allah (swt) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.

Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:

Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others. Is it not an insult to human intelligence and to the Creator who gave us this intelligence? Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ despite the faculty of hearing and sight given to them by Allah. The Qur’an says:{Deaf, dumb, and blind, They will not return (to the path).} [Al-Qur’an 2:18]

The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." [The Bible, Matthew 13:13]

A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda.

"There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." [Rigveda 10:71:4]

All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.

To Allah belong the most beautiful names:

The Qur’an says: {Say: Call upon Allah, or Call upon Rahman: By whatever name you call  Upon Him, (it is well):  For to Him belong The Most Beautiful Names.} [Al-Qur’an 17:110] A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).

The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Almighty Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.

Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:

Not only does God possess unique attributes, but also each attribute of Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him. I shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take an example of a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong.

Neil Armstrong is an astronaut. The attribute of being an astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong alone. So when one asks, who is an astronaut? The answer is, there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American. The attribute of being American possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not sufficient to identify him. So when one asks, who is an American? The answer is, there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon, the answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly the attribute of Almighty God should be unique. If I say God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but it is not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who is the creator of the universe, the answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Almighty Allah:

"Ar-Raheem", the Most Merciful "Ar-Rahman", the Most Gracious,  "Al-Hakeem", the Most Wise

So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one answer: "Almighty Allah".

One attribute of God should not contradict with other attributes:

Besides the attribute being unique, it should not contradict other attributes. To continue with the earlier example, suppose somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut who was the first human to set foot on the moon and was an Indian. The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong of being the first man to set foot on the moon, is correct. But its associated quality of being an Indian, is false. Similarly if someone says that God is the Creator of the Universe and has one head, two hands, two feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the Universe) is correct but the associated quality (in the form of human being) is wrong and false.

All attributes should point to the one and same God:

Since there is only one God, all the attributes should point to one and the same God. To say that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who first set foot on the moon, but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both these unique qualities belong to one and the same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly to say that the Creator of the universe is one God and the Cherisher is another God is absurd because God possesses all these attributes combined together.

Unity of God:

Some polytheists argue by saying that the existence of more than one God is not illogical. Let us point out to them that if there were more than one God, they would dispute with one another, each god trying to fulfill his will against the will of the other gods. This can be seen in the mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic religions. If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to defeat the others, he is surely not the one true God. Also popular among polytheistic religions is the idea of many Gods, each having different responsibilities. Each one would be responsible for a part of man’s existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc. This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent of certain acts and moreover he is also ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties, functions and responsibilities. There cannot be an ignorant and incapable God. If there were more than one God it would surely lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and destruction in the universe. But the universe is in complete harmony. The Glorious Qur’an says:

{If there were, in the heavens And the earth, other gods Besides Allah, there would Have been confusion in both! But glory to Allah, The Lord of the Throne: (High is He) above What they attribute to Him!} [Al-Qur’an 21:22]

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created. The Qur’an says:

{No son did Allah beget, Nor is there any god Along with Him: (if there were  Many gods), behold, each god Would have taken away  What he had created, And some would have Lorded it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) From the (sort of) things They attribute to Him!} [Al-Qur’an 23:91]

Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical concept of God.

Details

Category: Buddhism

Hits: 5072

1. Buddha prophesised the advent of a Maitreya:

A) Almost all Buddhist books contain this prophecy. It is in Chakkavatti Sinhnad Suttanta D. III, 76:

"There will arise in the world a Buddha named Maitreya (the benevolent one) a holy one, a supreme one, an enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe:

"What he has realized by his own supernatural knowledge he will publish to this universe. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at its climax, glorious at the goal, in the spirit and the letter. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and thoroughly pure; even as I now preach my religion and a like life do proclaim. He will keep up the society of monks numbering many thousands, even as now I keep up a society of monks numbering many hundreds".

B) According to Sacred Books of the East volume 35 pg. 225:

"It is said that I am not an only Buddha upon whom the leadership and order is dependent. After me another Buddha maitreya of such and such virtues will come. I am now the leader of hundreds, he will be the leader of thousands."

C) According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 217 and 218 (From Ceylon sources):

"Ananda said to the Blessed One, ‘Who shall teach us when thou art gone?'

And the Blessed one replied, 'I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands while mine number many hundreds.'

Ananda said, 'How shall we know him?'

The Blessed one replied, 'He will be known as Maitreya'."

(i) The Sanskrit word ‘Maitreya’ or its equivalent in Pali ‘Metteyya’ means loving, compassionate, merciful and benevolent. It also means kindness and friendliness, sympathy, etc. One Arabic word which is equivalent to all these words is ‘Rahmat’. In Surah Al-Anbiya: "We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures." [Al-Qur’an 21:107]

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called the merciful, which is ‘Maitri’.

(ii) The words Mercy and Merciful are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an no less than 409 times.

(iii) Every chapter of the Glorious Qur’an, except Chapter 9, i.e. Surah Taubah begins with the beautiful formula, 'Bismillah Hir-Rahman Nir-Rahim', which means 'In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful'.

(iv) The Word Muhammad is also spelt as ‘Mahamet’ or ‘Mahomet’ and in various other ways in different languages. The word ‘Maho’ or ‘Maha’ in Pali and Sanskrit mean Great and Illustrious and ‘Metta’ means mercy. Therefore ‘Mahomet’ means ‘Great Mercy’.

2. Buddha’s doctrine was Esoteric and Exoteric:

According to Sacred Books of the East, volume 11, pg. 36 Maha-Parinibbana Sutta chapter 2 verse 32:

"I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine, for in respect of truths, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps something back".

Muhammad (pbuh) on the commandment of Almighty God delivered the message and doctrine without making any distinction between esoteric and exoteric. The Qur'an was recited in public in the days of the Prophet and is being done so till date. The Prophet had strictly forbidden the Muslims from hiding the doctrine

3.  Devoted Servitors of the Buddhas:

According to Sacred Books of the East volume 11 pg. 97 Maha-Parinibbana Sutta Chapter 5 verse 36:

"Then the Blessed one addressed the brethren, and said, ‘Whosoever, brethren have been Arahat-Buddhas through the long ages of the past, they were servitors just as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me. And whosoever brethren shall be the Arahat-Buddhas of the future, there shall be servitors as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me’."

The Servitor of Buddha was Ananda. Muhammad (pbuh) also had a servitor by the name Anas (r.a.) who was the son of Malik. Anas (r.a...) was presented to the Prophet by his parents. Anas (r.a...) relates: "My mother said to him, 'Oh Messenger of God, here is your little servant'." Further Anas relates, "I served him from the time I was 8 years old and the Prophet called me his son and his little beloved". Anas (r.a...) stayed by the Prophet in peace and in war, in safety as well as in danger till the end of his life.

i) Anas (r.a.), even though he was only 11 years old stayed beside the Prophet during the battle of Uhud where the Prophet’s life was in great danger.

ii) Even during the battle of Honain when the Prophet was surrounded by the enemies who were archers, Anas (r.a...) who was only 16 years old stood by the Prophet.

Anas (R) can surely be compared with Ananda who stood by Gautam Buddha when the mad elephant approached him.

4. Six Criteria for Identifying Buddha:

According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 214:

"The Blessed one said, ‘There are two occasions on which a Tathagata’s appearance becomes clear and exceedingly bright. In the night Ananda, in which a Tathagata attains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that ultra passing which leaves nothing whatever of his earthly existence to remain.’ "

According to Gautam Buddha, following are the six criteria for identifying a Buddha.

i) A Buddha attains supreme and perfect insight at night-time.

ii) On the occasion of his complete enlightenment he looks exceedingly bright

iii) A Buddha dies a natural death.

iv) He dies at night-time.

v) He looks exceedingly bright before his death.

vi) After his death a Buddha ceases to exist on earth.

i) Muhammad (pbuh) attained supreme insight and Prophethood at night-time.

According to Surah Dukhan: "By the books that makes thing clear – We sent it down during a blessed night." [Al-Qur'an 44:2-3]

According to Surah Al-Qadar: "We have indeed revealed this (message) in the night of power." [Al-Qur'an 97:1]

ii) Muhammad (pbuh) instantly felt his understanding illumined with celestial light.

iii) Muhammad (pbuh) died a natural death.

iv) According to Ayesha (r.a.), Muhammad (pbuh) expired at night-time. When he was dying there was no oil in the lamp and his wife Ayesha (r.a.) had to borrow oil for the lamp.

v) According to Anas (r.a.), Muhammad (pbuh) looked exceedingly bright in the night of his death.

vi) After the burial of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) he was never seen again in his bodily form on this earth.

5. Buddhas are only Preachers:

According to Dhammapada, Sacred Books of East volume 10 pg., 67:

"The Jathagatas (Buddhas) are only Preachers."

The Qur’an says in Surah Ghashiya: "Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs." [Al-Qur'an 88:21-22]

6. Identification of Maitreya by Buddha:

According to Dhammapada, Mattaya Sutta, 151:

"The promised one will be:

i) Compassionate for the whole creation

ii) A messenger of peace, a peace-maker

iii) The most successful in the world.

The Maitreya as a Preacher of morals will be:

i) Truthful

ii) Self-respecting

iii) Gentle and noble

iv) Not proud

v) As a king to creatures

vi) An example to others in deeds and in words".

Details

Category: Is There Racism in Islaam?

Hits: 4791

Download (right click & "save target as")

Details

Category: Is There Racism in Islaam?

Hits: 5189

THE HAJJ

This annual pilgrimage, or 'Hajj' as it is called in the Arabic language, is one of the five pillars, one of the five fundamental religious duties to be performed by Muslims. Without going further into the details of the conditions to be fulfilled in order to be able to proceed on this pilgrimage, or of the rites and rituals to be observed in its course, let me describe in a few words the most striking and unforgettable sight that will be present itself to your eye upon reaching the sacred territory:

You will see a multitude of men, women and also children, close perhaps to two million, from every corner of the world, black and brown of complexion, Yellow and white, Arabs and Iranians, Turks and Malays, Chinese and Africans, black and white Americans, blond and blue-eyed Europeans- in short to quote one of our great Germanic Poets, Frederick Schiller :

"Who knows the nations? Who knows the names of all those who came here together?"

NO DISTINCTION

And there is still more that fills us with wonder: Whether black or brown, yellow or white, rich or poor, young or old, every male that our eye beholds is dressed alike, wearing two white seamless sheets of simple material, thus completely eliminating all marks and signs of distinction of dress between the African and American, the Asian, Australian and European, the mighty and wealthy, and the poor and lowly. Here they have come, brother unto brother, sister unto sister, bearing witness to the brotherhood of mankind, to the equality of all human beings before their creator, for it is to worship Him and to extol His glory that has brought them here. They have heard and heeded His call, and their reply uttered, nay cried out by all and sundry, echoing and re-echoing from the surrounding mountains is:

"Labbaik, Allahumma Labbaik" - "Here i am, O Allah, here i am!

There is none who is the partner, all praise and blessing belong to thee alone, for thou art the sovereign, and thou hast no partner."

The pilgrimage to Mecca, the huge assembly of believers from all five continents, the gathering together of the multitude of worshippers of all races on the plain of Arafat is perhaps the most spectacular expression, symbol and proof of unity and brotherhood of man as enunciated and upheld by the religion of Islam, and it is equally a symbol and proof of the equality of man before Allah, the Supreme Being, as taught by this religion. The concept and idea of the oneness of humanity is Islaam's unique contribution to human civilization, and it came as a natural sequel to its cardinal doctrine, the doctrine of "TAWHID" or the unity of God. The doctrine which runs through all teachings of the Qur'aan like a red thread, has found its most concise and terse expression in the 112th chapter, called "AL-IKHLAS," or purity of Faith:

"Say He is God, the One and Only; God the Eternal, Absolute; He begotten not, nor is He begotten; And there is None like unto Him." (Qur'aan [112]: 1-4) (Please do read these verses and the verses following in conjunction with their commentary by A. Yusuf Ali.)

THE RABB

He, Allah, the One and Only, is the author of all existence; He is our creator, to Him we belong and to Him is our return. And He is more than mere author and creator. He is also the "RABB" of his creation and His creatures: and "RABB" according to the great Scholar, Imaam Raaghib, in Arabic signifies:

'The Cherisher, Sustainer and Fosterer of a thing in such a manner as to make it attain one condition after another until it reaches its goal of completion and perfection."

Thus Allah being the "Rabbul-'Aalamin," the "Rabb of the worlds," as He is called in the opening chapter (Surah Al-Faatihah), of the Qur'aan and of all of us, whom He alone created. He deals with all of us alike, no matter to which race, nation, tribe or parentage we may belong, as the Qur'aan further elucidates in numerous verses and words, such as: "And mankind is naught but a single nation." (Qur'aan [2]: 213)

We are all the children of Adam, and Adam was made out of dust. Here dawned the idea after much time in human history that all men have a common origin and that because of their common origin, because we belong to Allaah, all and sundry, to whom is our ultimate return, the whole of humanity is but one family, one nation and should, ideally, form one fraternity - the universal brotherhood of man. The differences of color and languages, of build and of features are not regarded as differences of quality, or as marks or degrees of excellence, but as an expression of the diversity in nature. The Qur'aan says:

"Among his signs is this, that he created you from dust: and then, behold, ye are men scattered (far and wide)"

"And among his signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations and diversity of your tongues and of your color; verily in that are signs for those who know." (Qur'an [30]: 22)

Yousuf Ali, commenting on this verse:

"All mankind were created of a single pair of parents; yet they had spread to different climates and developed different languages and different shades of complexions. And yet, their basic unity remains unaltered. They feel in the same way, and are equally under god's care".

Whatever a country in which a people lives, whatever the language they speak, whatever the color of their skin, they are recognized as one family, living under one roof- the canopy of heaven scattered, but of common origin. The Qur'aan says: "O Mankind! Reverence your Gurdian Lord, who created you from a single person, created of like nature, his mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and woman." (Qur'aan [4]:1)

UNITY OF MANKIND

There is one verse in the Qur'aan, however, which not only re-states the common origin of man, explains the division of humanity into nations, or race and tribes, tells us that the object and purpose of this division was also the ultimate unification of humanity, but goes a step further: it points out to us the one and only criterion, the only standard by which man is judged by Allaah, and thus by which we should also judge our fellow-man. As you will presently see, this criterion is not color, nor race, not social standing or caste, not even skill and the degree of his intelligence. It is something which to achieve lies within reach of every human being, black or brown, white or yellow, rich or poor, if only he made an effort to cultivate it within himself. You'll find in the Qur'aan:

"O Mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most rightious of you and God has full knowledge and is well aquainted (with all things)." (Qur'aan [49]:13)

"The principle of the brotherhood of man laid down here", observed an author of an english translation of the Qur'aan, "is based on the broadest foundation. The address here is not the believers but to men in general, who are told that they are all, as it were, members of one family, and their divisions into nations, races, tribes and families should not lead to estrangement from, but to a better knowledge of each other. Superiority of one over another in this vast brotherhood does not depend on race, nationality, wealth or rank but on righteousness, on the careful observance of duty towards god and fellow-man, on moral greatness".

To the above it is important to add: the strength of one's "Imaan" (faith) in the One and Only God because it is through faith and submission unto the Will of God by which we can really attain to moral greatness.

This verse of the Qur'aan is Islaam's answer to racism, an answer which as far as the Muslim community is concerned, did not remain a pious exhortation but sounded the death knell of racial discrimination in the world of Islaam as borne out not only by the example set by the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), but also subsequent events in the history of all Muslim Nations and by the general attitude of the Muslims until the present day. I am inclined by personal experiences which were gathered during travels in almost all Muslim Countries for the past 25 years to insist that because of these teachings of Islaam, and their translation into practice by the Prophet (peace be upon him), a complete change was brought into the minds and hearts of all who embraced Islaam.

A BEAUTIFUL PATTERN OF CONDUCT

There are instances galore in the life of the Prophet Muhammed, upon whom be peace and blessings of Allah, which show us that, as is the case with regard to all injunctions of the Qur'aan, he was the perfect exemplar and the beautiful pattern of conduct. He showed the application and actualization of the principle of the brotherhood of man in his own dealings with his followers as well as in his personal relations with adherents of other faiths. But we can only appreciate fully how formidable a task it was to establish this principle among his followers if we look at the social conditions which prevailed in Arabia before the advent of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In order to illustrate this point, i'll quote an extract from a book by a non-Muslim author, namely from "The Social Structure of Islaam" by Reuben Levy:

"The population of Arabia, outside of a few settled communities embedded in it, has throughout historical times been so constituted as to form a number of groups or tribes, very loosely held together either by loyalty to a particular leader or by the assumption of descent from a common ancestor, whether real or legendary. Within each of such groups or tribes, the independence of individual units - the tents or families- has always been taken as a matter of course, and the head of each unit has been regarded as being in status the equal of every other. In the heads of the families lies the power to elect the "Shaykh" or Tribal Chief, of whom in theory, no special qualification is required. In actual practice, however, there is normally a strong prejudice in favor of choosing the "Shaykh" from amongst the number of particular families. At the time of the rise of Muhammed, such families held a position of great influence within the community, so that in any claim to authority the factor of birth was considered of a paramount importance. Noble ancestry was the supreme test of nobility, and no person whose genealogy was not entirely free of hereditary taint, for example, ancestors of servile or negro origin could be regarded as conforming to the requisite standard. Such person were relegated to the humbler ranks of society and were thus compelled to undertake careers that inevitably marked them as inferior beings ... In the same way that the old nobility resisted the assumption of equality by other Arabs, so the inhabitants of Arabia as a whole refused to consider foreigners as being their peers."

The Qur'aan states in response:

"And hold fast all together by the rope which God (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves. And remember with gratitude God's favour on you; for ye were enemies, and he joined your hearts in love, so that by his grace ye became brethren. And ye were on the brink of the pit of fire, and he saved you from it. Thus doth God make his signs clear to you that ye may be guided." (Qur'aan 3:103)

Among the measures introduced by the Prophet of Islaam to level the differences of rank, and of race, among his steadily growing community was Prayer (Salaah) in particular. Five times a day the Muslims meet together for Salaah. Among the first Muslims who partook in this great union, who were members of the noblest Arab families, as well as a good number of slaves. At Salaah they all stood shoulder to shoulder before the Almighty and when, in the further course of prayer, they prostrated before their Lord, it might well have been that the head of a noble Arab praying in a row behind a slave rested at the latter's feet. In prayer and in the company of the Prophet (peace be upon him) no differences of status was recognized between the two.

UNITY IN PRAYER

From standing side by side in the ranks of prayer, the next step was a mere corollary; they mingled freely on terms of perfect equality on all other occasions. Service to God was thus the door through which the fraternization of humanity was effected... The slaves and the noble arab were made to meet together on terms of equality in prayer and in religious gatherings. It was thus impressed on their mindsthat they were all equal before God, and life once molded on these lines led to the natural consequence that the slaves and the arab nobility enjoyed equal status in society. In the first Muslim community a slave, Bilaal, was chosen by the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself to deliver the "Adhaan", the Call to Prayer, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself was the "Imaam" or leader of congregation.

In his famous oration, which he delivered on the occasion of his "Farewell Pilgrimage", the last pilgrimage before he closed his eyes forever, the Prophet (peace be upon him) re-affirmed and re-stated the principle of equality and brotherhood of man in Islaam, thus bequeathing it as a sacred legacy to generation after generation of Muslims after him until the present day. Let me quote from the oration:

"Ye people! Listen to my words, for i know not whether another year will be vouch safed to me after this year to find myself amongst you at this place."

"Your lives and property are sacred and inviolable amongst one another until ye appear before the Lord... And remember, ye shall have to appear before your Lord who shall demand from you an account of all your actions... Ye people, ye have rights over your wives, and your wives have rights over you. Treat them with kindness and love... Keep always faithfull to the trust reposed in you."

"Ye people listen to my words and understand them. Know ye that all Muslims are brothers unto one another. Ye are one brotherhood."

"All men are equal in Islaam. The Arab has no superiority over the Non-Arab ,nor does the Non-Arab have superiority over the Arab, save in the fear of God."

The Prophet's bequest was heeded and the example set by him was followed by subsequent generations of Muslims throughout the ages and history. It is impossible for me, within the limits of the time allocated to me for this talk, to render a detailed, much less a comprehensive account, of all such facts and incidents which afford proof of my assertion. I can only quote some of them, and i maybe permitted to do so at random:

One of the acid tests of unrestrained inter-racial relations are inter-racial marriages. Many a ruler of the Umayyid and Abasside as well as of later dynasties, had Turkish, Greek or even other mothers of various background and color. On the other hand, social rank or high office did not bestow upon the bearer special privileges before the law and certainly did not entitle him to ill-treat a brother Muslim with impunity. The following incident which is reported to have occurred during the reign of Omar, the second Caliph after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is an example of absolute equality of all men in Islaam.

Equality Before Law

Jabbala, king of the Ghassanides, having embraced Islaam, set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca. While performing the circumambulation of the Ka'bah, a humble pilgrim engaged in the same sacred duties, accidentally dropped a piece of his pilgrim's dress over the royal shoulders. Jabbala turned round furiously and struck him a blow. The poor man went to the Caliph and asked for justice. Omar sent for Jabbala and asked him why he had treated a Muslim brother so badly. He answered that the man had insulted him, and had it not been for the sanctity of the place, he would have killed him on the spot. Omar replied that his words added to the gravity of his offense, and that, unless he sought the pardon of the injured man Jabbala would have to submit to the penalty of the law. When Jabbala refused to do as he was bidden out of pride that he, himself, was a king and the other only a common man, Omar replied:

"King or no king, both of you are Muslims and both of you are equal in the eye of law."

Perhaps one of the most instructive examples of the policy of Islaam towards different races was furnished in Spain. Permit me to quote from Syed Amir Ali's fundamental work "The Spirit of Islaam":

"Immediately by their arrival on the soil of spain, the Muslims or Saracens publish an edict assuring to the subject races, without any difference, the most ample liberty. Suevl, Goth, Vandal, Roman and Jew, were all placed on an equal footing. Their woman were invited to intermarry with the conquerors...the fidelity of the arabs in maintaining their promises, the equal-headed justice which they administered to all races and classes - without distinction of any kind - secured them the confidence of the people... The Jews profited most by the change of government."

Many centuries later when Spain was re-conquered by Ferdinand and Isabelle, innumerable Jews left the country for Muslim lands, preferring a life in their home-country under the new rulers of whose racial and religious tolerance they were not convinced.

Religion of Tolerance

And this is another aspect of the principle of the brotherhood of mankind as envisaged and enunciated by Islaam: namely Religious Tolerance. The essence of the attitude of Islaam towards adherents of other faiths is to be found in the character which was granted to the Jews by the Prophet (peace be upon him) after his arrival in Madinah, and in the message which he sent to the Christians of Najran, a town in Southern Arabia, then largely inhabited by Christians after Islaam had fully established itself in the Arab Peninsula.

"In the Name of the Most Merciful and Compassionate God," says this first charter of freedom of conscience, "given by Muhammed, the Prophet to the believers, whether of the Quraysh or of Yathrib (as Madina was then called) - and to all individuals of whatever origin who have made common cause with them: all these shall constitute one nation... The Jews who attach themselves to our common wealth shall be protected from all insults and vexations: they shall have an equal right with our people to our assistance and good offices. The Jews of the various branches-(and here follows the names of the various Jewish tribes of Medinah and the surrounding territories)- and all other domiciled in Yathrib, shall form with the Muslims one composite nation. They shall practice their religion as freely as the Muslims. The clients- meaning the protected, and the allies of the Jews shall enjoy the same security and freedom."

This was a paraphrase of the charter granted by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the Jews after he had arrived in Yathrib, a town which because of him became known as Medinatun-Nabi (The City of the Prophet), or in short Medinah.

The message sent to the Christians of Najran, almost at the end of the Prophet's mission, runs as follows:

"To the Christians of Najran and the neighbouring territories,the security of God and the pledge of his Prophet are extended for their lives, their religion and their property- to the present as well as the absent, and others besides. There shall be no interference with the practice of their faith or their observances, nor any change in their rights or priviledges. No bishop shall be removed from his bishopric nor any monk from his monastery, nor any priest from his priesthood. And they shall continue to enjoy everything great and small as heretofore. No image or cross shall be destroyed; they shall not oppress or be oppressed; they shall not practice the rights of blood vengeance as in the days of ignorance- (the era before the advent of Islaam). No title shall be levied from them nor shall they be required to furnish provisions for the troops."

"This document," observes Sayed Amir Ali in his book quoted above, "has furnished the guiding principle to all Muslim rulers in their mode of dealing with their Non-Muslim subjects, and if they have departed from it in any instance the cause is to be found in the character of the particular king. If we separate the political necessity which has often spoken and acted in the name of religion, no faith is more tolerant than Islaam to the followers of other creeds. "Reasons of State" may have led a sovereign here and there to display a certain degree of intolerance, or to insist upon a certain uniformity of faith - but the system itself has ever maintained the most complete tolerance. Christians and Jews, as a rule, have never been molested in the exercise of their religion, or forced to change their faith. If they are required to pay a special tax, it is in lieu of military service, and it is but right that those who enjoy the protection of the state should also contribute in some shape to the public burdens. Towards the idolaters there was greater strictness in theory, but in practice the law was equally liberal. If at any time they were treated with harshness, the cause is to be found in the passions of the ruler of the population. The religious element was used only as pretext."

If there have been instances of religious intolerance in the history of the Muslim nations, these instances- and this should be very clearly understood- did not happen because of Islaam but in spite of Islaam. They only show a lack of knowledge of the teachings of Islaam, and a lack of understanding of the spirit and principles of laid down in Islaam. You might like to interpose here that the idea of racial equality and of the brotherhood of mankind is not the exclusive property of Islaam, nay that these ideas have been proclaimed by different individuals and ideologies in different places around our globe and at different times. You might like to quote to me- as i did to you- from various sacred and profane works of the most dissimilar authors, and you will certainly insist that in the West- in Europe and America- this idea has been accepted and adopted as a principle or policy, of organized society, since the 18th century at the latest, when the age of enlightenment had dawned and the French Revolution had sounded the clarion call of: "Liberate, egalite, fraternite!"

Equality in Action

I certainly can not and shall not claim that the idea of racial equality and of human brotherhood is the invention of Islaam and has only been proclaimed by this religion and by none else. But i claim, and insist, that only by Islaam has this idea ever been realized in action over centuries and among the most different and dissimilar nations and races.

In spite of the lofty ideals of enlightenment and of the French Revolution the West did not and has still not solved the racial problem, nor has the West been able until today to establish racial equality properly in its hemisphere. It is barely thirty years ago that racism raised to the position of state philosophy- the most brutal and barbaric racism that can be imagined- the one i referred to at the very beginning of my talk. Racism in the form of "Apartheid" is still allowed to raise its ugly head in South Africa, and racism is certainly not eradicated in the United States, in spite of the abolition of slavery that took place some time ago, and in spite of legislation introduced after the Second World War, aiming at the leveling of differences between the various racial groups and at the doing away with Racial Discrimination. In the Socialist world, Marxism, Leninism or Communism has introduced its own brand and type of racism - namely, what i maybe permitted to call "Ideological Racism" - which is as hateful and abhorrent as Biological Racism.

So, wherever we look we find that neither the ideals of Age of Enlightenment and of the French Revolution, nor the UN Charter of Human Rights, the latest exercise in bringing about racial equality and in abolishing racial discrimination have been able to achieve their goal, while Islaam has most certainly done so. I will now narrate some of my own personal experiences as a Muslim; in the course of the last 25 years or so i have visited almost every Muslim country and i have been posted for longer or shorter periods in about half a dozen of them. Wherever i went i was immediately accepted by the local Muslims as one of theirs, and my religious affiliation proved to have an incomparably stronger and deeper effect on them than my nationality or the color of my skin. As a matter of fact the latter were of absolutely no consequence at all in their attitude towards me. When i married to a young Muslim lady from Pakistan, more than 22 years ago, it did not create the slightest embarrassment to the family of my wife nor to us, the young couple. The marriage was accepted with the same naturalness as any marriage of two Pakistanis, and no one of my muslim relative or friends ever considered or treated our children as half-caste in the ugly meaning of that word, nor were my children ever made to feel any different from full-blooded pakistani, or full-blooded German children. They, who grew up among Muslims never knew of racial differences between men until, yes, in the wake of one of our numerous transfers from one post to another we perforce had to make a brief sojourn in South Africa. There they saw for the first time in their life ugly signs "For Whites Only" and it was there that they were made to realize that in a country where racism reigns, Ahmed can not play football in the street with John, and Leila cannot just drop in at Linda's to admire her new doll. What a shock they got when they saw that their father and their mother, in order to do such a simple transaction as to buy postage stamps, had to enter the Post Office through different doors. Then they stood in front of a beautiful church, and their perturbed minds were set at rest when,- for it was Christmas time - they read the invitation written in bold letters above the door: "All are Welcome," but with much smaller letters, once again, the ugly sign "For Whites Only!" So even here, during christmas, the festival of joy and love, there was no bridge to cross the deep, deep gap between fellow human-beings who have everything else in common- except the color of their skin.

The Success of Islaam

Why, then, has Islaam succeeded where other systems and ideologies seem to have failed? What is the secret of its success, and in what way can the religion of Islaam contribute to the solution of the racial problem under which millions and millions of our fellow human-beings are still reeling? In my humble opinion Islaam has succeeded where other systems and ideologies have failed because of two decisive factors: namely the universality of its teachings and the Divine sanction on which the Islamic concept of the brotherhood of mankind is based. A Muslim believes that Islaam is not only the last of the world's great religions but also an all-inclusive religion which contains within itself all religions which came before it. It is one of its most striking characteristics that is requires its followers to believe that all great religions of the world that preceded it have been revealed by God, and it is a fundamental principle of Islaam that a Muslim must also believe in all Prophets who were raised up before the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). Prophets according to the express teachings of the Qur'aan were sent by Allah to all nations:

"And there is not a nation but a warner has gone among them." (Qur'aan [13]:7)

Although all previous Prophets were sent with a specific missions to their own people specifically, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was sent to all nations, as the Qur'aan teaches us:

"O mankind! I am the Apostle that hath come to you in truth from God." (Qur'aan [4]:170)

"We sent thee not but as a mercy for all nations." (Qur'an [21]:107)

"There is no question now," say Yusuf Ali in his commentary to this chosen verse, "of Race or Nation, of a "Chosen People" or "The Seed of Abraham' or 'the Seed of David' or of Hindu Arya-Varta, of Jew or Gentile, Arab or 'Ajam, Turk or Tajik, European or Asiatic, White or Colored; Aryan, Semitic, Mongolian, or African; or American, Australian or Polynesian."

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent to them all- and that distinguishes him from all other Prophets, and that also distinguishes Islaam from all other religions. The message that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) from on high was a message addressed to all nations on earth, and the principles set forth in that message applied universally to the whole mankind. He was the Last of the Prophets, and Islaam, based on the revelation which the Prophet (peace be upon him) received is the final and perfect expression of the Divine Will. The Qur'aan mentions:

"This day have i perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion" (Qur'aan, [5]:4)

It is a message from the Self-Same God, the Supreme Being, the Ultimate Cause, the One and Only, our Lord and Creator who has also spoken to us through the mouth of the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).

In Islaam and to every single one of its followers the equality of man and the brotherhood of mankind are not the figment of the human brain and mind. They are guiding principles decreed by Allaah. Equality and fraternity, as well as liberty, according to the teachings of Islaam, are religious categories, and only where they are conceived as such can these lofty ideals become reality. There is no road to the unification of humanity, no road to a brotherhood of man which knows no boundaries of color, race, country, language and rank except through Allaah, the Creator and "Rabb" of all that is in the heavens and on and in earth. Without absolute and unreserved faith in Him, and in the truth and universality of his revelation, without the will to serve Him, which is the purpose of our creation, and to follow his commandments and guidance this goal can never be achieved, as history itself proves.

Absolute Values

"Verily, the most honoured of you in the sight of God, O Men, is he who is the most rightious, the most God-Fearing, of you." (Qur'aan, [49]:13)

This is the yard stick by which in Islaam man is measured, and not by race, caste, or rank. Peace and mutual trust among individuals and nations alike can only be brought about if we base our inter-human relations on the recognition of, and strict adherence to absolute values. Materialism, humanity's ideal in modern times, lacks all prerequisites because its value concepts change from time to time, and from place to place. Islaam is the only force which provides man with the spiritual and oral foundation on which lasting peace and mutual trust and respect among the nations of the world can be built. Islaam is, first and foremost, an international religion, and it is before the grand international ideal of Islaam, the ideal of equality of all races and of the unity of the human kind, an ideal founded on the belief in the oneness of God, that the curse of racism and narrow minded nationalism, which have been and still are responsible for many of the troubles of the ancient and the modern world, can be swept away. The Muslim community, past and present, has not only established true and lasting brotherhood among its members, a brotherhood that encompasses everyone who belongs to it, irrespective of racial or social differences, it has also shown us by its example the road to this goal. The starting point is faith, unquestioning faith in God, the "Rabb" of the world. From there it leads us to submission unto His Will-the stage at which we willingly and cheerfully obey his commandments and actualize the principles laid down by Him for our actions and conduct- until we reach the stage of supererogatory service to God and men. The road leads us, to use Arabic terms, from Imaan (Faith) to Islaam, Submission and ultimatly to Ihsaan. This the road we have to tread if we want to bring about mutual respect and trust among men, the road to the abolition of all racial and social discriminations, the road to the unification of mankind, to the universal brotherhood to which the assembly of Muslims, of all races and from every nook and corner of the world, at Mecca during the day of Hajj (Pilgrimage) bears witness. But this assembly also shows us that our unity lies in God, and God only. May we be inspired by their faith and example; may we follow their road, Aameen!

Source: This was a paper read at the International Islamic Conference in London on Apri l4th by Brother Muhammad Amen Hobohm, who is now a Diplomat in the West German Embassy in Sri Lanka.

Details

Category: Is There Racism in Islaam?

Hits: 5257

Details

Category: Is There Racism in Islaam?

Hits: 5229

From the Quran

"O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you" (Quran 49:13).

Explanation: There are several principles, which this verse presents:

• This message is not just for Muslims only because God is addressing all of humanity. While Muslims are one brotherhood, this is part of a larger brotherhood of humanity.
• God is telling us that He has created us. Therefore He knows the best about us.
• He says that He created us from one man and one woman meaning then that we are all the same.
• It also means that all human beings are created through the same process, not in a manner in which some are created with a better mechanism than others.
• God is the One who made human beings into different groups and people.

These differences are not wrong, rather a sign from God "And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors. Verily, in that are indeed signs for those who know" [Quran 30:22]).

Note that no word equivalent to race is used in this ayah or any other verse of the Quran.

Islam, however, limits the purpose of these distinctions to differentiation and knowing each other. This is not meant to be a source of beating each other down with an attitude of ‘my group is better than your group' or false pride as is the case with tribalism, nationalism, colonialism, and racism.

The only source of preference or greatness among human beings is not on a national or group level, but it is at the individual level.

One individual who is (higher in Taqwa), more conscious of his Creator and is staying away from the bad and doing the good is better, no matter what nation, country or caste he is part of. Individual piety is the only thing that makes a person better and greater than the other one.

However, the only criterion of preference, Taqwa, is not measurable by human beings. Indeed God is the One Who knows and is aware of everything so we should leave even this criterion to God to decide instead of human beings judging each other.

These are the deeply embedded ideals of Islam which still bring people to this way of life even though Muslims are not on the best level of Iman today. This is what changed the heart of a racist Malcolm X when he performed Hajj in Makkah. This is the power that brought Muhammad Ali to Islam. This is what still attracts the Untouchables of India towards Islam. This is the theory which convinced noted historian Professor A.J. Toynbee in 1948 to say that:

"The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue."

Let's ask ourselves if the Muslim Ummah today, in its individual and collective behavior is striving to adopt and promote these Islamic ideals?

From the Sunnah

1. Prophet's response to racist comments:

A man once visited the Prophet's mosque in Madinah. There he saw a group of people sitting and discussing their faith together. Among them were Salman (who came from Persia), Suhayb who grew up in the Eastern Roman empire and was regarded as a Greek, and Bilal who was an African. The man then said:

"If the (Madinan) tribes of Aws and Khazraj support Muhammad, they are his people (that is, Arabs like him). But what are these people doing here?"

The Prophet became very angry when this was reported to him. Straightaway, he went to the mosque and summoned people to a Salat. He then addressed them saying:

"O people, know that the Lord and Sustainer is One. Your ancestor is one, your faith is one. The Arabism of anyone of you is not from your mother or father. It is no more than a tongue (language). Whoever speaks Arabic is an Arab." (As quoted in Islam The Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid p. 125)

2. Statement of the universal brotherhood in the last Sermon:

"O people, Remember that your Lord is One. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a black has no superiority over white, nor a white has any superiority over black, except by piety and good action (Taqwa). Indeed the best among you is the one with the best character (Taqwa). Listen to me. Did I convey this to you properly?" People responded, "Yes. O messenger of God." The Prophet then said, "Then each one of you who is there must convey this to everyone not present." (Excerpt from the Prophet's Last Sermon as in Baihiqi)

3. Don't take pride in ancestry:

The Prophet said: "Let people stop boasting about their ancestors. One is only a pious believer or a miserable sinner. All men are sons of Adam, and Adam came from dust." (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

4. Looking down upon other people will stop you from entering the Jannah:

The Prophet said: "Whoever has pride in his heart equal to the weight of an atom shall not enter Paradise." A man inquired about a person who likes to wear beautiful clothes and fine shoes, and he answered: "God is beautiful and likes beauty." Then he explained pride means rejecting the truth because of self-esteem and looking down on other people (Muslim).

5. The Prophet condemnation of Arab racial pride:

There are many hadith, which repeatedly strike on the Arab pride of jahiliyyah. Arabs before Islam used to look down upon others specially blacks. The Prophet repeatedly contrasted the believing Africans versus non-believing Arab nobles.

The Prophet said: "You should listen to and obey your ruler even if he was an Ethiopian slave whose head looked like a raisin." (Bukhari)

Details

Category: Is There Racism in Islaam?

Hits: 4738

Many Muslims who have been blessed to make Hajj often speak of how the journey is a life-changing experience. This is more the case for some than others.

Malcolm X is one Muslim who saw the light of true Islam through his Hajj in April 1964. As a former member and speaker for the Nation of Islam, a black spiritual and nationalist movement, he believed that the white man was the devil and the black man superior.

After leaving the Nation of Islam in March 1964, he made Hajj, which helped change his perspective on whites and racism completely.

Here is an excerpt of a letter El Hajj Malik El Shabazz wrote about his Hajj experience. In it, he explains what it was during this blessed journey that made him so profoundly shift his perspective on race and racism:

"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.
You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have been always a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.
During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug)-while praying to the same God with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of the blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the ‘white' Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana.
We are truly all the same-brothers.
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds."

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 26077

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 25781

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 44663

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 29714

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 24845

This style of scarf works best if the fabric is a bit stretchy.

• Purchase .5m (1/2yd) of fabric.

• Cut a rectangle 56cm x 48cm (22"x19").

• Fold back one long edge (wrong sides together) 12cm (4.5").

Diagrams:

• Use a decorative stitch with matching thread: stitch 1/2" away from the folded edge.

• Stitch along the first raw edge with a straight stitch.

• Hem the bottom raw edge as desired.

• Fold in half, right sides together, Diagram Two.

• Stitch the vertical seam to form a tube. Fold out.

How to wear this underscarf

Wear this underscarf like a headband, with all of your hair in the "tube". I usually pull it down around my neck, then pull it back so my hair is swept off from my face and neck.

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 25808

• Purchase .5m (1/2yd) of fabric. You will also need a piece of 1/4"wide elastic, 13cm (5")long.

• Cut two rectangles with the following dimensions:
  • 34cm x 50cm [13"x19"] This is the front piece.
  • 28cm x 40cm [11"x16"] This is the back piece.

• Fold the larger rectangle in half (right sides together). Stitch around the edges leaving an opening for turning. Diagram One. Turn right side out, fold in the raw edges of the opening and stitch closed.

• Fold the smaller rectangle in half and repeat the same procedure as above. Diagram One.

• To stitch the front and back together Refer to Diagram Two.
  • Find the centre of the front and the center of the back, mark with a pin.
  • Pin the two pieces, seam edges together, matching centre points.
  • The easiest way to sew is from the centre, down to the end of the back piece, then from the centre again down to the other end. *Don't fret about accuracy, just eyeball it.
• Place the piece of elastic along the folded edge of the back. Stretch it fit the width of the back piece. Hold the elastic in place at either end and stitch in place with tiny ziz-zag stitches. This will gather the back.

• See Side-View Diagram of completed scarf.

• Place the "bonnet" on your head and tie the two long end at the back of your neck.

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 26637

• Purchase .7m (1yd) of fabric.

• Cut a large square of fabric: 70cm (27") square.

• Fold the square in half diagonally, wrong sides together, pin in several places to hold in place.

• Stitch across the front, approximately 2cm (1/2") from the folded edge. You could use a decorative stitch in matching thread or a simple straight stitch.

• Stitch again 15cm (6") back from the folded edge.

• Serge the raw edges or use a simple zig-zag stitch.

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 27369

• 115cm (45") wide fabric will give you a Khimaar that's anywhere from wrist-length to finger-tip length, depending on your height.

• Purchase 2.5m (3yards) of fabric. Soft, lightweight, cotton material works best. If it's a bit stretchy, that's even better. Single-knits (a.k.a. "T-Shirt material") work great. You could also use lightweight silky polyester.

• Fold in half, right sides together, with the fold at the top.

• If the material is silky, pin in several places to prevent shifting.

• Referring to the diagram: cut a large smooth curve from the bottom right to the top left corner. Points A-B.

• Start by cutting a straight line, parallel to the raw edge, curve the line toward Point B, and end with a straight line, parallel to the left edge. This will ensure that the front and back of the khimar is straight and not in a "V" cut.

• In order to make the front and back even, start Point "A", about 10cm (4") from the corner.

• Sew up the front of the Khimaar, from Points A-C. Leaving the rest open for your face.

• Try on the Khimaar. The face opening will probably need adjusting. It should fit snug under your chin.

• Hem the face opening and lower edges of the Khimaar as desired.

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 28122

• With your arms at your sides, have someone measure from one wrist to the other going across the back of the shoulders.

• Purchase twice this amount of 60" inch wide fabric.

• Fold the left and right edges so that they meet in the center.

• Pin in several places to hold the fabric in place.

• Referring to the diagram: Cut a V-neck in the top layer of fabric.

• Stitch the seam line across the top.

• At the upper left and right corners, cut openings for your hands.

• The center seam of the abayah may be closed in several ways:

1. The easiest thing to do is simply stitch the entire seam all the way up to the neck.
2. You could also stitch from the bottom, half-way up, then insert a long zipper, or even several snaps or velcro.

• Cut the bottom of the abayah, large and round.

• Finish the neck opening, and cuffs with satin ribbon or bias binding.

• Hem the bottom.

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 24330

This is the same as the headband Niqaab, except that a thin netting or mesh type fabric is stitched to the headband. This can stay atop the head for better visibility or flipped down to conceal the eyes.

• Cut the rectangle headband about 4"inches wide x the length needed to go around the head.

• Press a 1/4" hem along both long edges of the headband.

• Fold the headband in half, lengthwise, wrong sides together.

• Stitch the face cover to the bottom folded edge of the headband (with a slight seam allowance) leaving an opening slit for the eyes.

• Pin the eye mesh into the open seam at the top of the headband, (i.e. between the folded hems), stitch the seam all the way along the headband.

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 24942

• Cut a 4" wide rectangle. long enough to go around your head like a band, with a couple of inches overlapping - or if you prefer, make the band long enough to tie behind your head.

• Press a 1/4" inch hem along both long edges of the rectangle band. Fold the band in half, lengthwise, wrong sides (pressed hems) together.

• Cut a rectangle large enough to cover the face. Double if material is thin. Hem.

• Find the center of the band and the center of the face cover. Match.

• Pin the face cover in the slit of the band (i.e. between the folded hems)

• Leave an opening for the eyes.

• Sew the two pieces of the Niqaab together. Sewing from one side of the eye opening out the the end and from the other side of the eye opening out to the end. Refer to diagram:

**Note** This seam allowance needs to be very slight, otherwise the space for the eyes will not stay open.  Add snaps or velcro on the overlap of the headband, to close (unless it is made long enough to tie back).

Details

Category: Learn to Sew

Hits: 23256

• For a single layer Niqaab: Cut a rectangle of fabric 13"x17".

• Hem the two long sides and one short side.

• Fold the unhemmed sided under 1/4", fold again 1/2" and stitch close to the edge of the fold.

• Cut a length of 1/4" wide elastic, long enough to go around your head.

• Pass the elastic through the 1/2" hem of the Niqaab.

• Overlap the two ends of the elastic and stitch together firmly using tiny zigzag stitches.

**Note** Instead of elastic, ties could be added to either side of the Niqaab for tying behind the head.

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 3731

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 3939

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 11402

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 4927

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 3698

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 3798

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 3879

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 6810

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 5281

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 6872

Details

Category: Recitations of the Qur'aan

Hits: 9083

Sheikh Mahmûd Khalîl al-Husarî (d. 1980) was born near Tanta, north of Cairo. When he was twenty-five years of age he went to Tanta and established himself as a reciter. He was the reciter at the well-known Ahmadî mosque there. Ten years later he moved to Cairo, joined the Radio in 1944, and became the reciter at the Husayn mosque in 1955. In Cairo Sheikh al-Husarî also studied at al-Azhar University: he was a well-known religious scholar and author of many books on various aspects of the Qur'ân. He was also involved in the recent Azhari printing of the Qur'ânic text. Sheikh al-Husarî is known for the correctness of his recitation and adherence to the Sunnah, his distinctive deep voice and his long breath.  During his lifetime he not only recorded the Qur'ân six times in the transmission of Hafs (three murattal, two mujawwad and one mu'allim), but also recorded it in the transmissions of Qâlûn 'an Nâfi', Warsh 'an Nâfi' and ad-Dûri 'an Abî 'Amr.

Full Qur'an Recitation

Details

Category: For the New Muslimah, Our Beloved Sister in Faith

Hits: 7164

What makes a revert's approach to Ramadhaan any different than any other Muslim? After all, Ramadhaan is an act of worship obligatory for us all:

"O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint." 2:183

However, entering into Islaam later in life means you may not have had the benefit of all those years of preparation which many born into Islaam have had, and may find your feelings about the approaching month at odds with those around you. As an excitement about the approaching month seems to come upon the Muslim community, you may be silently wondering how you can ever get through a month of fasting. It may be your first Ramadhaan and although you start off with the best intentions, you may find yourself giving up halfway through, unable to mention your "failure" to anyone else.

So we thought it may be helpful to set out some beneficial pointers for this Ramadhaan inshaa'Allaah, especially if you are worried you will struggle your way through this blessed month and come out the other end feeling you could have done so much better.

Remind yourself of those Qur'aanic verses which reflect on Allaah's (subhanahu wa ta'ala) Mercy towards His Creation:

For example: ..."Allaah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allaah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful." (2:185)

Also: ..."Allaah does not intend to make difficulty for you, but He intends to purify you and complete His favour upon you that you may be grateful." * These two verses alone show us that Allaah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) just wants us to be grateful to Him. Struggle means relying on Him even more – so that can only be good Inshaa'Allaah.

Read up on the virtues of Ramadhaan, its blessings and rewards for fasting, Taraweeh (Night Prayer), Laylatul Qadr (The Night of Power), etc.

(Many articles related to these topics can be found here at idealmuslimah.com in the relevant categories).

Reflect on last year's Ramadhaan and ponder over how you could have improved your experience, applying these improvements to this Ramadhaan.

Choose three small goals to improve your month this year, and keep them simple.

Remember the Hadith: "The deeds which Allaah loves most are those done regularly, even if they are small." (Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 3, no. 191)

Seek positive ways to engage with the Qur'aan

Although we are encouraged to read as much Qur'aan as possible this month, some of us still struggle over the letters and feel completely inadequate at reading. This can leave us feeling a failure. Instead, seek positive ways to engage with the Qur'aan. Read it in English, listen to a Tafsir online, really understand and absorb that particular chapter until you know it and want to live it. Then when you listen to it and try to read it in Arabic, it may become easier for you, Inshaa'Allaah.

Compile a Du'a (supplication) list and allocate time in the day to make lots of Du'a (supplication).

We often feel our difficult situation will never change, but have we made Du'a (supplication) for it? Have we really made Du'a (supplication) for our non-Muslim families, our husbands, our children, our everyday life? This is the month to really try devoting time to Du'a (supplication) - and by making a list, you can see at a later point that these Du'as may be answered!

General Tips:

Buy all necessities; food, new clothes, gifts etc before Ramadhaan

This is so you can focus more on worship and spiritual development. Everyone in the family, even the kids, can participate, by planning meals, writing a shopping list, and preparing some meals to be stored in the freezer.

Try to avoid eating too much at either Suhoor or Iftaar - keep your body and mind fresh for action for Allaah. 

Try doing the most important things first

E.g., Quran and extra prayers.

This could be during the first part of the day when you are more alert. Leave digital talks and other beneficial reminders for later on in the day when you can rest and reflect.

Choose a Qur'aan reading buddy, or encourage a small group of friends to read a Juzz a day ( English or Arabic)

To encourage each other to reach this goal, set a time to call each other to check everyone has done this. If a Juzz is too much, set a smaller goal which is going to be achievable. Choose sisters who are at your level, so that you are all encouraged and not discouraged. Or start up a weekly Halaqah (gathering, circle) with other sisters, to go through the Tafseer of a certain Surah. These meetings will (Allaah Willing) be an encouragement to all.

Arrange to care for another revert Sister's children so that she can also benefit from Taraweeh.

If she can do the same for you, both of you can really benefit from this time. If you can't get to the Taraweeh prayer, don't feel guilty, but use that time after Iftaar as a special time for extra prayer, reading and reflection.

Plan different places and ways to have Iftaar, whatever your personal situation: at home alone, by inviting others, visiting other sisters, meeting at the Masjid, eating out in a restaurant for a special treat etc. Enjoy the physical reward for a day of fasting!

If possible, try to spend as much time as you can in the Masjid if your lonely and feeling weak

Break your fast there, and relax before and after each prayer. Enjoy the special sakinah and tranquility of the Masjid at this special time of year. Take a Du'a (supplication) book and find a Du'a (supplication) that resonates with you and keep repeating until you have really internalised it (even if you haven't memorized it). This will help you to feel part of the wider Ummah and reconnect with Allaah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) at the same time.

Set up a method of learning while cooking.

Have talks and reminders of Allaah at hand so that you can practice remembrance of Allaah whilst being in the kitchen. This may be repeating a Du'a (supplication), listening to Qur'aan, choosing an Ayah (verse) to reflect on for each day of the month etc - think about these things in advance so that you don't end up feeling the month is running away from you and you're still just stuck in the kitchen not benefitting.

Choose to do one good deed per week (or more if able)

E.g. Make Iftaar for others, make time for a Sister who is alone, send an encouragement to another Muslim, help to clean someone's home if they are not well, help a Sister with shopping, tidy the Masjid.

Finally, aim to keep a  - something you can record your learning, your reflections, your Du'as. It will be invaluable as a record of what you have achieved, so that you can look back and see what a positive month this has been, instead of feeling a failure compared to everyone else.

This month is personal - a time to connect more closely with Allaah (subhanahu wa ta'ala), a time for reflection, and Inshaa'Allaah... a time for renewal.

Details

Category: For the New Muslimah, Our Beloved Sister in Faith

Hits: 8571

As a new Muslim you may not have learnt the prayer as yet. You must begin learning it ASAP as this is the second pillar of Islaam, after the testimony of faith and the material is readily available on this site. For now, while you do not know how to pray, you should read at the time of every prayer:

Subhaan-Allaah wa’l-hamdu Lillaah wa laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa Allaahu akbar wa laa hawla wa la quwwata illa Billaah

(Glory be to Allaah, praise be to Allaah, there is no god except Allaah and Allaah is Most great, there is no god except Allaah and there is no power and no strength except with Allaah).”

After which one should read:

Allaahumma ighfir li warhamni wahdini warzuqni wa ‘aafini

(O Allaah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, and grant me provision and good health).”

Do this trying your best, and Allah Almighty knows when his slave is trying his or her best.

This is for someone who has not yet learnt the opening chapter of the Qur'an, which is a requirement for the prayer. So if someone has just become Muslim and the time for prayer has come and there is not enough time for him to learn it, then s/he must read the above. For a detailed answer as to why, please refer to the following link (click here).