Understanding_Islam

2007-05-17T09:03:00.000+10:00

A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam

Implication of Tawheed

2007-03-26T07:58:00.000+10:00

Assalamu 'Alaikum wr wb, peace be upon those who follow true guidance!

Alhamdulillah we are finally back on track and can now fully put our focus on spreading the message of Allah (SWT)! This is an excellent lecture which talks about the Oneness of God in Islam (which is called Tawheed in Arabic) and the implication of it into our lives. We hope you enjoy it insha'Allah (God Willing) and we will be posting more lectures whenever we get the chance.

Save: Part1 Part2

We are back.....

2007-01-21T19:40:00.000+11:00

Assalamu 'Alaikum wr wb, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you! As can be seen by our lack of articles, we have been quite busy. One of our members got married, so we have been busy with that and other personal commitments. Alhamdulillah we will soon be back on track. As for those who have left comments, sent e-mails, please be patient with us...we will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Jazakallahu khairan, thank you!

We have posted new books on our blog "Free E-Books"!

Dealing With Worries And Stress
By: Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

New blog added

2006-12-05T11:05:00.000+11:00

Bible,Quran and Science
By: Maurice Bucaille

Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality
By: Sherif Abdel Azeem

More information on Islam....

2006-12-03T14:19:00.000+11:00

Old posts that are important:

'The Bible, a closer look' & 'Who is our Savior? (Allah or Jesus)'

New articles and lectures to benefit from:

Jihad Explained
Does Islam Equal Terrorism? - by Yusuf Estes (Audio) (Video) (Buy)
Islam: Misunderstood throughout the World
The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus
Prophet Jesus (PBUH) Never Claimed Divinity

Comparative Religion:
Comparative Religion (Zakir Naik page) Includes--> Christianity, Atheism, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.

Lectures for the Muslim to benefit from....

2006-11-25T12:00:00.000+11:00

Series:
Death and the Hereafter 2006	Life of the Prophet (S.A.W.S.)
Famsy Dinner - Muslim youth and the art of aspiration	Muslim Character & Manners
Bulugh al Muram	Death and the Hereafter (2004)
Life of the Prophets	Friday Prayer
The Companions	Death and the Hereafter (2002)
Marriage	Hajj and Ramadhan
Imam Nawawi 40 Ahadith	Great events in Islamic history

Returning to Allah (motivational)

Taqwa

The beginning of life

Thanking Allah

The love of the Prophet (S.A.W.S.)

Leaving the love of this world

Repentence Part 2

Repentence Part 1

The Path of knowledge

Respecting and Loving one another

Protecting your tongue

New Years Eve

A Step Short of Paradise

The Power of Supplication - Dua

I was sent to perfect the good manners

2006-11-01T07:36:00.000+11:00

A person, by the name 'Sarah', has left a comment on our blog. We have published the comment but unfortunately we were not able to find it so we thought we might as well reply to it as a post insha'Allah (God Willing).

Sarah wrote:

Father, son and Holy ghost are ONE. Was Gabriel a partner to God when he gave the Quran to Muhammad? Gabriel is the holy ghost,Gabriel is GOD, Jesus is GOD come down to be in human form so that we could know him better.

If I can be 3 or more people, mother, daughter, wife, employee, why would we not think that God would have that ability?

Well firstly Sarah, where in the Bible does Jesus state to be 'God'?

Jesus (peace be upon him) admits in John 14:28 "..my Father is greater than I"

and Jesus, peace be upon him, admits again in John 5:30 "I can of mine own self do nothing...," Does this sound like God speaking to you or a human being (like you and myself)?

It's said that Jesus, peace be upon him, said "I and the Father are one". If we examine the matter objectively, without letting our own desires get in the way, it becomes clear that the conjunction "and" in the phrase "I and the Father" implies that two separate entities are involved. "I" is one entity, and "the Father" is another. If you say, "So-and-so and I", it is obvious to any rational person that they are two separate people.

How can Jesus be God if he worshipped God as any other person (Luke 5:16):

"And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed."

Jesus was tempted by Satan for forty days (Luke 4:1-13) but in James 1:13 is said: "...for God cannot be tempted with evil.."?

If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are "One and Equal", why doesn't the Bible "consistently" say they are equal instead of giving them and "others" changing values?

Secondly, yes you can be a mother, a daughter, a grandmother and an employee but do you change your physical features to become a mother? a dauther? The answer is obviously no!

God tells you in the Holy Qur'an,

"O people of the book! commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was [no more or less than] a messenger of Allah, and His word, which he bestowed upon Mary, and a spirit preceding from Him: so believe in Allah and his messengers.

Say not "Three": desist!, it is 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 the earth. And enough is Allah as a disposer of affairs." Qur'an (4):171.

May you be guided, peace

PS: we recommend you to read--> Did God Become Man? By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

2006-10-24T18:09:00.000+10:00

More articles (lectures) to read (listen) and benefit from!

Gospel of Barnabas !
Barnabas, His Gospel, and its Credibility
Who invented the Trinity?
The Bible Led Me to Islam
What Did Jesus Really Say?
Missionary Christianity - A Muslim Analysis by Gary Miller

Aqeedat (creed of ) Ahl Assunnah Waljama'ah by Shaikh Ibn Uthaimeen
33 Lessons For Every Muslim
This Is Muhammad ! (PBUH)

Ahmed Deedat & Garry Miller - Christanity and Islam (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	56.69 MB
Ahmed Deedat - A Dire Warning (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	25.97 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Al Qur'an A Miracle of Miracles (www.aswatalislam.net).ra	Download	24.43 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Arabs & Israel - Conflict or Conciliation (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	38.14 MB
Ahmed Deedat - At Fosis's (23rd Annual Winter Gathering) (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	29.66 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Challenge of Islam (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	29.70 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Christ in Islam (Sequel To) (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	19.54 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Christ in Islam (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	30.50 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Christanity and Islam(Geneva) (www.aswatalislam.net).rm	Download	29.70 MB
Ahmed Deedat - Christian Guests In Your Mosque (www.aswatalislam.net).rm

Ahmed Deedat - Christian Missionaries in the World (www.aswatalislam.net).rm

Download

25.65 MB

Ahmed Deedat - Christianity, Judaism or Islam (www.aswatalislam.net).rm

Download

36.89 MB

Ahmed Deedat - Concept of God in Hinduism (www.aswatalislam.net).rm

Download

30.48 MB

Ahmed Deedat - Is Jesus God (www.aswatalislam.net).rm

Download

51.62 MB

Ahmed Deedat - Jesus (PBUH) Man, Myth or God (www.aswatalislam.net).rm

Download

36.38 M

Translation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran in the English Language

Ahmed Deedat Books

2006-10-18T07:43:00.000+10:00

MUHAMMED (PBUH) THE NATURAL SUCCESSOR TO CHRIST (PBUH)
This book, is one of the best in that it clearly shows that Jesus Christ foretold the Prophet of Islam in the Gospels. According to the New Testament, the Comforter is well proven not to be a spirit, but of a human prophet that was to come.

IS THE BIBLE GOD'S WORD?
Using the Bible as the bedrock, and the words of Biblical scholars to support his case. Sheikh Ahmed Deedat exposes the fallibility of the Bible. An excellent read.

CRUCIFIXION OR CRUCI-FICTION
Once again, one of the greatest books I've read in regards to the alleged crucifixion of Christ. Sheikh Deedat, bases the crux of his claims on the entire Bible.

WHO MOVED THE STONE?
A question that has been troubling Christian theologians for a long time. The book is a small but detailed exposition from the Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction book.

RESURRECTION OR RESUSCITATION?
Did Jesus actually die?, and then resurrected; or was his life merely a resuscitation from a trance?. This small booklet deals with another important element from the book Crucifixion or Cruci-Fiction. Did Jesus really die according to the scriptures?.

WHAT WAS THE SIGN OF JONAH?
Out of all the miracles performed by Jesus (PBUH), he gave only one that was to be decisive in establishing his credibility as the Messiah. And the one sign that would discredit his supposed resurrection.

MUHUMMED (PBUH) THE GREATEST
The man who has been ranked the most influential figure in history, according to Western scholars, and is outranked in greatness, is looked upon in this online booklet. A global community of 1.2 billion believers came into existence because of this one great man. His fruits bore witness of an Islamic empire stretching from Morocco to Indonesia.

WHAT IS HIS NAME
Humanity still wrangles to this day as to the name of God Almighty. In this online booklet; it is clearly shown that Allah is the name of God in all the Semitic languages. As shown in the Old and the New Testament.

CHRIST IN ISLAM
Read about Jesus Christ, on how he occupies a high place in the House of Islam. This online book also serves to restore the humanness of Jesus, and renounce his deification. Once again, with solid proofs from the Bible itself.

Former Christian Priests and Missionaries who have Embraced Islam !
I want to embrace Islam but ....Many Questions & Answers !
Basic beliefs of Christians and Muslims side by side
ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
How did Christianity become mixed with polytheistic beliefs?
Jesus (peace be upon him) In The Holy Quran
The Truth About Prophet Jesus

Islam & Christinaty 1
By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 2
By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 3
By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 4
By: Gary Miller

2006-10-08T04:41:00.000+10:00

Advice To Our Sisters

Former Christian Priests and Missionaries who have Embraced Islam !
I want to embrace Islam but ....Many Questions & Answers !
Basic beliefs of Christians and Muslims side by side
Jesus The Islamic and Christian Views Compared
ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY - A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
How did Christianity become mixed with polytheistic beliefs?
Jesus (peace be upon him) In The Holy Quran
The Truth About Prophet Jesus
The Real Story Of Mary From the Holy Quran
Birth Story of Jesus From the Holy Quran
Christ in Islam by Ahmed Deedat

Islam & Christinaty 1
By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 2
By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 3
By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 4
By: Gary Miller

A closer look at the Bible~

2006-10-06T05:10:00.001+10:00

Examining The Bible
Is the Bible the word of God ? Video
The Bible ... a closer look
A List of Biblical Contradictions
50,000 Errors in the Bible!

And also: Comparative Religion (Zakir Naik page)

The Amazing Quran 1
By: Gary Miller

The Amazing Quran 2
By: Gary Miller

The Amazing Quran 3
By: Gary Miller

The Amazing Quran 4
By: Gary Miller

The Divinity of Jesus
By: Gary Miller

Who is our Savior? (Allah or Jesus)

2006-10-06T04:45:00.000+10:00

Knowing Jesus (peace be upon him):

Prophet or disciple ?

Dear Christians,

If Jesus is God, why were his disciples never called a *Prophet* ?

Some Christians believe that Jesus is God, if this is so, when Jesus _directly_ spoke to his disciples, they should have been referred to as Prophets.

It seems that out of the 13 (Jesus and his disciples) the only one that was
called a Prophet is Jesus himself .:

"Nevertheless I (Jesus) must walk to day, and to morrow, and the [day] following: for it cannot be that a Prophet perish out of Jerusalem." Luke 13:33

"And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A Prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house." Matthew 13:57 also in Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:43

Jesus refers to himself as a Prophet, Others also called Jesus a Prophet but Never called his disciples "A group of Prophets"

Jesus was called a Prophet by others:

"And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet." Matthew 14:5

"And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee." Matthew 21:11

"But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet." Matthew 21:46

"And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:" Luke 24:19

"The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet." John 4:19

"Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world."John 6:14

"Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet." John 7:40

Now the Greek word for Prophet is: prophetes ( profetev ) {prof-ay'-tace} which means "one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman"

The disciples on the otherhand in Greek, are called;

"apostolos ( apostolov ) {ap-os'-tol-os} which means "a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders"

In conclusion, we see the difference in the way Jesus was addressed compared to the manner that his disciples were addressed. This is further proof that Jesus was indeed a Prophet, and not God.

Prophet or disciple ?

Did Jesus Deny being God ?

Is Jesus God ?

Is Jesus a Muslim ?

Who are Eve's parents ?

Is Isaiah 53: Referring to Jesus ?

Equation of One God without partners ?

John 8 (vs.) Exodus 3

The Spirit and the Statue

Is God Afraid Of us?

Because Jesus said "I_am" ?

King of Kings ?

Who are Melchizedek's Parents?

Is Jesus the Unique son of God ?

Wicked Vinedressers

'I am' or "I was" ?

Did Jesus say "Only Begotten"?

Walk the Talk ?

Also read: Selected Verses from The Holy Quran a Christian Need to Read

2006-10-03T05:26:00.000+10:00

Christian Violence in History

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<>The horrible truth is that, numerically and statistically speaking, Christian Civilization is the bloodiest and most violent of all civilizations in all of history, and is responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths. Even so, Muslims will never associate this violence and blood bath with the teachings of Jesus (peace be on him).

Saint Augustine’s cognite intrare (“lead them in”—i.e. “force them to convert”). In fact the Qur’an says the exact opposite: There is no compulsion in religion ( 2:256 ). Augustine’s frightening idea that all must be compelled to “conform” to the “true Christian faith” has unleashed centuries of unparalleled bloodshed. Indeed, Christians have suffered more under the rule of Christian civilization than under pre- Christian Roman rule or any other rule in history.	Millions were tortured and slaughtered in the name of Christianity during the periods of the Arian, Donatist and Albigensian heresies
The Crusades	The European armies were saying, as they slaughtered both Christian and Muslim Arabs: “Kill them all, God will know his own.”
Europe's Reformation and Counter Reformation Era	Two thirds of the Christian population of Europe was slaughtered by Christians
The African slave trade	Claimed the lives of 10 million
The Colonial Conquests	Estimates for the number of Native Americans slaughtered by the Europeans in North, Central and South America run as high as 20 million within three generations.
The 20 th century's Western Civilization took warfare to new extremes	A conservative estimate puts the total number of brutal deaths in the 20 th century at more than 250 million. Of these, Muslims are responsible for less than 10 million deaths. Christians, or those coming from Christian backgrounds account for more than 200 million of these! The greatest death totals come from World War I (about 20 million, at least 90 % of which were inflicted by “Christians”) and World War II ( 90 million, at least 50% of which were inflicted by “Christians,” the majority of the rest occurring in the Far East). Given this grim history, it appears that we Europeans must all come to grips with the fact that Islamic civilization has actually been incomparably less brutal than Christian civilization. Did the Holocaust of over 6 million Jews occur out of the background of a Muslim Civilization?
In the 20th century alone	Western and/or Christian powers have been responsible for at least twenty times more deaths than have Muslim powers. In this most brutal of centuries, we created incomparably more civilian casualties than have Muslims in the whole of Islamic history.
In the 20th century, Rawanda, 1994	Witness the slaughter of 900,000 Rwandans in 1994 in a population that was over 90 % Christian
1992-1995 Bosnia	The genocide of over 300,000 Muslims and systematic rape of over 100,000 Muslim women by Christian Serbs
Western popular culture	It should also be mentioned that although Islam has the concept of legitimate war in self-defense (as does Christianity, and even Buddhism), nowhere in Islamic culture (or in other cultures that survive today) is there latent the idealization, and perhaps idolization, of violence that exists in Western Culture. Westerners think of themselves as peaceful, but in fact the gentleness and sublimity of the New Testament, and the peace-loving nature of the principles of democracy, are scarcely reflected in Western popular culture. Rather, the entire inclination of popular culture— Hollywood movies, Western television, video games, popular music and sports entertainment—is to glorify and inculcate violence. Accordingly, the relative rates of murder (especially random and serial murder) are higher in the Western World (particularly in the U.S., but even in Europe, taken as a whole) than they are in the Islamic world in counties that are not suffering civil wars, and this true despite the much greater wealth of the West.
Reference: http://www.islamicamagazine.com/content/view/159/59/

2006-10-02T06:07:00.000+10:00

A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam: In different languages!

If you want the english version--> A Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam

JAPANESE: http://www.islam-guide.com/jp

Japanese Islamic Wesbite:

http://www.isuramu.net/kuruan/index.html

CHINESE: http://www.islam-guide.com/cs

HONG KONG ISLAMIC YOUTH ASSOCIATION: http://www.glink.net.hk/~hkiya/index.html

Italian: (Guida sull'Islam: Una breve guida illustrata per compredere l'Islam, i musulmani e il Corano) http://www.islam-guide.com/it/

French: (Guide islamique: Petit guide illustré pour comprendre l'islam, les
musulmans et le Coran) http://www.islam-guide.com/fr

Other site: Islam-qa

SPANISH: (Una Breve Gu?a Ilustrada para entender el Islam) http://www.islam-guide.com/es/

German: (Ein kurzer illustrierter Wegweiser
um den Islam zu verstehen (Deutsch) http://www.islam-guide.com/de/

En kort illustrert guide for å forstå islam

Norsk (Norwegian)

2006-09-25T13:37:00.000+10:00

Beneficial lectures:

~For the Muslim~ ~For the non-Muslim~

Series : Establishing a Muslim Family

introduction to islam

Introduction To Islam

Defending the Sunnah

Why Do People Need Religion?

How should we raise our children?

Purpose Of Creation

Purirification of the soul by way of Doaa

The True Religion of God

Who are the Strangers ?

The Islamic Concept Of God

Stories of the Strangers in the Quran

Tawheed

Tafsir of Surah Az-Zumar

Tawheed in worshipping

Engagement For Marriage

Series : Pilars Of Islam

The weakness of the ummah and its remedies

Best Of Islam

60 Ways to Jannah (Paradise)

The Message Of Jesus

Increase workship in islam & on best guidance

The Ultimate Miracle

On doing good deeds

Debate With 3 Christians

The Path to Zina

What Have They Said About Islam?

Death

The Devinity Of Jesus

How to get closer to Allah (SWT)

Series : Muhammad In The Bible

Seeking Protection from Allah

The Purpose of Life

Shadows of the Shaitan

Islam On Focus

The worst disease of the heart

Islam Is Strange...Again!!!

Relying On Allah

Quran And Science

The Status Of Women In Islam

2006-09-20T10:31:00.000+10:00

Journey2Islam Organisation

Status of Women in Islam

| | | | | | | | | | | |

"Lo! men who surrender unto Allah, and women who surrender, and men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere (in righteousness) and women who persevere, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who guard (their modesty) , and men who remember Allah much and women who remember Allah hath prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward"

[Qur'an 33:35]

Perhaps the most widespread misconception about Islam is that it abuses and humiliates women. Nothing could be further from the truth - Islam accords women the honour and dignity they deserve. Islam teaches that men and women are partners in life, with different but complementary roles and responsibilities, suited to their unique abilities and strengths.

Women in the Qur'an and Women in the Bible	Men are the Protectors and Maintainers of Women	Women's Rights: Now and Then	The Distorted Image of Muslim Women	Myth: Islam Degrades Women
My Body Is My Own Business	Women in the Qur'an and the Sunnah	Islam - Elevation of Women's Status	In Search Of Body Beautiful	Why Are Women Turning to Islam
Experiences Of A Recently Converted Hindu Woman	Why British Women Are Turning To Islam	Islam's Female Converts	Marriage Lead Women To Islam	*Women in Islam 1: Position of Women in Ancient Civilization*
*Women in Islam 2: Women in Judaeo-Christian and Muslim Scriptures 1*	*Women in Islam 2: Women in Judaeo-Christian and Muslim Scriptures 2*	*Women in Islam 3: Spiritual Aspect*	*Women in Islam 4: Economic Aspect*	*Women in Islam 5: Social Aspect*
*Women in Islam 6: Political Aspect 1*	*Women in Islam 6: Political Aspect 2*	*Women in Islam 7: Muslim Women in History 1*	*Women in Islam 7: Muslim Women in History 2*	*Women in Islam 7: Muslim Women in History 3*
*Women in Islam 8: Muslim Women in Recent History*	Islam and Issues concerning the Muslim Woman	The Ideal Muslimah	Women's Position in Islam

The Bible's Last Prophet

2006-09-20T10:03:00.000+10:00

What all Christians and Jews MUST know about the Bible!

"Certainly, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the Believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Pagans, and you will find the nearest in love to the Believers (Muslims) those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests (Men devoted to learning) and monks (men who have renounced the world), and because they do not behave proudly. And when they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad), you see their eyes overflowing with tears, for they recognize the truth. They say: "Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses. And why should we not believe in Allah and in that which has come to us of the truth (Islamic Monotheism) and we wish that our Lord will admit us (in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection) along with the righteous people?" So because of what they said, Allah rewarded them Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), they will abide therein forever. Such is the reward of good-doers. But those who disbelieved and denied Our signs, they shall be the dwellers of the Hell-Fire." (Holy Qur'an 5:82-86)

Biography Of Professor David Benjamin Keldani: Former Roman Catholic Bishop of the Uniate Chaldean

Muhammad In The Old Testament

Prefatory Remarks, Allah And His Attributes "And The Ahmed Of All Nations Will Come." - Haggai, ii.7.

The Question Of The Birthright And The Covenant

The Mystery Of The "Mispa"

Prophet Muhammad Is The "Shiloh"

Prophet Muhammad And The Emperor Constantine

Prophet Muhammad Is The Son-Of-Man

King David Calls Him: "My Lord"

The Lord And The Prophet Of The Covenant

Genuine Prophets Preach Only Islam

Islam Is The Kingdom Of God On Earth

Prophet Muhammad In The New Testament

Islam And Ahmadiyat Announced By Angels

"Eudokia" Means "Ahmadiyeh" [Luke ii. 14]

John The Baptist Announces A Powerful Prophet

The Prophet Foretold By The Baptist Was Certainly Prophet Muhammad - John The Baptist Foretold Prophet Muhammad

The Baptism Of John And Jesus Only A Type Of Religious Marking "Sibghatullah"

The "Sibghatullah," Or The Baptism With The Holy Spirit And With Fire

The "Paraclete" Is Not The Holy Spirit

"Periqlytos" Means "Ahmad"

"The Son Of Man," Who Is He?

By The Apocalyptical "Son Of Man," Prophet Muhammad Is Intended

The Son Of Man According To The Jewish Apocalypses

The Prophet Of Arabia As Spoken Of In The Bible "The Burden Upon Arabia" - Isaiah xxi. 13.

Islam And Christianity:

2006-09-20T09:15:00.000+10:00

Here are couple of excellent articles to read!

Jesus The Islamic and Christian Views Compared
How did Christianity become mixed with polytheistic beliefs?
Muslim Christian Dialogue
Christ in Islam by Ahmed Deedat
Did God Become Man? By Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
What Is His Nature? (God In Christianity) By Naji Al-Arfaj (PDF)
The True Message of Jesus Christ By Dr. Bilal Philips
Jesus - The Hidden Facts!
The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus
Who invented the Trinity?

Ramadan

2006-09-15T13:13:00.000+10:00

When the Night Equals a Thousand

By Muhammad Alshareef

It was narrated that in the days that Musa (Alahi salaam) wandered with Bani Israel in the desert an intense drought befell them. Together, they raised their hands towards the heavens praying for the blessed rain to come. Then, to the astonishment of Musa (Alahi salaam) and all those watching, the few scattered clouds that were in the sky vanished, the heat poured down, and the drought intensified.

It was revealed to Musa that there was a sinner amongst the tribe of Bani Israel whom had disobeyed Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) for more than forty years of his life. “Let him separate himself from the congregation,” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) told Musa (Alahi salaam). “Only then shall I shower you all with rain.”

Musa (Alahi salaam) then called out to the throngs of humanity, “There is a person amongst us who has disobeyed Allah for forty years. Let him separate himself from the congregation and only then shall we be rescued from the drought.” That man, waited, looking left and right, hoping that someone else would step forward, but no one did. Sweat poured forth from his brow and he knew that he was the one.

The man knew that if he stayed amongst the congregation all would die of thirst and that if he stepped forward he would be humiliated for all eternity.

He raised his hands with a sincerity he had never known before, with a humility he had never tasted, and as tears poured down on both cheeks he said: “O Allah, have mercy on me! O Allah, hide my sins! O Allah, forgive me!”

As Musa (Alahi salaam) and the people of Bani Israel awaited for the sinner to step forward, the clouds hugged the sky and the rain poured. Musa (Alahi salaam) asked Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala), “O Allah, you blessed us with rain even though the sinner did not come forward.” And Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) replied, “O Musa, it is for the repentance of that very person that I blessed all of Bani Israel with water.”

Musa (Alahi salaam), wanting to know who this blessed man was, asked, “Show him to me O Allah!” Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) replied, “O Musa, I hid his sins for forty years, do you think that after his repentance I shall expose him?”

Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) revealed the Qur’an in the most blessed month; the month of Ramadan, the month in which the Qur’an was sent down.

On the most blessed night, the Grand night: Laylatul Qadr; “Verily, we revealed the Qur’an on the night of Qadr.”

Ibn Jareer narrates, on the authority of Mujaahid that there was a man from Bani Israel who used to spend the night in prayer. Then in the morning he would fight the enemy in the Way of Allah during the day, until the evening and he did this for a thousand months.

And so Allah revealed the Surah: “Verily, We sent it down in the night of Al-Qadr” until the verse “The night of Al-Qadr is better than a thousand months” That is, standing in prayer on that night is better than the actions of that man.

Read the rest here

2006-09-10T08:46:00.000+10:00

Who is Allah?

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word "Allah". For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" and there is only One God. Let there be no doubt, Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus, peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims, like Jews, reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, doesn't mean that each of these three religions worships a different God because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic Faiths", and all of them are also classified as "monotheistic". However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas.

First of all, it is important to note that "Allah" is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use for God. If you pick up an Arabic Bible, you will see the word "Allah" being used where "God" is used in English.

This is because "Allah" is the only word in the Arabic language equivalent to the English word "God" with a capital "G". Additionally, the word "Allah" cannot be made plural or given gender (i.e. masculine or feminine), which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God. Because of this, and also because the Qur'an, which is the holy scripture of Muslims, was revealed in the Arabic language, some Muslims use the word "Allah" for "God", even when they are speaking other languages. This is not unique to the word "Allah", since many Muslims tend to use Arabic words when discussing Islamic issues, regardless of the language which they speak. This is because the universal teachings of Islam, even though they have been translated in every major language, have been preserved in the Arabic language.

It is interesting to note that the Aramaic word "El", which is the word for God in the language that Jesus spoke, is certainly more similar in sound to the word "Allah" than the English word "God". This also holds true for the various Hebrew words for God, which are "El”, "Elah", and the plural form "Elohim". The reason for these similarities is that Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all Semitic languages with common origins. It should also be noted that in translating the Bible into English, the Hebrew word "El" is translated variously as "God", "god" and "angel"! This imprecise language allows different translators, based on their preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own views. The Arabic word "Allah" presents no such difficulty or ambiguity, since it is only used for Almighty God alone. Additionally, in English, the only difference between "god", meaning a false god, and "God", meaning the One True God, is the capital "G". In the Arabic alphabet, since it does not have capital letters, the word for God (i.e. Allah) is formed by adding the equivalent to the English word "the" (Al-) to the Arabic word for "god/God" (ilah). So the Arabic word "Allah" literally means "The God”: the "Al-" in Arabic basically serving the same function as the capital "G" in English. Due to the above mentioned facts, a more accurate translation of the word "Allah" into English might be "The One -and-Only God" or "The One True God".

More importantly, it should also be noted that the Arabic word "Allah" contains a deep religious message due to its root meaning and origin. This is because it stems from the Arabic verb ta'allaha (or alaha), which means "to be worshipped". Thus in Arabic, the word "Allah" means "The One who deserves all worship". This, in a nutshell, is the Pure Monotheistic message of Islam. According to Islam, "monotheism" is much more than simply believing in the existence of "only One God" - as seemingly opposed to two, three or more. If one understands the root meaning of the word "Allah", this point should become clear. One should understand that Islam's criticism of the other religions that claim to be "monotheistic" is not because they are "polytheistic" in the classic sense, but because they direct various forms of worship to other than Almighty God. We will discuss the meaning of worship in Islam below, however, before moving on it should be noted that many non-Muslims are unaware of the distinction between simply believing in the existence of only One God and reserving all worship for Him alone. Many Christians are painfully unaware of this point, and thus you often find them asking how Muslims can accuse the followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, of being "polytheists" when they were all "monotheistic Jews". First of all, it should be clarified that the word "polytheist" doesn't really sound right in this context, since to many it implies simply believing in the existence of more than one God. So in an Islamic context, "associators", "man-worshippers" or "creature worshippers" might be more accurate and appropriate terms, especially since Christians believe Jesus to be both "100% God and 100% man", while still paying lip-service to God's "Oneness". However, as we're previously touched upon, what is really at the root of this problem is the fact that Christians as well as the members of other religions don't really know what "monotheism" means especially in the Islamic sense. All of the books, articles, and papers that I've read which were written by Christians invariably limit "monotheism" to believing in the existence of "One Sovereign and Creator God". Islam, however, teaches much more than this.

Suffice is to say that just because someone claims to be a "monotheistic" Jew, Christian or Muslim, that doesn't keep them from falling into corrupt beliefs and idolatrous practices. Many people, including some Muslims, claim belief in "One God" even though they've fallen into acts of idolatry. Certainly, many Protestants accuse Roman Catholics of idolatrous practices in regards to the saints and the Virgin Mary. Likewise, the Greek Orthodox Church is considered "idolatrous" by many other Christians because in much of their worship they use icons. However, if you ask a Roman Catholic or a Greek Orthodox person if God is "One", they will invariably answer: "Yes!” This lip-service, however, does not stop them from being "creature worshipping" idolaters. The same goes for Hindus, who just consider their gods to be "manifestations" or "incarnations" of the One Supreme God.

Everyone should be aware of the fact that throughout the long history of the "Abrahamic Faiths", there have people who, while believing in "One God", have adopted beliefs and practices that completely nullify their claim to "monotheism". This is the Muslim view of Christians. We're well aware of the fact that they claim belief in "One God" with their lips, but this doesn't mean that they don't nullify their claim in other ways. This is because many people simply haven't been taught everything that Pure Monotheism entails. From an Islamic point of view, "monotheism" can be nullified in many ways. For example, simply believing that it is permissible to rule by Western "liberal" and "democratic" laws in lieu of the Divinely Revealed Law of Almighty God makes one a "polytheist". Certainly, a person who does such a thing, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim, doesn't ever believe that there is another Almighty Creator and Sovereign Lord. However, for all practical purposes, such a person has taken another "god", whether they choose to admit it or not. In this way they are associating partners with Almighty God (Arabic: shirk), and thus become a "polytheist" in a practical sense, regardless of their lip-service to "monotheism". This holds true even if the person doesn't believe what they are doing is "worship". For example, Roman Catholics who pray to the Virgin Mary will staunchly deny that they are "worshipping" her. They instead call it "adoration" or some other watered-down term. However, from an Islamic point of view, what is worship if not this? Islam teaches that prayer and supplication are the marrow of worship, so if one directs their prayers to an intermediary (even if the pray is "ultimately" meant for God), then what is left of worship? Additionally, how can someone who believes in Almighty God follow man-made laws instead of God's Law, without admitting that they've begun worshipping other than God? Do they know better than God?

Additionally, the Old Testament makes it perfectly clear that making a "graven image" of any created thing (not to mention ones which are supposed to "represent" Almighty God) is prohibited. Please see Exodus 20:4-6, Leviticus 26:1 and Deuteronomy 4:16, 23, 25, 5:8 and Nehemiah 9:6 for some statements in regards to this point. Without addressing the issue that Christians commonly violate the unambiguous commandment not to even "make" representations of anything that is in the "heavens above or on the earth beneath", these verses not only teach that worshipping idols is prohibited, but also that Almighty God is eternally distinct from His creation and thus nothing in His creation can represent Him. To believe otherwise is to be a de facto idol worshipper - even if one claims belief in one, and only one, "True God". In Exodus 20:4-6 and Deuteronomy 4:16, Almighty God, who is a "Jealous God”, makes it perfectly clear that He is distinct from His creation.

By giving such clear and merciful guidance to human beings, God is establishing a universal and eternal Truth for the benefit of mankind. This eternal Truth is the bedrock of religious guidance, since once people begin to believe that Almighty God mixes with or can be represented by His creation, they can be duped into believing almost anything. Once someone accepts that God has become "incarnate" in His creation, or that someone or something is a "manifestation", and thus representation of Him, the floodgates are open and "Truth" becomes a matter of subjective guesswork. Once the first and most basic concept is violated, regardless of how complicated and sophisticated the rationale for it might be, it is very easy to fall further and further away from the Eternal Truth of Pure Monotheism. In the final analysis, it is not a question of whether God is capable of becoming a man, but rather a question of whether one bases their beliefs about God on clear, unambiguous and authentic guidance. Once it is left up to the human mind to decide what Almighty God can and cannot do, the stage is set for misguidance to take root. Human speculation about God only ends up leading to misguidance and despair, since no clear conclusions can ever be reached. For example, is God capable of creating an object so heavy that He is incapable of moving it? If not, does that mean that He is incapable? It is because of misguided questions like this that Islam clearly teaches that mankind should only say about God what He has said about Himself. This means all of our ideas about God must be based on Revelation and not on human speculation. In short, the final prophet of Islam ,Muhammad(peace be upon him), was sent by Almighty God to preach the same Pure Monotheism that was practiced by Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus, peace be upon them all. This Pure Monotheism means not only believing that there is only One God in existence, but realizing that He is transcendent above His creation and that all worship is due to Him alone.

As Muslims, we think that it is unfortunate that we have to go into details on such seemingly minor issues, but so many falsehoods have been heaped upon our religion, that we feel that it is our duty to try to break down the barriers of falsehood. This isn't always easy, since there is a lot of anti-Islamic literature in existence which tries to make Islam look like something strange and foreign to Westerners. There are some people out there, who are obviously not on the side of truth, they want to get people to believe that "Allah" is just some Arabian "god", and that Islam is completely "other" ,meaning that it has no common roots with the other Abrahamic religions (i.e. Christianity and Judaism). To say that Muslims worship a different "God" because they say "Allah" is just as illogical as saying that French people worship another God because they use the word "Dieu", that Spanish-speaking people worship a different God because they say "Dios" or that the Hebrews worshipped a different God because they sometimes call Him "Yahweh". Certainly, reasoning like this is quite ridiculous! It should also be mentioned, that claiming that any one language uses the only correct word for God is tantamount to denying the universality of God's message to mankind, which was to all nations, tribes and people through various prophets who spoke different languages.

Before closing, we would like everyone to be aware of the fact that some Christian missionary organizations print English literature intended to teach Christians about Islam which say such things as: "Allah is the god of the Muslims" and that "Muhammad came to get people to believe in the god Allah" implying that "Allah" is some sort of false "god". However, when these same organizations print literature in the Arabic language, hoping to lead Arabic-speaking Muslims "to Christ", they use the word "Allah" for God. It seems that if they were on the side of truth, they would not have to resort to such inconsistencies. And on an even more ridiculous note there are also missionary organizations that exceed this in ignorance (or deceit) by writing books that call on Muslims to give up their belief in "Allah", and instead worship the "Lord" Jesus, "the Son of God". Besides making it abundantly clear that they are outside the community of Pure Monotheism, the people who write such material don't even realize that if they wrote such a pamphlet in Arabic, it would be self-contradictory. This is because in an Arabic Bible Jesus is the "Son of Allah"! If an Arabic-speaking person gave up the worship of "Allah", they would have no God to worship, since "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God!

Before we conclude, however, we would like to ask our readers to ask themselves what they think the reasons are behind all of these lies? If Islam was just some false religion that didn't make any sense, would so many people, from Western scholars to Christian missionaries, have to tell so many lies about it? The reason is that the Ultimate Truth of Islam stands on solid ground and its unshakable belief in the Unity of God is above reproach. Due to this, Christians can't criticize its doctrines directly, but instead make up things about Islam that aren't true so that people lose the desire to learn more. If Muslims were able to present Islam in the proper way to people in the West, it surely might make many people reconsider and re-evaluate their own beliefs. It is quite likely that Christians, when they find out that there is a universal religion in the world that teaches people to worship and love God, while also practicing Pure Monotheism, would at least feel that they should re-examine the basis for their own beliefs and doctrines.

2006-09-08T08:40:00.000+10:00

Praise is for Allah the Generous, the Bestower. He created mankind from dust. He is the Forgiver of sin, the Acceptor of repentance, the Severe in punishment, and the Bestower (of Favors). None has right to be worshipped but He and to Him is the final return. I bear witness that there is no god of deity worthy of worship except Allah alone with no partners. To Him is all praise and He is Able to do what He Wills. I bear witness that Muhammed is His slave and final Messenger a source of guidance for mankind and jinn. He (saaw) is a mercy to mankind. I send Salah and Salaam to him, his family and companions and those who follow their path.

Amma Ba‘du:

The blessed month of Ramadan is approaching. Fasting during Ramadan, the Muslims holy month, was ordained during the second year of Hijrah. While fasting is an integral and paramount part of it, Ramadan offers a comprehensive program for our spiritual overhaul.

Yes, Ramadan is the most important month of the year. It is the month that the believers await with eagerness. At the beginning of Rajab -two full months before Ramadan- the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to supplicate: “"O Allah! Bless us during Rajab and Sha’ban, and let us reach Ramadan (in good health)." ”

During Ramadan the believers get busy seeking Allah’s mercy, forgiveness, and protection from Hellfire. This is the month for renewing our commitment and re-establishing our relationship with our Creator. It is the spring season for goodness and virtues when righteousness blossoms throughout the Muslim communities. "If we combine all the blessings of the other eleven months, they would not add up to the blessings of Ramadan," said the great scholar and reformer Shaikh Ahmed Farooqi (Mujaddad Alif Thani). Ramadan offers every Muslim an opportunity to strengthen his Iman, purify his/her heart and soul, and to remove the evil effects of the sins committed by him/her.

“"Anyone who fasts during this month with purity of belief and with expectation of a good reward (from his Creator), will have his previous sins forgiven," ”said Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). “"Anyone who stands in prayers during its nights with purity of belief and expectation of a reward, will have his previous sins forgiven." ”As other hadiths (saying of the Prophet) tell us, the rewards for good deeds are multiplied manifold during Ramadan.

Along with the possibility of a great reward, there is the risk of a terrible loss. If we let any other month pass by carelessly, we just lost a month. If we do the same during Ramadan, we have lost everything. The person who misses just one day’s fast without a legitimate reason, cannot really make up for it even if he were to fast everyday for the rest of his life. And of the three persons that Prophet (peace be upon him) cursed, one is the unfortunate Muslim who finds Ramadan in good health but does not use the opportunity to seek Allah’s mercy.

One who does not fast is obviously in this category, but so also is the person who fasts and prays but makes no effort to stay away from sins or attain purity of the heart through the numerous opportunities offered by Ramadan. The Prophet (peace be upon him), warned us: “"There are those who get nothing from their fast but hunger and thirst. There are those who get nothing from their nightly prayers but loss of sleep." ”

Those who understood this, for them Ramadan was indeed a very special month. In addition to fasting, mandatory Salat (prayers), and extra Tarawih Salat (congregational evening prayers in Ramadan), they spent the whole month in acts of worship like voluntary Salat, Tilawa (recitation of Qur’an), Dhikr (remembrance of God) etc. After mentioning that this has been the tradition of the pious people of this Ummah (Muslim nation) throughout the centuries, Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi notes: "I have seen with my own eyes such ulema (scholars) who used to finish recitation of the entire Qur’an everyday during Ramadan. They spent almost the entire night in prayers. They used to eat so little that one wondered how they could endure all this. These greats valued every moment of Ramadan and would not waste any of it in any other pursuit…Watching them made one believe the astounding stories of Ibada (worship) and devotion of our elders recorded by history."

This emphasis on these acts of worship may sound strange -even misplaced- to some. It requires some explanation. We know that the term Ibada (worship and obedience) in Islam applies not only to the formal acts of worship and devotion like Salat, Tilawa and Dhikr, but it also applies to worldly acts when performed in obedience to Shariah (Islamic law) and with the intention of pleasing Allah. Thus a believer going to work is performing Ibada when he seeks Halal (permissible) income to discharge his responsibility as a bread-winner for the family. However a distinction must be made between the two. The first category consists of direct Ibada, acts that are required for their own sake. The second category consists of indirect Ibada -worldly acts that become Ibada through proper intention and observation of Shariah. While the second category is important for it extends the idea of Ibada to our entire life, there is also a danger because by their very nature these acts can camouflage other motives. (Is my going to work really Ibada or am I actually in the rat race?). Here the direct Ibada comes to the rescue. Through them we can purify our motives, and re-establish our relationship with Allah.

Islam does not approve of monasticism. It does not ask us to permanently isolate ourselves from this world, since our test is in living here according to the Commands of our Creator. But it does ask us to take periodic breaks from it. The mandatory Salat (five daily prayers) is one example. For a few minutes every so many hours throughout the day, we leave the affairs of this world and appear before Allah to remind ourselves that none but He is worthy of worship and of our unfaltering obedience. Ramadan takes this to the next higher plane, providing intense training for a whole month.

This spirit is captured in I’tikaf, a unique Ibada associated with Ramadan, in which a person gives up all his normal activities and enters a mosque for a specific period. There is great merit in it and every Muslim community is encouraged to provide at least one person who will perform I’tikaf for the last ten days of Ramadan. But even those who cannot spare ten days are encouraged to spend as much time in the mosque as possible.

Through direct Ibada we "charge our batteries"; the indirect ones allow us to use the power so accumulated in driving the vehicle of our life. Ramadan is the month for rebuilding our spiritual strength. How much we benefit from it is up to us.

My we all benefit from this blessed, holy month...ameen

To separate fact from fiction!

2006-09-08T08:04:00.000+10:00

Contrary to widespread erroneous belief, Contrary to widespread negative stereotyping, and Contrary to regrettable practices in some Islamic societies where anti-Islamic culture traditions have won over Islamic teachings and where women are subdued (and men even more so).

This information has been written with the objective of briefing you on the true Islamic teachings regarding women laid down by the Quran and prophet Mohammad over 14 centuries ago.

Islam declared women and men equal.

Islam condemned pre-Islamic practices degrading and oppressing women.

The same injunctions and prohibitions of Islam equally apply to both sexes.

Islam gave woman the right of inheritance and the right of individual independent ownership unhampered by father, husband, brother, son or anyone else.

Islam gave women the right to accept or reject a marriage proposal free from pressure, and by mutual agreement to specify in the marriage contract that she has the right to divorce (if she misses that option she has the right to seek court divorce if she deems the marriage to have failed beyond repair).

Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage.

Islam protects the family and condemns the betrayal of marital fidelity.

It recognizes only one type of family: husband and wife united by authentic marriage contract.

“"Heaven is at the feet of mothers"”, is a basic Islamic teaching.

“"The best of you are the kindest to their wives and I am your best to mine"”, is a teaching by prophet Mohammad.

Islam enjoins sounds morality in thinking, behavior and appearance.

Dress fashions and social patterns that reduce woman to a sex object and exploit her as such are not acceptable to Islam.

The observance of chastity and moral standards is equally demanded by Islam from both men and women. “"Women are the siblings of men"”, is a saying of Prophet Mohammad.

2006-08-25T12:50:00.000+10:00

A Must Download Books!!!

The Glorious Quran English Translation

Hadith Books: Sahih Bukhari Sahih Muslim Muwatta' Imam Malik (the well-trodden path) An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths Sunan Abu-Dawud (Introduction to Partial Translation) Forty Hadith Qudsi

Other Books: The True Religion Of God, What Is His Name , Women In Islam versus Judaeo-Christian Tradition The Myth & The Reality, Bible,Quran and Science , Christ In Islam , Crucifixion Or Cruci-Fiction , Muhammed The Natural Successor To Christ , The God That Never Was , Was Christ Crucified ? , Resurrection or Resuscitation? , The True Message Of Jesus , Gender Equity in Islam , The Effects of Television on Children , Why Were We Ctreated ? more to come insha'Allah (God Willing)!

Prohibitions That Are Taken Too Lightly

2006-08-24T14:01:00.000+10:00

The merits of Islam:

Question:

There are many religions. Why do Muslims think that Islam is true. Is there any factual basis?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah.

This is a reasonable enough question for one who has not entered Islam, but one who believes in and practices this religion already knows the blessings which are his because of this religion. There are many reasons for this, which include the following:

(1) The Muslim worships One God, Who has no partner, and Who has the most beautiful names and the highest attributes. Thus the Muslim’s focus and aim is concentrated, focused on His Lord and Creator; he puts his trust in Him and asks Him for help, patience and support; he believes that Allaah is able to do all things, and has no need of a wife or son. Allaah created the heavens and earth; He is the One Who gives life and death; He is the Creator and Sustainer from Whom the slave seeks provision. He is the All-Hearing Who responds to the supplication of His slave, and from Whom the slave hopes for a response. He is the All-Merciful and All-Forgiving, to Whom the slave turns in repentance when he has committed a sin or fallen short in his worship of Allaah. He is the Omniscient and All-Seeing, who knows all intentions and what is hidden in people’s hearts. The slave feels ashamed to commit a sin by doing wrong to himself or to others, because his Lord is watching over him and sees all that he does. He knows that Allaah is All-Wise, the Seer of the Unseen, so he trusts that what Allaah decrees for him is good; he knows that Allaah will never be unjust to him, and that everything that Allaah decrees for him is good, even if he does not understand the wisdom behind it.

(2) The effects of Islaamic worship on the soul of the Muslim include the following:

Prayer keeps the slave in contact with his Lord; if he enters it in a spirit of humiliation and concentration, he will feel tranquil and secure, because he is seeking a "powerful support," which is Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. For this reason, the Prophet of Islaam, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say: "Let us find relaxation and joy in prayer." If something distressed him, he would hasten to pray. Everyone who finds himself faced with disaster and tries prayer finds strength, patience and consolation, because he is reciting the words of his Lord, which cannot be compared to the effect of the words of a created being. If the words of some psychologists can offer a little comfort, what do you think of the words of the One Who created the psychologist?

Now let us look at zakaat, which is one of the pillars of Islaam. Zakaat purifies the soul from stinginess and miserliness, and accustoms people to being generous and helping the poor and needy. It will bring a great reward on the Day of Resurrection, just like other forms of worship. It is not burdensome, like man-made taxes; it is only 25 in every thousand, which the sincere Muslim pays willingly and does not try to evade or wait until someone chases him for it.

Fasting involves refraining from food and sex. It is a form of worship, and a way in which one can feel the hunger of those who are deprived. It is also a reminder of the blessings of the Creator, and it brings rewards beyond measure.

Hajj is the Pilgrimage to the sacred House of Allaah, which was built by Ibraaheem (Abraham, upon whom be peace). By performing Hajj one is obeying the command of Allaah and the call to come and meet Muslims from all over the world.

(3) Islaam commands all kinds of good and forbids all kinds of evil. It encourages good manners and proper treatment of others. It enjoins good characteristics such as truthfulness, patience, deliberation, kindness, humility, modesty, keeping promises, dignity, mercy, justice, courage, patience, friendliness, contentment, chastity, good treatment, tolerance, trustworthiness, gratitude for favours, and self-control in times of anger. Islaam commands the Muslim to fulfil his duty towards his parents and to uphold family ties, to help the needy, to treat neighbours well, to protect and safeguard the wealth of the orphan, to be gentle with the young and show respect to the old, to be kind to servants and animals, to remove harmful things from the road, to speak kind words, to forgive at the time when one has the opportunity to take revenge, to be sincere towards one’s fellow-Muslims, to meet the needs of the Muslims, to give the debtor time to repay his debt, to prefer others over oneself, to console others, to greet people with a smiling face, to visit the sick, to support the one who is oppressed, to give gifts to friends, to honour his guest, to treat his wife kindly and spend on her and her children, to spread the greeting of peace (salaam) and to seek permission before entering another person’s house, lest one see something private that the other person does not want one to see.

Some non-Muslims may do these things out of politeness or good manners, but they are not seeking reward from Allaah or salvation of the Day of Judgement.

If we look at what Islam has prohibited, we will find that it is in the interests of both the individual and society as a whole. All these prohibitions serve to safeguard the relationship between the slave and his Lord, and the relationship of the individual with himself and with his fellow-man. The following examples demonstrate this:

Islam forbids the association of anything in worship with Allaah and the worship of anything other than Allaah, because this spells doom and misery. Islaam also forbids visiting or believing soothsayers and fortune-tellers; magic or witchcraft that may cause a rift between two people or bring them together; belief in the influence of the stars on events and people’s lives; cursing time, because Allaah is directing its affairs; and superstition, because this is pessimism.

Islam forbids cancelling out good deeds by showing off, boasting or reminding others of one’s favours; bowing or prostrating to anything other than Allaah; sitting with hypocrites or immoral people for the purposes of enjoying their company or keeping them company; and invoking the curse or wrath of Allaah on one another or damning one another to Hell.

Islam forbids urinating into stagnant water; defecating on the side of the road or in places where people seek shade or where they draw water; from facing the qiblah (direction of prayer) or turning one’s back towards it when passing water or stools; holding one’s penis in one’s right hand when passing water; giving the greeting of salaam (peace) to one who is answering the call of nature; and putting one’s hand into any vessel before washing it, when one has just woken up.

Islam forbids the offering of any nafl (supererogatory) prayers when the sun is rising, when it is at its zenith, and when it is setting, because it rises and sets between the horns of Shaytaan (Satan); praying when there is food prepared that a person desires; praying when one urgently needs to pass water, stools or wind, because that will distract a person from concentrating properly on his prayer.

Islam forbids the Muslim to raise his voice in prayer, lest it disturb other believers; to continue offering supererogatory prayers at night when one feels drowsy - such a person should sleep then get up; to stay up all night in prayer, especially one night after another; and to stop praying when there is doubt as to the validity of one’s wudoo’ - unless one hears a sound or smells an odour.

Islaam forbids buying, selling and making "lost and found" announcements in the mosque - because it is the place of worship and remembrance of Allaah, where worldly affairs have no place.

Islam forbids haste in walking when the iqaamah (call immediately preceding congregational prayer) is given, and prescribes walking in a calm and dignified manner. It is also forbidden to boast about the cost of building a mosque; to decorate a mosque with red or yellow paint or adornments which will distract the worshippers; to fast day after day without a break; and for a woman to observe a supererogatory fast when her husband is present without his permission.

Islam forbids building over graves, making them high, sitting on them, walking between them wearing shoes, putting lights over them or writing on them. It is forbidden to disinter the dead or to take graves as places of worship. Islam forbids wailing, tearing one’s clothes or leaving one’s hair unkempt when a person dies. Eulogizing the dead in the manner of the times of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) is also forbidden, although there is nothing wrong with informing others that a person has died.

Islam forbids the consumption of riba (interest); all kinds of selling which involve ignorance (of the product), misleading and cheating; selling blood, wine, pork, idols and everything that Allaah has forbidden - their price, whether bought or sold - is haraam; najash, which is offering a price for something one has no intention of buying, as happens in many auctions; concealing a product’s faults at the time of selling; selling something which one does not own or before it comes into one’s possession; undercutting, outbidding or out bargaining another; selling produce before it is clear that it is in good condition and free of blemish; cheating in weights and measures; and hoarding. A partner who has shares in a plot of land or a date palm tree is forbidden to sell his share without consulting his partners. It is forbidden to consume the wealth of orphans unjustly; to bet or gamble; to take anything by force; to accept or offer bribes; to steal people’s wealth or to consume it unjustly; to take something for the purpose of destroying it; to undermine the value of people’s possessions; to keep lost property which one has found, or to keep quiet about it and not announce it, for it belongs to the one who recognizes it; to cheat in any way; to ask for a loan with no intention of repaying it; to take anything of the wealth of a fellow-Muslim, unless it is given freely, because what is taken because of another person’s shyness is haraam; and to accept a gift because of intercession.

Celibacy and castration are forbidden, as is marrying two sisters, or a woman and her aunt (paternal or maternal), whether he marries the aunt after marrying her niece or vice versa, for fear of breaking the ties of kinship. It is forbidden to make deals in marriage, such as saying "Let me marry your daughter and I will give you my daughter or sister in marriage." Such reciprocal deals are a form of oppression and injustice, and haraam. Islaam forbids mut’ah (temporary marriage), which is a marriage contract for a period of time agreed by the two parties, at the end of which the marriage expires. Islaam forbids intercourse with a menstruating woman, until she has purified herself (by taking a bath after her period ends), and also forbids anal intercourse. A man is forbidden to propose marriage to a woman when another man has already proposed to her, unless the other man withdraws his proposal or gives him permission. It is forbidden to marry a previously-married woman without consulting her, or a virgin without seeking her permission. It is forbidden to wish (a newly married couple) "Bi’l-rafaa’ wa’l-baneen (a joyful life and many sons)," because this is the greeting of the people of Jaahiliyyah, who hated daughters. The divorced woman is forbidden to conceal what Allaah has created in her womb (if she is pregnant). A husband and wife are forbidden to speak (to others) about the intimacies of married life. It is forbidden to turn a woman against her husband or to take divorce lightly. It is forbidden for a woman to ask for another’s divorce, such as asking a man to divorce a woman so that she can marry him. A wife is forbidden to spend her husband’s money without his permission, or to keep away from his bed without good reason, because the angels will curse her if she does that. A man is forbidden to marry his father’s wife, or to have intercourse with a woman who is pregnant from another man. It is forbidden for a man to practise ‘azl (coitus interruptus) with his free wife without her permission. It is forbidden for a man to return home from a journey late at night and startle his family, unless he has previously notified them when he will arrive home. A man is forbidden to take anything of his wife’s mahr (dowry) without her consent, or to keep annoying his wife so that she will give up her wealth.

Islaam forbids women to make a wanton display of themselves (tabarruj). It also forbids extreme forms of female circumcision. Women are forbidden to admit anyone into their husband’s home without his permission; his general permission is acceptable so long as they stay within the limits of sharee’ah. It is forbidden to separate a mother and child (in case of divorce); to let one’s womenfolk behave foolishly (in an immoral fashion) and not say anything; to let one’s gaze wander everywhere; and to follow an accidental glance with an intentional glance.

Islaam forbids the eating of dead meat, regardless of whether it died by drowning, strangulation, shock or falling from a high place; eating blood, pork and anything slaughtered in a name other than that of Allaah or for idols; eating the flesh or drinking the milk of beasts that feed on filth and waste matter; eating the flesh of every carnivorous beast that has fangs and every bird that has talons; eating the meat of domesticated donkeys; killing animals by keeping them and throwing stones at them until they die, or detaining them without food until they die; slaughtering with teeth or nails; slaughtering one animal (for food) in front of another; or sharpening the knife in front of the animal to be slaughtered.

In the area of clothing and adornment, men are forbidden the extravagance of wearing gold. Muslim are forbidden to be naked or to expose their thighs; to leave their clothes long (below the ankles) and trail them on the ground for the purpose of showing off; and to wear clothes that will attract attention.

It is forbidden to bear false witness; to make false accusations against a chaste believing woman; to accuse someone who is innocent; to utter lies; to slander and backbite; to call people by offensive nicknames; to spread gossip and malicious slander; to make fun of the Muslims; to boast about one’s status; to shed doubts on a person’s lineage; to utter slander, insults and obscenities; to speak in an indecent or rude manner; or to utter evil in public, except by one who has been wronged.

Islaam forbids telling lies; one of the worst kinds of lie is to lie about dreams, like fabricating dreams and visions in order to prove one’s virtue, or make some material gains, or to frighten an enemy.

Muslims are forbidden to praise themselves, or to talk in a secret way: two may not converse secretly to the exclusion of a third, because this is offensive. It is forbidden to curse a believer or someone who does not deserve to be cursed.

Islaam forbids speaking ill of the dead; praying for death; wishing for death because of some suffering that one is passing through; praying against one’s self, one’s children, one’s servants or one’s wealth.

Muslims are told not to eat the food that is directly in front of others or to eat from the centre of the dish or platter; rather they should eat from what is directly in front of them or thereabouts, because the barakah (blessing) comes in the middle of the food. It is forbidden to drink from a broken edge of a vessel, because this could cause harm; or to drink from the mouth of a vessel; or to breathe into it. It is forbidden to eat while lying on one’s stomach; to sit at a table where wine is being drunk; to leave a fire burning in one’s house when one sleeps; to sleep with Ghamr in one’s hand, like an offensive smell or the remainder of food (grease); to sleep on one’s stomach; or to talk about or try to interpret bad dreams, because these are tricks of the Shaytaan.

It is forbidden to kill another person except in cases where it is right to do so; to kill one’s children for fear of poverty; to commit suicide; to commit fornication, adultery or sodomy (homosexuality); to drink wine, or even to prepare it, carry it from one place to another, or sell it. Muslims are forbidden to please people by angering Allaah; to offend their parents or even to say "Uff" (the slightest word of contempt) to them; to claim that a child belongs to anyone but his real father; to torture by means of fire; to burn anyone, alive or dead, with fire; to mutilate the bodies of the slain; to help anyone commit falsehood; or to cooperate in wrongdoing and sin.

It is forbidden to obey any person by disobeying Allaah; to swear falsely; to swear a disastrous oath; to eavesdrop on people without their permission; to invade people’s privacy or look at their private parts; to claim something that does not belong to one or that one did not do, for the purpose of showing off; to look into someone’s else’s house without permission; to be extravagant; to swear an oath to do something wrong; to spy on others or be suspicious about righteous men and women; to envy, hate or shun one another; to persist in falsehood; to be arrogant or feel superior; to be filled with self-admiration; to be pleased with one’s arrogance. Islam forbids taking back one’s charity, even if one pays to get it back; employing someone to do a job without paying him his wages; being unfair in giving gifts to one’s children; bequeathing everything in one’s will and leaving one’s heirs poor - in such a case the will should not be executed; writing a will that concerns more than one third of one’s legacy; being a bad neighbour; or changing a will to the detriment of one or some of one’s heirs. A Muslim is forbidden to forsake or shun his brother for more than three days, except for a reason sanctioned by sharee’ah; to hold small stones between two fingers and throw them because this could cause injury to eyes or teeth; to include his heirs in a will, because Allaah has already given heirs their rights of inheritance; to disturb his neighbour; to point a weapon at his Muslim brother; to hand someone an unsheathed sword, lest it harm him; to come (walk) between two people except with their permission; to return a gift, unless there is some shar’i objection to it; to be extravagant; to give money to foolish people; to wish to be like someone to whom Allaah has given more of something; to cancel out his charity by giving offensive reminders of his giving; to wilfully conceal testimony; or to oppress orphans or scold one who asks for help or money. It is forbidden to treat with evil medicines, because Allaah would not create a cure for this ummah which includes something that He has forbidden. It is forbidden to kill women and children in warfare; to boast to one another; or to break promises.

Islaam forbids betraying a trust; asking for charity that one does not need; alarming a Muslim brother or taking away his possessions, whether jokingly or seriously; changing one’s mind after giving a gift, except in the case of a gift from a father to his child; practising medicine without experience; or killing ants, bees and hoopoe birds. A man is forbidden to look at the ‘awrah (private parts) of another man, and a woman is forbidden to look at the ‘awrah of another woman. It is forbidden to sit between two people without their permission; or to greet only those whom one knows, because the greeting is to be given to those whom you know and those whom you do not know. A Muslim is forbidden to let an oath come between him and good deeds; he should do what is good and make expiation for the oath. It is forbidden to judge between two disputing parties when one is angry, or to judge in favour of one party without hearing what the other has to say. It is forbidden for a man to walk through the market-place carrying something - like a sharp weapon - that could harm the Muslims, unless it is properly covered. A Muslim is forbidden to make another person get up, so that he can take his place.

There are more commands and prohibitions which came for the benefit and happiness of individuals and mankind as a whole. Have you ever seen any other religion that can compare to this religion?

Read this response again, then ask yourself: is it not a great pity that I am not one of them? Allaah says in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning): "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]

Finally, I hope that everyone who reads this will be guided to the correct way and to follow the truth. May Allaah protect you and us from all evil.

Islam-qa.com

To learn more about Islam, this beautiful way of life, please visit our website

2006-08-06T13:03:00.000+10:00

UPDATES:

We just have made a website (with tripod) alhamdulillah (all praises is due to Allah (SWT) and we welcome all of our visitors to check it out.

Journey2Islam Organisation

Your feedbacks will be much appreciated, thanks =)

Salam, peace

2006-08-04T08:36:00.000+10:00

1791.ram 09-Jul-2003 12:33 4.3M What is the message? True meaning of Islam. Meaning of "La ilaha ill Allah" and who is the messenger.

1793.ram 09-Jul-2003 12:33 2.4M What is the purpose of Life? All children born as Muslims. God guides whom He wants. Defending Islam.

1795.ram 09-Jul-2003 12:33 3.2M 1795 Proofs of Islam-Part 1 The role of the prophets And their followers.

1797.ram 3.6M 09-Jul-2003 12:33Proofs of Islam-part 3 "Truth is Everything" Q & A

1792.ram 09-Jul-2003 12:34 3.9M What is Islam? Who is Allah? What is the Quran? .

1809.ram 10-Jul-2003 12:33 3.9M The Beauty of Islam! Understanding why bad things happen to good people

2006-08-04T08:05:00.000+10:00

Book Title: The Amazing Quran

Author: Gary Miller

Book Description:
The Scientific Miracles of the Holy Qur'an

Use special fonts for reading: Click here

Invite a friend: Click here to invite a friend to download this file

Please notify us of any broken links (journey2islam@gmail.com), thanks :)

2006-08-04T07:17:00.000+10:00

Islam: The Perfect Religion and Best Way of Life for All:

It is a must that we strive to know Islam. Allâh’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam, meaning: May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the whole mankind encourages us to acquire knowledge of Islam in order to comprehend it. He says in the following authentic Ahâdith:

Abu Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu, meaning: May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that... the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Those who were the best in the pre-lslamic period of ignorance will be the best in Islam provided they comprehend the religious knowledge.” (Bukhâri 4/572 and Muslim)

‘Abdur Rahmân ibn Abi Bakrah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated on the authority of his father that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “If Allâh wants to do good to a person, he makes him comprehend the religion; and of course knowledge is attained by learning.” (Bukhâri 1/67)

Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyân narrated that Allâh’s Messenger said, “Goodness is a (natural) habit while the evil is a stubbornness. To whomsoever Allâh wills to show goodness, He favors him with the understanding in the Religion.” (Ibn Mâjah, 1/221)

When we study Islam or at least read the Qur’an and the authentic Ahâdith we learn that Islam is easy, complete and the perfect religion as well as way of life for the whole mankind. We read in the Qur’an and the Ahâdith the following unique features of Islam:

1. Islam is easy:

“But whoever believes and works righteousness he shall have a goodly reward and easy will be his task as We order it by Our command.” (Qur'an 18:88)

Abu Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “Religion (Islam) is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by offering the prayers in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hours of the nights.” (Bukhâri 1/38)

Anas bin Malik (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them).” (Bukhâri,8/146)

2. Islam is complete:

“…He it is Who has sent unto you the Book, explained in detail. They know full well, to whom We have given the Book, that it has been sent down from your Rabb in truth. Never be then of those who doubt.” (6:114)

“For We had certainly sent unto them a Book based on knowledge, which We explained in detail -- a guide and a mercy to all who believe.” (7:52)

“…(This is ) a Book with verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning) -- further explained in detail -- from One Who is Wise and Well-Acquainted (with all things).” (11:1)

3. Islam is perfect:

“...This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (5:3)

As the perfect religion, Islam teaches mankind how to attain success in the most perfect way. The following are some of the Ahâdith that serve as enlightenment and guidance to those who desire for perfection:

Abu Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "Goodness and comfort are for him who worships his Rabb in a perfect manner and serves his master sincerely.” (Bukhari 3/725)

Ibn Umar (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that Allâh’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "If a slave is honest and faithful to his master and worships his Rabb (Allâh) in a perfect manner, he will get a double reward.” (Bukhari 3/722)

Abu Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "Whoever believes in Allâh and His Messenger, offers prayers perfectly and fasts (the month of) Ramadan then it is incumbent upon Allâh to admit him into Paradise, whether he emigrates for Allâh’s cause or stays in the land where he was born.” They (the companions of the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "O Allâh’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam)! Should we not inform the people of that?" He said, "There are one-hundred degrees in Paradise which Allâh has prepared for those who carry on Jihad in His Cause. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between the sky and the Earth. So if you ask Allâh for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus, for it is the last part of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise, and at its top there is the Throne of Beneficent, and from it gush forth the rivers of Paradise.” (Bukhari 9/519)

Abdullah ibn Hisham (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated: “We were with the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) and he was holding the hand of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab. 'Umar said to Him, "O Allâh’s Messenger! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have complete or perfect faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self.” Then 'Umar said to him, "However, now, by Allâh, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "Now, O 'Umar, you are a believer.” (Bukhari 8/628)

Abu Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “The most perfect believer in respect of faith is he who is best of them in manners.” (Abu Dawud 4665)

Abu Humamah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “If anyone loves for Allâh’s sake, hates for Allâh’s sake, gives for Allâh’s sake and withholds for Allâh’s sake, he will have perfect faith.” (Abu Dawud 4664)

Abu Hurairah (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that the Prophet (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “Among the Muslims the most perfect, as regards his faith, is the one whose character is excellent, and the best among you are those who treat their wives well.” (Tirmidhi 278, 628, 3264 and Abu Dawud)

Aishah (Radhiallâhu anha) narrated that Allâh’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, "Among the believers who show most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition, and are kindest to their families.” (Tirmidhi 3263)

All the above Prophetic teachings in addition to the Qur’anic Ayât (Verses) earlier quoted clearly tell us that indeed, Islam is the perfect religion and hence the best way of life for all. Islam as a universal religion is Allah’s Blessing and Mercy for all of us. It is for us to enjoy it and be successful in the eternal world to come. The best way to attain success through Islam is to learn it according to its authentic Sources. That is, to acquire knowledge of Islam through the Qur’an and the Sunnah and the right deductions from these revealed Sources of Knowledge and Guidance.

Since Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) is the One Who gives guidance, earnestly ask Him for authentic Islamic knowledge. We must seek His help and guidance to be able to apply such knowledge and share them to others – all for His Pleasure. May our Rabb (Cherisher and Sustainer) increase our knowledge of Islam and enjoy the best life of being true Muslims forever. Ameen.

2006-07-21T07:32:00.000+10:00

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14- Debate: A 15 min clip of Ahmad Deedats debate on the subject 'Was Christ Crucified?

15- Debate:About 11 min clip of Ahmad Deedats debate on the subject 'Is the Bible God's Word?

[To see these videos you need to download the Real Player (free), click here]

2006-07-18T14:42:00.000+10:00

Corruption of the Torah:

A while ago, a Muslim brother forwarded a message he found on a
Jewish net which attempted to prove the corruption of the Qur'an.
The post attempted to show that Muslims are command in the
Qur'an to kill all non-Muslims and FORCE them into Islam. A
knowledgeable scholar of Islam, one who knows the context within
which each verse was revealed would be able to refute these claims
quite simply, however, I have decided that it is necessary to provide
Muslims with the weapons they need to counter such attacks in order
to not allow them to force us to always be on the defensive. But
rather, be able to effectively launch an effective devastating
OFFENSIVE strike at them as well when they try such games.

First, a word of caution: The information I am about to provide is to
be used to respond to them RESPECTFULLY and CALMLY. A
person possessing the truth does not need arrogance. Allah has
placed us on this earth to guide mankind to His deen. This includes the
Jews. We should wish for them the same guidance we wish for
ourselves. We should not be so quick to call for death and
destruction until all avenues of dawa and calm rational reasoning have
been exhausted.

Allah (SWT) says: "And argue not with the people of the book unless
it be in (a way) which is better (than mere arguing), except with such
of them that do wrong, and say (to them): 'We believe in that which
had been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your
God is One, and to Him we have submitted (as Muslims)" Al-
Ankaboot(29):46.

The "people of the Book" includes Jews. Remember that. Even
though Allah (SWT) has told us of the hatred they hide in their
hearts, He has not command us to hate and kill every single Jew we
meet simply because he is a Jew. We are better than that. We serve a
higher purpose. For this reason, I am going to provide a very
devastating argument against them in order to assist them in seeing
the corruption of their forefathers and see how their God is even yet
trying to save them and guide them to Islam. I cannot emphasize this
point enough, please be respectful and receptive. Be willing to take
abuse and respond with kindness. If one of them were to be guided, it
will be to your benefit. It will take some time for you to read and
digest the following proof, but once you have done so, no Jew will
(inshallah, of course) ever be able to respond to you. If any Jew reads this, please think carefully about the proof that is provided.

Now the proof:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did mankind tamper with the Old Testament?:

"And because of their breaking their covenant, We have cursed them
and made hard their hearts. They change words from their places and
have abandoned a good part of the message that was sent to them.
And you will not cease to discover deceit in them, except a few of
them. But forgive them and overlook(their misdeed). Verily! Allah
loves the kindly". The Qur'an, Al-Maidah(5):13.

"O Messenger!(Mohammad) Do no be grieved by those who vie with
one another in the race to disbelief, of such as say with their mouths:
"We believe" but their hearts believe not, and of the Jews: of them are
those who listen eagerly to lies -listener to others who have not come
to you. They change the words from their places; they say: If you are
given this then take it, but if you are not given this then beware! He
whom Allah dooms unto sin, you (by your efforts) will avail him
naught against Allah. Those are they for whom the will of Allah is that
He cleanse not their hearts; for them there is a disgrace in this world,
and in the Hereafter a great torment". The Qur'an, Al-Maidah(5):41.

The Jews have, from one generation to another, handed down their
Old Testament, as the faultless words of Moses (pbuh) and the
prophets. The "Old testament" is made up of the "Torah" (Tawrat),
(which is also called "the Pentateuch"), and the "books of the
prophets".

The "Torah" consists of the first five books of the Old Testament.
They are believed by the Jews to have been written by Moses (pbuh).
These five books are: "Genesis", "Exodus", "Leviticus", "Numbers",
and "Deuteronomy". After the Christians decided to incorporate the
Old Testament into their Bible, they began to study these books in
great detail..

For countless ages, the only book of history available to Christians
and Jews was the Old Testament. When someone wanted to know
what happened in the past, they would go back and study the Old
Testament to find the answer. New theories about history literally
lived and died by their conformance to what the Old Testament
taught. Then the discrepancies began to be noticed.

Once mankind began to study the OT in detail, comparing the various
passages which referred to the same topic in order to obtain as much
detail as possible, they began to notice conflicting accounts of many
matters as well as other problems. For instance, in the eleventh
century, it was noticed that the list of Edomite kings in Genesis 36
names kings who lived long after Moses was dead. Then people
began to notice such statements as "to this day" something is true,
which implies that the author was looking back at these matters
through history and has seen that they have endured.

After this, it was noticed that in the beginning verses of the OT
manuscripts, Deuteronomy says: "These are the words that Moses
spoke to the children of Israel across the Jordan...". They noticed
that the words "across the Jordan" refers to people who are on the
opposite side of the Jordan river to the author. But the alleged
author, Moses himself, was never supposed to have been in Israel in
his life.

It was also noticed that Moses speaks in detail in Deuteronomy 34:5-
10 about how he died and where he was buried. Moses also calls
himself the most humble man on earth in Numbers 12:3 (would the
most humble man on earth call himself the most humble man on
earth?). In Deuteronomy 34:10 we read "And there arose not a
prophet since in Israel like unto Moses". This also implies that the
author was looking back at Moses through history a long time after
Moses's death. Now the flood gates were opened and countless other
discrepancies began to show up.

In the beginning, it was claimed that Moses wrote the Pentateuch
(Five "books of Moses") and anyone contesting this fact would be
severely punished or worse. However, when these matters started to
become well known, it became necessary to find explanations. For
example, the first explanation presented for the verses referring to the
death of Moses was that Moses (pbuh) had written his books, but that
later prophets, as well as "inspired" scribes (who could also be
considered prophets), had later on added on a couple of lines here and
there. In this manner the text remained 100% the "inspiration" of
God. This explanation, however, did not stand up to scrutiny because
the style and literary characteristics of the verses are the same
throughout. For instance, the verses which describe the death and
burial of Moses exhibit the same literary characteristics as the verses
before and after them. Thus, they must have been written by the same
person.

The Doublets:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

After this, the trend became to explain any and all discrepancies
through abstractism and elaborate interpretations, or through the
introduction of additional narrative details that did not appear in the
biblical text. Around this time, a startling new discovery was made.
It was noticed that the stories in the five books of Moses were made
up of doublets. A doublet is a case of one story being told twice.
Even in the English translation of the Bible, the doublets are
noticeable. These doublets have been masterfully intertwined so that
they become one narrative.

For example, there are doublets of the creation of the world, the
covenant between God and Abraham, the naming of Isaac, Abraham's
claim that his wife Sarah was his sister, the story of Jacob's journey to
Mesopotamia, Jacob's revelation at Beth-El,.......and on and on. In
many cases these doublets actually contradict one another. The
apologists once again jumped up with an explanation in hand. They
claimed that the doublets were complementary and not contradictive.
It was claimed that they came to teach us a lesson by their "apparent"
contradiction. However, this claim did not hold water for long. The
reason is that not long after, it was discovered that when the doublets
were separated into two separate accounts, each account was almost
always consistent about the name of the deity that it used. One would
always refer to God as Yahweh/Jehovah. This document was called
"J". The other always referred to Him as Elohim(God). It was called
"E". There were various other literary characteristics which were
then found to be common to one group or the other. It became
obvious that someone had taken two separate accounts of the ministry
of Moses (pbuh), cut them up, and then woven them together quite
masterfully so that their actions would not be discovered until
countless centuries later.

Once this startling discovery was made, the Old Testament was once
again placed under the scrutiny of scholars and it was discovered that
the Pentateuch was not made up of two major source documents but
FOUR. It was discovered that some stories were not only doublets,
but triplets. Additional literary characteristics were identified for
these documents. The third source was called P (for Priestly), and the
fourth D (for Deuteronomy). In the end it was concluded that the
first four "books of Moses" were the result of the merging of three
separate accounts which were called J, E, and P, and the book of
Deuteronomy was found to be a separate account which was called
D. The person (or persons) who collected and intertwined these
sources was called "The Redactor". Let us have a look at an example
of these doublets from Genesis 6:5 to 8:22. The Jehovah(J) text is in
regular type, THE PRIESTLY(P) IN CAPITALS:

Genesis 6:
-------------
Genesis 6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in
the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.
Genesis 6:6 And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the
earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Genesis 6:7 And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have
created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the
creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have
made them.
Genesis 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:9 THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH:
NOAH WAS A JUST MAN AND PERFECT IN HIS
GENERATIONS, AND NOAH WALKED WITH GOD.
Genesis 6:10 AND NOAH BEGAT THREE SONS, SHEM, HAM,
AND JAPHETH.
Genesis 6:11 THE EARTH ALSO WAS CORRUPT BEFORE
GOD, AND THE EARTH WAS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE.
Genesis 6:12 AND GOD LOOKED UPON THE EARTH, AND,
BEHOLD, IT WAS CORRUPT; FOR ALL FLESH HAD
CORRUPTED HIS WAY UPON THE EARTH.
Genesis 6:13 AND GOD SAID UNTO NOAH, THE END OF ALL
FLESH IS COME BEFORE ME; FOR THE EARTH IS FILLED
WITH VIOLENCE THROUGH THEM; AND, BEHOLD, I WILL
DESTROY THEM WITH THE EARTH.
Genesis 6:14 MAKE THEE AN ARK OF GOPHER WOOD;
ROOMS SHALT THOU MAKE IN THE ARK, AND SHALT
PITCH IT WITHIN AND WITHOUT WITH PITCH.
Genesis 6:15 AND THIS IS THE FASHION WHICH THOU
SHALT MAKE IT OF: THE LENGTH OF THE ARK SHALL BE
THREE HUNDRED CUBITS, THE BREADTH OF IT FIFTY
CUBITS, AND THE HEIGHT OF IT THIRTY CUBITS.
Genesis 6:16 A WINDOW SHALT THOU MAKE TO THE ARK,
AND IN A CUBIT SHALT THOU FINISH IT ABOVE; AND THE
DOOR OF THE ARK SHALT THOU SET IN THE SIDE
THEREOF; WITH LOWER, SECOND, AND THIRD STORIES
SHALT THOU MAKE IT.
Genesis 6:17 AND, BEHOLD, I, EVEN I, DO BRING A FLOOD
OF WATERS UPON THE EARTH, TO DESTROY ALL FLESH,
WHEREIN IS THE BREATH OF LIFE, FROM UNDER HEAVEN;
AND EVERY THING THAT IS IN THE EARTH SHALL DIE.
Genesis 6:18 BUT WITH THEE WILL I ESTABLISH MY
COVENANT; AND THOU SHALT COME INTO THE ARK,
THOU, AND THY SONS, AND THY WIFE, AND THY SONS'
WIVES WITH THEE.
Genesis 6:19 AND OF EVERY LIVING THING OF ALL FLESH,
TWO OF EVERY SORT SHALT THOU BRING INTO THE ARK,
TO KEEP THEM ALIVE WITH THEE; THEY SHALL BE MALE
AND FEMALE.
Genesis 6:20 OF FOWLS AFTER THEIR KIND, AND OF
CATTLE AFTER THEIR KIND, OF EVERY CREEPING THING
OF THE EARTH AFTER HIS KIND, TWO OF EVERY SORT
SHALL COME UNTO THEE, TO KEEP THEM ALIVE.
Genesis 6:21 AND TAKE THOU UNTO THEE OF ALL FOOD
THAT IS EATEN, AND THOU SHALT GATHER IT TO THEE;
AND IT SHALL BE FOR FOOD FOR THEE, AND FOR THEM.
Genesis 6:22 THUS DID NOAH; ACCORDING TO ALL THAT
GOD COMMANDED HIM, SO DID HE.

Genesis 7:
-------------
Genesis 7:1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy
house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this
generation.
Genesis 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens,
the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the
male and his female.
Genesis 7:3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the
female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
Genesis 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I
have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
Genesis 7:5 And Noah did according unto all that the Lord
commanded him.
Genesis 7:6 AND NOAH WAS SIX HUNDRED YEARS OLD
WHEN THE FLOOD OF WATERS WAS UPON THE EARTH.
Genesis 7:7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his
sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
Genesis 7:8 OF CLEAN BEASTS, AND OF BEASTS THAT ARE
NOT CLEAN, AND OF FOWLS, AND OF EVERY THING THAT
CREEPETH UPON THE EARTH,
Genesis 7:9 THERE WENT IN TWO AND TWO UNTO NOAH
INTO THE ARK, THE MALE AND THE FEMALE, AS GOD
HAD COMMANDED NOAH.
Genesis 7:10 And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of
the flood were upon the earth.
Genesis 7:11 IN THE SIX HUNDREDTH YEAR OF NOAH'S
LIFE, IN THE SECOND MONTH, THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF
THE MONTH, THE SAME DAY WERE ALL THE FOUNTAINS
OF THE GREAT DEEP BROKEN UP, AND THE WINDOWS OF
HEAVEN WERE OPENED.
Genesis 7:12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty
nights.
Genesis 7:13 IN THE SELFSAME DAY ENTERED NOAH, AND
SHEM, AND HAM, AND JAPHETH, THE SONS OF NOAH, AND
NOAH'S WIFE, AND THE THREE WIVES OF HIS SONS WITH
THEM, INTO THE ARK;
Genesis 7:14 THEY, AND EVERY BEAST AFTER HIS KIND,
AND ALL THE CATTLE AFTER THEIR KIND, AND EVERY
CREEPING THING THAT CREEPETH UPON THE EARTH
AFTER HIS KIND, AND EVERY FOWL AFTER HIS KIND,
EVERY BIRD OF EVERY SORT.
Genesis 7:15 AND THEY WENT IN UNTO NOAH INTO THE
ARK, TWO AND TWO OF ALL FLESH, WHEREIN IS THE
BREATH OF LIFE.
Genesis 7:16 AND THEY THAT WENT IN, WENT IN MALE
AND FEMALE OF ALL FLESH, AS GOD HAD COMMANDED
HIM: and the Lord shut him in.
Genesis 7:17 And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the
waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the
earth.
Genesis 7:18 And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly
upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth;
and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were
covered.
Genesis 7:20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the
mountains were covered.
Genesis 7:21 AND ALL FLESH DIED THAT MOVED UPON
THE EARTH, BOTH OF FOWL, AND OF CATTLE, AND OF
BEAST, AND OF EVERY CREEPING THING THAT CREEPETH
UPON THE EARTH, AND EVERY MAN:
Genesis 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that
was in the dry land, died.
Genesis 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was
upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping
things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the
earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in
the ark.
Genesis 7:24 AND THE WATERS PREVAILED UPON THE
EARTH AN HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAYS.

Genesis 8:
-------------
Genesis 8:1 AND GOD REMEMBERED NOAH, AND EVERY
LIVING THING, AND ALL THE CATTLE THAT WAS WITH
HIM IN THE ARK: AND GOD MADE A WIND TO PASS OVER
THE EARTH, AND THE WATERS ASSWAGED;
Genesis 8:2 THE FOUNTAINS ALSO OF THE DEEP AND THE
WINDOWS OF HEAVEN WERE STOPPED, and the rain from
heaven was restrained;
Genesis 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually:
AND AFTER THE END OF THE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DAYS
THE WATERS WERE ABATED.
Genesis 8:4 AND THE ARK RESTED IN THE SEVENTH
MONTH, ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH,
UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF ARARAT.
Genesis 8:5 AND THE WATERS DECREASED CONTINUALLY
UNTIL THE TENTH MONTH: IN THE TENTH MONTH, ON
THE FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, WERE THE TOPS OF THE
MOUNTAINS SEEN.
Genesis 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah
opened the window of the ark which he had made:
Genesis 8:7 AND HE SENT FORTH A RAVEN, WHICH WENT
FORTH TO AND FRO, UNTIL THE WATERS WERE DRIED UP
FROM OFF THE EARTH.
Genesis 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters
were abated from off the face of the ground;
Genesis 8:9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and
she returned unto him into the ark, for the waters were on the face of
the whole earth: then he put forth his hand, and took her, and pulled
her in unto him into the ark.
Genesis 8:10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he sent
forth the dove out of the ark;
Genesis 8:11 And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in
her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters
were abated from off the earth.
Genesis 8:12 And he stayed yet other seven days; and sent forth the
dove; which returned not again unto him any more.
Genesis 8:13 AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE SIX
HUNDREDTH AND FIRST YEAR, IN THE FIRST MONTH, THE
FIRST DAY OF THE MONTH, THE WATERS WERE DRIED UP
FROM OFF THE EARTH: and Noah removed the covering of the
ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dry.
Genesis 8:14 AND IN THE SECOND MONTH, ON THE SEVEN
AND TWENTIETH DAY OF THE MONTH, WAS THE EARTH
DRIED.
Genesis 8:15 AND GOD SPAKE UNTO NOAH, SAYING,
Genesis 8:16 GO FORTH OF THE ARK, THOU, AND THY WIFE,
AND THY SONS, AND THY SONS' WIVES WITH THEE.
Genesis 8:17 BRING FORTH WITH THEE EVERY LIVING
THING THAT IS WITH THEE, OF ALL FLESH, BOTH OF
FOWL, AND OF CATTLE, AND OF EVERY CREEPING THING
THAT CREEPETH UPON THE EARTH; THAT THEY MAY
BREED ABUNDANTLY IN THE EARTH, AND BE FRUITFUL,
AND MULTIPLY UPON THE EARTH.
Genesis 8:18 AND NOAH WENT FORTH, AND HIS SONS, AND
HIS WIFE, AND HIS SONS' WIVES WITH HIM:
Genesis 8:19 EVERY BEAST, EVERY CREEPING THING, AND
EVERY FOWL, AND WHATSOEVER CREEPETH UPON THE
EARTH, AFTER THEIR KINDS, WENT FORTH OUT OF THE
ARK.
Genesis 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord; and took of
every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings
on the altar.
Genesis 8:21 And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said
in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake;
for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I
again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and
cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not
cease

Well known today:
-----------------------
All of this has become so firmly established in accepted scientific fact
that even Grolier's encyclopedia (Academic American encyclopedia)
now readily admits it. Under the heading "Divisions of the Old
Testament" it states: "The Pentateuch is based on four principal
sources. The oldest, J, was perhaps written in Judah, the southern
kingdom, about 950 BC. Between 900 and 750, another version from
Israel, the northern kingdom, was woven in; this is called EPHRAIM
(E). In the 7th century BC, Deuteronomy, or most of it (D), was
compiled. About 550 BC, during the exile, the final edition of the
Torah added a priestly source (P), some parts of which are very old".

Mr. Richard Elliot Friedman is a professor on the faculty of the
University of California, San Diego. He earned his Doctorate in
Hebrew Bible at Harvard University. He is one of many scholars who
have attempted to critically study these "source" documents of the
"five books of Moses" in order to arrive at the identity of the authors,
the time period when each was written, the motives for writing each
narrative, and other information. In his book "Who wrote the Bible",
Prof. Friedman presents strong evidence that each "source document"
was written by a person or persons who, while on the face of it seem
to narrate the same stories, in actuality had distinctly different goals
they wished to achieve.

According to Mr. Friedman's research, each source emphasizes a
certain branch of the Jews, their nobility, birth right, and closeness to
God. Sometimes at the price of other branches of the Jews. For
instance, J was written by descendants of Judah, E came from
descendants of Israel, and P was written by a priest from the
descendants of Aaron. According to Mr. Friedman, the P (Priestly)
source seems to be particularly interested in priests, their lineage, their
being the only ones who are allowed to sacrifice to God, the
importance of sacrifice to God, and the surprising absence of all
stories wherein anyone not of their lineage made a sacrifice that was
accepted by God (for instance the sacrifice of the sons of Adam is
missing from this narrative). It also contains stories of how all those
who attempted to make sacrifices to God without the agency of an
Aaronid priest were killed by God.

The author goes on to show how in J and E we can find similar
emphasis on one tribe of the Jews over the other. For instance, on
pages 64-65 he shows how both the J and E documents attempt to
give the birthright of Jacob to their own forefathers. He also shows
how in the E version, Joseph is saved by his brother Ruben (the
firstborn of Israel), while in the J version it is Judah who saves him.
The author presents countless other proofs of these claims.

The JE texts emphasize the prophet (Moses). They depict Aaron as
having fashioned the golden calf. They also describe Aaron and his
sister Meriam as having criticized Moses and having been chastised by
God himself for this. They regularly have God saying "and Yahweh
said unto Moses....". The P document (written by Aaronid priests),
however, usually states: "and Yahweh said unto Moses and unto
Aaron.....". In this document, the staff Moses used to perform his
miracles is called "Aaron's staff". In the P document Aaron is also
named as the firstborn brother of Moses. Also, as mentioned
previously, in the P text no mention is made of any sacrifices to God
whatsoever until the last chapter of Exodus wherein we find the story
of Aaron's sacrifice when he was consecrated as high priest. After
that, all sacrifices are performed by Aaron and his sons. In other
words, the author of P gives no precedence for sacrifice for anyone
other than an Aaronid priest. There are even a couple of places in this
document which denigrate Moses (pbuh). They depicts Moses (pbuh)
as sinning and Aaron suffering for Moses's sin.

The rest of the books of the Jews:
---------------------------------------
Well, what about the rest of the Old Testament?. Are the remaining
books of the Old Testament known to have been preserved from
change since the time of their first writing and truly to be the words of
the claimed authors?. No!. Once again, Groliers encyclopedia tells
us: ".....Joshua tells of a thorough conquest of Canaan, but Judges
contains traditions of the Hebrew tribes in the period before the
monarchy that reveal the conquest as partial. The books of Samuel
are about the founding of the monarchy under SAUL and David and
contain a magnificent early source for the life of David, probably
written about 961-22 BC. ALL THE ABOVE BOOKS HAVE BEEN
EXTENSIVELY EDITED BY WRITERS WHO SHARED THE
THEOLOGY OF THE D SOURCE".

There is much more which could be said about these matters,
however, we will leave it up to the interested student to obtain a copy
of Mr. Freidman's book and read his comments. Fourteen hundred
years ago, back when it was a blasphemy of the highest order
punishable by death to dare allege that the claimed authors of the
Bible were not the true authors, e.g. that Moses (pbuh) did not write
the "books of Moses", the Qur'an was sent down upon Mohammad
(pbuh) by God almighty with the claim that "the people of the Book"
(Jews and Christians) had changed the book of God. Mohammad
(pbuh) further claimed that he was sent with the true religion of God
which was sent down upon Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them
all). The Jews and Christians responded that Muslims were ignorant
savages who had concocted their own religion by copying Judaism
and Christianity, and only an insane person would ever make such
allegations. We invite the reader to judge for themselves who was
telling the truth.

The books of the Christians:
----------------------------------
Is all of this restricted to the Old Testament?. No!. Christian scholars
today call the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the "Synoptic"
(One eyed) Gospels. This is because they all seem to have had access
to a common source document they were working from when they
wrote their Gospels. This source document is called 'Q'. Now they
are beginning to recognize that the alleged authors are not the true
authors (see chapters 3.1, and 3.2). Similarly, countless verses of the
Gospel of John, as well as other historical discrepancies, also go to
show that John did not write the Gospel of John. Some scholars are
now beginning to suspect that 'Q' may indeed be the Gospel of
Barnabas. It is much larger than the others, by all measures it is an
authentic Gospel (see chapter 11), and it contains all of the stories
contained in these three Gospels without the contradictions found
therein.

"Of the Jews are those change words from their places and say: "We
hear (your words O Mohammad) and disobey; hear you as one who
hears not" and "give us concession" with a twist of their tongues and
as a mockery of religion(Islam). But if only they had said: "We hear
and we obey" and "Do make us understand" it would have been better
for them and more upright. But Allah has cursed them for their
disbelief, so they believe not, except a few". The Qur'an, Al-
Nissa(4):46.

"Then woe to those who write the book (of God) with their own
hands and then say: 'This is from Allah', to traffic with it for a
miserable price. Woe to them for what their hands do write and for
the gain they make thereby" The holy Qur'an Al-Bakarah(2):79

A different approach:

Specific contradictions in the books of the Jews:
---------------------------------------------------------
The following are pairs of verses which contradict one another in
the books of the Jews:

2 Samuel 8:4(7 HUNDRED horsemen)
1 Chronicles 18:4(7 THOUSAND horsemen)

1 Chronicles 21:12(THREE years famine)
2 Samuel 24:13(SEVEN years famine)

Deuteronomy 2:19 & Deuteronomy 2:37(Moses deprived land of
Ammon)
Joshua 13:24-25(Moses gives land of Ammon as inheritance)

2 Samuel 24:9(800,000+500,000)
1 Chronicles 21:5(1,100,000+470,000)

2 Chronicles 36:9(EIGHT years, three months +10 days)
2 Kings 24:8 (EIGHTEEN years, three months)

2 Samuel 10:18(700, 40,000 HORSEMEN)
1 Chronicles 19:18(7000, 40,000 FOOTMEN)

1 Kings 7:26(TWO thousand baths)
2 Chronicles 4:5(THREE thousand baths)

2 Samuel 6:23(Michal had NO children)
2 Samuel 21:8(Michal had FIVE sons)

Genesis6:3(mankind shall not live past 120 years)
Genesis 11:10-32 (500,438,433,464,...etc.)

2 Chronicles 9:25(4,000 stalls)
1 Kings 4:26(40,000 stalls)

Isaiah 40:28 (God does not FAINT nor WEARY)
Exodus 31:17 (God RESTED, and was REFRESHED.)

Genisis 1: (God creates Plants, THEN animals, THEN man and
woman.)
Genesis 2: (God creates man, THEN plants, THEN animals, THEN
woman)

Ezekiel 45 and Ezekiel 46 (DOCTRINES of offerings and sacrifices)
Numbers 28 and Numbers 29 (CONTRADICTORY DOCTRINES of
offerings and sacrifices)

1 Chronicles 8:29-38 (One list of NAMES)
1 Chronicles 9:35-44 (A CONTRADICTORY list of NAMES)

2 Samuel 5 and 2 Samuel 6 (David brought the ark AFTER fighting
the Philistines)
1 Samuel 13 and 1 Samuel 14 (David brought the ark BEFORE
fighting the Philistines)

Genesis 6:19-20 (Noah was to bring onto the ark "of EVERY living
thing of all flesh, TWO of EVERY sort shalt thou bring into the ark,
to keep them alive ....male and female....of fowls....of cattle....of every
creeping thing of the earth...").

Genesis 7:2-3 (Noah was to bring onto the ark "Of every CLEAN
beast thou shalt take to thee by SEVENS, the male and his female:
and of beasts that are NOT CLEAN by TWO, the male and his
female. Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the
female...").

2 Samuel 8:1 ("David took METHEGAMMAH out of the hand of
the Philistines").
1 Chronicles 18:1 ("David...took GATH and her towns out of the
hand of the Philistines").

2 Samuel 8:8 ("And from BETAH, and from BEROTHAI, cities of
Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass").
1 Chronicles 18:8 ("Likewise from TIBHATH, and from CHUN,
cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much brass").

2 Samuel 8:10 ("Then Toi sent JORAM his son unto king David")
1 Chronicles 18:10 ("He sent HADORAM his son to king David")

2 Samuel 8:12 ("Of SYRIA, and of Moab, and of the children of
Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek").
1 Chronicles 18:11 ("from EDOM, and from Moab, and from the
children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.)

2 Samuel 8:13 ("And David gat him a name when he returned from
smiting of the SYRIANS in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand
men").
1 Chronicles 18:13 ("And he put garrisons in EDOM; and all the
EDOMITES became David's servants").

1 Kings 15:33-16:6 ("In the THIRD year of Asa king of Judah began
Baasha the son Ahijah to reign over all Israel in Tirzah, TWENTY
FOUR years..... So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was BURIED
in Tirzah"). 3+24=27.
2 Chronicles 16:1 ("In the THIRTY SIXTH year of the reign of Asa,
Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah"). But he died in the
twenty seventh year!. Was he resurected?. So how did he invade
Judah 10 years after his death?.

Ezra 2:6 (2812)
Nehemiah 7:11 (2818)

Ezra 2:8 (945)
Nehemiah 7:13 (845)

Ezra 2:12 (1222)
Nehemiah 7:17 (2322)

Ezra 2:15 (454)
Nehemiah 7:20 (655)

Ezra 2:19 (223)
Nehemiah 7:22 (328)

Ezra 2:28 (223)
Nehemiah 7:32 (123)

And there are many money!!!

2006-07-18T13:43:00.000+10:00

Islam: Save Listen by shaikh Yusuf Estes

Proofs of Islam-Part 1: Save Listen by shaikh Yusuf Estes

Proofs of Islam-Part 2: Save Listen by shaikh Yusuf Estes

Proofs of Islam-part 3: Save Listen by Shaikh Yusuf Estes

How I came to Islam: Save Listen Shaikh Yusuf Estes (an ex-christian preacher) talks about his reversion to Islam!

The Beauty of Islam: Save Listen by shaikh Yusuf Estes

What is Islam?: Save Listen by shaikh Yusuf Estes

2006-07-18T13:02:00.000+10:00

Assalamu 'Alaikum, peace be upon you!

We receive emails/comments from our visitors and couple of these 'visitors' have accused us of being "afraid" of challenges (debates/discussions..etc) JUST because we made the choice to MODERATE the comments our visitors leave.

First of all, we made this choice because of the rather 'rude' comments we get from some of our visitors and since we rarely come online much due to other commitments, mainly studies, we had no other thing to do but to moderate the comments.

Second, if a visitor's comment does NOT contain any insults towards our beautiful Faith nor personal attacks we are more than happy to publish their comment. So this has nothing to do with being "afraid" of challenge. We are more than happy to discuss or debate just about anything our visitor brings up.

We pray to Allah (SWT) to guide us and all of our visitors to His light and to do that which pleases God (Allah SWT)...Ameen

Salam/Peace

PS: If you have any questions corncerning any of the topics on our blog or any question about Islam just contact us and we well try to answer it :)

EMAIL: journey2islam@gmail.com

2006-07-18T07:47:00.000+10:00

Stories of Reverts:

Why I Became a Muslim ?

By: Yusuf Islam (a.k.a Cat Stevens)

Experiences Of A Recently Converted Hindu Woman:

I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off, have children and serve the husband - whether he was kind or not. Other than this I found that there were a lot of things which really oppressed women, such as:

• If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari (costume), eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry.

• The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband's family. And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty paying it.

• Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured. She could end up being a victim of "kitchen death" where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband, try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these incidents are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own father met the same fate last year!

• In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebrations, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shira) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this.

This made me see that the Hindu religion, based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof and were merely traditions, which oppressed women, could not be right.

Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this was a country, which gave equal rights to men and women, and did not oppress them. We all had the freedom to do as we liked, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people, make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to "socialize" (bars, dance halls, etc.), I realized that this "equality" was not so true in practice as it was in theory.

Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, subtler way. When I went with my friends to the places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realized how naïve I was, and recognized what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out.

Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don't call this enjoyment.

I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please men and appear more appealing, and also, talk in a certain way so people like them. During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respectable.

Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone's belief, they do this. If making money is someone's belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminished in this way.

In these days of so-called "equal rights", you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you're weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression, even though some women do not realize it. When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life.

Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only-recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women.

Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds. The Qur'an itself, which is the Word of God, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam has the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but by God; hence it is a perfect religion.

Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe, and are told that this is oppression - it is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to no one but his wife. In addition, God has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty: "O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they could be known as such (i.e. decent and chaste) and not molested." (Qur'an 33:59) If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed.

Another point I'd like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by God, do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free mixing between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever God commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind. There is no doubt about that. A verse in the Qur'an explains this concept clearly: «"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (i.e. from indecency, illegal sexual acts, etc.); that will make for greater purity for them. And God is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (from indecency, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.); and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments . . . "» (Qur'an, Surah Al-Nur 24:31)

When I put on my hijab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really wanted to do it. When I put on the hijab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness because I had obeyed God's command. And I was so happy with the good and blessings that came with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in their behavior towards me.

Finally, I'd like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Qur'an itself there is a verse "Let there be no compulsion in religion". I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing. Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion God has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind, whose rulings and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other. This is not the case in Islam, which truly liberates women and gives them an individuality not given by any other authority.

Author : Sister Noor

Sister Noor has been a Muslim for over a year and a half and is currently in her second year of undergraduate study in the Department of Biology at University of Essex, U. K.

2006-07-17T07:47:00.000+10:00

Islam and Hinduism:

Islam & Hinduism 1 By: Ahmad Deedat

Islam & Hinduism 2 By: Ahmad Deedat

2006-07-17T07:15:00.000+10:00

Islam and Christianity, by Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 1 By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 2 By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 3 By: Gary Miller

Islam & Christinaty 4 By: Gary Miller

The Amazing Quran 1 By: Gary Miller

The Divinity of Jesus By: Gary Miller

Islam and Christianity, debate:

Concept of God in Islam & Christianity 1 (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

Concept of God in Islam & Christianity 2 (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

God as Viewed in the Bible and the Quraan (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

Is the Bible the Word of God? (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

Jesus in the Qur'an 1: Birth By: Jamal Badawi

Jesus in the Qur'an 2: Humanity By: Jamal Badawi

Jesus in the Qur'an 3: Mission By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 1: Methodology By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 2: Lineage of The Awaited Prophet By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 3: A Prophet Like Unto Moses By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 4: Location By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 5: Characteristics By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 6: About the Qur'an and Ka'bah By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 7: Jesus' Prophecy By: Jamal Badawi

Muhammad in the Bible 8: Other References and Conclusions By: Jamal Badawi

The Authenticity of the Bible (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

The Cross & Salvation (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

The Divinity of Jesus (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

The Way to Salvation (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

Was Jesus Divine or Was he a Prophet of God? (Debate) By: Jamal Badawi

2006-07-17T06:56:00.000+10:00

Lectures by Shaikh Yusuf Estes:

Inviting To Islam [1]

Inviting To Islam [2]

Inviting To Islam [3]

Shaikh Yusuf Estes is an ex-christian preacher who reverted to Islam, to know more about him visit his website Islam-tomorrow.com

2006-07-05T15:36:00.000+10:00

The Purpose of Creation

Introduction

The purpose of creation is a topic that puzzles every human being at some point in his or her lifetime. Everybody at some time or another asks themselves the question “Why do I exist?” or “For what purpose am I here on earth?”

The variety and complexity of the intricate systems which constitute the fabric of both human beings and the world in which they exist indicate that there must have been a Supreme Being who created them. Design indicates a designer. When human beings come across footprints on a beach, they immediately conclude that a human being had walked by there some time previously. No one imagines that the waves from the sea settled in the sand and by chance produced a depression looking exactly like human footprints. Nor do humans instinctively conclude that they were brought into existence without a purpose. Since purposeful action is a natural product of human intelligence, humans conclude that the Supreme Intelligent Being who created them must have done so for a specific purpose. Therefore, human beings need to know the purpose for their existence in order to make sense of this life and to do what is ultimately beneficial for them.

Throughout the ages, however, there has been a minority among humans who have denied the existence of God. Matter, in their opinion, is eternal and mankind is merely a chance product of accidental combinations of its elements. Consequently, to them, the question “Why did God create man?” had and still has no answer. According to them, there simply is no purpose to existence. However, the vast majority of humankind over the ages have believed and continue to believe in the existence of a Supreme Being who created this world with a purpose. For them it was, and still is, important to know about the Creator and the purpose for which He created human beings.

The Answer:

To answer the question “Why did God create man?” it must first be determined from which perspective the question is being asked. From the point of view of God it would mean, “What caused God to create human beings?” while from the human point of view it would mean “For what purpose did God create humans?” Both points of view represent aspects of the intriguing question “Why do I exist?” In the following pages, both aspects of the question will be explored based on the clear picture painted by divine revelation. This is not a topic for human speculation, because human guesswork cannot possibly produce the whole truth in this matter. How can human beings intellectually deduce the reality of their existence when they can hardly understand how their own brain or its higher entity, the mind, functions? Consequently, the many philosophers who have speculated on this question down through the ages have come up with innumerable answers, all of which are based on assumptions which cannot be proven. Questions on this topic have even led a number of philosophers to claim that we do not really exist and that the whole world is imaginary. For example, the Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BC) argued that the everyday world of changeable things, which man comes to know by the use of his senses, is not the primary reality, but is a shadow world of appearances. Many others, as was previously mentioned, claimed and continue to claim that there is no purpose for the creation of humans at all. According to them, human existence is merely a product of chance. There can be no purpose if life evolved from inanimate matter which only became animate by pure luck. Humankind's supposed ‘cousins,’ the monkey and apes are not bothered with questions of existence, so why should human beings be bothered with them?

Although most people put the question of why we are created aside after occasional brief reflection, it is extremely critical for human beings to know the answer. Without knowledge of the correct answer, human beings become indistinguishable from the other animals around them. The animal necessities and desires of eating, drinking and procreating become the purpose of human existence by default, and human effort is then focused in this limited sphere. When material satisfaction develops into the most important goal in life, human existence becomes even more degraded than that of the lowest of animals. Human beings will consistently misuse their God-given intelligence when they lack knowledge of their purpose of existence. The degraded human mind uses its abilities to create drugs and bombs and becomes engrossed in fornication, pornography, homosexuality, fortunetelling, suicide, etc. Without knowledge of the purpose of life, human existence loses all meaning and is consequently wasted, and the reward of an eternal life of happiness in the hereafter is completely destroyed. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that human beings correctly answer the question “Why are we here?”

Humans most often turn to other human beings like themselves for the answers. However, the only place that clear and precise answers to these questions can be found is in the books of divine revelation. It was necessary that God reveal the purpose to man through His prophets, because human beings are incapable of arriving at the correct answers by themselves. All of the prophets of God taught their followers the answers to the question “Why did God create man?”

Judeo-Christian Scriptures:

A survey of the Bible leaves the honest seeker of truth lost. The Old Testament seems more concerned with laws and the history of early man and the Jewish people than with answering the vital question concerning humanity’s creation. In Genesis, God creates the world and Adam and Eve in six days and ‘rests’ from His work on the seventh. Adam and Eve disobey God and are punished and their son Cain kills their other son Abel and goes to live in the land of Nod. And God was ‘sorry’ that he had made man! Why are the answers not there in clear and unmistakable terms? Why is so much of the language symbolic, leaving the reader to guess at its meanings? For example, in Genesis 6:6 it is stated, “When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose.” Who are these ‘sons of God’? Each Jewish sect and each of the many Christian sects who followed them have their own explanations. Which is the correct interpretation? The truth is that the purpose of man's creation was taught by the prophets of old, however, some of their followers - in collusion with the devils - later changed the scriptures. The answers became vague and much of the revelation was hidden in symbolic language. When God sent Jesus Christ to the Jews, he overturned the tables of those merchants who had set up businesses inside the temple, and he preached against the ritualistic interpretation of the law practiced by the Jewish rabbis. He reaffirmed the law of Prophet Moses and revived it. He taught the purpose of life to his disciples and demonstrated how to fulfill it until his last moments in this world. However, after his departure from this world, his message was also distorted by some who claimed to be among his followers. The clear truth which he brought became vague, like the messages of the prophets before him. Symbolism was introduced, especially through the “Revelations” of John, and the Gospel which was revealed to Jesus was lost. Four other gospels composed by men were chosen by Athanasius, a fourth century bishop, to replace the lost Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the 23 books of writings of Paul and others included in the New Testament outnumbered even the four versions of the gospel. As a result, New Testament readers cannot find precise answers to the question “Why did God create man?” And one is forced to blindly follow the contrived dogmas of whatever sect they happen to belong to or adopt. The gospels are interpreted according to each sect's beliefs, and the seeker of truth is again left wondering, which one is correct?

The Incarnation of God:

Perhaps the only common concept to most Christian sects regarding the purpose of mankind's creation is that God became man so that He could die at the hands of men to cleanse them of sin inherited from Adam and his descendants. According to them, this sin had become so great that no human act of atonement or repentance could erase it. God is so good that sinful man cannot stand before Him. Consequently, only God’s sacrifice of Himself could save humankind from sin.

Belief in this man-made myth became the only source for salvation, according to the Church. Consequently, the Christian purpose of creation became the recognition of the ‘divine sacrifice’ and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Lord God. This may be deduced from the following words attributed to Jesus in the Gospel according to John, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” However, if this is the purpose of creation and the prerequisite for everlasting life, why was it not taught by all the prophets? Why did God not become man in the time of Adam and his offspring so that all mankind would have an equal chance to fulfill their purpose for existence and attain everlasting life. Or did those before Jesus' time have another purpose for existence? All people today whom God has destined never to hear of Jesus also have no chance to fulfill their supposed purpose of creation. Such a purpose, is obviously too limited to fit the need of humankind.

Everything is God:

The Hindu scriptures teach that there are many gods, incarnations of gods, persons of God and that everything is God, Brahman. In spite of the belief that the self (atman) of all living beings is actually Brahman, an oppressive caste system evolved in which the Brahmans, the priestly caste, possess spiritual supremacy by birth. They are the teachers of the Vedas and represent the ideal of ritual purity and social prestige. On the other hand, the Sudra caste are excluded from religious status and their sole duty in life is “to serve meekly” the other three castes and their thousands of subcastes.

According to Hindu monist philosophers, humankind's purpose is the realization of their divinity and -following a path (marga) to emancipation (moksha) from the wheel of rebirth - the reabsorbtion of the human soul (atman) into the ultimate reality, Brahman. For those following the bhakti path, the purpose is to love God because God created humankind to “enjoy a relationship - as a father enjoys his children” (Srimad Bhagwatam). For the ordinary Hindu, the main aim of worldly life lies in conforming to social and ritual duties, to the traditional rules of conduct for one’s caste - the karma path.

Although most of the religion of the Vedic texts, which revolves around rituals of fire sacrifice, has been eclipsed by Hindu doctrines and practices found in other texts, the absolute authority and sacredness of the Veda remains a central tenet of virtually all Hindu sects and traditions. The Veda is composed of four collections, the oldest of which is the Rigveda (“Wisdom of the Verses”). In these texts, God is described in the most confusing terms. The religion reflected in the Rigveda is a polytheism mainly concerned with appeasing deities associated with the sky and the atmosphere, the most important of which were Indra (god of the heavens and rain), Baruna (guardian of the cosmic order), Agni (the sacrificial fire), and Surya (the Sun). In later Vedic texts, interest in the early Rigvedic gods declines, and polytheism begins to be replaced by a sacrificial pantheism to Prajapati (“Lord of Creatures”), who is the All. In the Upanishads (secret teachings concerning cosmic equations), Prajapati merges with the concept of Brahman, the supreme reality and substance of the universe, replacing any specific personification, thus transforming the mythology into abstract philosophy. If the contents of these scriptures were all that human beings had to choose from for guidance, one would have to conclude that God hid both Himself and the purpose of creation from humankind.

God is not the author of confusion, nor does He wish difficulty for mankind. Consequently, when He revealed His final communication to humankind one thousand four hundred years ago, He ensured that it was perfectly preserved for all of the generations of human beings to come. In that final scripture, the Quran (Koran), God revealed His purpose for creating mankind and, through His last prophet, He clarified all of the details which man could comprehend. It is on the basis of this revelation and the prophetic explanations that we will analyze the precise answers to the question “Why did God create man?”

Why Did God Create?

From the point of view of God, an even more fundamental question needs to be asked, “Why did God create?” This question should be asked because humankind is not, in fact, the greatest creation. God says in the Quran:

“Indeed, the creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind, but most of mankind do not realize it.”

The composition of human beings is far less complex than the composition of the universe in which they exist. However, very few people reflect on this reality. Because of the apparent supremacy of human beings over the other creatures on this earth, man's journeys through space and the continued advancement of their technology and knowledge, humankind in every age becomes arrogant and considers itself the greatest thing in this world. It is worth noting that the majority of humankind's amazing discoveries are not concerning the human being, but his surroundings. Thus, human efforts tend to be focused on the material world rather than human beings. In this verse, God brings human beings back to their actual status in this world. Humankind is merely a small part of the existence which resulted from the miraculous act of divine creation. Thus, in order to understand why God created mankind, one first needs to answer the even more fundamental question of why God created.

The Creator:

Creation is fundamentally the consequence of the divine attribute of being the Creator. A creator who does not create is something of a contradiction in terms. This is not to say that God needs His creation. God is free from all needs. It is creation which needs Him. But, as the greatness of a writer becomes apparent in his writings, the perfection of the divine creative attribute is manifest in creation. Creation in the true sense is unique to God alone. Although humans ascribe the act of creation to themselves, what they do is not true creation. Humankind merely manipulates what already exists - what was already created by God. A table is made from wood which came from trees and is held together with nails and screws made from metal that came from rocks. Human beings did not make the trees or the rocks. In fact, all human creations can be traced back to basic elements which humans cannot make. Even the artist ‘creates’ designs based on what he has seen. It is not possible to imagine what has not been perceived by the senses. Thus, all of the artist's thoughts are reflections on what was already created. Only God alone creates from nothing. This basic fact was and still is incomprehensible to some. Some ancient as well as modern philosophers, who could not comprehend how God could create from nothing, claimed that the created world and its contents are all originally a part of God. That is, according to them, God took a part of Himself and made the universe. This conclusion is based on comparing God to man, who can only ‘create’ by modifying what already exists. However, God denies any such comparisons which would give Him human limitations. In the Quran, He states:

“There is nothing like Him and He is hearer and seer of all.”

Thus, the act of creation is a consequence of the divine attribute of being the Creator. God describes Himself as the Creator in a variety of verses throughout the final revelation to emphasize to humankind that everything belongs to Him alone.

“Allah created all things and He is the agent on which all things depend.”

“And Allah created you all and whatever you do.”

Man needs to realize that nothing takes place in this universe without the permission of God. To seek protection from evil or to seek to acquire good from any source other than God is a major mistake. Due to ignorance, many people attempt to avoid misfortune and to gain good fortune through a variety of charms and amulets, astrology, palmistry, etc. Consequently, in the Quran, God informs human beings to seek refuge in God from evil:

“Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn, from the evil of what He has created.”

Allah, God Almighty, is not evil; He is good. He created a world in which evil or good can be done by beings to whom He gave this ability. However, no evil or good can take place in this world without the permission of God. This is why it is futile to turn to others besides God for help and protection.

“No calamity strikes except by Allah's permission.”

The final prophet of God, Muhammad (peace be upon him), further elaborated on this concept, saying, “Be aware that if the whole of mankind gathered together to do something to help you, they would only be able to do something for you which Allah had already written for you. Likewise, if the whole of mankind gathered together to harm you, they would only be able to do something to harm you which Allah had already written to happen to you.”

The Merciful, The Forgiving:

In the creation of humankind, the divine attributes of forgiveness, mercy and kindness are also manifested. Human beings were created good and pure with a natural awareness of good and evil. The Almighty also created in humans desires, and gave them an ability to control those desires according to divine law or to turn them loose and follow them blindly. God created mankind knowing that they would disobey Him. Consequently, He taught human beings, beginning with Adam, how to repent and thereby purify themselves of their sins. Adam and Eve represent a pattern for all mankind to follow. They forgot the commandment of God, and Satan played on their desires. After they had disobeyed God, they turned back to Him in repentance, and He forgave them. In humankind's disobedience and turning back to God in repentance, the divine attributes of total forgiveness and infinite mercy become manifest. The final Prophet (peace be upon him) informed his followers of this reality, saying, “If you did not commit sins and turn to Allah, seeking His forgiveness, He would have replaced you with another people who would sin, ask Allah's forgiveness and He would forgive them.” Every one of the 114 Chapters of the final revelation, except one, begins with the prayer, “In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Most Merciful.” Allah's attributes of mercy and forgiveness are stressed to encourage humans not to fall into despair. No matter how great the sins of human beings may be, God can forgive them if man turns back to Him in sincere repentance. The Messenger (peace be upon him) was quoted as saying, “When Allah created the universe, He made an obligation on Himself [recorded] in a document kept by Him: My mercy supersedes my wrath.” He was also reported to have said, “[Allah created] mercy with one hundred parts, one of which was sent down upon the jinn, human beings and other living beings. It is out of this one part that they love each other, show kindness to each other and even the animals treat their offspring with affection. Allah has reserved the remaining ninety-nine parts for His true worshippers on the Day of Resurrection.”

Had Allah wished, He could have created mankind like angels, incapable of committing sin. However, that was not His wish, as He had already created angels. Human beings were created capable of making mistakes and when they realize their errors and seek God's forgiveness, the divine attributes of mercy and forgiveness become manifest.

Supreme Justice:

In the judgment of mankind at the end of this world, God's attributes of supreme justice and fairness also become manifest. Based on His infinite knowledge, God could have created all members of the human race who were to live on earth and immediately placed some of them in paradise and the remainder in hell. Before creating man, Allah already knew what choices they would make in this life, what provision and opportunities He would give them, and in what state of belief or disbelief they would die. Therefore, in one sense it could be said that some people were created for paradise and others for hell. Aaishah, wife of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), quoted him as saying, “Don't you know that Allah created paradise and hell, and He created inhabitants for each?” If God had immediately placed those headed for paradise in paradise, they would not question God's decision. Those in paradise would happily accept an everlasting life of bliss and be thankful that they were not placed in hell. However, those immediately placed in hell would ask why. They would feel a sense of unfairness due to their ignorance of what they would have done had they lived on earth. Those in hell would relentlessly argue that had they been given a chance to live out their lives on earth, they would have believed and done righteous deeds. Consequently, Allah allows human beings to live out their lives on earth and make all the choices they would have made, so that everyone who enters hell will know that they chose hell by themselves. They will recognize God's mercy in their lives and acknowledge their sin in rejecting His signs and guidance. And they will accept His judgment as being just and beyond reproach. However, they will still beg for another chance to do good in this world, as God says in the Quran:

“If only you could see [the time] when the sinners will bow their heads before their Lord, [saying], ‘Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back and we will do righteous deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty.’ ”

However, if Allah were to send them back to this world having forgotten what they had seen of hell, they would again choose evil and end up in hell as before. God spoke about this in the Quran,

“But if they were returned [to this world], they would certainly go back to what was forbidden to them. Indeed they are liars.”

Divine Love:

God's love is manifest in beings brought into existence, whether believer or disbeliever, to enjoy life, if only for a brief moment. It is also realized in the creation of paradise for those who choose righteousness over evil. Allah states in the final revelation that He loves those who do good (5:13), those who are just (5:42), those who are pious (9:4), those who are patient (3:146), those who put their trust in Him (3:159), those who frequently turn to Him in repentance and those who purify themselves (2:222). However, it is He who has defined for human beings through the scriptures and the prophets what is good, just and pious. Consequently, those who follow the prophets are most beloved to God. In the Quran, Allah instructed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to say the following to the believers:

“If you really love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you and forgive your sins.”

The prophets should be followed not only in the compulsory acts ordained by God, but also in their eagerness to do acts of voluntary worship.

The love of God is also manifest in His mercy and blessings which He grants to those who deserve them as well as those who do not. But, it is particularly manifest in His willingness to forgive the sins of whomsoever turns to Him in sincere repentance. From the creation of Adam and Eve, repentance was granted to them to erase their sins as an example to all human beings who would follow them into this world. No matter how great human sins may become, the door for sincere repentance remains open until the last day of this world. Anas quoted Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying, “Allah, the Almighty, has said: O son of Adam, as long as you call on Me and ask of Me, I will forgive what you have done, and I do not mind. O son of Adam, even if your sins reached the clouds and you asked My forgiveness, I will forgive you. O son of Adam, if you came to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and you met Me without giving Me partners, I will give you a similar amount of forgiveness.”

Divine Grace:

As for those in paradise, they will not enter it solely based on their good deeds. It is the grace of God which will ultimately carry them there. The final Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said in this regard, “Try your best to do right, and be happy. For none will enter paradise only because of his deeds.” His companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! Not even you?” He replied, “Not even I, unless Allah envelops me in His mercy and grace. And bear in mind that the deed most loved by Allah is one done constantly, even though it is small.” However, God's grace is not arbitrary. It is based on both correct faith and righteous deeds. In the Quran, Allah says:

“Whoever brings a good deed, will have [the value of] ten like it, and whoever brings an evil deed will only be punished with one like it, and they will not be wronged.”

Were God to hold humankind to account strictly, no one's good deeds would outweigh their evil deeds. However, God has manifested His grace by multiplying the value of good deeds, while keeping evil deeds at their face value. It is by the grace of God that the true believers enter Paradise. This does not mean that deeds have no role. Deeds have a major role, but they are not the deciding factor. God's grace outweighs them.

Consequently, the creation of human beings, the errors that they make and the good that they do are all circumstances for the manifestation of God's attributes of mercy and forgiveness, His attribute of justice and His attribute of grace.

Humankind should not question why God chose to manifest His attributes in this way. It can only be assumed that this was the best way, because Allah describes Himself as being the Most Wise and the Most Knowledgeable. Humans can only understand what Allah chooses to reveal to them.

“They will only encompass of His knowledge what He wishes.”

Thus, they should not try to equate themselves with God. If He has told humankind why He decided to do something, it is not for them to question why He decided to decide. Such questions are without end and thus beyond human scope. It is they who will be questioned on the Day of Judgment about their actions and intentions and not He. In the Quran, Allah addresses this point:

“He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned.”

In this regard Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was reported by Ibn ‘Abbaas to have said, “Reflect on the creation of Allah but do not reflect on Allah.” To reflect on the reality of Allah is to reflect on the infinite. And, as the mind boggles when it reflects on the limits of the finite universe and the galaxies and stars within it, it will be more confounded when it attempts to understand the uncreated. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned that the satanic forces would seek to introduce doubts in the hearts of the believers by raising unanswerable questions about God. Aboo Hurayrah related that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “Satan will come to everyone of you and ask: Who created this and that? - until he questions: Who created your Lord? When he comes to that, one should seek refuge in Allah [say: I affirm my faith in Allah and His prophets] and avoid [such thoughts].

Why Did God Create Mankind?

From the perspective of humankind, the question “Why did God create man?” implies “For what purpose was man created?” In the final revelation (the Quran), this question is answered without any ambiguity. Humans are first informed by God that every human being is born with an innate consciousness of God. In the Quran, Allah said:

“[Remember] when your Lord extracted from the loins of Adam's children their descendants and made them testify [saying]: ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said: ‘Yes, we testify to it.’ [This was] in case you say on the Day of Judgment: ‘We were unaware of this.’ Or you say: ‘It was our ancestors who worshipped others besides God and we are only their descendants. Will you then destroy us for what those liars did?’ ”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that when Allah created Adam, He took from him a covenant at a place called Na‘maan on the 9th day of the 12th month. He then extracted from Adam all of his descendants who would be born until the end of the world, generation after generation, and spread them out before Him to take a covenant from them also. He spoke to them, face to face, making them bear witness that He was their Lord. Consequently, every human being is responsible for belief in God, which is imprinted on each and every soul. It is based on this inborn belief that Allah defined the purpose of mankind's creation in Quran:

“I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship.”

Thus, the essential purpose for which humankind was created is the worship of God. However, the Almighty is not in need of human worship. He did not create human beings out of a need on His part. If not a single human worshipped God, it would not diminish His glory in any way, and if all of humankind worshipped Him, it would not increase His glory in any way. God is perfect. He alone exists without any needs. All created beings have needs. Consequently, it is humankind that needs to worship God.

The Meaning of Worship:

To understand why human beings need to worship God, one must first understand what is meant by the term ‘worship.’ The English term ‘worship’ comes from the Old English weorthscipe meaning ‘honor.’ Consequently, worship in the English language is defined as ‘the performance of devotional acts in honor of a deity.’ According to this meaning, man is instructed to show gratitude to God by glorifying Him. In the Quran, Allah says:

“Glorify the praises of your Lord.”

In glorifying God, man chooses to be in harmony with the rest of creation which naturally glorifies its Creator. Allah addresses this phenomenon in many chapters of the Quran. For example, in the Quran, Allah states:

“The seven heavens and the earth and whatever is in them glorify Him and there is nothing which does not glorify His praise. However, you do not understand their glorification.”

However, in Arabic, the language of the final revelation, worship is called ‘ibaadah, which is closely related to the noun ‘abd, meaning ‘a slave.’ A slave is one who is expected to do whatever his master wills. Consequently, worship, according to the final revelation, means ‘obedient submission to the will of God.’ This was the essence of the message of all the prophets sent by God to mankind. For example, this understanding of worship was emphatically expressed by Prophet Jesus (the Messiah or Jesus Christ), “None of those who call me ‘Lord’ will enter the kingdom of God, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” It should be noted that ‘will’ in this quote means ‘what God wants human beings to do’ and not ‘what God permits humans to do,’ because nothing happens in creation without the will (permission) of God. The ‘Will of God’ is contained in the divinely revealed laws which the prophets taught their followers. Consequently, obedience to divine law is the foundation of worship. In this sense, glorification also becomes worship when humans choose to obey God's instructions regarding His glorification.

The Need for Worship

Why do human beings need to worship and glorify God by obeying the divinely revealed laws? Because obedience to divine law is the key to success in this life and the next. The first human beings, Adam and Eve, were created in paradise and later expelled from paradise for disobeying the divine law. The only way for human beings to return to paradise is by obedience to the law. Prophet Jesus, was reported in the Gospel according to Matthew to have made obedience to the divine laws the key to paradise: Now behold, one came and said to him, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So he said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Also Prophet Jesus was reported to have insisted on strict obedience to the commandments, saying, “Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Divine laws represent guidance for humankind in all walks of life. They define right and wrong for them and offer human beings a complete system governing all of their affairs. The Creator alone knows best what is beneficial for His creation and what is not. The divine laws command and prohibit various acts and substances to protect the human spirit, the human body and human society from harm. In order for human beings to fulfill their potential by living righteous lives, they need to worship God through obedience to His commandments.

Remembrance of God

All of the various acts of worship contained in the divine laws are designed to help humans remember God. It is natural for human beings to sometimes forget even the most important things. Humans often become so engrossed in fulfilling their material needs that they totally forget their spiritual needs. Regular prayer is ordained to organize the day of the true believer around the remembrance of God. It interweaves spiritual needs with material needs on a daily basis. The regular daily need to eat, work and sleep is linked to the daily need to renew man's connection with God. With regard to regular prayer, Allah states in the final revelation,

“Verily, I am Allah, there is no god beside Me, so worship Me and establish regular prayer for My remembrance.”

Regarding fasting, Allah stated in the Quran,

“O you who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you that you may become God-conscious.”

The believers are encouraged to remember God as much as possible. Although, moderation in all spheres of life, whether material or spiritual, is generally encouraged in divine law, an exception is made regarding the remembrance of Allah. It is virtually impossible to remember God too much. Consequently, in the final revelation, Allah encourages the believers to remember Him as often as possible:

“O believers! Remember Allah often.”

Remembrance of God is stressed because sin is generally committed when God is forgotten. The forces of evil operate most freely when consciousness of God is lost. Consequently, the satanic forces seek to occupy people's minds with irrelevant thoughts and desires to make them forget God. Once God is forgotten, people willingly join the corrupt elements. The final revelation, addresses this phenomenon in as follows:

“Satan got the better of them and caused them to forget Allah. Those are the party of Satan. Truly the party of Satan are the real losers.”

God, through Divine law, has prohibited intoxicants and gambling primarily because they cause human beings to forget God. The human mind and body easily become addicted to drugs and games of chance. Once addicted, mankind's desire to continually be stimulated by them leads them into all forms of corruption and violence among themselves. God says in the Quran:

“Satan's plan is to incite enmity and hatred among you with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and regular prayer. Will you not then abstain?”

Consequently, humankind need to remember God for their own salvation and growth. All humans have times of weakness in which they commit sins. If they have no means of remembering God, they sink deeper and deeper into corruption with every sin. However, those who follow the divine laws will be constantly reminded of God, which will give them a chance to repent and correct themselves. The final revelation accurately describes this process:

“Those who, having done something shameful or having wronged their own souls, remember Allah and immediately ask forgiveness for their sins...”

The Religion of Islam:

The most complete system of worship available to human beings today is the system found in the religion of Islam. The very name ‘Islam’ means ‘submission to the will of God.’ Although it is commonly referred to as ‘the third of the three monotheistic faiths,’ it is not a new religion at all. It is the religion brought by all of the prophets of God for mankind. Islam was the religion of Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. God addresses this issue in the Quran with regard to Prophet Abraham, saying:

“Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was an upright Muslim who did not worship others besides God.”

Since there is only One God, and humankind are one species, the religion which God has ordained for human beings is one. He did not prescribe one religion for the Jews, another for Indians, yet another for Europeans, etc. Human spiritual and social needs are uniform, and human nature has not changed since the first man and woman were created. Consequently, no other religion is acceptable to God besides Islam, as He clearly states in the final revelation:

“Surely Allah's religion is Islam.”

“And whoever desires a religion besides Islam will not have it accepted, and he will be among the losers in the hereafter.”

Every Act Is Worship

In the Islamic system, each and every human act can be transformed into an act of worship. In fact, God commands the believers to dedicate their whole lives to Him. In the Quran, Allah says:

“Say: ‘Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.’ ”

However, for that dedication to be acceptable to Allah, each act must fulfill two basic conditions:

1- First, the act must be done sincerely for the pleasure of God and not for the recognition and praise of human beings. The believer also has to be conscious of God while doing the deed to insure that it is not something forbidden by Allah or the last Messenger (peace be upon him).

In order to facilitate this transformation of mundane deeds into worship, Allah instructed the last Prophet (peace be upon him) to prescribe short prayers to be said before even the simplest of acts. The shortest prayer which may be used for any circum-stance is: bismillaah (In the name of Allah). There are, however, many other prayers prescribed for specific occasions. For example, whenever a new piece of clothing is worn, the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his followers to say:“O Allah, thanks is due to You, for it is You who has clothed me. I ask You for its benefit and the benefit for which it was made, and seek refuge in You from its evil and the evil for which it was made.”

2- The second condition is that the act be done in accordance with the prophetic way, called in Arabic the Sunnah. All of the prophets instructed their followers to follow their way because they were guided by God. What they taught were divinely revealed truths, and only those who followed their way and accepted the truths would inherit eternal life in paradise. It is in this context that Prophet Jesus, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, was reported in the Gospel according to John 14:6, as saying, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Similarly, ‘Abdullaah ibn Mas‘ood related that one day Prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) drew a line in the dust for them and said, “This is Allah's path.” He then drew several lines [branching off] to the right and to the left and said, “These are the paths [of misguidance] on each of which is a devil inviting people to follow it.” He then recited the verse: “Verily, this is my path, leading straight, so follow it. And do not follow the [other] paths for they will scatter you about from Allah's path. That is His command to you in order that you may be conscious of Allah.”

Thus, the only acceptable way to worship God is according to the way of the prophets. That being the case, innovation in religious affairs would be considered by God among the worst of all evils. Prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) was reported to have said, “The worst of all affairs is innovation in religion, for every religious innovation is a cursed, misleading innovation leading to the hellfire.” Innovation in the religion is forbidden and unacceptable to God. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was also reported by his wife, ‘Aa’ishah, to have said, “He who innovates something in this matter of ours, that is not of it, will have it rejected.”

It is fundamentally due to innovations that the messages of the earlier prophets were distorted and the many false religions in existence today evolved. The general rule to follow in order to avoid innovation in religion is that all forms of worship are prohibited, except those which have been specifically prescribed by God and conveyed to humans by the true messengers of God.

The Best of Creation

Those who believe in One Unique God, without partners or offspring, and do righteous deeds [according to the above-mentioned principles] become the crown of creation. That is, although humankind is not the greatest creation of Allah, they have the potential to become the best of His creation. In the final revelation, Allah states this fact as follows:

“Surely, those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of creation.”

The Gravest Sin:

To contradict the purpose of one's creation is then the greatest evil that a human being can commit. ‘Abdullaah reported that he asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) which sin is the gravest in Allah's sight and he replied, “To give Allah a partner, even though He created you.” Worshipping others besides God, called shirk in Arabic, is the only unforgivable sin. If a human being dies without repenting from his or her sins, Allah may forgive all their sins except shirk. In this regard, God stated:

“Surely Allah will not forgive the worship of others besides Him, but He forgives sins less than that to whomever He wishes.”

Worshipping others besides God essentially involves giving the attributes of the Creator to His creation. Each sect or religion does this in their own particular way. A small but very vocal group of people down through the ages have actually denied God's existence. To justify their rejection of the Creator, they were obliged to make the illogical claim that this world has no beginning. Their claim is illogical because all of the observable parts of the world have beginnings in time, therefore it is only reasonable to expect the sum of the parts to also have a beginning. It is also only logical to assume that whatever caused the world to come into existence could not have been a part of the world nor could it have a beginning like the world. The atheist assertion that the world has no beginning means that the matter which makes up the universe is eternal. This is a statement of shirk, whereby God's attribute of being without beginning is given to His creation. The numbers of genuine atheists have historically always been quite small because, in spite of their claims, they instinctively know that God does exist. That is, in spite of decades of communist indoctrination, the majority of Russians and Chinese continued to believe in God.

The Al-mighty Creator pointed out this phenomenon, saying:

“And they denied [the signs] wrongfully and arrogantly, though within themselves they were convinced of them.”

To atheists and materialists, life has no purpose beyond the fulfillment of their desires. Consequently, their desires also become the god which they obey and submit to instead of the One True God. In the Quran, Allah said:

“Have you seen the one who takes his desires as his god?”

Christians gave Prophet Jesus Christ the attributes of the Creator by first making him co-eternal with God, then by making him a personality of God whom they titled ‘God the Son.’ Hindus, on the other hand, believe that God has become man in many ages, by incarnations called avatars, and then they divided God's attributes between three gods, Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer.

Love of God:

Shirk also occurs when human beings love, trust or fear the creation more than Allah. In the last revelation, God said:

“There are among men those who worship others besides Allah as equals to Him. They love them as only Allah should be loved. But those who believe have a stronger love for Allah.”

When these and other similar emotions are directed more strongly to the creation, they cause human beings to disobey God in a effort to please other humans. However, only Allah deserves a complete human emotional commitment, for it is He alone who should be loved and feared over all creation. Anas ibn Maalik narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever possesses [the following] three characteristics has tasted the sweetness of faith: he who loves Allah and His Messenger above all else; he who loves another human being for Allah's sake alone; and he who hates to return to disbelief after Allah has rescued him as he hates to be thrown into a fire.”

All the reasons for which humans love other humans or love other created beings are reasons to love God more than His creation. Humans love life and success, and dislike death and failure. Since Allah is the ultimate source of life and success, He deserves the full love and devotion of mankind. Humans also love those who benefit them and help them when they are in need. Since all benefit (7:188) and help (3:126) come from God, He should be loved above all else.

“If you try to count Allah's blessings, you will not be able to add them up.”

However, the supreme love which humans should feel for God must not be reduced to the common denominator of their emotional love for creation. Just as the love humans feel for animals should not be the same as what they feel for other humans, the love of Allah should transcend the love humans feel towards each other. Human love of God should be, fundamentally, a love manifest in complete obedience to the laws of God,

“If you love Allah, then follow me [the Prophet] and Allah will love you.”

This is not an abstract concept, because human love of other humans also implies obedience. That is, if a loved one requests that something be done, humans will strive to do it according to the level of their love for that person.

The love of God should also be expressed in the love of those whom God loves. It is inconceivable that one who loves Allah could hate those whom Allah loves and love those whom He hates. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was quoted by Aboo Umaamah as saying, “He who loves for Allah and hates for Allah, gives for Allah and withholds for Allah, has perfected his faith.” Consequently, those whose faith is proper will love all those who love God. In Chapter Maryam, Allah indicates that He puts love in the hearts of the believers for those who are righteous.

“Surely, Allah will bestow love [in the hearts of the believers for] those who believe and do righteous deeds.”

Aboo Hurayrah also related that Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said the following in this regard, “If Allah loves a servant He informs angel Gabriel that He loves so-and-so and tells him to love him, so Gabriel loves him. Then Gabriel calls out to the inhabitants of the heavens: ‘Allah loves so-and-so, therefore love him.’ So the inhabitants of the heavens love him. Then he is granted the love of the people of the earth.”

Prayers:

Prayers should only be directed to God alone, for only He can answer prayers. He is accessible as long as He is called upon sincerely.

“When My servants ask you [O muhammad] about Me, [tell them] that I am near, I answer the prayer of everyone who calls on Me.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasized this point, saying, “If you ask in prayer, ask only Allah, and if you seek help, seek it only from Allah.” Thus, prayer to human beings or through human beings, dead or living, is a form of shirk. The one to whom prayers are directed becomes an object of worship. An-Nu‘maan ibn Basheer reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Supplication is worship.”

“Surely, those whom you call on in prayer besides Allah are servants like yourself.”

Thus, the Catholic Christian practice of praying to saints is shirk. If something is lost, Saint Anthony of Thebes is prayed to in order to help find it. St. Jude Thaddaeus is the patron saint of the impossible and is prayed to for intercession in incurable illnesses, unlikely marriages or the like. And it used to be that when someone set out on a journey, Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, was the object of prayers for protection. However, in 1969 St. Christopher was unceremoniously struck off the list of saints by papal decree, after it was confirmed that he was fictitious. Prayers to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and to the angels, as on Michaelmas, are also shirk. Even Christians who shun saint worship commit shirk whenever they direct prayers to Prophet Jesus, through him or in his name. Likewise, any Muslim who prays to Prophet muhammad (peace be upon him) commits shirk. Consequently, God commanded the Prophet (peace be upon him) to inform his followers as follows, as stated in the Quran,

“Say [O muhammad]: ‘I have no power to bring good or avert harm even from myself, except if Allah wills. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I would surely have accumulated only good and no evil would have befallen me.”

Aboo Hurayrah reported that when the verse “Warn your nearest relatives,” was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said the following to his relatives: “O people of Quraysh, secure deliverance from Allah [by doing good deeds], for I cannot avail you at all against Allah...O Faatimah, daughter of muhammad, ask me whatever you wish [in this life], but I have nothing which can avail you against Allah.”

2006-07-04T09:28:00.000+10:00

Assalamu 'Alaikum, peace be upon you!

We have a couple of things to discuss.

1st) Journey2Islam's forum:

Alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah (SWT) we have finally created our forum. You can check it out here Please feel free to join and leave us feedback, if you don't like the stylesheet (i.e. you believe it's too dark...etc) kindly let us know and will immediately change it Insh'Allah (God Willing). Thanks

2nd) Refuting the misinformation and lies of the Australian TV program (Today2nite)

POLYGAMY IN ISLAM:

Definition of Polygamy: Polygamy means a system of marriage whereby one person has more than one spouse. Polygamy can be of two types. One is polygyny where a man marries more than one woman, and the other is polyandry, where a woman marries more than one man. In Islam, limited polygyny is permitted; whereas polyandry is completely prohibited.

Now you might be wondering, why is a man allowed to have more than one wife in Islam?

First, we would like to point out that the Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one.

Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had several wives.

In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one.

Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (95% C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife.

The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961 was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is illegal for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one wife. Despite it being illegal, Hindus have more multiple wives as compared to Muslims. Earlier, there was no restriction even on Hindu men with respect to the number of wives allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the Hindu scriptures.
Let us now analyse why Islam allows a man to have more than one wife.

As I mentioned earlier, Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:

"Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one." [Al-Qur’an 4:3]

Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them.

In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says:

"Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women...." [Al-Qur’an 4:129]

Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. Many people are under the misconception that it is compulsory for a Muslim man to have more than one wife.

Broadly, Islam has five categories of Do’s and Don’ts:

i. ‘Fard’ i.e. compulsory or obligatory

ii. ‘Mustahab’ i.e. recommended or encouraged

iii. ‘Mubah’ i.e. permissible or allowed
iv. ‘Makruh’ i.e. not recommended or discouraged
v. ‘Haraam’ i.e. prohibited or forbidden

Polygyny falls in the middle category of things that are permissible. It cannot be said that a Muslim who has two, three or four wives is a better Muslim as compared to a Muslim who has only one wife.

By nature males and females are born in approximately the same ratio. A female child has more immunity than a male child. A female child can fight the germs and diseases better than the male child. For this reason, during the pediatric age itself there are more deaths among males as compared to the females.

During wars, there are more men killed as compared to women. More men die due to accidents and diseases than women. The average life span of females is more than that of males, and at any given time one finds more widows in the world than widowers.

India is one of the few countries, along with the other neighbouring countries, in which the female population is less than the male population. The reason lies in the high rate of female infanticide in India, and the fact that more than one million female foetuses are aborted every year in this country, after they are identified as females. If this evil practice is stopped, then India too will have more females as compared to males.

In the USA, women outnumber men by 7.8 million. New York alone has one million more females as compared to the number of males, and of the male population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole has more than twenty-five million gays. This means that these people do not wish to marry women. Great Britain has four million more females as compared to males. Germany has five million more females as compared to males. Russia has nine million more females than males. God alone knows how many million more females there are in the whole world as compared to males.

Even if every man got married to one woman, there would still be more than thirty million females in U.S.A who would not be able to get husbands (considering that America has twenty five million gays). There would be more than four million females in Great Britain, 5 million females in Germany and nine million females in Russia alone who would not be able to find a husband.

Suppose my sister happens to be one of the unmarried women living in USA, or suppose your sister happens to be one of the unmarried women in USA. The only two options remaining for her are that she either marries a man who already has a wife or becomes public property. There is no other option. All those who are modest will opt for the first.

In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one wife, in which women retain their honourable, dignified position in society and lead a protected life.

Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become public property. Islam prefers giving women the honourable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the second.

There are several other reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygyny, but it is mainly to protect the modesty of women NOT to oppress nor degrade women (such as the Today 2night reporter claimed!).

Are men who abuse, cheat on their wives with mistresses and prostitutes better than men who marry women in order to protect their modesty? Is it not better for a man, instead shamefully using and abusing these women (i.e. mistresses, protitutes), to marry them and protect/respect their modesty and dignity? Why is it allowed or ok for a man to abuse and use women while at the same time bringing harm to his wife as well as children but it's not ok for a man to protect a woman's modesty and dignity by respectfully marrying her? The Today Tonight reporters should consider this instead of spreading lies and misinformations about Islam!

May Allah (SWT) guide them to the Truth!

2006-07-03T09:13:00.000+10:00

A Call to the Real Salvation:

This is an invitation to observe, to ponder and to be with us, aware and certain that it is our duty and moral obligation to convey the message of our Creator.

In the search for truth, it is indispensable that we take some time and effort to know the basis of our faith, and as true believers, we must follow the purest essence of our belief as exemplified by the messengers of God.

Who else can give us the guidance but those whom God chose and entrusted with the mission of proclaiming glad tidings to the believers and warnings to those who deviate from the way of our Creator and refuse to believe.

Religion for some may simply be a field of academics, to others it’s a medium solely for spiritual enrichment, and to a lot more various aspects or views people may find fitting on their level of desires or caprices.

But for us, our religion is a complete way of life as shown by all the prophets of God (Peace and blessing be upon them all) and as epitomized by the last Prophet (Peace and blessing be upon him) in order to attain salvation.

There is no doubt that this temporary life is only a probationary period, a transitory phase to the next and final one. As such, it should offer everyone the necessary requirements instrumental in paving the way for our last destination, where belief in the lone Creator and obedience to His command (doing what is right and forbidding what is wrong) will be the only acceptable means to merit salvation.

Thus, knowing the true teachings of God is tantamount to knowing life! That’s how important it is!

With due respect and love to Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him) as one of God’s mightiest prophets who was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, we cannot discount the teachings he brought to establish the way, the truth and the life.

We regard and accept him as a real messenger of God whose ways and belief inevitably coincide with ours as illustrated by the last Prophet including all the Prophets before him (Peace and blessing be upon them all).

Yes, Prophet Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him) was not a Christian for he did not introduce Christianity to the world, as evidenced by what he said in Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to destroy the Law or the prophets. I have come not to destroy, but to fulfill.” Instead, he confirmed the teachings preceding him, which was the Law set by Prophet Moses (Peace and blessing be upon him). A guidance that is sanctioned by and is also analogous with that of Islam, having been anchored upon monotheism, its inherent bedrock which happens to be every other prophet's battlecry and message.

Moreover, Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him) further uttered words which prove that his mission was not yet complete and that another Prophet was to come after him to finalize the message, the guidance or the revelation itself, when he prophesied in John 16:7-14.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you, and when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of the world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak of his own authority; but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify me. He will take what is of mine and declare it to you.”

The concluder of this message was neither The Holy Spirit nor Paul himself, as some Christians believe or were made to believe. He was Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him), the only true Prophet who succeeded Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him).

Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) was the sole Prophet who brought with him a complete, comprehensive and final revelation from the Creator.

This divine manifestation has been preserved as it was revealed to him originally, challenging the whole world to come up with even just one chapter like it. Such is the provocation and appeal, which frustrated those who were at the other end of the moral and spiritual spectrum during the Prophet’s time including the rest of their kind today. As God said in Chapter 2:2-5 of the Holy Qur’an (which is translated as follows):

“This is the Book: In it is guidance sure, without doubt, To those who fear Allah (God); Who believe in the Unseen, Are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what We Have provided for them; And who believe in the Revelation Sent thee, And sent before thy time, And (in their hearts) Have the assurance of the Hereafter, They are on (true guidance). From their Lord and it is these who will prosper.”

It is the last testament of faith addressed to the whole world embodying complete light and guidance as well as the conviction of sin, a revelation that embodies Islam.

Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him) thru Matthew, chapter 7 verse 15 of the Bible, cautioned people regarding the need to discern the false prophets from the genuine ones via a specific criterion, the same standard of measure that we ask you to gauge prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) and his teachings against with:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly, they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them.”

Give yourself a chance to know the true Religion of God including all His Prophets and discover the difference, for “Only the truth shall set you free” (as it says in your Bible). You’ve got nothing to lose, but once you understand and accept, you’ve got your whole life to gain!

Biblical Excerpts As Proofs Of Islam's Conformity With The Religion Of Jesus:

Here are some points to consider regarding Jesus, Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon them) and the Muslims, which are indeed one in the essence of Islam. The following verses extracted from today's Bibles collectively support our claim as mentioned above.

We pray that such accounts will appeal to your senses as well as reconcile you with the truth, thus enlightening you in the process to the remaining facts still existent in the present versions of the Bible.

They are as follows:

I. BELIEF IN THE ONENESS OF GOD (ALLAH):

Jesus was very explicit in his words about the “Unity of God” instead of the “Holy Trinity” which he never said nor preached in his lifetime:

1. Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you Satan! it is written:” you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only you shall serve”.

2. Mark 12:29 Jesus answered him. “The first of all the commandments is: Hear O Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one”.

3. Isiah 43:10-11 “Before me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no savior.”

4. John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and of Jesus Christ whom you have sent”.

II. GOOD DEEDS:

A. Carrying out Prayer (Prostration):

The only people in the whole world today who pray like Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him), and all the other prophets are the Muslims:

1. Matthew 26:39 “He (Jesus) went a little farther and fell on his face, and prayed, O my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will”.

2. Psalm 55:17 “Evening and morning and at noon, I will pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice”.

3. Numbers 20:6 “So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them”.

B. FASTING:

Islam obliges Muslims to fast just as Jesus and the prophets did during their tenure in the world:

1. Matthew 4:2 “And when he (Jesus) had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry”.

2. Exodus 34: 28 “And he (Moses) was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water”.

3. Matthew 6:16 “Moreover when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, with a sad countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward”.

C. CHARITY:

Islam obliges Muslims to pay charity, just as Jesus urged his constituents in his time:

1. Matthew 6:3-4 “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly.”

D. PILGRIMAGE TO MACA/BACA:

Muslims perform pilgrimage (Hajj) like the prophets before them to the first house of worship (Ka’bah) in Maca, also known as Baca, which was built by Abraham, the father of all the prophets and his son Ishmael.

1. Psalm 84:5-6 “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the valley of Baca, They make it a spring; the rain also covers it with pools”.

E. GREETINGS:

Muslims greet each other by saying: Peace be with you (As-salam ‘Alaykum), the same way Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him) greeted people during his ministry on earth:

1. Luke 24:36 “Now as they said these things, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you”.

2. John 20:19 “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you”.

Conclusion

We abide with God (Allah) when He tells us in His Holy Book (Quran) that if anyone speaks THE TRUTH, let him produce THE EVIDENCE as mentioned in chapter 2:111(which is translated as follows):

"…Say: Produce your proof if ye are truthful."

In the same breadth, we want you to realize that what we have just deliberated are but some of the many practices that the true believers emulate. They are ways and manners which are reflective as well as representative of the genuine teachings of Jesus (Peace and blessing be upon him) and even more so with Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him).

Likewise, the same very practices should serve as sound proofs to help you realize the truthfulness of our claim, that indeed, there is only one way leading to the true salvation, and that is ISLAM.

As Allah says thru chapter 5: Verse 19 of the Holy Quran (which is translated as follows):

“ O People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Now has come to you Our Messenger (Muhammad) making (things) clear unto you, after a break in (the series of) Messengers, lest you say: “There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no Warner”. But now has come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner. And Allah is able to do all things.”

He further says in Verse 77 of the same chapter (which is translated as follows): “Say (O Muhammad): “O people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Exceed not the limits in your religion (by believing in something) other than the truth, and do not follow the vain desires of people who went astray in times gone by, and who misled many, and strayed (themselves) from the Right Path.”

We in our capacity, we had presented the preceding facts in order to enlighten you only, and it is up to you to make the next move.

If you really treasure your salvation in the hereafter that much, and desire an eternal life of rewards over an eternal existence of punishment, then the choice must be clear by now. We advice you to act soon enough, before it’s too late, for no one ever knows when or where he or she is going to die---death being like a thief that comes in the middle of the night!

As for your guidance to the truth, you should ask directly from the CREATOR--- the One and Only, the Absolute, the Unlimited and the One who begets not, nor is He begotten. Seek it from Him who has no equal or no one comparable with. Pursue it from the Only One who Knows our intention and what we have in our hearts, with all your humility, sincerity and honesty. Turn your face to Him who is in the heaven, above His throne, ultimately seeking for His help and direction!

As they say: "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened up to you."

We will be looking forward to your Real SALVATION !!!

Dear brother in Humanity,

There is no compulsion for a person to accept the TRUTH, but it is certainly a shame upon the human intellect when a man or woman is not even interested in determining the TRUTH!

Islam teaches that our CREATOR has given human beings the faculty of reason. Therefore it is incumbent upon them to reason things out objectively and systematically for everyone to contemplate, to question and to reflect.

Similarly, you should find out for yourself about Islam from reliable sources and not only taste it, but rather digest it very well before you form an opinion of it. That would be an intellectual approach to the TRUTH.

In making your next move to the Religion of TRUTH, Islam will continually reassure you that your rights to freedom of choice and freedom to use that God-given faculty of thought and reason will be respected. For everyone has that individual will, no one else can take away that will and force you to submit to the will of our CREATOR, you have to find out and make that decision yourself. May your intellectual journey towards the TRUTH be a pleasant one…

2006-07-03T08:25:00.000+10:00

The "Big Bang" Theory Exposed:

This is a MUST listen for those who do not believe in the existence of God as well as for any non-Muslim!

Big Bang [1]

Big Bang [2]

Big Bang [3]

By Shaykh Yusuf Estes

2006-07-03T08:04:00.000+10:00

The Concept of God in the Major world

Religions:

2006-06-29T11:10:00.000+10:00

Assalamu 'Alaikum, peace be upon you!

As can be seen by our lack of posts and articles on our blog, we have been a bit busy lately. We have exams coming up and we need to study for it. Unfortunately, until Sunday, we won't be making any posts nor will we be able to reply to e-mails sent to us so if you don't get any replies from us then please be patient. We will try to get back to you as soon as we are done with our exams Insh'Allah (God Willing)!

Until then, we leave you with this.
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Is there a Creator ?!

We will answer by quoting a number of aayaat (verses) from the Book of Allaah (the Qur’aan – the scripture of Islam), then you can think to yourself about the matter and if the truth becomes clear to you, you will have no choice but to follow it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“We created you, then why do you believe not? Then tell Me (about) the human semen that you emit.Is it you who create it (i.e., make this semen into a perfect human being), or are We the Creator? We have decreed death unto you all, and We are not unable, To transfigure you and create you in (forms) that you know not.And indeed, you have already known the first form of creation (i.e., the creation of Adam). Why then do you not remember or take heed? Tell Me! The seed that you sow in the ground. Is it you that make it grow, or are We the Grower? Were it Our Will, We could crumble it to dry pieces, and you would be regretful (or left in wonderment),(Saying), ‘We are indeed Mughramoon (i.e., ruined, or lost the money without any profit, or punished by the loss of all that we spent for cultivation, etc.)! ‘Nay, but we are deprived!’ Tell Me! The water that you drink,Is it you who cause it from the rainclouds to come down, or are We the Causer of it to come down? If We willed, We verily could make it salt (and undrinkable). Why then do you not give thanks (to Allaah)?Tell Me! The fire which you kindle, Is it you who made the tree thereof to grow, or are We the Grower? We have made it a Reminder (for the Hell-fire, in the Hereafter); and an article of use for the travellers (and all others, in this world). The glorify with praises the Name of your Lord, the Most Great. So I swear by mawaaqi’ (setting to the mansions, etc.) of the stars (they traverse),And verily, that is indeed a great oath, if you but knew,That (this) is indeed an honourable recital (the Noble Qur’aan).” [Quran 56:57-77]

Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators?Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, but they have no firm Belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord? Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like?” [Quran 52:35-37]

“Verily, the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which Allaah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed aayaat (proofs, evidences, signs) for people of understanding.” [Quran 2:164]

“It is He Who sends down water (rain) from the sky, and with it We bring forth vegetation of all kinds, and out of it We bring forth green stalks, from which We bring forth thick clustered grain. And out of the date-palm and its spathe come forth clusters of dates hanging low and near, and gardens of grapes, olives and pomegranates, each similar (in kind) yet different (in variety and taste). Look at their fruits when they begin to bear, and the ripeness thereof. Verily! In these things there are signs for people who believe.” [Quran 6:99]

“And it is He Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His Mercy (rain), till when they have carried a heavy-laden cloud, We drive it to a land that is dead, then We cause water (rain) to descend thereon. Then We produce every kind of fruit therewith. Similarly, We shall raise up the dead, so that you may remember or take heed.” [Quran 7:57]

“Is not He (better than your gods) Who created the heavens and the earth, and sends down for you water (rain) from the sky, whereby We cause to grow wonderful gardens full of beauty and delight? It is not in your ability to cause the growth of their trees. Is there any god with Allaah? Nay, but they are a people who ascribe equals (to Him)!” [Quran 27:60]

“He has created the heavens and the earth without any pillars that you see, and has set on the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with you. And He has scattered therein moving (living) creatures of all kinds. And We send down water (rain) from the sky, and We cause (plants) of every goodly kind to grow therein.” [Quran 31:10]

And the two seas (kinds of water) are not alike, this fresh, sweet and pleasant to drink, and that saltish and bitter. And from them both you eat fresh tender meat (fish), and derive the ornaments that you wear. And you see the ships cleaving (the sea-water as they sail through it), that you may seek of His Bounty, and that you may give thanks.” [Quran 35:12]

And it is He Who has let free the two seas (kinds of water), one palatable and sweet, and the other salt and bitter, and He has set a barrier and a complete partition between them.” [Quran 25:53]

This is a selection of clear aayaat that include the answer to your question. We invite you to join the community of the believers and to enter the religion of Islam which Allaah has chosen as the religion for all mankind. Peace be upon those who follow true Guidance.

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Salam, Peace!

2006-06-23T09:23:00.000+10:00

Alarming New Anti-Terrorism Laws (Australia)

In the last edition of Mecca News we wrote a brief introduction of the anti-terrorism laws in this country. We talked about the knee-jerk law-making habits of the Government. We quoted Mr Ruddock, as saying that Australia’s anti-terror regime is an “unfinished canvas”, and that more laws would come.

Merely one month later, we have been proved disappointingly correct. On 8 September, the Government announced its 12-point proposal to strengthen this country’s anti-terrorism regime; within a few weeks, at least three States have indicated they want to increase their state police powers; and on 27 September, they all agreed that the proposal would go ahead, having only negotiated a 10-year sunset clause, and a 5-year review.

So what are these proposals? And why should Muslims care? Mr Howard was quoted as saying that these laws don’t specifically target Muslims, they only target behaviour.

The problem is that the new laws don’t just affect terrorists. They affect all Australians, but will have a particularly difficult impact on Muslims.

If one looks at the existing legislation and how it has been applied, we see that dozens of homes have been raided, with only a few leading to arrests. These are Muslim families whose lives have been seriously disturbed.

There are even further causes of concern with these latest proposals. One example of this is the police “stop and search” powers, which would allow police to stop someone in the street and search them. In theory, these laws apply to everyone, but in practice, police will be affected by the stereotypes and it is far more likely that someone of Middle Eastern appearance will be searched. This is not mere speculation, but has been confirmed by the head of the Police Federation of Australia, Mark Burgess, who said that racial profiling will no doubt be used, and that he wanted police to be exempt from law suits.

The laws are yet to be drafted so no details of the proposals are available. However, we are very alarmed by what we have been told. It is important for us to understand what the implications of the proposed laws are.

Control orders

“Control orders” would allow the police to go before a closed court and ask for restrictions to be placed on someone who “poses a terrorist risk”. The restrictions can limit who they can talk to, where they can go and what devices they can use (e.g. phone and internet). They may also require the person to wear a tracking device such as a electronic foot bracelet, or report regularly to a certain place as if they were on bail. These restrictions can last for up to 12 months.

This treatment is not even imposed on convicted murderers, but it is now going to be imposed on people who haven’t even been properly tried, simply on the basis that they may “pose a terrorist risk”. The problem is that this phrase is very vague and many innocent people may be thought by police to pose such a risk even though they do not.

Where does your Zakat go?

They are also proposing that new systems be in place to make sure charities are not misused to channel funds to terrorists. This would likely increase surveillance of Muslim charities that collect money for the poor and the needy. Financial services are already expected to develop risk-assessment tools to identify “Politically Exposed Persons”.When similar laws were introduced in the United States, many legitimate Islamic charities had their assets frozen. This stopped them from continuing to operate Muslim orphanages around the world and many thousands of Muslim children suffered.

Preventative detention

Preventative detention powers would allow people to be detained without charge for up to 14 days. This actually violates the Australian Constitution so the Federal Government had to ask the States to help them with this part of the law.This means that if there was suspicion that a terrorist attack would occur, hundreds of people could be detained on very thin grounds. They would not be able to go to work, or to communicate with anybody, if the existing laws are any guide.

Tougher ASIO powers

The current ASIO powers would be toughened under new proposals. Search warrants would be valid for 3 months instead of only 28 days. Instead of having to get a warrant to gain access to your mail every 3 months, they would only need to do it every 6 months. This means that there is less oversight over these processes, and will open the door for police corruption. This is important as any student of Australian history knows, police have not always been free from corruption in Australia.

Loss of free speech

Under the proposed laws, it would be a criminal offence for someone to incite violence against the community “in support of Australia’s enemies”. So it would be a crime to say “Iraqis should resist the occupation by the US, UK and Australia”, and they could face up to seven years in prison.

This isn’t just about Iraq. It is about the right of Muslims to speak up about injustice anywhere in the world and to support nations who want independence from occupying forces, even if those are forces of Australia or its allies.

Furthermore, the laws would be extended to ban organisations that “advocate terrorism”. The problem is that “advocate terrorism” could be very broad. For example an organisation that said that Iraqis should resist occupation and fight to have Iraq free of Australian forces could be seen as “advocating terrorism”. If the organisation is listed as a terrorist organisation, all the members of that organisation could go to prison for 10 years, and under current laws it would be an offence to “associate” with any of its directors, promoters or members.

Potential profiling of Muslims with “stop, question and search” powers

The new laws would extend “stop, question and search” powers of the police. These would give the police the ability to stop anyone in the street, search them (possibly even including strip searches) and ask them questions when police suspect a person might be about to commit a terrorist offence. Studies have shown that laws like these are applied based on stereotypes and racial profiling. It is very likely that these laws would be applied to people of “a middle Eastern appearance” more than any other group.

Other changes

There are also other changes, including: “notice to produce” powers that allow police to ask for information, police having access to airline passenger information, and the laws around citizenship will be toughened. For the latest on what is happening with these laws, visit our website: amcran.org

This article was taken from the October edition of Mecca News

2006-06-21T07:15:00.000+10:00

The Bible Led Me to Islam

Abdul Malik LeBlanc tells how he discovered Islam within the pages of Bible!

During my Christian days there were many verses in the Bible that made me question the religion I was following (Christianity). There was one particular verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says; "pray without ceasing," that lingered heavily in my mind. I often wondered how a person (Christian) was supposed to pray (be in a state of worship) without ceasing? Without any biblical or divine guidance, the only way I thought this to be possible was to always do good deeds and keep the remembrance of God on my tongue and in my heart.

However, I found this to be impossible to do as a human being. But when I was introduced to Islam in 1987, and began to read and learn more about this way of life, I found that Islam provided divine guidance both from God (Allah) and Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by which a person could pray (be in a state of worship) without ceasing, if it was the Will of God.

Whether waking up, eating, sleeping, putting on clothes, being in the presence of a woman, looking at a woman, going shopping, going to the bathroom, looking in the mirror, traveling, visiting the sick, sitting in a non-religious meeting, taking a bath, having sexual intercourse with one’s wife, yawning, cutting you nails, sneezing, greeting people, talking, hosting guests at home, walking, exercising, fighting, entering one’s house, praying and many other acts, Islam and the guidance therein of the Quran, and the acts and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), provided ways in which I could observe 1 Thessalonians 5:17. In addition, it allowed me to be at peace with myself and in submission to the one True God - Allah (SWT).

This divine guidance of Islam taught me greatly about my duties, responsibilities and birthright to my Creator (Allah), and more about the religion of Christianity as a Muslim, I [By the Will of Allah (SWT)] felt it necessary to share with you how the Bible led me to Islam.

Christianity

Given the fact that there has never been in the history of the Torah (Old Testament) the religion of God to be named after a Prophet (i.e. Adaminity, Abrahamity, Mosanity, etc.), I hope to explain that Jesus did not preach the religion of Christianity, but a religion that gives all Praise and Worship to The One God.

One of the questions I asked myself as I took an objective (second) look at Christianity was; where did the word Christianity come from and was the word ever mentioned to Jesus? Well, I did not find the word Christianity in the Bible, not even in a Bible dictionary. Specifically, I did not find in the Bible where Jesus called himself a Christian.

The word Christian was first mentioned by a pagan to describe those who followed Jesus. It is mentioned one of three times in the New Testament by a pagan and Jew in Antioch about 43 AD, (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16) long after Jesus left this earth. To accept the words of pagans as having any value or association with divinity, Jesus or God is contrary to the teachings of all Prophets.

Jesus prophesied that people would worship him uselessly and believe in doctrines made by men (Matthew 15:9).

"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." This verse, Matthew 15:9, is further supported by these words of the Quran:

"And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say unto men: "Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?" He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden and unseen.

Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’ And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world)." (Al-Ma’idah 5:116-117)

I found that Biblical verses like John 5:30, John 12:49, John 14:28, Isaiah 42:8 and Acts 2:22 support the above mentioned verses of the Quran.

Before leaving the subject of Christianity, I should mention one small point of observation. If Christians are Christ-like, why are they not greeting each other with the words; Peace be with you (Salamu Alaikum), as Jesus did in Luke 24:36. As you may be aware, the greeting from one Muslim to another Muslim is Assalamu Alaikum; a Christ-like saying.

Various Holy Bibles

It is worth mentioning that the Bible references cited might not be exactly as the Bible you are using. There are MANY Bibles on the market that are used by different Christian sects and all of these sects say that their book, though different, is the word of God. Such Bibles are: The Revised Standard Version 1952 & 1971, New American Standard Bible, The Holy Bible; New International Version, the Living Bible, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures used by Jehovah Witnesses, Roman Catholic Version and the King James Version. A special note: I have not found in any of these Bibles where the "New Testament" calls itself the "New Testament," and nowhere does the "Old Testament" call itself the "Old? Testament." Also, the word "Bible" is unknown within the pages of the Bible.

In addition to the many different Christian sects and Bibles, I have learned that there are also different men, not Prophets, who founded these sects and are using various interpretations of the Bible and/or man-made doctrines as their creed.

I would like to share with you some thoughts that you may not have read or known about the Bible being the word of God. Briefly, let me mention that on September 8, 1957, the Jehovah’s witnesses in their "Awake" magazine carried this startling headline - 50,000 Errors in the Bible. If you ask a Jehovah’s witness about this headline, it may be said that today most of those errors have been eliminated. How many have been eliminated, 5,000? Even if 50 remain, would one attribute those errors to God?

Let me pose another question: if a "Holy" book contained conflicting verses would you still consider it to be Holy? Most likely you will say of course not. Let me share with you some conflicting verses both in the Old and New Testaments:

II Samuel 8:4 (vs)
II Samuel 8:9-10
II Kings 8:26
II Samuel 6:23
Genesis 6:3
John 5:37
John 5:31
I Chronicles 18:4
I Chronicles 18:9-10
II Chronicles 22:2
II Samuel 21:8
Genesis 9:29
John 14:9
John 8:14

Only two contradictions of the New Testament have been mentioned, but others will be referenced when the Trinity, Divinity of Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship of Jesus, Original Sin and Atonement are reviewed.

How could the "inspired words" of God get the genealogy of Jesus incorrect (See Matthew 1:6-16 where it states 26 forefathers up to Prophet David, and Luke 3:23-31 says 41 in number). Or for that matter, give a genealogy to Jesus who had NO father? See II Kings 19:1-37, now read Isaiah 37:1-38. Why is it that the words of these verse are identical? Yet they have been attributed to two different authors, one unknown and the other is Isaiah, who are centuries apart; and yet, the Christians have claimed these books to be inspired by God.

I looked up the word Easter in the Nelson Bible dictionary and learned that the word "Easter" (as mentioned in Acts 12:4) is a mistranslation of "pascha," the ordinary Greek word for "Passover." As, you know Passover is a Jewish celebration not a Christian holiday. I think human hands, all to human, had played havoc with the Bible.

From the brief points mentioned above, and the fact that Biblical scholars themselves have recognized the human nature and human composition of the Bible (Curt Kuhl, The Old Testament: Its Origin and Composition, PP 47, 51, 52), there should exist in the Christian’s mind some acceptance to the fact that maybe every word of the Bible is not God’s word.

As a side note to this subject, let me mention that some Christians believe that the Bible was dictated to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) by a Christian monk, and that is why some of the biblical accounts are in the Quran. After some research, I found that this could not have happened because there were no Arabic Bible in existence in the 6th century of the Christian era when Muhammad (SAW) lived and preached. Therefore, no Arab, not even Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who was absolutely unlettered and unlearned, would have had the opportunity to examine the written text of the Bible in his own language.

The Gospels

If you read Luke 1:2-3, you will learn, as I did, that Luke (who was not one of the 12 disciples and never met Jesus) said that he himself was not an eyewitness, and the knowledge he gathered was from eyewitnesses, and not as words inspired by God. Incidentally, why does every "Gospel" begin with the introduction According to. Why "according to?" the reason for this is because not a single one of the gospels carries its original author’s autograph! Even the internal evidence of Matthew 9:9 proves that Matthew was not the author of the first Gospel which bears his name:

"And as Jesus passed forth thence, He (Jesus) saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He (Jesus) saith unto Him (Matthew), follow me (Jesus). And he (Matthew) arose, and followed Him (Jesus)."

Without any stretch of the imagination, one can see that the He’s and the Him’s of the above narration do not refer to Jesus or Matthew as its author, but a third person writing what he saw or heard - a hearsay account and not words inspired by God.

It is worth noting, and well known throughout the religious world, that the choice of the present four "gospels" of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) were imposed in the Council of Nicea 325 CE for political purposes under the auspices of the pagan Emperor Constantine, and not by Jesus. Constantine’s mind had not been enlightened either by study or by inspiration. He was a pagan, a tyrant and criminal who murdered his son, his wife and thousands of innocent individuals because of his lust for political power. Constantine ratified other decisions in the Nicene Creed such as the decision to call Christ "the Son of God, only begotten of the father."

Literally, hundreds of gospels and religious writings were hidden from the people. Some of those writings were written by Jesus’ disciples, and many of them were eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ actions. The Nicea Council decided to destroy all gospels written in Hebrew, which resulted in the burning of nearly three hundred accounts. If these writings were not more authentic than the four present gospels, they were of equal authenticity. Some of them are still available such as the Gospel of Barnabas and the Shepherd of Hermas which agree with the Quran. The Gospel of Barnabas, until now, is the only eyewitness account of the life and mission of Jesus. Even today, the whole of the Protestant word, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and other sects and denominations condemn the Roman Catholic version of the Bible because it contains seven "extra" books. The Protestant have bravely expunged seven whole books from their word of God. A few of the outcasts are the Books of Judith, Tobnias, Baruch and Esther.

Concerning Jesus’ teachings of the Gospel (Injeel), the Gospel writers frequently mentioned Jesus preaching the Gospel: Matthew 9:35, Mark 8:35, and Luke 20:1. The word "gospel" is recurrently used in the Bible. However, in the New Testament Greek edition the word Evangeline is used in place of the word gospel, which is translated to mean good news. My question was: what Gospel did Jesus preach? Of the 27 books of the New Testament, only a small fraction can be accepted as the words of Jesus, and only of the 27 books are known to be attributed as the Gospel of Jesus. The remaining 23 were supposedly written by Paul. Muslims do believe that Jesus was given God’s "Good News." However, they do not recognized the present four Gospels as the utterances of Jesus.

Read the rest of our brothers story here