In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Hadith of the Prophet

2009-04-01T02:23:00.000-07:00

On the authority of Anas ibn malik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that, what he desires for himself."

(Bukhari & Muslim)

Narrated Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him): The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was neither a Fahish (one who speaks bad words to make people laugh), nor a Mutafahhish (never used bad language)." He used to say, "The best amongst you are those who have the best manners and character.""

Bukhari

Narrated Abu Sa'id Al Khudri & Abu Hurairah (RAA) The Prophet (SAW) said:
"No fatigue, no disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that."

Bukhari and Muslim

The Authority Of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) From the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said ::
"Let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour, and let him who believes in Allah and the Last Day be generous to his guest."

Reporters.
Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

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Hadith of the Prophet SLW

2009-03-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

1. The Authority Of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) From the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said :
"Allah (mighty and sublime be He) said : Spend (on charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you."

Reporters.
It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim).

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2. Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported:
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: While I was asleep I saw myself in Paradise and a woman performing ablution by the side of a palace. I said: For whom is it meant? They said: It is meant for 'Umar bin Al-Khattab. (The Holy Prophet) said: There came across my mind the feeling of 'Umar and so I turned back and went away. Abu Hurairah said: 'Umar wept as we were present in that meeting with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and 'Umar said: Allah's Messenger, may my father and mother be taken as ransom for you. Could I at all feel any jealousy about you?

Sahih Muslim

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Other Hadith of the Prophet SLW

2009-03-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:

"'O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself.'"

[Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah).]
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Hadith of the Prophet SLW

2009-02-24T02:11:00.000-08:00

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:

"Allah (glorified and exalted be He) has supernumerary angels who rove about seeking out gatherings in which Allah's name is being invoked: they sit with them and fold their wings round each other, filling in that which is between them and between the lowest heaven. When [the people in the gathering] depart, [the angels] ascend and rise up to heaven." He (the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Then Allah (mighty and sublime be He) asks them - [though] He is most knowing about them: 'From where have you come?' And they say: 'We have come from some servants of Yours on Earth: they were glorifying You (Subhana llah), exalting you (Allahu akbar), witnessing that there is no god but You (La ilaha illa llah), praising You (Al-Hamdu lillah), and asking [favours] of You.' He says: 'And what do they ask of Me?' They say: 'They ask of You Your Paradise.' He says: 'And have they seen My Paradise?' They say: 'No, O Lord.' He says: 'And how would it be were they to have seen My Paradise!' They say: 'And they ask protection of You.' He says: 'From what do they ask protection of Me?' They say: 'From Your Hell-fire, O Lord.' He says: 'And have they seen My Hell-fire?' They say: 'No.' He says: 'And how would it be were they to have seen My Hell-fire!' They say: 'And they ask for Your forgiveness.'" He (the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Then He says: 'I have forgiven them and I have bestowed upon them what they have asked for, and I have granted them sanctuary from that from which they asked protection.'" He (the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "They say: 'O Lord, among then is So-and-so, a much sinning servant, who was merely passing by and sat down with them.'" He (the Prophet - peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "And He says: 'And to him [too] I have given forgiveness: he who sits with such people shall not suffer.'"

[Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, at-Tirmidhi, and an-Nasa'i).]
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Hadith Of the prophet SLW

2009-02-19T05:02:00.000-08:00

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

"The first of people against whom judgment will be pronounced on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who died a martyr. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: 'And what did you do about them?' He will say: 'I fought for You until I died a martyr.' He will say: 'You have lied - you did but fight that it might be said [of you]: 'He is courageous.'' And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man who has studied [religious] knowledge and has taught it and who used to recite the Qur'an. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: 'And what did you do about them?' He will say: 'I studied [religious] knowledge and I taught it and I recited the Qur'an for Your sake.' He will say: 'You have lied - you did but study [religious] knowledge that it might be said [of you]: 'He is learned.'' And you recited the Qur'an that it might be said [of you]: 'He is a reciter.' And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire. [Another] will be a man whom Allah had made rich and to whom He had given all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will make known to him His favours and he will recognize them. [The Almighty] will say: 'And what did you do about them?' He will say: 'I left no path [un-trodden] in which You like money to be spent without spending in it for Your sake.' He will say: 'You have lied - you did but do so that it might be said [of you]: 'He is open-handed.'' And so it was said. Then he will be ordered to be dragged along on his face until he is cast into Hell-fire."

[Muslim (also by at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i)]

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Learn how to Recite Ayat al-Kursi ءاية الكرسيby Muhammad Minshawi

2009-02-05T10:38:00.001-08:00

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ggg

2009-02-05T10:38:00.000-08:00

Watch live video from Hodood.com Tv on Justin.tv

2009-01-22T12:01:00.000-08:00

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

136- Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."
137- So if they believe as ye believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice thee as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
138- (Our religion is) the Baptism of Allah. And who can baptize better than Allah. And it is He Whom we worship.
139- Say: Will ye dispute with us about Allah, seeing that He is our Lord and your Lord; that we are responsible for our doings and ye for yours; and that We are sincere (in our faith) in Him?
140- Or do ye say that Abraham, Isma'il Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do ye know better than Allah. Ah! who is more unjust than those who conceal the testimony they have from Allah. but Allah is not unmindful of what ye do!
141- That was a people that hath passed away. They shall reap the fruit of what they did, and ye of what ye do! Of their merits there is no question in your case:
142- The fools among the people will say: "What hath turned them from the Qibla to which they were used?" Say: To Allah belong both east and West: He guideth whom He will to a Way that is straight.

Al-Baqara 286 verses The Cow
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Is jesus son of god ?

2009-01-15T06:56:00.000-08:00

And they said : Most Gracious has begotten a son!

They say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten a son!"
[89] Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous!
[90] As if the skies are ready to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin.
[91] That they should invoke a son for (Allah) Most Gracious.
[92] For it is not consonant with the majesty of (Allah) Most Gracious that He should beget a son
[93] Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant. Quran 19.88..93 ( Surat Maryam , verses 88 .. 93)

They say: "Allah hath begotten a son": Glory be to Him, nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him. Quran 2.116 ( Surat albakarah , verse 116)

They say, "Allah hath begotten a son!" Glory be to Him! He is Self-Sufficient! His are all things in the heavens and on earth! No warrant have ye for this! Say ye about Allah what ye know not? Quran 10.68 ( Surat Yunus , verse 68)

What they say is nothing but falsehood !

Further, that He may warn those (also) who say, "Allah hath begotten a son":[5] No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying: What they say is nothing but falsehood! Quran 18.4,5 ( Surat Al-Kahf , verses 4,5)

To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: how can He have a son when He hath no consort? He created all things, and He hath full knowledge of all things.Quran 6.101 ( Surat Al-Anam , Verse 101)

It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is. Quran 19.35( Surat Maryam , verse 35)

They are (but) servants raised to honour

And they say: "(Allah) Most Gracious has begotten offspring." Glory to Him! They are (but) servants raised to honour.
[27] They speak not before He speaks, and they act (in all things) by His command.
[28] He knows what is before them, and what is behind them, and they offer no intercession except for those who are acceptable, and they stand in awe and reverence of His (glory).
[29] If any of them should say, "I am a god besides Him," such a one We should reward with Hell: thus do We reward those who do wrong. Quran 21.26,29 ( Surat alanbya , verses 26..29)

The Jews call .., and the Christians call ....

The Jews call 'Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Al-Masih the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the Unbelievers of old used to say. Allah's curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!
[31] They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Al-Masih, the son of Maryam; yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him).
[32] Fain would they extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths, but Allah will not allow but that His Light should be perfected, even though the Unbelievers may detest (it).
[33] It is He Who hath sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans may detest (it).
[34] O ye who believe! There are indeed many among the priests and anchorites, who in falsehood devour the substance of men and hinder (them) from the Way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold and silver and spend it not in the Way of Allah: announce unto them a most grievous penalty. Quran 9.32,34 ( Surat At-Touba , Verses 32..34)

If Most Gracious had a son

Say: "If (Allah) Most Gracious had a son, I would be the first to worship." [82] Glory to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the Throne (of Authority)! (He is free) from the things they attribute (to Him)![83] So leave them to babble and play (with vanities) until they meet that Day of theirs, which they have been promised. Quran 43.81 ( Surat Azzukhruf , verses 81..83)

Had Allah wished to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He doth create: but Glory be to Him! (He is above such things.) He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible. Quran 39.4 ( Surat Az-Zumar , verse 4)
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Was Jesus crucified ?

2009-01-15T05:54:00.000-08:00

Was jesus crucified ?
What says the Quran?

O 'Isa! I will take thee and raise thee to myself

Behold! Allah said: "O 'Isa! I will take thee and raise thee to myself and clear thee (of the falsehood) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject Faith, to the Day of Resurrection: then shall ye all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute. Quran 3.55 ( Sourat alimran , verse 55)

Jesus was never crucified

That they rejected Faith; that they uttered against Maryam a grave false charge;

[157] That they said (in boast), "We killed Al-Masih 'Isa the son of Maryam, 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.[158] Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.

[159] And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them. Quran 4.156,159 ( Sourat AN-NiSAA, verses 156..159)

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IS God a trinity ?

2009-01-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

Message of god to those which believe that god is a trinity

Say not "Trinity"

O People of the Book! commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Al-Masih 'Isa the son of Maryam was (no more than) A Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Maryam, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not "Trinity": desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One God: glory be to Him: (far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs. Quran 4.171 ( Sourat ANNISA, verse 171)

They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity

They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them [74] Why turn they not to Allah and seek His Forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Quran 5.73 ( Sourat ALmayda, verse 73,74)
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IS Jesus God ?

2009-01-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

They do blaspheme

In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Al-Masih the son of Maryam. Say: "Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His Will were to destroy Al-Masih the son of Maryam, his mother, and all, everyone that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things." Quran 5.17 ( Surat Al-Mayda , verse 17)

They do blaspheme who say: "Allah is Al-Masih the son of Maryam." But said Al-Masih: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Whoever joins other gods with Allah, Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help. Quran 5.72 ( Surat Al-Mayda, verse 72)

Jesus was no more than a Messenger

Al-Masih, the son of Maryam, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth! Quran 5.75 ( Surat Al-Mayda, verse 75)

He was no more than a servant: We granted Our favour to him, and We made him an example to the Children of Israel. Quran 43.59 (Surat Az-Zukhruf , verse 59)

O People of the Book! commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Al-Masih 'Isa the son of Maryam was (no more than) A Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Maryam, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Quran 4.171 ( Surat An-Nisaa, verse 171) .

Al-Masih disdaineth not to serve and worship Allah, nor do the angels, those nearest (to Allah): those who disdain His worship and are arrogant, He will gather them all together unto Himself to (answer). Quran 4.172 ( Surat An-Nisaa, verse 172)

It is not (possible) that a man, to whom is given the Book, and Wisdom, and the Prophetic office, should say to people: "Be ye my worshippers rather than Allah's": on the contrary (he would say): "Be ye worshippers of Him Who is truly the Cherisher of all: for ye have taught the Book and ye have studied it earnestly."Quran 3.79 ( Surat-Alimran , verse 79)

They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Al-Masih, the son of Maryam; yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him). Quran 9.31 ( Surat At-Tawbah, verse 31)

The similitude of 'Isa before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him "Be": and he was. Quran 3.59 ( Surat Alimran , Verse 59)

O 'Isa the son of Maryam!

And behold! Allah will say: "O 'Isa the son of Maryam! didst thou say unto men, 'Worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden.117] "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when thou didst take me up thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to all things.
[118] "If Thou dost punish them, they are Thy servants: if Thou dost forgive them, Thou art the Exalted in power, the Wise."119] Allah will say: "This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath, their eternal home: Allah well-pleased with them, and they with Allah: that is the great salvation, (The fulfilment of all desires). Quran 5.116 ( Surat Al-Mayda, verse 116..118)
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The Real history of Jesus

2009-01-15T04:55:00.000-08:00

The history of Jesus in the Holy Quran

Mary , chosen above the women of all nations

Behold! the angels said: "O Maryam! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee, chosen thee above the women of all nations. Quran 3.42 ( Surat Alimran , verse 42)

Angels announcing JesusBehold! the angels said: "O Maryam! Allah giveth Thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Al-Masih 'Isa. The son of Maryam, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah; [46] "He shall speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. And he shall be (of the company) of the righteous."47 She said: "O my Lord! how shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth: when He hath decreed a Plan, He but saith to it, `Be', and it is! Quran 3.45 ( Surat Alimran , verse 45.47)

Gabriel 's apparition

Relate in the Book (the story of) Maryam, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East.
[17] She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.
[18] She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah."
[19] He said: "Nay, I am only a Messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son."
[20] She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"
[21] He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith, 'That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is matter (so) decreed."Quran 19.16,21 ( Surat Maryam , verse 16..21)

The birth

So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place.
[23] And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree: she cried (in her anguish) "Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!"
[24] But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee;
"And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree; it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.
[26] "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being'" Quran 19.22,26 ( Surat Maryam , verses 22..26)

At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: "O Maryam! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!
28] "O sister of Harun! thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" Quran 19.27,28 ( Surat Maryam , verses 27,28)

The innocence

But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?"
[30] He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;
[31] "And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live:
[32] "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;
[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)!" Quran 19.29,33 ( Surat Maryam , verses 29..33)

And a Messenger to the Children of Israel

"And Allah will teach him the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel,
[49] "And (appoint him) a Messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: and I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe;
[50] "(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me.
[51] "It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight." Quran 3.48 ( Surat Alimran , verse 48.51)

With many miracles

Then will Allah say: "O 'Isa the son of Maryam! recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the holy spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it, and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the Clear Signs, and the Unbelievers among them said: `This is nothing but evident magic.' Quran 5.110 (Surat Al-Mayda , verse 110)

And giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me

And remember, 'Isa, the son of Maryam, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad." But when he came to them with Clear Signs they said, "This is evident sorcery!" Quran 61.6 ( Surat AS-SAF , verse 6)

The disciples

"And behold! I inspired the Disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Messenger; they said, `We have faith, and do thou bear witness that we bow to Allah as Muslims.'" Quran 5.111 (Surat Al-Mayda , verse 111)

[52] When 'Isa found unbelief on their part he said: "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the disciples: "We are Allah's helpers: we believe in Allah, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.
[53] "Our Lord! we believe in what Thou hast revealed, and we follow the Messenger; then write us down among those who bear witness."
[54] And (then Unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah. Quran 3.52 ( Surat Alimran , verse 52..54)

O ye who believe! Be ye helpers of Allah: as said 'Isa, the son of Maryam, to the Disciples, "Who will be my helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the Disciples, "We are Allah's helpers!" Then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved: but We gave power to those who believed against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed. Quran 61.14 ( Surat AS-SAF , verse 14)

O 'Isa! I will take thee and raise thee to myself

[55] Behold! Allah said: "O 'Isa! I will take thee and raise thee to myself and clear thee (of the falsehood) of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject Faith, to the Day of Resurrection: then shall ye all return unto Me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute Quran
[56] "As to those who reject Faith, I will punish them with terrible agony in this world and in the Hereafter, nor will they have anyone to help. Quran 3.55 ( Surat Alimran , verse 55)

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Some Benefits of Islam

2009-01-14T08:05:00.000-08:00

Islam provides many benefits for the individual and the society. This chapter mentions some of the benefits gained through Islam for the individual.

(1) The Door to Eternal Paradise

God has said in the Quran:

And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that they will have gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow.... (Quran, 2:25)

God has also said:

Race one with another for forgiveness from your Lord and for Paradise, whose width is as the width of the heavens and the earth, which has been prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers.... (Quran, 57:21)

The Prophet Muhammad told us that the lowest in rank among the dwellers of Paradise will have ten times the like of this world,1 and he or she will have whatever he or she desires and ten times like it.2 Also, the Prophet Muhammad said: {A space in Paradise equivalent to the size of a foot would be better than the world and what is in it.}3 He also said: {In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.}4 He also said: {The most miserable man in the world of those meant for Paradise will be dipped once in Paradise. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever face any misery? Did you ever experience any hardship?” So he will say, “No, by God, O Lord! I never faced any misery, and I never experienced any hardship.”}5

If you enter Paradise, you will live a very happy life without sickness, pain, sadness, or death; God will be pleased with you; and you will live there forever. God has said in the Quran:

But those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them to gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow, lasting in them forever.... (Quran, 4:57)

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Footnotes:

(1) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #186, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6571.
(2) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #188, and Mosnad Ahmad, #10832.
(3) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6568, and Mosnad Ahmad, #13368.
(4) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2825, and Mosnad Ahmad, #8609.
(5) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2807, and Mosnad Ahmad, #12699.

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(2) Salvation from Hellfire

God has said in the Quran:

Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them if one offered it as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers. (Quran, 3:91)

So, this life is our only chance to win Paradise and to escape from Hellfire, because if someone dies in disbelief, he will not have another chance to come back to this world to believe. As God has said in the Quran about what is going to happen for the unbelievers on the Day of Judgment:

If you could but see when they are set before the Fire (Hell) and say, “Would that we might return (to the world)! Then we would not reject the verses of our Lord, but we would be of the believers!” (Quran, 6:27)

But no one will have this second opportunity.

The Prophet Muhammad said: {The happiest man in the world of those doomed to the Fire (Hell) on the Day of Judgment will be dipped in the Fire once. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever see any good? Did you ever experience any blessing?” So he will say, “No, by God, O Lord!”}1

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Footnotes:

(1) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2807, and Mosnad Ahmad, #12699

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(3) Real Happiness and Inner Peace

Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to the commands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world. God has said in the Quran:

Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest. (Quran, 13:28)

On the other hand, the one who turns away from the Quran will have a life of hardship in this world. God has said:

But whoever turns away from the Quran,1 he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment. (Quran, 20:124)

This may explain why some people commit suicide while they enjoy the material comfort money can buy. For example, look at Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), formerly a famous pop singer who used to earn sometimes more than $150,000 a night. After he converted to Islam, he found true happiness and peace, which he had not found in material success.2

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Footnotes:

(1) i.e. neither believes in the Quran nor acts on its orders.
(2) The present mailing address of Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), in case you would like to ask him about his feelings after he converted to Islam, is: 2 Digswell Street, London N7 8JX, United Kingdom.

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(4) Forgiveness for All Previous Sins

When someone converts to Islam, God forgives all of his previous sins and evil deeds. A man called Amr came to the Prophet Muhammad and said, “Give me your right hand so that I may give you my pledge of loyalty.” The Prophet stretched out his right hand. Amr withdrew his hand. The Prophet said: {What has happened to you, O Amr?} He replied, “I intend to lay down a condition.” The Prophet asked: {What condition do you intend to put forward?} Amr said, “That God forgive my sins.” The Prophet said: {Didn’t you know that converting to Islam erases all previous sins?}1

After converting to Islam, the person will be rewarded for his or her good and bad deeds according to the following saying of the Prophet Muhammad : {Your Lord, Who is blessed and exalted, is most merciful. If someone intends to do a good deed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And if he does do it, (a reward of) ten to seven hundred or many more times (the reward of the good deed), will be recorded for him. And if someone intends to do a bad deed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And if he does do it, a bad deed will be recorded against him or God will wipe it out.}2
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Footnotes:

(1) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #121, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17357.
(2) Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #2515, and Saheeh Muslim, #131.

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The Verses in the Quran That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass

2009-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

One example of the events foretold in the Quran is the victory of the Romans over the Persians within three to nine years after the Romans were defeated by the Persians. God has said in the Quran:

The Romans have been defeated in the nearest land (to the Arabian Peninsula), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious within bedd’ (three to nine) years.... (Quran, 30:2-4)

Let us see what history tells us about these wars. A book entitled History of the Byzantine State says that the Roman army was badly defeated at Antioch in 613, and as a result, the Persians swiftly pushed forward on all fronts.1 At that time, it was hard to imagine that the Romans would defeat the Persians, but the Quran foretold that the Romans would be victorious within three to nine years. In 622, nine years after the Romans’ defeat, the two forces (Romans and Persians) met on Armenian soil, and the result was the decisive victory of the Romans over the Persians, for the first time after the Romans’ defeat in 613.2 The prophecy was fulfilled just as God has said in the Quran.

There are also many other verses in the Quran and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that mention future events which later came to pass.

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Footnotes:

(1) History of the Byzantine State, Ostrogorsky, p. 95.

(2) History of the Byzantine State, Ostrogorsky, pp. 100-101, and History of Persia, Sykes, vol. 1, pp. 483-484. Also see The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Micropaedia vol. 4, p. 1036.

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The Great Challenge to Produce

2009-01-14T07:55:00.000-08:00

God has said in the Quran:

And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed (the Quran) to Our worshiper (Muhammad ), then produce a chapter like it, and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God if you are truthful. And if you do not do it, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones. It has been prepared for disbelievers. And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that for them are gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow.... (Quran, 2:23-25)

Ever since the Quran was revealed, fourteen centuries ago, no one has been able to produce a single chapter like the chapters of the Quran in their beauty, eloquence, splendor, wise legislation, true information, true prophecy, and other perfect attributes. Also, note that the smallest chapter in the Quran (Chapter 108) is only ten words, yet no one has ever been able to meet this challenge, then or today.1 Some of the disbelieving Arabs who were enemies of the Prophet Muhammad tried to meet this challenge to prove that Muhammad was not a true prophet, but they failed to do so.2 This failure was despite the fact that the Quran was revealed in their own language and dialect and that the Arabs at the time of Muhammad were a very eloquent people who used to compose beautiful and excellent poetry, still read and appreciated today.

The smallest chapter in the Holy Quran (Chapter 108) is only ten words, yet no one has ever been able to meet the challenge to produce one chapter like the chapters of the Holy Quran.

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Footnotes:
(1) See Al-Borhan fee Oloom Al-Quran, Al-Zarkashy, vol. 2, p. 224.

(2) See Al-Borhan fee Oloom Al-Quran, Al-Zarkashy, vol. 2, p. 226.

2008-12-01T08:31:00.001-08:00

The True Religion

2008-12-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

THE RELIGION OF ISLAM

The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim", The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) I in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed in its final form.
Islam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion lslam was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book of divine revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah states the following:

"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". (Soorah Al-Maa'idah 5:3)
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will It be accepted of Him" (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:85)
"Abraham was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:67)

Nowhere in the Bible will you find Allah saying to Prophet Moses' people or their descendants that their religion is Judaism, nor to the followers of Christ that their religion is Christianity. In fact, Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus! The name "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos which means the annointed. That is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah". The name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a latinized version of the Hebrew name Esau.
For simplicity's sake, I will however continue to refer to Prophet Esau (PBUH) as Jesus. As for his religion, it was what he called his followers to. Like the prophets before him, he called the people to surrender their will to the will of Allah; (which is Islam) and he warned them to stay away from the false gods of human imagination.
According to the New Testament, he taught his followers to pray as follows: "Yours will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".

THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM

Since the total submission of one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine religion, Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than Allah.Since everything other than Allah, the Creator of all things, is Allah's creation; it may be said that Islam, in essence calls man away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its Creator. He is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His will that prayers are answered. If man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it was not the tree which answered his prayers but Allah who allowed the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is obvious," however, to tree-worshippers it might not be. Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, to Saint Christopher, or Saint Jude or even to Muhammad, are not answered by them but are answered by Allah. Jesus did nottell his followers to worship him but to worship Allah. As the Qur'aan states:
"And behold Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah He will say-"Glory to you I could never say what I had no right (to say')" (Soorah Al-Maa'idah- 5:116)
Nor did he worship himself when he worshipped but rather he worshipped Allah. This basic principle is enshrined in the opening chapter of the Qur'aan, known asSoorah Al-Faatihah, verse 4:
"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help".Elsewhere, in the final book of revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah also said:
"And your Lord says:"Call on Me and I will answer your(prayer)."(Soorsh Mu'min 40:60)

it is worth noting that the basic message of Islam is that Allah and His creation are distinctly different entities. Neither is Allah His creation or a part of it, nor is His creation Him or a part of Him.
This might seem obvious, but, man's worship of creation instead of the Creator is to a large degree based on ignorance of this concept. It is the belief that the essence of Allah is everywhere in His creation or that His divine being is or was present in some aspects of His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of creation though such worship maybecalled the worship of Allah through his creation. How ever, the message of Islam as brought by the prophets of Allah is to worship only Allah and to avoid the worship of his creation either directly or indirectly. In the Our'aan Allah clearlystates:
"For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet,(with the command) worship meand avoid false gods " (Soorsh Al-Nahl 16:36)

When the idol worshipper is questioned as to why he or she bows down to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not actually worshipping the stone image, but Allah who is present within it. They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for Allah's essence and is not in itself Allah! One who has accepted the concept of the presence of God's being within His creation in any way will be obliged to accept this argument of idolatry. Whereas, one who understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would never concede to idolatry no matter how it is rationalized. Those who have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often based their claims on the mistaken belief that Allah is present in man. They merely had to assert that although Allah according to their false beliefs, is in all of us, He is more present in them than in the rest of us. Hence, they claim, we should submit our will to them and worship them as they are either God in person or God concentrated within the person.
Similarly, those who have asserted the godhood of others after their passing have found fertile ground among those who accept the false belief of God's presence in man. One who has grasped the basic message of Islam and its implications could never agree to worship another human being under any circumstances. God's religion in essence is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the motto of Islam:
"Laa Elaaha lllallaah" (There is no god but Allah)
Its repetition automatically brings one within the fold of Islam and sincere belief in it guarantees one Paradise.
Thus, the final Prophet of Islam is reported to have said, "Any one who says: There is no god but Allah and dies holding that (belief) will enter paradise".(Reported by Abu Dharr and collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).
It consists in the submission to Allah as one God, yielding to Him by obeying His commandments, and the denial of polytheism and polytheists.

THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGION

There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true path to Allah. How can one determine which one is correct or if, in fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and identify the central object of worship to which they call, directly or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept with regards to Allah. They either claim that all men are gods or that specific men were Allah or that nature is Allah or that Allah is a figment of man's imagination.
Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is that Allah may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False religion invites man to the worship of creation by calling the creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus invited his followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was Allah!
Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic principles to the religion of India. He did not claim to be God nor did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet, today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken him to be God and prostrate to idols made in their perception of his likeness.
By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, false religion becomes very obvious and the contrived nature of their origin clear. As God said in the Our'aan:
That which you worship besides Him are only names you and your forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority: The command belongs only to Allah:
He has commanded that you only worship Him; that is the right religion, but most men do not understand ". (Soorah Yoosuf 12:40)

It may be argued that all religions teach good things so why should it matter which one we follow. The reply is that all false religions teach the greatest evil, the worship of creation. Creation-worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship Allah alone as Allah has explicitly stated in the Our'aan:
"I have only created Jlnns and men, that they may worship me"(Soorah Zaareeyaat 51:56)

Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an opinion, but a revealed fact stated by Allah in his final revelation to man:
"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that for whom so ever He wishes"(Soorah An- Nisaa 4:48 and 116)

THE UNIVERSALITY OF ISLAM

Since the consequences of false religion are so grave, the true religion of Allah must be universally understandable and attainable, not confined to any people, place or time. There can not be conditions like baptism, belief in a man, as a saviour etc., for a believer to enter paradise. Within the central principle of Islam and in its definition, (the surrender of one's will to God) lies the roots of lslam's universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that Allah is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to Allah, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise. Thus, anyone at anytime in the most remote region of the world can become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation and by turning to Allah (God) alone-It should be noted however, that the recognition of and submission to Allah requires that one chooses between right and wrong and such a choice implies accountability. Man will be held responsible for his choices, and, as such, he should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil. The ultimate good being the worship of Allah alone and the ultimate evil being the worship of His creation along with or instead of Allah. This fact is expressed in the final revelation as follows:
"Verily those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures), the Christians and the Sabians any who believe In Allah and the last day, and work righteousness *hall have their reward with their Lord;They will not be overcome by fear nor grief (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:62).
If only they had stood by the law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed happiness from every side. There Is from among them a party on the right course; but many of them follow a course that Is evil.". (Soorah Al-.Maa'idah 5:66)

RECOGNITION OF ALLAH

The question which arises here is, "How can all people be expected to believe in Allah given their varying- backgrounds, societies and cultures? For people to be responsible for worshipping Allah they all have to have access to knowledge of Allah. The final revelation teaches that all mankind have the recognition of Allah imprinted on their souls, a part of their very nature with which they are created.
In Soorah Al-A'raaf, Verses 172-173; Allah explained that when He created Adam, He caused all of Adam's descendants to come into existence and took a pledge from them saying, Am I not your Lord? To which they all replied, " Yes, we testify to It:'
Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He is their creator and only true God worthy of worship. He said, "That was In case you (mankind) should say on the day of Resurrection, "Verily we were unaware of all this." That is to say, we had no idea that You Allah, were our God. No one told us that we were only supposed to worship You alone. Allah went on to explain That it was also In case you should say, "Certainly It was our ancestors who made partners (With Allah) and we are only their descendants; will You then destroy us for what those liars did?" Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in Allah and an inborn inclination to worship Him alone called in Arabic the "Fitrah".
If the child were left alone, he would worship Allah in his own way, but all children are affected by those things around them, seen or unseen.
The Prophet (PBUH) reported that Allah said, "I created my servants in the right religion but devils made them go astray". The Prophet (PBUH) also said, "Each child is born in a state of "Fitrah", then his parents make him a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian, the way an animal gives birth to a normal offspring. Have you noticed any that were born mutilated?" (Collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).So, just as the child submits to the physical laws which Allah has put in nature, his soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah is his Lord and Creator. But, his parents try to make him follow their own way and the child is not strong enough in the early stages of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. The religion which the child follows at this stage is one of custom and upbringing and Allah does not hold him to account or punish him for this religion.
Throughout people's lives from childhood until the time they die, signs are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God (Allah). If the people are honest with themselves, reject their false gods and seek Allah, the way will be made easy for them but if they continually reject Allah's signs and continue to worship creation, the more difficult it will be for them to escape. For example, in the South Eastern region of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a primitive tribe erected a new hut to house their main idol Skwatch, representing the supreme God of all creation. The homage to the God, and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught was his Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog walked into the hut, The young man looked up in time to see the dog lift its hind leg and pass urine on the idol. Outraged, the youth chased the dog out of the temple, but when his rage died down he realized that the idol could not be the Lordof the universe. Allah must be elsewhere. he now had a choice to act on his knowledge and seek Allah, or to dishonestly go along with the false beliefs of his tribe. As strange as it may seem, that was a sign from Allah for that young man. It contained within it divine guidance that what he was worshipping was false.
Prophets were sent, as was earlier mentioned, to every nation and tribe to support man's natural belief in Allah and man's inborn inclination to worship Him as well as to reinforce the divine truth in the daily signs revealed by Allah. Although, in most cases, much of the prophets' teachings became distorted, portions remained which point out right and wrong. For example, the ten commandments of the Torah, their confirmation in the Gospels and the existence of laws against murder, stealing and adultery in most societies. Consequently, every soul will be held to account for its belief in Allah and its acceptance of the religion of Islam; the total submission to the will of Allah.
We pray to Allah, the exalted, to keep us on the right path to which He has guided us, and to bestow on us a blessing from Him, He is indeed the Most Merciful. Praise and gratitude be to Allah,the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be on prophet Muhammed, his Family, his companions, and those who rightly follow them.
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The Status of Sunnah in Islam

2008-12-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

by Muhammad Nasir-ud-deen Al-Albaani
Introduction :

Praise be to Allah, Benediction and Peace be on the Messenger of Allah, his family, his companions, and his adherents.

This is a lecture which the late Sheik Al-Albaani, Allah's Mercy be with him, delivered in the city of Doha, the capital of Qatar, in the blessed month of Ramadhan 1392 A.H. At the suggestion of some of his friends who asked him to publish his lecture due to the need of the Muslims for a work of this type. In reply to their request he printed it for general propagation because of advantage, having regard for the reminiscences and history. He did add some separate titles to enable the reader to collect the main ideas. Pray for our beloved sheik and scholar of Islam, that Allah will accept from him and open wide his grave with the smell and light of Paradise.
A Declaration that it cannot dispense with The Qur'an

All Praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and evils of our deeds. One whom Allah guides, none can lead him astray, and one whom He misguides, none can guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity to worship [1] other than Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His servant and His messenger.

"O you who believe. Fear Allah truly, and don't die except in a state of Islam" (3:102).
"O Men fear your Lord who created you from one soul, and created its partner, and from them spread men and women in numbers. Take care, Allah will question you about it and the kinship. Surely, Allah is ever watchful of your deeds." (4:1).

"O those who believe. Fear Allah and say what is correct so that it fits you. He will forgive your sins. Whoever obeys Allah and His messenger that is a great achievement." (33:70-71).

The best of speech is the speech of Allah. That is The Book of Allah. The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. Of all matters, the worst are innovations; and everything new is an innovation, and every innovation is a deviation, and every deviation leads to Hell-fire.

I do not think that I will be able to offer this high ranking assembly - especially when there are distinguished ulema (scholars) and professors present - some knowledge which has not been dealt with before. If what I think is true, I will rest contented that my address will be a reminder, as Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Remind, for the reminder would benefit the believers." (51:55).

I do not think that my talk in this blessed month of Ramadhan, the month of importance, is an exposition of something of its merits, rules and their practice, and the like, which generally the preachers and instructors touch on, on account of the benefit they give to the listeners, and procure for them good and blessing; but I have chosen my talk to be a study of a general nature, surely it is one of the roots of the Shari'ah (Islamic law). It is a declaration of the importance attached to the Sunnah in the Islamic law.

The Role of Sunnah Towards The Qur'an

You all know that Allah, The Blessed and Mighty, chose Muhammad (peace be upon him) as His Prophet and picked him to deliver the final message. The Qur'an was revealed to him and commanded him to obey all what He had ordered him to do, that is, to expound His message to the people. Allah says, We have revealed to you the Reminder (The Qur'an) to expound to people what was revealed to them (16:44).

I think that the declaration mentioned in the verse contains two orders:

1. Declaration of the word and its arrangement. It is the communication of the Qur'an and its non-concealment, and its pursuit to Mankind just as Allah, The Blessed Almighty, has revealed to the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him) which is the intent of His saying O Messenger proclaim what is revealed to you from your Lord (5:67). Sayyida Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) is reported to have said "Whosoever says that Muhammad (peace be upon him) concealed something which he was commanded to communicate, is a great calumny against Allah." Then she read the abovementioned verse. (Bukhari and Muslim have stated it.)

And according to the narration of Muslim: "If the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had concealed something which he was commanded to communicate, he would have concealed the saying of The Almighty Behold thou didst say to one who had received the grace of Allah and thy favor: Keep your wife to yourself and fear Allah. But thou didst hide in thy heart that which Allah was about to make manifest; you did fear the people, whereas Allah had a better right that you should fear Him (33:37).
2. The explanation of the meaning of the word or sentence or verse for which man needs an explanation, most of which bear reference to 'Mujmal' (comprehensive) verses or 'Amah' (general) verses or 'Mutlaq' (unbounded) verses.

Then comes the Sunnah and clarifies the sentences and specifies the verses called 'Amah' and defines what is 'mutlaq' that is, in reference to the saying (Qaul) of The Prophet (peace be upon him), his deed (Fi'l) and the act he confirmed (Iqrar).

The Necessity of Sunnah to Understand The Qur'an and Parables
Allah says The male thief and female thief cut off their hands (5:38) is a fitting example of that. The thief in it is general like the hand.

The oral tradition explains the first of them and restricts it by 'as-sareq' (the thief) who steals something worth a fourth of a Dinar [2] according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) There is no cutting - of the hand - unless the thing stolen is worth a fourth of a Dinar or more (Bukhari & Muslim) the two sheikhs have recorded this Hadeeth.

Again, the other is explained by the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) or the action of his companions and his confirmation. They used to cut the hand of the thief from the wrist as is known in the work of Hadeeth. The oral tradition explains the hand mentioned in the verse on Tayammum (dust ablution) And rub therewith your faces and hands (5:6) is also the palm of the hand as is stated in a Hadeeth Tayammum is the wiping of the face and the hands recorded by the two sheikhs and Ahmad and others from a tradition reported by Ammar bin Yaasir (may Allah be pleased with them).
There are other verses that cannot be completely understood except through Sunnah. They are:
1. It is whose who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong, 'dhulm' that are (truly) in security for they are on (right) guidance (6:82).

The companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) understood the word 'dhulm' in its general sense to mean every wrong doing, even if it be little. On this account the verse is regarded as dubious and they said, "O Messenger of Allah, which of us did not involve his faith with obscurity?" He (peace be upon him) said; It is not that. It is only the 'shirk'(3). Have you not heard what Luqman said: Verily, 'shirk' is a very great sin (dhulm) (31:13). The two sheikhs have recorded it with others.
2. Allah says: When you travel on earth, there is no blame on you to shorten your prayer, for fear the unbelievers will persecute you (4:101). It is obvious from this verse that fear is a pre-requisite for the shortening of prayers. Some of the Prophet's companions asked him: "Why do we shorten our prayers while we feel safe?" He said: It is a charity from Allah, so accept it (Muslim).
Allah says: The carcass and it's blood are forbidden to you (5:3). In explanation of this verse, the corpse of locusts, fish, the livers, spleen of blood are lawful. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: He has made two dead things and blood lawful: the locusts and the fish, the liver and the spleen.

Baihaqi and others have recorded it as 'marfu' type of hadeeth as also 'mauquf' type. The 'isnad' or 'mauquf' is authentic and it is as good as 'marfu' tradition, since it is not stated in the form of a 'ra'y' (decision based on one individual's judgment not on Qur'an and Sunnah).
3. Allah says: I find not in the message received by me by inspiration any (food) forbidden to be taken by one who wishes to, unless it is dead meat or blood poured forth or the flesh of swine, for it is an abomination, or what is impious (meat) on which a name has been invoked other than Allah's (6:145).

The Sunnah has forbidden many things not mentioned in the verse mentioned above, as for example in the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him): All predatory animals with tusk and every bird with claw are forbidden for consumption. There are other traditions which have forbidden the consumption of such animals as the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said on the Day of Khaibar: Allah and His Messenger have prohibited the consumption of domesticated asses, for they are filth. The two sheikhs have reported it.
4. Allah says: I find not in the message received by me by inspiration any (food) forbidden to be taken by one who wishes to, unless it is dead meat or blood poured forth or the flesh of swine, for it is an abomination, or what is impious (meat) on which a name has been invoked other than Allah's (6:145).

The Sunnah has forbidden many things not mentioned in the verse mentioned above, as for example in the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him): All predatory animals with tusk and every bird with claw are forbidden for consumption. There are other traditions which have forbidden the consumption of such animals as the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said on the Day of Khaibar: Allah and His Messenger have prohibited the consumption of domesticated asses, for they are filth. The two sheikhs have reported it.
5. Allah says: Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has produced for His servants, and the things clean and pure (which he has provided for sustenance) (7:32).

The Sunnah, too, has forbidden some adornments, and this is evident from the Prophet (peace be upon him) who is reported to have met some of his companions, and had a silk garment in one hand, and gold in the other, and said: These are prohibited to Muslim males, lawful to females. The hadeeths in their interpretation are many and well known in both the authentic collections of hadeeths, and others and the like of many examples well known to scholars familiar with hadeeth and Islamic Jurisprudence.

From what has been stated above, O Muslim Brethren, you can see the importance attached to Sunnah in Islamic Law. When we divert our intention again to the examples mentioned beside others not mentioned, we are certain that there is no way to understand the Qur'an correctly except in association with the interpretation of the Sunnah.

In the first example, the understanding of the 'sahabah' of 'dhulm' mentioned in the verse is on its general sense, despite the fact that the (Allah be pleased with them) were, as stated by Ibn Mas'ud: "The best of this community, most pious, profound in learning, least of dissimulation." Yet with all that they erred in their understanding of that.

Were it not for the Prophet (peace be upon him), who held them back from their mistaken notion, and made them take the step in the right direction in that the correct meaning of 'dhulm' in the context is shirk (association of partnership with Allah), we too would have followed in their wrong thinking. Allah, The Blessed and The Most High saved us from that wrong notion by the grace of the right direction of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah.

In the second example - with Allah's guidance - if not for the hadeeth mentioned above, we would have been in doubt at least with regard to the shortening of prayer (qasr-as-salat) during a journey while secure - if we did stipulate the condition of fear as obvious in the verse - till the companions saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) shorten the prayers when it was safe and secure.

In the third example, if not for the hadeeth, we would have forbidden ourselves the consumption of good things made lawful to us: locusts, fish, liver, and the spleen.

In the fourth example, if not for the hadeeths, some of which we have mentioned, we would have considered lawful what Allah has made unlawful through the dictum of the holy Prophet (peace be upon him) like predatory animals, and the birds which have claws.

And so in the fifth example, if not for the hadeeths in regard to this question, we would have considered lawful what Allah prohibited through the words of His Prophet (peace be upon him) like gold and silk.

It is for this, some forbearers (as-Salaf) say that 'Sunnah' pronounces judgment of The Book (al-Qur'an).

The Deviation of those who are satisfied with
The Qur'an to the exclusion of Hadeeth
It is a matter of regret that according to the interpretation found in the works of some commentators and modernist authors, that it is permissible to do what is stated in the last two examples: Consumption of the predatory animals and the wearing of gold and silk by referring their interpretation only to the Qur'an.

Today, a sect exists called "Quranites" who comment according to their whims and fancies; without seeking the explanation of the authentic Sunnah. They only accept and follow the Sunnah which suit their desires, the rest they throw behind. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said that:
None of you reclines on his bed, the order comes to him on an affair which I am commanded to do or not to do. He says: "I don't know, what is found in The Book of Allah we follow" (Tirmidhi).
According to another report: What is found in The Book of Allah as 'Haram,' we pronounce it 'haram' (forbidden). Surely, I am given The Qur'an and its example with it. Yet, according to another report: What the Messenger of Allah has forbidden, Allah has prohibited it.

It is a matter of regret that one renowned scholar has written a book on Islamic law and its dogma, and in its preface, he says that he has written it and that he has made reference only to The Qur'an.

This true hadeeth gives positive evidence that the divine law of Islam - As-Shari'ah - is not merely Qur'an, but Qur'an and Sunnah. Therefore, whoever holds fast to one source for reference to the exclusion of the other, he held fast to neither of them, since both complement each other. The Qur'an says Whoever obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. Allah says:
"No, by your Lord they do not believe until they submit to your adjudication in all disputes between them, then they do not find themselves oppressed with your decisions and they completely submit." (4:65)
Again, Allah says:
"When a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger, it does not behoove a believer, man or woman, to have choice in their matter. One who disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he is indeed on a clearly wrong Path." (33:36)
Furthermore, Allah says:
"What the Messenger teaches you, take it, and what he forbids you, avoid doing it." (59:7)

In connection with this verse, I am marveled by what is corroborated by Ibn Mas'ud (Allah be pleased with him) that is:
A woman came to Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, and asked him:
"Are you the one who says: 'May Allah's curse be on 'Al-Namisat' and 'Al-Motanamisat'(4) and those who tattoo?"
He said "Yes."
She said, "I read the Book of Allah (Al-Qur'an) from beginning to its end. I did not find what you have said."
He told her: "If you have read it, you would have found it. As for your reading what the Messenger teaches you, take it, and what he forbids you, avoid doing it."
She said, "Certainly."
He said: "I have heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say:
"May Allah's Curse be on the Al-Namisat."
(Bukhari and Muslim)

Inadequacy of Philology to understand The Qur'an

From what has been stated above, it is clear that there is no scope for anyone with all his Arabic Scholarship to understand the glorious Qur'an, without the help of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his sayings and actions.

The companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were the most knowledgeable in the language, which The Qur'an was revealed in, when it was not blemished by the incorrectness of the common folks knowledge or their grammatical mistakes. Yet, they erred in understanding the verses quoted above when they relied on language alone.

It is self-evident that a man well-informed of the Sunnah is more appropriate to understand The Qur'an and deduce the rules from it than one who is ignorant of it. How can it be a source to one who does not reckon it and does not make reference to it?

For this reason, it is part of the rules agreed upon that Qur'an should be interpreted by the Qur'an itself as well as the Sunnah, then by the sayings of the Sahabah... etc. (5)

It is here that the cause of deviation of scholastic theologians (Ahlu-el-Kalam) become clear, both ancient and modern, and their opposition to the forbears 'As-Salaf' (May Allah be pleased with them) in their doctrines not to speak of their laws. They are far from Sunnah, and knowledge of it, and rely on their intelligence and desires to decide on the verses of attributes and others.

What is best is what was written down in the exposition of Tahawi's doctrine (page 212 Fourth Edition):

When one is not well-informed of The Book and Sunnah, what would he say about the Fundamentals of Religion (Usulu-d-din)? He only receives the assertion of someone. If he says that he takes it from The Book of Allah, he does not study the commentary of The Qur'an on the basis of prophetic traditions, and reflects over it, nor what the companions (Sahabah), and the following generations narrated, which is transmitted to us from the authorities whom the critics chose. They have not transmitted the system and arrangement of The Qur'an, but its poetic expression and meaning. They did not learn the Qur'an like children, but studied it with meaning. One who does not follow in their footsteps, speaks on his own accord. One who does that thinks it be the religion of Allah, and does not study The Book of Allah, he sins, even if he is right.

One who studies The Qur'an and The Sunnah, he is rewarded, even if he goes wrong, but if he is right in his opinion, his reward is doubled.

Then he says: What is obligatory, is submission to the Messenger (peace be upon him) carrying out his saying and accepting his saying with satisfaction and belief without contradicting it with false ideas called 'apprehensive faculty' (Ma'qul) bearing doubt or complaint, or offering the opinions of men and the garbage of their intellect.

We unite with The Prophet (peace be upon him) in judgment, submission, obedience and compliance, just as we have unison with Allah, glory be to Him, by worshipping Him by humility, submissiveness, repentance and reliance.

In short, what is obligatory on all Muslims is that they do not separate between Qur'an and Sunnah; whereas, it is obligatory to take both of them and to formulate the law on both of them.

This is a safeguard for them, so that they won't fall right or left; and that they won't fall back in error as explained by The Prophet (peace be upon him) : I leave behind me two things. You will never go astray if you hold fast to them: The Qur'an and my Sunnah.

CAUTION It is self-evident after this that I say:
The Sunnah which has an important bearing on Islamic Law is only the Sunnah confirmed by scientific channels, and authentic chains of narrations known to the learned in regard to hadeeths and the background of the narrators.
It is not the one which is found in different works of Tafseers (commentaries of The Qur'an) and Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), and in different writings of longing, intimidation, advices, and admonitions, etc...

They contain weak, spurious, and fabricated hadeeths, of which Islam absolves, like the story of 'Harut and Marut,' and the story of 'Gharanik.' I have a special letter which makes it void and it is printed(6). A major part of it is recorded in two huge books namely "A chain of weak and fabricated hadeeths and their evil impact on the community." Their number up to date have reached approximately four thousand hadeeths(7).

It is obligatory on the learned, especially those who spread the knowledge of fiqh and legal opinions among the public, that they shouldn't dare to argue with hadeeth unless it is well-attested. Books of jurisprudence, which they refer to, are normally filled with traditions which are not well-attested, nor have any bases, as is well-known to the learned.

I have begun an important project, and I think it will be of use to those occupied with jurisprudence, and I will name it: "Weak and Fabricated Hadeeths in the Major Jurisprudence 'fiqh' Books," by which I mean:

Al-Hidayah, by Al-Marghinani, in Hanafi fiqh,
Al-Modawwanah, by Ibnil-Qasim, in Maliki fiqh,
Sharhul-wajeez, by Al-rafiee, in Shafiee fiqh,
Al-Mughni, by Ibn Quddamah, in Hanbali fiqh, and
Bidayatul Mujtahid, by Ibn Rushd-al-Andalusi, in comparative fiqh.
I regret that I did not get the opportunity to finish it, because the journal "Al-Wa'e-al-Islami" of Kuwait which promised to publish it, when perused it, didn't print it.

Although I missed this opportunity, perhaps I will succeed on another occasion, Allah willing, to offer to my brethren occupied with jurisprudence a precise learned course to help them to facilitate their knowledge of the different categories of hadeeth with reference to various sources from books on hadeeth, with an explanation of its special nature and character and reliance on them. Allah is the source of success.

Weakness of Hadeeth of Muadh in the opinion
And its disapproval

Before I conclude my talk, I think I must direct the attention of brethren present to a well known hadeeth. It is devoid of one of the books of jurisprudence on account of its weakness in respect of its chain of narration (isnad) and its contradiction with what we have concluded in this talk, regarding the illegitimacy of discrimination in law between The Qur'an and Sunnah; and the necessity of taking both.

It is a hadeeth of Muadh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him when he sent him to Yemen: By what source will you decide? He said, "By the book of Allah." He then asked, If you don't find any guideline? He said, "I will make an effort to form my own opinion." He said, Praise be to Allah who makes success the effort of the envoy of the Messenger of Allah, to what The Prophet likes.

As for the weakness of its 'isnad,' there is no scope for its explanation now. But I have explained it clearly in the above mentioned chain(8).

It would suffice now to mention that the Commander of the Believers in the hadeeth 'Imam Al-Bukhari' (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the hadeeth is not recognized (Munkar). After this I am permitted to begin to explain the conflict which I pointed.

The tradition of Muadh gives the ruler a method of three stages which does not permit to search for any rule with regard to 'Ra'e' (personal opinion) except that he does not find it in the Sunnah, nor in the Sunnah, except that after he does not find it in The Qur'an. It is in relation to 'Ra'e' a genuine method with all the learned (ulema), so that they say, "Where there is a tradition relating the deeds and utterances of The Prophet (peace be upon him), personal opinion is void." But in relation to Sunnah, it is not true, because Sunnah dictates The Qur'an and clarifies its doctrines. It is then essential to search for a ruling in Sunnah, even if he thinks it is found in The Qur'an as we have mentioned it.

Sunnah is not with The Qur'an in the same manner as 'Ar-Ra'e' with the Sunnah. No, definitely not. It is rather necessary to regard the Qur'an and Sunnah as being one source with no discrimination between the two whatsoever. This is indicated in a saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) : Certainly I have come with The Qur'an and its like (meaning the Sunnah). He said They are never separated until they come to the Basin(9). The compilation mentioned between them is not correct because the separation between them is void as we have explained.

This is what I wish to draw attention to. If I am right, it is from Allah; if wrong, it is from me. I ask Allah Almighty to protect us and you from errors and from all that displeases him. I conclude my praising by "Al-Hamdu-Lillaahi Rabbil Alameen" - Praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds.
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Footnotes
1. i.e.: There is no true god - but Allah - who really deserves to be
worshipped by Mankind
2. Dinar: A form of currency
3. Shirk is to disbelieve in the oneness of Allah, or to offer any form of worship to other than Allah.
4. Namisah: a woman who plucks hers or others eyebrows - to be a thin line - to seek beauty. Such an act is forbidden. It is a means to change the form of Allah's creation. Motanamisah: a woman who asks others to do it for her.
5. This states other than what is known by many of the learned: to comment on The Qur'an itself if there is not any Sunnah, then by the Sunnah. This will be explained in at then end of this treatise on the hadeeth of Muadh bin Jabal - may Allah be pleased with him.
6. Its title is "Pitch of majaniq to demolish the story of gharaniq" printed by AlMaktabul-e-Islami Story of gharaniq: is a fabricated story found in some commentaries, claiming that a verse in The Qur'an acknowledged the polytheists in their beliefs.
7. The number at present [1394 A.H.] has exceeded five thousand and may Allah make easy its publication in the near future. So far only five hundred have broken into print.
8. No. 885 of the chain mentioned, and we hope that the volume which includes it will be published shortly, 'Insha Allah.'
9. i.e. until the Day of Judgment.

Peace

2008-11-30T13:31:00.000-08:00

"Salam" (peace) is the most common word on a Muslim's tongue.
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"Whenever two people meet, they exchange greetings, wishing each other peace: "Peace be upon you."
But peace cannot prevail except through justice. Since the concept of justice may differ from one man to another, or from one society to another, Muslims believe that real justice is that which is specified by Allah (God).

Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of the religion, or by those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. At the same time, Islam requires one to treat one's enemy mercifully. It lays down strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees, and livestock. Islam also requires that if an enemy declares his desire to end hostilities and seek peace, the Muslims must do the same.

The concept of Jihad ("Holy War" or struggling in the cause of Allah) is stated in the Qur'an. Allah said:
"Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors."
[2:19]

Jihad is never to be waged to force anybody to choose a particular religion. On the contrary, it is to waged to protect his right to choose freely. Therefore, if there is a force in the world that tries to prevent a person from practicing this right, Jihad may lead to fighting the force that is trying to prevent him from exercising free will.

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Jesus

2008-11-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

(called "Essa" in Arabic)
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Islam honors all the prophets who were sent to mankind. Muslims respect all prophets in general, but Jesus in particular, because he was one of the prophets who foretold the coming of Muhammad. Muslims, too, await the second coming of Jesus. They consider him one of the greatest of Allah's prophets to mankind. A Muslim does not refer to him simply as "Jesus," but normally adds the phrase "peace be upon him" as a sign of respect.

No other religion in the world respects and dignifies Jesus as Islam does. The Qur'an confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Qur'an is entitled "Mary"), and Mary is considered to have been one of the purest women in all creation. The Qur'an describes Jesus' birth as follows:

"Behold!' the Angel said, God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and in the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and he shall be of the righteous. She said: "My Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?' He said: "Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, 'Be!' and it is." [3:42-47]

Muslims believe that Jesus was born immaculately, and through the same power which had brought Eve to life and Adam into being without a father or a mother.
"Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was." [3:59]

During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles. The Qur'an tells us that he said:
"I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and I raise the dead by God's leave." [3:49]

Muhammad and Jesus, as well as the other prophets, were sent to confirm the belief in one God. This is referred to in the Qur'an where Jesus is reported as saying that he came:
"To attest the law which was before me, and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey me." [3:50]

Prophet Muhammad emphasized the importance of Jesus by saying:
"Whoever believes there is no god but Allah, alone without partner, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is a servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven. [Bukhari]

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Allah (God) Is There Proof?

2008-11-30T12:56:00.000-08:00

In fact "Allah" is the perfect word to describe the "One God" of monotheism.
Where Does the word "Allah" Come From?
"Allah" comes from the Arabic word "elah" - (Arabic) means 'a god' or something that is worshipped. This word (elah) can be made plural, as in "aleha" and it can be male or female. "Allah" comes from "elaha" but it brings more clarification and understanding.

Allah = Has no gender (not male and not female)
* "He" is used only out of respect and dignity - not for gender
Allah = Always singular - Never plural
* "We" is used only as the "Royal WE" just as in English for royalty
Allah =Means "The Only One to be Worshipped"

Is "Allah" only for Islam and Muslims?
"Allah" is the same word used by Christian and Jewish Arabs in the Bible, before Islam came.

On page one [1] of Genesis in the Old Testament, we find the word "Allah" seventeen [17] times.

1. "If God created everything - then who created God?"
Answer:
(Muslims - Remember to use the formula above - i.e.; "Thank you for asking me about my religion..." etc.)
According to the Quran, Allah tells us that He is the only creator and sustainer of all that exists and that nothing and no one exists alongside Him, nor does He have any partners. He tells us that He is not created, nor is He like His creation in anyway. He calls Himself by a number of names and three of them are:
A) The First - (Al-Awal)
B) The Last - (Al Akhir)
C) The Eternal, who is sought after by His creation, while He has no need from them at all. "As-Samad"
He always has existed and He never was created, as He is not like His creation, nor similar to it, in any way.

2. "How can you believe in God, when you can't see, hear, touch, smell, taste or even imagine what He is?"
Answer:
We know from the teachings of Muhammad, peace be upon him, that no one has ever actually seen God - at least not in this lifetime. Nor are we able to use our senses to make some kind of contact with Him. However, we are encouraged in Islam to use our senses and our common sense to recognize that all of this universe could not possibly come into existence on its own. Something had to design it all and then put it into motion. That is beyond our ability to do, yet it is something that we can understand.We don't have to see an artist to recognize a painting, correct? So, if we see paintings without seeing artists painting them, in the same way, we can believe that Allah created everything without having to see Him (or touch, or hear, etc.).

3. "Can God do anything? - For example: "Can He make a rock so big that nothing can move it?" - If He did make a rock so big that nothing could move it, would that mean that He couldn't move it too? Or would it be impossible for Him to make something so big that He couldn't move it?"
Answer:

Allah tells us that "Allah is capable of doing anything that He Wills to do." He can make a rock (or anything for that matter) that is so large or heavy that nothing in the entire universe can move it. As regards Allah "moving" it, He is not in the universe and He does not resemble His creation. Therefore, Allah is never subject to the Laws of the Creation because He is both the Creator and the Law Giver. Whenever He wants anything done, He merely says "Qun! Faya Qun!" (Be! And so it will be!)

4. "Where is God?"
Answer:

Some other religions teach that "God is everywhere." This is actually called "pantheism" and it is the opposite of our believe system in Islam. Allah tells us clearly that there is nothing, anywhere in the universe that resembles Him, nor is He ever in His creation. He tells us in the Quran that He created the universe in six "yawm" (periods of time) and then He "astawah 'ala al Arsh" (rose up, above His Throne). He is there (above His Throne) and will remain there until the End Times.

5. "Why did God create everything?"
Answer:Allah says in His Quran that He did not create all of this for any foolish purpose. He tells us that He created us for the purpose of worshiping Him, Alone and without any partners.

6. "Is God pure, good, loving and fair? - If so, then where does evil, hatred and injustice come from?"
Answer:

Allah tells us that He is Pure, Loving, and absolutely Just in every respect. He says that He is the Best of Judges. He also tells us that the life that we are in is a test. He has created all the things that exist and He has created all that happens as well. There is nothing in this existence except what He has created. He also says in the Quran that He created evil (although He is not evil). He is using this as one of the many tests for us.

7. "Does God really have power of things? - If so, then why does He let people become sick, oppressed and die?"
Answer:

Allah has created all that we call the universe as a test for us. This is not our final destination. What we might consider to be "bad" or "good" could actually be quite the opposite. As regards oppression, this is something that Allah forbids for Himself to do to anyone and He hates it when anyone oppresses someone else. He does have absolute power over everything. He allows sickness, disease, death and even oppression so that we can all be tested in what we do.

8. "Can you prove there is a God?"
Answer:

Can you prove that you exist? Yes, of course you can. You merely use your senses to determine that you can see, hear, feel, smell, taste and you have emotions as well. All of this is a part of your existence. But this is not how we perceive God in Islam. We can look to the things that He has created and the way that He cares for things and sustains us, to know that there is no doubt of His existence.
Think about this the next time that you are looking up at the moon or the stars on a clear night; could you drop a drinking glass on the sidewalk and expect that it would hit the ground and on impact it would not shatter, but it would divide up into little small drinking glasses, with iced tea in them? Of course not.
And then consider if a tornado came through a junkyard and tore through the old cars; would it leave behind a nice new Mercedes with the engine running and no parts left around? Naturally not.
Can a fast food restaurant operate itself without any people there? That's crazy for anyone to even think about.
After considering all of the above, how could we look to the universe above us through a telescope or observe the molecules in a microscope and then think that all of this came about as a result of a "big bang" or some "accident?"

9. "Does God know everything that is going to happen? - Does He have absolute control on the outcome of everything? - If so, how is that fair for us? Where is our free will then?"
Answer:

Allah Knows everything that will happen. The first thing that He created was the "pen" and He ordered the pen to write. The pen wrote until it had written everything that would happen. And then Allah began to create the universe. All of this was already known to Him before He created it. He does have absolute and total control at all times. There is nothing that happens except that He is in control of if.There is a mistake in the question: "Free Will." Allah alone, has Free Will, He Wills whatever He likes and it will always happen as He wills. We have something called, "Free choice." The difference is that what Allah "Wills" always happens and what we choose may or may not happen. We are not being judged on the outcome of things, we are being judged on our choices. This means that at the core of everything will always be our intentions. Whatever we intended, is what we will have the reward for. Each person will be judged according to what Allah gave them to work with, how they used it and what they intended to do with it.
As regards the actual "Judgment Day" - Allah tells us that everything we are doing is being recorded and not a single tiny thing escapes from this record. Even an atom's weight of good will be seen on the Day of Judgment and even a single atom's weight of evil will be seen too.
The one who will bring the evidences against us will be ourselves. Our ears, tongue, eyes and all of our bodies will begin to testify against us in front of Allah on the Day of Judgment. None will be oppressed on that Day, none will be falsely accused.
He could have put everyone in their respective places from the very beginning, but the people would complain as to why they were thrown in Hell without being given a chance. This life is exactly that; a chance to prove to ourselves who we really are and what we would really do if we indeed had a free choice.
Allah Knows everything that will happen, but we don't. That is why the test is fair.

10. "If there is only one God, then why are there so many religions?
Answer:

Allah does not force anyone to submit to Him. He has layed out a clear path and then made it known to them the two ways (Heaven or Hell). The person is always free to make his or her own choice. There is not complusion in the way of "Islam." Whoever choses to worship Allah without partners and is devoted to Him and is obeying His commands as much as possible, has grasped the firm handhold that will never break. Whoever denies God and choses some other way to worship or not to believe at all, for them there is an eternal punishment that is most horrible (Hell).
All religions originated with Allah and then people began to add or take away from the teachings so as to take control over each other. Man made religions are an abomination before the Lord and will never be accepted. He will only accept true submission, obedience and in purity and peace to His commandments.

11. "How do you know that the Quran is really from God?"
Answer:

Muslims have something that offers the most clear proof of all - The Quran . There is no other book like it anywhere on earth. It is absolutely perfect in the Arabic language. It has no mistakes in grammar, meanings or context. The scientific evidences are well known around the entire world, even amongst non-Muslim scholars. Predictions in the Quran have come true; and its teachings are clearly for all people, all places and all times. No one has been able to produce a book like it, nor ten chapters like it, nor even one chapter like it. It was memorized by thousands of people during the lifetime of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and then this memorization was passed down from teacher to student for generation after generation, from mouth to ear and from one nation to another. Today every single Muslim has memorized some part of the Quran in the original Arabic language that it was revealed in over 1,400 years ago, even though most of them are not Arabs. There are over nine million (9,000,000) Muslims living on the earth today who have totally memorized the entire Quran, word for word, and can recite the entire Quran, in Arabic just as Muhammad, peace be upon him, did 14 centuries ago.

12. "Why does it say "WE" in Quran when referring to God (Allah)?"
Answer:

This is a good question and one that Bible readers have also asked about. The term "We" in the Bible and in the Quran is the royal "We" - as an example when the king says, "We decree the following declaration, etc." or, "We are not amused." It does not indicate plural; rather it displays the highest position in the language. English, Persian, Hebrew, Arabic and many languages provide for the usage of "We" for the royal figure. It is helpful to note the same dignity is given to the person being spoken to in English. We say to someone, "You ARE my friend." Yet the person is only one person standing there. Why did we say "ARE" instead of "IS"? The noun "you" is singular and should therefore be associated with a singular verb for the state of being, yet we say, "are." The same is true for the speaker when referring to himself or herself. We say, "I am" and this is also in the royal plural, instead of saying, "I is."

13. "Why does Quran say "He" when referring to God (Allah) if God is not having gender?"
Answer:
This is similar to the above answer. The word "He" is used when referring to Allah out of respect, dignity and high status. It would be totally inappropriate to use the word "it" and would not convey the proper understanding of Allah being who Allah is; Alive, Compassionate, Forgiving, Patient, Loving, etc. It is not correct to associate the word "He" with gender, as this would be comparing Allah to the creation, something totally against the teaching of Quran.

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Quran Division?

2008-11-30T12:37:00.000-08:00

Reciting the Quran is the duty of every good Muslim on a daily basis. Whether in congregation or separately, every literate believing man, woman and child should be reading, learning and sharing from the Book of Allah.

For those who desire to complete their recitation or reading of the Quran within a certain time frame, they are most pleased to find the Quran is seperated into thirty (30) even parts called "juz-un" in Arabic or Para in Persian (Farsi). It is also divided into seven equal parts. If someone reads a "juz'un" each day, in 30 day they will have completed the entire Quran in one month.

The seventh part of the Quran is called a manzil, which if read all the way through in one day will make the complete recitation of the entire Quran in only one week.

Ordinarily the quarters of each sipara (1/4, 1/2, 3/4) are also marked in Arabic language as Ar-rub', An-nisf and Ath-thalata.

Divisions according subjects are quite different. Quran is comprised of 114 surahs of unequal size. Surahs (chapters) are numbered and consecutive numbers are displayed just before the title of each surah. Each surah consists of ayahs (verses?) and there are a total of about 6,327 ayats in the entire Quran.

Surah (or chapter) Baqarah has 286 ayahs and that makes it the biggest of surahs in the Quran.

It is better to leave the words "surah"; "ayah" and even "Quran" in the Arabic language rather than attempt to translate them to words in English. This is better because they are technical terms used for Muslim's religious literature.

The ayat (similar to verse) is usually determined by the rhythm and cadence in Arabic Text. Sometimes an ayah contains more than one sentence or may even have many sentences within the ayah. A sentence may also be divided by a break in the ayah and you would have to read from the next ayah to complete the subject, or topic. However, there is usually intended in these cases, a pause in meaning at the end of the ayah.

There are also logical divisions of the surahs into sections to indicate divisions according to the meanings. There is a word for these sections in Arabic called "ruku" and it means bowing the head toward the ground in respect to Almighty Allah in the prayer.
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What Others Say

2008-11-30T12:33:00.000-08:00

Speaking about the Quran, Goethe says, "It soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our reverence... Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern, grand - ever and always, truly sublime -
So, this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence."

[Goethe - quoted in T. P. Huges "Dictionary of Islam", p. 526]

"The Koran (Quran) admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of the world. Though it is the youngest of the epoch making works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardly any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian Peninsula into a nation of heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious organizations of Muslims world wide which are one of the great forces with which Europe and the East have to reckon with today."

[G. Maragliouth in his Introduction to J. M. Rodwells - 'The Koran", New York - 'Everyman's Library, 1977, p VI]

"A work, then, which calls forth so powerful and seemingly incompatible emotions even in the distant reader - distant as to time, and still more so as mental development - a work which not only conquers the repugnance which he may begin its perusal, but changes this adverse feeling into astonishment and admiration, such a work must be a wonderful production...
indeed and a problem of the highest interest to every thoughtful observer of the destinies of mankind."

[Dr Steingass quoted in T. P. Hughes - "Dictionary of Islam", pp 256-257]

"It is impossible that Muhammad, peace be upon him, authored the Quran. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author, in terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature?

How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human-being could possibly have developed at that time, an all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject?"

[Dr. Maurice Bucaille - author of "The Bible, the Quran and Science" 1978, p. 125]

"Here, therefore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and aesthetic taste, but by the effects which it produced in Muhammad's contemporaries and fellow countrymen.

If it spoke so powerfully and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well organized body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes, and shot a fresh woof into the old warp of history"

[Dr. Steingass, quoted in Hughes' Dictionary of Islam p. 528]

"In making the present attempt to improve on the performance of my predecessors, and to produce something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pain to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms which - apart from the message itself - constitute the Koran's undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind..
This very characteristic feature - 'that inimitable symphony', as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book, 'the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy' has been almost totally ignored by previous translators; it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull and flat indeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated original.."

[Arthur J. Arberry - "The Koran Interpreted", London: Oxford University Press . 1964, p. x.]

"A totally objective examination of it [the Quran] in the light of modern knowledge leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Muhammad's time to have been the author of such statements, on account of the state of knowledge in his day.
Such considerations are part of what gives the Qur'anic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide and explanation which calls solely upon materialistic reasoning."

[Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book: "The Bible, The Quran and Science" 1981, p. 18]

2008-11-30T11:21:00.001-08:00

Proofs that Quran is a Revelation from Allah

2008-11-30T11:13:00.000-08:00

by Sheikh Abdur-Raheem Green

All praise is due to Allah, we praise Him and we seek his help and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil of our selves and from the evil results of our actions. I testify that Allah alone is worthy of worship and that Muhammad is His slave and final Messenger. May Allah�s salawaat (peace and blessings) be upon the last and final messenger Muhammad, his family and his followers. Ameen!

To begin: The best discourse is the book of Allah, and the best way is the way of Muhammad, and the worst of the matters in the religion are those newly introduced innovations, for every innovation in the religion is misguidance, and every misguidance is going astray and every going astray is in the Hellfire.

I have embarked on my commentary on the The Economist magazine�s survey �Islam and the West� (large insert in the August 6, 1994 issue) after some considerable deliberation, and find myself confronted with a considerable task, and indeed Allah is the best of helpers. Brian Beedham is able to rely on what Noam Chomskey calls �manufactured consent�. While dictatorships use force in order to achieve consent from the people and prevent opposition, �democracies� manufacture consent through the media by using it to providing a particular world view which conforms to the interests, by and large, of the ruling elite. He is able to get away with a short, condensed, article because he doesn�t need to prove much of what he is saying, he only has to repeat the prefabricated conventional platitudes. For example, when he talks the Algerian Muslims as �a singularly intransigent bunch of Islamic rebels, fundamentalists of the most bloody minded sort� he doesn�t have to prove it, because the establishment has already ensured that people believe this is the case. In fact the statement in not at all true. The Algerian fundamentalists proved willing to go to elections and seek a peaceful way re-establish the Islamic Sharee�ah . Recent events, such as the meeting of the opposition groups, including the �rebel fundamentalists�, in Rome, calling for talks and a return to free elections - which was even supported by the French government and was rejected by the Algerian government - shows that it is the Algerian government that has proved bloody minded. In spite of such obvious discrepancies Mr. Beedham is able to get away with it because consent has already been manufactured that the fundamentalists are rebellious and bloody minded.

Similarly he never feels he has to prove that democracy is an advantage, it is taken almost completely for granted, knowing his audience is already �captive� so as to speak. In the age of the �sound-bite� (or perhaps in this case �word-bite�), opposing the conventional wisdom is not easy, for what the likes of Mr. Beedham can say in a sentence opposing it would take a book. Even then it would be of doubtful effectiveness, for opposing the norms of society is perhaps one of the hardest paths to take for an instinctively societal creature like ourselves. Thus I shall be writing a series of letters, and not just one, thus enabling me to break down the commentary into more manageable pieces. I shall also refer certain topics to appendices, which may include video and audio tapes.

Islam: An Idea!

To Clash or Not To Clash?

The Strange Case of the Fundamentalists

No Doubt About It!

The Weight of Evidence

A Thoughtful Inquiry

Another Inquiring Mind

Among the People of the Book . . .

Prophecies, Predictions and Past Events

Signs, Science and Surety

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Links to the Subject:

1. A Source of Guidance
2.All About The Quran
3.Quran Division?

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CONSEQUENCES

2008-11-30T11:10:00.000-08:00

This is the evidence, in part, that Islam is from Allah, The Divine Being, the All-Knowing Creator. The cognition of that fact has consequences:

�If they answer you not, know then that the Revelation is sent down with the Knowledge of Allah and that none has the right to be worshipped but He! Will you not then be Muslims (of those who sincerely submit to Allah)?� [Noble Quran 11:14]

Science has produced theories based on empirical evidence that leads to statements about things which we can not see. An example of this is the existence of protons, neutrons and electrons. The existence of these is not disputed, even though they can not be seen, because their existence is believed in on the basis of what is visible and observable. The Quran explains the existence of unseen realities, and the fact of their being unseen does not make them any less real. The descriptions in the Quran of this unseen reality is one of the things that mark it for special attention. It is noteworthy that the Bible, for example, is greatly lacking in such descriptions. Both the Quran and the Hadith contain numerous detailed descriptions of the Afterlife, some of which was relayed to the Prophet as information, some of which he saw in visions and dreams, and some of which he actually witnessed in his physical ascension through the heavens on his Night Journey. The extent and depth of detail of these descriptions appear to be beyond the realm of a man�s mere imagination, and the convincing manner in which they were conveyed suggest an intimate familiarity with this reality. The Prophet�s companions once told him that if Allah were to bring the Hell-Fire and Paradise in front of them it would not increase their faith in its existence, so real was it to them! To the Muslim �fundamentalists�, the next life is as real as this one. The Quran and the Hadith constantly remind the reader of the temporary nature of the world and wealth, and that it is only a test, to see whether it is used to obey or disobey Allah; that the next life is longer, its pleasures lasting and its torment terrible; The believer may, indeed should, posses the lawful things of the world but should not allow the love of it to enter the heart. It is not a call to abandon the world, but a call to use it for righteous ends. There is not time or space to give a detailed description of the Afterlife. I shall include here one hadeeth concerning the life in the grave and only the main headings included in the index of Quran about death, the Day of Judgment, Hellfire and Paradise:

�Wheresoever you may be, death will overtake you even if you are in fortresses built up strong and high!�
[Noble Quran 4:78]

It is reported that al Bara bin Azib said: �We went out with the Prophet in order to participate in the funeral rites of a man from the Ansar. We arrived at the grave, but the inner chamber had not been prepared yet; so Allah�s Messenger sat down facing the direction of the Qiblah, and we sat around him so attentively it was if the birds were sitting on our heads. He had a stick in his hand with which he sketched upon the ground. Then he began looking alternately to the heavens and to the earth, razing his gaze and then lowering it. Finally, he said two or three times: �Seek refuge in Allah from the torment of the grave.� Then he said: �O Allah, verily I seek refuge in You from the torment of the grave.� He repeated it three times, then he elaborated: �Verily, when the believing servant is leaving this world and entering the next, angels from the heavens descend to him-their faces white with brightness like the sun and carrying with them burial sheets and scents from Paradise. They sit before him at a distance as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes to the person, sits at his head and say�s: �O good soul, come out to your Lord�s forgiveness and pleasure.� Thereupon, the soul flows out of the body like water flowing from the mouth of a waterskin, and all of the angels between the sky and the earth supplicate for Allah�s blessing upon him. The doors of the heaven are opened for him, and the keepers of these doors all plead with Allah that this soul might pass in front of them as it is being carried upward. The Angel of Death barely receives the soul in his hands, whereupon the other angels take it from him and wrap it with fragrant winding sheets. This is what is meant by Allah�s saying: �Our messengers seize his soul, and they do not fall short of their duty.� Then the Prophet said: �There exudes from the soul a scent like the most beautiful fragrance of musk that one could find on the face of the earth. The angels ascend with the soul, never passing a host of angels without hearing them ask: �Who is this wonderful soul?� They reply, �So and so, the son of so and so,� addressing him with the best names he was known by during his earthly life. Upon reaching the first heaven, the angels request that it be opened for the soul - which is granted. The soul is then accompanied by the angels of each heaven until it reaches the one above it and finally arrives at the seventh heaven. Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic says: �Place the record of My servant in Illyyun.� The person�s record is then placed in Illiyyun, whereupon a command is heard: �Return him to the earth, for verily I have promised mankind that having created them from the earth I will return them to it. And I will make them come out of it, yet another time. Then the soul is returned to the earth, back into its body. Verily the deceased hears the shuffling feet of his companions who attended his burial as they turn away and leave his grave. Thereupon, two angels, severe in interrogation, come to him, and sitting him up, they begin to ask him questions. They say, �Who is your Lord?� He replies, �Allah is my Lord.� They continue, �What is your religion?� He answers, �Islam is my religion.� They proceed with the questioning, saying, �Who is this man that has been sent to you?� He responds, �He is the Messenger of Allah.� Finally, they ask him about his deeds, to which he replies, �I read Allah�s Book and believed in it.� A voice is then heard in the heavens, saying, �My servant has told the truth, so clothe him in the clothing of Paradise, spread for him the furnishings of Paradise, and open for him a window with a view of Paradise.� Thereupon, he is engulfed by a breeze of fresh air and fragrance, while the expanse of his grave is extended before him as far as the eye can see. There appears before him a man with a wonderful face and beautiful clothing, emitting a splendid fragrance. He says to the soul, �Rejoice at the news which will gladden you. Rejoice at Allah�s pleasure and His Paradise, whose joys and delights never end. This is the day which you were promised.� The deceased says to him, �And who are you, for your face bears good tidings?� The figure answers, �I am your good ; by Allah, I�ve always known you to be quick in obedience to Allah and slow to His disobedience. So may Allah award you with a good reward.� Then a door to Paradise is opened, and a door to Hell, whereupon it is said to him regarding the Hellfire, �This would have been your final abode had you disobeyed Allah, however, it has been exchanged for this other abode.� When the soul sees what is in Paradise, he cries, �My Lord, hasten the arrival of the Hour so that I might be joined with my family and wealth.� Thereupon it is said to him, �Rest in tranquillity.� Allah�s Messenger continued, �When the disbelieving , sinful servant is about to leave this world and enter the next, angels, powerful and severe, descend to him from the heavens - their faces black and carrying with them coarse strips of cloth from Hell. They sit before him at a distance as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death arrives, and sitting at the head of the disbeliever, he says, �O you foul soul, come out to the anger and wrath of your Lord.� The soul inside the disbelievers body is overcome by terrible fear, where upon the Angel of Death violently pulls it out like multi-pronged skewers being yanked out of wet wool - tearing with them the arteries and nerves. Upon this, the soul is cursed by every angel between the heavens and the earth and by those inside the heavens. Then the doors of the heavens are closed to him, and every single guard at these doors begs Allah that this soul not be carried up in front of him. The Angel of Death barely receives the soul in his hands, whereupon the other angels grasp it from him and wrap it up in coarse cloth. There emits from it the foulest odor that could be found on the face of the earth. They ascend with it, never passing a host of angels without being asked, �Who is this ugly soul?� They reply, �So and so, the son of so and so,� using the worst names by which he was known in this world. When they arrive at the lowest heaven, they request that it be opened for this soul, but the request is denied.� And the Prophet recited the verse: �The gates of the heavens will not be opened for them, nor will they enter the Garden of Paradise until a camel goes through the eye of a needle.� After that he continued, �Then Allah the Mighty and Majestic, says to the angels: �Place his record in Sijjeen-in the lowest heaven. Return my servant to the earth, for verily I have promised mankind that having created them from the earth, I will return them to it. And will make them come out of it, yet another time.� Upon this command, the deceased soul is thrown down from the sky until it lands in its body.� The Prophet then recited the verse: �And whoever ascribes partners with Allah, it is as though he had fallen from the sky, such that the birds snatch him up or the wind throws him to a remote place.� Then he commented, �Verily the deceased hears the sound of his companions footsteps as they turn away from his grave.� The Prophet resumed his explanation, �Then the two angels, severe in interrogation, come to him, and sitting him up, they begin to question him, �Who is your Lord?� He answers, �Aah! Aah! I don�t know.� They continue by asking him, �What is your religion?� He answers, �Aah! Aah! I don�t know.� So they ask, �Then what do you say about this man who was sent to you?� The disbeliever does not appear to understand who they are referring to, so it is said, �Muhammed.� Again he states, �Aah! Aah! I don�t know. I only heard the people talking about him.� Then it is said, �You did not know, and you did not read!� Thereupon a voice from the heavens is heard, �He has lied! So spread out for him a place from the Fire and open for him a window to the Fire.� The searing hot winds of Hell engulf him while his grave closes in upon him, crushing him until his rib cage is broken by the force - causing the ribs of one side to intertwine with the ribs of the other. Then there appears to him a person with an ugly face and ugly clothing and exuding a foul odour, who says, �Tidings of evil to you, for this is the day which you were promised!� The deceased says to him, �And you, too; may Allah give you evil tidings! Who are you, for yours is a face which portends evil.� The person rejoins, �I represent your wicked deeds. By Allah, I have always known you to be slow in obedience to Allah and quick in disobedience to Him. May Allah reward you with evil!� Then one who is deaf, dumb and blind and is carrying an iron rod is sent to the deceased. If he were to strike a mountain with it, the mountain would disintegrate into rubble. He strikes the deceased with a blow which turns him into dust. Allah returns the deceased to his original form, whereupon he is struck a second time. This causes him to shriek with such violence that it is heard by all the creation except mankind and jinn. Then a door to the Fire is opened, and beddings of the Fire are spread for him, whereupon he cries, �Lord, do not establish the Hour!� (i.e. Day of Resurrection Day of Gathering, Day of Judgment, Day of Decision, Day of Sorting Out, Day of Grief and Regrets). Trumpet will be blown, a single shout, a single cry, a near torment, pregnant she camels shall be neglected, suckling mothers will forget their babes, every pregnant will drop her load, the heaven will shake with a dreadful shaking. Heaven will be split asunder and shall be rent asunder with clouds Heaven will be rolled up in His Right Hand, and all those in heaven and earth will swoon away. Heaven shall be opened, it will become as gates. The sky will be like boiling filthy oil. The stars shall fall and some stars will lose their light. The Sun will lose its light. Seas will become as blazing fire, and some seas will burst forth. The earthquake of the Hour - mountains will be shaken violently, the earth will be ground to powder, and earth will be changed into another earth and so will the heavens. The earth will be stretched forth as a leveled plain. The earth will throw out its burdens, graves will be turned upside down, and there will be a complete resurrection from the graves. Wild beasts shall be gathered together, raised up blind, and the souls will be joined together with their bodies. This is the True Day, and mankind will be like moths scattered about. All of mankind will proceed in scattered groups, as in a drunken state. Relatives shall be made to see one another - a man shall flee from his relatives - and no friend will ask after a friend. There will be no friend or intercessor. Everyone will be paid their wages in full - written pages of deeds shall be laid open, and every person will know what he she has brought. Every person will be confronted with all the good and evil he has done. A person will know what he has sent foreword and left behind. The will be no fear of injustice - the balances of justice and the scales of deeds - whosoever does good or evil equal to the weight of an atom shall see it. All the secrets will be examined. Some records will be given in the right hand, and some records will be given in the left hand. Some records will be given behind the back. A hard day for the disbelievers - a heavy day. They bear a heavy burden, and are not permitted to put forth any excuse. The wrong-doer will bite his hands. All wrong-doers will be assembled with their companions and idols. It will be a destruction with deep regrets, sorrows and despair. The female infants who were buried alive shall be questioned. The greatest terror - the caller will call to a terrible thing. (On the Day of Resurrection the life of this world will seem like) a stay no longer than ten days - a day or part of a day. No person shall have the power to do anything for another - they will have no power nor any helper. There will be no fear for believers, and all believers will be in the shade, and amongst springs and fruits. Angels will be sent down with a grand descending. The Shin shall be laid bear and Paradise shall be brought near. Hellfire shall be brought near and Hellfire shall be stripped off, kindled to a fierce ablaze. The unbelievers will wish to return and become believers. Hell fire, blazing fire, flaming fire, crushing Fire, burning flame, raging and roaring - the terrible drawing in of its breath. The shadow of black smoke, a narrow place, a place of ambush. This is the worst place to rest - worst indeed is that destination - the torment will not be lightened. An evil final return. The fire of Allah, kindled and filled with men and jinns all together, will say: �Are there any more?�. For those who took their religion for amusement and play, the promised place for them all. It spares not nor does it leave. Disbelievers will be driven to it in groups - criminals and transgressors known by their marks, they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet, seized and dragged into the midst of the blazing fire, bound together in fetters, chained together, wherein they will abide forever. Death will come from all angles, yet they will not die. Therein they will neither die nor live. Every time they seek to get away, they will be driven back. They will find neither protector nor helper. They will be made to drink boiling festering water and boiling hot water - given from a boiling spring. It will melt away what is in their bellies. Boiling oil will boil what is in their bellies. Nothing cool shall they taste therein Water and provision will be forbidden to the disbelievers - only the food of poisonous thorny plant - from the tree of zaqqum. . Food for the sinners. Nor shall they have any drink, except a taste of boiling fluid and puss, filth from the washing of wounds, in fierce hot wind and boiling water. Boiling water poured down over their heads, burning their skins. Their skins will be burnt off then replaced with fresh skins. Their faces will be turned and rolled from all sides in the Fire. They will wear garments of pitch, and fire will cover their faces. Garments of fire will be cut for them, and on them will be hooked rods of iron. Their abode will be the Fire - the torment of the Fire that they used to deny. This is that whereof they used to doubt. Destruction with deep regrets and sorrow. (They will say:) �Had we but listened or used our common sense!� They will dispute with their leaders in the Fire. Nineteen angels will be its guardians and keepers. And in Paradise . . . Gardens underneath which rivers flow. Everlasting gardens. Gardens of Eternity. Gardens of delight. Gardens with everlasting delights. Gardens and grapevines, fruits of two gardens, fruits of all kinds as desired in plenty. Fruits will be near at hand, fruit and meat, flesh of fowls, thornless lote trees and banana trees, a running spring - a spring called Salsabil, a spring called Kafur, a spring call Tasnim. A river in Paradise named Kauthar. Rivers of wine, milk and clear honey A cup mixed with Zanjabil water, trays of gold cups, vessels of silver and cups of crystal, green garments of fine and thick silk, adorned with bracelets of gold and pearls. Coaches lined with silk brocade, green cushions and rich beautiful mattresses set in rows. Thrones woven with gold and precious stones raised high. Rich carpets spread out, beautiful mansions, lofty rooms, one above another, abiding therein forever. An eternal home, facing one another on thrones. They will never taste death therein, nor will they be asked to leave it. All hatred, jealousy or sense of injury will be removed from their hearts. All grief will be removed and no sense of fatigue, toil or weariness will touch them. Neither will there be any hurt, abdominal pain, headache or intoxication. There will be no vain speaking nor sinful speech, neither harmful speech nor falsehood. They will be free from sin. There will be neither excessive heat nor bitter cold. There will be a known provision, in peace and security. The home of peace, with greetings therein, and whoever does righteous deeds will enter. Those who kept their duty to their Lord will be led in groups, and be made to inherit because of their deeds. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. My Paradise, the greatest bliss, the great success and the supreme success. For the believers are Gardens as an entertainment. The dwellers of Paradise will be busy in joyful things that Day. They will be amidst gardens and water springs, and will see the angels surrounding the Throne, near the Omnipotent King. They will have all that they desire. Houries - chaste females with wide and beautiful eyes, as if preserved eggs. Pure wives - wives in a pleasant shade - reclining on thrones. Young full-breasted maidens of equal age, immortal boy-servants to serve them as scattered pearls.

The Death of Death.

Abu Hurayra reported that Allah�s Messenger said: �After the people of Paradise enter Paradise and the People of the Fire enter Hell, Death will be brought foreword in the form of a spotted ram. It will be on the wall which separates the people of Paradise from the people of the Fire. Then it will be said: �O people of Paradise!� Thereupon they will raise their heads and stare apprehensively. Then it will be said: �O people of the Fire!� Whereupon its inhabitants will raise their heads in hope of intercession. After this the people of Paradise and the inhabitants of the Fire will be addressed thus: �Do you know what this is?� They will all reply: �We know it; it is Death, which assigned to us.� Thereupon Death will be placed on its side and slaughtered on the wall. Finally it will be said: �O people of Paradise, only eternity and no more death. O people of the Fire, only eternity and more death.��
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Footnotes

�Allah� is in fact the proper name for God. It means �the one who alone deserves to be worshipped.� It is identical to the Hebrew name for the Creator, �Elah� and the Aramaic (the language of Jesus) �Eli�, both being sister languages of Arabic. Arab Christians always called God _Allah�, even before the Messengership of Muhammad.

�Salawaat� means Allah�s mentioning and praising someone to His gathered angels.

The word for �religion� is a translation of the arabic word �deen� which is more restrictive than the Arabic. Other suggested translations might be �way of life�, or �life transaction.�

Shari�ah: literally means �watering hole�, but refers to the whole corpus of the Divine Law.

Jinn: The jinn are a different type of creation made from smokeless fire that inhabit the world, eat, drink, procreate, having different languages, tribes, nations and religions just like us. They often inhabit deserted buildings and dirty places. They also have the will to choose Islam or disbelieve, and will be judged on the Day of Resurrection, and punished or rewarded accordingly. They are not visible to us in their natural form, but are able to take the form of humans and some animals. They are also able to possess people, and have unique abilities and strength to carry objects at great distances over a short time. The Devil, or Shaitaan,(Satan) or Iblees is not a fallen Angel but a jinn. Everybody has an evil jinn companion that incites them to wrong. It is through communicating with your familiar jinn that some �fortune tellers� are able to know details of your life, and some magicians perform incredible feats.

Not the purely materialistic, political, social or economic reasons as most ignorantly believe, which serves to illustrate just how blind are those,and helpless the task of those who seek solutions in other than that which Allah has revealed.

These are just some of the forms of worship that must be dedicated to Allah alone. Worship consists of everything that Allah loves, whether it be inward or outer, actions of the limbs, or beliefs of the heart. Allah must be worshipped with both love, fear and hope and not with one to the exclusion of others which is a path to error and disbelief. For to worship Allah with love and hope alone is to deny His wrath, and will inevitably cause one to fall into sins. To worship with fear alone is to deny His mercy, and will cause a fall to extremes. There are two conditions for any good deed to be accepted by Allah. First it must be done sincerely. That entails that you do the deed only because you wish to please Allah, and not to be admired by others etc... Secondly the action must be correct. That means it must be done the way Allah has taught us through the messenger Muhammad. An action that is sincere but not correct is not accepted, and if it is correct but not sincere it is also useless. In fact it is sin, and is a type of lesser shirk, because one is doing something that should be exclusively for Allah for someone other than Him.

Jihad actually means �to struggle to the utmost of ones ability�, and is not therefore limited to physical combat. This �jihad al nafs�, or jihad of the self has often been called �the greatest jihad.� Although the muhadeetheen (scholars of the sciences of hadeeth) have declared the hadeeth on which this saying is based to be a fabrication, the meaning is correct in the sense that the purification of the self is the foundation upon which all the other forms of jihad depend. �The matter� being Islam.

Al-Ainya. the selling of goods to a person for a certain price and then buying them back from him for a far less price. Also the selling of goods one does not own by using the buyers money to purchase those goods. It is a form of riba. This means that the people become content with agriculture and mere day to day living.. From a treaties on jihad by Sheik Abdullah bin Muhammed bin Humaid, translated into to English and can be found in the introduction to the English translation to the collection of Hadith Saheeh al Bukari, and the English Interpretation of the Quran by Dr. Muhammed Taqi-ud-deen Al Hilali and Dr Muhammed Muhsin Khan.

Answer: You don�t! For an excellent book that refutes the myth of Muslim hordes forcing conversion at the point of the sword read V.W. Arnolds �The Preaching of Islam.�

Sharia: The toatal body of Isalmic law.

Ijtihaad: exertion or effort; a scholars opinion about a certain matter based on his effort to investigate the sources of sharia. This will be covered later, inshallah.

John B. Taylor, Director of Dialogue with people of Living Faiths and Ideologies of the World Council of Churches wrote in his book _Thinking about Islam�: �...Thus we can feel confident that the Quran which we have today is as far as is humanly possible the text which was established within a few years of the Prophet�s death.� A brief comparison with the Biblical texts would be useful. The oldest complete Biblical text is the Codex Sianaticus, found in St. Catherine�s monastery by a German biblical scholar, Constantine Tishendorf, in 1844 and is now located in the British Museum. This oldest complete Biblical text was written three hundred and sixty years after Christ. It also contains notable textual differences from the modern standard bibles, including an extra gospel, the gospel according to the Shepherd Hermes, and also an Epistle of Barnabas, not found anywhere else. The oldest copies of any substantial portion of the gospels date to about 200 C.E. The Catholic Bible contains seventeen extra books considered apocrypha by the Protestants, and other variations exists between the numerous different Christian sects. The language of Jesus was Aramaic, and all the oldest Biblical fragments are in Latin and Greek. No original Aramaic text exists, and it is noteworthy that all three languages (four including ancient Hebrew) are dead. This, as any entomologist will tell you, leaves serious problems for the correct interpretation of texts. A phrase, that in its original form and context might have a completely innocuous meaning, translated literally into another language takes a completely different connotation. Indeed it is open to serious scholarly dispute as to how much of the sayings and happenings ascribed to Jesus actually took place. None of the evangelists were eye witnesses. Even the names of the Gospellers are questionable, as the Gospels were originally circulated anonymously. In fact it was not until the council of Nicea, three hundred and forty five years after Christ, that the beginnings of what is now called "the Bible" began to be canonised. In the council of Nicea, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were four gospels chosen out of over two thousand, and by whom, and by what criterion? All the gospels were put in the middle of a room, and the group of assembled Bishops were told to go away and pray all night. The four on top were to be chosen as canonical! The Gospels themselves contain numerous contradictions, as does the Old Testament. The Hindu vedas, and writings of the Buddhists and Zoroastrians are not more able to validate scriptural texts. The Quran suffers from none of these inadequacies.

The Islamic calendar starts from the emigration of the Prophet from Mecca to Medina, so is called Hijri, meaning _emigration�.

The nineteenth century saw an attempt by the likes of Noldeke and Goldiziher to discredit the hadeeth. Their arguments have been effectively refuted. Francesco Gabrielli comments in his book _Muhammad and the Conquests of Islam�:�This skepticism is opposed by some of Muhammad�s recent biographers who, while admitting that our knowledge, especially of his origins and early life, contains gaps, uncertainties and pious legends, consider tradition on the whole trustworthy and worth using, with critical discrimination, in its main out line and many details.�This position is exactly that which has always been held by the Muslim scholars of Hadith. John Bagot Glubb wrote in _The Life and Times of Muhammad�:�In consequence a new learned profession came into existence, that of the traditionalist, whose task it was to distinguish between the real saying of Muhammad and those false stories which had been forged.�

Uhaz is in Iraq.

The Kaaba is the cube like structure in the centre of the sacred Mosque in Mecca originally built by Abraham and Ismael for the worship of Allah. It was rebuilt when the Prophet was a youth, and had become the centre of idol worship throughout Arabia.

Al Bihar-Seas, so called because of the way the poem moves, according to its rhythmic patterns. At-Tawil, al-Bassit, al-Waafir, al-Kaamil, ar-Rajs, al-Khafeef, al-Hazaj, al Muttakarib, al-Munsarih, al-Muktatab, al-Muktadarak, al-Madeed, al-Mujtath, al-Ramel, al Khabab.

Quraish: The leading tribe of Mecca, indeed of Arabia. They were responsible for caring for the pilgrims during Hajj, the annual pilgrimage. Muhammad was from Beni Hashim, a sub-tribe of the Quraish.

Tawaaf: the ritual of circumbulating the Kaaba as part of the pilgrimage. See Appendix 1 Muhammed�s Prophethood. An analytical view.

Islam rejects belief in astrology. The stars do not determine anyone�s fate, nor influence their life. Ultimate control is with Allah, and _good� and _bad luck� are solely under the power of Allah. Belief in fortune tellers, or the stars,or the belief that some things, like rabbits feet, bring good fortune, or others bad luck, is to ascribe to those things power that only belongs to Allah, and thus commit shirk, or polytheism. Some knowledge, however, is picked up by the evil jinn who listen to the Angels issuing commands, and they carry this information to the fortuneteller, but mixes the truth with a hundred lies.

For a fascinating insight into the statements in the Bible, and the mentioning of the Prophet�s name, see Appendix �Muhammad in the Bible.�Deuteronomy 18:20-22S

Shaving, or cutting the hair is one of the rituals of the pilgrimage.

This was before the verses forbidding gambling were revealed.

The two authoritative books of hadeeth are Saheeh al Bukari and Saheeh al Muslim.

Signs, Science and Surety

2008-11-30T11:07:00.000-08:00

The Quran is the last revelation, and a proof not only to the pagan Arabs one thousand four hundred years ago, but also to the scientists of today. Perhaps one of the most remarkable qualities of the Quran for those living in the twentieth, and what will soon be the twenty first century, is the complete consistency between the Quran and most of the discoveries of modern science, and in some cases pre-empting facts discovered within the last twenty years. One of the first Western scientists to make a serious study of this subject was Maurrice Bucaille, who wrote a book called The Bible, the Quran and Science. In this book, he compared the statements concerning natural and scientific data in the Bible and the Quran. He concluded: �The Quran follows on from the two Revelations that preceded it and is not only free from contradictions in its narrations, the sign of the various human manipulations to found in the gospels, but provides a quality all of its own for those who examine it objectively and in the light of science, i.e. its complete agreement with modern scientific data. What is more, statements are to be found in it (as has been shown) that are connected with science: and yet it is unthinkable that a man of Muhammad�s time could have been the author of them. Modern scientific knowledge therefore allows us to understand certain verses of the Quran which, until now, it has been impossible to interpret. The comparison of several Biblical and Quranic narrations of the same subject shows the existence of fundamental differences between the statements in the former, which are scientifically unacceptable, and declarations in the latter which are in perfect agreement with modern data: this was the case of the Creation and the Flood, for example. An extremely important complement to the Bible was found in the text of he Quran on the subject of the history of the Exodus, where the two texts were very much in agreement with archaeological findings, in the dating of the time of Moses. Besides, there are major differences between the Quran and the Bible on the other subjects: they serve to disprove all that has been maintained-without a scrap of evidence-concerning the allegation that Muhammad is supposed to have copied the Bible to produce the text of the Quran. . . . In view of the level of knowledge in Muhammad�s day, it is inconceivable that many of the statements in the Quran which are connected with science could have been the work of a man. It is, moreover, perfectly legitimate, not only to regard the Quran as the expression of a Revelation, but also to award it a very special place, on the account of the guarantee of authenticity it provides and the presence in it of scientific statements which, when studied today, appears as a challenge to explanation in human terms.�

Some of the statements involving data confirmed by modern science are:

The Accurate Description of Embryonic and Fetal Development. At the time of Prophet Muhammad prevalent theories included those of Aristotle who thought that a child was formed by the congealing of menstrual blood catalyzed by the male blood, as rennet does to cheese. In the Eighteenth Century, Hartsoeker claimed to have seen within the sperm a pre-formed human being through the primitive microscopes. The Quran reflected none of these, describing the development of the embryonic human with detailed accuracy:

�We created man from a quintessence of clay, We then placed him as a drop (Nutfa) in a place of rest firmly fixed, Then we made the drop into an Alaqah (leech-like) and then we changed the leech-like structure into a Mudghah (chewed-like) and then We made out of that chewed-like substance bones then We clothed the bones with flesh then We caused him to grow and come into being and attain the definitive form. Blessed be Allah the Perfect creator. After that, at length you will die. Again, on the Day of Judgment, you will be raised up.� [Noble Quran 23:12-16]

The Prophet further explained the meaning of Nutfa as meaning both the male sperm and female ovum. The word �alaqah� has three meanings in Arabic: 1) A thing that clings; 2) A blood clot; and 3) A leech like thing. All three accurately describe the first stage of the developing embryo. After the fertilisation of the egg, a blastocyst develops, which has on its exterior villocites which literally �cling� to the wall of the uterus. It then goes on to resemble a leech both in appearance and behaviour. (Both leech and embryo extract blood from host.) It also goes on to resemble a blood clot. The next stage, when it becomes �chewed-like�, is also accurate. It is also true that the bones precede the development of muscle and flesh. The Prophetic traditions state: �When forty -two nights have passed over the conceptus, Allah sends an Angel to it, who shapes it, makes its ears, eyes, skin, flesh and bones. Then he says O Lord! is it male or female? And your Lord decides what He wishes and then the angel records it.� This accurate information gives the correct time for the recognisable growth of the features described, and the sex of the fetus can not be definitely determined until just after forty-two days. This was not known until the invention of powerful microscopes only decades ago. I have mentioned this subject only briefly, and quoted a few of the verses and hadeeth concerning this topic. Keith Moore, Professor and Chairman, Department of Anatomy, University of Toronto, Canada, and author of The Developing Human, is considered one of the leading embryologists, said concerning these statements in the Quran and authenticated hadeeth: �Until the 19th Century, nothing was known about classifying the stages of human development. A system of staging human embryos was developed around the end of the 19th Century based on alphabetical symbols. During the 20th century, numerals were used to describe 23 stages of embryonic development. This system of numbering the stages is not easy to follow and a better system would be based on the morphological changes. In recent years, the study of the Quran has revealed another basis for the classification of the stages of the developing embryo which is based on easily understood actions and changes in shape. It utilizes terms which were sent from God to Muhammed the Prophet by the Angel Gabriel and recorded on the Quran . . . It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammed must have been a Messenger of God.� Marshall Jonson, Professor and Chairman, Department of Anatomy, Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, U.S.A., said: �As a scientist I can only deal with things I can specifically see. I can understand embryology and developmental biology; I can understand the words that are translated to me from the Quran. If I were to transpose myself into that era , knowing what I do today and describing things, I could not describe the things that were described. I see no evidence to refute the concept that this individual Muhammed had to be developing this information from some place, so I see nothing in conflict with the concept that Divine Intervention was involved on what he was able to say.�

Cosmology.

�Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were joined together as one united piece, then We parted them. And We have made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe.� [Noble Quran 21:30]

This verse clearly mentions the common origin of the universe, a fact that was not discovered until forty years ago with the advent of nuclear physics. The separation seems to refer to what the scientists call the �Big Bang�. Also, all living things are composed of protoplasm, which consists of 80-85% water.

�Then He rose over towards the heaven when it was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: �Come willingly or unwillingly.� They both said: �We come willingly.�� [Noble Quran 41:11]

The word smoke describes accurately the primeval state of the universe, which was composed of a hot gaseous mass, with particles moving vigorously, just as in smoke. From this the stars, planets and the earth were formed.

�The heaven, We have built it with power, verily We are expanding it.� [Noble Quran 51:47]

It is an accepted fact that we are living in an expanding universe. �Allah is the one who created the night and day, the sun and moon. Each one is traveling in an orbit with its own motion.� The Arabic word referring to a movement with self-propelled motion is the verb sahabah (yasbahuna in the text). It implies a motion that comes from the body in question. If it takes place in water, it is to swim; it is to move by the action of one�s own legs� if it takes place on land. For movement that occurs in space it would mean �to rotate�. The sun is actually in orbit, not around the earth but around the centre of the galaxy, so there is no contradiction, since the Quran does not specify the Sun�s orbit.

�Have you not seen how Allah merges the night into the day and the day into the night?� [Noble Quran 31:29]

�He coils the night upon the day and He coils the day upon the night.� [Noble Quran 39:5]

To coil or to wind is the translation of the Arabic verb kawwarra. The original meaning of the verb is to coil a turban around the head. The process of perpetual coiling, including the interpenetration of one sector by another is expressed in the Quran just as if the concept of the Earth�s roundness had already been conceived at the time, which is clearly not the case.

�It is He who made the Sun a shining thing and the moon as a light, and measured out their stages . . . � [Noble Quran 10:5]

The Quran describes the Sun as a �siraj� which means a torch, generating its own heat and light where as the Moon is described �an-nur� which is light originating from another source.

Geology.

�Have We not made the earth an expanse; and the mountains stakes?� [Noble Quran 78:6-7]

�And Allah has cast into the ground mountains standing firm so that it does not shake with you.� [Noble Quran 31:10]

It has recently been discovered that mountains have roots that go into the earth�s crust which is composed of seven tectonic plates. Their movement is the cause of earthquakes. It is thought that the roots and weight of the mountains play a vital role in stabilizing the earth�s crust.

Animal and Plant life. The sixteenth chapter of the Quran mentions the bee that leaves its home to gather as feminine, although it has generally been believed that the bees are soldiers and they answer to a King. The Quran also mentions the sexes of plants and the winds as a means of their fertilization.

�We sent forth the winds that fecundate.� [Noble Quran 15:22]

All recently discovered matters.

Atomism. The Greek philosopher Democritus (460-361 BC) advanced the theory that matter was composed of tiny, indivisible particles called Atoms. Modern science has discovered that there is the Atom, but that Atom is divisible. The Quran states:

�He is aware of an atom�s weight in the heavens and on the earth, and even anything smaller than that . . .�
[Noble Quran 34:3]

Dermatology.

�Does mankind think that We cannot assemble his bones? Nay, We are able to put together in perfect order the very tips of his fingers.� [Noble Quran 75:3-4]

No two finger prints are alike. This verse tells of both Allah�s knowledge and ability to resurrect us even to the most unique and individual part:

�Those who reject Our signs We shall soon cast into the fire, As often as their skins are roasted through, We shall change them for fresh skins so that they may truly taste the Penalty, For Allah is exalted in power, wise.� [Noble Quran 4:56]

The nerve ends that feel pain are found in the skin. When the skin is severely burnt the nerve ends are destroyed and pain is not felt. In Hell, Allah will recreate the skin so that its inhabitants may permanently feel intense pain.

�Verily, the tree of zaqqum will be the food of the sinners, like boiling oil it will boil in their bellies, like the boiling of scalding water, � Taste you this! Verily you were pretending to be the mighty the generous! Verily this is that which you used to doubt!� [Noble Quran 44:43-50]

�. . . and drink boiling water which cuts their bowls to pieces.� [Noble Quran 47:15]

Thermal receptors are not present in the intestines. It is known that if the bowel is cut the contents go into the highly sensitive Peritonea Cavity, where intense pain is initiated. This is not common knowledge now, let alone in Muhammad�s time. The author of the Quran is, however, well acquainted with these facts!

The Water Cycle. The Quran correctly describes the water cycle, and the origin of underground springs as being from rain water. Obvious you may think, but the Greek philosophers did not get it right, suggesting that underground springs were produced by sea spray collecting in caves which fed a great underground sea through the �abyss�! In fact the water cycle was not accurately propounded until the 18th century. The Quran, however, states:

�Hast though not seen that Allah sent water down from the sky and led it through sources into the ground?�
[Noble Quran 39:21]

For the sake of brevity, I have only mentioned a few of the statements and provided limited explanation of the statements contained in the Quran and traditions dealing with scientific subjects. T. V. N. Persud, Professor and Chairman, Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Manitoba, Canada commented: �Muhammed was a very ordinary man, he couldn�t read, didn�t know how to write, in fact he was an illiterate . . . we�re talking about 1400 years ago you have some illiterate person making profound pronouncements and statements that are accurate of a scientific nature. I personally can�t see how this could be a mere chance, there are too many accuracies . . . I have no difficulty in my mind reconciling that this is a divine inspiration or a revelation which led him to these statements.� Let us not forget the words of Dr, Bucaille that these facts �appear as a challenge to explanation in human terms.� And Professor Persud�s statement that it cannot be coincidence, there are too many accuracies! The probability against Muhammad taking wild guesses and getting each fact right are indeed phenomenal! These scientists, renowned experts in their fields, like the Arabs who had mastered their language in the time of the Prophet, recognize the clear proof and miraculous nature of the Quran.

�We will show them our signs on the furthest horizons and within themselves until they know that this is the truth.�

The Quran is consistent with external realities, and it is also consistent internally. It is the nature of the works of men, be they scientists, philosophers, sages or mystics to contain inconsistencies and contradictions. This cannot be so with the Divine Revelation as the Quran states: �Have they not carefully considered the Quran, had it been from other than Allah they would have found many in-discrepancies in it.�
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Prophecies, Predictions and Past Events

2008-11-30T11:02:00.002-08:00

I myself was influenced by my knowledge of the Bible to accept the Prophethood of Muhammad, and have had two Jewish rabbis admitting to me in Speaker�s Corner that Muhammad was the Prophet spoken of in their books. It has long been recognised that a sure sign of the truth of a claim to Prophethood is the ability of that individual to accurately and consistently predict future events. This is especially true of Christians who often demand "what did Muhammad prophecy?". This is because the Bible lays down this as a means to distinguish a true Prophet from a false . Everybody is able to predict the future sometimes, some are able to get it right a lot of the time, but only someone who is receiving information from the One who has complete knowledge of the future can get it right every time. There are many predictions both in the Quran and the authenticated sayings of the Prophet Muhammed that have been fulfilled.

The Quran says:

�Ye shall enter the Sacred Mosque, if Allah wills, secure, heads shaved, hair curt short, and without fear�
[Noble Quran 48:28]

This passage was revealed after the Prophet had been stopped by the Quraish from making �Umrah (the Minor Pilgrimage) and a treaty was made between the Muslims and pagans at Hudaybia, six years after the Prophet�s emigration from Mecca. From this position of weakness, in merely two years the verse was fulfilled, Mecca was captured, and the Muslims performed the pilgrimage, shaving their heads, and some cutting their hair.

The Quran says:

�Allah has promised to those of you who believe, and do good deeds, that He will surely grant them in the land inheritance of power as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion which He has chosen for them. And that He will change their state after fear to one of security and peace. They will worship Me alone and not associate aught with Me.� [Noble Quran 24:55]

And also:

�Say to those who deny faith, soon you will be vanquished.� [Noble Quran 3:12]

and

�When comes the help of Allah and Victory, and you see the people enter Allah�s religion in multitudes . . .�
[Noble Quran 110:1-2]

The first verse was revealed at a time of the Muslim�s weakness, promising the righteous victory, and the second predicting the peoples entering into Islam in crowds, and so it came to pass, after the capture of Mecca, and in the time of the Caliphs Abu Bakr, �Umar, �Uthman and �Ali, who were from the most pious companions of the Prophet, were established by Allah in the land, defeating the Persian and Roman empires, so that Islam was established from Spain to parts of China in a mere twenty years. This, in part, fulfills another prophecy of the Quran:

�It is He who has sent the Messenger with guidance, and the religion of truth, to make it triumphant over all religions.� [Noble Quran 9:32]

Christianity, Judaism, paganism have never regained any lasting dominance, physically and intellectually since the coming of Islam. The secular philosophies of communism and capitalism are in the process of being dealt death blows. At the present rate of growth Islam will over take Christianity by 2025 in terms of numbers. See also Quran 48:18-21 and 1:13, which promise victory and the taking of booty - which were also fulfilled.

The Quran says:

�The Roman Empire has been defeated in a land close by; but they, even after this defeat, will gain victory in a few years. Allah�s is the command, in the past and in the future. On that day shall the believers rejoice, with the help of Allah, He helps whom He wills. And He is the mighty and the most Merciful. It is the promise of Allah. Allah never departs from His promise: but most men understand not. They crave for the outer things of life, but of the hereafter they are heedless.�
[Noble Quran 30:1-7]

The Eastern Roman (i.e. Byzantine) Empire suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Persians who captured Jerusalem in 614, and after that Egypt and Syria fell, and Constantinople was laid siege to - (�a land close by�). The pagan Arabs delighted in this, as it seemed to signal to them the success of idolatry over the followers of revelation. When this verse was revealed it seemed impossible that Rome would recover. The word, translated �a few�, is bid�a, which actually means from three to nine years. Ubayy, a pagan Arab, wagered Abu Bakr one hundred camels that this would never occur. By the year 623, Heraclius, the Byzantine Roman Emperor, took to the field and vanquished the Persians in a series of battles, culminating in the battle of Niveveh in 627. Ubayy had been killed, so his relatives paid the dept. At this same time the Muslims had been victorious over the pagan Quraish and were rejoicing, as the Quran foretold.

In part of a long narration found in the two authoritative books of Hadith, the Prophet was sitting in a garden. �Uthmaan ibn Afan walked in and the Prophet asked Abu Musa �Ashari (the narrator) to inform him of the good news of paradise, and also that the people would mutiny against him. The Prophecy was fulfilled in that �Uthmaan became the leader of the Muslims, and secondly some of the people rose against him and slew him.

�Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Rightly Guided Caliph, had also been informed by the Prophet of his assassination in such detail that he knew the man who was going to kill him, and identified him and pointed him out to the people. They asked �Ali why he did not kill the man and he replied: �Then who will kill me?� The night preceding his assassination �Ali had come out, and gazed at the sky and said: �By Allah he never told a lie, nor was a lie ever told to him.� The next day the same man killed �Ali, and his blood spilled down his beard, as the Prophet had described.

Whilst the Muslims were fighting the Jews in Khyber, after some days of attempting to besiege the fortress, the Prophet said that the next morning he would entrust the flag to a man to whom Allah would give victory. He gave the flag to �Ali, and the same day the fortress was conquered under Ali�s command.

The Prophet saw �Ali and Zubair one day laughing together, and he asked Ali if he loved Zubair. Ali replied: �How could I not love him since he is my nephew and co-religionist.� The Prophet asked Zubair the same question, who gave a similar response. The Prophet then told Zubair that he would fight �Ali, and that he would be the oppressor. So in the Battle of Jamal, when Ali and Zubair, in opposing camps came face to face. �Ali reminded Zubair of the incident, and Zubair recalled, and said that he had forgotten, and he immediately left the battle field. So the battle took place as the Prophet had predicted, and Zubair was the oppressor, since Ali was the Rightful Caliph, and to oppose him with violence was wrong.

The Prophet said: �The Caliphate will last for thirty years, then there will be a biting kingship.� So it happened. The rule of the Rightly Guided Caliphs was exactly thirty years: Abu Bakr for two, �Umar for ten, �Uthman for twelve, �Ali for two and a half and Hassan three and a half. After that evil spread and kingship was established.

The Prophet also predicted the capture of Egypt, and told his companions to treat the people well, and that they would seize the treasures of the Persian Choseros (Emperor), who lives in the white palace, all of which they accomplished, and that Suraqa bin Malik (one of the companions) would have the bracelets of Caesar put on his hands. So it happened that some such bracelets fell into the possession of �Umar and he called Suraqa, and placed the bracelets on him, reminding him of the Prophet�s words.

A narration in the most authoritative of the Hadith books, Saheeh al-Bukhari, told Auf bin Malik to look for six incidents before the last day: �The first, my death; the second the conquest of Jerusalem; third, an epidemic among them; fourth, the abundance of wealth so that a man would not gladly accept one hundred dinars even if given it; fifth, a trouble that would involve all Arab families without exception; sixth, a treaty with the Christians, which the Christians would violate, etc.. (the hadeeth describes this last event, not yet fulfilled). Jerusalem was captured, and after this in 16 A.H. an epidemic broke out in Umwas and seventy thousand died. Wealth became plentiful, especially during the Caliphate of �Uthman, and after that in the time of �Umar ibn AbdulAzziz, when the collectors of zakat found no one poor enough to receive it. Also the rebellious war arose in the time of �Uthman and became worse after his murder, so none of the Arabs families were not involved in some respect.

The Prophet mentioned that the Muslims would conquer both Rome and Constantinople. He was asked which would fall first, and the Prophet said: �The city of Heraclius�, i.e. Constantinople. Constantinople was taken by the Muslims in the fifteenth century. Rome still remains to be conquered, as it will be. So the order is correct, and rest still to be fulfilled. What is noteworthy about these statements of the Prophet is that they were made at a time when no one could imagine that a small city state, permanently under siege by the pagan Arabs, would reach such heights of power and strength, and that these predictions are not couched in some vague terminology open to various interpretations, like the Bible�s Book of Revelation�s �Beast of 666�, and monsters with horns and little horns, or the meanderings of Nostradamus. The language is clear, their assertions direct, and often with specific names and dates.

The Prophet also predicted the dividing of the Muslims into many sects and mentioned some of their characteristics. The Prophet mentioned that some people would do to �Ali what the Christians did to Jesus. This clearly refers to the Shi�a, who exaggerate in love and praise of �Ali. One of the Shi�a sects, the Nusaria, actually worship him as the manifestation of Allah. The Prophet also mentioned that a group would arise who will deny Allah�s Qadr (Divine Decree) and he called them the �Magians of the Ummah�, and so it happened, and they were called the Qadaria. He also mentioned the appearance of those who would claim the Quran is created, and of those who would tell people to take only from the Quran and ignore the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition), and these things have all come to pass. The Prophet also predicted that from the tribe of a certain individual a group would arise who would used the verses of Quran pertaining to unbelievers on the believers, and that they should be fought and killed. So it happened that the first of the deviant sects to arise was the Khawarij, who said that �Ali and Mu'awia were unbelievers, and whoever did not believe this, then they also were unbelievers, and they would slaughter the Muslims, and they arose from the tribe of Tamim, as the Prophet had said.

The Prophet mentioned that there would be signs forewarning the approach of the last day. Among those that have clearly come to pass are:

a. The barefooted bedouins competing in building tall buildings. Today we find in the Arabian Peninsula, the Arabs who used to be impoverished herders of camels and sheep, are competing in building the tallest tower blocks.

b. The Mosques would be like palaces. This is clearly the case, even though the Prophet ordered simplicity in the houses of Allah, the mosques have become more and more fantastic, with golden domes, marbled floors, lavish carpets and chandeliers.

c. Disappearance of trustworthiness, so much so that one would only be able to say: �I know a trustworthy person in such-and-such town.�

d. The increase in killing, so that the one who kills does not know why he killed, and the one killed does not know why he was killed. I was recently sent an article from the Washington Post about the rise of gang warfare. Part of the initiation ceremony was for a new gang member(some times as young as eleven) to shoot someone. The second highest cause of death from fifteen to thirty five in the US are gun related. The massacre of civilians in the Vietnam War by American troops who had little idea why they were there, and the increase of such conflicts, is further illustration of the fulfillment of this prophecy. As are the rise of insane mass murders, of children killing children, such as Jamie Bulger.

e. The increase of the use of riba (usury/interest) so that no one will able to escape being tainted by it. This clearly the state of the world economy today.

f. The enemies of the Muslims dividing the Muslim�s wealth and lands between them, the Muslims abandoning jihad, and concerning themselves only with the worldly matters. We have already mentioned this.

g. The increase of literacy.

h. The decrease of religious knowledge due to the disappearance of scholars.

i. The increase of musical instruments, and the Muslims making it lawful even though the Prophet has forbidden them.

j. The increase of sexual promiscuity, and new diseases that people had not heard of before spreading amongst them as a consequence of that. This is clear, with the arrival of AIDS, and other previously unheard of viruses.

k. Appearance of Dajjals (liars), each claiming to be a Messenger of Allah, while Muhammad is the last messenger. There are numerous examples of this, starting with Musailima, who arose in the time of the Prophet, just before his death, to more modern liars such as Elija Muhammad, founder of the Black American racist movement �The Nation of Islam�, and India�s pretender Gulam Ahmed of Qadian.

l. Nakedness of women while still being dressed.

m. The drinking of wine becoming common, and the Muslims making it lawful by calling it another name.

n. Shouting in the mosques.

o. The worst and most ignorant will become leaders and they will be oppressors.

p. A man will obey his wife and disobey his mother, and treat his friends kindly and shun his father.

q. Men will wear silk and gold, and the making of it lawful by the Muslims even though the Prophet had forbidden it for the men of his �Ummah (nation).

r. People will abandon the religion for a small worldly gain, and keeping to the religion will be like holding two hot coals.

So these are just some of the numerous prophecies of Muhammad, that have clearly come true, and some have been fulfilled in this age in which we live, all adding weight to the evidence in favour of his claim.

The Quran also provides accurate knowledge of the past. This is also information which Muhammad was unable to receive except from Allah. Some examples of this are:

The Quran mentions about the ark of Noah:

�The Ark came to rest upon Mount Judi� [Noble Quran 11:44]

Recent archeological research has discovered a boat shaped object with exactly the same dimensions as those of the Ark on Mount Judi. The Bible claims that the Ark came to rest twenty miles away on the Mountains of Ararat. This is not possible, since these mountains are a recent geological formation, and did not exist at the time of Noah. The Quran also refers to the flood as a localised event, destroying only Noah�s people. The dates and time offered by the Bible for the flood, and its claim that it was a world wide cataclysm, has been proven false by all archeological evidence.

The Quran describes the ruler of Egypt being addressed as �King� in the time of Joseph, whilst Moses addresses the ruler as �Pharaoh�. This is a small but telling accuracy, for in the time of Joseph the rulers were from the Hykos Dynasty, and were Semites. They did not refer to themselves as �Pharaohs�. The term was used by the native Egyptian dynasties that supplanted the Hykos, in the time of Moses. The Bible again proves inaccurate on this point referring to both as �Pharaoh�. The Quran also correctly describes aspects of the ancient Egyptian religion, in particular the worship of Pharaoh as a god.

The Quran refers to the early followers of Jesus as �Nazarenes�. This is historically accurate. The word �Christian� was actually a nick name used by the Romans sometime after Jesus - Acts 11:26 �The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.�

The Quran makes reference to a city Iram, which Allah destroyed for its evil doings. Until recently there was no record of this city, and it was believed to be only a legend. In 1973, in North-Western Syria, the 4300 year old city of Ebla was excavated. On the cuneiform clay tablets, a record was found of all the cities with who they used to do business. Among them was Iram.

How and from where did Muhammed gather this information? If, as some claim, he took it from the Bible, how did he manage to correct the Bible�s mistakes?
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Among the People of the Book . . .

2008-11-30T11:02:00.001-08:00

Great numbers of Christians embraced Islam during and soon after the Islamic conquests after the prophet's death. They were never compelled, rather it was a recognition of what they were already expecting. Anselm Tormeeda, a priest and Christian scholar was one such person whose history is worth relating. He wrote a famous book The Gift to the Intelligent for Refuting the Arguments of the Christians. In the introduction to this work he relates his history:

�Let it be known to all of you that my origin is from the city of Majorca, which is a great city on the sea, between two mountains and divided by a small valley. It is a commercial city, with two wonderful harbours. Big merchant ships come and anchor in the harbour with different goods. The city is on the island which has the same name - Majorca, and most of its land is populated with fig and olive trees. My father was a well respected man in the city. I was his only son. When I was six, he sent me to a priest who taught me to read the Gospel and logic, which I finished in six years. After that I left Majorca and traveled to the city of Larda, in the region of Castillion, which was the centre of learning for Christians in that region. A thousand to a thousand and a half Christian students gathered there. All were under the administration of the priest who taught them. I studied the Gospel and its language for another four years. After that I left for Bologne in the region of Anbardia. Bologne is a very large city, it being the centre of learning for all the people of that region. Every year, more than two thousand students gather together from different places. They cover themselves with rough cloth which they call the �Hue of God�. All of them, whether the son of a workman or the son of a ruler wear this wrap, in order to make the students distinct from others. Only the priest teaches controls and directs them. I lived in the church with an aged priest. He was greatly respected by the people because of his knowledge and religiousness and asceticism, which distinguished him from the other Christian priests. Questions and requests for advice came from everywhere, from Kings and rulers, along with presents and gifts. They hoped that he would accept their presents and grant them his blessings. This priest taught me the principles of Christianity and its rulings. I became very close to him by serving and assisting him with his duties until I became one of his most trusted assistants, so that he trusted me with the keys of his domicile in the church and of the food and the drink stores. He kept for himself only the key of a small room were he used to sleep. I think, and Allah knows best, that he kept his treasure chest in there. I was a student and servant for a period of ten years, then he fell ill and failed to attend the meetings of his fellow priests. During his absence the priests discussed some religious matters, until they came to what was said by the Almighty Allah through his prophet Jesus in the Gospel: �After him will come a Prophet called Paraclete�. They argued a great deal about this Prophet and as to who he was among the Prophets. Everyone gave his opinion according to his knowledge and understanding; and they ended without achieving any benefit in that issue. I went to my priest, and as usual he asked about what was discussed in the meeting that day. I mentioned to him the different opinions of priests about the name Paraclete, and how they finished the meeting without clarifying its meaning. He asked me: �What was your answer?� I gave my opinion which was taken from interpretation of a well known exegesis. He said that I was nearly correct like some priests, and the other priests were wrong. �But the truth is different from all of that. This is because the interpretation of that noble name is known only to a small number of well versed scholars. And we posses only a little knowledge.� I fell down and kissed his feet, saying: �Sir, you know that I traveled and came to you from a far distant country, I have served you now for more than ten years; and have attained knowledge beyond estimation, so please favour me and tell me the truth about this name.� The priest then wept and said: �My son, by God, you are very much dear to me for serving me and devoting yourself to my care. Know the truth about this name, and there is a great benefit, but there is also a great danger. And I fear that when you know this truth, and the Christians discover that, you will be killed immediately.� I said: �By God, by the Gospel and He who was sent with it, I shall never speak any word about what you will tell me, I shall keep it in my heart.� He said: �My son, when you came here from your country, I asked you if it is near to the Muslims, and whether they made raids against you and if you made raids against them. This was to test your hatred for Islam. Know, my son, that Paraclete is the name of their Prophet Muhammad, to whom was revealed the fourth book as mentioned by Daniel. His way is the clear way which is mentioned in the Gospel.� I said: �Then sir, what do you say about the religion of these Christians?� He said: �My son, if these Christians remained on the original religion of Jesus, then they would have been on God�s religion, because the religion of Jesus and all the other Prophets is the true religion of God. But they changed it and became unbelievers.� I asked him: �Then, sir, what is the salvation from this?� He said �Oh my son, embracing Islam.� I asked him: �Will the one who embraces Islam be saved?� He answered: �Yes, in this world and the next.� I said: �The prudent chooses for himself; if you know, sir the merit of Islam, then what keeps you from it?� He answered: �My son, the Almighty Allah did not expose me to the truth of Islam and the Prophet of Islam until after I have become old and my body weakened. Yes, there is no excuse for us in this, on the contrary, the proof of Allah has been established against us. If God had guided me to this when I was your age I would have left everything and adopted the religion of truth. Love of this world is the essence of every sin, and look how I am esteemed, glorified and honoured by the Christians, and how I am living in affluence and comfort! In my case, if I show a slight inclination towards Islam they would kill me immediately. Suppose that I was saved from them and succeeded in escaping to the Muslims, they would say, do not count your Islam as a favour upon us, rather you have benefited yourself only by entering the religion of truth, the religion that will save you from the punishment of Allah! So I would live among them as a poor old man of more than ninety years, without knowing their language, and would die among them starving. I am, and all praise is due to Allah, on the religion of Christ and on that which he came with, and Allah knows that from me.� So I asked him: �Do you advise me to go to the country of the Muslims and adopt their religion?� He said to me: �If you are wise and hope to save yourself, then race to that which will achieve this life and the hereafter. But my son, none is present with us concerning this matter , it is between you and me only. Exert yourself and keep it a secret. If it is disclosed and the people know about it they will kill you immediately. I will be of no benefit to you against them. Neither will it be of any use to you if you tell them what you heard from me concerning Islam, or that I encouraged you to be a Muslim, for I shall deny it. They trust my testimony against yours. So do not tell a word, whatever happens.� I promised him not to do so. He was satisfied and content with my promise. I began to prepare for my journey and bid him farewell. He prayed for me and gave me fifty golden dinars. Then I took a ship to my city Majorca where I stayed with my parents for six months. Then I traveled to Sicily and remained there five months, waiting for a ship bound for the land of the Muslims. Finally a ship arrived bound for Tunis. We departed before sunset and reached the port of Tunis at noon on the second day. When I got off the ship, Christian scholars who heard of my arrival came to greet me and I stayed with them for four months in ease and comfort. After that I asked them if there was a translator. The Sultan in those days was Abu al-Abbas Ahmed. They said there was a virtuous man, the Sultan�s physician, who was one of his closest advisors. His name was Yusuf al-Tabeeb. I was greatly pleased to here this, and asked where he lived. They took me there to meet him separately. I told him about my story and the reason of my coming there; which was to embrace Islam. He was immensely pleased because this matter would be completed by his help. We rode to the Sultan�s Palace. He met the Sultan and told him about my story and asked his permission for me to meet him. The Sultan accepted, and I presented myself before him. The first question the Sultan asked was about my age. I told him that I was thirty-five years old. He then asked about my learning and the sciences which I had studied. After I told him he said. �Your arrival is the arrival of goodness . Be a Muslim with Allah�s blessings.� I then said to the doctor, �Tell the honourable Sultan that it always happens that when anyone changes his religion his people defame him and speak evil of him. So, I wish if he kindly sends to bring the Christian priests and merchants of this city to ask them about me and hear what they have to say. Then by Allah�s will, I shall accept Islam.� He said to me through the translator, �You have asked what Abdullah bin Salaam asked from the Prophet when he-Abdullah came to announce his Islam.� He then sent for the priests and some Christian merchants and let me sit in an adjoining room unseen by them. �What do you say about this new priest who arrived by ship?�, he asked. They said: �He is a great scholar in our religion. Our bishops say he is the most learned and no one is superior to him in our religious knowledge.� After hearing what the Christian said, the Sultan sent for me, and I presented myself before them. I declared the two testimonies that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, and when the Christians heard this they crossed themselves and said: �Nothing incited him to do that except his desire to marry, as priests in our religion can not marry�. Then they left in distress and grief. The Sultan appointed for me a quarter of a dinar every day from the treasury and let me marry the daughter of Al-Hajj Muhammed al-Saffar. When I decided to consummate the marriage, he gave me a hundred golden dinars and an excellent suit of clothes. I then consummated the marriage and Allah blessed me with a child to whom I gave the name Muhammed as a blessing from the name of the Prophet.�

There was also a community of Jews who lived in Madinah who had emigrated there to wait for the expected prophet. Indeed they use to threaten the pagan Arabs of Madinah with his arrival, saying that the Prophet will destroy them as Allah destroyed Aad and Thaumood. It was one of the factors that caused these same Arabs to hasten to join the Prophet when they herd of him. One learned Jew, Ibnul Hayyaban, had left Syria seven years before the advent of the Prophet and as he was dying had told his people: �O Jews, what do you think made me leave the land of bread and wine to come to a land of hardship and hunger?� When they replied that they could not think why, he said that h had come to this country expecting to see the emergence of a prophet whose time was at hand. This was the town where he would migrate and he was hoping that he would be sent so that he could follow him. A good number of the Jewish rabbis embraced Islam, including Abdullah ibn Salaam who, when he went to the Prophet to announce his Islam, said: "Oh Prophet of Allah! My people are very tricky, so summon them and ask them what they think of me." So the Prophet did so, asking them: "What do you think of �Abdullah ibn Salaam?" So they said: "By Allah he is the best of us, and most noble and learned amongst us!" So the Prophet asked, "What would you say if he embraced Islam?" They replied, "We seek refuge with Allah! He would never do that!" So the Prophet asked again, "What would you say if he did?" Again they said, "We seek refuge with Allah from that!" Then Abdullah came from behind the covering and said: "I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His Messenger!" So his people immediately started to revile him saying: "He is the worst of us, and the most base born and most ignorant." Abdullah ibn Salaam once commented on the verse: "And they (the people of the Book) know this (that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah) like they know their own sons." "By Allah, Allah speaks the truth, for we only rely on our women concerning our sons, where as Allah has spoken of you in His Book (meaning the Torah.)." He also testified that when he heard about the Prophet he already knew his name, time and place of arrival.

There are numerous incidents where Jews tested and questioned the Prophet, some accepting him and others not. The wife of the Prophet, Safiyah bint Hauyay, said about her father and uncle,(who were Jews): �When the Messenger of Allah arrived at Quba, my father Huyay ibn Akhtab and my uncle Abu Yaser went to him after morning prayer while it was still dark and they did not return until sunset. They returned tired and demoralised, and were walking slowly. I went near them but they did not even turn towards me due to their sadness. Then I hear my uncle say to my father, �Is he the one?� He replied: �Yes, by Allah�. My uncle said: �Do you know him and confirm him?� He said: �Yes�. My uncle said: �How do you feel about him?� He said: �By Allah! Hatred and enmity as long as I live.��
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Another Inquiring Mind

2008-11-30T11:01:00.001-08:00

Heraclius was not the only ruler to recognize the Prophethood of Muhammad. Negus, the ruler of, Abyssinia, similarly recognised the message of Islam and the words of Quran as being of divine origin when he questioned the Muslims who had emigrated to escape the tortures and oppression of the pagan Quraish. The Prophet�s claim is given added weight by numerous Christian and Jewish scholars, both in Muhammad�s time, and afterwards who recognised him as the final messenger foretold in their scriptures. The case of Heraculus has already been mentioned. Bahira, the monk whom some Orientalists have vainly tried to suggest was the teacher of Muhammad, recognised the signs of Prophethood on him whilst Muhammad was a boy accompanying his uncle Abu Talib�s caravan to Syria, as did Waraqa, one of the few Christians in Mecca, who had translated some parts of the Christian scriptures into Arabic, who was the cousin of Muhammad�s wife Khadija. Indeed, after the Prophet had received the first revelation, he went to this same Waraqa, who said �Surely, by Him in whose hand is Waraqa�s soul, thou art the Prophet of these people. There has come unto you the greatest angel, who came unto Moses. You will be called a liar, and they will use you despitefully, and cast you out and fight against you.� Al Jurud ibn Ak Ala, a Christian scholar and ruler of his people came to visit the Prophet and said: �By Allah you have come with the truth, and have spoken truly, as a Prophet I have found your description in the Gospel, and the son of the Virgin has announced your coming.� Al Jurud then accepted Islam along with his people. Also Muqauqas, the King of the Copts, in his response to the letter sent to him by the Prophet inviting him to Islam wrote: �I have read your message and have understood what you have mentioned in it, and what you are calling to. I have known that a Prophet would be sent and thought that he would appear in Sham, and I have honoured your messenger.�

The story of one the Prophet�s companions, Salman the Persian, further illustrates this:

�I was a Persian man from the peoples of Isfahaan from a town known as Jayi. My father was the town chief. To him, I was the most beloved of the creature Allah. His love of me reached the point whereby he trusted me to supervise the fire he lit, which was not allowed to be let to die down. My father owned land, and one day while he was busy he told me to go and inspect the land and to bring from it some things he wanted. On my way I came across a Christian church. I heard the voices of the prayers of the people inside. I did not know what goes on with the lives of other people because my father had kept me confined to his house. So when I came across those people and I heard their voices I went inside watching what they were doing. When I saw them I liked their prayers and became interested in their religion. I said to myself: �By Allah, this religion of theirs is better than that of ours.� By Allah I did not leave them until sunset, and never inspected my father�s land. I asked: �Where is the origin of this religion?� They said: �In As-Shaam (i.e. Greater Syria).� I returned to my father who had become worried and sent after me. Upon my arrival he said: �O son! Where have you been? Didn�t I trust you with an assignment?� I said: �I came across some people praying in their church and I liked what they were on from their religion. By Allah I stayed with them until sunset.� My father said: �O Son! There is no good in that religion. The religion of your fathers is better.� I said: �No, by Allah, it is better than our religion.� He threatened me and chained me by my foot and kept me confined to the house. I sent to the Christians requesting to let me know of the arrival of any Christian trade caravan coming from as-Shaam. A trade caravan arrived and they informed me about it. I told them to keep me informed about the people of the caravan, and when they were about to finish their business and return to their country. I took off the chains from my foot and joined the caravan until we reached as-Sham. Upon my arrival I asked: �Who is the best amongst the people of this religion of yours?� They said: �The Bishop in the Church.� I went to him and said: �I like this religion and I love to be with you, serving you in your Church, to learn from you and to pray with you.� The Bishop agreed. After a while I learnt that this Bishop ordered and motivated his people to pay charity only to keep it for himself. He did not give it to the poor. He heaped up seven jars with gold and silver! I hated him so much because of what I saw him doing. The Bishop died. The Christians gathered to bury him. I told them that he was a bad man who ordered you to release your money for charities only to keep if for himself and that he did not give anything of it to the poor. They said: �How do you know this?� I said: �I can show his treasure.� They said: �Show us!� I showed them the place and when they saw it they said: �By Allah we will never bury him!� They took his dead body and crucified and stoned it. They replaced their bishop. I never saw a man from those who do not pray the five prescribed prayers better than him; nor a man detached from this worldly life and attached to the hereafter more than him; nor a committed person who works day and night better than him. I loved him more than anything else I loved before. I stayed with him for sometime before his death. When his death approached I told him: �O teacher, I stayed with you and loved you more than anything else I loved before. Now you are approached by the decree of Allah, so who would you recommend for me and what would you like to order me?� The Bishop said: �By Allah! People are in a total loss, they altered and changed what they were on. I do not know of anyone who is still holding to what I am on except a man in Al-Moosil, so join him.� When the man died, I moved to Al-Moosil and met the recommended person. I told him that my former master at the time of his death recommended that I join you. He also told me that you are holding to the same as he was. The man of Al-Moosil told me to stay with him; I stayed with him and found that he was the best man holding onto the matter of his friend. Soon he died. When death approached him I asked him to recommend some other person who is on the same religion. The man said: �By Allah! I don�t know of anyone who is on the same matter of ours except a man in Nasiyeebeen, so join him.� Following his death I moved to the man of Nasiyeebeen and stayed with him for a while. The same story repeated itself. Death approached and before he died, I came to the man and asked for his advice as to whom and where to go. The man recommended that I join another man on the same religion in Am�mooriyeeyah, which I did, and earned some cows and one sheep. When death approached the man of Am�mooriyeeyah, I repeated my request. The answer was different. The man said: �O son! I do not know of anyone who is on the same religion as we are. However, the time of emergence of a Prophet will shade you. This Prophet is on the same religion of Abraham. He comes from Arabia and migrates to a place located between landscapes of black stones. Palm trees are spread between these scapes. He has certain well known signs. He eats food given as a gift and he does not eat from charity. The seal of Prophethood is between his shoulders. If you could move to that land, then do so.� After he died I stayed in Am�mooriyeeyah until one day some merchants from the tribe of Kalb passed by me. I told them, �Take me to Arabia and I will give you my cows and the only sheep I have.� They agreed. When we reached Wadee Al-Qura (close to Madinah) they sold me as a slave to a Jew and I saw the palm trees, and I hoped that this would be the same place described by my friend. A man who was a first cousin to my master came visiting one day and bought me. He took me with him to Madinah. By Allah! When I saw it I knew it was the place my friend had described. Then Allah sent His Messenger. He stayed in Mecca as long as he did. I did not hear anything about him because I was very much busy with the work of slavery. He the migrated to Madinah. I was on a palm tree doing some work for my master. A first cousin of his came and stood in front of him and said: �Woe to Banee Qeelah, they are gathered in Quba around a man whom came today from Mecca claiming that he was a Prophet!� When I herd that I shivered thinking that I was about to fall down on my master. I came down and I said: �What did you say, what did you say?� My master became angry and punched me with a powerful punch and said: �What kind of business do you have in this matter? Go back to your work!� I said: �Nothing! I just wanted to be sure of what he was saying.� On that evening I went to see the Messenger of Allah while he was in Quba. I took with me something I had saved. I went in and said: �I was told you are a righteous man and that your company are strangers in need, and I want to offer you something I saved as charity. I found that you deserve it more than anyone else.� I offered it to him; he said to his companions: �Eat!� and he kept his hand off. I said to myself: �This is one of the signs!� The next time I visited the Prophet in Madinah I said: �I see you don't eat from the charity, here is a gift that I wanted to honour you with.� The Prophet ate from it and ordered his companions to do the same which they did. I said to myself: �Now they are two.� On the third encounter I went to funeral of one of the Prophet�s companions. I greeted him with the Salaam, then I moved towards his back attempting to see the seal that was described to me by my friend. When he saw me he knew I was trying to confirm something described to me. He took the garment off his back and I looked at the seal. I recognised it. I came down on it kissing it and crying. The Messenger of Allah told me to move around and talk to him, and I told him my story.�
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A Thoughtful Inquiry

2008-11-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

Furthermore the Prophet displayed numerous qualities which Heraculus, the Byzantine Roman Emperor, recognized as indicating that Muhammad was indeed the Prophet who they (the Christians) had been expecting as the following narration shows:

"Abdullah ibn Abbas reported that Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraculus had sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing business in Sham (i.e. Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), and at the time when Allah�s messenger had a truce with Abu Sufyan and the idolatrous Quraish. So Abu Sufyan and his companions went to Heraculus at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had all his dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who, translating Heraculus�s question, said to them: "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him." Heraclius said, "Bring him close to me and make his companions stand behind him." Heraclius told his translator to tell Abu Sufyan�s companions that he wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man and that if I told a lie they should contradict me. Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah, had I not been afraid of my companions labelling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about the Prophet.� The first question he asked me about him was: "What is his family status amongst you?" I replied, "He belongs to a noble family amongst us." Heraclius further asked, "Has anybody else amongst you ever claimed the same before him?" I replied, "No!" He said, "Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?" I replied "No!" Heraclius asked, "Do the nobles or the poor follow him?" I replied, "It is the poor who follow him." He said, "Are his followers increasing or decreasing?" I replied, "They are increasing." He then asked, "Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?" I replied, "No!" Heraclius said, "Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim?" I replied, "No!" Heraclius said, "Does he break his promises?" I replied, "No. We are at truce with him, but we do not know what he will do in it." I could not find opportunity to say anything against him except that Heraclius asked, "Have you ever had a war with him?" I replied, "Yes." Then he said, "What was the outcome of the battles?" I replied, "Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we." Heraclius said, "What does he order you to do?" I said, "He tells us to worship Allah, and Allah alone, and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin." Heraclius asked the translator to convey to me the following, "I asked you about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact all the Prophets come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have suspected that this man was following the previous mans statement. Then I asked you whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I then asked you whether the rich people or the poor followed him. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Prophets have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, until it is complete in all respects. I further asked you if there was anybody, who after embracing his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and in fact this is the sign of true faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Prophets never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and not to commit illegal fornication. If what you said is true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it from the scriptures that he was going to appear, but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet."

Heraclius then asked for the letter addressed by the Allah�s Messenger which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Bura, who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the letter were as follows:

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. From Muhammad, the slave of Allah and his Messenger to Heraclius the ruler of Byzantines. Peace be upon him who follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation you will be committing a sin by misguiding your peasants: "O People of the Scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. those who surrendered to will of Allah)."

Abu Sufyan then added, "When Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter there was a great hue and cry in the royal court. So we were turned out of the court. I told my companions that the issue of Ibn Abi-Kabsha (a derogatory nick name for the Prophet) has become so prominent that even the King of the Byzantines is afraid of him. then I started to become sure that he would be the conqueror in the near future until I embraced Islam.� The sub-narrator adds: "Ibn An-Natur was the governor of Jerusalem and Heraclius was visiting Jerusalem, he got up in the morning in a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and an astrologer . He replied, "At night when I looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice circumcision had appeared. Who are they who practice circumcision?" The people replied, "Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you should not be afraid of them. Just issue orders to kill every Jew present in the country." While they were discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news of Allah�s Messenger to Heraclius was brought in. Having heard the news, he ordered the people to go and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, "Arabs also practice circumcision." After hearing that Heraclius remarked that sovereignty of the Arabs had appeared. Heraclius then left for Homs and stayed there until he received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he came out and said, "O Byzantines! If success is your desire and if you seek right guidance and want your Empire to remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet!" On hearing this, the people ran towards the gates of the palace like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realised their hatred towards Islam and when he lost hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be brought back in audience. He said: "What I just said was to test the strength of your conviction and I have seen it." The people prostrated before him and became pleased with him, and this was the end of Heraculus�s story (in connection with his faith.)
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The Weight of Evidence

2008-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

Allah laid down a challenge in the Quran to mankind in general and to the Arabs in particular:

"And if you are in doubt concerning that which we have sent down to our slave (Muhammad) then produce a chapter like it, and call your supporters and helpers besides Allah, if you are truthful!" [Noble Quran 2:23]

The Arabs in the time of Muhammad, peace be upon him, had no civilization to speak of - no magnificent roads or public buildings, nor scientific or medical institutions. In fact, they lived a most primitive and barbarous existence. There was one thing in which they excelled - that was their language. They were extremely found of poetry, and prided themselves in their poetic abilities. They praised each other, admonished - and even argued - in poetry. There was even an annual market in Uhaz just for poetry - the finest of which was hung on the door of the Ka�abah. The age of Muhammad was a time when the Arabs were at the peak of their linguistic abilities. Indeed, one of the finest poems ever written in Arabic was that of Labaid ibn Rabiyah, whose poem, when recited at Uhaz, caused the Arabs to prostrate before him in admiration. When this same Labaid began to hear the verses of Quran, he embraced Islam, and gave up poetry altogether. When he was once asked to recite some poetry he said: "What! After the Quran?" Indeed, many of the Arabs entered into Islam just from hearing the Quran, because for them it was a conclusive proof of its Divine origin. They knew that no man could produce such eloquence. The challenge of the Quran for man to produce its like is not, as some suppose, merely like the uniqueness of Shakespeare, Shelly, Keats or Homer. The Quran differentiated itself in its very structure. Poetry in Arabic falls into sixteen different "Bihar� (rhythmic forms), and other than that they have the speech of soothsayers, rhyming prose, and normal speech. The Quran�s form did not fit into any of these categories. It was this that made the Quran inimitable, and left the pagan Arabs at a loss as to how they might combat it. Alqama bin Abdulmanaf confirmed this when he addressed their leaders, the Quraish: �Oh Quraish, a new calamity has befallen you. When Muhammad was a young man, he was the most liked among you, the most truthful in speech and the most trustworthy, until, when you saw grey hairs on his temple, he brought you his message. You said that he was a sorcerer, but he is not, for we have seen such people and their spitting and their knots. You said that he was a diviner, but we have seen such people and their behaviour, and we have heard their rhymes You said a soothsayer, but he is not a soothsayer, for we have heard their rhymes; and you said a poet, but he is not a poet, for we have heard all kinds of poetry. You said he was possessed, but he is not for we have seen the possessed, and he shows no signs of their gasping and whispering and delirium. Oh men of Quraysh, look to your affairs, for by Allah a serious thing has befallen you.�

The Quraish decided that the only convincing propaganda they could make against the Prophet, peace be upon him, was that the magic of his speech turned a man away from his father, wife, brother and family. So Abu Lahab would wait on the road ways into Mecca in the Hajj season, and warn the people from listening to Muhammad�s speech. Tufail ibn Amr, chief of the Daws tribe and a distinguished poet, was one such man accosted by the Meccans, as he himself mentioned: �I approached Mecca. As soon as the Quraish leaders saw me, they came up to me and gave me a most hearty welcome and accommodated me in a grand house. Their leaders and notables then gathered and said: �O Tufayl, you have come to our town. this man who claims that he is a Prophet has ruined our authority and shattered our community. We are afraid that he would succeed in undermining you and your authority among your people just as he has done with us. Don�t speak to the man. On no account listen to anything he has to say. He has the speech of a wizard, causing division between father and son, between brother and brother and between husband and wife.� They went on telling me the most fantastic stories and scared me by recounting tales of his incredible deeds. I made up my mind then not to approach this man, or speak to him or listen to anything he had to say. The following morning I went to the place of worship to make tawaf around the Ka�abah as an act of worship to the idols that we made pilgrimage to and glorified. I inserted cotton in my ears out of fear that something of the speech of Muhammad would reach my hearing. As soon as I entered the place of worship, I saw him standing near the Ka�abah. He was praying in a fashion which was different from our prayer. His whole manner of worship was different. The scene captivated me. His worship made me tremble and I felt drawn to him, despite myself, until I was quite close to him. Notwithstanding the precaution I had taken, God willed that some of what he was saying should reach my hearing and I said to myself: �What are you doing, Tufayl? You are a perceptive poet. You can distinguish between the good and the bad in the poetry. What prevents you from listening from what the man is saying? If what comes from him is good, accept it, and if it is bad, reject it.� I remained there until the Prophet left for his home. I followed him as he entered his house, and I entered also and said: �O Muhammed, your people have said certain things to me about you. By God, they kept on frightening me away from your message so that I even blocked my ears to keep out your words. Despite this, God caused me to hear something of it and I found it good. So tell me more about your mission.� The Prophet, peace be upon him, did and recited to me Surah al-Falaq. I swear by God, I had never heard such beautiful words before. Neither was a more noble or just mission ever described to me. Thereupon, I stretched out my hand to him in allegiance and testified that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah. This is how I entered Islam. Even the leaders of Quraish were unable to resist hearing the Quran.�

The Seerah (i.e. Prophetic biography) of Ibn Ishaq reports one incident when Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl and Al-Akhnas snuck out of their houses at night to listen to the Prophet reciting the Quran - hiding in their places until dawn. On the way home, they met and reproached one another, saying: �Don�t do it again, for if one of the weak minded fools see you, you will arouse suspicion in their minds.� This happened three nights in a row, until they took from each other a solemn oath not to do it again. Utba bin Rabi�a, a chief of Quraish, during one of their meetings in which they discussed possible means to stop Muhammed�s preaching, suggested to make some proposals to Muhammed and �give him whatever he wants, so he will leave us in peace.� Their leaders agreed, so Utba went and sat by the Prophet, peace be upon him, and said: �Oh my nephew, you are one of us as you know, of the noblest of the tribe and hold a worthy position in ancestry. You have come to your people with an important matter, dividing their community thereby and ridiculing their customs, and you have insulted their gods and their religion, and declared that their forefathers were unbelievers, so listen to me and I will make some suggestions, and perhaps you will be able to accept one of them.� The Prophet agreed, and he went on: �If what you want is money, we will make you our chief so that no one can decide anything apart from you; if you want sovereignty, we will make you king, and if this ghost which comes to you, which you see, is such that you cannot get rid of him, we will find a physician for you, and exhaust our means in getting you cured, for often a familiar spirit gets possession of a man until he can be cured of it.� The Prophet, peace be upon him, listened patiently, and then said: �Now listen to me�. The Prophet, peace be upon him, then recited from the beginning of Surah Fussilat (41) until the verse of prostration, were the Prophet prostrated, and all the while Utba listened attentively, sitting on his hands, and leaning on them. The Prophet, peace be upon him, then said: �You have heard what you have heard, Abu�l Waleed; the rest remains with you.� When Utba returned to his companions they noticed that his expression completely altered, and they asked him what had happened. He said that he had heard words that he had never heard before, which were neither poetry, nor witchcraft. �Take my advice and do as I do, leave this man entirely alone for, by God, the words which I have heard will be blazed abroad. If the other Arabs kill him , others will have rid you of him; if he gets the better of the Arabs, his sovereignty will be your sovereignty, his power your power, and you will be prosperous through him.� They said: �He has bewitched you with his tongue�. To which he answered: �You have my opinion, you must do what you think fit�.

Such was the power of the Quran that Umar ibn Al-Khattab, who was on his way to kill the Prophet, discovered his sister and her husband reciting the Quran. Upon reading twenty verses, instead went to the Prophet, peace be upon him, and embraced Islam. So how is it possible for an un-lettered and un-learned man, not versed in poetry, to be able to produce a work of unrivalled eloquence and perfect rhetoric, so that even the assembled experts and masters of all the forms poetry and the Arabic language were unable to produce the like of its smallest chapter? Indeed they chose rather to fight the Prophet, peace be upon him. Thus the flower of their nobility were killed, and their trade and reputation destroyed. How could they choose this rather than counter the verses of Quran? It is as at-Tabari wrote in the introduction to his Tafseer (commentary on the Quran): "There can be no doubt that the highest and most resplendent degree of eloquence is that which expresses its self with the greatest clarity, making the intention of the speaker evident and facilitating the hearer�s understanding. But when it rises beyond this level of eloquence, and transcends what man is capable of, so that none of the servants of God is able to match it, it becomes a proof and a sign for the Messengers of the One, the All-powerful. It is then the counterpart of raising the dead and curing of lepers and the blind, themselves proofs and signs for the Messengers because they transcend the realm of the highest attainment of man�s medicine and therapy . . .". Continuing on, at-Tabari says: ". . . it is obvious that there is no discourse more eloquent, no wisdom more profound, no speech more sublime, no form of expression more noble, than this clear discourse and speech with which a single man challenged a people at a time when they were acknowledged masters of the art of oratory and rhetoric, poetry and prose, rhymed prose and soothsaying. He reduced their fancy to folly and demonstrated the inadequacy of their logic. He dissociated himself from their religion and summoned all of them to follow him, accept his mission, testify to its truth, and affirm that he was the Messenger sent to them by their Lord. He let them know that the demonstration of the truth of what he said, the proof of the genuineness of his prophethood, was the bayan (the clear discourse), the hikma (the wisdom), the furqan (the criterion between truth and falsehood), which he conveyed to them in a language like their language, in a speech whose meanings conformed to the meanings of their speech. Then he told them that they were incapable of bringing anything comparable to even a part of what he brought, and that they lacked the power to do this. They all confessed their inability, voluntarily acknowledging the truth of what he had brought, and bore witness to their own insufficiency . . . ".

If we examine analytically the claim of anyone to Prophethood then there are three possibilities concerning such a claim. The first possibility is that the individual is a liar. The second possibility is that the individual sincerely believes he or she is receiving revelation, but is only suffering some form of delusion, and the third is that the individual really is receiving revelation, and is speaking the truth. It is interesting to mention some of the arguments raised by the Christian and secularist Orientalists against Muhammad, peace be upon him, because taken as a whole they offer a conclusive proof in his favour. One school of thought has suggested, in essence, that Muhammad was a liar and a fabricator; that he learnt from various rabbis and Christian priests, and during his various retreats to the Mountain of Light, composed the Quran. Some have tried to soften these accusations by claiming that he was motivated by a sincere desire to reform his people, and so invented Islam to achieve this. Others accuse him of more worldly interests and cite the large number of wives as a proof of this. This approach has been rejected altogether by the second school, who upon observing the evidence of Muhammad�s character which places him far above lying and deceit, and the reality of his life style which was a paragon of simplicity and even poverty. Having found no substantiating proof that he had any rabbi�s or priests as teachers, and the complete acceptance of his claim by his close family and wives, to whom any duplicity would inevitably have been exposed, have claimed that he was totally sincere in his claim to prophethood, and that he truly believed that he was a prophet receiving revelation. They, also unable to accept the possibility that Muhammad truly was a Prophet, attempt various psycho-analytical explanations, such as the Quran being a voice of the subconscious, or the revelation being bought on by trances induced by epileptic fits. The basic claim being that Muhammad was deluded. We will not attempt to refute these accusations in detail here. The cursory examination of the opposing positions will suffice. What makes this a conclusive proof in Muhammad�s favour is that he could not be a calculating liar and be deluded at the same time. A man who sincerely believes that he is a Prophet, does not sit down thinking and planning what he will say the next day, because he believes that God is going to reveal it to him! Yet the opponents of Islam need both to explain the phenomena of Muhammad. He needs to be a cunning and calculating deceiver in order to explain the information and linguistic inimitability of the Quran, yet he needs to be deluded in order to explain his obvious sincerity. If one takes these two bodies of information together the only way to reconcile them is the third possibility, that he was indeed what he claimed to be - the Messenger of Allah.

Indeed, the Quraish found it very hard to produce a convincing argument against Muhammad, peace be upon him. They knew that Muhammad, peace be upon him, was unable to produce the likes of the Quran, either in its eloquence, or in the knowledge it contained. They were also familiar with his character and personality, and admitted that he had been the best, most trusted and well liked amongst them. Even Abu Lahb, the Prophet�s persistent enemy, said: "We don�t call you a liar, Muhammad, we just don�t believe in what you have brought." In reality, Abu Lahab�s motivation for refusing to accept Muhammad was tribal rivalry. When the Prophet, peace be upon him, first received revelation to call his people openly to Islam, he went to the top of Mount Saafa� and called all the tribes of Mecca, until they had all gathered or sent a representative. He said to them: "Oh my people, if I was to tell you there was a band of horsemen about to attack from behind this hill, would you believe me?" They all replied: "Yes! Why should we not believe you, we never heard anything but truth from you!" So the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "I have come to warn you of a terrible chastisement from your Lord." So Muhammad�s people testified to his truthfulness, and that they had never heard lies from him. And as Heraculus, the Byzantine Roman Emperor, said, when questioning Abu Sufyaan about the Prophet, peace be upon him: "If he does not lie about men, then he would not lie about Allah!"

To be continued, insha�llah . . .
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No Doubt About It!

2008-11-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

So what is this evidence that Islam claims to present that is so convincing? The first issue is authenticity. Purity of text is quite vital to the whole spirit of �fund�. This is because once a text has shown to have been corrupted and altered in order to make it comply with doctrinal or political expediencies, and if there is no reliable means to distinguish the corrupt from the pure, then there is not one passage of that text that cannot be called into question. This is not so easy with a pure and preserved text. This is well understood by the Christian fundamentalists. If it is not the �Word of God�, then what real value does it posses as guidance, except as a collection of wisdom? Few serious scholars, even from Islam�s opponents, have tried to dispute the Quran�s historical authenticity . Indeed it would be a pointless exercise, since anyone who cares to take a trip to Tashkent (in the former Soviet Union) will find there a complete copy of the Quran written by one of the Prophet�s scribes, Zayed ibn Thabit, upon the order of the first Caliph Abu Bakr within two years of the Prophet�s death. The manuscript in Tashkent is a copy of that first manuscript, also written by the hand of the same Zayed, but some twelve years later under the order of �Uthman bin Affan, the third Caliph, with the consensus of over fifty companions of the Prophet who also had written portions of the Quran, and also others who had memorised it in toto. This "Uthmanic" Quran, as it later came to known, was accepted without exception by the surviving companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as being one and the same that was revealed by Allah to his Final Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him,. One can take any copy of any Quran, from any mosque anywhere in the word and compare it with the mushaf of Zayed, and find it exactly the same - word for word. It is even recited in the same accent in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, recited it. Furthermore Arabic, the language of the Quran, is a living language, and the Book has always been in the hands of the people - not merely the domain of a few priests.

Thus anyone reading the Quran can be certain beyond reasonable doubt that they are reading the same words revealed to Muhammad, peace be upon him, over one thousand four hundred years ago.

"Verily! It is We Who have sent down the Quran and surely, We will guard it". [Noble Quran 15:9]

The reality of the fruition of this statement is a clear sign to mankind, and one of the manifest miracles of the Quran. Moreover this preservation is not limited to only the Quran, but also its explanation, the Sunnah, i.e. the actions, sayings and tacit approvals of the Prophet, peace be upon him,. These were meticulously memorised and written down by his wives and companions, and passed down until they were collected in the more famous books of hadeeth some two to three hundred years after the Hijra.. The body of hadeeth literature has not enjoyed, quite unjustly, the same general acceptance of authenticity as the Quran. This is simply because the means by which the hadeeth became preserved was a longer and more complicated affair than that of the Quran, and therefore became a relatively easier target of attack by Islam�s enemies. Some Orientalists have even claimed that Hadith authenticity rates the same as the Biblical texts . This is, however a very superficial comparison, even if there are some apparent similarities. For example the major books of hadeeth such Saheeh al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim and the Sunan of Abu Dawood, did not appear until just over two hundred years the Hijra. Those who compiled the books were not themselves eye-witnesses. Many hadeeth within the entire body of hadeeth literature are clearly fabricated and of dubious authenticity, and ,as a whole, contain contradictions.

These statements are true in general, but a more detailed study of the history of the preservation of the hadeeth makes it immediately clear that the reality is quite different. Firstly, as we mentioned concerning the Quran, the language of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is preserved. Secondly the major hadeeth books we mentioned were not so much new works as compilations of earlier, smaller ones. There was also a good deal of oral transmission, but the collectors of Prophetic sayings were extremely weary of ensuring that any given narration attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him, could be effectively proven as such. The method by which this was accomplished was through the �isnad�, or chain of narrators. From the earliest days of Islam after the death of the Prophet, peace be upon him,, various groups arose deviating from the teachings of Islam that had been given to the Prophet�s Companions. These sects began to invent sayings which they attributed to the Prophet, peace be upon him,. So in response the Companions of the Prophet began to demand that anyone transmitting a narration must name which companion they had received it from, and thus the truth of narrator ascertained. The students of the Companions continued this policy, and further safe guards were added as not only the Companions name was needed, but also the next narrator in the chain of transmission . Conditions were laid down for these narrators to be accepted. The scholars differed over some of the conditions, some being stricter than others, but three basic requirements were agreed by all. First the transmitter must be a pious Muslim, secondly they must be known not to forget, thirdly they must not be liars. The next generation of hadeeth transmitters began to write the names of all those who attended their lectures. No one was allowed to narrate a hadeeth on that lecturer's authority unless he attended the lecture in which that hadeeth was narrated and its meaning explained. From this developed the books of "Rijal" in which was listed the character, quality of memory, place of habitation, travels, teachers and students, and opinion of other scholars, concerning all the narrators of the hadeeth. Thus every available method was used to ensure that when the scholars of the sciences of hadeeth declared a narration of the Prophet, peace be upon him, as being authentic it was, beyond any reasonable doubt said by him. This methodology is not only used for the Prophetic traditions, but also the sayings of the Companions and the early scholars. Indeed any true scholar must be able to produce the isnad of his teachers back to the Prophet himself!

Along with this textual and contextual authenticity, the Quran itself lays down claims to prove its veracity as God�s revealed Words. Of course, "proof" is a big word, especially when it comes to God or religion, especially for the �Western mind�, programmed by two thousand years of Christianity, which seems to think that religion is supposed to be �mysterious� and �incomprehensible�. The idea that God and revelation are not only compatible with reason, but also can be proven, is often met with incredulity. After all, what�s the point? If you can prove it where does faith come in? This is because the Christian world has been taught that "faith" means believing the unbelievable without any proof. This is manifest in that nonsense called the Trinity, and all the theological contortions surrounding it. Christians are expected to believe that black is white and yet still black, or in their terms, that the Invisible, Self-Sufficient, Un-Changing, Omnipotent and Omniscient Creator became a visible, needy, mortal, fallible creature who was killed on a cross, and this man was still the Invisible, Self-Sufficient, Un-Changing, Omnipotent and Omniscient Creator - completely God and completely man. Of course anyone with a mind will understand that one by necessity precludes the other. Something completely God cannot possibly be, or contain the qualities of, a man, for this would immediately exclude such a being from being truly God. Furthermore, any man that had the qualities of God would no longer be a man. In an attempt to �explain the unexplainable� the Doctrine of the Trinity was invented: One God made of three entities, each one completely God, (and therefore completely the same, yet somehow different) not making three Gods but only One! Moreover the Christian has been asked to believe that mankind�s salvation lies in believing God killed Himself (or His son, or an innocent man, or all three at the same time) as a ransom for a burden of sin - that He placed on all human beings for the sin of Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree! The inevitable refuge of the Christian when assaulted with a barrage questions over this muddle is that its all �a mystery�, and if you want to be saved from Hell you should stop asking so many questions and accept it as an act of faith. Yet it seems rather absurd that the Just Creator would punish anyone for refusing to believe things which are unacceptable and incomprehensible to the very faculties of reason and common sense that He has provided for the human to make their decisions, without providing some strong proof that they should do so!

The Quran, however, chastises mankind for not using their common sense and reasoning powers, and states that their failure to do so is itself a cause of their destruction:

"And for those who disbelieve in their Lord is the torment of Hell, and worst indeed is that destination. When they are cast therein, they will hear the terrible drawing in of its breath as it blazes forth. It almost bursts with fury. Every time a group is cast therein, 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: �Allah never sent down anything, you are only in great error.� And they will say: �Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the Fire!�" [Noble Quran 67:6-9]

Indeed there is nothing in the theology of Islam that cannot be understood by sound reasoning. In fact it is possible for anyone, anywhere to reach an understanding of the essence of Islam without ever having heard of Muhammad or the Quran. This is because the Creator�s existence can be readily understood by anyone observing the patterns and intricate mechanisms of the world and universe around us, and that ultimate power and control rests with this Being, and thus is alone truly worthy of worship, and that to worship this Creator one can only rely on Divine guidance. To attempt to do this is �Islam�, which means �sincerity and submission to Allah�. This very universality and simplicity is one of the strong arguments in favour of Islam�s Divine origin. For the Muslim, faith is not a blind leap in the dark against proof and reason, but rather a step taken as a consequence of contemplation, experience, instinct and evidence. Ultimately it does mean a complete acceptance of a single truth, but this is no more blind than the faith of a scientist in a particular theory, or a doctor in form of treatment that has proven itself valid clinically and operationally. It might be compared to the situation in a court, with a jury. Ideally what is supposed to happen is that the jury is presented with a series of evidences concerning a case. When the weight of evidence is so conclusive the jury makes its decision. It is not sufficient for it to say: "Well, we found the evidence really convincing!" In the end it must make a decision, "Guilty!" or "Not guilty!", based on the facts. Similarly in Islam, the Creator presents the human being with a series of conclusive evidences, upon the basis of which the human should declare their faith, and act accordingly.
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The Strange Case of the Fundamentalists

2008-11-30T10:52:00.000-08:00

The Muslim world is at present a patchwork of competing nation sates, ruled by political, social and judicial systems that can by no means be termed "Islamic". Indeed in many of these countries there are laws in direct opposition to what has been revealed by Allah to His Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him,. It seems the only Islamic quality about some of these nations is that they happen to have Muslims in them. A large portion of the Muslim World has, for f the last two hundred years, been under the occupation, or �protectorate�, of one or another of the European powers, who gradually dispensed with the Sharee�ah (Islamic Law) and supplemented it with various Western systems. After gaining so called �independence� these alien political and judicial systems remained, or were replaced by other Western influenced hybrids. The �Nationalism� of Attaturk in Turkey, the �Ba�athism� of Iraq and Syria, the �Pan-Arab Nationalistic Socialism� of Egypt�s Jamal Abdel-Nasr, and its various offshoots such as Qaddafi�s "Islamic Socialism". All of these movements freely used �Islamic� slogans when, and if, it suited their aims. The simple multitudes were caught up in the fervor of the new found "freedom", and in order to maintain it they were told they must "modernise". To the so-called �intellectual elite� this meant abandoning everything from the past, and taking on board everything that was new. Thus the �Modernist� movement arose, lead by the likes of Muhammad Abdu, that explained away every miracle of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and even many of the basic acts of worship. For the first time riba (dealing usury/interest) was legalised and the adoption of Western dress and lifestyles was encouraged. They tried to make all of this acceptable by bypassing the traditional methods of Islamic scholarship for personal itjihad (i.e. juristic reasoning) and interpretation of the texts.

For others, Islam itself was merely an enemy to progress, especially in the Soviet Union where veils were burnt, mosques demolished and scholars exiled to Siberia - or executed. Street walls were painted with the words: "There is no God and Lenin is His Prophet". In many places throughout the Muslim World mosques, became empty, and women walked in mini-skirts on the street. Then things started to change. In the face of Western and Communist power, medicine and technological wizardry, of men on the moon and aircraft that could circle the globe in days, of weapons of mass destruction that combined were able to destroy the world seventeen times over, the computer chip and nations that seemed to have reached unrivaled material prosperity and personal freedom, there was a gradual, yet unavoidably noticeable return to Islam. Not, mind you, only by the uneducated, impoverished peasants, but the educated, prosperous, middle classes. Furthermore, this was not merely a return to the mosque five times a day, and the veil for the woman, but a call for Islam in its TOTALITY - to be re-implemented once again. For indeed the reality that Islam makes no distinction between the private and public, between the religious and political, had been apparent to Muslim scholars long before the The Economist�s survey deemed to point it out. Indeed it was obvious that the situation within the Muslim countries, with their hybrid socio-judicial-political systems, was in contradiction to the very essence of Islam itself! So various movements started to seek to bring the Muslims back to the correct state of affairs. This of course met with some considerable opposition from the various governments supporting such systems. This opposition was, and still is, often brutal in the extreme. These governments received either direct, or tacit approval from their Western and Communist overseers, who in reality were more aware of the potential threat of such a Muslim revival to the status quo, and their own virtual world economic and political domination which they had striven so hard to achieve. The last thing they wanted to see were the Muslims back on their feet. Yet the revival continues . . .

Perhaps the reason why the rise in Islamic fundamentalism has been so phenomenal is because the point the fundamentalists are making is so, well, FUNDAMENTAL! After all, once a Muslim has become aware that believing in the validity of laws and ways other than those ordained by Allah is to commit the unforgivable sin of �shirk�, then, as the Quran states:

"It is not for a believing man or woman, once Allah and His Messenger have decided on a matter to have any choice therein" [Noble Quran 33:36]

"and their response is none else than we hear and we obey" [Noble Quran 24:51]

Indeed, that is exactly what makes a Muslim what he or she is: someone who submits him or herself to Will of Almighty God. Of course the incompetence, corruption and brutality of the governments, the inevitable failure of their ideologies, and their frequent national and international humiliation has made the task of the fundamentalist easier. Yet it is naive to presume that this alone has given impetus to the rise in fundamentalism. Surely, if anything, the poor and desperate condition of the Muslim masses should drive them more earnestly to "modernization", "Westernization" and "Democracy", of which their countries have hardly been shinning examples! Indeed, even the most common peasant sees daily a barrage of images on the television screen (that has become as essential as a bed in even the most humble households) portraying the materialistic success of the Western World!

The true reasons for this persistent rise in Islamic awareness are not at all those to which Western analysts constantly refer. The reason for their inability to understand this phenomenon is part due to their submergence in the purely material. Science and the �Theory of Evolution� has given them, so they believe, proof that man is at most no more that an advanced animal, a progressive monkey, and man�s basic needs are little different, fundamentally, to those of our supposed ancestors: food, drink, sleep, safety from predators and sex. Satisfy these, and man should be content. The Muslim World still has, by and large, kept more in touch with the reality of the human condition: that happiness is not at all merely a material thing, but in fact something more profound, and that understanding this is as important, perhaps more important, to the well being of the human condition, than mere material gratification. The evil results of this materialistic attitude are all too apparent in the rotting social conditions of Western society. Its effects have also become apparent in the Muslim lands themselves.

The second reason that the Islamic revival has proved so popular is that it is obvious to many of the Muslims, especially the more literate and educated, that the West itself does not really believe in �democracy�, or indeed any of those ideals, such as �Freedom of Speech�, �Human Rights� and so on, which it claims to cherish so dearly - except when it suits their self-interest. Both of these points of view are not confined to the Muslim fundamentalists. Indeed a growing number of Westerners are beginning to voice similar sentiments. In fact, past defeats, the need to prove oneself, incompetent and corrupt governments is hardly an explanation for the phenomenal rise of Islam among Westerners. Recent estimates have, on average, put the numbers at three converts to Islam every day in England alone. The rise is even higher in the U.S., and all this in spite of the incessant distortions and fabrications against Islam by politicians and the media. Indeed in those very countries were Islam is growing most visibly (Egypt and Algeria), the government, radio, T.V. and press are all firmly controlled by the Secularists. In spite of all of this, millions and millions are dying (sometimes literally) to go back to a book fourteen hundred years old. How can this be? Surely �science� and �reason� has dealt a death blow to the Quran and Islam, the same way it has the Bible and Christianity? It seems not, and there are good reasons why!

This brings us on to the third reason, and in fact the most important of all, why there is a phenomenal growth in fundamentalism, and that is Islam itself. As the The Economist article said: " . . . there is good reason why the culture of the Muslim world is regarded by many people as the West�s only real ideological competitor at the end of the twentieth century. Unlike the Confucians-and even more unlike Latin Americans, Slavs and Japanese - Islam claims to be based upon a transcendental certainty. The certainty is the Word of God, revealed syllable by syllable to Muhammad" . . . "As a means of binding a civilization together, there is no substitute for such a certainty. More-over, and this is not happening anywhere else - new recruits are flocking to join this claim to certainty" (p. 4, c. 2).

Why is it then that the survey does not, before its call for Muslims to practically abandon their religion and commit the unforgivable sin of �Shirk� - by replacing the laws of Allah with the laws of men - simply illustrate the Quran is not the Word of God, or at least some good parts of it, so that a few adjustments hear and there would only be in tune with what has happened before. After all, this has already been thoroughly accomplished with the Bible. Recently some of world�s top Biblical scholars delegated a good seventy percent of the words of Jesus as never having been said by him, and priests with impunity state that sections of the Bible, such as God�s destruction of homosexuals in Sodom and Gomorrah, are not from God. Indeed science and modern Biblical scholarship has cast so much doubt upon the authenticity of the Biblical text as a whole that a derogatory term was coined for those who persisted in the untenable position that it was the "Word of God": Fundamentalists! Indeed the Christian fundamentalists claim about the Bible what the Muslims claim concerning the Quran. Why could the Christian claim not prove an equally powerful force, and a similar ideological competitor? The reason is that merely making a claim is no basis for anything. The claim needs to be proven, and the weight of evidence gives the claim force. It is very hard for the Christian to maintain the claim that the Bible is the Word of God, because the evidence belies it. The illusion of "Gospel" truth was maintained in the Middle Ages because it was only available to very few, and they were priests! Others were forbidden by Papal Decree from reading it, sometimes on pain of death. With the spread of literacy and the dawn of the �Age of Enlightenment�, the Bible reached the hands of the people. Its internal contradictions and scientific discrepancies became apparent and thus it gradually became discredited.

The Modern World�s claim to certainty is �science� which, it claims, has been the cause for advancement in medicine and technology. Its results are proof of its worth, and the results have been achieved under the wing of �democracy�. Thus the two are intertwined. One of the other arguments in favour of �democracy� is the lack of major conflict between those democratic nations for the past fifty years, and another is the material prosperity it seems to have provided. Indeed, it was in the The Economist where I recall reading that "the Western nations have, more than any other civilization, succeeded in satisfying the material needs of man". All powerful arguments. Thus there is a claim, and evidence provided to support it. ( We shall, insha�llah, examine the validity of these claims later.) However things do not stop there. From the claim and subsequent supporting evidence, the ideology should then be implemented, otherwise the author of the survey would not be so audacious as to suggest that anyone (let alone the World of Islam) should adopt his ideas, merely because of his say so! He believes the weight of evidence in support of the �Modern Way of Life� is sufficient to give his suggestions force. Part of what makes �democracy� what it is, is the spirit of compromise and pragmatics: quite rational in the light of human ignorance and fallibility. The problem is that the The Economist survey somehow expects Islam to operate within a similar frame work. Islam, however, is built upon the certainty that it is revealed by Almighty God. This has consequences, the most important being that Allah is not ignorant and fallible like the human being, rather He is All-Knowing and completely perfect, and therefore when it comes to His Word there can be no question of compromise, nor a philosophy of pragmatism except were specifically allowed.

The survey tries to get round this obstacle by putting it all down to a matter of interpretation, but in fact Allah had already pre-empted this supposed loop hole when He revealed Islam fourteen hundred years previously by appointing someone to explain the verses of the Book:

"We have revealed to you (O Muhammad) the Reminder (i.e. the Quran) and we have made you the one to explain it". [Noble Quran 16:44]

So the explanation of the Quranic text is given exclusively to Muhammad, peace be upon him,, and things were not left there. The Quran also explains: "Whoever contends with the Messenger and chooses a path other than the path of the believers, then Allah will leave them in the path they have chosen and land them in Hell what an evil refuge!" What is this path of the believers? The Prophet, peace be upon him, explained: "That to which I and my companions are upon". The Prophet, peace be upon him, furthermore told the Muslims to cling to his way and the way of the rightly-guided successors. These successors have transmitted the knowledge and the way from generation-to-generation until this day, just as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said they would: "There will always be a group among this Ummah (nation of believers), firm upon the truth, unharmed in their faith by those that oppose them". It is exactly this type of comprehensiveness that makes Islam so frustrating to its critics and so convincing to its adherents, and this comprehensiveness extends through all the various aspects of Islam and its disciplines. The claim of Islam to be based on the certainty that it is from the All-Knowing Creator is no mere claim, but it is rather a claim backed by powerful evidence. Powerful enough for its adherents to prefer it over that offered by the Modern Word!
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To Clash or Not To Clash?

2008-11-30T10:49:00.000-08:00

Will there be a confrontation between Islam and the West? Mr. Huntington�s clash of civilizations claims �yes�, but the survey is "not convinced". It is true that the world of Islam and the West have more in common with each other than they do with the Confucian and Hindu ones, but in reality both Mr. Huntington�s and Mr. Beedham�s comparisons are unhelpful in understanding the reality of the matter. What Mr. Beedham�s admits are important differences (Westerners not believing that God dictated the Quran and Muslim�s not believing the Jesus is the son of God) are in fact irreconcilable differences, at least from the Muslim stand point . . .

�And they say the Compassionate (i.e. Allah) has taken to Himself a son. Certainly you utter a disastrous thing, whereby the heavens are almost torn asunder, and the earth split open and the mountains crumbles to ruin, that you ascribe to the Compassionate a son! When it is not befitting the majesty of the Compassionate that He should choose a son. There is none in the heavens or the earth but comes to the Compassionate as a slave� [Noble Quran 19:88-93]

Islam does not regard Christians who claim that Jesus is God, or the Son of God, as �monotheists� any more than Hindus who claim that Krishna is a �manifestation of God� or Buddhists who claim that Buddha is God. All of this is disbelief and polytheism. It is this that is the basis of conflict. It is a conflict not only sanctioned, but ordered in the Quran:

"Fight against those who believe not in Allah, nor the last day, nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth among the people of the Book , until they pay the jizya (i.e. protection tax) with willing submission and feel themselves subdued" [Noble Quran 9:29]

This is not a confrontation of civilizations, nor is it a clash of cultures. Islam does not oppose the West, or anyone else, because of revenge over past hostilities, out of a desire to restore injured pride or because of the desire to amass their wealth and lands. The fight is for one purpose only and that is to establish the religion of Islam in its totality, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, explained when a man came to him and asked: "One of us fights for booty, another for his tribe and another to be known as brave, which one is fighting jihad?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied: "None of them. Only the one who fights to make Allah�s Word the highest is fighting jihad." It is clear to any believer acquainted with Allah�s Book (i.e. the Quran) and His Prophet�s Sunnah that jihad (i.e. struggling to the utmost of ones ability) is an intrinsic part of faith, and a duty among the duties in Islam. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, as reported by Tariq bin Shihab: "He who amongst you sees something evil should change it with his hand; and if he is unable he should change it with his tongue; and if he is unable to do that he should at least hate it in his heart, and that is the weakest form of faith" (Reported in Saheeh Muslim, No. 79).

Jihad has three characteristics. The first form is jihad of the heart, or jihad of the self. This is the internal struggle to acquire the correct creed, and to remove from one�s self all doubts and misconceptions concerning this creed, and also the commands and prohibitions enjoined on the believer. It further more encompasses the purifying of the soul from base desires and acquiring noble qualities. The second level is the jihad of the tongue. This is the struggle against evil, and wrong beliefs and actions through preaching and writing books and the like. This form of jihad is characterized by its use against the deviants from among the Muslims, but also extends to the unbelievers. The final form of jihad is that of the hand, or sword, where one expends life and property. It is characterized by its use against unbelievers, but can also be used against deviant groups under the authority of the Muslim ruler. This jihad of the hand, often termed "Holy War", is further compartmentalized into three stages. The first is that of it being forbidden, as it was in the early days of Muhammad�s prophethood. If the Muslims are weak, and fighting is liable to cause only harm and no benefit, then they should desist. Such is the case of those dwelling in non-Muslim lands. The second stage is that of self-defense, or restricting the fight to

"those who fight you" [Noble Quran 2:190]

and releasing the lands of the Muslims from the control of their enemies. This is the condition of the Muslims today. The final stage is that of fighting in order to open the path for establishing Allah�s rule in the lands of the unbelievers, as was done by the Prophet�s companions and the Muslim rulers after them.

"And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah when there are weak and oppressed, old men, women and children whose cry is �Oh Lord save us from those who oppress, and send to one who will aid and send to us one who will help!�"
[Noble Quran 4:75]

Thus one the Prophet�s companions, Rab�ia ibn Amer, went to meet Rostrum, the famous Persian general, at his request and the general offered camels, and women and asked them to return to the desert. Rab�ia refused, and Rostrum asked him why then were they fighting. Rab�ia replied: "We have come to take mankind from the darkness to the light and from the worship of the false gods to the worship of Allah, from the narrowness of this world the wide expanse of this world and the next, and from the injustices of man made religions to the justice of Islam."

So this Jihad is the peak of the matter and fulfilling it is part of fulfilling the covenant with Allah, and abandoning it is the cause of humiliation and defeat for the Muslims. As Allah said:

"If you march not forth, He will punish you with a painful torment and will replace you by another people and you cannot harm Him at all, and Allah is able to do all things"
[Noble Quran 9:39]

and the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him,:

"When you deal in �al-ainiya� (i.e. become complacent and satisfied with a domestic life) and hang on to the cows tails, and abandon jihad, then Allah will permit your humiliation at the hands of your enemies and will not lift it from you until you return to your religion."

So today we find Muslims leading a life as if they had no prophet, nor belief in any Divine Message or Divine Revelation, nor expectation of any reckoning, nor is fear of the hereafter. They resemble the pre-Islamic nations, against whom they used to fight in the past. So they have turned on their heels as apostates from Islam and have imitated the ignorant nations in their civilization, in their social affairs, in their political systems, in their character and in the pleasures of their lives. So Allah hated them and forsook them, as He promised He would. He had warned them of this clearly in His Book, and on the tongue of His Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him,: "Soon the nations will gather to take from you the same way you invite others to share from a feast!" A person asked the Prophet, peace be upon him,: �Is that because we are small in our numbers?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, answered: �No! You will be many, like the foam on the sea, but you will be rubbish, like the rubbish carried down by the flood water. And certainly Allah will remove from the breasts of your enemies the fear of you and into your breasts He will cast enervation." A person asked: �What is enervation?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, replied: "It is love of life and fear of death." This has come true exactly, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, predicted, and if there is a �Revival of Islam�, then that is because anyone with ears and eyes can see how the Muslims are humiliated - their lands a feast for their enemies, ruled by laws and ways nothing to do with that which Allah has revealed. The solution to these problems has been given by the Prophet, peace be upon him, himself one thousand four hundred years ago: "Return to your religion", enjoin what Allah has enjoined and forbid what He has forbidden, prefer the next life to this, and for the Muslims to once again struggle with their lives and properties to bring themselves and others out of the oppression of man made ways of life to the justice of that which has been revealed by the All-knowing Creator!

So the matter of conflict between Islam and the West is not at all as the survey suggests, i.e. factors such as geography, past enmities, culture clash and so on; nor is the Islamic Revival some search for identity, coupled with some sort of inferiority complex. To the believer the conflict is one of truth against falsehood, justice against oppression, the way to Paradise against the way to Hellfire, the perfection of Allah�s revealed way against the misguidance of human ignorance. Furthermore, all of this should make it clear that there is indeed an "insuperable reason why Muslims and Westerners cannot live peaceably with each other" (p.5 c. 2). Mr. Beedham�s survey, for all its optimism, has made an oft-repeated mistake. He has judged the Muslims by his own standards, believing they want, as do the West, to reach some sort of compromise. The truth is that Islam teaches its followers to seek death on the battle field, that dying whilst fighting jihad is one of the surest ways to paradise and Allah�s good pleasure. It is as Khalid bin Waleed, whom the Prophet, peace be upon him, called the �Sword of Allah� and hero of every good Muslim child, said in response to a Roman letter inviting him to surrender: �We have with us people who love death as you love wine.� It was Ronald Reagan who quite rightly pointed out that: �How do you expect to defeat a people who believe that when you kill them they go to a paradise filled with beautiful virgins and rivers of wine?� Whether the believer sees the result in his or her life time is irrelevant, for their duty is to carry on the jihad, and so be saved from Allah�s wrath in this life and the next.

The conflict will be there as long as there are those who stubbornly resist submission to their Lord and Creator. If all of this seems intransigent and fundamentalist that�s because IT IS. With Islam you are dealing with absolutes. This conflict, however, may not necessarily be a violent one, in the sense of war, causing loss of life, limb and property. Islam does not necessarily demand a change through violence if the end can be effectively achieved through other means. So perhaps there is cause for the surveys optimism, but the solution can only lie in a very different direction from what it suggests! Allah has promised in His Book that if the Muslims fail to keep their covenant, and fight against the foolish disbelief, then He will destroy them and

"replace them with a people who will love Him, and He will love them, and they will be hard against the forces of disbelief and kind to the believers, and unafraid of those who find fault" [Noble Quran 5:54]

And Allah speaks the truth, and His promise comes true, and this has proven so in the past, as when the Muslims left their religion, fought amongst each other, and reveled in the delights of worldly life . . . then the calamity of the Tartars feel upon them, destroying utterly the Muslim lands, and its capital Baghdad. Yet from these same conquerors, Allah made them the defenders and upholders of Islam, and from them to the Turks, who in their turn lapsed, and so Allah destroyed them at the hands of the Europeans. Thus is situation in which Muslims find themselves today. It is quite possible that history will repeat itself, and that Islam will be given its strength again through those who had formally tried to destroy it.

The whole issue of whether the West will accept Islam or not has been a topic of debate amongst Muslim scholars and thinkers. It seems unlikely that there will be any sort of military conquest of the Western world, at least in the foreseeable future, but conquest is not always through arms. Indonesia and Malaysia never saw invading Muslims armies. Islam "conquered" these lands with a different weapon altogether . The weapon was Islam itself. The real threat from the growth of �fundamentalism� to those in the Western, and other, parts of the world who would like to see Islam far removed from influencing the way they run their countries, is not of invading hoards of Muslim militants, but rather the effect of a practical example of Islam in operation in the form of a true Islamic state. Also the probability of these same "fundamentalist" states utilizing their resources to inform the world of the reality of what Islam is, as opposed to the lies and distortions it has been fed until now! How likely, then, is it for this true Islamic state to materialize, and how do people following a religion one thousand four hundred years old possibly expect it to work in the twentieth century?
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Islam: An Idea!

2008-11-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

Of course no Muslim could accept Islam merely as an idea. As the survey itself mentions, Islam is based on the "word of God, revealed syllable by syllable to Muhammad fourteen hundred years ago" (p.4 c.2). Thus it is no mere idea, rather it is the idea, the ideology, the truth, exclusive of all others. As the Quran states:

"Indeed the religion before Allah is Islam" [Noble Quran 3:19]

"Whoever wishes for a way of life other that Islam, never will it be accepted from them and in the hereafter they will be amongst the losers". [Noble Quran 3:85]

The religion has been completed and perfected, and has no need for alteration or adjustment:

"This day we have completed your religion for you and perfected our favour upon you and chosen for your way of life Islam". [Noble Quran 5:3]

The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: "There is not one thing that shall bring you closer to the Paradise and away from the Fire without me having informed you of it, and there is not one thing that will take you away from paradise and towards the fire except that I have warned you about it." It is indeed true that Islam does not allow its followers to draw a distinction between the "inner" and "outer" aspects of life, between belief and actions, religion and politics, because in reality such distinctions are totally fallacious. Man�s beliefs are the foundations and prime motivators for actions, for what is held to be true on the inside must manifest itself outwardly. Indeed the very first task given to Muhammad, peace be upon him, was to correct the false beliefs. It was not that the pagan Arabs did not believe in Allah, or God the Creator. In fact the Quran tells Muhammad, peace be upon him,:

"If you ask them who sends down rain from the sky, and gives life therewith to the earth after its death? They would certainly say �Allah!� Say: �All the praise and thanks be to Allah!� Nay! Most of them have no sense". [Noble Quran 29:63]

"Say: �Who provides for you from the sky and from the earth? Or who owns hearing and sight? And who brings out the living from the dead and the dead from the living? And who disposes the affairs?� They will say: �Allah.� Say: �Will you not them be afraid of Allah�s Punishment (for setting up rivals in worship with Allah)?��. [Noble Quran 10:31]

Indeed the pagan Arabs used to worship Allah, pray to Him and sacrifice to Him in times of need and distress, as did the Jews and Christians, and they even claimed to love Him, but Allah rejected all of this from them and referred to them as senseless, and astray, and as disbelievers. So this is the reality concerning most of the men and jinn , that they claim to believe in Allah, and worship Allah, but what they believe about Him is incorrect, and the way they worship Him is incorrect . . .

"Most of them do not believe in Allah except while joining partners with Him" [Noble Quran 12:106]

And it�s manifestations are many and the evil consequences numerous.

All of this has one common cause, or origin, and that is thinking and speaking about Allah without knowledge, and thus ascribing to Him that which should not be ascribed to Him, such as sons, or daughters, or human qualities and weaknesses, or claiming that some of the creation possess His powers and abilities, or by claiming that He, the Majestic, is pleased by some action that in fact angers Him, or that He is angered by some action that in fact pleases Him. So thus the idol worshippers call upon that which can neither benefit nor harm them, and the Christians call upon Jesus, and the Jews believe their racial origins guarantee His good pleasure, and those who believe that power, wealth and the such are means of success; all have put their faith and trust in something vain. This in itself is a great evil, for they have only wasted their time and effort, yet this is least of the evil consequences. As for that which is most severe . . . those who have fallen into associating partners with Allah have earned His anger and wrath, and upon them shall fall humiliation in this life and a most terrible fate in the next:

"Surely Allah will not forgive as-shirk (the association of partners with Him), but He forgives sins less than that of whomever He wishes". [Noble Quran 4:48]

So "as-shirk", or ascribing partners to Allah (in whatever form it may take) is the unforgivable sin, because it is in reality the source of all evil, the greatest injustice, the worst oppression and wrongdoing. For if one is unafraid of speaking about Allah without knowledge, and this is a knowledge unattainable except through Him, for He is the best knower of Himself and His will, and that which pleases and displeases Him, then about what and about whom will one be afraid of speaking about ignorantly? For truly, as is obvious to anyone witnessing the destructive forces of nature, and untold misfortunes and miseries over which Allah alone has ultimate power and control, both in this life and the next, Allah is the most terrifying and most worthy of being feared. And also anyone witnessing the miraculous order, and precision, and symbiosis within the earth and universe, must realize the unparalleled knowledge and wisdom of its Creator. So if one is heedless of transgressing the laws of Allah, and thinks them of little or no importance, or worse considers them bad, evil, and outdated, then what of the laws conceived in the limited minds of men? If one is ungrateful to his Lord, the provider of all, then of what little consequence to such a one is ingratitude to the creation? If one denies the rights and dues of Allah, which are the most worthy of being fulfilled, then what rights and dues will such one be fearful of denying then? Thus imagine the case of a worker in a company run by yourself , who believes you are the lavatory cleaner, and the lavatory cleaner is the director! Would there not be evil results? Would you tolerate such a person? If so, for how long? Now envisage this fool teaching this to others, and insisting on it, so that the majority of the company came to believe it, ignoring your orders and prohibitions, and inventing them for themselves, and making their guide the lavatory cleaner who is moreover deaf and dumb!

The true causes of the evils that beset mankind are disbelief, sinfulness and ingratitude to Allah:

�And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much�.
[Noble Quran 42:30]

�Evil has appeared on the land and sea, because of what your hands have earned. That Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return�. [Noble Quran 30:41]

As the saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him,:

"There is none who has a greater sense of ghira (a feeling of great fury and anger when one�s honour and prestige is injured or challenged) than Allah, and so He has forbidden shameful deeds and sins. And there is none who likes to be praised more than Allah does" [Reported in Saheeh Al Bukhari]

Allah is more infuriated by the disobedience of His slave than a man of honour is finding his wife fornicating with another man. So how is His fury with those who insult Him by ascribing rivals, and partners with Him, while He is glorious above such things! And the evil consequences are not limited to this life:

"Verily, those who disbelieved, and die while they are disbelievers, the whole earth full of gold will not be accepted from anyone of them even if they offered it as a ransom. For them is a painful torment and they will have no helpers".
[Noble Quran 3:91]

The Prophet, peace be upon him, explained:

"On the day of judgement a disbeliever will be asked: �Suppose you had as much gold as to fill the earth, would you offer it to ransom yourself from the hell-fire?� He will reply: �Yes!� Then it will be said to him: �You were asked for something easier than that, that you should join none in worship with Allah, and submit yourself to Him, but you refused�". [Reported in Saheeh al-Bukhari]

Indeed the message of all the prophets is one and the same:

"Verily, We have sent to every nation a messenger saying: �Worship Allah and avoid false objects of worship�".
[Noble Quran 16:36]

and indeed this is the very purpose for which Allah created mankind:

"I did not create the jinn and mankind except for My worship". [Noble Quran 51:56]

So �as-shirk� (i.e. ascribing partners to Allah) is in contradiction to that reason for which Allah has created us, and the purpose for which we exist, which is to choose to single out Allah for worship, avoiding all false deities, and to worship Him completely, with sacrifice, supplication, submission, subjugation, obedience and compliance, and with love, fear, hope, trust and reliance upon Him, seeking only His pleasure and not the admiration of His creatures, and to do all of that according to that which was revealed to His last and final Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him,, and not according to whims and desires and mere conjecture.

Furthermore, and of immediate relevance to the discussion, are those qualities, unique to Allah, that single Him out, such as "al-Hakim", the Judge; "al-Hakeem", the Wise; "al-�Aleem", the All Knowing and "as-Shariy", the Legislator. Not only is Allah the Creator and Controller and Sustainer, but also the sole possessor of the wisdom and knowledge to legislate for mankind and to determine what is good and what is evil, what is right and what is wrong, what is lawful and what is prohibited, and thus what laws we should judge by, what social, economic and political system we should utilize . . .

"And no partner in legislating has He-He is alone".
[Noble Quran 18:60]

"Indeed, the ruling is Allah�s" [Noble Quran 12:40]

Allah admonished the Jews and Christians, and called them disbelievers, for

" . . . taking their priests and rabbis as lords besides Allah" [Noble Quran 9:31]

The Prophet, peace be upon him, went on to explain that the priest and rabbis "made lawful that which Allah had made unlawful, and made unlawful that which Allah had made lawful and the people accepted it...So that was their (i.e. the people�s) worship of them.� Thus to ascribe legislative power to people is a clear and obvious form of disbelief, and �shirk�, or setting up rivals to Allah, and is the unforgivable sin, and a contradiction of the purpose of creation. If Allah blamed the people from the Jews and Christians for accepting from those among them who were learned in the Scripture and Divine legislation changes and alterations, and the making the forbidden allowed and visa versa, as we see them doing until this day, then how about those who accept such actions from every Tom, Dick and Harry, who have no scripture, and no wisdom and only pure speculation, whims and desires, as is the case of Democracy?!?

So the The Economist magazine�s survey admits that Islam makes no distinction between outward and inner, private and public life, yet goes on to suggest Muslims should abandon this, and adopt the ways of the worst error: disobedience to and rebellion against Allah, and commit the unforgivable sin of ascribing partners to Him. Truly Allah speaks the truth when He says:

"Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion� [Noble Quran 2:120]

and we seek refuge with Allah from that, for surely we would be of the losers.
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Quran (Divine Book)

2008-11-30T10:21:00.000-08:00

___________ Quran (Divine Book)

The Revelations of the Quran
Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

According to Allah�s statements in His Book, there were two distinct revelations of the Quran which took place. It is important that these two revelations be understood in order to clear up the apparent contradictions in the various terms used in the Quran and Sunnah to describe the Quran�s revelation. On one hand, the Quran is referred to as having been revealed in its totality in Ramadan or on Laylatul-Qadr, the Night of Decree; while on the other hand, it is referred to as having been continuously revealed in segments up until just before the death of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

The First Revelation

Allah caused the Quran to descend from the Protected Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfooth) on which it was written to the lowest heaven. In this revelation all of the Quran was sent down at one time to a station in the lowest heaven referred to as �Bayt al-�Izzah� (The House of Honor or Power). The blessed night on which this descent took place is called �Laylatul-Qadr� (The Night of Decree), one of the odd-numbered nights in the last ten days of the month of Ramadan. Allah referred to this initial revelation as follows:

�Haa Meem. By the Clear Book, verily, I revealed it in a blessed night.� [Noble Quran 44:1-3]

�Verily, I revealed it on the Night of Decree.� [Noble Quran 97:1]

�The month of Ramadan in which I revealed the Quran as guidance to mankind ...� [Noble Quran 2:185]

These verses have to refer to the initial revelation because it is a known fact that the whole Quran was not revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) on a single night in Ramadan. Ibn �Abbas stated that the Quran was first separated from its station in the upper heavens and placed in Bayt al-�Izzah in the lowest heaven. One version states that this took place on the Night of Decree in Ramadan. Had it been Allah�s wish, the Quran could then have been revealed as a whole to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in a single revelation.

This was the method by which all of the earlier books of revelation were sent down. But, Allah chose to divide the revelation into two parts. The first revelation within the heavens represented an announcement to the inhabitants of the heavens that the final book of revelation was being sent down upon the last of the prophets.

From the lowest heaven sections of the Quran were then taken down by the angel Jibril to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). This process of revelation continued over the twenty-three years of his prophethood. This revelation began with the first five verses of Surah al-�Alaq. These verses were revealed to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) while he was on a spiritual retreat in the cave of Hira� near Makkah. However, the first complete Surah to be revealed was Surah al-Fatihah. The revelation of this portion of Quran marked the beginning of the final phase of prophethood. The last Surah to be revealed was Surah an-Nasr. This Surah was brought down in Mina during the Farewell Hajj of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), which took place at the end of the tenth year after the Hijrah. According to Ibn �Abbas, the last verse to be revealed was verse 281 in Surah al-Baqarah, the last of a series of verses dealing with interest. Allah has referred to the second revelation in the following way:

�And (it is) a Quran which I have divided into parts in order that you (Muhammad) may recite it to the people gradually, and I have revealed it by successive revelation.�
[Noble Quran 17:106]

Quran: Definition of the Term

The word �Quran,� a verbal noun, is equivalent in meaning to �qira�ah,� as both come from the verb �qara�a� which means �to read.�

That is, Quran literally means �a reading or reciting.� However, the term �Quran� has been historically used specifically to refer to the book which was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). The term �Quran� is mentioned in a number of places throughout the book in reference to itself. For example:

�Verily, this Quran guides (humanity) to that which is most just.� [Noble Quran 17:9]

The name Quran is used to refer to both the Quran as a whole, as in the previously quoted verse; as well as to each verse or group of verses, as in the following verse:

�And if the Quran is recited, you should listen to it and be silent, that you may receive mercy.� [Noble Quran 7:204]

The Book has also been referred to by other names; for example, the Furqan (The Distinction):

�Blessed is He who revealed the Furqan to His slave in order that he may be a warner to all the worlds.� [Noble Quran 25:1]

and the Thikr, (The Reminder):

�Verily, I revealed the Thikr and verily I will preserve it.� [Noble Quran 15:9]

The Quran could be defined as Allah�s words which were revealed in Arabic in a rhythmical form to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Its recitation is used in acts of worship and its smallest chapter (Surah) is of a miraculous nature.

The Prophet�s divinely inspired statements which were recorded by his followers are generally referred to as hadiths. For example, the Prophet�s companion (sahabi), �Umar ibn al-Khattab, reported that he once said, �Verily, deeds are (judged) by their intentions.�

However, in some of his statements, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) attributed what he said to Allah; for example, another sahabi, Aboo Hurayrah, reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, �Allah, Most High, says, �I am as My slave thinks of Me and I am with him when he remembers me. So if he remembers Me to himself, I will remember him to Myself and if he remembers Me in a group, I will remember him in a better group.� �

In order to distinguish this type of hadith from the previous type, it is referred to as hadith qudsi (sacred hadith) and the former referred to as hadith nabawi (prophetic hadith).

The Quran, however, is not the same as hadith qudsi for a number of reasons. First, the Quran is from Allah both in its wording and in its meaning, while in the case of hadith qudsi, its meaning is from Allah but its wording was the Prophet�s (Peace be upon him). Second, Allah challenged the Arabs and mankind in general to produce even a chapter equivalent to one of the Quran�s chapters, and their inability to do so proves its miraculous nature. This is not so in the case of hadith qudsi. Third, the recitation of the Quran is used in salah and is itself considered a form of worship. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, �Whoever reads a letter from the book of Allah, the Most High, will get a good deed (recorded for him), and each good deed is worth ten times its value. I am not only saying that Alif Laam Meem is a letter, but I am also saying that Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter, and Meem is a letter.�

However, the recitation of hadith qudsi carries none of these properties.

The Main Theme of the Quran

Not only is the Quran unique among books today in its origin and purity, but it is also unique in the way it presents its subject matter.

It is not a book in the usual sense of the word wherein there is an introduction, explanation of the subject, followed by a conclusion. Neither is it restricted to only a presentation of historical events, problems of philosophy, facts of science or social laws, though all may be found woven together in it without any apparent connection and links. Subjects are introduced without background information, historical events are not presented in chronological order, new topics sometimes crop up in the middle of another for no apparent reason, and the speaker and those spoken to change direction without the slightest forewarning.

The reader who is unaware of the Quran�s uniqueness is often puzzled when he finds it contrary to his understanding of a book in general and a �religious� book in particular. Hence, the Quran may seem disorganized and haphazard to him. However, to those who understand its subject matter, aim and its central theme, the Quran is exactly the opposite. The subject matter of the Quran is essentially man: man in relation to his Lord and Creator, Allah; man in relation to himself; and man in relation to the rest of creation. The aim and object of the revelations is to invite man to the right way of dealing with his Lord, with himself, and with creation. Hence, the main theme that runs throughout the Quran is that God alone deserves worship and, thus, man should submit to God�s laws in his personal life and in his relationships with creation in general. Or, in other words, the main theme is a call to the belief in Allah and the doing of righteous deeds as defined by Allah.

If the reader keeps these basic facts in mind, he will find that, from beginning to end, the Quran�s topics are all closely connected to its main theme and that the whole book is a well-reasoned and cohesive argument for its theme. The Quran keeps the same object in view, whether it is describing the creation of man and the universe or events from human history. Since the aim of the Quran is to guide man, it states or discusses things only to the extent relevant to this aim and leaves out unnecessary and irrelevant details. It also repeats its main theme over and over again in the presentation of each new topic.

Significance of the Quran�s Preservation

Allah promised in the Quran that He would take on the responsibility of protecting His final word from loss. He said, "Verily I have revealed the Reminder (Quran), and verily I shall preserve it.� (Surah al-Hijr (15):9)

Thus, the Quran has been preserved in both the oral as well as written form in a way no other religious book in history has.

Why did Allah preserve the Quran and allow His earlier books of divine revelation to be changed or lost?

The answer to that question lies in the following three facts:

The earlier prophets and their books were sent to a particular people in particular periods of history. Once the period ended, a new prophet was sent with a new book to replace the previous book. So, it was not necessary that these books be preserved by Allah. The preservation of the earlier books was left up to the people as a test for them. Thus, when the people went astray, they changed what was written in the books which their prophets brought in order to make allowable the things which were forbidden to them. In that way, all of the earlier books of revelation became either changed or lost.

Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu �alayhi wa sallam) was the last prophet whom Allah sent, and he was not sent to a particular people or a particular time. He was sent to all of mankind until the end of the world. Allah said in the Quran,

�I have only sent you (Muhammad) as a giver of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most men do not understand.� [Noble Quran 34:28]

Thus, his book of revelation, the Quran, had to be specially preserved from any form of change or loss so that it would be available to all the generations of man until the last day of the world.

The Quran was the main miracle given to Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu �alayhi wa sallam) to prove that he was a true prophet of Allah and not an imposter. So, the Quran had to be saved to prove to the later generations that Muhammad (sallallahu �alayhi wa sallam) was really the last prophet of Allah. All of the false prophets who came after Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu �alayhi wa sallam) brought books which they claimed to be revealed from Allah, but none of them have the miraculous ability to be memorized by thousands, nor have they improved on the message of the Quran. The significance of the Quran�s preservation is that Islam has been kept in its original purity because of it. Humanity can always return to the sources of Islam no matter what people may have added or forgotten in time. All of the essential principles of Islam are to be found in the Quran. Consequently, the preservation of the Quran meant the preservation of Islam in its final form. The loss of the Gospel of Jesus means that Christians can never return to the true teachings of Prophet Jesus except by accepting Islam. Similarly, the original Torah was lost when Solomon�s Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. Thus, the Jews cannot return to the pure teachings of Prophet Moses except by following Islam.It is only in Islam that the pure teachings of the prophets have been preserved without any change. That is why Allah said in the Quran,

�Verily, the only acceptable religion to Allah is Islam.�
[Noble Quran 3:19]

Some of the Magnificient Characteristics of the Quran

Allah has described the Noble Quran with a number of magnificient characteristics of which Ibn Qudamah mentioned eight in points 27 � 30 of Lum�atul-I�tiqad.

They are as follows:

That it is clear (mubin) and makes clear the laws and reports which it contains.

That it is Allah�s firm rope (Hablullah), that is, it is the solid contract which Allah made a reason for reaching Himself and the attainment of success by His Grace.

That it consists of distinct chapters (muhkamat), each distinct from the other, perfected and preserved from any flaws or contradictions.

That it consists of clear verses (ayat bayyinat) which are clear and obvious signs indicating Allah�s unique unity, the perfection of His attributes, and the goodness of His laws.

That it contains clear and obscure verses (ayat muhkamat wa mutashabihat); the clear being that whose meaning is clear and the obscure being those whose meaning is hidden. And this does not contradict point number three above because the clarity there refers to perfection and protection from flaws and contradiction, while here it refers to clarity of meaning. If the obscure is referred back to the clear, all of it will become clear.

That it is the truth (haqq) that cannot be affected by falsehood from any direction.

That it is free from its description by the disbelievers as being poetry, magic or human speech.

That it is a miracle that no one can imitate even with the help of others.

The Hoax of the Numerical Miracle of the Quran

Rashad Khalifa, an Egyptian biochemist educated in the United States claimed to have discovered an intricate mathematical pattern involving 19 and its multiples throughout the Quran and especially in what he calls the Quranic initials which precede 29 chapters (Alif, Laam, Meem, etc.). However, when critics began checking his numbers, they found numerous discrepancies and some outright fabrications in his data

The most famous proponent of this idea was Rashad Khalifa, an Egyptian biochemist educated in the United States. According to Dr. Khalifa, there is a miraculous numerical code to the Quran based on its �first� verse (Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim), which consists of 19 letters. This miraculous code is supposedly referred to in verse 30 of Chapter 74 (al-Muddath-thir) which states �Over it are 19.� Based on these two premises, Dr. Rashad claims to have discovered an intricate mathematical pattern involving 19 and its multiples throughout the Quran and especially in what he calls the Quranic initials which precede 29 chapters (Alif, Laam, Meem, etc.). From this discovery, Dr. Khalifa concludes that the complexity of this mathematical code�s pattern in a literary work of the Quran�s size is far beyond human capabilities, and that it alone constitutes the only real miracle of the Quran which proves its divine origin. He further concludes that 19 and its multiples represent the key to the correct interpretation of the Quran and Islam, and the reason why 19 was chosen is that 19 means �God is One,� which is the message of the Quran.

Many Muslims at first received Khalifa�s theories with uncritical enthusiasm. However, when more rigorous critics began checking his numbers, they found numerous discrepancies and some outright fabrications in his data. His claims were based on the number of times a given letter or word occurs in a given Surah or group of Surahs. It was discovered that he would sometimes treat hamzahs like alifs and sometimes he wouldn�t, depending on the totals he needed in a given Surah to confirm his theory. Sometimes he counted letters that weren�t there, sometimes he failed to count existing letters, sometimes he counted two words as one, sometimes he added to the Quranic text and sometimes he deleted from it, all for the purpose of making the letter and word counts conform to his theory. On top of that, his letter counts changed over time, depending on whether he wanted to establish a pattern for a Surah by itself or as part of a group of Surahs. When confronted with inconsistencies in his data, he began claiming that certain verses had been inserted into the Quran that did not belong there. After this clear statement of disbelief he went on to claim knowledge of the exact date of the Day of Judgment and eventually claimed prophethood for himself. He attracted a group of followers in Tucson, Arizona, but his career was cut short when he was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant in 1990.

A Source of Guidance

2008-11-30T10:18:00.000-08:00

The ultimate manifestation of God's grace for man, the ultimate wisdom, and the ultimate beauty of expression: in short, the word of God. If one were to ask any Muslim to depict it, most likely they would offer similar words. The Quran, to the Muslim, is the irrefutable, inimitable Word of God. It was revealed by God Almighty, through the instrument of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him). The Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) himself had no role in authoring the Quran, he was merely a human secretary, repeating the dictates of the Divine Creator:

"He (Muhammad) does not speak of his own desire. It is no less than an Inspiration sent down to him." [Noble Quran 53:3-4]

The Quran was revealed in Arabic, to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him), over a period of twenty-three years. It is composed in a style so unique, that it cannot be deemed either poetry or prose, but somehow a mixture of both. The Quran is inimitable; it cannot be simulated or copied, and God Almighty challenges mankind to pursue such an endeavor if he thinks he can:

"Or do they say he forged it? Say: Bring then a chapter like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you can, beside God, if it be you speak the truth." [Noble Quran 10:38]

The Quran's language is indeed sublime, its recitation moving, as one non-Muslim scholar noted, it was like �the cadence of my heartbeat�. Due to its unique style of language, the Quran is not only highly readable, but also relatively easy to remember. This latter aspect has played an important role not only in the Quran's preservation, but in the spiritual life of Muslims as well. God Himself declares,

"And We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember; then is there anyone that will receive admonition?" [Noble Quran 54:17]

One of the most important characteristics of the Quran is that it remains today, the only holy book which has never changed; it has remained free from any and all adulterations. Sir William Muir noted, "There is probably in the world no other book which has remained (fourteen) centuries with so pure a text." The Quran was written down during the lifetime and under the supervision of the Prophet, who himself was illiterate, and it was canonized shortly after his death by a rigorous method which scrutinized both written and oral traditions. Thus its authenticity is unblemished, and is its preservation is seen as the fulfillment of God's promise:

"We have, without doubt, sent down the Message, and We will assuredly guard it from corruption." [Noble Quran 15:9]

The Quran is a book which provides the human being the spiritual and intellectual nourishment he/she craves. Its major themes include the oneness of God, the purpose of human existence, faith and God-consciousness, the Hereafter and its significance. The Quran also lays a heavy emphasis upon reason and understanding. In these spheres of human understanding, the Quran goes beyond just satisfying the human intellect; it causes one to reflect on implications. There are Quranic challenges and prophecies. One of the most exciting fields in recent years has been the discovery that, of the significant amount of scientific information in the Quran, including the event of the Big Bang, embryological data, and other information concerning astronomy biology, etc., there is not a single statement that has not been borne out by modern discoveries In short, the Quran fulfills the heart, the soul, and the mind.

Perhaps the best description of the Quran was given by Ali, the cousin of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when he expounded upon it as,

"The Book of God. In it is the record of what was before you, the judgment of what is among you, and the prophecies of what will come after you. It is decisive, not a case for levity. Whoever is a tyrant and ignores the Quran will be destroyed by God. Whoever seeks guidance from other than it will be misguided. The Quran is the unbreakable bond of connection with God; it is the remembrance full of wisdom and the straight path. The Quran does not become distorted by tongues. nor can it be deviated by caprices; it never dulls from repeated study; scholars will always want more of it. The wonders of the Quran are never ending. Whoever speaks from it will speak the truth, whoever rules with it will be just, and whoever holds fast to it will be guided to the straight path."
[At-Tirmidhi]

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All About The Quran

2008-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

The Quran is a Divine Miracle of Literature [Prophesy - Science - Warnings - Wisdom - Truths] ..and it has been Preserved 100% In the Original Language - for over 1,400 years!

Humanity has received Divine Guidance only through two channels:

~ the Word of Almighty God ("Allah" [in Arabic]) [scriptures, Bible, Psalms, etc.]
~ the Prophets sent by the Allah to communicate His Will to mankind

These two things have always been going together, hand in hand.

More important though, there were at that time, tens of thousands of his companions ("sahabi" in Arabic) who memorized the complete Quran from the instruction of the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Even the prophet himself, peace be upon him, used to recite it while angel Gabriel once a year and in the last year of his life he recited it two times just before the month in which he died.

Next, the leader who came after the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, (Abu Bakr) entrusted the collection of the Quran to be written in one volume by one of the Prophet's scribe, Zaid Ibn Thabit. He kept it till his death. Then the next leader, Umar and after him to his daughter, Hafsa who had been one of the wives of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

Then from the original text which now resides in Topkope Museum, in Istanbul, Turkey, the next leader, Uthman prepared several other exact duplications and sent them to various Muslim territories such as; Uzbekistan and Turkey and England. Today many of the Muslims from these areas are still memorizing the Quran.

The Quran was so meticulously preserved because it is the Book of Guidance for all of humanity for all times. That is why it does not address just the Arabs, in whose language it was revealed. In fact Arabs today do not comprise more than 13% of the Today of Muslims in the world today.

The Quran speaks to "mankind"

Quran speaks to all of mankind on a general basis without regard to race, tribe, color, social position, financial condition or genealogy.

Allah the Almighty says:
"O Mankind! What has seduced you from your Lord so Generous?" [Noble Quran 82:6]

The Practical Teachings of the Quran

Teachings of Quran are established by the example of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and the good Muslims throughout the ages have endeavored to emulate his teachings both in thought and conduct.

The distinctive approach of the Quran is that its instructions are aimed at the general welfare of the mankind and are based on the possibilities within his reach।

The Quran is Wisdom Conclusive.

~ It neither condemns nor tortures the flesh nor does it neglect the soul।
~ It does not humanize God, nor does it deify man।
~ Everything is carefully placed where it belongs in the total scheme of creation।

Yet it obviously is not written in human style (chronological order). Those who would claim that the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was the author of the Quran are claiming something that is humanly impossible.

How could any person of the 7th century utter such scientific truths as those found in the Quran?
Could he describe the evolution of the embryo inside the uterus so accurately as we find it now recorded in modern science?
[see: Dr. Keith Moore's book - on embryology]

Secondly, is it logical to believe that Muhammad, peace be upon him, who up to the age of forty was marked only for his honesty and integrity, began all of a sudden the authorship of a book matchless in literary merit and the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators of the highest caliber could not produce?

And lastly, is it justified to say that Muhammad, peace be upon him, who was known as "Al-Ameen" (trustworthy) in his society and who is still admired by the non-Muslim scholars for his honesty, would lie about receiving the Quran (which forbids lying) from the Angel Gabriel and then still be able to establish the best human society on the face of the earth, based on truth?

Surely, any sincere and unbiased searcher of truth must come to the conclusion that the Quran is the revealed Book of Almighty Allah.

Readers can easily see how the modern world is coming closer to reality regarding the truth of the Quran.
We appeal to all open minded scholars to study the Quran in the light of the aforementioned points.
We invite all to challenge the validity and accuracy of the sciences known to man today and keep in mind that this is the EXACT TEXT used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, over one thousand four hundred years ago.

We are sure that any such attempt will convince the reader that the Quran could never have been written by any human being ever।

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The Battles

2008-11-30T09:17:00.000-08:00

This Section Allows You To Have A glimpse Of The Prophet's (Peace Be Upon Him) Battles & Expeditions...

.The Battle of Badr
.The Battle of Uhud
.The Battle of Trench
.The Banu Quraydha
.The Battle of Khayber
.The Battle of Mut'ah
.The conquest of Makkah
.The Battle of Hunayn
.The Battle of Ta'if
.The Battle of Tabuk
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The Battle of Tabuk

2008-11-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

Some of the tribes were still trapped in the delusion that the rise of Islam was transient like a cloudburst, whose tide would be stemmed before long. It was therefore necessary to warn or even threaten such people before they device an opportunity to strike at the Muslims. The expedition of Tabuk had the desired effect on such lukewarm tribes much in the same way as the conquest of Mecca had gone a long way in clearing away the clouds of opposition. This expedition against the Byzantine Empire whose might and magnificence was well-known to the Arabs, virtually meant that the Muslims were ready to fling down the gauntlet even to the greatest power of the day. As to how much respect the Arabs had for the Byzantines whom they called Romans, is well illustrated by the remarks made by Abu Sufyan after he had seen Heraclius rendering honor to the Prophet (peace be upon him)s letter sent through Dihya b. KhAli (radiallahu 'anhu)fa al-Kalbi. He had heard Heraclius saying that he, too, expected a Prophet (peace be upon him) to be born. Abu Sufyan had then gotten up, as he related later on, rubbing his hands and saying that the affair of Ibn Abi Kabsha(69) (i.e. the Prophet (peace be upon him), peace be upon him) had become so great that the King of t he Romans dreaded him. Abu Sufyan further says that he was then convinced that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would ultimately emerge victorious and this was how Islam originated in his heart. (Bukhari)

The Arabs could not then dream of attacking the Byzantine Empire; they themselves feared Byzantine invasion or rather did not rate themselves so high as to be converted by any great power. Whenever the Muslims of Madinah were confronted with a grave danger or their safety was imperiled, their immediate action was to seek the aid of the Gassanid King who was a plyarch of East Syria under the rule of Caesar. What 'Umar (radiallahu 'anhu) said during the affair of Aylah, which took place in the beginning of 8 A.H., shed sufficient light on the state of affairs during those days. He said that he had an Ansaari friend with whom he had convinced that one of them should alternately remain in attendance upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) and inform the other about the incidents transpiring in his absence. Umar (radiallahu 'anhu) further said that in those days they were alarmed by a rumor that the Gassanid King intended to invade Madinah and were thus constantly agitated by it. Once, when his Ansaari friend came to his house and knocked at his door so he could get in, Umar (radiallahu 'anhu) inquired of his friend if the Gassanids had attacked Madinah. (Bukhari and Muslim)

The Byzantine star was on the ascent in those days. Its armies had, under Heraclius, dealt a death blow to the Iranian forces and carried their arms to the Iranian capital. The glorious victory was celebrated by the Emperors stately march from Hims (Emessa or Edessa) to Ayleh (Elath or 'Aqabah) in the seventh year of the Hijrah. Heraclius himself carried, in the guise of a penitent pilgrim, the True Cross retrieved from the Persians while carpets were spread and rose water sprinkled beneath his feet all over the path by the people who went forth to meet their hero with tears and acclamations. (Muslim, Kitab ul-Jihad)

Hardly two years had passed after this splendid victory won by the Emperor of the Romans, when the Prophet (peace be upon him) led an army to face him. The Prophet s (peace be upon him) daring venture made such a deep impression on the minds of the Arabs that it would be no exaggeration to claim that the expedition of Tabuk served as prelude to the conquest of Syria during the reigns of Abu Bakr (radiallahu 'anhu) and Umar (May Allah be pleased with themaa). The Tabuk Expedition really brought the match to a chain of victories which eventually catapulted the Muslims as the masters of Syria.

What was the genesis of this expedition? It is related that the Prophet (peace be upon him) got reports of Byzantine forces converging in the northern frontiers of Arabia with the intention of mounting an attack on the Muslims. Ibn Sad and Waqidi had reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was informed by the Nabataeans that Heraclius was intending to come upon him and that his advance party had already reached Balqa.(70) This was after stocking one years provision for his army and drafting the pro-Byzantine tribes of Lakhm, Jodham, Amla and Ghassan under his banner.

Even if we ignore this report, it can hardly be denied that the purpose of the expedition was to strike terror into the neighboring force which was a potential threat to the rising power of Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) intended to forewarn the Byzantines that they should not consider the Muslims weak nor should they take any precipitate action to violate their territorial sovereignty. The expedition was thus considered a precautionary measure since one that does not have enough strength could neither dare shake ones fist at a great power nor could one take the risk of descending on its borders. It is certain, at all events, that the true purpose of the expedition was what the revelation in this connection had explained in these words:

O Ye who believe! Fight those of the disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who keep their duty (unto Him).

[Qur'aan 9:123]

This objective was more than achieved as was subsequently borne out by the far-reaching consequence of the expedition. No retaliatory action was taken nor any detachments were moved to their borders by the Byzantines to drive back the Muslim army. The Emperor, exhausted by his Persian campaigns, remained an impotent spectator to the raid on his confederate border tribes or perhaps he thought it fit to wait and see before taking up the cudgels against the new power rising up in the East.

The first rattle of the new Arabian power impressed the pro-Byzantine Christian tribes in northern Arabia. This was a great advantage accruing from the expedition of Tabuk for it made these tribes shift their allegiance from Constantinople to Madinah which eventually led them to accept the religious aspects akin to the Islamic power. The Expedition also went as far as proving that the rise of Islam was for real and not just meteoric, or one which is fated to burst like a bubble, as some of the Arabs had hitherto been thinking about it. Moreover, the expedition showed that its climb to power was solid as a rock with a great future lying ahead of it. In fact, severance of the ties between these border tribes and the Byzantium was a prerequisite before they could pay attention to Islam, their new source of power and strength which was taking roots and shaping up in their own homeland. The divine revelation, too, makes an allusion to this aspect of the expedition as culled from a verse of Surah at-Taubah:

Nor step they any step that angereth the disbelievers, nor gain they from enemy a gain, but a good deed is recorded for them therefore.

[Qur'aan 9:120]

The battle of Muta was still fresh in the minds of the Byzantines who had failed to humble the Muslim army in spite of their vastly superior numbers. The Muslims, on the other hand, having once traded swords with the Byzantines, had overcome their traditional terror of the impregnable Roman legions.

In short, the expedition of Tabuk was a landmark in the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as well as in the continuity of the Islamic mission for it provided long-term effect on the future course of events leading to the glorious conquest of Islam developing throughout the course of time.

THE TIME OF EXPEDITION

The Tabuk campaign was undertaken in the month of Rajab, 9 A.H.(71) It was the time when the date palms had ripened and their shades were very pleasant. The Prophet (peace be upon him) undertook a long journey for the Tabuk expedition and traversed deserts and arid plains to face an enemy immensely great in numbers. As the Muslims were then passing through a period of drought, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told the companions beforehand, unlike in previous occasions, that he intended to fight with the Byzantines so that they might make suitable preparations. (Sahihain, on the authority of K'ab b. Malik)

The hypocrites fell out on different pretexts. They either disliked strenuous wars against the powerful enemy or disliked going out in the oppressive heat. They even doubted the truth and had little interest in fighting for the sake of God, so they refrained from accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him) on this occasion. God admonished such disaffected persons as is related in this Quranic verse:

Those who were left behind rejoiced at sitting still behind the Messenger of Allah, and were aversed to striving with their wealth and their lives in Allahs way. And they said: go not forth in the heat! Say: The heat of Hell is more intense of heat, if they but understood.

[Qur'aan 9:81]

ENTHUSIASM OF THE MUSLIMS

The Prophet (peace be upon him) took particular care to make preparations for the expedition. He urged upon the affluent companions to donate considerably for the campaign resulting in the lavish donations that they had thus accumulated. Uthman spent one thousand dinars on the force known as The brigade of distress or Jaish al-Usr and the Prophet (peace be upon him) invoked Gods blessings for him. A number of companions who were unable to raise money for their participation requested the Prophet (peace be upon him) to arrange the same for them. As, however, their requests could not be met for want of funds, the Prophet (peace be upon him) told them that their demands cannot be granted and so they went back disconsolate and disheartened. Some of them were so sorrow-stricken and depressed that God sent down the revelation exempting them from the obligation of joining the expedition:

Nor unto those (is any blame) whom, when they came to thee (asking) that thou shouldst mount them, thou didst tell: I cannot find whereon to mount you. They turned back with eyes flowing with tears, for sorrow that they could not find the means to spend.

[Qur'aan 9:92]

There were still others who could not make up their mind to participate in the campaign although their indecision was not because of any doubt or misgiving.

ARMYS DEPARTURE FOR TABUK

The Prophet (peace be upon him) proceeded to Tabuk with a strong army of 30,000 from Madinah. In no other drive, earlier to Tabuk, had such a large number of persons carried arms. Before the departure, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered the men to secure their camp at Thaniyatul-Wada. He put Muhammad b. Maslama al-Ansaari in charge of Madinah and left behind Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) to look after his family. When Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) that the hypocrites were trying to spread false rumors about him, he replied, "Are you not content,'Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) that you are to me as Haroon (Aaron) was to Musa (Moses), except that there will be no Prophet (peace be upon him) after me?"(Bukhari , Gazwah Tabuk)

When the Prophet (peace be upon him) encamped at al-Hjir, the land of Thamud, he told the companions that it was the country of those who were being tortured for their sins. He said, If you enter the houses of those who did wrong to themselves, enter tearfully with the fear that you may also meet the same fate that befell them.(72) He also instructed his men, Do not drink any of its water nor use it for ablutions. If you have used any for dough, then feed it to the camels and eat none of it.

The journey was extremely arduous, and scarcity of water added to the misery of the army. When the people complained to the Prophet (peace be upon him) about their distress, he prayed to God and a cloud came down in torrents until every man had quenched his thirst and stored enough water to meet his needs. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. p. 522)

DEMORALIZED HYPOCRITES

Some of the hypocrites kept company with the Prophet (peace be upon him). While the Muslim army was headed for Tabuk, one of them said to another, but alluding to the Prophet (peace be upon him), Do you think that the executioners of the Romans will deal with you in the same way as the Arabs do? By God, we seem to see you bound with ropes tomorrow. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, p. 522)

TREATY OF PEACE WITH AYLAHS RULER

Yuhanna b. Ruba, the governor of Aylah called upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) at Tabuk. Yuhanna made a treaty of peace and also paid the Jizyah. So did the people of Jarba and Adhruh, and they were all granted peace as well as guaranteed safety of their territory and their ships and caravans by land and sea. The treaties were written by the Prophet (peace be upon him) and delivered to the respective parties. Yuhanna was received by the Prophet (peace be upon him) cordially and was given due respect. (Ibn Hisham Vol. II, pp. 525-26)

BACK TO MADINAH

There was no commotion in Byzantium. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw that there was no movement of troops by the enemy who seemed to have abandoned the border towns, he gave orders for the return march. The objective of the expedition having been achieved, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not consider it necessary to advance further in the enemys territory to carry on the hostilities. Only a Christian chief, Ukaydir b. Abdul Malik, who was the ruler of Dumatul Jandal(73) and enjoyed the patronage of the Byzantines, was reported to be harboring hostile designs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Khalid (radiallahu 'anhu) with five hundred troops who captured Ukaydir and brought him to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him), however, spared his life on the condition that he surrendered unconditionally and agreed to pay the Jizyah. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, p. 526)

After staying for a few nights in Tabuk, the Prophet (peace be upon him) returned to Madinah. (Ibn Hisham, p. 527)

FUNERAL OF POOR MUSLIM

Abdullah Dhul-Bijadayn died at Tabuk. He had been too eager to accept Islam but his tribesmen had prevented him from conversion. At last they turned him over with only one coarse sheet of cloth in which he repaired to call upon the Prophet (peace be upon him). By the time he came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) the sheet of cloth had been torn into two pieces, one of which was used by him as a loincloth and the other he had wrapped over him. Since the day he appeared before the Prophet (peace be upon him) in that condition, he came to be known as Dhul-Bijadayn.

When he died at Tabuk the Prophet (peace be upon him) attended his burial along with Abu Bakr and Umar (May Allah be pleased with themaa). By the light of a torch held by someone, a grave was dug for him and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself went down into it to put him to rest. While Abu Bakr and Umar (May Allah be pleased with themaa) lowered down the corpse of Abdullah Dhul-Bijadayn, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to them, Bring your brother nearer to me. After the Prophet (peace be upon him) had arranged Abdallah for his niche, he said, O God, I am pleased with him; be Thou pleased with him! Abdallah b. Masud used to say thereafter, would that I had been the man in that grave. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, pp. 527-8)

TRIAL OF K'AB B. MALIK (radiallahu 'anhu)

Some of the Muslims who had stayed behind in the expedition of Tabuk, not for any doubt or disaffection, were K'ab b. Malik and Hilal b. Umayya. All of them had accepted Islam in the earlier stage of the Prophet 's (peace be upon him) mission and had undergone hardships for the sake of their faith. Murara b. al-Rabi and Hilal b. Umayya had also taken part in the battle of Badr. Actually, none of them had ever been languid in accompanying the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the previous battles. Therefore, their failure to do so in the expedition of Tabuk could have been brought about by the will of the providence which perhaps wanted to set another example of severe trial to test the strength of their faith for the benefit of the coming generations. They had been held back on this occasion partly on account of indolence and indecision and partly because of their reliance on worldly means and objects, or, perhaps, they had not given thought to the urgency of the matter as it deserved. These are common human shortcomings which have very often frustrated those who have been second to none in the sincerity of their faith in God and the love of His Prophet (peace be upon him). In fact, this is the moral so pointedly illustrated by these words of K'ab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu).

Every day I would go out to get ready for the journey so that I might leave with them, but I would come back not having done anything. I would say to my self, 'I can do that whenever I want to', but continued procrastinating until the time for departure came and the Prophet of God (peace be upon him) left with the Muslims. And, I had still not made necessary preparations. I thought that I could go after a day or two and then join them. I went to make the preparations after they had left but again returned without having done what was necessary. Day after day passed until I became sluggish while the army had gone far ahead at full speed. I still thought of leaving Madinah to overtake them and I wish that I had done so, but I did not. (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Magazi)

All the three companions were called upon to prove, in a way unknown to the annals of any religion, the sincerity of their faith in God and their love for the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was undoubtedly an excruciating trial of their loyalty to Islam, of their perseverance and tenacity in times of serenity as well as in difficulty, in cheer as well as despondency.

There is also no doubt that all these true-spirited companions spoke the truth when the hypocrites had offered excuses for justifying their absence from the expedition.

The incidents as related in the Traditions, on the authority of Kab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu), goes on with the narrative which speaks of his sincerity:

Those who had stayed behind came and began to make excuses with oaths - there were about eighty of them - and the Prophet (peace be upon him) accepted their pleas, administered oaths to them and asked divine forgiveness for them, leaving what they had concealed in their hearts to God. Then I came and saluted him and he smiled as one who is angry. He said, Come nearer. I went and sat before him. Then he asked, What had kept you back? Did you not purchase a mount? I replied, True to God, it was exactly so. O Prophet of God (peace be upon him), were I sitting with anyone else in the world I would have thought of offering some excuses for saving myself from His anger as I know how to defend and justify myself. But, true to God, I know that if I were to satisfy you by telling a lie, God will soon make you angry with me. And if I displease you now by telling the truth, I have hopes that God would excuse me in the end. Honest to God, I have no excuse at all and I was never stronger and richer than when I stayed behind.

The hour of trial came at last. The Prophet (peace be upon him) forbade everyone to speak to the three who had made a clean breast. Such were those Muslims, who knew nothing but to listen and obey the Prophet (peace be upon him), that not even the members of their own families would address a word to these men. All the three felt forsaken and abandoned, and were confronted with loneliness that strikes one whos in a foreign land, for they themselves were treated as aliens in their own country. They endured it for fifty nights. Murara b. al-Rabi and Hilal b. Umayya (May Allah be pleased with themaa) shut themselves up in their house, lamenting and shedding tears all the while. Kab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu) on the other hand, being young and sturdy, used to go out and join the prayer with others, then roam around in the market, but nobody seemed eager to keep him company or accost him.

But such indifference did not cause to increase the distance between them and the Prophet of God (peace be upon him); nor was there any diminution in the loving regard that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had for them. The admonition by the Prophet (peace be upon him) rather gave rise to a still acute longing in them to regain the affection of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The narration of Kab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu), which bears freshness of the plain truth, goes on to say:

And I would go to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and salute him when he sat with others after the prayer, thinking whether his lips had moved in returning my salutation or not; then I would pray near him and see him with half an eye. I am sure that he fastened his eyes on me when I was busy in prayers but then turned away from me as soon as I tried to take a look at him."

The wide world seemed to have closed in on these men. Kab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu) relates about the behavior of one whom he considered to be his inseparable friend.

When the harshness of the people became unbearable, I scaled the wall of Abu Qatadas orchard and went to him. He was my cousin and held dearest by me. I greeted him, but, by God, he did not even return my salutation. I said: O Abu Qatada, I adjure you by God, do you not know that I love God and His Prophet (peace be upon him)? But he still kept quite, so I repeated my question again. He remained silent for a while and then said: God and His Prophet (peace be upon him) know best! At that juncture, my eyes gave way to tears and I jumped over the wall to go back. (Buhkari)

The ordeal, however, did not come to a close just like that. The ban was extended to their wives such that the three were ordered to separate themselves from their respective spouses through divorce. All of them obediently yielded to the command.

The faith and loyalty as well as firmness of Kab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu) was brought to a yet more delicate and crucial test when the King of Ghassan tried to angle him with a silver hook. He was the ruler of a kingdom which had exercised a deep influence upon the Arabs. In fact, the Arab nobles and chieftains vied with one another to be among the circle of his entourage or even to be invited to attend his court, in the same way that even eminent poets composed splendid eulogies in honor of the Ghassanid kings.(74) A Nabataean courier of the King contacted Kab b. Malik (radiallahu 'anhu) when the Prophet 's (peace be upon him) aloofness and the coolness of the people to him had become agonizing enough to drive him mad. The courier delivered him a letter from the King in which he had written: We have learnt that your master has treated you badly. God has not destined you to be humiliated and wasted, so come to us and we shall deal kindly with you.

Kab took the letter to be a challenge to his integrity, but his conscience smote him to the point of tantalizing his love for God and His Prophet (peace be upon him) and so he took the letter to an oven and burnt it.

Their test was over at last. None of the three was found wanting. Then came the revelation from God which illustrated their personal example to make it a general lesson, good for all times to come. They had demonstrated by their action that they could not flee from God, but could only find solace and refuge in coming back to Him. The spacious earth of God had become straightened for them; rather, in their own souls they had feeling of constraint, but they did not falter from the right path. Then it was that God forgave them and took them back to His grace. But, a noteworthy feature of the verse revealed on this occasion was that the Most Gracious God did not make mention of the repentance of these three persons or lest they might feel singled out and humiliated. Their penitence was spoken of after mentioning the contrition of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and other Muhaajirun and Ansaar who had been ready and willing to take part in the expedition. The revelation goes to show that whatever sufferings and hardships they had endured had raised their degree in the spiritual world.

Allah hath turned in mercy to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and to the Muhaajirun and the Ansaar who followed him in the hour of hardship. After the hearts of a party of them had almost swerved aside, then turned He unto them in mercy. Lo! He is Full of Pity, Merciful for them.

And to the three also (did He turn in mercy) who were left behind, when the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for them, and their own souls were straitened for them till they bethought them that there is no refuge from Allah save toward Him. Then turned He unto them in mercy that they (too) might turn (repentant unto Him). Lo! Allah! He is the Relenting, the Merciful.

[Qur'aan 9:117-18]

THE EXPEDITION AT A GLANCE

The Expedition of Tabuk, which took place in the month of Rajab, 9 A.H., was the last crusade during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The actual number of battles fought was twenty-seven while he is reported to have sent out sixty forays and expeditions(75) although no fighting had taken place in many of them.

Never in the history of human conflict had any conqueror exhausted so little bloodshed yet achieved such a remarkable success. In all these clashes, only 1018 persons,(76) made up of Muslims as well as non-Muslims lost their lives. But, it would be to usurp the impossible to gamble any guess as to how much blood of the ferocious Arabs was saved from being spilled or how many souls escaped degradation and debasement because of this negligible loss to human life. Such was the public tranquillity and orderliness resulting from the Prophet (peace be upon him)s campaigns that a woman pilgrim would go from Hira to Mecca and return after circumambulating the Kaba without any fear in her heart save that of God.(77) Another report says that the women from Qadessia went alone on their dromedaries for pilgrimage to Mecca without the least anxiety or fear.(78) This was the country in which, from time immemorial, fights and forays, or battles between nomadic tribes and raids on one anothers flocks and properties had been an acceptable part of the desert life. Even the caravans of neighbouring powerful kingdoms dared not cross the country in pre-Islamic days without powerful escorts and guides.

The missions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were warranted by two universal truths as enunciated in the Quran, in which one of these says that is worse than slaughter (Qur'an 2:191) and the other declared, There is life for you in retaliation, O men of understanding. (Qur'an 2:179) These twin principles, which aimed at the refusal to acquiesce in wrongdoing and urged to strive for the defense of honor and justice, soon established its most sought-after peace and order. This is at the minimum cost of labour and time on the part of the Muslims under the benevolent and altruistic guidance of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) was ever vigilant to secure the well-being and enlightenment of the enemy instead of allowing the satisfaction of vindictive feelings to become the objective of his campaigns. Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent out any detachment for forays or declared battle to the enemy he invariably issued strict instructions to his men to be God-fearing and kind to the friends as well as foes. The directions he once gave to his troops were:

I asked you to fear God and to be considerate to the Muslims with you. Fight in the name of God and slay those in his name who have disbelieved Him. Neither should you break your promise, nor pilfer the spoils, nor kill any child or woman nor man infirm and old or a priest who has withdrawn to seclusion. Never lay your hands on a date-palm, nor chop down a tree, nor yet pull down any building. (79)

And, as to how successful these campaigns of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were can be judged from the fact that within a brief period of ten years, more than a million square miles was won for Islam. Moreover, the Islamic state expanded at an average rate of some 274 square miles daily at the cost of one martyr a month. (80) This respect for human blood is unparalleled in the annals of mans history. The truth of this assertion is better understood if the losses of these crusades are placed beside the casualties of the last two world wars, the first of which was fought from 1914 to 1918 and the second from 1939 to 1945. According to the computation of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 6,400,000 persons lost their lives (81) in the first war and the number of casualties in the second ranged between 35 and 60 millions.(82)

Yet, none of these two blood-tainted wars can claim to have done any good to humanity nor did they solve any problem of the world at all.

The ecclesiastical tribunals known as Inquisitions established by the Roman Catholic Church in the Middle Ages for the trial and punishment of heretics are reported to have taken a toll of 12 million lives. (83)

THE FIRST HAJJ

The Pilgrimage was enjoined in 9 A.H.(84) where the Prophet (peace be upon him) sent Abu Bakr (radiallahu 'anhu) in command of the pilgrims. The polytheists were, during the year, at their pilgrimage stations. (85) Abu Bakr (radiallahu 'anhu) then led a party of one hundred Muslims.

The opening of Surah at-Taubah (86) were revealed after the pilgrims had left for Mecca. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent for Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) and charged him to proclaim the verse at Mina when all the pilgrims had assembled thereafter performing the sacrifice. It signified the end of idolatry in Arabia for no idolater was allowed to perform Hajj nor to circle round the Kaba in a nude state after that year. The divine revelation also commanded that if the Prophet (peace be upon him) was obliged to fulfill any obligation under a treaty with the polytheists it would be discharged up to a stipulated period after which the pact would then be deemed inutile and immaterial.

Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) went forth on the Prophet (peace be upon him)s camel and overtook Abu Bakr (radiallahu 'anhu) along the way, who asked Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) if he had come to give orders to him or whether he had something to convey them. Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) replied that he had only been charged to convey orders to him. Thereafter, both proceeded to Mecca where Abu Bakr (radiallahu 'anhu) managed the arrangements for Hajj. When the day of sacrifice came, Ali (radiallahu 'anhu) proclaimed what he had been ordered by the Prophet (peace be upon him). (Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, pp. 543-46)