Saturday, April 21, 2007

Lail (Night) Sura 21 verses.

92:1 CONSIDER the night as it veils [the earth] in darkness,

وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا يَغْشَى (92:1)

92:2 and the day as it rises bright! Check Spelling

وَالنَّهَارِ إِذَا تَجَلَّى (92:2)

92:3 Consider the creation of the male and the female!

وَمَا خَلَقَ الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنثَى (92:3)

92:4 Verily, [O men,] you aim at most divergent ends!

إِنَّ سَعْيَكُمْ لَشَتَّى (92:4)

92:5 Thus, as for him who gives [to others] and is conscious of God,

فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى (92:5)

92:6 and believes in the truth of the ultimate good

وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى (92:6)

92:7 for him shall We make easy the path towards [ultimate] ease.

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى (92:7)

92:8 But as for him who is niggardly, and thinks that he is self-sufficient,

وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى (92:8)

92:9 and calls the ultimate good a lie –

وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى (92:9)


92:10 for him shall We make easy the path towards hardship:

فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى (92:10)

92:11 and what will his wealth avail him when he goes down [to his grave]?

وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى (92:11)

92:12 BEHOLD, it is indeed for Us to grace [you] with guidance;


إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى (92:12)

92:13 and, behold, Ours is [the dominion over] the life to come as well as [over] this earlier part [of your life]:

وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَى (92:13)

92:14 and so I warn you of the raging fire -

فَأَنذَرْتُكُمْ نَارًا تَلَظَّى (92:14)

92:15 [the fire] which none shall have to endure but that most hapless wretch

لَا يَصْلَاهَا إِلَّا الْأَشْقَى (92:15)

92:16 who gives the lie to the truth and turns away [from it].


الَّذِي كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلَّى (92:16)

92:17 For, distant from it shall remain he who is truly conscious of God:

وَسَيُجَنَّبُهَا الْأَتْقَى (92:17)

92:18 he that spends his possessions [on others] so that he might grow in purity –

الَّذِي يُؤْتِي مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى (92:18)

92:19 not as payment for favours received,

وَمَا لِأَحَدٍ عِندَهُ مِن نِّعْمَةٍ تُجْزَى (92:19)

92:20 but only out of a longing for the countenance of his Sustainer, the All-Highest:

إِلَّا ابْتِغَاء وَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَى (92:20)

92:21 and such, indeed, shall in time be well-pleased.

وَلَسَوْفَ يَرْضَى (92:21)

Blogger comment:

Verses again are simple and self explanatory. God swears by the most evident of his creation the day and night and humans male and female. He swears that we go in divergent way and he compared that who believed and did the good deeds and that he became arrogant disbelieved, turned the other way. For the first God will let him to the path of ease and for the second the path of hardship. Then he explain this hardship as a hellfire that waits for the first and is away form the second. He promised the second who grow his money through spending on poor by avoiding the hell and in fact he will be pleased. God could have mentioned in the verses the reward of heaven but if God says he shall be pleased the promise is very likely very high.

Those people who think the Quran is disconnect or shapeless either do not go deep in meanings or do not try to find the connection of the verses. The speaker is not Muhammad (PBUH) but God he is talking more to us than to him in these verses. Muhammad sayings as in Hadith is like my writings it is human and he speaks to the Muslims with no personal glory or trying to attain linguistic glory like the Quran does. Muhammad was inspired by the theme of his sayings by God but in Muhammad own words. If Muhammad was the author of the Quran unintentionally some of the sayings will have close resemblance to the Quran which has not been found.

Friday, April 20, 2007

HOW TO BECOME A MUSLIM

From: www.freequran.org

If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah for all human-beings, then, one should pronounce the "Shahada", the testimony of faith, without further delay. The Shahada can be declared as follows:"ASH-HADU ANLA ELAHA ILLA-ALLAHWA ASH-HADU ANNA MOHAMMADAN RASUL-ALLAH".The English translation is:"I bear witness that there is no deity (none truly to be worshipped) but, Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah",
However, it would not be sufficient for anyone to only utter this testimony orally either in private or in public; but rather, he should believe in it by heart with a firm conviction and unshakeable faith. If one is truly sincere and complies with the teachings of Islam in all his life, he will find himself a new born person.
This will move him to strive more and more to improve his character and draw nearer to perfection. The light of the living faith will fill his heart until he becomes the embodiment of that faith.
What would be next after declaring oneself a Muslim? One should then know the real concept underlying this testimony which means the Oneness of Allah and meet its requirements. One must behave accordingly, applying this true faith to every thing one speaks or does.
What do the words of the "Shahada" signify? The significant point which every Muslim must know very well is the truth that there is no God (deity) to be worshipped other than Allah. He - glory be to Him - is the only true God, Who alone deserves to be worshipped, since He is the Giver of life and Sustainer and Nourisher of mankind and all creation with His unlimited bounties. Man must worship Allah, Who alone is worthy of worship.
The second part of the Shahada (i.e., Wa ash-hadu anna Mohammadan rasul-Allah) means that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is the servant and chosen messenger of Allah. No one must have two opinions about this matter. In fact the Muslim has to obey the commands of the Prophet (PBUH), to believe him in what he has said, to practice his teachings, to avoid what he has forbidden, and to worship Allah alone according to the message revealed to him, for all the teachings of the Prophet were in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by Allah.
What is the meaning of worship? It simply means rendering sincere service, showing reverence for Allah. In a deeper shade of meaning, it implies total submission and complete obedience to Allah's commandments both in utterances and actions of man whether explicit or implicit.Worship fall into two categories:
Visible (manifest or outward)
Invisible (concealed or inward)
Visible worship includes acts such as uttering the two parts of the "Shahada", performing prayers, giving Zakah (the poor-due), recitation of the Holy Qur'an, supplication, adoring Allah by praising Him, purifying our bodies before prayers, etc.
This type of worship is associated with movement of the parts of the human body.Invisible worship is to believe in Allah, in the Day of Judgment (in the Hereafter), in the Angels, in the Books of Allah, in the Prophets of Allah, in the Divine Decree of destiny (that good and bad are determined by Allah alone).
This type of worship does not involve movement of parts of the body but it surely has bearing on one's heart which subsequently affects one's way of life.
It should be borne in mind that any worship not dedicated to Allah alone will be rejected as one form of polytheism and this causes apostasy from the Islamic fold.
The next step for a newly revert to Islam is to purify himself by taking a complete bath. He should then resolve to comply with the principles and rules of Islam in their entirety. He should disown all forms of polytheism and false beliefs. He should reject evil and be righteous. Such rejection of evil and being righteous is one of the exquisites of the motto of Islam - that is, Laa Ilaha Illallah.Allah states in the Holy Qur'an:"... whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy Hand-hold, that never breaks..." (Qur'an 2:256).We have to consider that when we declare from our heart that "there is no god (deity) worthy to be worshipped but Allah", it implies on our part love, devotion, faith and obedience to the rules of Islamic legislations which are legally binding on all Muslims. It is a requirement of "there is no god worthy to be worshipped but Allah" to love for the sake of Allah and to reject for the sake of Allah.We conclude with a humble prayer to Allah that may He cleanse the hearts and souls of those who are genuine seekers of truth and may He bless the community of believers. Aameen.

The Message International: P.O. Box 50336 , Staten Island , NY 10305 , USA
Toll Free: 1877-AL-ISLAM Tel: 718-448-2004 Fax: 718-874-1384

What makes Muslims believe that the Quran is not written by Prophet Muhammad?

From: www.scribd.com

Posted 11 days ago by isibingo

Scribd is the new way to publish your docs online.

Description: What makes Muslims believe that the Quran is not written by Prophet Muhammad? Does the Quran claim that it is from God? Could the Prophet have copied some portions of the Bible? Are there scientific facts in the Quran?

Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is not the author of the Quran. God is its Author. The following points bear the fact:

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First of all, the Quran itself, at a number of places and in different ways, says that it is from God. One of the claims runs thus: "This is indeed a Quran most honourable, a Book well-guarded...a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds." (Quran 56:77-80)

(Here, one ought to know the features of the Quran to understand the claim better. For instance, if the Quran had consisted of a number of books, and each book was made up of a number of chapters, then each of the books had to claim that it was from God in order to render the WHOLE volume as coming from God. But, this is fortunately not so with the Quran. The Quran is just ONE Book made up of 114 chapters. So, if the Quran claims, in any of its chapters, that the Book is from God, then the WHOLE Quran is from God. Yet, the Quran does not make the divine claim only once, but several times in different phrases and in different chapters.)

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If the Prophet had written the Quran _ a Book par excellence _ surely he would have claimed credit for it, but he did not. He could not claim what was not his. Indeed God says: "This Quran is not such as can be produced by anyone other than God." (10:37)

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The Prophet was unlettered. However, even if he was educated and had written the Quran, how could he be bold enough to make this statement: "Do they not consider (ponder over) the Quran (with care)? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein discrepancies". (4:82)

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, commenting on this verse (verse 4:82) in his English translation of the Quran, says: "From a mere human point of view, we should have expected much discrepancy, because (1) Prophet Muhammad who promulgated it was not a learned man or philosopher, (2) it was promulgated at various times and in various circumstances, and (3) it is addressed to all grades of mankind. Yet, when properly understood, its various pieces fit together better than a jigsaw puzzle even when arranged without any regard to chronological order. There was just the One Inspirer and one inspired."

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The Quran took 23 years to complete. Had the verses of the Quran (which contains 6,666 verses) been written by the Prophet, he would have needed a number of drafts and the work would have needed editing, updating, etc. But this did not happen, yet the information is consistent throughout the Quran. The verses were taken down as dictated by the Prophet only once and no redrafting, editing or updating took place after that.

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At a number of stages during the 23-year period, challenges to reproduce, even a chapter of the Quran, were made. If the Prophet had written the Quran, he would not have made the challenges, for fear that the learned

Arabs and eminent poets of his time would have taken up his challenges and shamed him. One of the challenges goes thus: "And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed (from time to time) to Our servant (Muhammad), then produce a chapter like thereunto..." (2:23)

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The Quran says that the Prophet was not learned.

So, if the Prophet was educated in some institution but mentioned in the Quran that he wasn't, he would have been accused of being a liar and his mission would have fallen through.

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Even if the Prophet was learned, how could he have written such an inimitable Book of Information and Wisdom without resorting to consultation with prominent scholars and the best books from the best libraries in the world?! If he did this, it would surely have been known, since every move he made was known to people. The Prophet was a historical figure, not a mythological figure.

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The Prophet was the busiest and most active person in history. So, how could he have found the time to write (even if he were educated) such a comprehensive and extensive Book of Guidance which would have needed years of seclusion and concentration to complete?

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In the Quran, in Chapter 111, it is mentioned that Abu Lahab, one of the Prophet's uncles who was always against Islam, would never accept Islam. This Revelation came some ten years before the death of Abu Lahab. How could the Prophet have dared to write this chapter because all he (Abu Lahab) needed to do to prove that the Quran was not the Words of God, was to accept Islam dishonestly?

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The Prophet was mentioned by name in the Quran only five times whereas Jesus Christ's name was (honourably) mentioned 25 times. Could the Prophet go to such an extent of honouring someone more than himself if he had written the Quran?

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There is a chapter in the Quran entitled and dedicated to "Mary", the mother of Jesus Christ, while there is no chapter called, or dedicated to, the Prophet's own mother, Aminah, or daughter, Fatimah, nor were their names mentioned in the Quran. Could this have happened if the Prophet was the author of the Quran?

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Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, is glorified in the Quran as a "woman of all nations". Why would the Prophet glorify a woman he had never seen and one from another race, saying that she was chosen (by God) above all women unless the formulation of the verses had nothing to do with the Prophet's own authorship but that he only repeated what was inspired to him by God?

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In the Quran, God is called "Allah" (in Arabic). He is also referred to by His Attributes, like the Cherisher, the Merciful, the Almighty. There are 99 such Attributes but none of these is "Abba" (Father) by which the Arab Christians of the Prophet's time (and even today) refer to God. If the Prophet was the writer of the Quran, he would surely have used "Abba" as one of the names for God because of its familiarity and also because it was easier to say "Abba" than many of the Attributes.

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Although the Quran's objective is basically religious, it does touch on certain principles and laws governing the universe. A French scientist, Maurice Bucaille, in his book, "The Bible, the Quran and Science", says: "What initially strikes the reader confronted for the first time with a text of this kind (the Quran) is the sheer abundance of subjects discussed: the Creation, astronomy, the explanation of certain matters concerning the earth, and the animal and vegetable kingdoms, human reproduction ...I could not find a single error in the Quran. I had to stop and ask myself: if a man was the author of the Quran, how could he have written facts in the 7th Century AD that today are shown to be in keeping with modern scientific knowledge?''

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The Quran mentions a number of scientific facts which were unknown to the world then. Some of them are:

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The moon has no light of its own and that what we see is the reflected light of the sun. (91:1-2),

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The universe came about by a "big bang" or disintegration billions of years ago. (21:30),

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Every living thing began in water. (continuation of 21:30),

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Stages of reproduction of a life in the womb.(22:5),

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Every living thing, including vegetable matter, is created in pairs (male and female). (36:36),

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All celestial body (namely, moon and planets) have their own course of orbit. (7:54 and 21:33),

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Space travel is possible. (55:33), and

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There is also life (in whatever form) in other parts of the universe. (42:29).

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All these scientific facts were discovered only in the last couple of centuries whereas the Quran mentions them 14 centuries ago. How could the Prophet, even if he were educated, have known these fact centuries ahead of recent times?

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Learned Arabs and other experts in the Arabic language acknowledge that the style, diction and rendering in the Quran far excels those in the Hadith. Those in the Quran are inimitable, proving that the Quran is authored by God.

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Umar, later to become Caliph, had wanted to kill the Prophet because of his (Islamic) teachings. One day, Umar heard his sister reading something _ the sound, diction and meaning of which made him halt to listen. His sister, who had secretly converted to Islam, was reading (part of) the Quran. Umar realised that the Words he was listening to could not be the words of man. He submitted to Islam soon after.

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The Quran says: "If the whole of mankind and jinns (spirits) were to come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce the like thereof even if backed up by each other with help and support." (17:88) This is a bold statement indeed. If the Prophet had written the Quran, would he as a human being, dare make such an explosive statement? Would this statement go unchallenged by the learned Arabs of his time?

Prophet Muhammad, being an unlettered person, could not have written the Quran, a Book full of wisdom and one dealing with varied subject matters. The Quran categorically states: "This Quran is not such as can be produced by anyone other than God. (It is a Book) from the Lord of the Worlds." (10:37)

Why do Muslims refer to the Quran as a living miracle?

Many of God's Prophets in the past had performed miracles either to prove that they were sent by God or to help people to achieve certain goals. However, as these miracles were for certain people of the time of the respective Prophets, they are neither tangible nor available today as a living proof. But the Quran is. It is a miracle by itself. When people asked Prophet Muhammad what miracle he had performed, the Prophet pointed to the Quran.

Muslims regard the Quran as a living miracle because, among other reasons, it:

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Is a Book par excellence in the provision of complete guidance for this life and the Hereafter,
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Is available in the language (Arabic) as revealed to the Prophet,
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Is inimitable in diction, sound and rendering,
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Is accurate in its presentation of facts,
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Has remained pure (without interpolation),
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Has no contradiction or inconsistencies,
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Has influenced the lives of people, and
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Is responsible for the speedy spread of Islam, even now.

With regard to the Quran being a miracle from the point of view of its influence on people, Maulana Muhammad Ali in his book, "The Religion of Islam", says: "The Quran is a miracle because it brought about the greatest transformation that the world has ever witnessed _ a transformation of the individual, of the family, of the society, of the nation, of the country, an awakening material as well as moral, intellectual and spiritual. It produced an effect, a hundred thousand times greater than that of any other miracle recorded of any Prophet; hence, its claim to be the greatest of all miracles is uncontestable and uncontested."

Researches on the Quran have been made throughout these 14 centuries. More particularly, in recent years, in the wake of religious enquiries, Quranic scholars, scientists and mathematicians have each, in their own way and knowledge, discovered that the factual contents of the Quran as well as the arrangement of its Words and text point to the fact that the Quran is indeed the living miracle of Islam.

Words of Wisdom from the Qur'an.

From: www.irfi.org

1. Respect and honour all human beings irrespective of their religion, color, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job and so on [17/70]

2. Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception [33/70]

3. Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way [17/53, 2/83]

4. Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19]

5. Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and ostentatious [22/30]

6. Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42]

7. Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167]

8. Speak in a civilized manner in a language that is recognised by the society and is commonly used [4/5]

9. When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a relative [6/152]

10. Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18]

11. Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55]

12. Do not participate in any paltry. If you pass near a futile play, then pass by with dignity [25/72]

13. Do not verge upon any immodesty or lewdness whether surreptitious or overt [6/151].

14. If, unintentionally, any misconduct occurs by you, then correct yourself expeditiously [3/134].

15. Do not be contemptuous or arrogant with people [31/18]

16. Do not walk haughtily or with conceit [17/37, 31/18]

17. Be moderate in thy pace [31/19]

18. Walk with humility and sedateness [25/63]

19. Keep your gazes lowered devoid of any lecherous leers and salacious stares [24/30-31, 40/19].

20. If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave consequences [24/15-16]

21. When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favorable view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter. Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and truthful evidence [24/12-13]

22. Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in ignorance and afterwards repent of what you did [49/6]

23. Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning [17/36].

24. Never think that you have reached the final stage of knowledge and nobody knows more than yourself. Remember! Above everyone endowed with knowledge is another endowed with more knowledge [12/76]. Even the Prophet [p.b.u.h] was asked to keep praying, "O My sustainer! Advance me in knowledge." [20:114]

25. The believers are but a single Brotherhood. Live like members of one family, brothers and sisters unto one another [49/10].

26. Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]

27. Do not defame others [49/11]

28. Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]

29. Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might deplete your communal energy [49/12]

30. Spy not upon one another [49/12]

31. Do not backbite one another [49/12]

32. When you meet each other, offer good wishes and blessings for safety. One who conveys to you a message of safety and security and also when a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous or (at least) of equal courtesy [4/86]

33. When you enter your own home or the home of somebody else, compliment the inmates [24/61]

34. Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission; and then greet the inmates and wish them a life of blessing, purity and pleasure [24/27]

35. Treat kindly " Your parents " Relatives " The orphans " And those who have been left alone in the society [4/36]

36. Take care of " The needy, " The disabled " Those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs " And those whose businesses have stalled " And those who have lost their jobs. [4/36]

37. Treat kindly " Your related neighbours, and unrelated neighbours " Companions by your side in public gatherings, or public transportation. [4/36]

38. Be generous to the needy wayfarer, the homeless son of the street, and the one who reaches you in a destitute condition [4/36]

39. Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]

40. Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them with reminders of your generosity [2/262].

41. Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks [76/9]

42. Cooperate with one another in good deeds and do not cooperate with others in evil and bad matters [5/2]

43. Do not try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues [53/32]

44. You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good deeds yourself, then preach [2/44]

45. Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct others] [66/6]

46. Pardon gracefully if anyone among you who commits a bad deed out of ignorance, and then repents and amends [6/54, 3/134]

47. Divert and sublimate your anger and potentially virulent emotions to creative energy, and become a source of tranquility and comfort to people [3/134]

48. Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation. Reason with them most decently [16/125]

49. Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and amusement [6/70]

50. Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless they engage in some other conversation [4/140]

51. Do not be jealous of those who are blessed [4/54]

52. In your collective life, make rooms for others [58/11]

53. When invited to dine, Go at the appointed time. Do not arrive too early to wait for the preparation of meal or linger after eating to engage in bootless babble. Such things may cause inconvenience to the host [33/53]

54. Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation [7/31].

55. Do not squander your wealth senselessly [17/26]

56. Fulfil your promises and commitments [17/34]

57. Keep yourself clean, pure [9/108, 4/43, 5/6].

58. Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite character from inside out [7/26]

59. Seek your provision only by fair endeavour [29/17, 2/188]

60. Do not devour the wealth and property of others unjustly, nor bribe the officials or the judges to deprive others of their possessions [2/188]

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Militants urged to rethink Jihad concept

From: http://www.islamicity.com/

The Peninsula

Dr Yousuf Al Qaradawi

doha • Prominent Islamic scholar Dr Yousuf Al Qaradawi has called the militant groups in the Islamic world to re-examine their concept of 'Jihad' and open a dialogue with Muslims scholars.
He was speaking at a symposium organised by the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) titled ‘human rights in Islam' on Monday at Doha Sheraton.
"There no justification for the suicide operation in Iraq where civilians are being killed, as Iraq has many developed weapon to fight the enemy. This was acceptable in Palestine in a certain time of period when the Palestinian people didn't have weapons to fight their enemies. Now, thank Allah, they do have some weapons and there is no much of that kind of operations," Qaradawi said answering a question from the audience.
Qaradawi condemned the bomb attacks which target innocent people.
"Right to life is the first and foremost human right upheld by Islam and in its view, no one has the right to take it. A person does not have the right to kill himself, not to say others, in the Islamic view," he said.
In Islam obligations come before the rights. "If you fulfil your obligations, this will protect the rights of others". "Parents' duty is to provide a decent life for their children which is their right," Qaradawi said.
He said in the western philosophy there is no red lines for human rights and anything has been a considered a right. What is the logic behind marriage between the same sex? The scholar recalled his experience three year ago when he visited London and was about to be sent out of the country because of his views on this issue.
Ali bin Simaikh Al Merri, NHRC Secretary-General was present at the symposium, among other dignitaries.


Blogger Comment:

Violence create counter violence and killing in Iraq is stupid and senseless. We have the right as Muslims to despise the American policies but I do not know what these killing of innocent people would achieve. I was the first to call for Sunna-Shia reconciliation form my website my small window to the world. We know America went to Iraq for the oil, Israel and the American Saudi King who is hiding his American passport under his pillow. No one will liberate us and take care of our people but us. That is why we need Muslim scholars to put their ideas together. Imagine today Imam Al Mahdi would rise who really would help him America, the Arab tyrants or the real sincere Muslim scholars that lead the nation. The Palestine Israel conflict have drained us of money efforts and helped our tyrants to distract us from taking care of the Muslims and spreading Islam. Some people in the world will fight to keep status quo of the world. However, they can not fight God. The strong and just God of Israel. When they were in Egypt oppressed and slave to the Egyptians God promised them their freedom and he kept his promise. You find a lot of Jews in America are very eager now to free the Muslims. A lot of Christians as well realized that the justice entails a drastic change of American policies.

That is what Muslim scholars need to do:

1- Forget about our egos or let us give our egos vacation. If we can not, let our egos be our religion, our freedom and dignified lives.
2- Let us stop fighting together as scholars.
3- Let the scholars who are supporting the Arab tyrants to think the day they will meet their God. God promised us our freedom as our messenger Muhammad (PBUH) told us and he keeps his promise. He promised Moses and he liberated the people of Israel. Drop the tyrants before Muslims drop you.
4- Inspire Muslims that we will be a great nation again the west like it or dislik it (God knows what is in their hearts).
5- Let cut a good deal with Israel and have permanent peace and not strategic peace like some people fear in Israel or like to see it happened in America.
6- Some people will use all tactics to block the Muslim scholars to take the lead in a real large scale and organized plan. Status quo is great for a lot of rich and corrupt in the world many of them are Muslims.
7- Let us avoid confrontation with the west. We have the right to criticize wrong policies and to praise good policies. Do not buy much of giving us our freedom the Americans themselves are not free to change their country. Most of the control of American politics and policies is in hands of big corporations. Americans themselves now are looking for their own freedom.
8- The president of Iran is a great man however he has to cool it down with the west. Their purpose is to make the Americans feel there is war against them, Muslims against Christians or Muslims against the west or the Antichrist (they try to present Imam Al Mahdi as the Antichrist) against Jesus (who will be crossified if to come to the world to day) . The fact is there are a lot of very rich people in politics, Business and religion corporate to maintain the status quo of the world. Any major attempt to have the world change to a just world will find the mouth pieces of the corrupt stand against that.
9- Actually some people in the Arab corrupt system would wish to have an attack in America so they will have more control on their people. Many in America now even started to doubt the 9/11 is an attack by Muslim extremists.
10- God does not change people until they change themselves. The difficult question of religion that we have the will or God has the will is answered already in the Quran. God was determined that the law of Gravity will be discovered by Newton he dropped to him an apple. Newton worked his brain to find the law that makes this apple fall down and God inspired him with the law. More amazing to us and beyond our grasp is how God knows the future or what we call it prophecies. We Muslims need to change if we are willing to achieve our prophecy and trust God.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Christianity: A Concise Reply to Christianity (1/3)

From: www.thetruereligion.org

By Dr. Gary Miller

If this booklet were written to announce my conversion to Christianity, no Christian would complain that it is too blunt. So if I must reject an aspect of Christianity in a succinct form, let me not be accused of bluntness either. A Muslim believes in the religion of Jesus but sees mainline Christianity as a religion constructed about Jesus. Our protest is against two excesses: The apotheosis of Jesus and the most frequent missionary tactic directed toward Muslims.
Part One
Christians and Muslims who learn something of one another's religion find that a crucial issue is the nature of Jesus. The majority of Christians deify Jesus while Muslims say that he was no more than a prophet of God, a faultless human being. The doctrine of the Trinity avows that three distinct co-equals are God. In particular, Jesus is said to be God the Son, or the Son of God. As the Muslim questions details of this theology, the Christian characteristically forms a common explanation for our differences: He complains that Muslims do not understand the Trinity; that we are actually accusing Christians of Tritheism and other heresies.
So the Muslim seeks clarification of the teaching and asks at every step: "How could that be so?" For example, we insist that the term "Son of God" cannot have a literal interpretation. Sonship and divine nature would be necessary attributes of such an actuality, but these are incompatible. The first describes a recipient of life while the second describes One who received life from no one. These are mutually exclusive requirements then. To be a son is to be less than divine, and to be divine is to be no one's son.
As a discussion proceeds, it is the Christian who will eventually take refuge in the response: "These are things that we cannot understand." His assessment of the Muslim's problem becomes his own confession. The Christian explanation becomes self-defeating so there is a change of tactic.
He complains that the Muslim refuses to accept what cannot be understood. But the modified approach is a diversion. Now the concepts of verification and understanding are confused. To illustrate: Chemical reactions may be verified but the atom is not thereby understood. Facts are catalogued but not always explained. This distinction is the key to our concise reply. It is the Muslim who must redirect the discussion. Our primary issue is more basic than resolving the incongruities of Trinitarian doctrine. Rather than ask how the Trinity can be so, we should ask why it must be so. We ask, "Why must Jesus be divine? Can we verify the necessity of this belief?"
The Muslim Position
A few centuries ago, European Philosophers commonly felt that a conjecture was proven if it could be shown to be equivalent to an assertion made by Aristotle. Unfortunately, such an approach stopped short of challenging Aristotle and discovering truth. Similarly, testing the Trinitarian case on what people have said about Jesus stops short of establishing the integrity of the authorities and the truth of the matter.
Our purpose here is no more than the illustration that belief in the Trinity can only be based on Church authority. Many Christians admit that this is the case while others insist that the teaching was elaborated by Jesus himself. "Let them produce their proof," is the repeated admonition of the Quran, that is, "provide the documentation that Jesus himself claimed unqualified deity," (Quran 21:24). Unless this evidence can be produced, authorities are subject to challenge. Then the Christian may not evade the Muslim's questions concerning understanding. The Christian will have no justification for maintaining an illogical position, unless he is content to rely on the opinions of men. If he will probe no deeper than this, the Christian-Muslim dialogue is finished.
For Christians, the only documents accepted as reporting the words of Jesus are the accounts given in the Bible. We leave the Muslim attitude toward the Bible for part II of this essay and find our motivation now in the Quranic verse, "Say: 'O People of the Book! You have no ground to stand upon unless you stand fast by the Law, the Gospel, and all the revelation that has come to you from your Lord." (Quran 5:68). Christians are advised to support their claims by citing their books. Thus Muslims believe that no saying of Jesus can be produced which shows him grasping at equality with God. The primary issue is not whether Jesus is God. The first question is whether he said that he was equal to God.
Methodology
The Bible record of sayings credited to Jesus is quite meager. After allowance for duplication in the four gospel accounts, these sayings could be printed in two columns of a newspaper. None of this handful of texts is an explicit claim of deity. All quotations are implicit, that is, they require interpretation. We are told what Jesus said and then told what he meant. So our methodology takes an obvious form.
It is not our intention or obligation to reinterpret the Bible. We are satisfied to merely verify that Christian interpretations are insufficient, ambiguous, or impossible. We mean to argue: 1) that where the meaning of a quotation is clear, it is still insufficient to prove that Jesus claimed equality with God; 2) that other quotations cited are open to various interpretation, ambiguous; 3) and that still other quotations have been given interpretations that are impossible. This means the evidence is either inadequate, inconclusive, or unacceptable, respectively.
Insufficient Evidence
The virgin birth of Jesus and the miracles he demonstrated are cited by some as proof of his divinity. The insufficiency of the premise is obvious. We need only read the Biblical account of Adam's creation, without father or mother, and the accounts of miracles associated with the prophet Elisha (Genesis and 2 Kings chapters 4,5,6). In the case of these two men, no Christian asserts their divinity, yet each has a qualification in common with Jesus.
Some maintain that Jesus was God because the Hebrew Scriptures predicted his coming. The inadequacy here is only slightly less apparent. The ancient Hebrew Scriptures are also cited as predicting the role of John the Baptist (Malachi chapter 4). These three arguments are mentioned to show that the ready claims of Christian betray a selective or forgetful recall of scripture. They know the fact of virgin birth as well as they know the account of Adam's origins, yet they interpret the first and overlook the second.
Now to pursue our case indirectly. Does the Bible quote Jesus as claiming equality with God? Bible texts are produced to show that Jesus used the terms "son of man", "son of God", "Messiah", and "savior". But each of these terms is applied to other individuals in the Bible. Ezekiel was addressed as "son of man" (Ezekiel chapter 3). Jesus himself speaks of the peacemakers as "sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). Cyrus the Persian is called "messiah" at Isaiah 45:1. The duplicity of translators is manifested here, for they inevitably render only the meaning of the word "Messiah" which is "anointed". Where other Bible verses seem to refer to Jesus, they prefer to transliterate "Messiah" or the Greek equivalent "Christ". In this way they hope to give the impression that there is only one Messiah. As for "savior", the word is applied to other than Jesus (2 Kings 13:5). Christians choose to cite the forty-third chapter of Isaiah as proof that there is only one savior. Again, translators have tried to obscure the fact that God is the only savior in the same ultimate sense that He is our only nourisher and protector, though men also have these assigned tasks. By over specifying this pronouncement in Isaiah they hope to have us believe that God equals savior and Jesus equals savior therefore Jesus equals God. The conspiracy of modern translation is easily demonstrated. The King James Bible of 1611 is everywhere available. Compare it to a more recent translation, say the New American Bible of this century. In the earlier version we find 2 Kings 13:5 contains the word "savior", but in the newer version the synonymous word "deliverer" has been substituted. In fact, "saviours", the plural, will be found at Obadiah 21 and Nehemiah 9:27. Here again, by substituting a different word, the connotation of divinity tied to the word "savior" has been guarded in modern versions by less than honest translation.
Once more we have exhibited the insufficient warrant of arguments offered: Those terms said to connote divinity are used of individuals other than Jesus.
There is a quotation that should be mentioned here also. At John 8:58 it is reported that Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am". Even if Jesus meant to claim by these words that he was alive before Abraham was, is this sufficient ground to say that he was divine? If Jesus lived in heaven then came to earth it might mean something remarkable, but it would not be enough to establish him as God incarnate. Additionally, it should be noted that these words are open to other interpretation. Christians do not imagine that the prophet Jeremiah had a pre-human existence and so they find a suitable way of interpreting the words of Jeremiah 1:5 which portray such a situation, if taken literally, Why not apply a similar understanding in the case of John 8:58?
Ambiguous Evidence
Some scholars have insisted that in this statement of Jesus just discussed, he appropriated for himself a divine title. In Exodus chapter 3, it is reported that God told Moses "I am what I am," as most English Bibles translate the Hebrew text. At John 8:58 Jesus says, "before Abraham was, I am," as most English Bibles translate the Greek text. But here is the key to another deception. The original of the first text is in Hebrew while the original of the second is in Greek. All but a few of Jesus' words were recorded in Greek. For two hundred years before the time of Jesus the Jews used a Greek translation of their Hebrew scriptures, the Septuagint. This work translated the key phrase "I am" of Exodus as HO ON. However, the words of Jesus, "I am", have been given to us in Greek as EGO EIMI. If the gospel writer of John 8:58 wanted to tell his Greek-speaking audience that Jesus had imitated God he would have used the familiar words of the Septuagint, otherwise the point would be lost. The evidence of John 8:58 is far from conclusive.
There is another Greek word to consider which betrays suppression or neglect of evidence. At John 10:30 Jesus is quoted as saying "I and the Father are one." The Greek word translated "one" is HEN. Certain scholars have insisted that the only possible understanding of this word is "one in essence or nature". One need not be a Greek scholar to refute this unjustified claim. A counter example is sufficient. The same word is used by Jesus in John 17:11,21,22,23, as he includes his disciples in this oneness, whatever its meaning.
The most widely translated sentence on earth is said to be Jesus' statement of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son..." While Christians wish to say that the word "only-begotten" gives Jesus special status among all the "sons of God", again there is a problem if ambiguity. The same word translated as "only-begotten" is found at Hebrews 11:17. In this verse the word refers to Isaac. The Bible itself shows that Isaac's older brother Ishmael outlived his father (Genesis 25:9). Therefore, at no time was Isaac, strictly speaking, the only-begotten son of Abraham. Recognizing this, Christian scholars qualify the meaning of the word in this case and give it a less than literal interpretation. But if the meaning is subject to interpretation here, why not also in the passage of John 3:16? Once more the possibility of ambiguity means that John 3:16 is inconclusive evidence.
Whether or not Jesus really used the term "Father" when speaking of God is another controversy. But here our point is again, that suck use is inconclusive evidence that God was literally Father to Jesus. All Christians use the term when addressing God. The Jews themselves used the term (John 8:41). Jesus told them that the devil was their father (John 8:44). Of course, he was not speaking literally.
Certain scholars stress the verse of Mark 14:36 where Jesus speaks the Aramaic word for Father, "Abba". They insist that this implies a very unique relationship between Jesus and God. This displays a- schizophrenic forgetfulness. For favorite scripture passages are Romans 8:14 and Galatians 4:6 where every Christian is said to use this term of address for God.
Impossible Evidence
An episode is recounted in the twentieth chapter of John and a certain Thomas is quoted as saving, "My Lord and my God." In interpreting this, Christians maintain that Thomas was addressing Jesus by both of these titles. The Muslim would have no objection to the term "Lord". As the Bible explains, the word means "master" and Sarah is said to have called her husband Abraham by this title (Peter 3:6). The suggestion that Thomas addressed Jesus as literally being God is a different matter. Jesus has already pointed out that the Hebrew scriptures themselves address men as "gods" (John 10:34; Psalms 82:6). This would allow for Thomas' use of the term. However, Paul gave new rules in 1 Corinthians chapter 8, saying that there are many lords and gods "...yet for us there is but one God, the Father.... and one Lord, Jesus Christ..." Christians apply this verse to sort out the ambiguities of Thomas' expression. But now we are left with an unorthodox doctrine, namely that Jesus is the Father. This ancient heresy has been branded by the Church as Patripassianism, Monarchianism, or Sabellianism. The impossibility of an orthodox interpretation of Thomas is now apparent.
The distinction between Father and Son is essential to the doctrine of the Trinity. This distinction is blurred again when John 14:9 is pressed into service. Here Jesus' reply to a man named Philip is recorded as, "He who has seen me has seen the Father." A strictly literal explication would mean the unacceptable doctrine that Jesus is the Father. So interpreters say that "Father" is here equivalent to "God". However, we cannot possibly be obliged to understand that Jesus meant to say that seeing him was exactly the same as seeing God because he was God. Our reason is found in the contrariety of John 5:37. Here he told a crowd about the Father saying, "You have neither heard His voice at any time not seen his form."The Total Evidence Did the Jews Understand?
Surprisingly enough, it is often conceded that individual verses are insufficient, inconclusive, or even unusable in the case made for the divinity of Jesus. However, there are those who insist that while any given verse may be deficient, it is the total collection of all such verses that proves the case. This betrays a misunderstanding of the reasoning process. Each verse must prove something, or it is dispensable. Given a verse, we must demand to know exactly what it does prove, and why. Christian exegesis, the traditional explanation of scripture, has been exposed as incredible within the church itself. It has been shown to be enthymemic in the extreme. That is, premises and conclusions are not clearly stated. (Exactly what is meant by the "redemption of man" is still not clear to this date. [This article was written in 1983]) Whether we probe the roots or the outgrowth of the system, the structure becomes vague. (See for example, THE MYTH OF GOD INCARNATE, a Christian publication.)
A final argument has been offered based on the understanding of the Jews. Christians have said that our rebuttal given here is unimportant because the Jews understood Jesus to grasp at equality with God. They cite John 5:18, ' ...because ... (he) was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." They pass over the verses that follow immediately, where Jesus subjected himself to God, naming those things which God gave him.
They cite the tenth chapter of John where the Jews tried to stone Jesus for blasphemy. The point of the reply Jesus made is neglected. He demonstrated to those Jews, by quoting their own scripture, that they had no grounds for their accusation.
Curiously enough, in their haste to put claims on the lips of Jesus, part of the Christian church constructs a very confused story. The Hebrew scriptures made reference to a Messiah and the Church says this can only mean an incarnate God and so when Jesus spoke of himself as Messiah he was blaspheming because no man can be God, according to Hebrew scriptures ... or so the reasoning seems to flow together in confusion.
There is a legal point to be made here. If the a understood that the Messiah was to be a man who was equal to God then a man who claimed to be the Messiah could only be condemned as a false messiah. He could not be condemned on the grounds that he uttered a statement which must always be blasphemous in itself. At some future time, the true Messiah would have to speak the very same words without being condemned. When certain Jews declared Jesus' words as blasphemy they could only have meant to condemn him as a false messiah. Any supposed connection between the word "Messiah" and the attribute of divinity has no bearing on this matter. (The fact is, the Jews have never believed that the promised Messiah would be a man who is equal to God.)
In the second chapter of Mark, Jesus tells a man, "Your sins are forgiven." The customary interpretation takes the side of the Jews then present, who asked, "Who can forgive sins but God Alone?" But the verse at John 12:49, among others, explains very well how a man could make such a statement. In this verse Jesus denies any personal initiative. (See also John 8:40; 14:10.) The argument based on Jewish understanding makes the assumption that the Jews understood Jesus. A more viable hypothesis is simply that the enemies of Jesus misunderstood him. In fact Jesus repeatedly alludes to this (e.g. Mark 4:11, 12). It is interesting to note that today Jewish scholars find virtually no objections to anything Jesus said. (See the reference under Jesus in the UNIVERSAL JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA.)
Conclusion
We have not merely used the Bible to suit ourselves. Verses have been cited without any commitment as to their veracity. It has been our intention only to show the defects in the Christian stand which says: "Jesus claimed to be equal to God." If we decoct the mixture said to establish that stand, we find inferior ingredients, weak evidence and specious reasoning. Our position has been narrowed enough to make almost any Christian response a step toward the Muslim’s position. We have cited the most quoted and clear scriptures, so if any others are brought forward, the Christian admits the deficiency of previous arguments, and thus makes a short list even shorter ... the list of quotations said to prove his case. Or, if the Christian builds a case on something other than the words attributed to Jesus, he repeats exactly what we first protested: mainline Christianity is based on what people have said about Jesus.
Afterword
We asked, "Why must Jesus be divine?" By this we meant to ask why a Christian believes so. If the question is asked without reference to the foregoing discussion, a Christian will answer that Jesus must be divine if his death is to be sufficient atonement for the sins of mankind. In the Christian scheme of redemption, it is held that sacrificial death was necessary that men might be saved. Ask why the death of any man would be insufficient and the Christian replies that all men are imperfect. Ask why they are imperfect and we are told that this is an inheritance from our fathers. Jesus had no father. By their own scheme he would have been an unblemished sacrificial victim. Nevertheless, they still require that he be divine to suit the role of redeemer. So we ask, "Did God die?" He quickly replies, "No, only the man Jesus died." Jesus is said to be a God-man and it was the human component that died. But now he has said that the death of a man has atoned for sin. The Infinite is required for this ritual of sacrifice but the Infinite is not actually sacrificed.

Virginia Tech Muslims

From: www.islamicity.com

By: Tariq Nelson

Lots of families - including Muslim ones - here in Northern Virginia have children going to school at Virginia Tech and were worried sick as the news came out. I know someone currently working on his master's there.
I just spoke to my friend, Ahmed Sidky who is a grad student at Virginia Tech. He is very emotional right now and says that the entire community is in a state of shock, but that the entire community - including the Muslims - has come together in this time of tragedy. Everyone was checking up on one another and trying to comfort and help one another heal. He said that the shock was intensified because they had an on campus festival on Sunday (the day before) and had a lot of pictures of the victims smiling and having a good time that added to the emotion of this. An indescribable emotional shift.
He told me that a close friend of his is "missing" and they are expecting the worse. He told me his name, but did not want me to release it until his family is notified back in Egypt. (Update: Ahmed's friend Waleed Shaalan is confirmed dead. He leaves behind a wife and son.)
The campus set up a meeting point for family and friends where they were until almost 2:30 AM trying to comfort one another. There was a large gathering of Muslims there and he told me that the Virginia Tech administration was very accommodating to them - making a special place for the prayers. He said that it was one of the most emotional prayers for him and that everyone was crying during the prayers.
Reem Samaha
He also told me that everyone met Reema Samaha's (A victim of this tragic shooting) parents and described for me the highly emotional scene in which everyone was trying to comfort her devastated parents. She was just a freshman and a highly energetic young woman who was very active and popular on campus.
In a time of tragedy, one can really see that we are all human beings and people come together to comfort one another. It did not matter the religion of the victims. Everyone was a hurting human being.
What I write here is not 1/10th as emotional as what Ahmed told me and I wish that I could do it justice, but this is what I have for now.
Let us keep all of them in our du'aa
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 at 11:19 am.

Tariq Nelson was born in Sardis, Mississippi and currently lives in the Washington DC area. He maintains a blog at http://tariqnelson.com


The Virginia Tech Muslim Student Association released this statement:
The Virginia Tech Muslim Student Association expresses great sorrow for the tragic events that occurred today on the Virginia Tech campus. We would like to convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and offer our help in anyway to the university campus community. We would like everyone to please keep us in their prayers. Jazakumu Allahu Khairan for the concern we received today and we definitely feel the brotherhood and sisterhood that binds all us together.
- The Executive Board of the Muslim Students Association at Virginia Tech

Sunday, April 15, 2007

The Reality of Religion.

By: Maged Taman

95:1 By the Fig and the Olive, وَالتِّينِ وَالزَّيْتُونِ

95:2 And the Mount of Sinai, وَطُورِ سِينِينَ

95:3 And this City of security (Mecca),- وَهَذَا الْبَلَدِ الْأَمِينِ

95:4 We have indeed created man in the best of moulds, لَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ فِي أَحْسَنِ تَقْوِيمٍ

95:5 Then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low,- ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ

95:6 Except such as believe and do righteous deeds: For they shall have a reward unfailing. إِلَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ فَلَهُمْ أَجْرٌ غَيْرُ مَمْنُونٍ

95:7 Then what can, after this, contradict thee, as to the judgment (to come)? فَمَا يُكَذِّبُكَ بَعْدُ بِالدِّينِ

95:8 Is not Allah the wisest of judges? أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَ

In this small sura in Quran; only 8 verses God give us the history and reality of religion. In the first verse God swears by the fig and olive of the holy lands of his messages (note God when swears swear with his creation, but as his servants we swear by his names only). He then swear by Mount of Sinai and Mecca the two of most holy places. Then God explains religion very simply man was created with the best in his heart to identify God, to love the good and to feel spirituality towards the creator. Notice the innocence of young children and the look in their faces and compare that by the wickedness in the behavior and faces of many adults. When we arrogantly try to keep away from the simple call inside ourselves to live by God and be righteous we give in to be lower than animals. Then after God made his case to us he asks us who can after that deny the religion?, Is not God the wisest of judges?

Why I Am Looking Forward For Christ Second Coming?

By: Maged Taman

There is no doubt that divine intervention is the only hope for salvation of humans. No doubt they can not achieve it themselves. They can work together to create the most powerful computer in the world or to conquer the most devastating disease. But they can not work together to coexist in a peaceful and a just world. All major religions' members to be blamed and not their religions. If Christ to come today he would be crucified somewhere in the Middle East. These are some of the blames that can go around:

1- Corruption.
2- Jealousy.
3- Closed mindedness.
4- Hate.
5- Fear.
6- Love of power.
7- Greed.
8- Selfishness.
9- Anger.
10- Discrimination.
11- Prejudice.
12- Oppression.
13- Political hypocrisy.
14- Religious hypocrisy.
15- Perversion.
16- Wickedness.
17- Capitalistic political complexes.
18- Abuse of religions.

I believe firmly in God but It would amaze me how God can break all these barriers. I am not the only one even for people who believe firmly in the messiah have their exclamation marks. Even an Elijah who would warn people before the messiah would not have better luck. We can not however loose faith since we are the same people that believed that the rod of prophet Moses split the sea and saved the Israelites when they were loosing every hope. Reading through the book of Revelation you believe there is light at the end of tunnel but there is a lot of unpredictable fearful events. From point A we are in now to point B which defines the golden millennium of humanity we do not know for sure what is God's plan which is ultimately our geopolitical and perception of human history mixed with very unstable ecology

The Buruj Sura (Mansions of Stars)

85:1 By the heaven, holding mansions of the stars, -
وَالسَّمَاء ذَاتِ الْبُرُوجِ (85:1)

85:2 And by the Promised Day. -
وَالْيَوْمِ الْمَوْعُودِ (85:2)

85:3 And by the witness and that whereunto he beareth testimony, -
وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ (85:3)

85:4 (Self) destroyed were the owners of the ditch -
قُتِلَ أَصْحَابُ الْأُخْدُودِ (85:4)

85:5 Of the fuel-fed fire, -
النَّارِ ذَاتِ الْوَقُودِ (85:5)


85:6 When they sat by it, -
إِذْ هُمْ عَلَيْهَا قُعُودٌ (85:6)

85:7 And were themselves the witnesses of what they did to the believers. -
وَهُمْ عَلَى مَا يَفْعَلُونَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ شُهُودٌ (85:7)

85:8 They had naught against them save that they believed in Allah, the Mighty, the Owner of Praise, -
وَمَا نَقَمُوا مِنْهُمْ إِلَّا أَن يُؤْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَمِيدِ (85:8)

85:9 Him unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is of all things the Witness. -
الَّذِي لَهُ مُلْكُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ (85:9)

85:10 Lo! they who persecute believing men and believing women and repent not, theirs verily will be the doom of hell, and theirs the doom of burning. -
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ فَتَنُوا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا فَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابُ الْحَرِيقِ (85:10)

85:11 Lo! those who believe and do good works, theirs will be Gardens underneath which rivers flow. That is the Great Success. -
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْكَبِيرُ (85:11)

85:12 Lo! the punishment of thy Lord is stern. -
إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لَشَدِيدٌ (85:12)

85:13 Lo! He it is Who produceth, then reproduceth, -
إِنَّهُ هُوَ يُبْدِئُ وَيُعِيدُ (85:13)

85:14 And He is the Forgiving, the Loving, -
وَهُوَ الْغَفُورُ الْوَدُودُ (85:14)

85:15 Lord of the Throne of Glory, -
ذُو الْعَرْشِ الْمَجِيدُ (85:15)

85:16 Doer of what He will. -
فَعَّالٌ لِّمَا يُرِيدُ (85:16)

85:17 Hath there come unto thee the story of the hosts -
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْجُنُودِ (85:17)

85:18 Of Pharaoh and (the tribe of) Thamud? -
فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَ (85:18)

85:19 Nay, but those who disbelieve live in denial -
بَلِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فِي تَكْذِيبٍ (85:19)

85:20 And Allah, all unseen, surroundeth them. -
وَاللَّهُ مِن وَرَائِهِم مُّحِيطٌ (85:20)

85:21 Nay, but it is a glorious Qur'an -
بَلْ هُوَ قُرْآنٌ مَّجِيدٌ (85:21)

85:22 On a guarded tablet.
فِي لَوْحٍ مَّحْفُوظٍ (85:22)

Blogger Comment:

I am not Islamic Imam or scholar but the verses are simple and are self-explanatory. God swears by the two very glorious things. In this world the stars and in the afterlife the day of judgement. He swears by the two witnesses those who were witnessed tortured in this example the believers were put in fire and those who put them in and sit down to witness and enjoy the scene. In the day of judgement the opposite is true. Inspite of that God is still willing to forgive those who killed the believers if they to come back to him and he is still the loving God. The thing that make you believe much in Islam that the worst enemies of Islam when they become Muslims in one day every thing is forgiven to them and actually they become brothers to Muslims. Muslims are not looking for revenge but to live by God's commandments. God as well give examples of Pharaoh and his army and other armies of the oppressors. He is the same strong God of Israel. The same God of the bible who is loving but just, powerful and capable. God ends the sura by asserting as a witness and he is the best witness that his Quran has conveyed this message.
The difference between the Quran and my comment is every verse is a verse (a lot of them) you can put it in picture frame and hanged in your office. My comment though is understandable is a human speech. That is the glory of God he talks to us in verses that every verse can be a piece of wise phrase and they all fit together and you enjoy it as you piece together and find the connection.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

TEN MOST COMMON QUESTIONS ASKED BY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AGAINST ISLAM

by Dr. Zakir Naik


1. QUR’AN PLAGIARIZED FROM THE BIBLE :
Question
Is it not true that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has copied the Qur’an from the Bible?
Answer
Many critics allege that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) himself was not the author of the Qur’an but he learnt it and/or plagiarised (copied or adapted) it from other human sources or from previous scriptures or revelations.
1. MUHUMMAD LEARNT THE QUR’AN FROM A ROMAN BLACKSMITH WHO WAS A CHRISTIAN
Some Pagans accused the Prophet of learning the Qur’an from a Roman Blacksmith, who was a Christian staying at the outskirts of Makkah. The Prophet very often used to go and watch him do his work. A revelation of the Qur’an was sufficient to dismiss this charge - the Qur’an says in Surah An-Nahl chapter 16 verse 103:
"We know indeed that they say, ‘It is a man that teaches him,’ The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear." [Al-Qur’an 16:103]
How could a person whose mother tongue was foreign and could hardly speak little but of poor broken Arabic be the source of the Qur’an which is pure, eloquent, fine Arabic? To believe that the blacksmith taught the Prophet the Qur’an is some what similar to believing that a Chinese immigrant to England, who did not know proper English, taught Shakespeare.
2. MUHUMMAD (PBUH) LEARNT FROM WARAQA - THE RELATIVE OF KHADIJAH (RA)
Muhummad’s (pbuh) contacts with the Jewish and Christian Scholars were very limited. The most prominent Christian known to him was an old blind man called Waraqa ibn-Naufal who was a relative of the Prophet’s first wife Khadijah (r.a.). Although of Arab descent, he was a convert to Christianity and was very well versed with the New Testament. The Prophet only met him twice, first when Waraqa was worshipping at the Kaaba (before the Prophetic Mission) and he kissed the Prophet’s forehead affectionately; the second occasion was when the Prophet went to meet Waraqa after receiving the first revelation. Waraqa died three years later and the revelation continued for about 23 years. It is ridiculous to assume that Waraqa was the source of the contents of the Qur’an.
3. PROPHET’S RELIGIOUS DISCUSSIONS WITH THE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS
It is true that the Prophet did have religious discussions with the Jews and Christians but they took place in Madinah more than 13 years after the revelation of the Qur’an had started. The allegation that these Jews and Christians were the source is perverse, since in these discussions Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was performing the roles of a teacher and of a preacher while inviting them to embrace Islam and pointing out that they had deviated from their true teachings of Monotheism. Several of these Jews and Christians later embraced Islam.
4. THE PROPHET LEARNT THE QUR’AN FROM THOSE JEWS AND CHRISTIANS THAT HE MET OUTSIDE ARABIA
All historical records available show that Muhummad (pbuh) had made only three trips outside Makkah before his Prophethood:
At the age of 9 he accompanied his mother to Madinah.
Between the age of 9 and 12, he accompanied his uncle Abu-Talib on a business trip to Syria.
At the age of 25 he led Khadija’s Caravan to Syria.
It is highly imaginary to assume that the Qur’an resulted from the occasional chats and meetings with the Christians or Jews from any of the above three trips.
5. LOGICAL GROUNDS TO PROVE THAT THE PROPHET DID NOT LEARN THE QUR’AN FROM JEWS OR CHRISTIANS
The day-to-day life of the Prophet was an open book for all to see. In fact a revelation came asking people to give the Prophet (pbuh) privacy in his own home. If the Prophet had been meeting people who told him what to say as a revelation from God, this would not have been hidden for very long.
The extremely prominent Quraish nobles who followed the Prophet and accepted Islam were wise and intelligent men who would have easily noticed anything suspicious about the way in which the Prophet brought the revelations to them - more so since the Prophetic mission lasted 23 years.
The enemies of the Prophet kept a close watch on him in order to find proof for their claim that he was a liar - they could not point out even a single instance when the Prophet may have had a secret rendezvous with particular Jews and Christians.
It is inconceivable that any human author of the Qur’an would have accepted a situation in which he received no credit whatsoever for originating the Qur’an.
Thus, historically and logically it cannot be established that there was a human source for the Qur’an.
6. MUHUMMAD (PBUH) WAS AN ILLITERATE
The theory that Muhummad (pbuh) authored the Qur’an or copied from other sources can be disproved by the single historical fact that he was illiterate.
Allah testifies Himself in the Qur’anIn Surah Al-Ankabut chapter no.29 verse 48
"And thou was not (able) to recite a Book before this (Book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand: in that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted."[Al-Qur’an 29:48]
Allah (swt) knew that many would doubt the authenticity of the Qur’an and would ascribe it to Prophet Muhummad (pbuh). Therefore Allah in His Divine Wisdom chose the last and final Messenger to be an ‘Ummi’, i.e. unlettered, so that the talkers of vanity would not then have the slightest justification to doubt the Prophet. The accusation of his enemies that he had copied the Qur’an from other sources and rehashed it all in a beautiful language might have carried some weight, but even this flimsy pretence has been deprived to the unbeliever and the cynic.
Allah reconfirms in the Qur’an in Surah Al A’raf chapter 7 verse 157:
"Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (Scriptures) in the Law and the Gospel"
The prophecy of coming of the unlettered Prophet (pbuh) is also mentioned in the Bible in the book of Isaiah chapter 29 verse 12.
"And the book is delivered to him that is not learned."[Isaiah 29:12]
The Qur’an testifies in no less than four different places that the Prophet (pbuh) was illiterate. It is also mentioned in Surah A’raf chapter 7 verse 158 and in Surah Al-Jumu’a chapter 62 verse 2.
7. ARABIC VERSION OF THE BIBLE WAS NOT PRESENT
The Arabic version of the Bible was not present at the time of Prophet Muhummad (pbuh). The earliest Arabic version of the Old Testament is that of R. Saadias Gaon of 900 C.E. - more than 250 years after the death of our beloved Prophet. The oldest Arabic version of the new Testament was published by Erpenius in 1616 C.E. - about a thousand years after the demise of our Prophet.
8. SIMILARITIES IN THE QUR’AN AND THE BIBLE DUE TO COMMON SOURCE
Similarities between the Qur’an and the Bible does not necessarily mean that the former has been copied from the latter. In fact it gives evidence that both of them are based on a common third source; all divine revelations came from the same source - the one universal God. No matter what human changes were introduced into some of these Judeo-Christian and other older religious scriptures that had distorted their originality, there are some areas that have remained free from distortion and thus are common to many religions.
It is true that there are some similar parallels between the Qur’an and the Bible but this is not sufficient to accuse Muhummad (pbuh) of compiling or copying from the Bible. The same logic would then also be applicable to teachings of Christianity and Judaism and thus one could wrongly claim that Jesus (pbuh) was not a genuine Prophet (God forbid) and that he simply copied from the Old Testament.
The similarities between the two signify a common source that is one true God and the continuation of the basic message of monotheism and not that the later prophets have plagiarised from the previous prophets.
If someone copies during an examination he will surely not write in the answer sheet that he has copied from his neighbour or Mr. XYZ. Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) gave due respect and credit to all the previous prophets (pbut). The Qur’an also mentions the various revelations given by Almighty God to different prophets.
9. MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN THE TAURAH, ZABOOR, INJEEL AND QUR’AN
Four revelations of Allah (swt) are mentioned by name in the Qur’an: the Taurah, the Zaboor, the Injeel and the Qur’an.
Taurah, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Moosa (a. s.) i.e. Moses (pbuh).Zaboor, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Dawood (a.s.) i.e. David (pbuh).Injeel, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Isa (A.S.) ie. Jesus (pbuh).‘Al-Qur’an’, the last and final Wahi i.e. revelation given to the last and final Messenger Muhammad (pbuh).
It is an article of faith for every Muslim to believe in all the Prophets of God and all revelations of God. However, the present day Bible has the first five books of the Old Testament attributed to Moses and the Psalms attributed to David. Moreover the New Testament or the four Gospels of the New Testament are not the Taurah, the Zaboor or the Injeel, which the Qur’an refers to. These books of the present day Bible may partly contain the word of God but these books are certainly not the exact, accurate and complete revelations given to the prophets.
The Qur’an presents all the different prophets of Allah as belonging to one single brotherhood; all had a similar prophetic mission and the same basic message. Because of this, the fundamental teachings of the major faiths cannot be contradictory, even if there has been a considerable passage of time between the different prophetic missions, because the source of these missions was one: Almighty God, Allah. This is why the Qur’an says that the differences which exist between various religions are not the responsibility of the prophets, but of the followers of these prophets who forgot part of what they had been taught, and furthermore, misinterpreted and changed the scriptures. The Qur’an cannot therefore be seen as a scripture which competes with the teachings of Moses, Jesus and the other prophets. On the contrary, it confirms, completes and perfects the messages that they brought to their people.
Another name for the Qur’an is the ‘The Furqan’ which means the criteria to judge the right from the wrong, and it is on the basis of the Qur’an that we can decipher which part of the previous scriptures can be considered to be the word of God.
10. SCIENTIFIC COMPARISON BETWEEN QUR’AN AND BIBLE
If you glance through the Bible and the Qur’an you may find several points which appear to be exactly the same in both of them, but when you analyse them closely, you realise that there is a difference of ‘chalk and cheese’ between them. Only based on historical details it is difficult for someone who is neither conversant with Christianity or Islam to come to a firm decision as to which of the scriptures is true; however if you verify the relevant passages of both the scriptures against scientific knowledge, you will yourself realize the truth.
Creation of the Universe in Six DaysAs per the Bible, in the first book of Genesis in Chapter One, the universe was created in six days and each day is defined as a twenty-four hours period. Even though the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, ‘Ayyaam’ is the plural of years; this word has two meanings: firstly, it means a standard twenty-four hours period i.e. a day, and secondly, it also means stage, period or epoch which is a very long period of time.
When the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, it refers to the creation of the heavens and the earth in six long periods or epochs; scientists have no objection to this statement. The creation of the universe has taken billions of years, which proves false or contradicts the concept of the Bible which states that the creation of the Universe took six days of twenty-four hour durations each.
Sun Created After the DayThe Bible says in chapter 1, verses 3-5, of Genesis that the phenomenon of day and night was created on the first day of creation of the Universe by God. The light circulating in the universe is the result of a complex reaction in the stars; these stars were created according to the Bible (Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 to 19) on the fourth day. It is illogical to mention the result that is the light (the phenomenon of day and night) was created on the first day of Creation when the cause or source of the light was created three days later. Moreover the existence of evening and morning as elements of a single day is only conceivable after the creation of the earth and its rotation around the sun. In contrast with the contents of the Bible on this issue, the Qur’an does not give any unscientific sequence of Creation. Hence it is absolutely absurd to say that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) copied the passages pertaining to the creation of the universe from the Bible but missed out this illogical and fantastic sequence of the Bible.
Creation of the Sun, The Earth and the MoonAccording to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 9 to 13, the earth was created on the third day, and as per verses 14 to 19, the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day. The earth and the moon emanated, as we know, from their original star, the Sun. Hence to place the creation of the sun and the moon after the creation of the earth is contrary to the established idea about the formation of the solar system.
Vegetation Created on the third day and Sun on the fourth dayAccording to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 11-13, vegetation was created on the third day along with seed-bearing grasses, plants and trees; and further on as per verses 14-19, the sun was created on the fourth day. How is it scientifically possible for the vegetation to have appeared without the presence of the sun, as has been stated in the Bible?
If Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) was indeed the author of the Qur’an and had copied its contents from the Bible, how did he manage to avoid the factual errors that the Bible contains? The Qur’an does not contain any statements which are incompatible with scientific facts.
The Sun and the Moon both Emit lightAccording to the Bible both the sun and the moon emit their own light. In the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 16 says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night".
Science tells us today that the moon does not have its own light. This confirms the Qur’anic concept that the light of the moon is a reflected light. To think that 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) corrected these scientific errors in the Bible and then copied such corrected passages in the Qur’an is to think of something impossible.11. ADAM (PBUH), THE FIRST MAN ON EARTH, LIVED 5,800 YEARS AGO
As per the genealogy of Jesus Christ given in the Bible, from Jesus through Abraham (pbuh) to the first man on earth i.e. Adam (pbuh), Adam appeared on the earth approximately 5800 years ago:
1948 years between Adam (pbuh) and Abraham (pbuh)
Approximately 1800 years between Abraham (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh)
2000 years from Jesus (pbuh) till today
These figures are further confused by the fact that the Jewish calendar is currently on or about 5800 years old.
There is sufficient evidence from archaeological and anthropological sources to suggest that the first human being on earth was present tens of thousands of years ago and not merely 5,800 years ago as is suggested by the Bible.The Qur’an too speaks about Adam (pbuh) as the first man on earth but it does not suggest any date or period of his life on earth, unlike the Bible - what the Bible says in this regard is totally incompatible with science.
12. NOAH (PBUH) AND THE FLOOD
The Biblical description of the flood in Genesis chapter 6, 7 and 8 indicates that the deluge was universal and it destroyed every living thing on earth, except those present with Noah (pbuh) in the ark. The description suggests that the event took place 1656 years after the creation of Adam (pbuh) or 292 years before the birth of Abraham, at a time when Noah (pbuh) was 600 years old. Thus the flood may have occurred in the 21st or 22nd Century B.C.
This story of the flood, as given in the Bible, contradicts scientific evidence from archaelogical sources which indicate that the eleventh dynasty in Egypt and the third dynasty in Babylonia were in existence without any break in civilisation and in a manner totally unaffected by any major calamity which may have occurred in the 21st century B.C. This contradicts the Biblical story that the whole world had been immersed in the flood water. In contrast to this, the Qur’anic presentation of the story of Noah and the flood does not conflict with scientific evidence or archaeological data; firstly, the Qur’an does not indicate any specific date or year of the occurance of that event, and secondly, according to the Qur’an the flood was not a universal phenomenon which destroyed complete life on earth. In fact the Qur’an specifically mentions that the flood was a localised event only involving the people of Noah.
It is illogical to assume that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) had borrowed the story of the flood from the Bible and corrected the mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur’an.
13. MOSES (PBUH) AND PHARAOH OF THE EXODUS
The story of Moses (pbuh) and the Pharaoh of the Exodus are very much identical in the Qur’an and the Bible. Both scriptures agree that the Pharaoh drowned when he tried to pursue Moses (pbuh) and led the Israelites across a stretch of water that they crossed. The Qur’an gives an additional piece of information in Surah Yunus chapter 10 verse 92:
"This day shall We save thee in thy body, that thou mayest be a sign to those who come after thee! But verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Signs!"[Al-Qur’an 10:92]
Dr. Maurice Bucaille, after a thorough research proved that although Rameses II was known to have persecuted the Israelites as per the Bible, he actually died while Moses (pbuh) was taking refuge in Median. Rameses II’s son Merneptah who succeeded him as Pharaoh drowned during the exodus. In 1898, the mummified body of Merneptah was found in the valley of Kings in Egypt. In 1975, Dr. Maurice Bucaille with other doctors received permission to examine the Mummy of Merneptah, the findings of which proved that Merneptah probably died from drowning or a violent shock which immediately preceeded the moment of drowning. Thus the Qur’anic verse that we shall save his body as a sign, has been fulfilled by the Pharaohs’ body being kept at the Royal Mummies room in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
This verse of the Qur’an compelled Dr. Maurice Bucaille, who was a Christian then, to study the Qur’an. He later wrote a book ‘The Bible, the Qur’an and Science’, and confessed that the author of the Qur’an can be no one else besides God Himself. Thus he embraced Islam.
14. QUR’AN IS A BOOK FROM ALLAH
These evidences are sufficient to conclude that the Qur’an was not copied from the Bible, but that the Qur’an is the Furqaan - ‘the Criteria’ to judge right from wrong and it should be used to decipher which portion of the Bible may be considered as the Word of God.
The Qur’an itself testifies in Surah Sajda chapter 32 verse 1 to 3
Alif Laam Meem.
(This is) the revelation of the Book in which there is no doubt – from the Lord of the Worlds.
Or do they say, ‘He has forged it’? Nay, it is the Truth from thy Lord, that thou mayest admonish a people to whom no warner has come before thee: in order that they may receive guidance."[Al-Qur’an 32:1-3]
7. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MARY AND MIRIAM
Question
It is mentioned in your Qur’an that Mary was the sister of Aaron (pbuh). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who wrote the Qur’an did not know the difference between Miriam the sister of Aaron (pbuh) and Mary the Mother of Jesus (pbuh), the time span between both of them was about a thousand years.
Answer
1. IN THE SEMITIC LANGUAGES SISTER ALSO MEANS DESCENDANT
The Qur’an mentions in Surah Maryam, Chapter 19 verses 27-28
"At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: ‘O Mary! Truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!
O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!’"[Al-Qur’an 19:27-28]
Christian missionaries say that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not know the difference between Mary the mother of Jesus (pbuh) and Miriam the sister of Aaron (pbuh). The time span between both was more than a thousand years.
In the Arabic construction of the sentence, sister is also considered as a descendant. Thus, when the people said to Mary, Ukhta Haroon i.e. ‘sister of Aaron’ it actually means descendant of Aaron (pbuh).
2. SON ALSO MEANS DESCENDANT
It is mentioned in the Gospel of Mathew, Chapter 1 verse 1
"Jesus Christ, the son of David,....".[Mathew 1:1]Gospel of Luke Chapter 3, verse 23"And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, ....."[Luke 3:23]
DID JESUS (PBUH) HAVE TWO FATHERS?
What do you call a person who has two fathers? The explanation of the phrase that Jesus (pbuh) was the son of David (pbuh), is that Jesus (pbuh) was a descendant of David (pbuh). ‘Son’, here means a descendant.

8. JESUS (PBUH) DID NOT DIE
Question
Is it not true that your Qur’an mentions in Surah Maryam, Chapter 19 verse 33 that Jesus (pbuh) died and was resurrected?
Answer
JESUS (PBUH) SAID, "THE DAY THAT I DIE", NOT "THE DAY THAT I DIED"
It is mentioned in Surah Maryam, Chapter 19 verse 33
"So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the Day that I shall be raised up to life (again)".[Al-Qur’an 19:33]
The Qur’an mentions that Jesus (pbuh) said "Peace is on me the Day I was born, the day that I die". It is not stated "the day that I died". It is in the future tense and not in the past tense.
1. JESUS (PBUH) WAS RAISED UP ALIVE
The Qur’an further says in Surah Nisa, Chapter 4 verse 157-158:
"That they said (in boast), ‘We killed Jesus Christ the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah’ – But they killed him not, Nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not –
Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is exalted in Power, Wise."[Al-Qur’an 4:157-158]
9. JESUS IS "A WORD" OF ALLAH AND A "SPIRIT" FROM ALLAH
Question
Does not your Qur’an mention that Jesus is Kalimatullah –"The Word of Allah (swt)", as well as Ruhullah – "The Spirit of Allah", indicating his Divinity?
Answer1. JESUS (PBUH) "IS A WORD FROM ALLAH" NOT "THE WORD OF ALLAH"
The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali ‘Imran Chapter 3 verse 45
"Behold! The angels said: O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus. The son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those Nearest to Allah.[Al-Qur’an 3:45]
Jesus (pbuh) is referred in the Qur’an as a word from Allah and not as ‘the word of Allah’.
"A word" of Allah means a message of Allah. If a person is referred to as "a word" from Allah, it means that he is a Messenger or a Prophet of Allah.
2. THE TITLE OF A PROPHET (PBUH) DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT EXCLUSIVELY BELONGS TO THAT PROPHET (PBUH)
Different titles are given to different prophets (pbut). Whenever a title is given to a prophet (pbuh), it does not necessarily mean that the other prophets do not have the same characteristic or quality. For e.g. Prophet Abraham (pbuh) is referred to in the Qur’an as Khaleelullah, a friend of Allah. This does not indicate that all the other Prophets (pbuh) were not the friends of Allah. Prophet Moses (pbuh) is referred to in the Qur’an as Kaleemullah, indicating that God spoke to him. This does not mean that God did not speak to others. Similarly when Jesus (pbuh) is referred to in the Qur’an as Kalimatullah, "a word from Allah", it does not mean that the other Prophets were not "the word," of Allah.
3. JOHN THE BAPTIST (PBUH) IS ALSO CALLED "A WORD" OF ALLAH
Yahya (pbuh) i.e. John the Baptist (pbuh) is also referred to in the Qur’an as Kalimatullah i.e. a word of Allah in Surah Ali ‘Imran, Chapter 3, verses 38-39
"There did Zakariya Pray to his Lord, saying: "O my Lord! Grant unto me from Thee a progeny that is pure: for Thou art He that heareth prayer!
While he was standing in prayer in the chamber, the angels called unto him: "Allah doth give thee glad tidings of Yahya, witnessing the truth of a Word from Allah, and (be besides) noble, chaste, and a Prophet – of the (goodly) company of the righteous."[Al-Qur’an 3:39]
4. JESUS (PBUH) REFERRED AS RUHULLAH – A SPIRIT OF ALLAH
Jesus (pbuh) also never referred to as Ruhullah "a spirit of Allah" but as a spirit from Allah in Surah Nisa Chapter 4 verse 171
"O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Jesus Christ the son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah, And His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Messengers. Say not ‘Trinity’: desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One God: glory be to Him: (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs."[Al-Qur’an 4:171]
5. SPIRIT OF ALLAH IS BREATHED IN EVERY HUMAN BEING
A spirit from Allah does not indicate that Jesus (pbuh) is God. The Qur’an mentions in several places that Allah breathed into the human beings "His Spirit" in Surah Al-Hijr, chapter 15 verse 29 in Surah Sajdah, chapter 32 verse 9
Surah Al Hijr Chapter 15 verse 29
"When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him."[Al-Qur’an 15:29]
Surah Sajdah Chapter 32 verse 9
"But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him something of His spirit. And He gave you (the faculties of) hearing and sight and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do ye give!" [Al-Qur’an 32:9]
10. IS NOT THE QUR’AN WRITTEN BY SATAN?
Question
The Qur’an is not the Word of God but on the contrary the handiwork of Satan.
Answer
In reply to a similar allegation put forward by the pagans of Makkah, that the prophet (pbuh) received the revelations from Satan, the following verses were revealed:
Surah Waqiah, chapter 56 verses 77-80
"That this is indeedA Qur’an most honourable,
In a Book well-guarded,
Which none shall touchBut those who are clean:A Revelation from the LordOf the Worlds."
Kitabim Maknoon means a book well guarded or a protected book, referring to Lauh-e-Mahfooz in the heaven, which none shall touch except the Mutahhareen. i.e. those who do not have any uncleanliness or impurity or evil like sin. This refers to the angels. The satan is absolutely prohobited.
Thus since it is impossible for satan to come anywhere close to it or touch it, the question of him writing the verses of the Glorious Qur’an does not arise.
It is further mentioned in Surah Shura, chapter 26 verse 210-212
"No evil ones have broughtDown this (Revelation):
It would neither suit themNor would they be able (To produce it).
Indeed they have been removedFar from even (a chance of)Hearing it."
Many people have a wrong concept of satan. They think that satan can probably do everything, except a couple of things that God can do. According to them, satan is slightly below God in power. Since the people do not want to accept that the Qur’an is a miraculous revelation, they say that it is satan’s handiwork.
If satan would have written the Qur’an, he would not have mentioned in the same Qur’an in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse no. 98
"When thou does readThe Qur’an, seek Allah’s protection from Satan the Rejected One."
Is this how you feel satan would write a book? Does he tell you; "Before you read my book ask God to save you from me?"

There are several verses in the Qur’an which will give enough evidence that satan is not the author of the Qur’an.
In Surah Al Aaraf chapter 7 verse 200
"If a suggestion from Satan assail your (mind),seek refuge with Allah; for He hears and knows(all things).
Why would satan tell his followers, that whenever he gives any suggestions to them, they should seek refuge in Allah (swt) to whom he is an avowed enemy.

In Surah Baqarah, chapter 2 verse 168
"O ye people!Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good;and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil one,For he is to you an avowed enemy."

In Surah Yasin, chapter 36 verse 60
"Did I not enjoin on you,O ye children of Adam,that ye should not worship Satan;
for that he was to you an enemy avowed?"
Satan is intelligent, no wonder that he can put this idea into the minds of people that he himself wrote the Qur’an. Compared to Almighty God, Satan is insignificant, and Allah (swt) is far more intelligent. He knows satan’s evil intentions and hence no wonder that He has given the reader of the Qur’an several proofs to show that Qur’an is God’s word, and not satan’s word.
The Bible mentions in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 3, verses 24-26
"And if a kingdom be divided against itself, thatkingdom cannot stand."
"And if a house be divided against itself,that house cannot stand."
"And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end."

A Very Efficient Government Is No Government.

Governments over the ages have been either the source of happiness of its people or sadness and depression. I look at an efficient government as the government that is so efficient that make you feel that there is no government. It is like you are dealing with a bank that is very efficient and everything goes smooth that you never call the manager. You may not have much interest how they accomplish that but you like it this way. Once a year or so you may ask for curiosity who is the manager or CEO of the bank.
I am looking for an efficient government that look the same way. It is so effective that people feel that there is no government. As you guessed the bank has no party system and is very likely very efficient because of the dedication and harmony of the staff of the bank. Can we make governments work the same way. My answer is yes if we to do the following:

1- No party system since it had proved to be divisive to the country and allowed dictators to dominate over their countries.
2- Media that supervise every part of the government.
3- No interest groups or outside money that corrupt the government.
4- All mechanisms to prevent the corruption of the government.
5- Weak politicians and strong citizens thus the government officials are serving the public and not vice versa. Politicians are not getting strength through absolute power and authority or through the strength of the party as happens in most third world country.
6- Politicians are more of independent people that in the network in the government and have to work it out between them they are not group of common interest or a gang.
7- The government will become much less attractive for dominating dictators and corrupt individuals. People are basically will change their attitude towards their leaders and they will be looked at more like CEO's.
8- The government in every country would hold the human values of free speech, women rights, women rights, religious rights... That will make the people happy feeling social justice, equality and freedom.
9- The government overtime with all its intact institutions that allow smooth and very efficient governing system will make people do not feel there is a government and they will worship their God and enjoy their families. Meanwhile will prevent most causes of wars and social upsets.