From: www.thetruereligion.org
Some people think that to live an Islamic life is "restrictive". Islam however, was revealed as a balanced way of living. Allah (The Most High) created all the humans with what is called 'A Fitrah' (a natural state/desire).Islam recognises that within this Fitrah there are motivations that influence a man's role on earth e.g. a desire for good food and drink, to have a home, a desire for love and sex, to protect and be protected and to be successful and strong. Without some form of control and limit, all of these legitimate motives could prove very dangerous.
So what constitutes the perfect control for the Fitrah? It must be a method that provides an organised yet practical demonstration of how to balance all these natural human desires. It cannot be something that goes against the Fitrah, by placing on it extra burdens. Likewise, it cannot be something that allows the human desires to run wild without any form of control.
Islam is the perfect control for the Fitrah. It provides a divine method that elevates man above animals and the rest of creation.
Humans lack perfect knowledge as well as perfect wisdom. No matter how hard we try, we will never attain the perfect way of life by our own thinking and interpretation. This is the reason why Allaah being the Most Wise, sent us the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)[2] to show us this practical and organised way of life.
Allaah, being Perfect, in His Wisdom and Knowledge, perfected a complete way of life for us. He has set His limitations and rules, all of which are beneficial to mankind, and therefore, do not need changing:
"These are the limits (set) by Allaah, so do not approach them"
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:1871)
"These are the limits set by Allaah, so do not transgress them"
(Surah al-Baqarah 2:229)
This is why Islam does not allow celibacy, because it is against the Fitrah, i.e., the desire for sex. Celibacy goes beyond the limits required by humans, and is something that cannot be fulfilled because humans are designed to procreate. As humans we are not expected to fast every single day for the rest of our lives (for most 30 days of the year provides an up-hill struggle). It is also from ignorance to say that 'I shall not sleep during the night, but rather I shall pray!' [3] Humans have not been created by Allah to live life in such a manner. There is a balance which must be observed.
The following incident describes the Islamic stance towards such behaviour, Anas reported that some of the Companions of Allaah's Messenger (SAW) used to say: "I will not marry women"; someone else said: "I will not eat meat"; and someone else said: "I will not lie down in bed". (On hearing this): The Prophet (SAW) praised Allaah, and glorified Him and said: "what has happened to these people that they say so and so, whereas I observe prayer and I sleep too. I observe fast and I break my fast; I marry women also. And he who turns away from my Sunnah (i.e., my example or lifestyle), he has no relation with me" [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim vol. 2. p703. no. 32361].
Islam on the other hand, does not allow the person to surrender themselves to lust and desire, as in contemporary 'civilisation'. Islam recognises the love a man has for women, children, gold, silver, and other possessions. But it provides a limit for the amount of this worldly pleasure which we require, and reminds us of the life in the hereafter.
"Beautified for men is the love of things they desire: Women, Children, much of gold and silver (wealth), branded beautiful horses, cattle and well-tilled land. This is the pleasure of the present world's life, but Allaah has the excellent return ( Paradise )"
(Surah Aali-Imraan 3:141)
The inclinations and desires of the Fitrah are not to become the objective in life. Rather they are to be taken in a stabilised manner. The way to deal with them is real and Allaah (The Most High) has given us the detailed descriptions of a levelled approach. This levelled approach gives mankind the perfectly balanced pleasure in this worldly life. The method of maintaining a well-balanced life is not an endurance test to see who lasts the longest. Allah has revealed Islam, to show us how to attain this balance in a real manner. Life is not a torturous spiritual test, where you are ordered to Iive in mountains and trees. Fasting all year round is not obligatory. Marriage is permissible and you do not have to beat yourself senseless to purify your soul! Rather as Muslims, we must try to follow the Prophet and his balanced teachings of life and living. As Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (saw), you have a good example to follow.."
(Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21)
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Islam at a Glance
From: www.beautifulislam.net
Discover Islam! The eternal and universal religion of more than one billion people from every race and nationality.
MUSLIMS’ BELIEF IN A NUTSHELL
“Say: We believe in Allah (God Almighty) and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him (God) we submit.” (Holy Qur’an 3:83)
ISLAM AND MUSLIM
Islam is an Arabic word which means peace, purity, acceptance and commitment. The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the teachings and the guidance of God, (i.e. surrender to the Will of Allah).
A Muslim is one who accepts freely and willingly the supreme power of Allah and strives for total re-organisation of his life according to the revealed teachings of God. He also works towards the establishment of a just social order which would totally reflect the guidance of God.
CONTINUITY OF MESSAGE
Islam is not a new religion. It is in essence the same message and guidance which Allah revealed to all His Prophets. ‘Say: We believe in Allah and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.’ (Holy Qur’an 3:83)
The message which was revealed to Muhammad, the last Prophet, is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Every action which is done with the awareness that it fulfils the will of Allah is considered an act of worship in Islam. Nevertheless, the specific acts of worship, termed the pillars of Islam, provide the framework of spiritual life.
They are the following:
The declaration of faith: ‘I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger; the prophethood of Muhammad obliges the Muslims to follow his exemplary life in every way.
Prayers are prescribed five times a day as a duty towards Allah. They strengthen and enliven the belief in Allah and inspire man to a higher morality. They purify the heart and control the temptation towards wrong doing and evil. It should be stressed that while Allah does not need our prayers we cannot survive without His blessings and guidance. “0 you who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.” (Holy Qur'an 2:153)
Fasting is observed once each year during the month of Ramadaan. This means abstention from food, drink and intimate marital relationship from dawn to sunset. and also from evil intentions and desires. It teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound social conscience, patience, unselfishness and willpower. When we fast by choice. Allah remembers our sacrifice.
Zakaat - payment annually of 2.5% of one's net savings as a purifying sum to be spent on the poor and needy. Zakaat implies that everything man possesses belongs to Allah and therefore anyone in need has a share in it.
Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah - once in a lifetime provided one has the means to do so. Hajj implies man's temporary suspension of all worldly activities and his realisation of himself as a naked soul in front of Allah alone.
ONENESS OF GOD
Islam enjoins faith in the Oneness and Sovereignty of God, which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and his place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions by making him conscious of the presence of Almighty Allah and of man's obligations towards Him. Belief in one God requires that we look upon all humanity as one family irrespective of colour, class, race or territory, under the Omnipotence of Allah the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people, making faith in Allah and good action the only way to Heaven. Thus a direct relationship is established with Allah, open to all alike, without any intercessor.
MAN, THE FREE AGENT
Man is the highest creation of Allah and chooses his own way. Created with the highest potentialities, man is left relatively free in his will, action and choice. Allah has shown him the right path and the life of Prophet Muhammad provides a perfect example. Man's success and salvation lies in following them. Islam teaches the sanctity of the human personality and confers equal rights upon all without any distinction of race or sex.
The law of Allah, enunciated in the Qur'an’ an and exemplified in the life of the Prophet, is supreme in all cases. It applies equally to the highest and the lowest, the prince and the peasant, the ruler and the ruled.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
The world according to Islam, is a place of trial and man is being judged in it. Man is accountable to Allah for all that he does herein. Life on earth will, one day, come to an end: and after that a new world will be resurrected. It will be in this Life after Death that man will be rewarded or punished for his deeds and misdeeds. Allah will judge man on the day of existence which leads to further blessings. or to Hell, a stage of suffering and punishment.
QUR'AN AND HADITH
The Qur’an is the last revealed Word of Allah and as such affirms and completes the total process of revelation which has come from the Divine Guidance for the human race. The Qur’an is the basic source of Islamic teachings and laws and deals with the bases of creed, morality, history of humanity, worship. knowledge, wisdom, the God-man relation, and human relationship, in all aspects. Comprehensive teachings on which sound systems of social justice, economics, politics, legislation, jurisprudence, law and international relations can be built, are important contents of the Holy Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad himself was an unlettered man who could not read or write. The Holy Qur’an was revealed to him piece-meal over a period of 23 years and committed to memory and writing by his followers under his supervision during his lifetime. The original and complete text of the Qur’an is available to everybody in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed. Translations of the meaning into many languages are widely used.
Hadith, the teachings, sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, meticulously reported and collected by his devoted companions, explain and elaborate the Qur'anic verses.
CONCEPT OF WORSHIP
Islam does not teach or accept mere ritualism. It emphasises intention and action. To worship Allah is to know Him and love Him, to act upon His laws in every aspect of life, to enjoin goodness and forbid evil and oppression, to practice charity and justice and to serve Him by serving mankind. Islam seeks to implant in man's heart the strongest conviction that his every thought and action are known by Allah, Who sees him at all times and in all places.
The Qur’an presents this concept in the following sublime manner: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or to the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day the Angels and the Books and the Prophets; and gives his wealth for the love of Him to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observes proper worship and pays the Zakaat. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and they are patient in the tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are those who are Godfearing;” (Holy Qur’an 2:177)
ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE
Islam provides definite guidelines for all people to follow in all walks of life. The guidance it gives is comprehensive and includes the social, economic, political, moral and spiritual aspects of life.
The Qur’an reminds man of the purpose of life on earth, and his duties and obligations towards himself, his kith and kin, his community. his fellow human beings and his Creator. Man is given fundamental guidelines about a purposeful life and then he is left with the challenge of human existence before him so that he might put these high ideals into practice. In Islam man is a wholesome, integrated unit and not a collection of fragmented, competitive parts. The sacred and secular are not separate parts of man; they are united in the nature of human being.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in the year 570 A.C. in Makkah, Arabia. He came from a noble Arab family. He received the first revelation at the age of forty. As soon as he started preaching Islam, he and his followers were persecuted and had to face severe hardships. He was therefore commanded to migrate to Madinah, another city in Arabia. During a short span of 23 years, he completed his prophethood and died at the age of 63. He was put to rest in the city of Madinah. He left no wealth or property. He led a perfect life and set an example for all human beings. His biography illustrates in real life. the meaning and implications of the Qur’anic teachings.
ISLAM'S RATIONAL APPEAL
Islam is a simple, rational and practical religion. The unity of God, the Prophethood of Muhammad and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of faith. There is no hierarchy of priests and there are no complicated rites and rituals. Everybody may approach the Quran directly and translate its dictates into practice.
Islam stands for the middle path and the goal of producing a moral man in the service of a just society. "Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter" (Holy Qur’an 2:201)
Islam guides towards a better and complete life glorifying in all Its phases Allah, the Almighty Creator.
STATUS OF WOMEN
No discrimination is made on the basis of sex. Islam recognises that the sphere of potential capabilities and hence responsibilities of men and women are equally important in themselves but not exactly the same. The roles of men and women are complementary to each other.
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Marriage is a very important and sacred bond of relationship between man and woman and a step towards a better, purer and happier life. Islam gives both man and woman full right to divorce. Nevertheless divorce is discouraged and is allowed as the last resort. Islam allows limited polygamy only as a remedy subject to certain conditions.
ISLAM - THE SOLUTION FOR MODERN PROBLEMS
THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN
A major problem which modern man faces is that of racism. The materially advanced nations can send man to the moon but they cannot stop man from hating and fighting his fellow man. Islam, over the last 1400 years, has shown in practice how racism can be ended. Every year During the Hajj, the Islamic miracle of the real brotherhood of all races and nations can be seen in action.
THE FAMILY
The family which is the basic unit of civilisation is disintegrating in all western countries. Islam's family system brings into a fine equilibrium the rights of man, wife, children and relatives. Islam nourishes human unselfishness, generosity and love in a well organised family system.
Human beings live according to their view of life. The tragedy of secular societies is that they fail to connect the different aspects of life. The secular and the religious, the scientific and the spiritual seem to be in conflict. Islam puts an end to this conflict and brings harmony to man's vision of life.
CONCLUSION
What is the state of the world today? Has man freed himself from all superstitions, imbecilities and absurd beliefs? Has he discovered the man from within himself? Has he liberated himself from the yoke of worldly tyrants indulging in the exploitation of man by man? If such a millennium has not been achieved despite all the developments in science and technology, then Islam has still a great and glorious part to play.
Discover Islam! The eternal and universal religion of more than one billion people from every race and nationality.
MUSLIMS’ BELIEF IN A NUTSHELL
“Say: We believe in Allah (God Almighty) and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him (God) we submit.” (Holy Qur’an 3:83)
ISLAM AND MUSLIM
Islam is an Arabic word which means peace, purity, acceptance and commitment. The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the teachings and the guidance of God, (i.e. surrender to the Will of Allah).
A Muslim is one who accepts freely and willingly the supreme power of Allah and strives for total re-organisation of his life according to the revealed teachings of God. He also works towards the establishment of a just social order which would totally reflect the guidance of God.
CONTINUITY OF MESSAGE
Islam is not a new religion. It is in essence the same message and guidance which Allah revealed to all His Prophets. ‘Say: We believe in Allah and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.’ (Holy Qur’an 3:83)
The message which was revealed to Muhammad, the last Prophet, is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Every action which is done with the awareness that it fulfils the will of Allah is considered an act of worship in Islam. Nevertheless, the specific acts of worship, termed the pillars of Islam, provide the framework of spiritual life.
They are the following:
The declaration of faith: ‘I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger; the prophethood of Muhammad obliges the Muslims to follow his exemplary life in every way.
Prayers are prescribed five times a day as a duty towards Allah. They strengthen and enliven the belief in Allah and inspire man to a higher morality. They purify the heart and control the temptation towards wrong doing and evil. It should be stressed that while Allah does not need our prayers we cannot survive without His blessings and guidance. “0 you who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere.” (Holy Qur'an 2:153)
Fasting is observed once each year during the month of Ramadaan. This means abstention from food, drink and intimate marital relationship from dawn to sunset. and also from evil intentions and desires. It teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound social conscience, patience, unselfishness and willpower. When we fast by choice. Allah remembers our sacrifice.
Zakaat - payment annually of 2.5% of one's net savings as a purifying sum to be spent on the poor and needy. Zakaat implies that everything man possesses belongs to Allah and therefore anyone in need has a share in it.
Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah - once in a lifetime provided one has the means to do so. Hajj implies man's temporary suspension of all worldly activities and his realisation of himself as a naked soul in front of Allah alone.
ONENESS OF GOD
Islam enjoins faith in the Oneness and Sovereignty of God, which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and his place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions by making him conscious of the presence of Almighty Allah and of man's obligations towards Him. Belief in one God requires that we look upon all humanity as one family irrespective of colour, class, race or territory, under the Omnipotence of Allah the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people, making faith in Allah and good action the only way to Heaven. Thus a direct relationship is established with Allah, open to all alike, without any intercessor.
MAN, THE FREE AGENT
Man is the highest creation of Allah and chooses his own way. Created with the highest potentialities, man is left relatively free in his will, action and choice. Allah has shown him the right path and the life of Prophet Muhammad provides a perfect example. Man's success and salvation lies in following them. Islam teaches the sanctity of the human personality and confers equal rights upon all without any distinction of race or sex.
The law of Allah, enunciated in the Qur'an’ an and exemplified in the life of the Prophet, is supreme in all cases. It applies equally to the highest and the lowest, the prince and the peasant, the ruler and the ruled.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
The world according to Islam, is a place of trial and man is being judged in it. Man is accountable to Allah for all that he does herein. Life on earth will, one day, come to an end: and after that a new world will be resurrected. It will be in this Life after Death that man will be rewarded or punished for his deeds and misdeeds. Allah will judge man on the day of existence which leads to further blessings. or to Hell, a stage of suffering and punishment.
QUR'AN AND HADITH
The Qur’an is the last revealed Word of Allah and as such affirms and completes the total process of revelation which has come from the Divine Guidance for the human race. The Qur’an is the basic source of Islamic teachings and laws and deals with the bases of creed, morality, history of humanity, worship. knowledge, wisdom, the God-man relation, and human relationship, in all aspects. Comprehensive teachings on which sound systems of social justice, economics, politics, legislation, jurisprudence, law and international relations can be built, are important contents of the Holy Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad himself was an unlettered man who could not read or write. The Holy Qur’an was revealed to him piece-meal over a period of 23 years and committed to memory and writing by his followers under his supervision during his lifetime. The original and complete text of the Qur’an is available to everybody in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed. Translations of the meaning into many languages are widely used.
Hadith, the teachings, sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad, meticulously reported and collected by his devoted companions, explain and elaborate the Qur'anic verses.
CONCEPT OF WORSHIP
Islam does not teach or accept mere ritualism. It emphasises intention and action. To worship Allah is to know Him and love Him, to act upon His laws in every aspect of life, to enjoin goodness and forbid evil and oppression, to practice charity and justice and to serve Him by serving mankind. Islam seeks to implant in man's heart the strongest conviction that his every thought and action are known by Allah, Who sees him at all times and in all places.
The Qur’an presents this concept in the following sublime manner: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or to the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day the Angels and the Books and the Prophets; and gives his wealth for the love of Him to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observes proper worship and pays the Zakaat. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and they are patient in the tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are those who are Godfearing;” (Holy Qur’an 2:177)
ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE
Islam provides definite guidelines for all people to follow in all walks of life. The guidance it gives is comprehensive and includes the social, economic, political, moral and spiritual aspects of life.
The Qur’an reminds man of the purpose of life on earth, and his duties and obligations towards himself, his kith and kin, his community. his fellow human beings and his Creator. Man is given fundamental guidelines about a purposeful life and then he is left with the challenge of human existence before him so that he might put these high ideals into practice. In Islam man is a wholesome, integrated unit and not a collection of fragmented, competitive parts. The sacred and secular are not separate parts of man; they are united in the nature of human being.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in the year 570 A.C. in Makkah, Arabia. He came from a noble Arab family. He received the first revelation at the age of forty. As soon as he started preaching Islam, he and his followers were persecuted and had to face severe hardships. He was therefore commanded to migrate to Madinah, another city in Arabia. During a short span of 23 years, he completed his prophethood and died at the age of 63. He was put to rest in the city of Madinah. He left no wealth or property. He led a perfect life and set an example for all human beings. His biography illustrates in real life. the meaning and implications of the Qur’anic teachings.
ISLAM'S RATIONAL APPEAL
Islam is a simple, rational and practical religion. The unity of God, the Prophethood of Muhammad and the concept of life after death are the basic articles of faith. There is no hierarchy of priests and there are no complicated rites and rituals. Everybody may approach the Quran directly and translate its dictates into practice.
Islam stands for the middle path and the goal of producing a moral man in the service of a just society. "Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter" (Holy Qur’an 2:201)
Islam guides towards a better and complete life glorifying in all Its phases Allah, the Almighty Creator.
STATUS OF WOMEN
No discrimination is made on the basis of sex. Islam recognises that the sphere of potential capabilities and hence responsibilities of men and women are equally important in themselves but not exactly the same. The roles of men and women are complementary to each other.
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Marriage is a very important and sacred bond of relationship between man and woman and a step towards a better, purer and happier life. Islam gives both man and woman full right to divorce. Nevertheless divorce is discouraged and is allowed as the last resort. Islam allows limited polygamy only as a remedy subject to certain conditions.
ISLAM - THE SOLUTION FOR MODERN PROBLEMS
THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN
A major problem which modern man faces is that of racism. The materially advanced nations can send man to the moon but they cannot stop man from hating and fighting his fellow man. Islam, over the last 1400 years, has shown in practice how racism can be ended. Every year During the Hajj, the Islamic miracle of the real brotherhood of all races and nations can be seen in action.
THE FAMILY
The family which is the basic unit of civilisation is disintegrating in all western countries. Islam's family system brings into a fine equilibrium the rights of man, wife, children and relatives. Islam nourishes human unselfishness, generosity and love in a well organised family system.
Human beings live according to their view of life. The tragedy of secular societies is that they fail to connect the different aspects of life. The secular and the religious, the scientific and the spiritual seem to be in conflict. Islam puts an end to this conflict and brings harmony to man's vision of life.
CONCLUSION
What is the state of the world today? Has man freed himself from all superstitions, imbecilities and absurd beliefs? Has he discovered the man from within himself? Has he liberated himself from the yoke of worldly tyrants indulging in the exploitation of man by man? If such a millennium has not been achieved despite all the developments in science and technology, then Islam has still a great and glorious part to play.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Teaching your Child about Islam
By Freda Shamma PhD
From: www.muslimonline.org
Children are born in a state of fitra (purity) and then their parents teach them to be believers or unbelievers. According to the Musnad Ibn Hanbal, "The children of the unbelievers are better than you grown-ups. Every living creature is born with a righteous nature." It is our obligation and duty as parents to teach our children so that they grow up to be believing, practicing Muslims. Sending the child to an Islamic weekend school or to a full-time Islamic school is an important but minor part of their Islamic education. The major 'institution of learning' for each child is his family, and the major 'professors' of this institution are the parents.
ROLE MODELING
The most effective way to teach anything to anybody is to be a role model. This is why Allah sent human beings as prophets to all peoples. Whether we willingly accept this job or not, it is a fact that your child learns how to function in life by watching what you do. Even the absent parent is role modeling to the degree that a boy, whose father abandoned his family, will probably treat his own children the same way.
Every time we deal with our children, we are teaching them, whether we intend to or not. There is a famous poem by an anonymous author that depicts this vividly. It begins:
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
Therefore we must examine carefully how we deal with our child in order to have a desirable end result. This same poem continues:
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
As the above poem indicates, negative comments and treatment result in negative attributes in our children, and positive comments and treatment result in positive results. The term 'positive and negative reinforcement' is popular in modern psychology, but it was advocated by the Qu'ran and the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), 1400 years ago. How do we use positive reinforcement to teach our children?
Young children are basically good. Furthermore they want to please their parents. When you praise them for their good behavior by telling them that Papa and/or Mama is happy with their action, you are using positive reinforcement. Unfortunately many parents ignore their child's good actions and only comment on the bad actions. Let us take an example.
INTEGRATING ISLAM INTO LIFE
One of the most important aspects of raising your children to be Muslims is to introduce the idea that Allah is also happy with their good actions. If you say that what they did or are doing is making you and Allah happy, then the child begins to associate good behavior with acting for the pleasure of Allah, which in a nutshell, is exactly what being a good Muslim involves. Can you say anything better of a believer other than that he/she does everything fi sabillah (for the sake of Allah)?
BAD CHILDREN
The child who errs is forgiven by Allah, and if he dies in childhood, he automatically goes to heaven. This mercy of Allah should guide us as we guide our children. It is not necessary to make the child fearful of Allah or fearful of going to hell. In fact, this approach is counter productive - it often achieves the very result we are trying to avoid. Stressing the negative and the punishment makes the child want to avoid anything to do with the religion. He or she grows up thinking that it is religion that keeps him from enjoying life.
ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH
When you are talking to children under the age of twelve, stress the characteristics of Allah that will give him security and assurances as he grows and encounters fearful situations and unknowns. He needs to be aware of the many blessings Allah has given to him to help him enjoy and cope with his life. And he needs to understand which actions Allah will be pleased with, rather than worry over punishment for mistakes he knows he will make.
ISLAM AND DAILY LIFE
Too often when parents think about talking to their children about Islam, they concentrate on the ritual of the five pillars. They teach them how to make salat (required prayer), and they teach them some short Qur'anic surat (chapters). These are important, but don't forget that Islam is a total way of life, and every aspect has an Islamic element that you need to talk about and demonstrate for your child. When the father goes off to work, the mother can say 'Good bye' or she can say 'Assalamu alaikum' and add its meaning in English, 'may Allah's peace be with you". As she and the young child start to do something together, she can mention that the father is doing what Allah says a good father should do - working to take care of the family. She can also mention, and the father should also mention it frequently, that she is trying to please Allah by doing many things to help her child and the family. When the child helps her mother clean off the table, the mother should mention that Allah is pleased with children who help their parents. Mentioning the Islamic aspect does not imply nor suggest that you need to deliver lectures about Islam to your child. No child wants to sit still long enough to hear a lecture about anything. The effective teaching comes as short comments or stories that point out the Islamic nature of the action. When the parents pay zakat (yearly compulsory tax), they should mention the fact to their children. When they visit the sick, they should quote a Qur'anic ayah (verse) or hadith (story about Prophet Muhammad) which indicates that this action pleases Allah. When there are two ways that a child can respond to a situation, the parent can mentions nicely which way will be pleasing to Allah.
The constant reference to Allah, the constant encouragement to do what is right, and the constant praise and positive reinforcement for doing the right actions, will focus your child on the right path.
ADOLESCENCE
As our children reach adolescence, they begin to question what they have been taught, especially if most of the youth they associate with are non-Muslims, or non-practicing Muslims.
If you have already established a positive relationship with your youth, then your teenage child will come to you with his/her questions and concerns. Do not mistake these questions and worries as a rebellion against you or against their religion. They see the kids at school dating, and it looks like fun. 'Why shouldn't we date?' they wonder. Be happy that your youth feels comfortable coming to you with these issues.
If you have not established a positive relationship with your child by this time, you will probably have a big problem on your hands, because your youth will have the same questions, but he won't come to you for a discussion about them. He will be seeking his answers from his friends, and if his friends are not actively practicing Muslims, he may be getting answers that go against Islam.
Why do some parents and youth have a positive relationship and others do not? There are at least two important factors here: time and what kind of time? Did the parents spend time with their children as they were growing up? Did they make a practice of asking their children about their school, their friends, their opinions on various things, and then LISTEN to their answers?
Remember positive reinforcement? What kind of time do the parents spend with their children? Is it based on positive reinforcement, or does the child expects to hear angry and negative comments every time he/she tries to talk to a parent?
EVALUATING THE NEGATIVE
When you have discussions with your youth, you may be alarmed at his rudeness, or his apparent rejection of everything you say. He may even tell you that you are stupid or you don't understand, or you don't care about him. This does not mean what it sounds like. It means that he does not feel comfortable with the answers he is getting. Maybe what you say is opposite to what he is feeling at that moment, or maybe he has given that answer to his non-Muslim friends and they have rejected that opinion.
Although it is very hard, remain kind and positive with your youth. It really hurts the parent to hear these comments, but they are not really aimed at the parent, but at the thinking process he/she is now undertaking.
During your discussions with your youth, you will now want to include both positive and negative reinforcement. 'Yes', you may agree with your youth, 'it is very difficult not to drink when everyone else is, but remember that Allah will reward you for your good behavior, and remember His punishment if you follow someone other than Allah.'
When there are so many unIslamic forces putting pressure on your youth, he now needs to understand that Allah will hold him accountable for his actions. Allah will help if the youth ask Him for help, and he will be rewarded for following the right path, but accountability also means he will receive punishment for his bad deeds.
Life is too difficult to do by oneself. The young child has his parents who protect him, and encourage him and who 'know everything'. Then he/she grows up and discovers that mother and father don't really know everything. Furthermore at school he/she is hearing and seeing other philosophies of life, and the selfish, materialistic one most readily seen at school seems like fun, and besides, 'everyone else is doing it'. How is the youth supposed to figure out who is right? It is a difficult time for him/her, and it is up to the parents to be supportive, to encourage discussions, to make allowances for mistakes, but at the same time, to remain firm in their teaching of Islamic values.
SEVERAL ISSUES INVOLVED
While teaching and talking to our children about Islam, we need to be aware of certain hidden issues. These are secular vs. religious actions, facts vs. behavior and acquiescence vs. critical thinking. These issues affect our thinking and acting although few of us are aware of them.
Discuss Islam with your children from the time they are young, stressing the positive, and encouraging them to speak frankly and freely to you. Be an Islamic role model for them. By the time they have emerged from their troubling, questioning adolescence, you will have children who have actively embraced Islam, and who want to be Muslim because they know that it will make their life better in this world, and in the hereafter, in shaa Allah (Allah willing).
From: www.muslimonline.org
Children are born in a state of fitra (purity) and then their parents teach them to be believers or unbelievers. According to the Musnad Ibn Hanbal, "The children of the unbelievers are better than you grown-ups. Every living creature is born with a righteous nature." It is our obligation and duty as parents to teach our children so that they grow up to be believing, practicing Muslims. Sending the child to an Islamic weekend school or to a full-time Islamic school is an important but minor part of their Islamic education. The major 'institution of learning' for each child is his family, and the major 'professors' of this institution are the parents.
ROLE MODELING
The most effective way to teach anything to anybody is to be a role model. This is why Allah sent human beings as prophets to all peoples. Whether we willingly accept this job or not, it is a fact that your child learns how to function in life by watching what you do. Even the absent parent is role modeling to the degree that a boy, whose father abandoned his family, will probably treat his own children the same way.
Every time we deal with our children, we are teaching them, whether we intend to or not. There is a famous poem by an anonymous author that depicts this vividly. It begins:
If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
Therefore we must examine carefully how we deal with our child in order to have a desirable end result. This same poem continues:
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
POSITIVE VS. NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
As the above poem indicates, negative comments and treatment result in negative attributes in our children, and positive comments and treatment result in positive results. The term 'positive and negative reinforcement' is popular in modern psychology, but it was advocated by the Qu'ran and the actions and sayings of Prophet Muhammad (May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), 1400 years ago. How do we use positive reinforcement to teach our children?
Young children are basically good. Furthermore they want to please their parents. When you praise them for their good behavior by telling them that Papa and/or Mama is happy with their action, you are using positive reinforcement. Unfortunately many parents ignore their child's good actions and only comment on the bad actions. Let us take an example.
INTEGRATING ISLAM INTO LIFE
One of the most important aspects of raising your children to be Muslims is to introduce the idea that Allah is also happy with their good actions. If you say that what they did or are doing is making you and Allah happy, then the child begins to associate good behavior with acting for the pleasure of Allah, which in a nutshell, is exactly what being a good Muslim involves. Can you say anything better of a believer other than that he/she does everything fi sabillah (for the sake of Allah)?
BAD CHILDREN
The child who errs is forgiven by Allah, and if he dies in childhood, he automatically goes to heaven. This mercy of Allah should guide us as we guide our children. It is not necessary to make the child fearful of Allah or fearful of going to hell. In fact, this approach is counter productive - it often achieves the very result we are trying to avoid. Stressing the negative and the punishment makes the child want to avoid anything to do with the religion. He or she grows up thinking that it is religion that keeps him from enjoying life.
ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH
When you are talking to children under the age of twelve, stress the characteristics of Allah that will give him security and assurances as he grows and encounters fearful situations and unknowns. He needs to be aware of the many blessings Allah has given to him to help him enjoy and cope with his life. And he needs to understand which actions Allah will be pleased with, rather than worry over punishment for mistakes he knows he will make.
ISLAM AND DAILY LIFE
Too often when parents think about talking to their children about Islam, they concentrate on the ritual of the five pillars. They teach them how to make salat (required prayer), and they teach them some short Qur'anic surat (chapters). These are important, but don't forget that Islam is a total way of life, and every aspect has an Islamic element that you need to talk about and demonstrate for your child. When the father goes off to work, the mother can say 'Good bye' or she can say 'Assalamu alaikum' and add its meaning in English, 'may Allah's peace be with you". As she and the young child start to do something together, she can mention that the father is doing what Allah says a good father should do - working to take care of the family. She can also mention, and the father should also mention it frequently, that she is trying to please Allah by doing many things to help her child and the family. When the child helps her mother clean off the table, the mother should mention that Allah is pleased with children who help their parents. Mentioning the Islamic aspect does not imply nor suggest that you need to deliver lectures about Islam to your child. No child wants to sit still long enough to hear a lecture about anything. The effective teaching comes as short comments or stories that point out the Islamic nature of the action. When the parents pay zakat (yearly compulsory tax), they should mention the fact to their children. When they visit the sick, they should quote a Qur'anic ayah (verse) or hadith (story about Prophet Muhammad) which indicates that this action pleases Allah. When there are two ways that a child can respond to a situation, the parent can mentions nicely which way will be pleasing to Allah.
The constant reference to Allah, the constant encouragement to do what is right, and the constant praise and positive reinforcement for doing the right actions, will focus your child on the right path.
ADOLESCENCE
As our children reach adolescence, they begin to question what they have been taught, especially if most of the youth they associate with are non-Muslims, or non-practicing Muslims.
If you have already established a positive relationship with your youth, then your teenage child will come to you with his/her questions and concerns. Do not mistake these questions and worries as a rebellion against you or against their religion. They see the kids at school dating, and it looks like fun. 'Why shouldn't we date?' they wonder. Be happy that your youth feels comfortable coming to you with these issues.
If you have not established a positive relationship with your child by this time, you will probably have a big problem on your hands, because your youth will have the same questions, but he won't come to you for a discussion about them. He will be seeking his answers from his friends, and if his friends are not actively practicing Muslims, he may be getting answers that go against Islam.
Why do some parents and youth have a positive relationship and others do not? There are at least two important factors here: time and what kind of time? Did the parents spend time with their children as they were growing up? Did they make a practice of asking their children about their school, their friends, their opinions on various things, and then LISTEN to their answers?
Remember positive reinforcement? What kind of time do the parents spend with their children? Is it based on positive reinforcement, or does the child expects to hear angry and negative comments every time he/she tries to talk to a parent?
EVALUATING THE NEGATIVE
When you have discussions with your youth, you may be alarmed at his rudeness, or his apparent rejection of everything you say. He may even tell you that you are stupid or you don't understand, or you don't care about him. This does not mean what it sounds like. It means that he does not feel comfortable with the answers he is getting. Maybe what you say is opposite to what he is feeling at that moment, or maybe he has given that answer to his non-Muslim friends and they have rejected that opinion.
Although it is very hard, remain kind and positive with your youth. It really hurts the parent to hear these comments, but they are not really aimed at the parent, but at the thinking process he/she is now undertaking.
During your discussions with your youth, you will now want to include both positive and negative reinforcement. 'Yes', you may agree with your youth, 'it is very difficult not to drink when everyone else is, but remember that Allah will reward you for your good behavior, and remember His punishment if you follow someone other than Allah.'
When there are so many unIslamic forces putting pressure on your youth, he now needs to understand that Allah will hold him accountable for his actions. Allah will help if the youth ask Him for help, and he will be rewarded for following the right path, but accountability also means he will receive punishment for his bad deeds.
Life is too difficult to do by oneself. The young child has his parents who protect him, and encourage him and who 'know everything'. Then he/she grows up and discovers that mother and father don't really know everything. Furthermore at school he/she is hearing and seeing other philosophies of life, and the selfish, materialistic one most readily seen at school seems like fun, and besides, 'everyone else is doing it'. How is the youth supposed to figure out who is right? It is a difficult time for him/her, and it is up to the parents to be supportive, to encourage discussions, to make allowances for mistakes, but at the same time, to remain firm in their teaching of Islamic values.
SEVERAL ISSUES INVOLVED
While teaching and talking to our children about Islam, we need to be aware of certain hidden issues. These are secular vs. religious actions, facts vs. behavior and acquiescence vs. critical thinking. These issues affect our thinking and acting although few of us are aware of them.
Discuss Islam with your children from the time they are young, stressing the positive, and encouraging them to speak frankly and freely to you. Be an Islamic role model for them. By the time they have emerged from their troubling, questioning adolescence, you will have children who have actively embraced Islam, and who want to be Muslim because they know that it will make their life better in this world, and in the hereafter, in shaa Allah (Allah willing).
PRACTICING GOOD MANNERS.
From: www.Shianews.com
By Tabligh Committee - Dares Salam
The human soul is in need of developing educationally in order to become characterised by the best of morals and refrain from evil doings. This can be achieved by teaching ourselves the following points:
1. Following in the footsteps and copying the examples of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad [s], his infallible household (Ahlul Bayt) and the most righteous among his companions. Studying their biographies and considering all aspects of their virtuous behaviour are essential ways of being led on the right path.
2. Practice makes perfect and we should practise conducting ourselves with the best of morals, like truth, courage, generosity, mercy, benevolence and forgiveness. Whoever repeatedly does good deeds and behaves in a principled manner, such conduct will undoubtedly become habitual, whereas whoever commits misdeeds and ill-natured vices like hypocrisy, lying, deceiving ...etc. will accept them to such an extent that they will not feel their abomination and the damage they cause.
3. Avoiding people characterised by bad manners and not making them friends, because not mixing with such people removes the danger of being misled and should also discourage their unprincipled behaviour.
4. We should also ask the forgiveness of Allah in case of committing sins or doing evil deeds and should regret and repent for such actions. This can be done through reprimanding ourselves and feeling that such action is bad and should not be repeated.
To Summarise
1. Good manners surely indicate the goodness of the upright human soul while bad manners indicates that the soul of that man is evil and wicked. A good human soul is like a sweet flower from which fragrant perfume is emitted. Conversely one, which is wicked, can be likened to a poisonous smell that harms people.
2. Allah bids us towards the best morals and will reward us accordingly on the Resurrection Day and also forbids us against bad morals for which He will duly punish us.
3. Bad morals cause the destruction of society and the spread of corruption; he who has vices, his personality will be disliked and he will be liable to punishment, and people will avoid and humiliate him.
4. The man with good morals is considered the foundation on which the structure of a sound Islamic society is built, and is among the causes of giving strength to Muslims.
5. But if Muslim communities lose their good morals of justice, mercy and benevolence, they will be destroyed, and all the scientific progress and abundance of wealth cannot prevent it. When moral principles are abandoned, the quality of life is disrupted and led astray.
Thus we see war, gross injustice and rising crime spreading in immoral societies.
By Tabligh Committee - Dares Salam
The human soul is in need of developing educationally in order to become characterised by the best of morals and refrain from evil doings. This can be achieved by teaching ourselves the following points:
1. Following in the footsteps and copying the examples of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad [s], his infallible household (Ahlul Bayt) and the most righteous among his companions. Studying their biographies and considering all aspects of their virtuous behaviour are essential ways of being led on the right path.
2. Practice makes perfect and we should practise conducting ourselves with the best of morals, like truth, courage, generosity, mercy, benevolence and forgiveness. Whoever repeatedly does good deeds and behaves in a principled manner, such conduct will undoubtedly become habitual, whereas whoever commits misdeeds and ill-natured vices like hypocrisy, lying, deceiving ...etc. will accept them to such an extent that they will not feel their abomination and the damage they cause.
3. Avoiding people characterised by bad manners and not making them friends, because not mixing with such people removes the danger of being misled and should also discourage their unprincipled behaviour.
4. We should also ask the forgiveness of Allah in case of committing sins or doing evil deeds and should regret and repent for such actions. This can be done through reprimanding ourselves and feeling that such action is bad and should not be repeated.
To Summarise
1. Good manners surely indicate the goodness of the upright human soul while bad manners indicates that the soul of that man is evil and wicked. A good human soul is like a sweet flower from which fragrant perfume is emitted. Conversely one, which is wicked, can be likened to a poisonous smell that harms people.
2. Allah bids us towards the best morals and will reward us accordingly on the Resurrection Day and also forbids us against bad morals for which He will duly punish us.
3. Bad morals cause the destruction of society and the spread of corruption; he who has vices, his personality will be disliked and he will be liable to punishment, and people will avoid and humiliate him.
4. The man with good morals is considered the foundation on which the structure of a sound Islamic society is built, and is among the causes of giving strength to Muslims.
5. But if Muslim communities lose their good morals of justice, mercy and benevolence, they will be destroyed, and all the scientific progress and abundance of wealth cannot prevent it. When moral principles are abandoned, the quality of life is disrupted and led astray.
Thus we see war, gross injustice and rising crime spreading in immoral societies.
Friday, January 05, 2007
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!'"
(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!'"
We Must Always Humble Ourselves Towards God (Allah)
By Amer Khalid.
From:www.amerkhalid.net
Tadaru' is an arabic term that means exaggerated humility and humbleness caused by despair and is expressed when a person reached his final resort. Imam Ahmed ibn Hambal explained it saying, "Imagine a man drowning in the middle of the sea and all he has is a piece of wood that he is clinging onto. He is getting weaker and weaker and the salty waves are pulling him closer to death. Imagine him with his eager eyes looking desperately at the sky crying out loud ‘O Lord, O Lord!!!’ Imagine how desperate he is and how sincere he is asking for Allah's help. That is tadaru’ in front of Allah".
Allah teaches us in the Quran that tadaru' is a form of worship a believer uses during emergencies and crises. It requires a person to remove the veils of arrogance and ego covering his or her heart. It implies sincere begging to the Lord of the Worlds. It demonstrates that a person has realized how weak he is and how Powerful our Lord is. Sometimes when Allah sees that His servants are becoming distracted with this worldly life and have strayed from the Straight Path, He puts them in a severe situation so that they realize their weakness and run back to Allah for protection. Therefore calamities falling upon Muslims are to make them wake up and turn back to Allah. We must be intelligent enough to understand these messages and act according to them.
Allah The Almighty says, "Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad). And we seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth) and loss in health (with calamities) so that they might humble themselves (believe with humility)." (6:42). This verse shows that Allah uses calamities as a routine method to wake people up and encourage them to run to Him for protection. It is as if a calamity is a bitter medicine for us to become better believers. Allah does this for our benefit, because we need to maintain a close relationship with Him. Allah expresses our need for this form medicine in the following verse, "And if We had mercy on them and removed the distress which is on them, still they would obstinately persist in their transgression, wandering blindly." (23:75).
In another verse Allah says, "When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not humble themselves (believe with humility)? But their hearts became hardened, and Shaytan (Satan) made what they used to do seem fair and correct" (6:43). We must not make this mistake and close our eyes and hearts in front of Allah's call to humbleness and humility to Him. We must not let Shaytan trick us into believing that our problems have nothing to do with our relation with Allah.
Allah says, "Say (O Muhammad) ‘Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and the sea (dangers like storms), (when) you call upon Him in humility and in secret (saying): If He (Allah) only saves us from this (danger), we shall truly be grateful.’ Say (O Muhammad): ‘Allah rescues you from this and from all (other) distresses, and yet you worship others besides Allah.’" (6:63-64). No one will rescue us from the darkness we Muslims are in today except Allah, but first, we must call upon Him in humility.
From:www.amerkhalid.net
Tadaru' is an arabic term that means exaggerated humility and humbleness caused by despair and is expressed when a person reached his final resort. Imam Ahmed ibn Hambal explained it saying, "Imagine a man drowning in the middle of the sea and all he has is a piece of wood that he is clinging onto. He is getting weaker and weaker and the salty waves are pulling him closer to death. Imagine him with his eager eyes looking desperately at the sky crying out loud ‘O Lord, O Lord!!!’ Imagine how desperate he is and how sincere he is asking for Allah's help. That is tadaru’ in front of Allah".
Allah teaches us in the Quran that tadaru' is a form of worship a believer uses during emergencies and crises. It requires a person to remove the veils of arrogance and ego covering his or her heart. It implies sincere begging to the Lord of the Worlds. It demonstrates that a person has realized how weak he is and how Powerful our Lord is. Sometimes when Allah sees that His servants are becoming distracted with this worldly life and have strayed from the Straight Path, He puts them in a severe situation so that they realize their weakness and run back to Allah for protection. Therefore calamities falling upon Muslims are to make them wake up and turn back to Allah. We must be intelligent enough to understand these messages and act according to them.
Allah The Almighty says, "Verily, We sent (Messengers) to many nations before you (O Muhammad). And we seized them with extreme poverty (or loss in wealth) and loss in health (with calamities) so that they might humble themselves (believe with humility)." (6:42). This verse shows that Allah uses calamities as a routine method to wake people up and encourage them to run to Him for protection. It is as if a calamity is a bitter medicine for us to become better believers. Allah does this for our benefit, because we need to maintain a close relationship with Him. Allah expresses our need for this form medicine in the following verse, "And if We had mercy on them and removed the distress which is on them, still they would obstinately persist in their transgression, wandering blindly." (23:75).
In another verse Allah says, "When Our Torment reached them, why then did they not humble themselves (believe with humility)? But their hearts became hardened, and Shaytan (Satan) made what they used to do seem fair and correct" (6:43). We must not make this mistake and close our eyes and hearts in front of Allah's call to humbleness and humility to Him. We must not let Shaytan trick us into believing that our problems have nothing to do with our relation with Allah.
Allah says, "Say (O Muhammad) ‘Who rescues you from the darkness of the land and the sea (dangers like storms), (when) you call upon Him in humility and in secret (saying): If He (Allah) only saves us from this (danger), we shall truly be grateful.’ Say (O Muhammad): ‘Allah rescues you from this and from all (other) distresses, and yet you worship others besides Allah.’" (6:63-64). No one will rescue us from the darkness we Muslims are in today except Allah, but first, we must call upon Him in humility.
Islam Kind, Peaceful and Inspiring Religion.
from: www.muslimgateway.com
Mahmoud
Age: 46
Home Base: San Diego
Occupation: Executive, Computer Storage Industry
My Formative Years
I was born in Egypt, where I lived for the first 13 years of my life before coming to the US with my family over 30 years ago. For me, Islam was always something noble, beautiful, and valuable in my life. My family was not overly religious and yet Islam was still at the center of our lives in so many ways; the sound of the Qur’an was usually present in our home, Ramadan was our perennial special time of the year when we fasted, listened to beautiful stories of the prophets, ate special dessert treats and woke up before dawn to have a special meal to help us through the day’s fasting. Our holidays were festive and happy occasions that we anticipated with excitement every year. Prayers and blessings were often exchanged in normal, daily interactions between relatives and friends, and God was living and present in our daily language with such expressions as "God willing," "God is greater," "God knows best," "God keep you," "God be pleased with you," and many others. In our language, the most basic expression of delight, pleasure, love, and happiness is to simply say, "Allah!"
Growing up in Egypt, we were always taught in school and at home to respect people of other faiths. A rich interfaith life was normal for us. One of my father’s best friends was a Christian, as were several of my school friends. My mother told me how, before the 1956 war, there were many Jews in Egypt and she had many dear friends who were Jewish. Most of them left after that war. We participated in celebrating each other’s holidays. We used to decorate a Christmas tree at home and color Easter eggs, and our Christian friends used to celebrate the Muslim holidays with us as well, eating special pastries and sweets during Eid Ul Fitr (celebrating the end of Ramadan) and Mawlid Al Nabi (The Prophet’s Birthday).
Jesus and the Virgin Mary held a very special place in the hearts of Muslims and Christians; I grew up hearing many beautiful stories about Moses and Jesus, and there were many sightings and visions of the Virgin reported in the news by both Christians and Muslims that caused throngs of people from both communities to gather at the sightings in hope of receiving blessings from her. I remember my mother telling me about one of her neighbors when she was growing up who was Christian and who loved to hear the Qur’an every day and would weep as he heard it recited on the radio.
There was something very special about this openness and acceptance of others, and I knew from my parents, relatives, and school that this tolerance and acceptance was a basic part of Islam. I understood that it was due to Islamic values that we had such an accepting culture in Egypt. We understood that even though most Christians and Jews didn’t accept Prophet Muhammad, we accepted Jesus and Moses and all other prophets and we were bound by our faith to respect and protect our non—Muslim neighbors. This acceptance and tolerance always held a very special meaning for me, and it made Islam especially precious for me. It was hard to explain, but I think it gave me the feeling that our religion made peace and love possible among people no matter how different they were. I felt safe and secure knowing this. There was a reassurance that God was kind and merciful and we were all somehow protected because of Islam.
Another aspect of our faith that touched me deeply was the value of respect and kindness for the poor and the elderly. Respect and honor for the elderly was a deeply ingrained value in us. We understood that old people brought blessings and wisdom to our world and that goodness came from how well we treated our elders. I remember how my father and grandfather used to take care of the poor doorkeeper and his family, who lived in a single room under the staircase of my grandfather’s home. We played with their children and we were taught to call the father "uncle" to show him respect. The mother was a very special person to all of us. She was like a dear aunt to me. She took care of us and had so much love for us that I felt as safe and warm with her as I did at home. I remember how after years abroad in the US when I first returned to Egypt as a young man, the mother, old, wrinkled and nearly blind, recognized me instantly as if I was her own son, and how she embraced me and kissed my hands as I wept in her arms.
These were fundamental aspects of Islam. We knew that this was the legacy of the Prophet, whose way was kindness, love, and respect for the poor and the weak. I can never forget how I was taught in our religion class at school that the poor have a right over the wealthy and that we are bound by our faith to provide for them. All wealth belonged to God and we only hold it in trust during our lives on earth. This special relationship that Islam established between the poor and wealthy, the weak and the strong, created an environment of lovingkindness and mutual appreciation between people. The world was a safe and welcoming place because we took care of each other. There was no reason for fear, resentment, or violence because of social or economic differences between people. Our relationships were defined by mercy and love. This deep kindness and affection is still palpable among the people of Egypt. One can still sense it in the daily interactions among people, how they greet each other, how they respond to each other, and how they honor and respect one another.
Another aspect of Islam that touched me deeply was humility and simplicity in life. These values were such a strong part of the Prophet’s life. He turned his back on worldly pursuits and chose a life of poverty even though he had ample opportunity to amass wealth and power. As children we heard many stories about how the Prophet and his companions chose hunger, lived with few possessions, and gave away most of their wealth in the way of God. This way of life always struck me as the most noble that a human being could ever aspire to. For me it seemed to be a way so full of love and life, it filled me with a sense of longing that I still cannot explain. I felt such desire to be like them. I used to cry with love and longing whenever I heard or read such stories. I still do.
I grew up knowing another very important value; that the strong must protect the weak. I saw this in how my older cousins took care of us. I felt safe, loved, and protected. I knew that people looked out for each other. Children were safe because adults protected them, women were safe because men protected them. There was never any question about safety in the streets or at school. Violence was almost unheard of during my childhood. People would not allow anyone to get hurt, they would immediately intervene if they saw or heard any sign of trouble. We grew up with this sense of honor about coming to the aid of those in need.
These values and others were imparted to us primarily through storytelling. I loved listening to stories. We heard stories about Prophet Muhammad and his companions. We also heard stories about Moses and Jesus. And we heard stories about the great heroic figures of Islamic history, such as Saladin and Harun Al Rashid, who symbolized honesty, justice, tolerance, and wisdom. We also heard stories about the mythical heroes of the One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), who symbolized the human quest for truth and the understanding of our real self. During Ramadan every evening after we broke our fast, we would listen to these stories on the radio. That was one of the most special treats for us children during Ramadan.
These were the imprints of Islam on my young heart and mind. I grew up with a sense that I was given a very special gift, a deep heritage that honored humanity. I felt that I held a trust that I was bound to honor and fulfill. I often heard from the adults around me that we were the Muwahideen (The Unifiers), we were the community of Muhammad and we were bound to uphold the banner of unity in the world. The meaning of this would grow and deepen in my heart as the years went by and my understanding of Islam broadened and matured.
Mahmoud
Age: 46
Home Base: San Diego
Occupation: Executive, Computer Storage Industry
My Formative Years
I was born in Egypt, where I lived for the first 13 years of my life before coming to the US with my family over 30 years ago. For me, Islam was always something noble, beautiful, and valuable in my life. My family was not overly religious and yet Islam was still at the center of our lives in so many ways; the sound of the Qur’an was usually present in our home, Ramadan was our perennial special time of the year when we fasted, listened to beautiful stories of the prophets, ate special dessert treats and woke up before dawn to have a special meal to help us through the day’s fasting. Our holidays were festive and happy occasions that we anticipated with excitement every year. Prayers and blessings were often exchanged in normal, daily interactions between relatives and friends, and God was living and present in our daily language with such expressions as "God willing," "God is greater," "God knows best," "God keep you," "God be pleased with you," and many others. In our language, the most basic expression of delight, pleasure, love, and happiness is to simply say, "Allah!"
Growing up in Egypt, we were always taught in school and at home to respect people of other faiths. A rich interfaith life was normal for us. One of my father’s best friends was a Christian, as were several of my school friends. My mother told me how, before the 1956 war, there were many Jews in Egypt and she had many dear friends who were Jewish. Most of them left after that war. We participated in celebrating each other’s holidays. We used to decorate a Christmas tree at home and color Easter eggs, and our Christian friends used to celebrate the Muslim holidays with us as well, eating special pastries and sweets during Eid Ul Fitr (celebrating the end of Ramadan) and Mawlid Al Nabi (The Prophet’s Birthday).
Jesus and the Virgin Mary held a very special place in the hearts of Muslims and Christians; I grew up hearing many beautiful stories about Moses and Jesus, and there were many sightings and visions of the Virgin reported in the news by both Christians and Muslims that caused throngs of people from both communities to gather at the sightings in hope of receiving blessings from her. I remember my mother telling me about one of her neighbors when she was growing up who was Christian and who loved to hear the Qur’an every day and would weep as he heard it recited on the radio.
There was something very special about this openness and acceptance of others, and I knew from my parents, relatives, and school that this tolerance and acceptance was a basic part of Islam. I understood that it was due to Islamic values that we had such an accepting culture in Egypt. We understood that even though most Christians and Jews didn’t accept Prophet Muhammad, we accepted Jesus and Moses and all other prophets and we were bound by our faith to respect and protect our non—Muslim neighbors. This acceptance and tolerance always held a very special meaning for me, and it made Islam especially precious for me. It was hard to explain, but I think it gave me the feeling that our religion made peace and love possible among people no matter how different they were. I felt safe and secure knowing this. There was a reassurance that God was kind and merciful and we were all somehow protected because of Islam.
Another aspect of our faith that touched me deeply was the value of respect and kindness for the poor and the elderly. Respect and honor for the elderly was a deeply ingrained value in us. We understood that old people brought blessings and wisdom to our world and that goodness came from how well we treated our elders. I remember how my father and grandfather used to take care of the poor doorkeeper and his family, who lived in a single room under the staircase of my grandfather’s home. We played with their children and we were taught to call the father "uncle" to show him respect. The mother was a very special person to all of us. She was like a dear aunt to me. She took care of us and had so much love for us that I felt as safe and warm with her as I did at home. I remember how after years abroad in the US when I first returned to Egypt as a young man, the mother, old, wrinkled and nearly blind, recognized me instantly as if I was her own son, and how she embraced me and kissed my hands as I wept in her arms.
These were fundamental aspects of Islam. We knew that this was the legacy of the Prophet, whose way was kindness, love, and respect for the poor and the weak. I can never forget how I was taught in our religion class at school that the poor have a right over the wealthy and that we are bound by our faith to provide for them. All wealth belonged to God and we only hold it in trust during our lives on earth. This special relationship that Islam established between the poor and wealthy, the weak and the strong, created an environment of lovingkindness and mutual appreciation between people. The world was a safe and welcoming place because we took care of each other. There was no reason for fear, resentment, or violence because of social or economic differences between people. Our relationships were defined by mercy and love. This deep kindness and affection is still palpable among the people of Egypt. One can still sense it in the daily interactions among people, how they greet each other, how they respond to each other, and how they honor and respect one another.
Another aspect of Islam that touched me deeply was humility and simplicity in life. These values were such a strong part of the Prophet’s life. He turned his back on worldly pursuits and chose a life of poverty even though he had ample opportunity to amass wealth and power. As children we heard many stories about how the Prophet and his companions chose hunger, lived with few possessions, and gave away most of their wealth in the way of God. This way of life always struck me as the most noble that a human being could ever aspire to. For me it seemed to be a way so full of love and life, it filled me with a sense of longing that I still cannot explain. I felt such desire to be like them. I used to cry with love and longing whenever I heard or read such stories. I still do.
I grew up knowing another very important value; that the strong must protect the weak. I saw this in how my older cousins took care of us. I felt safe, loved, and protected. I knew that people looked out for each other. Children were safe because adults protected them, women were safe because men protected them. There was never any question about safety in the streets or at school. Violence was almost unheard of during my childhood. People would not allow anyone to get hurt, they would immediately intervene if they saw or heard any sign of trouble. We grew up with this sense of honor about coming to the aid of those in need.
These values and others were imparted to us primarily through storytelling. I loved listening to stories. We heard stories about Prophet Muhammad and his companions. We also heard stories about Moses and Jesus. And we heard stories about the great heroic figures of Islamic history, such as Saladin and Harun Al Rashid, who symbolized honesty, justice, tolerance, and wisdom. We also heard stories about the mythical heroes of the One Thousand and One Nights (The Arabian Nights), who symbolized the human quest for truth and the understanding of our real self. During Ramadan every evening after we broke our fast, we would listen to these stories on the radio. That was one of the most special treats for us children during Ramadan.
These were the imprints of Islam on my young heart and mind. I grew up with a sense that I was given a very special gift, a deep heritage that honored humanity. I felt that I held a trust that I was bound to honor and fulfill. I often heard from the adults around me that we were the Muwahideen (The Unifiers), we were the community of Muhammad and we were bound to uphold the banner of unity in the world. The meaning of this would grow and deepen in my heart as the years went by and my understanding of Islam broadened and matured.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Why Christians Should Love Islam?
By: Maged Taman
Islam is not the enemy of Christianity and Muslims are not Anti-Christians. These are the things that I would reason why Christians should love Islam:1- The praise of Jesus and his mother Mary is great in Islam.2- Muslims are happily waiting for Jesus second coming.3- Muslims follow Jesus teachings more than a lot of people in the world.4- Muslims are well passioned about the ten commandments and get angry about God ten commandments to Moses that Jesus stressed very well.5- Muslims like many conservative Christians are for family values and pro-life for babies and pro-choice at time of gathering of the man and his wife.6- Muslims like many Christians in the left for fighting aggressively the world wide poverty.7- Muslims look with respect to Christians religious leaders and believe in a wise dialogue between religions.8- Real Muslims are against any discrimination or oppression of any religious or ethnic groups.9- Muslims do not believe in conquering Christianity. Conversion to other religion is only through dialogue and Muslims love people to convert to their religion only when they are quite convinced. It does not help them for someone to convert in the morning to Islam quit at night. We actually encourage non-Muslims to read contradictions in Islam first before they convert
Islam is not the enemy of Christianity and Muslims are not Anti-Christians. These are the things that I would reason why Christians should love Islam:1- The praise of Jesus and his mother Mary is great in Islam.2- Muslims are happily waiting for Jesus second coming.3- Muslims follow Jesus teachings more than a lot of people in the world.4- Muslims are well passioned about the ten commandments and get angry about God ten commandments to Moses that Jesus stressed very well.5- Muslims like many conservative Christians are for family values and pro-life for babies and pro-choice at time of gathering of the man and his wife.6- Muslims like many Christians in the left for fighting aggressively the world wide poverty.7- Muslims look with respect to Christians religious leaders and believe in a wise dialogue between religions.8- Real Muslims are against any discrimination or oppression of any religious or ethnic groups.9- Muslims do not believe in conquering Christianity. Conversion to other religion is only through dialogue and Muslims love people to convert to their religion only when they are quite convinced. It does not help them for someone to convert in the morning to Islam quit at night. We actually encourage non-Muslims to read contradictions in Islam first before they convert
THE CONCEPT OF 'ISLAM' IN THE BIBLE
From: www.iman.net
Do we find the word 'Islam' in the Bible?
We do not find it as a term, for which there are three main reasons:
It is an Arabic word, and the Bible in our hand is an English translation of Ancient Greek and Hebrew.
Islam" is a translatable word. Since it bears some meaning, it lends itself to translation.
Many religions of today, being identified by means of names ending with "ism" and "ity", did not exist during Biblical times. There was either the religion of obeying the One and Only God, or there was idolatry. People were either believers in the One God, or they were pagans or heathens.
Obviously, when we want to look for the word 'Islam' in the Bible, we have to look for its translated meaning only.
"Submission to the will of the One True God"
What does 'submission' mean here? It means total obedience, loving and willing. In the Biblical terminology, it means 'keeping the commandments', or 'doing the will of God'. We find these phrases in many places in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and New Testament. The following are a few examples:
In the Old Testament, we read about what God requires of his people:
So now, 0 Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, that I am commanding you this day for your own well-being
(Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
These verses clearly state that God requires the following:
to fear Him
to walk in all His ways
to love Him
to serve Him with heart and soul
to keep His commandments
One phrase encompassing all the above points is: "Total, loving, and willing submission to Him". The Arabic term, 'Islam', has just this meaning.
If God is fair and just, He will not require something from the Israelites and something else from the Arabs or the Americans or the Indians or the Filipinos. He is God for all people in the world; He is the Creator of all. It is evident, therefore, that God wants man to be nothing but "Muslim" to Him.
Not only this, God wants man to be 'Muslim' to the core, to be Muslim every moment of time, and to be Muslim wherever he is, as we read 'the Great Commandment':
Hear 0 Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as a frontlet on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
The same message was proclaimed by the other Prophets of God.
Examples:
David, charged his son Solomon, saying:
"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.
(I Kings 2:2-3)
Solomon, addressing the congregation of Israel:
... so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Therefore devote yourself completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.
(I Kings 8:60,61)
Samuel, addressing the people:
If you fear the Lord, and serve and obey him, and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God - good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you,.." "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;...
(I Samuel 12:14,15 & 24)
Joshua, in his farewell address:
And Joshua said to the people, 'You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.' And they said, 'We are witness... The people said to Joshua, 'The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey
(Joshua 24:22,24)
In the New Testament, we find Jesus (pbuh) teaching the same - to keep the commandments, and to do the will of God, i.e., to submit to the will of God.
Examples:
Eternal life through submission to God's commands:
Then someone came to him and said, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?' And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? 'There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'
(Matthew 19:16-17)
The Kingdom of heaven through submission to the will of God:
Not every one 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.
(Matthew 7:21)
Even the word 'submit' is used:
Submit yourself therefore to God
(James 4:7)
How beautifully Jesus (pbuh) declared his 'Islamic' mission!
My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work.
(John 4:34)
How humbly Jesus (pbuh) showed his submission to God!
I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
(John 5:30)
Jesus (pbuh) recognised Muslims as his brothers and sisters:
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother
(Matthew 12:50)
"Peace"
Peace is used in a comprehensive sense - peace with the Creator, peace of mind, peace at heart, peace in society, etc. This element of meaning of 'Islam' does not seem to occur so frequently as does the first one. Following are some of the verses which are suggestive of this translation.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence for ever.
(Isaiah 32:17)
Righteousness is the result of keeping the commandments
(Deuteronomy 6:25).
And peace is the result of righteousness. 'Peace' is the meaning of 'Islam' in the sense of 'eternal quietness, confidence, trust and assurance' i.e., salvation.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
(John 14:27)
Jesus (pbuh) was talking about the 'Peace':
the Peace, that was his Peace
the Peace, that he was passing over to others
the Peace, that was not worldly peace
the Peace, that was to comfort the heart
the peace, that was to remove fear
The 'Peace' to which Jesus referred here, was not a worldly peace; it was the one which he called his food and mission, as we have read in John 4:34. He possessed it and wanted to pass it on to others. It was to remove the fear of damnation, and was to comfort the heart for life eternal.
This peace is 'ISLAM'.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God
(Matthew 5:9)
Here Jesus (pbuh) seems to be referring to those who submit themselves to God ('MUSLIMS') as 'peacemakers', who as a result are called 'children of God', meaning the people of God, or the people loved by God, God certainly loves the people who keep His commandments and submit themselves to His will, as stated in the Ten Commandments:
But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments,...
(Exodus 20:6).
The above expression in Matthew 5:9 is comparable to that in the Psalms:
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
(Psalms 112:1)
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways
(Psalms 128:1)
Based on the above discussion, one may be wondering:
How is it that all the Prophets of God were teaching 'Islam', even Jesus (pbuh) ? Were they, in fact, 'MUSLIMS' ?
The answer is "YES". 'Islam' was the religion of all the Prophets, including Jesus (pbuh). Their true followers were also 'MUSLIMS'. This is what we Muslims believe.
The fact is that:
Islam is not a new religion, which was founded or started by Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).
The term 'Muslim' goes back much further than Mohammed (pbuh).
Prophet Mohammed's role was simply completion of the original message, fulfillment of the original religion, and presentation of the final, pure and permanent guidance to mankind, as revealed to him from God.
The Qur'an tells us:
Say (0 Muslims!): We believe in God, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them; and we bow to God (in ISLAM)'.
(2:136)
The same religion has He established for you as that He enjoined upon Noah - that which We revealed to thee - that We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, that you should remain steadfast in religion and make no divisions therein.
(42:13)
Do we find the word 'Islam' in the Bible?
We do not find it as a term, for which there are three main reasons:
It is an Arabic word, and the Bible in our hand is an English translation of Ancient Greek and Hebrew.
Islam" is a translatable word. Since it bears some meaning, it lends itself to translation.
Many religions of today, being identified by means of names ending with "ism" and "ity", did not exist during Biblical times. There was either the religion of obeying the One and Only God, or there was idolatry. People were either believers in the One God, or they were pagans or heathens.
Obviously, when we want to look for the word 'Islam' in the Bible, we have to look for its translated meaning only.
"Submission to the will of the One True God"
What does 'submission' mean here? It means total obedience, loving and willing. In the Biblical terminology, it means 'keeping the commandments', or 'doing the will of God'. We find these phrases in many places in the Bible, both in the Old Testament and New Testament. The following are a few examples:
In the Old Testament, we read about what God requires of his people:
So now, 0 Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his decrees, that I am commanding you this day for your own well-being
(Deuteronomy 10:12-13)
These verses clearly state that God requires the following:
to fear Him
to walk in all His ways
to love Him
to serve Him with heart and soul
to keep His commandments
One phrase encompassing all the above points is: "Total, loving, and willing submission to Him". The Arabic term, 'Islam', has just this meaning.
If God is fair and just, He will not require something from the Israelites and something else from the Arabs or the Americans or the Indians or the Filipinos. He is God for all people in the world; He is the Creator of all. It is evident, therefore, that God wants man to be nothing but "Muslim" to Him.
Not only this, God wants man to be 'Muslim' to the core, to be Muslim every moment of time, and to be Muslim wherever he is, as we read 'the Great Commandment':
Hear 0 Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as a frontlet on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
(Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
The same message was proclaimed by the other Prophets of God.
Examples:
David, charged his son Solomon, saying:
"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go.
(I Kings 2:2-3)
Solomon, addressing the congregation of Israel:
... so that all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other. Therefore devote yourself completely to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.
(I Kings 8:60,61)
Samuel, addressing the people:
If you fear the Lord, and serve and obey him, and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God - good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you,.." "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart;...
(I Samuel 12:14,15 & 24)
Joshua, in his farewell address:
And Joshua said to the people, 'You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.' And they said, 'We are witness... The people said to Joshua, 'The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey
(Joshua 24:22,24)
In the New Testament, we find Jesus (pbuh) teaching the same - to keep the commandments, and to do the will of God, i.e., to submit to the will of God.
Examples:
Eternal life through submission to God's commands:
Then someone came to him and said, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?' And he said to him, 'Why do you ask me about what is good? 'There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.'
(Matthew 19:16-17)
The Kingdom of heaven through submission to the will of God:
Not every one 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.
(Matthew 7:21)
Even the word 'submit' is used:
Submit yourself therefore to God
(James 4:7)
How beautifully Jesus (pbuh) declared his 'Islamic' mission!
My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work.
(John 4:34)
How humbly Jesus (pbuh) showed his submission to God!
I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
(John 5:30)
Jesus (pbuh) recognised Muslims as his brothers and sisters:
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother
(Matthew 12:50)
"Peace"
Peace is used in a comprehensive sense - peace with the Creator, peace of mind, peace at heart, peace in society, etc. This element of meaning of 'Islam' does not seem to occur so frequently as does the first one. Following are some of the verses which are suggestive of this translation.
The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence for ever.
(Isaiah 32:17)
Righteousness is the result of keeping the commandments
(Deuteronomy 6:25).
And peace is the result of righteousness. 'Peace' is the meaning of 'Islam' in the sense of 'eternal quietness, confidence, trust and assurance' i.e., salvation.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
(John 14:27)
Jesus (pbuh) was talking about the 'Peace':
the Peace, that was his Peace
the Peace, that he was passing over to others
the Peace, that was not worldly peace
the Peace, that was to comfort the heart
the peace, that was to remove fear
The 'Peace' to which Jesus referred here, was not a worldly peace; it was the one which he called his food and mission, as we have read in John 4:34. He possessed it and wanted to pass it on to others. It was to remove the fear of damnation, and was to comfort the heart for life eternal.
This peace is 'ISLAM'.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God
(Matthew 5:9)
Here Jesus (pbuh) seems to be referring to those who submit themselves to God ('MUSLIMS') as 'peacemakers', who as a result are called 'children of God', meaning the people of God, or the people loved by God, God certainly loves the people who keep His commandments and submit themselves to His will, as stated in the Ten Commandments:
But showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments,...
(Exodus 20:6).
The above expression in Matthew 5:9 is comparable to that in the Psalms:
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.
(Psalms 112:1)
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways
(Psalms 128:1)
Based on the above discussion, one may be wondering:
How is it that all the Prophets of God were teaching 'Islam', even Jesus (pbuh) ? Were they, in fact, 'MUSLIMS' ?
The answer is "YES". 'Islam' was the religion of all the Prophets, including Jesus (pbuh). Their true followers were also 'MUSLIMS'. This is what we Muslims believe.
The fact is that:
Islam is not a new religion, which was founded or started by Prophet Mohammed (pbuh).
The term 'Muslim' goes back much further than Mohammed (pbuh).
Prophet Mohammed's role was simply completion of the original message, fulfillment of the original religion, and presentation of the final, pure and permanent guidance to mankind, as revealed to him from God.
The Qur'an tells us:
Say (0 Muslims!): We believe in God, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them; and we bow to God (in ISLAM)'.
(2:136)
The same religion has He established for you as that He enjoined upon Noah - that which We revealed to thee - that We enjoined upon Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, that you should remain steadfast in religion and make no divisions therein.
(42:13)
More in Common Than You Think: The Bridge Between Islam and Christianity
More in Common Than You Think: The Bridge Between Islam and Christianity
By Dr. William Baker
Reviewed by Paul Findley
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2000, page 106
U.S. Muslims are often cited as the second most numerous religious community in America, exceeded only by Christians. Estimates usually show six million or more adherents, some reach seven million. Ranking third are U.S. Jews, who number about five-and-one-half million.
In contrast to Christian views of Jews, who are generally regarded with sympathy if not support, the attitude of U.S. Christians toward Muslims is largely negative. I find few Christians who have no opinion about Islam. Those with an opinion almost always automatically—falsely, of course—link Muslims with terrorism, bigotry and intolerance.
The Christians who have correct information—like U.S. Muslims themselves—make little effort to correct these false perceptions.
Sympathy for Jews arises mainly from the Nazi Holocaust and the constant reminder on television and in the print media of this dreadful episode in human history. Support for Israel—and therefore for Jews generally—comes substantially from Christian fundamentalists who believe, contrary to my own belief, that a militarily strong Israel is an essential part of God’s plan. Their passionate belief in this doctrine leads them to dismiss Arab/Muslim claims to their ancestral property in Palestine as contrary to the will of God.
Even members of the mainstream Christian clergy, who, one would assume, should be correctly informed about all monotheistic religions, are generally as silent, if not as poorly informed, as lay citizens. If they know the truth about Islam, they keep it to themselves.
There are other reasons for false stereotypes and general misinformation about Islam. They are many and complicated, too numerous to discuss in this brief review. At this point, it is sufficient to note the grim nature of the present scene. U.S. Muslims are terribly misunderstood and, up to this point, little has been done to correct the stereotypes.
But to this otherwise discouraging scene comes a promising new book, More in Common Than You Think: The Bridge Between Islam and Christianity. The author is Dr. William Baker, a former archeologist who in recent years has focused his remarkable energies and talent on the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and the urgent need for Christian-Muslim understanding.
A former professor of ancient history and Biblical studies, Baker is the founder and president of an organization called CAMP, an acronym that stands for Christians and Muslims for Peace.
His book is what I call an “easy read.” It is clear, illuminating and compelling. It is also brief. The text consists of only 101 pages. It supports the inter-faith “bridges” with quotations directly from the Bible and the 1989 edition of The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an: New Edition with Revised Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
It presents cogently the fundamental teachings shared by Islam and Christianity, teachings that form the solid foundation that should lead the two largest religious communities to cooperate enthusiastically and to live in mutual respect with each other.
It dismisses in brief persuasive language the often-expressed warning that Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the world, threatens the democracies of the West and that Christians and Muslims are headed for an inevitable clash reminiscent of the ancient Crusader wars.
Baker’s book should have ready acceptance in the Christian evangelical community—a broad and diverse one—because of his long, close relationship with Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral and television pastor of the “Hour of Power” program carried worldwide on television.
Schuller warns that “the coming century will most surely witness either a coalition or a collision between Islam and Christianity.” He adds, “True believers in God must move our society and our world from combatibility to compatibility; from intolerance to tolerance; positive Christians and Muslims becoming partners in peace. I am convinced this book by Dr. Baker will prove to be a significant contribution in bringing Christians and Muslims together to live in peace and mutual respect.”
It is also praised by a leader of the U.S. Muslims. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Society of North America, one of the largest and most active of U.S. Islamic groups, writes: “We Muslims and Christians together make up more than half of the world population today. Better understanding, communication and peaceful relations between our communities are not only good but they are essential for our well-being and for the well-being of the world at large….I admire Dr. William Baker’s contribution to building the bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims. I agree with him that we have much more in common than we think or accept.”
In Chapter 3, Baker writes,
“Few Christians are aware that Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of Islam, believed Jesus and Moses were the most important bearers of God’s revelation to mankind, that message is enshrined in the Torah and New Testament. Islam embraces both books and includes portions of both in the text of the Qur’an.
“As Christians believe the New Testament was the completion of the Old Testament of Judaism, so Muslims believe Islam and the Qur’an serve as the final completion of both books, and Muhammad as the last Prophet or Messenger of God. Both the Torah and the New Testament are viewed by Islam as inspired revelation of God to mankind. Both Jews and Christians are referred to in the Qur’an as ‘People of the Book,’ meaning the Bible.”
He quotes from Surah 29:46 to support this conclusion: “The Qur’an calls upon Muslims to attempt to sit down peacefully with People of the Book in an effort to find the common ground between them,” and from Surah 3:84 to support this statement: “Muslims are asked to follow the good examples of the earlier Prophets of the Bible.”
Baker notes, “Although the Jews joined with the enemies of early Islam, neither they nor Judaism were targeted by Muhammad or Islam. It is a fact of history that when the Jews were being persecuted in Europe during the Middle Ages they found peace, harmony and acceptance among the Muslim people of Spain. In fact, this was the era of Jewish history that they themselves refer to as ‘the Golden Age.’”
Baker finds that both the Bible and Islam condemn the worship of any other God as idolatry and that “A Muslim can no more be a ‘card-carrying communist’ than a Christian can belong to and support the creed of world atheism.”
He notes that both Islam and Christianity teach that God is in control of all things, including the destiny of mankind, collectively and individually. He writes, “The sovereignty of God in both the Qur’an and the Bible is remarkably similar.”
He writes that Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro, spiritual leader of the Muslims of Syria, said to him in 1987: “My dear brother, you cannot be a true Muslim unless you love, respect and honor Jesus.”
As one who has endeavored for the past three years to create understanding of Islam among Christians, I recommend Baker’s book as required reading by the Christian clergy in the United States. I also suggest that all imams and other leaders of the Muslim community—in America and beyond—place it at the top of their reading list.
Muslim leaders are better informed about Christianity than the reverse, but, at the least, they will find comfort in the fact that a lay Christian has produced a document that can help immensely in creating mutual respect and harmony between the two largest faith traditions in the world.
By Dr. William Baker
Reviewed by Paul Findley
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, April 2000, page 106
U.S. Muslims are often cited as the second most numerous religious community in America, exceeded only by Christians. Estimates usually show six million or more adherents, some reach seven million. Ranking third are U.S. Jews, who number about five-and-one-half million.
In contrast to Christian views of Jews, who are generally regarded with sympathy if not support, the attitude of U.S. Christians toward Muslims is largely negative. I find few Christians who have no opinion about Islam. Those with an opinion almost always automatically—falsely, of course—link Muslims with terrorism, bigotry and intolerance.
The Christians who have correct information—like U.S. Muslims themselves—make little effort to correct these false perceptions.
Sympathy for Jews arises mainly from the Nazi Holocaust and the constant reminder on television and in the print media of this dreadful episode in human history. Support for Israel—and therefore for Jews generally—comes substantially from Christian fundamentalists who believe, contrary to my own belief, that a militarily strong Israel is an essential part of God’s plan. Their passionate belief in this doctrine leads them to dismiss Arab/Muslim claims to their ancestral property in Palestine as contrary to the will of God.
Even members of the mainstream Christian clergy, who, one would assume, should be correctly informed about all monotheistic religions, are generally as silent, if not as poorly informed, as lay citizens. If they know the truth about Islam, they keep it to themselves.
There are other reasons for false stereotypes and general misinformation about Islam. They are many and complicated, too numerous to discuss in this brief review. At this point, it is sufficient to note the grim nature of the present scene. U.S. Muslims are terribly misunderstood and, up to this point, little has been done to correct the stereotypes.
But to this otherwise discouraging scene comes a promising new book, More in Common Than You Think: The Bridge Between Islam and Christianity. The author is Dr. William Baker, a former archeologist who in recent years has focused his remarkable energies and talent on the plight of Palestinians under Israeli occupation and the urgent need for Christian-Muslim understanding.
A former professor of ancient history and Biblical studies, Baker is the founder and president of an organization called CAMP, an acronym that stands for Christians and Muslims for Peace.
His book is what I call an “easy read.” It is clear, illuminating and compelling. It is also brief. The text consists of only 101 pages. It supports the inter-faith “bridges” with quotations directly from the Bible and the 1989 edition of The Meaning of the Glorious Qur’an: New Edition with Revised Translation and Commentary by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
It presents cogently the fundamental teachings shared by Islam and Christianity, teachings that form the solid foundation that should lead the two largest religious communities to cooperate enthusiastically and to live in mutual respect with each other.
It dismisses in brief persuasive language the often-expressed warning that Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the world, threatens the democracies of the West and that Christians and Muslims are headed for an inevitable clash reminiscent of the ancient Crusader wars.
Baker’s book should have ready acceptance in the Christian evangelical community—a broad and diverse one—because of his long, close relationship with Rev. Robert H. Schuller, founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral and television pastor of the “Hour of Power” program carried worldwide on television.
Schuller warns that “the coming century will most surely witness either a coalition or a collision between Islam and Christianity.” He adds, “True believers in God must move our society and our world from combatibility to compatibility; from intolerance to tolerance; positive Christians and Muslims becoming partners in peace. I am convinced this book by Dr. Baker will prove to be a significant contribution in bringing Christians and Muslims together to live in peace and mutual respect.”
It is also praised by a leader of the U.S. Muslims. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Society of North America, one of the largest and most active of U.S. Islamic groups, writes: “We Muslims and Christians together make up more than half of the world population today. Better understanding, communication and peaceful relations between our communities are not only good but they are essential for our well-being and for the well-being of the world at large….I admire Dr. William Baker’s contribution to building the bridges of understanding between Christians and Muslims. I agree with him that we have much more in common than we think or accept.”
In Chapter 3, Baker writes,
“Few Christians are aware that Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of Islam, believed Jesus and Moses were the most important bearers of God’s revelation to mankind, that message is enshrined in the Torah and New Testament. Islam embraces both books and includes portions of both in the text of the Qur’an.
“As Christians believe the New Testament was the completion of the Old Testament of Judaism, so Muslims believe Islam and the Qur’an serve as the final completion of both books, and Muhammad as the last Prophet or Messenger of God. Both the Torah and the New Testament are viewed by Islam as inspired revelation of God to mankind. Both Jews and Christians are referred to in the Qur’an as ‘People of the Book,’ meaning the Bible.”
He quotes from Surah 29:46 to support this conclusion: “The Qur’an calls upon Muslims to attempt to sit down peacefully with People of the Book in an effort to find the common ground between them,” and from Surah 3:84 to support this statement: “Muslims are asked to follow the good examples of the earlier Prophets of the Bible.”
Baker notes, “Although the Jews joined with the enemies of early Islam, neither they nor Judaism were targeted by Muhammad or Islam. It is a fact of history that when the Jews were being persecuted in Europe during the Middle Ages they found peace, harmony and acceptance among the Muslim people of Spain. In fact, this was the era of Jewish history that they themselves refer to as ‘the Golden Age.’”
Baker finds that both the Bible and Islam condemn the worship of any other God as idolatry and that “A Muslim can no more be a ‘card-carrying communist’ than a Christian can belong to and support the creed of world atheism.”
He notes that both Islam and Christianity teach that God is in control of all things, including the destiny of mankind, collectively and individually. He writes, “The sovereignty of God in both the Qur’an and the Bible is remarkably similar.”
He writes that Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro, spiritual leader of the Muslims of Syria, said to him in 1987: “My dear brother, you cannot be a true Muslim unless you love, respect and honor Jesus.”
As one who has endeavored for the past three years to create understanding of Islam among Christians, I recommend Baker’s book as required reading by the Christian clergy in the United States. I also suggest that all imams and other leaders of the Muslim community—in America and beyond—place it at the top of their reading list.
Muslim leaders are better informed about Christianity than the reverse, but, at the least, they will find comfort in the fact that a lay Christian has produced a document that can help immensely in creating mutual respect and harmony between the two largest faith traditions in the world.
PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH (SWT)TO AN ATHEIST
PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF ALLAH (SWT)TO AN ATHEIST
by Dr. Zakir Naik
CONGRATULATING AN ATHEIST
Normally, when I meet an atheist, the first thing I like to do is to congratulate him and say, " My special congratulations to you", because most of the people who believe in God are doing blind belief - he is a Christian, because his father is a Christian; he is a Hindu, because his father is a Hindu; the majority of the people in the world are blindly following the religion of their fathers. An atheist, on the other hand, even though he may belong to a religious family, uses his intellect to deny the existence of God; what ever concept or qualities of God he may have learnt in his religion may not seem to be logical to him.
My Muslim brothers may question me, "Zakir, why are you congratulating an atheist?" The reason that I am congratulating an atheist is because he agrees with the first part of the Shahada i.e. the Islamic Creed, ‘La ilaaha’ - meaning ‘there is no God’. So half my job is already done; now the only part left is ‘il lallah’ i.e. ‘BUT ALLAH’ which I shall do Insha Allah. With others (who are not atheists) I have to first remove from their minds the wrong concept of God they may have and then put the correct concept of one true God.
LOGICAL CONCEPT OF GOD
My first question to the atheist will be: "What is the definition of God?" For a person to say there is no God, he should know what is the meaning of God. If I hold a book and say that ‘this is a pen’, for the opposite person to say, ‘it is not a pen’, he should know what is the definition of a pen, even if he does not know nor is able to recognise or identify the object I am holding in my hand. For him to say this is not a pen, he should at least know what a pen means. Similarly for an atheist to say ‘there is no God’, he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God would be derived from the surroundings in which he lives. The god that a large number of people worship has got human qualities - therefore he does not believe in such a god. Similarly a Muslim too does not and should not believe in such false gods.
If a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion with something to do with terrorism; a religion which does not give rights to women; a religion which contradicts science; in his limited sense that non-Muslim is correct to reject such Islam. The problem is he has a wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but at the same time, it becomes my duty as a Muslim to present the correct picture of Islam to that non-Muslim i.e. Islam is a merciful religion, it gives equal rights to the women, it is not incompatible with logic, reason and science; if I present the correct facts about Islam, that non-Muslim may Inshallah accept Islam.
Similarly the atheist rejects the false gods and the duty of every Muslim is to present the correct concept of God which he shall Insha Allah not refuse.
(You may refer to my article, ‘Concept of God in Islam’, for more details)
QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE
The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy some but not all.
Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.
If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a question is asked, " Who is the first person who will be able to provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’ Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’ What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the meaning will be same, therefore accept it.
SCIENTIFIC FACTS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN: for details on this subject please refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE – COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE?
THEORY OF PROBABILITY
In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%.
A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %.
Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct.
At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30.
The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60.
Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%.
The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it upto you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.
CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE QUR’AN
The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic language, ‘ALLAH’.
QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE
Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats. The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.
But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed 1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible with it.
SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD
Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’).
Surah Fussilat:
"Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?"
[Al-Quran 41:53]
Reference: http://www.irf.net/irf/comparativereligion/index.htm
by Dr. Zakir Naik
CONGRATULATING AN ATHEIST
Normally, when I meet an atheist, the first thing I like to do is to congratulate him and say, " My special congratulations to you", because most of the people who believe in God are doing blind belief - he is a Christian, because his father is a Christian; he is a Hindu, because his father is a Hindu; the majority of the people in the world are blindly following the religion of their fathers. An atheist, on the other hand, even though he may belong to a religious family, uses his intellect to deny the existence of God; what ever concept or qualities of God he may have learnt in his religion may not seem to be logical to him.
My Muslim brothers may question me, "Zakir, why are you congratulating an atheist?" The reason that I am congratulating an atheist is because he agrees with the first part of the Shahada i.e. the Islamic Creed, ‘La ilaaha’ - meaning ‘there is no God’. So half my job is already done; now the only part left is ‘il lallah’ i.e. ‘BUT ALLAH’ which I shall do Insha Allah. With others (who are not atheists) I have to first remove from their minds the wrong concept of God they may have and then put the correct concept of one true God.
LOGICAL CONCEPT OF GOD
My first question to the atheist will be: "What is the definition of God?" For a person to say there is no God, he should know what is the meaning of God. If I hold a book and say that ‘this is a pen’, for the opposite person to say, ‘it is not a pen’, he should know what is the definition of a pen, even if he does not know nor is able to recognise or identify the object I am holding in my hand. For him to say this is not a pen, he should at least know what a pen means. Similarly for an atheist to say ‘there is no God’, he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God would be derived from the surroundings in which he lives. The god that a large number of people worship has got human qualities - therefore he does not believe in such a god. Similarly a Muslim too does not and should not believe in such false gods.
If a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion with something to do with terrorism; a religion which does not give rights to women; a religion which contradicts science; in his limited sense that non-Muslim is correct to reject such Islam. The problem is he has a wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but at the same time, it becomes my duty as a Muslim to present the correct picture of Islam to that non-Muslim i.e. Islam is a merciful religion, it gives equal rights to the women, it is not incompatible with logic, reason and science; if I present the correct facts about Islam, that non-Muslim may Inshallah accept Islam.
Similarly the atheist rejects the false gods and the duty of every Muslim is to present the correct concept of God which he shall Insha Allah not refuse.
(You may refer to my article, ‘Concept of God in Islam’, for more details)
QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE
The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy some but not all.
Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove that the Qur’an is a revelation of God.
If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a question is asked, " Who is the first person who will be able to provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’ Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’ What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the meaning will be same, therefore accept it.
SCIENTIFIC FACTS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN: for details on this subject please refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE – COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE?
THEORY OF PROBABILITY
In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%.
A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %.
Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct.
At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30.
The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60.
Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%.
The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it upto you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine.
CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE QUR’AN
The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic language, ‘ALLAH’.
QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE
Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats. The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge.
But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed 1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible with it.
SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD
Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’).
Surah Fussilat:
"Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?"
[Al-Quran 41:53]
Reference: http://www.irf.net/irf/comparativereligion/index.htm
Comparing Christianity & Islam PETER KREEFT
PETER KREEFT
From: www.catholiceducation.org
Peter Kreeft outlines the main theological and practical differences, as well as the important common elements, between Christianity and Islam.
Two unsettling facts dominate the relations between Christianity and Islam:
Dialogue is almost nonexistent. Islam resists ecumenical dialogue more than any other religion. To “proselytize” in any way in a Muslim country is to go to prison.
Islam once nearly conquered the world, in the early Middle Ages when its empire stretched from Spain to Indonesia, and it looks as if it could do so again. Islamic growth rates in Africa and even America are phenomenal.
In other words, Islam has the world's lowest rate of being converted and one of the world's highest rates of converting.
What accounts for this success? What makes Islam such an attractive creed?
In a word: simplicity. Islam reflects the stark simplicity of the Arabian desert where it was born. A Muslim knows exactly where he stands. To a world more and more confused, Islam comes with a sword that cuts through the Gordian Knot of modern malaise in a single stroke.
That stroke, the striking simplicity of Islam's creed, is summed up in the palindrome (i.e., it reads the same backward as forward) which shatters the silence daily from every mosque and minaret: la illaha illa Allah! “There is no God but Allah!”
Allah, of course, is the same God Jews and Christians worship. Islam is not only a Western, monotheistic religion rather than an Oriental, pantheistic religion, but explicitly bases itself on the historical revelation of the God of the Jews, tracing itself to Ishmael, Isaac's brother, to whom God also promised special blessings according to Genesis. Isaac and Ishmael, Jews and Muslims, have been engaged in sibling rivalry ever since.
The older name that “infidels” gave this religion, “Mohammedanism,” is inaccurate, for neither Mohammed nor any of his followers ever claimed Mohammed was anything more than a human prophet. “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet," is the complete Muslim creed.
The code is almost as simple as the creed. The “Five Pillars of Islam” define the duties of every Muslim. They include a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime, if possible, to commemorate Islam's beginning in 622 A.D. with the “Hegira;” Mohammed's flight from Mecca; fasting; almsgiving; ritual prayer five times a day; and professing the creed, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet.”
In one sense Islam is a simplification of Christianity as Buddhism is a simplification of Hinduism. But in another sense Islam adds to Christianity, for where Jews have only our “Old Testament” Scriptures and Christians add the New Testament, Muslims also add the Quran. They accept the claims of the Jewish prophets to be sent by God. They believe Jesus deepened this revelation and that Mohammed completed it. Mohammed is “the seal of the prophets.” He tells you how to live Jesus' ethic (Jesus is seen only as a man, an ethical teacher).
Actually, Islam neither merely simplifies Christianity nor merely adds to it, but reinterprets it — somewhat as Christianity does to Judaism. As the Christian interpretation of the Old Testament is not the same as the Jewish one, the Muslim interpretation of the New Testament is not the same as the Christian one; the Quran authoritatively interprets the New Testament as the New interprets the Old.
The Quran itself is the only miracle Mohammed claimed — though perhaps equally miraculous is the fact that Mohammed's wife became his first convert. An illiterate peasant, Mohammed received the Quran by word-for-word dictation from Allah, according to the faith of Islam. When Muslims read the Quran, they become ecstatic with admiration. They say no outsider can appreciate it, nor can it be adequately translated out of Arabic. In this sense, Islam is a bit esoteric, though it is a religion of public revelation in a book.
Islam believes in a single, all-just, all-merciful, all-powerful God who created the world and man, insists on obedience to His will, and promises salvation and immortality to believers and obeyers. In all these ways Islam is like Judaism and Christianity (Western) rather than like Hinduism and Buddhism.
(Eastern). Allah is not a Force but a Person; not merely Being or even merely Consciousness but moral Will. From the Will of Allah comes both the existence of the world by creation and the rule over it, over nature and history by Providence and over human free choice by moral law.
The three crucial Christian doctrines Islam denies are the Trinity, the Incarnation and the Resurrection. Like Judaism, Islam denies Christ's claim to divinity. Allah is one; so how could He be three? Jesus is human; so how could He be divine? “It is unfitting for Allah to have a son,” wrote Mohammed, apparently interpreting sonship biologically.
The Quran believes in Christ's virgin birth, but not His resurrection; in His prophetic function (teaching) but not His priestly function (salvation) or His kingly function (ruling); in His moral authority but not His supernatural authority. To Muslims, as with Jews, Christ is the stumbling block. The theology of God the Father and the ethics of human living are essentially the same for Jews, Christians and Muslims. What then is missing? Aren't these the two essentials?
No. What's missing is the link between the two, the “missing link,” Christ the Mediator between God and man. Mohammed and the Quran are essentially another Moses (lawgiver) and another law. What's missing is grace, salvation, redemption. What's missing is precisely the essential thing.
There are two kinds of Muslims today, just as there were in the Middle Ages: modernists and orthodox, liberals and fundamentalist, Mutazilites (rationalists) and Mutikalimoun. In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas confronted “Latin Averroism,” the European copy of the Muslim philosopher Averroes' way of reconciling the Quran with the philosophy of Aristotle by reducing much of the Quran to myth and exalting Aristotle to the authority of Pure Reason. He taught that a literal interpretation of the Quran (which the vast majority of Muslims hold) is proper for the masses, who cannot rise to the level of philosophical abstraction, but for those who can, Aristotle's arguments must prevail over belief in divine providence, creation of the world and individual immortality (all of which Aristotle denied). But Islam, by and large, has resisted this “demythologizing” rationalism far more completely than Judaism and Christianity have in our day.
We have not yet mentioned the most important thing about Islam: What is it to be a Muslim? How do Muslims exist religiously? Here too, as in Muslim theology and ethics, there is a striking simplicity, summarized in the very title of the religion. “Islam” means both “peace” (etymologically connected with the Hebrew shalom) and “submission,” or “surrender”; it is the peace that comes from submission to Allah's will. Muslims would applaud T.S. Eliot's choice of Dante's line:
In His will, our peace” as “the profoundest line in all of human literature.
The famous Muslim “fatalism” (“it is the will of Allah”), like the Calvinistic doctrine of Predestination, makes them work harder, not less hard. Muslims, like Christians, believe in man's free will as well as God's sovereignty. Theirs is not the modern fatalism from below, a scientific determinism, but from above. It is energizing and liberating, not squashing. Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, has produced a rich crop of saints and mystics, especially in the Sufi tradition, which is similar in many ways to the Jewish Hasidic tradition.
Can Muslims be saved? They reject Christ as Savior; yet they seek and love God “Islam” means essentially the “fundamental option” of a whole-hearted “yes” to God. Most Muslims, like most Jews, see Christ only through broken lenses. If God-seeking and God-loving Jews, both before and after Christ's Incarnation, can find God, then surely God-seeking Muslims can too, according to Christ's own promise that “all who seek, find” — whether in this life or the next.
Yet Christ also insists that “no one can come to the Father but by me.” Whatever truth Mohammed taught Muslims about God is really present in Christ the Logos, the full revelation of God. If Muslims are saved, they are saved by Christ.
Christians should hope and pray that their separated Islamic brothers and sisters be reunited with our common Father by finding Christ the Way. We cannot stop “proselytizing,” for proselytizing means leading our brothers Home.
Blogger Comment: we as Muslims have to respect other people good hearted and sincere beleif. We have to dialogue with them in the best manner. If we do not convince them of our beleif we have to end the dialogue as their freinds. It is amazing how a good hearted and mannered preist, nun, rabbi or imam sound alike.
From: www.catholiceducation.org
Peter Kreeft outlines the main theological and practical differences, as well as the important common elements, between Christianity and Islam.
Two unsettling facts dominate the relations between Christianity and Islam:
Dialogue is almost nonexistent. Islam resists ecumenical dialogue more than any other religion. To “proselytize” in any way in a Muslim country is to go to prison.
Islam once nearly conquered the world, in the early Middle Ages when its empire stretched from Spain to Indonesia, and it looks as if it could do so again. Islamic growth rates in Africa and even America are phenomenal.
In other words, Islam has the world's lowest rate of being converted and one of the world's highest rates of converting.
What accounts for this success? What makes Islam such an attractive creed?
In a word: simplicity. Islam reflects the stark simplicity of the Arabian desert where it was born. A Muslim knows exactly where he stands. To a world more and more confused, Islam comes with a sword that cuts through the Gordian Knot of modern malaise in a single stroke.
That stroke, the striking simplicity of Islam's creed, is summed up in the palindrome (i.e., it reads the same backward as forward) which shatters the silence daily from every mosque and minaret: la illaha illa Allah! “There is no God but Allah!”
Allah, of course, is the same God Jews and Christians worship. Islam is not only a Western, monotheistic religion rather than an Oriental, pantheistic religion, but explicitly bases itself on the historical revelation of the God of the Jews, tracing itself to Ishmael, Isaac's brother, to whom God also promised special blessings according to Genesis. Isaac and Ishmael, Jews and Muslims, have been engaged in sibling rivalry ever since.
The older name that “infidels” gave this religion, “Mohammedanism,” is inaccurate, for neither Mohammed nor any of his followers ever claimed Mohammed was anything more than a human prophet. “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet," is the complete Muslim creed.
The code is almost as simple as the creed. The “Five Pillars of Islam” define the duties of every Muslim. They include a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime, if possible, to commemorate Islam's beginning in 622 A.D. with the “Hegira;” Mohammed's flight from Mecca; fasting; almsgiving; ritual prayer five times a day; and professing the creed, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet.”
In one sense Islam is a simplification of Christianity as Buddhism is a simplification of Hinduism. But in another sense Islam adds to Christianity, for where Jews have only our “Old Testament” Scriptures and Christians add the New Testament, Muslims also add the Quran. They accept the claims of the Jewish prophets to be sent by God. They believe Jesus deepened this revelation and that Mohammed completed it. Mohammed is “the seal of the prophets.” He tells you how to live Jesus' ethic (Jesus is seen only as a man, an ethical teacher).
Actually, Islam neither merely simplifies Christianity nor merely adds to it, but reinterprets it — somewhat as Christianity does to Judaism. As the Christian interpretation of the Old Testament is not the same as the Jewish one, the Muslim interpretation of the New Testament is not the same as the Christian one; the Quran authoritatively interprets the New Testament as the New interprets the Old.
The Quran itself is the only miracle Mohammed claimed — though perhaps equally miraculous is the fact that Mohammed's wife became his first convert. An illiterate peasant, Mohammed received the Quran by word-for-word dictation from Allah, according to the faith of Islam. When Muslims read the Quran, they become ecstatic with admiration. They say no outsider can appreciate it, nor can it be adequately translated out of Arabic. In this sense, Islam is a bit esoteric, though it is a religion of public revelation in a book.
Islam believes in a single, all-just, all-merciful, all-powerful God who created the world and man, insists on obedience to His will, and promises salvation and immortality to believers and obeyers. In all these ways Islam is like Judaism and Christianity (Western) rather than like Hinduism and Buddhism.
(Eastern). Allah is not a Force but a Person; not merely Being or even merely Consciousness but moral Will. From the Will of Allah comes both the existence of the world by creation and the rule over it, over nature and history by Providence and over human free choice by moral law.
The three crucial Christian doctrines Islam denies are the Trinity, the Incarnation and the Resurrection. Like Judaism, Islam denies Christ's claim to divinity. Allah is one; so how could He be three? Jesus is human; so how could He be divine? “It is unfitting for Allah to have a son,” wrote Mohammed, apparently interpreting sonship biologically.
The Quran believes in Christ's virgin birth, but not His resurrection; in His prophetic function (teaching) but not His priestly function (salvation) or His kingly function (ruling); in His moral authority but not His supernatural authority. To Muslims, as with Jews, Christ is the stumbling block. The theology of God the Father and the ethics of human living are essentially the same for Jews, Christians and Muslims. What then is missing? Aren't these the two essentials?
No. What's missing is the link between the two, the “missing link,” Christ the Mediator between God and man. Mohammed and the Quran are essentially another Moses (lawgiver) and another law. What's missing is grace, salvation, redemption. What's missing is precisely the essential thing.
There are two kinds of Muslims today, just as there were in the Middle Ages: modernists and orthodox, liberals and fundamentalist, Mutazilites (rationalists) and Mutikalimoun. In the 13th century, Thomas Aquinas confronted “Latin Averroism,” the European copy of the Muslim philosopher Averroes' way of reconciling the Quran with the philosophy of Aristotle by reducing much of the Quran to myth and exalting Aristotle to the authority of Pure Reason. He taught that a literal interpretation of the Quran (which the vast majority of Muslims hold) is proper for the masses, who cannot rise to the level of philosophical abstraction, but for those who can, Aristotle's arguments must prevail over belief in divine providence, creation of the world and individual immortality (all of which Aristotle denied). But Islam, by and large, has resisted this “demythologizing” rationalism far more completely than Judaism and Christianity have in our day.
We have not yet mentioned the most important thing about Islam: What is it to be a Muslim? How do Muslims exist religiously? Here too, as in Muslim theology and ethics, there is a striking simplicity, summarized in the very title of the religion. “Islam” means both “peace” (etymologically connected with the Hebrew shalom) and “submission,” or “surrender”; it is the peace that comes from submission to Allah's will. Muslims would applaud T.S. Eliot's choice of Dante's line:
In His will, our peace” as “the profoundest line in all of human literature.
The famous Muslim “fatalism” (“it is the will of Allah”), like the Calvinistic doctrine of Predestination, makes them work harder, not less hard. Muslims, like Christians, believe in man's free will as well as God's sovereignty. Theirs is not the modern fatalism from below, a scientific determinism, but from above. It is energizing and liberating, not squashing. Islam, like Judaism and Christianity, has produced a rich crop of saints and mystics, especially in the Sufi tradition, which is similar in many ways to the Jewish Hasidic tradition.
Can Muslims be saved? They reject Christ as Savior; yet they seek and love God “Islam” means essentially the “fundamental option” of a whole-hearted “yes” to God. Most Muslims, like most Jews, see Christ only through broken lenses. If God-seeking and God-loving Jews, both before and after Christ's Incarnation, can find God, then surely God-seeking Muslims can too, according to Christ's own promise that “all who seek, find” — whether in this life or the next.
Yet Christ also insists that “no one can come to the Father but by me.” Whatever truth Mohammed taught Muslims about God is really present in Christ the Logos, the full revelation of God. If Muslims are saved, they are saved by Christ.
Christians should hope and pray that their separated Islamic brothers and sisters be reunited with our common Father by finding Christ the Way. We cannot stop “proselytizing,” for proselytizing means leading our brothers Home.
Blogger Comment: we as Muslims have to respect other people good hearted and sincere beleif. We have to dialogue with them in the best manner. If we do not convince them of our beleif we have to end the dialogue as their freinds. It is amazing how a good hearted and mannered preist, nun, rabbi or imam sound alike.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Dangers of Excess, Extremism among Muslims
Dangers of Excess, Extremism among Muslims
Imam Ghayth Nur Kashif
26 January 1998.
Allah says in the Quran,
"Thus we have made of you an ummah justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over you." (Quran 2:143)
The Prophet (saaw) reportedly said,
"Beware of excessiveness in religion before you have perished as a result of such excessiveness in religion." (Reported by Ahmad)
Allah states in the Quran that He,
"Intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you in difficulties". (Quran 2:185)
"Religion," the Prophet is reported to have said, "is very easy, and whoever overburdens himself will not be able to continue in that way. Be right (without excessiveness or negligence), near perfection, and have good timing (in being rewarded for your regular deeds)." (Bukhâri)
The people of the Book were warned: " O people of the Book, commit no excesses in your religion, nor say of Allah anything but the Truth...." 4:171.
He warns the Muslims likewise: "O' you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things, which Allah has made lawful for you, and commit no excess; for Allah loves not those given to excess." (Quran 5:87)
Until recently Muslims in America have been spared much of the tradition-bound and sectarian division that have led to violent oppression and fratricidal warfare among various Muslim proponents, leading often to mutual slaughter, "In the Name of Allah."
Distortion of Ahadith
Allah forbid that they should invoke His Name or the name of the Prophet as "partners" in their mutual disputes and violence. These are "inventions against Allah's Name." Just as the early pagans and their partners acted, making "alluring the slaughter of their children in order to lead them to their own destruction and cause confusion in their religion." Allah warned them that "He will requite them for their 'invention." (Quran: 5:137-8)
Unfortunately this "traditional baggage" has now entered into the ethos of the Islamic growth in America, where we find innocent Muslims being caught up in the negligence and excesses of the worldwide 'Ummah" following them in their schisms, ranging from claims of "sacred" cultural mores to disputes of the interpretation of the Sunnah (and ahâdîth) of the Prophet (saaw), to claims of the supremacy of ahâdîth over the Quran. Allah, Forbid! Then we now have claims of supremacy of one "School of Thought" over the others. And again claims of supremacy of one community over the other in the knowledge of Quran and Sunnah. How are we caught up in this? Allah forbid.
We fear that we stand in great danger of going the way of societies before us unless we pause and take heed to Allah's command:
"hold fast all together, by the rope which Allah stretches to you, and be not divided among yourselves..." (Quran 3:103)
Allah has warned: "And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall not into disputes, lest you lose heart and your power depart..." (Quran 8:47) Allah warns in another ayah: "(their doom is) because Allah sent down the Book in truth but those who seek cause of dispute in the Book are in schism, far (from the purpose)." (Quran 2:176). As He said of the People of the Book: "there is among them a section who distort the book with their tongues. You think that it is a part of the book, but it is no part of the book, and they say, "This is from Allah, but it is not from Allah. It is they who tell a lie against Allah." (Quran 3:48)
Muslims in America
Should not Muslims in America reflect upon the relevant examples in the Quran? Why should Muslims in America take on the historic and manifest failures of the Ummah, following their manifestations of divisions and disputations over this or that fatwah, this or that purported hadith, in contradistinction of another? Muslim opponents have taken delight in this and have come to mock the Muslims in America and elsewhere for these circus-like conflicts. Should Muslim in America become partisans to these conflicts between proponent of the so-called schools of thought, or to the Sunni/Shii disputes (and more recently, Allah forbid: Sunnah v. Quran conflicts.)
When these parties are questioned about their circus-like tendencies and the exaltation of traditions canonized by their fathers, they retort to reckless slander: charging that the people who question them do not believe in the Sunnah. At the other extreme there are those who reject, out of hand, the Quranically confirmed traditions of the Prophet (saaw) (i.e. where the sayings and actions of the Prophet are underpinned by an overriding principle that has been, beforehand, clearly established in the Quran---an example being Salat.)
Thus we should be careful not fall in the trap laid by the evil seducer, Shaitan, himself, who
"whispers, then withdraws--then comes later as an arbitrator to settle the disputes with cunning and flowery speech. Let us not be deceived, nor think that we can out-flank Shaitan while indulging in the schisms he sets up. Allah says that Shaitan "and his tribe watches you from a position where you cannot see them..." (7:27)
Cannot we see that these forged disputes are an attempt to move the innocent Muslim away from his commitment to take in the orphan, to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to feed the homeless, and to build a balanced community? His "religion" has thus become one of criticizing and attacking Muslims with whom he differs, often on insignificant issues. Unfortunately from these individual differences, exploited as such, grows the seeds of sectarianism and shirk, followed by fitnah (subversion and rebellion). This is shameful, indeed!
"He Has No Partners"
Let us beware: Remember those before us who took idols, angels, and even prophets, making them partners with Allah and equal in the Godhead. They began to mention their names at every mention of the Name of Allah.
"When Allah the One and Only is mentioned the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and horror; but when (gods) other than He are mentioned behold they are filled with joy!" (Quran 39:45)
Think of the case of Issa, (saaw) They began by declaring stories (ahadith) written about him, such as the 'New Testament by Mark, Luke, John and Paul to be Divine, or in fact the Injîl (Revelation) itself. Gradually, over time, they began to include Issa as a co-equal with Allah Himself. They have thrown the Injîl behind their backs just as they threw the Torah behind their backs. Allah, however, has cleared His Prophet Issa (saaw) of any such charge.
May Allah be praised forever! He distinguishes His Revelation from all else. He is One. His Revelation is One. He is Allah. None is like Him. No partners, No associates. Muslims in America must be aware of the "baggage" of extremism exported to North America as legitimate Sunnah and fiqh. This "baggage" is propagated by zealots (innocent and otherwise) who insistently accuse others of "bid'ah" (innovation in religion), wantonness, unbelief and deviation. They are known to claim piety for themselves, exalt the Sunnah over the Quran and engage others in endless arguments.
Hair Splitting
Imam al Nawawi reported that the Prophet (saaw) repeated three times:
"Ruined are the people who indulged in hair-splitting."
Thus it is important to identify the mode operandi of these mercenaries because of the harm they bring to the innocent Muslims in America.
We find that they make a grandiose show of their recital of selected ahadith in Arabic; often daif (weak) or highly contextual in time and circumstance. Their display of their "erudition" is supposed to confirm their "hikma" (wisdom or implied piety) in the Deen (Al-Islam). Yet Sincerity lies in the heart and breast.
They make an impressive show of embellishing their arguments with Arabic, particularly to the new Muslims who understand little more than As-Salaam-Alaikum and Al-Faatihah. Yes, it IS time for the (balanced) Muslim communities to put a stop to the purveyors of deliberate confusion and disunity.
Please note: In no way does this imply that learning to read and recite the Quran in Arabic is not essential to the deeper understanding and practice of our Deen. IT IS, and Muslims must strive to acquit themselves, especially in the study of Quranic Arabic. No excuse, however, can be given to those whose intent is to obfuscate. (Quran: 3:78)
What Must Be Done?
What then must be done? How may we express our differences? How do we correct a wrong? We take note here of the utter abuse and misapplication of the reported Hadith of the Prophet (saaw) i.e.: to correct a wrong with your hand, your heart or your tongue.
Often lacking adequate knowledge, we tear into others with the belief that our particular perspective or rendering of an issue, ritual, or interpretation of Hadith or Quran is unquestionably right or authentic.
This crude approach often masks, or excuses an aggressive, ill-reasoned action or response to something we differ about that has long been in question, even at the highest levels of the scholarly ummah over the centuries. Another over-worked hadith is that the scholar is "worth more than a thousand ignorant worshippers." In most cases it is exalted by those whose scholarship has become the end goal, rather than the means.
Scholarship / Dialogue
It (scholarship) has become the objective, and not for the pleasure of Allah. Allah is no longer the goal of such pursuers, but sophistic scholarship is! Thus we have fallen into disputes of the so-called "learned": like that of Western Philosophers, i.e.: "How many angels can sit on the head of a pin?"
These "extremes,'" among the literate and the illiterate becomes a perverse "religion". Yet they understand not. Allah knows best: whenever we begin to exalt anything as equal to Him or His Words (Guarded Revelations), then we are truly gravitating toward Shirk. Let us consider the advice found on page 428 of the Encyclopedia of Seerah, (vol. 6)
The author writes:
"If there is any difference of opinion, it cannot be on the Truth of the Quran and its Message, which is one and the same for all time. If there is a difference among Muslims, it can only be in their imperfect understanding of the Quran and its Message; but if this difference of opinion is within limits of acceptable interpretations, it is not bad nor evil, nor is it dangerous or injurious to the collective. If however, people go beyond the acceptable limits and start arguing on a political, sectarian, or sophistic basis (for argument sake) then there is no cure for such disputes and wrongdoing."
The Way of the Companions
The different opinions of the companions of the Prophet were of the former (above). This type of difference is called a mercy. But if these differences or details are considered as al-din (compulsory) and made the means of dispute between different sections of people, then even this type of difference becomes condemned.
Truth is only the Quran and people's opinions are only opinions, and as such may be right or wrong.
According to Ibn Kathir, Allah's Prophet disliked these things: "first, unnecessary disputes and arguments, questioning and inquiring without any need, and wastage of wealth."
Having grown weak from disputes, many Muslims have lost their sense of purpose in bringing glad tidings to the believers and warning the rulers and citizens of the land, both yesterday and today. They are content to rail, and mock, becoming obsessed with simply calling others "Kafir." They exhibit little evidence of dawah, such as feeding the poor, or working collectively with any Muslim community to establish a good life in society.
Rather they are bent upon trying to "convert" the converted. They demonstrate a lack of Îmân by raising doubts of others. Could this be hypocrisy, in disguise? Could this be subversion, in disguise? Allah Knows.
Muslims are obligated to warn and to argue in the best manner, i.e.: (words, manners, and conduct). Furthermore Muslims are obligated to call for justice, for the release of the slave, for the feeding of the hungry, for the housing of the homeless and for the sharing of wealth., The Muslims must warn against Riba, against arrogance, against mis-education, against waste and lack of economic productivity. Cannot we hear? Cannot we understand? Do we not know that we have Watchers over our souls?
About the author:
Currently Imam Ghayth Nur Kashif is the Imam for Masjid ash-Shura Washington DC. He was one of the founders of the American Muslim Council and served as in-house editor for the International Institute of Islamic Studies in Virginia, USA. As a writer, his writings have been published in significant publications. He is listed in WHO'S' WHO in Black America and WHO'S WHO among International Authors and Writers. His main interest lies in the rise of Islam in USA and the effects of international foreign policy upon Muslims in USA. He has traveled widely and has had acquaintance with such peer personalities as Malcolm X Shabazz, Muhammad Ali and W.D. Mohammad, etc., all early pioneers in the Islamic movements in America.
Source:
http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Kashif/kashif1.htm
Imam Ghayth Nur Kashif
26 January 1998.
Allah says in the Quran,
"Thus we have made of you an ummah justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over you." (Quran 2:143)
The Prophet (saaw) reportedly said,
"Beware of excessiveness in religion before you have perished as a result of such excessiveness in religion." (Reported by Ahmad)
Allah states in the Quran that He,
"Intends every facility for you; He does not want to put you in difficulties". (Quran 2:185)
"Religion," the Prophet is reported to have said, "is very easy, and whoever overburdens himself will not be able to continue in that way. Be right (without excessiveness or negligence), near perfection, and have good timing (in being rewarded for your regular deeds)." (Bukhâri)
The people of the Book were warned: " O people of the Book, commit no excesses in your religion, nor say of Allah anything but the Truth...." 4:171.
He warns the Muslims likewise: "O' you who believe! Make not unlawful the good things, which Allah has made lawful for you, and commit no excess; for Allah loves not those given to excess." (Quran 5:87)
Until recently Muslims in America have been spared much of the tradition-bound and sectarian division that have led to violent oppression and fratricidal warfare among various Muslim proponents, leading often to mutual slaughter, "In the Name of Allah."
Distortion of Ahadith
Allah forbid that they should invoke His Name or the name of the Prophet as "partners" in their mutual disputes and violence. These are "inventions against Allah's Name." Just as the early pagans and their partners acted, making "alluring the slaughter of their children in order to lead them to their own destruction and cause confusion in their religion." Allah warned them that "He will requite them for their 'invention." (Quran: 5:137-8)
Unfortunately this "traditional baggage" has now entered into the ethos of the Islamic growth in America, where we find innocent Muslims being caught up in the negligence and excesses of the worldwide 'Ummah" following them in their schisms, ranging from claims of "sacred" cultural mores to disputes of the interpretation of the Sunnah (and ahâdîth) of the Prophet (saaw), to claims of the supremacy of ahâdîth over the Quran. Allah, Forbid! Then we now have claims of supremacy of one "School of Thought" over the others. And again claims of supremacy of one community over the other in the knowledge of Quran and Sunnah. How are we caught up in this? Allah forbid.
We fear that we stand in great danger of going the way of societies before us unless we pause and take heed to Allah's command:
"hold fast all together, by the rope which Allah stretches to you, and be not divided among yourselves..." (Quran 3:103)
Allah has warned: "And obey Allah and His Messenger; and fall not into disputes, lest you lose heart and your power depart..." (Quran 8:47) Allah warns in another ayah: "(their doom is) because Allah sent down the Book in truth but those who seek cause of dispute in the Book are in schism, far (from the purpose)." (Quran 2:176). As He said of the People of the Book: "there is among them a section who distort the book with their tongues. You think that it is a part of the book, but it is no part of the book, and they say, "This is from Allah, but it is not from Allah. It is they who tell a lie against Allah." (Quran 3:48)
Muslims in America
Should not Muslims in America reflect upon the relevant examples in the Quran? Why should Muslims in America take on the historic and manifest failures of the Ummah, following their manifestations of divisions and disputations over this or that fatwah, this or that purported hadith, in contradistinction of another? Muslim opponents have taken delight in this and have come to mock the Muslims in America and elsewhere for these circus-like conflicts. Should Muslim in America become partisans to these conflicts between proponent of the so-called schools of thought, or to the Sunni/Shii disputes (and more recently, Allah forbid: Sunnah v. Quran conflicts.)
When these parties are questioned about their circus-like tendencies and the exaltation of traditions canonized by their fathers, they retort to reckless slander: charging that the people who question them do not believe in the Sunnah. At the other extreme there are those who reject, out of hand, the Quranically confirmed traditions of the Prophet (saaw) (i.e. where the sayings and actions of the Prophet are underpinned by an overriding principle that has been, beforehand, clearly established in the Quran---an example being Salat.)
Thus we should be careful not fall in the trap laid by the evil seducer, Shaitan, himself, who
"whispers, then withdraws--then comes later as an arbitrator to settle the disputes with cunning and flowery speech. Let us not be deceived, nor think that we can out-flank Shaitan while indulging in the schisms he sets up. Allah says that Shaitan "and his tribe watches you from a position where you cannot see them..." (7:27)
Cannot we see that these forged disputes are an attempt to move the innocent Muslim away from his commitment to take in the orphan, to feed the poor, to clothe the naked, to feed the homeless, and to build a balanced community? His "religion" has thus become one of criticizing and attacking Muslims with whom he differs, often on insignificant issues. Unfortunately from these individual differences, exploited as such, grows the seeds of sectarianism and shirk, followed by fitnah (subversion and rebellion). This is shameful, indeed!
"He Has No Partners"
Let us beware: Remember those before us who took idols, angels, and even prophets, making them partners with Allah and equal in the Godhead. They began to mention their names at every mention of the Name of Allah.
"When Allah the One and Only is mentioned the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and horror; but when (gods) other than He are mentioned behold they are filled with joy!" (Quran 39:45)
Think of the case of Issa, (saaw) They began by declaring stories (ahadith) written about him, such as the 'New Testament by Mark, Luke, John and Paul to be Divine, or in fact the Injîl (Revelation) itself. Gradually, over time, they began to include Issa as a co-equal with Allah Himself. They have thrown the Injîl behind their backs just as they threw the Torah behind their backs. Allah, however, has cleared His Prophet Issa (saaw) of any such charge.
May Allah be praised forever! He distinguishes His Revelation from all else. He is One. His Revelation is One. He is Allah. None is like Him. No partners, No associates. Muslims in America must be aware of the "baggage" of extremism exported to North America as legitimate Sunnah and fiqh. This "baggage" is propagated by zealots (innocent and otherwise) who insistently accuse others of "bid'ah" (innovation in religion), wantonness, unbelief and deviation. They are known to claim piety for themselves, exalt the Sunnah over the Quran and engage others in endless arguments.
Hair Splitting
Imam al Nawawi reported that the Prophet (saaw) repeated three times:
"Ruined are the people who indulged in hair-splitting."
Thus it is important to identify the mode operandi of these mercenaries because of the harm they bring to the innocent Muslims in America.
We find that they make a grandiose show of their recital of selected ahadith in Arabic; often daif (weak) or highly contextual in time and circumstance. Their display of their "erudition" is supposed to confirm their "hikma" (wisdom or implied piety) in the Deen (Al-Islam). Yet Sincerity lies in the heart and breast.
They make an impressive show of embellishing their arguments with Arabic, particularly to the new Muslims who understand little more than As-Salaam-Alaikum and Al-Faatihah. Yes, it IS time for the (balanced) Muslim communities to put a stop to the purveyors of deliberate confusion and disunity.
Please note: In no way does this imply that learning to read and recite the Quran in Arabic is not essential to the deeper understanding and practice of our Deen. IT IS, and Muslims must strive to acquit themselves, especially in the study of Quranic Arabic. No excuse, however, can be given to those whose intent is to obfuscate. (Quran: 3:78)
What Must Be Done?
What then must be done? How may we express our differences? How do we correct a wrong? We take note here of the utter abuse and misapplication of the reported Hadith of the Prophet (saaw) i.e.: to correct a wrong with your hand, your heart or your tongue.
Often lacking adequate knowledge, we tear into others with the belief that our particular perspective or rendering of an issue, ritual, or interpretation of Hadith or Quran is unquestionably right or authentic.
This crude approach often masks, or excuses an aggressive, ill-reasoned action or response to something we differ about that has long been in question, even at the highest levels of the scholarly ummah over the centuries. Another over-worked hadith is that the scholar is "worth more than a thousand ignorant worshippers." In most cases it is exalted by those whose scholarship has become the end goal, rather than the means.
Scholarship / Dialogue
It (scholarship) has become the objective, and not for the pleasure of Allah. Allah is no longer the goal of such pursuers, but sophistic scholarship is! Thus we have fallen into disputes of the so-called "learned": like that of Western Philosophers, i.e.: "How many angels can sit on the head of a pin?"
These "extremes,'" among the literate and the illiterate becomes a perverse "religion". Yet they understand not. Allah knows best: whenever we begin to exalt anything as equal to Him or His Words (Guarded Revelations), then we are truly gravitating toward Shirk. Let us consider the advice found on page 428 of the Encyclopedia of Seerah, (vol. 6)
The author writes:
"If there is any difference of opinion, it cannot be on the Truth of the Quran and its Message, which is one and the same for all time. If there is a difference among Muslims, it can only be in their imperfect understanding of the Quran and its Message; but if this difference of opinion is within limits of acceptable interpretations, it is not bad nor evil, nor is it dangerous or injurious to the collective. If however, people go beyond the acceptable limits and start arguing on a political, sectarian, or sophistic basis (for argument sake) then there is no cure for such disputes and wrongdoing."
The Way of the Companions
The different opinions of the companions of the Prophet were of the former (above). This type of difference is called a mercy. But if these differences or details are considered as al-din (compulsory) and made the means of dispute between different sections of people, then even this type of difference becomes condemned.
Truth is only the Quran and people's opinions are only opinions, and as such may be right or wrong.
According to Ibn Kathir, Allah's Prophet disliked these things: "first, unnecessary disputes and arguments, questioning and inquiring without any need, and wastage of wealth."
Having grown weak from disputes, many Muslims have lost their sense of purpose in bringing glad tidings to the believers and warning the rulers and citizens of the land, both yesterday and today. They are content to rail, and mock, becoming obsessed with simply calling others "Kafir." They exhibit little evidence of dawah, such as feeding the poor, or working collectively with any Muslim community to establish a good life in society.
Rather they are bent upon trying to "convert" the converted. They demonstrate a lack of Îmân by raising doubts of others. Could this be hypocrisy, in disguise? Could this be subversion, in disguise? Allah Knows.
Muslims are obligated to warn and to argue in the best manner, i.e.: (words, manners, and conduct). Furthermore Muslims are obligated to call for justice, for the release of the slave, for the feeding of the hungry, for the housing of the homeless and for the sharing of wealth., The Muslims must warn against Riba, against arrogance, against mis-education, against waste and lack of economic productivity. Cannot we hear? Cannot we understand? Do we not know that we have Watchers over our souls?
About the author:
Currently Imam Ghayth Nur Kashif is the Imam for Masjid ash-Shura Washington DC. He was one of the founders of the American Muslim Council and served as in-house editor for the International Institute of Islamic Studies in Virginia, USA. As a writer, his writings have been published in significant publications. He is listed in WHO'S' WHO in Black America and WHO'S WHO among International Authors and Writers. His main interest lies in the rise of Islam in USA and the effects of international foreign policy upon Muslims in USA. He has traveled widely and has had acquaintance with such peer personalities as Malcolm X Shabazz, Muhammad Ali and W.D. Mohammad, etc., all early pioneers in the Islamic movements in America.
Source:
http://www.iol.ie/~afifi/BICNews/Kashif/kashif1.htm
Bush and ex-presidents eulogize Gerald R. Ford
DAVID STOUT
International Herald Tribune
Published: January 2, 2007
WASHINGTON: Gerald R. Ford was eulogized today as a president and a man who embodied the best of small-town American values and whose decency made him a player on the world stage.
"To know Jerry Ford was to know a Norman Rockwell painting come to life," former President George H. W. Bush told a gathering at the National Cathedral. Mr. Ford was a man of uncommon toughness when necessary, but possessed of a heart "as big and open as the Midwest plains on which he was born," Mr. Bush said.
The current President Bush agreed, calling the 38th president a man who stood for, and was, "the best of America," a man who made "the tough, and decent, decision" to pardon his disgraced predecessor, even though he knew it might cost him the White House.
"President Ford's time in office was brief, but history will long remember the courage and common sense that helped restore trust in the workings of our democracy," President Bush said.
And Henry A. Kissinger, Mr. Ford's secretary of state, said the late president was a man "unassuming and without guile," perfectly equipped to restore Americans' confidence in their values and institutions.
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"Gerald Ford had the virtues of small-town America," Mr. Kissinger said, citing Mr. Ford's "absence of glibness and his artless decency." Nor were those qualities confined to restoring a collective feeling of content at home, Mr. Kissinger went on, declaring that Mr. Ford had done his best to see that the United States rescued as many people as possible "from the final agony of Indochina" after the Communist victory in Vietnam in 1975.
As if to rebut those who regard Mr. Ford as an amiable bench-warmer of a president, Mr. Kissinger said the Cold War might not have been won, had Gerald Ford not emerged at just the right time in history "to restore equilibrium to America and confidence in its international role." He noted, too, that Mr. Ford was one of the originators of the continuing annual economic summit of industrialized nations.
"In recent days, the deserved commentary on Gerald Ford's character has sometimes obscured how sweeping and lasting were his achievements," Mr. Kissinger said. On a more personal note, Mr. Kissinger said Mr. Ford was a man of such qualities that those who worked with him cherish that time as "our badge of honor for the rest of our lives."Tom Brokaw, the retired NBC anchor and a White House correspondent in the 1970's, said that Mr. Ford came to the White House with "no demons, no hidden agendas, no hit list or acts of vengeance," an unmistakable allusion to Richard M. Nixon, although Mr. Brokaw did not name him.
Mr. Brokaw recalled that his colleague Bob Schieffer once called Mr. Ford "the nicest man I ever met in politics.""I would add, the most underestimated," Mr. Brokaw said.
Leavening the solemn tributes were touches of humor. The first President Bush said he and Mr. Ford shared a love for golf, but that both were guilty of "suspect play around crowds," a reference to Mr. Ford's occasional slices.
Once, when he was asked about the state of his game, Mr. Ford replied, "I'm hitting fewer spectators," Mr. Bush recalled. Noting that both he and Mr. Ford provided ample grist for comedians, the former president said he could go on with more anecdotes.
"Not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent," Mr. Bush said, producing laughter with his fair imitation of Dana Carvey imitating him.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who defeated Mr. Ford in 1976, attended the service. Also present were former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, former United Nations Ambassador John R. Bolton and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
President Bush accompanied Mr. Ford's widow, Betty, who is 88, into the cathedral and down the aisle, under the flags of the states that the late president helped to unite three decades ago.
Not for the first time, and perhaps not for the last, Mr. Ford was recalled as a man whose word was good, to politicians on both sides of the aisle and to his constituents back when he was a House member from Michigan.
The first President Bush recalled Mr. Ford's service on the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "And the conspiracy theorists can say what they will, but the Warren Commission report will always have the final, definitive say on this tragic matter," Mr. Bush said. "Why? Because Jerry Ford put his name on it, and Jerry Ford's word was always good."Gerald Ford was the last surviving member of the Warren Commission. His passing, at age 93, leaves the nation with three living former presidents. Mr. Ford will be buried on Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he got his start in politics nearly 60 years ago.
International Herald Tribune
Published: January 2, 2007
WASHINGTON: Gerald R. Ford was eulogized today as a president and a man who embodied the best of small-town American values and whose decency made him a player on the world stage.
"To know Jerry Ford was to know a Norman Rockwell painting come to life," former President George H. W. Bush told a gathering at the National Cathedral. Mr. Ford was a man of uncommon toughness when necessary, but possessed of a heart "as big and open as the Midwest plains on which he was born," Mr. Bush said.
The current President Bush agreed, calling the 38th president a man who stood for, and was, "the best of America," a man who made "the tough, and decent, decision" to pardon his disgraced predecessor, even though he knew it might cost him the White House.
"President Ford's time in office was brief, but history will long remember the courage and common sense that helped restore trust in the workings of our democracy," President Bush said.
And Henry A. Kissinger, Mr. Ford's secretary of state, said the late president was a man "unassuming and without guile," perfectly equipped to restore Americans' confidence in their values and institutions.
Related Articles
Transcript of eulogy by George H.W. Bush
Transcript of eulogy by Henry A. Kissinger
Today in Americas
In soaring eulogies, Washington pays tribute to Ford
A U.S.-styled university for Iraq, but not in Baghdad
The rising cost of AIDS drugs threatens Brazil's free treatment program
"Gerald Ford had the virtues of small-town America," Mr. Kissinger said, citing Mr. Ford's "absence of glibness and his artless decency." Nor were those qualities confined to restoring a collective feeling of content at home, Mr. Kissinger went on, declaring that Mr. Ford had done his best to see that the United States rescued as many people as possible "from the final agony of Indochina" after the Communist victory in Vietnam in 1975.
As if to rebut those who regard Mr. Ford as an amiable bench-warmer of a president, Mr. Kissinger said the Cold War might not have been won, had Gerald Ford not emerged at just the right time in history "to restore equilibrium to America and confidence in its international role." He noted, too, that Mr. Ford was one of the originators of the continuing annual economic summit of industrialized nations.
"In recent days, the deserved commentary on Gerald Ford's character has sometimes obscured how sweeping and lasting were his achievements," Mr. Kissinger said. On a more personal note, Mr. Kissinger said Mr. Ford was a man of such qualities that those who worked with him cherish that time as "our badge of honor for the rest of our lives."Tom Brokaw, the retired NBC anchor and a White House correspondent in the 1970's, said that Mr. Ford came to the White House with "no demons, no hidden agendas, no hit list or acts of vengeance," an unmistakable allusion to Richard M. Nixon, although Mr. Brokaw did not name him.
Mr. Brokaw recalled that his colleague Bob Schieffer once called Mr. Ford "the nicest man I ever met in politics.""I would add, the most underestimated," Mr. Brokaw said.
Leavening the solemn tributes were touches of humor. The first President Bush said he and Mr. Ford shared a love for golf, but that both were guilty of "suspect play around crowds," a reference to Mr. Ford's occasional slices.
Once, when he was asked about the state of his game, Mr. Ford replied, "I'm hitting fewer spectators," Mr. Bush recalled. Noting that both he and Mr. Ford provided ample grist for comedians, the former president said he could go on with more anecdotes.
"Not gonna do it, wouldn't be prudent," Mr. Bush said, producing laughter with his fair imitation of Dana Carvey imitating him.
Former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, who defeated Mr. Ford in 1976, attended the service. Also present were former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, former United Nations Ambassador John R. Bolton and Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
President Bush accompanied Mr. Ford's widow, Betty, who is 88, into the cathedral and down the aisle, under the flags of the states that the late president helped to unite three decades ago.
Not for the first time, and perhaps not for the last, Mr. Ford was recalled as a man whose word was good, to politicians on both sides of the aisle and to his constituents back when he was a House member from Michigan.
The first President Bush recalled Mr. Ford's service on the Warren Commission, which investigated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "And the conspiracy theorists can say what they will, but the Warren Commission report will always have the final, definitive say on this tragic matter," Mr. Bush said. "Why? Because Jerry Ford put his name on it, and Jerry Ford's word was always good."Gerald Ford was the last surviving member of the Warren Commission. His passing, at age 93, leaves the nation with three living former presidents. Mr. Ford will be buried on Wednesday in Grand Rapids, Mich., where he got his start in politics nearly 60 years ago.
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