Why Muslims need a different Ben Ladin?

By: Maged Taman

A lot of Muslims/Arab and even foreigners understands well the compelling reasons for his terrible terrorist attacks of 9/11 (more recently it is being thought as an internal job). Even the American administration acknowledge that and talked about the hopelessness and severe oppression and poverty as causes for terrorism. They admitted as well their unconditioned and unjustified support to many of the Arab regimes.

The words are good but actions are what count for. As Muslims/Arabs we have always to keep open door that actions may come at sometime. As one Muslim politician Mawya said " If there is a thread of hair between me and the other people I would never cut it off". Ben Ladin may be still be a hero to many Muslims and Arabs. However, he did not attract the moderates who are the greatest bulk and the most able so less brave to move masses.

The animalistic styles of killing Muslims and non-Muslims and the failure to talk politics harmed well their cause. Though other alternatives are very difficult to do, like a revolution, though we have no alternatives but to do it. When the Arab streets are full of protestors America would have no alternative but to stand with the masses against the tyrants. Moderate Muslims are to be better organized and form a new front against all the terrorists/Jihadists, Arab dictators and American hypocrisy.

The problem is they think they can work through the American government. The trick is the American government main task is to fight the terrorists so they need the Arab tyrants for a number of years. Thus only revolutions, peaceful ones will drag America to support the masses even if they to hide the tyrants somewhere.

The main wealth of the Muslim is the oil which used to finance Iraqi-Iranian war, Gulf war one and the western economies and not used to invest in Arab and Muslim countries. The minister of the Saudi foreign affairs talked about the poverty saying the famous ward of Imam Ali " If the poverty was a man I would have killed him". I do not know why he did not kill him in the past 20 years when he was a minister and continues to do so.

The Arab and Muslim moderates would need to gather masses around them and use all resources particularly the media. They need a kind of a leader that can gather them. If there is no Mahdi they have to make one, say a geopolitical leader or a group of elite that best represent them.

They have to accept Israel as first goal. Let us close the theater that the Arab leaders hides behind. Thousands of Muslims killed in Sudan and no much talk in the media about them. They caused us to be desensitized to any problem but the Arab/Israel struggle. Religiously it is also their land and with the Palestinian they have to work things out. We need our main goals to get rid of the tyrants and create democratic prosperous societies enjoying the mainstream Islam which is very moderate. I do not care if the Muslim world will look like an Empire or as prosperous and loosely connected states. All I care is we get the best of Islam to the advantage of Muslims and non-Muslims.

We have to deal with America prudently even the Europeans do that. There are a lot of Christians and Jews all over the world that understand well our problems and ready to open the dialogue. Let us push them in the Arab media let us liberate America from the imperialism and selfishness to be a great moral world power. We have to win politically the major powers as China, EU and Russia. All powers in the world would appreciate a non hostile, moderate and civilized group of Islamic states that would adapt the humanistic cooperative approach to all problems with open dialogue, no secrecy or imperialism.

The Simple Life of Muhammad

If we compare the life of Muhammad before his mission as a prophet and his life after he began his mission as a prophet, we will conclude that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad was a false prophet, who claimed prophethood to attain material gains, greatness, glory, or power.Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad had no financial worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad drew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as a prophet and because of it, he became worse off materially. To clarify this more, let us browse the following sayings on his life:n Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said, “O my nephew, we would sight three new moons in two months without lighting a fire (to cook a meal) in the Prophet’s houses.” Her nephew asked, “O Aunt, what sustained you?” She said, “The two black things, dates and water, but the Prophet had some Ansar neighbors who had milk-giving she-camels and they used to send the Prophet some of its milk.”1n Sahl Ibn Sa’ad, one of Muhammad’s companions, said, “The Prophet of God did not see bread made from fine flour from the time God sent him (as a prophet) until he died.”2n Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said, “The mattress of the Prophet , on which he slept, was made of leather stuffed with the fiber of the date-palm tree.”3n Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad’s companions, said that when the Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else except his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land which he left to charity.4 Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim treasury was at his disposal, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula was Muslim before he died, and the Muslims were victorious after eighteen years of his mission.Is it possible that Muhammad might have claimed prophethood in order to attain status, greatness, and power? The desire to enjoy status and power is usually associated with good food, fancy clothing, monumental palaces, colorful guards, and indisputable authority. Do any of these indicators apply to Muhammad ? A few glimpses of his life that may help answer this question follow.Despite his responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a statesman, and a judge, Muhammad used to milk his goat,5 mend his clothes, repair his shoes,6 help with the household work,7 and visit poor people when they got sick.8 He also helped his companions in digging a trench by moving sand with them.9 His life was an amazing model of simplicity and humbleness.Muhammad’s followers loved him, respected him, and trusted him to an amazing extent. Yet he continued to emphasize that deification should be directed to God and not to him personally. Anas, one of Muhammad’s companions, said that there was no person whom they loved more than the Prophet Muhammad , yet when he came to them, they did not stand up for him because he hated their standing up for him,10 as other people do with their great people.Long before there was any prospect of success for Islam and at the outset of a long and painful era of torture, suffering, and persecution of Muhammad and his followers, he received an interesting offer. An envoy of the pagan leaders, Otba, came to him saying, “...If you want money, we will collect enough money for you so that you will be the richest one of us. If you want leadership, we will take you as our leader and never decide on any matter without your approval. If you want a kingdom, we will crown you king over us...” Only one concession was required from Muhammad in return for that, to give up calling people to Islam and worshipping God alone without any partner. Wouldn’t this offer be tempting to one pursuing worldly benefit? Was Muhammad hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it down as a bargaining strategy leaving the door open for a better offer? The following was his answer: {In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful} And he recited to Otba the verses of the Quran 41:1-38.11 The Following are some of these verses:A revelation from (God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; a Book whereof the verses are explained in detail; a Quran in Arabic, for people who know, giving good news and warning, yet most of them turn away, so they do not listen. (Quran, 41:2-4)On another occasion and in response to his uncle’s plea to stop calling people to Islam, Muhammad’s answer was as decisive and sincere: {I swear by the name of God, O Uncle!, that if they place the sun in my right-hand and the moon in my left-hand in return for giving up this matter (calling people to Islam), I will never desist until either God makes it triumph or I perish defending it.}12Muhammad and his few followers did not only suffer from persecution for thirteen years but the unbelievers even tried to kill Muhammad several times. On one occasion they attempted to kill him by dropping a large boulder, which could barely be lifted, on his head.13 Another time they tried to kill him by poisoning his food.14 What could justify such a life of suffering and sacrifice even after he was fully triumphant over his adversaries? What could explain the humbleness and nobility which he demonstrated in his most glorious moments when he insisted that success is due only to God’s help and not to his own genius? Are these the characteristics of a power-hungry or a self-centered man?Next: The Phenomenal Growth of Islam_____________________________Footnotes:(1) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2972, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2567. (2) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #5413, and Al-Tirmizi, #2364. (3) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2082, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6456. (4) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2739, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17990. (5) Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #25662. (6) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #676, and Mosnad Ahmad, #25517. (7) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #676, and Mosnad Ahmad, #23706. (8) Narrated in Mowatta’ Malek, #531. (9) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3034, and Saheeh Muslim, #1803, and Mosnad Ahmad, #18017. (10) Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #12117, and Al-Tirmizi, #2754. (11) Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah, Ibn Hesham, vol. 1, pp. 293-294. (12) Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah, Ibn Hesham, vol. 1, pp. 265-266. (13) Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah, Ibn Hesham, vol. 1, pp. 298-299. (14) Narrated in Al-Daremey, #68, and Abu-Dawood, #4510. From www.islam-guide.com

3) Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Prophet Muhammad.

The Biblical prophecies on the advent of the Prophet Muhammad are evidence of the truth of Islam for people who believe in the Bible.In Deuteronomy 18, Moses stated that God told him: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19).1From these verses we conclude that the prophet in this prophecy must have the following three characteristics:1) That he will be like Moses.2) That he will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites.3) That God will put His words in to the mouth of this prophet and that he will declare what God commands him.Let us examine these three characteristics in more depth:1) A prophet like Moses:There were hardly any two prophets who were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad . Both were given a comprehensive law and code of life. Both encountered their enemies and were victorious in miraculous ways. Both were accepted as prophets and statesmen. Both migrated following conspiracies to assassinate them. Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlook not only the above similarities but other crucial ones as well. These include the natural birth, the family life, and death of Moses and Muhammad but not of Jesus. Moreover Jesus was regarded by his followers as the Son of God and not exclusively as a prophet of God, as Moses and Muhammad were and as Muslims believe Jesus was. So, this prophecy refers to the Prophet Muhammad and not to Jesus, because Muhammad is more like Moses than Jesus.Also, one notices from the Gospel of John that the Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of three distinct prophecies. The first was the coming of Christ. The second was the coming of Elijah. The third was the coming of the Prophet. This is obvious from the three questions that were posed to John the Baptist: “Now this was John’s testimony, when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” (John 1:19-21). If we look in a Bible with cross-references, we will find in the marginal notes where the words “the Prophet” occur in John 1:21, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18.2 We conclude from this that Jesus Christ is not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18.2) From the brothers of the Israelites:Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21). Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was not to come from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, i.e. the Ishmaelites. Muhammad , a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed this prophet.Also, Isaiah 42:1-13 speaks of the servant of God, His “chosen one” and “messenger” who will bring down a law. “He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:4). Verse 11, connects that awaited one with the descendants of Kedar. Who is Kedar? According to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, the ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad .3) God will put His words in the mouth of this prophet:The words of God (the Holy Quran) were truly put into Muhammad’s mouth. God sent the Angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad the exact words of God (the Holy Quran) and asked him to dictate them to the people as he heard them. The words are therefore not his own. They did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the Angel Gabriel. During the life time of Muhammad , and under his supervision, these words were then memorized and written by his companions.Also, this prophecy in Deuteronomy mentioned that this prophet will speak the words of God in the name of God. If we looked to the Holy Quran, we will find that all its chapters, except Chapter 9, are preceded or begin with the phrase, “In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”Another indication (other than the prophecy in Deuteronomy) is that Isaiah ties the messenger connected with Kedar with a new song (a scripture in a new language) to be sung to the Lord (Isaiah 42:10-11). This is mentioned more clearly in the prophecy of Isaiah: “and another tongue, will he speak to this people” (Isaiah 28:11 KJV). Another related point, is that the Quran was revealed in sections over a span of twenty-three years. It is interesting to compare this with Isaiah 28 which speaks of the same thing, “For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there.” (Isaiah 28:10).Note that God has said in the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18, “If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy, 18:19). This means that whoever believes in the Bible must believe in what this prophet says, and this prophet is the Prophet Muhammad .Next: The Verses in the Quran That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass_____________________________Footnotes:(1) All of the verses on this page have been taken from The NIV Study Bible, New International Version, except where noted as being KJV which means King James Version. (2) See the marginal notes in The NIV Study Bible, New International Version on verse 1:21, p. 1594. From: www.islam-guide.com

Top Ten List According to Bible Rejecting Jesus’ Divinity!

By: Shahid Bin Waheed!1. Mark 12:29 Jesus said "Here, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." [This confirms that Jesus preached to worship One and Only God, not trinity.2. John 20:17 Jesus said I ascend to my God and your God. [Jesus has a God according to him; we know that God can’t have a God?]3. John 8:28 Jesus said, "I do nothing of myself” [Can a God be this dependant?]4. John 14:28 Jesus said, "My Father (GOD) is greater than I am" [So, how can Jesus himself be a God?]5. Luke 23:46 Jesus said "Father (GOD), into thy hands I commend my spirit" [God does not have spirit like Jesus did.]6. Matthew 24:36 Jesus told his followers that no one (including Jesus) knows when the judgment day will come, only GOD knows. [Or Jesus was lying to his followers, if he was God?]7. John 5:30 Jesus told his followers that he couldn’t do a single thing of his own. [When a God became this helpless?]8. John 5:32 Jesus told his followers that they have never seen GOD at anytime nor ever heard his voice. [Or Jesus was lying again here, if he was God?]9. Luke 5:16 Jesus prays to God. [Funny, if Jesus was God, then why he is praying to God? Since when and how a God has a God?10. Matthew 26:39 Jesus fell on his face and prayed to his GOD like Muslims do. [How would you explain this from the very Bible?

Freedom From All Oppression.

By: Maged Taman

Oppression is the worst abuse humans can suffer. For a lot of people death can be preferred over oppression. There are a lot of faces for oppression:1- Occupation.2- Tyrant regimes.3- Oppression against women.4- Oppression of minorities.5- Discrimination with all its forms: race, color, gender, sexuality...6- Poverty.7- Sins.8- Fear: second to tyranny, absence of health and long term security, sins...9- Insecurity: physical and sexual abuse, violent societies, absence of health and long term security...10- Debts.11- Religious oppression to people with different faith or no faith.As you see to liberate the human mind and spirit there are a lot of things that need to be done. The UN and world leaders both political and religious have to work it out to liberate the human soul and mind. This can be done with a lot of politics and not wars. There is no absolute evil and good. Many times people against us are not our enemies but the other side. If every one is to be fair and put his foot on other person shoe we will have a lot of understanding and we can change the world. People who follow prophecies think the world will change only through the tribulation that God will inflict on humans. I do not know, I keep reading prophecies, meanwhile we have to use the sound politics and judgment to change the world. Prophecies ultimately reflects our judgments and actions.

The Failure Of The Western Civilization.

The western civilization has failed to provide to the human progress and soul. Though there is materilaistic progress it is in the same time become dangerous to humans. These are my points:1- It is build on materialism.2- It does not have sincerity.3- It is artifical looks to the exterior.4- It glorifies and worship figures in the community and then turn against them.5- It is restless since the value is in the material which is never steady.6- It is built on greed.7- It says to you it is O.K to do it if no one can see you regardless of your position.8- It creates a culture of corruption.9- It creates sinful people then trash them unlike Islam which pull the hands of sinners and purify them.10- It blinds the people about any external abuse or even expolitation of other countries it if keeps the western people affluent and well to do.11- It creates wars and support the military industerial complex.12- Same inventions it creates are the same that extrminate humans as the war machines and scandals with some medicines.13- The same legal system it provides is the same that is strangulating the socities since laws comes before morals. It make people enemies and deceive one another.14- The fear of western civilization of Islam is not because of terrorism but because it would not tolerate an anti-corruption religion.15- It bended Christianity to agree with the heartless corrupted civilization and did not use Christianity to correct it.Muslims are not waiting for the collpse of the western civilization but wants to revive it. It still have many good things though it started to loose it like opened honest governments and supporting human rights in other continents

Muslims Are Coming.

We Muslims frankly want to convert the world to Islam because of the good Islam has to humanity. Any other faith has the right to do the same. It is like the free market it is competing of ideas. We have the internet and the mass media and millions of blogs. All of these help the debate and sharpen ideas. It creates consensus that when all facts are available and through unbiased discussions people will meet at a point or at least will get close enough to the truth. As Muslims we would like to convert the Muslims first to Islam that the west unfairly denied us this right by supporting the rotten and immoral Arab regimes. Who are in fact if we talk Christianity are the most antichrist regimes in the world. We do not want the world to convert to extreme or militant Islam that the west created by leaving an empty vacuum to them. We want moderate Islam we want to spread the teachings and gospel of Jesus as we Muslims got it right. Muslims are coming not by invading or forcing others to convert to Islam. Islam believes in Muslims who come to Islam willingly with convinced minds and searching hearts. Muslims will not invade America but Americans will explore Islam. It is not a clash of civilizations but it is a debate of civilizations. Why Muslims are coming:1- Islam is real.2- Islam believes in reasoning. Even after you convert to Islam very willingly you use reason for almost every thing.3- Islam is for every one interest: the universal and humane values.4- Islam spreads morality.5- Islam protects you personally with diminish of crimes, social problems.6- Islam is an open door to every one.7- Islam is tolerant to every one.8- Islam encourages honesty which is the best medium of exchange to all of us.9- Islam acknowledges human weakness and pulls the hand of sinner.10- Islam is a peaceful religion. Militant Muslims is a rare phenomena second to the ruthless oppression.11- Islam has great momentum it moves people towards great causes.12- Islam is dynamic: no one is certain of going to heaven or desperate that he will go to hell. Muslim is realistically optimistic. No one faith is 100% all the times we all struggle to be more believers. We are there when we pray and do the good deeds otherwise our hearts get rusty.13- Islam has no one between you and God. You are special to him and more so as you get closer to him.14- Islam looks at hearts and God in Islam is the God of hearts.15- Islam is against wars but evil would not leave the good in peace as happened with the early Christians and Jews. Wars abused by all people from different religions and backgrounds.16- Islam fights poverty which brings a lot of evil with it.Muslims are coming not by invading but by debating. They are not coming form outside but from within the west. They will not come falling from trees but by growing from the land. They are not coming for any purpose except for God and the Islamic values. They are bringing Islam to the west since the west oppressed Islam in its countries and doing a little to help out. Islam comes to the west because the leaders of the west are civilized and knows the importance of liberty.

Jesus Is A Great Prophet.

Son of God is a figure of speech which many other Prophets were labeled as for example; in the King James Version of the Bible
(Psalms 2:7) David is the begotten Son of God.
Many others in the Bible are called God's son;
Jacob God's firstborn son (Exodus 4:22)
Solomon is God's son (2 Samuel 7:13-14)
Ephraim is God's firstborn son (Jeremiah 31:9)
Adam is the son of God (Luke 3:38)
Other Prophets Preformed similar Miracles as Jesus ;
Ezekiel raised many from the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-9)
Joshua stopped the sun and moon for one whole day (Joshua 10:12-13)
Elisha raised the dead, resurrected himself, healed a leper, fed a hundred people with twenty barley loaves and a few ears of corn, and healed a blind man: (2 Kings 4:35, 13:21, 5:14, 4:44, and 6:11.)
Elijah raised the dead (1 Kings 17:22 and 14.)
Other Prophets were filled with the Holy Ghost;
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:67)
Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:41)
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 4:8)
Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 13:9)
Many other Prophets were called Lord for example;
Abraham (Genesis 18:12)
Esau (Genesis 32:4)
Joseph (Genesis 44:20)
David (1 Samuel 25:24)

Jesus taught Salvation comes from Submitting your will to God and Faith as Muslims do .

(Matthew 7:21-23) "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"