50 Questions And Answers On Islamic Monotheism
From: http://www.al-sunnah.com/
Q1 Who is your Rubb? (the Lord,the Creator etc).
A. My Rubb is Allah Who has created me and all that exists. He nourishes me and all creatures by His Bounties.
Q.2. What is your religion?
A. My religion is Islam, which is submission and obedience to the Order oF Allah and His Messenger with love, hope and fear.
Q.3. How did you know Allah?
I know Him by His signs and creation like the day and night; the sun and the moon; the heaven and the earth, and all that is there in and between them.
Q.4. Where is Allah?
A. Allah is above the heavens raised over the Throne and separated from His creatures.
Q.5. Is Allah with us (in person)?
A. Allah is settled over His Mighty Throne, but He is with us by His Knowledge, hearing ,seeing and other attributes. As He said: "Fear not verily! I am with you both hearing and seeing (V,20. :46)
Q.6. Who are the friends of Allah?
A. Those people are the friends of Allah who are pious and righteous, fear Him much abstain from all kinds of sins and perform all kinds of goods, and holdfast to the Qur`an and Sunnah.
Q. 7. How do you worship Allah?
A. I worship Allah in a manner in which all my ibadah is dedicated to Him Alone. I do not ascribe anyone with Him in worship.
Q-8. Why did Allah send Messengers?
A. Allah has sent Messengers so that they call the people to worship Him Alone, not ascribing any partner with Him, and in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah.
Q-9 What is the meaning of Islam ?
A. Islam means i.e. submission to Allah with Tawhid .
Q-10 What are the pillars of Istam?
A. 1. Testimony of Faith (There is no true God except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah )
2. To establish Salat (prayers).
3. To pay Zakat.
4. To observe Saum (fasting) in Ramadan.
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to the Sacred House) if one can afford the journey.
Q-11 What is Iman?
A. Iman (Faith) means to believe in the heart, to confess by the tongue and to act with the parts of the body.
Q-12 Can there be any variation in Iman?
A. By some words and deeds it may increase and by some words and deeds it may decrease.
Q-13 What do you mean by increase and decrease in Iman?
A- Iman (Faith) increases by obedience to Allah and good deeds while it decreases by sins and evil acts.
Q-14 What are the pillars of Iman (Faith)
A. The pillars of Iman are six i.e. to believe in:
1. Allah.
2. His Angels.
3. His Messengers.
4. His Books.
5. The Last Day.
6. Divine Preordainments good or bad.
Q-15 What is Belief in Allah?
A. The Belief in Allahi is that you should believe that Allah is the Sole Creator Sustainer Provider and the One in Whose Hand is the disposal of all affairs. Everything stands in need of Him, but He stands in need of none. He is the Only One Who is worthy of being worshipped. He has the Best Names and Perfect Attributes.
0-16 Who are the angels?
A. The angels are creatures of light. They are Allah's obedient slaves, they do that which they are commanded and are incapable of disobedience.
Q-17 What do you mean by Belief in the Book and the Messengers?
A. It means that Allah sent the Messengers like Moses, Jesus,Abraham. Noah etc. and sent down the books like the Torah, Injeel, Zaboor (Psalms) etc. to call the people to worship Allah Alone, associating nothing with Him. He sealed (finalized) the Messengers with Prophet Muhammed and abrogated all previous books with the Qur'an. Therefore the worship should be done according to the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet .
Q-I8 What is meant by Belief in the Last Day?
A. The Belief in the Last Day means to believe that Allah has ordained a fixed term for everything, and a term for this world. He will assuredly raise the dead from their graves and will account for everyone their deeds in this world. On that Day of Resurrection, rewards and punishments will be assigned. Every one will be justly rewarded or punished.
Q-19 What is meant by Belief Preordainment (Qadar)?
A. The Belief in Preordainment (Qadar) means to believe that everything — good or bad — happens or takes place according to what Allah has ordained for it. He has created everything in due proportion.
Q-20 What is the cleaning of "There is no God but Allah"?
A. It means there is no true deity except Allah Alone, Negating all false gods and affirming that Allah is the only true God.
Q-21 What is the meaning of ^Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah"?
A. It means total submission to him in whatever he ordered, and avoiding what he forbade and believing in all those matters he informed us about.
Q-22 What are the conditions of the testimony of Faith?
A. There are seven conditions of the testimony of Faith:
1- Knowledge whick negates ignorance.
2- Certainty which negates doubt.
3- Sincerity and purity of intent which negates Shirk.
4- Truthfulness which negates hypocrisy.
5- Love and devotion which negates disdain of Allah`s religion.
6- Submission which negates disobedince.
7- Acceptance which negates rejection or denial.
Q-23 What is the greatest thing that Allah has enjoined?
A. The greatest thing Allah has enjoined is Tauhid (Monotheism).
Q-24 What is Tauhid (Islamic Monotheism)?
A. Tauhid means declaring Allah to be the only God who deserves to be worshipped in truth and confirming all attributes with which He has qualified Himself or that are attributed to Him by His Messenger .
Q-25 What are the aspects of Tauhid?
A. There are three aspects of Tauhid:
1- Tauhid-ar-Rububiyah.
2- Tauhid-al-Uluhiyah.
3-Tauhid-al-Asma was-Sifat.
Q- 26 What isTauhid-ar-Rububiyah?
A. It is declaring Allah to be One and Unique in His work, Iike creation, sustenance, bringing to life and causing death etc.
Q-27 What is Tauhid-al-Uluhiyah?
A. It is declaring Allah as the Only God to whom all acts worship must be dedicated such salat (prayers), Zakat, Sawm(fasting), supplications vowing etc.
Q-28 What isTauhid-al-Asma was-Sifat?
A. It is an affirmation of all the Divien Names and Attributes of Allah in a manner that
suits His Majesty, as mentioned in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
Q-29 How would you describe Ibadah?
A. It is a comprehensive word comprising deeds and words that Allah loves and is pleased with whether manifested or hidden,
Q-30 What are the conditions of Ibadah?
A. There are two conditions of Ibadah:
1. Sincerity to Allah.
2. Submission to Allah's Messenger i.e. to act according to his Sunnah.
Q-31 Write some types of Ibadah.
A. Some types of Ibadah are the prayers, the obligatory charity,
fasting, the pilgrimage, fear of Allah, hope in His Mercy, Seeking His aid. and other acts of worship which Allah has commanded and enjoined.
Q-32 What is the greatest thing Allah has forbidden?
A. The greatest thing Allah has forbidden is Shirk (polytheism).
Q-33 What is polytheism?
A. It means to believe that there is one who shares Allah in His acts i.e. ascribing partners or setting up rivals to Allah in His rights.
Q-34 What are the types of polytheism?
A. There are three types of polytheism:
1. The greater polytheism (Shirk Akbar).
2. The lesser polytheism (Shirk Asghar).
3. The inconspicuous polytheism (Shirk Khafi).
Q-35 What is greater polytheism?
A. The greater polytheism is to devote any form of worship to other than Allah Allah will never forgive one who dies upon Shirk,nor accept his good deeds, and he would be cast out from the folds of Islam.
Q-36 What are the types of greater polytheism?
A. There are four types of greater polytheism:
1- The polytheism in invocation i.e. involving supplications to other than Allah.
2. The polytheism in intentions i.e. purpose and intentions not for the sake of Allah but directed towards other deities.
3, The polytheism in obedience i.e. rendering obedience to any authority against the Order of Allah.
4. The potytheism in love i.e showing love to others which is due to Allah Alone.
Q-37 What is lesser polytheism?
A. The lesser polytheism is Ar-Riya, that means the acts of worship done to gain praise or fame rather than to please Allah, this type of polytheism, however, does not cast the person committing it out of the fold of Islam.
Q-38 What is inconspicuous polytheism?
A. The inconspicuous polytheism implies being dissatisfied with the conditions ordained by Allah.
Q-39 What is the proof of the inconspicuous polytheism?
A.The proof of the above Shirk is the saying of the Prophet "The inconspicuous polytheism is more hidden among this nation than the track of a black ant over a black stone on a dark night" (Musnad Ahmad)
Q-40 What are the types of Kufr (disbelief)?
A. There are two types of Kufr :
1. The majorKufr which cast its people out of Islam,
2. The lessor cr minor Kufr which does not cast the one who commits it out of Islam. It is Kufr of ungratefulness.
Q-41 What are the types of major Kufr?
A. There are five types of major Kufr :
1. The Kufr of denial.
2. The Kufr of arrogance associated with recognition of the truth.
3. The Kufr of doubt.
4-. The Kufr of disregard,
5. The Kufr of hypocrisy.
Q-42 What are the categories of hypocrisy ?
A. There are two categories of hypocrisy:
1. Hypocrisy in Belief.
2. Hypocrisy in deeds and actions.
Q-43 What is the hypocrisy in Belief?
A. Hypocrisy in Belief is of six types:
1. Denial of the Messenger .
2. Denial of the thing with which the Messenger is sent.
3. Hating the Messenger
4.Hating the thing with which the Messenger is sent.
5. Rejoicing at the disgrace of Islam.
6. Disliking the prevalence of Islam.
Q-44 What is the hypocrisy in deeds and actions?
A. The hypocrisy in deeds and actions is of five types:
1- When he speaks, he lies.
2- When he promises., he breaks it.
3. When he is entrusted, he betrays.
4. When he disputes, he acts immorally.
5. When he makes a pact, he makes acts treacherously.
Q-45 Are good deeds accepted (by Allah) with the polytheism?
A. Never! None of the deeds are accepted when mixed with polytheism.
Allah says: " If they had joined in worship others with Allah all that they used to do would have been of no benefit to them" (V.6: 88)
"Verily! Allah forgives not setting up partners in worship with Him, but He forgives whom He pleases sins other than that" '(V.4:116)
Q-46 What are the nullifiers of Islam?
A. The nullifiers of Islam are ten:
1. Polytheism of worship.
2. He who does not believe that the polytheists are disbelievers, or doubts their infidelity or holds their belief to be valid.
3. He who sets up intermediaries between one's self and Allah, supplicating them, trusting them and asking them to intercede on his behalf.
4. He who believes that the guidance of others is more perfect than the Prophet .
5. He who hates anything that the Prophet was sent with.
6. He who denies the religion of the Prophet or ridicules its reward or punishment.
7. Sorcery.
8. Supporting the polytheists against the Muslims.
9. He who believes that some people are exempted from abiding by the Shari`ah as Khidr was exempted by the laws of Musa.
10. Turning away from the religion of Allah by neither learning nor applying it.
Q- 47 What are the three fundamentals that every Muslim must learn?
A. The three fundamentals are:
I, Knowing Your Rubb (the Lord, the Creator, the Sustainer, and the One in Whose Hand is the disposal of all affairs).
2. Knowing your religion (Islam).
3. Knowing your Prophet Muhammad
Q-48 What is Taghut?
A. Everything that is worshipped. or followed or obeyed other than Allah is Taghut.
Q-49 How many Taghut are there and who are their leaders?
A. They are many but their leaders are Five:
Q. 50-Who are the leaders of Taghut ?
A. They are:
1. Satan, may Allah curse him,
2. Anyone who is worshipped with his consent.
3. A person who calls the people to be worshipped instead of Allah.
4. A person who claims the knowledge of Ghaib (unseen, hidden, invisible, absent etc).
5.The ruler who rules by laws other than the law sent down by Allah.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Democracy: Buy the stocks that buy the US politicians
Monday, 10 March 2008
The Guardian
It really is as simple as that, as Proinsias O'Mahony reports. In fact, it's a 'no brainer' with a possible 654,836% returnProinsias O'MahonyHow do you pick a top-performing share? Investors looking to beat the market needn't numb their minds with heart-breakingly tedious fundamental research. No, the secret to market-beating returns is a simple and, now that the US presidential election is getting into full swing, a timely one - buy the stocks that buy the politicians.
That's the conclusion reached by the authors of Corporate Political Contributions and Stock Returns, a US study that found that the companies that have generously contributed to party coffers have beaten the market by 2.5% a year over the past 25 years.Looking at more than 800,000 contributions from almost 2,000 companies, the authors conclude that "evidence of political contribution return effects is quite startling", with the average firm increasing its shareholder wealth by more than $150m per year.Interestingly, firms are better off showering modest amounts of money on as many candidates as possible, rather than spending big bucks on a handful of politicians. Why? "Much like a venture capital portfolio of many start-ups, a few of the supported candidates will 'pay off big' and result in increases in firm shareholder wealth," the study says, with "an increase in annual returns of approximately 6% a year" accruing to firms that contribute to the most candidates. The saying that diversification is the only free lunch in finance never seemed more appropriate. For most firms, the costs involved in getting politicians on their side are minor. A limit of $10,000 per candidate in each election is enforced, but the authors note that smaller contributions are just as likely to result in share price gains. As a result, investing in politicians is a no-brainer, with "the annual return-on-investment from a portfolio weighted by the total-number-of-supported-candidates to be an absurdly high 654,836%".One could argue that market perception of political favours might be enough to cause share price appreciation. The fact that the contributing companies also experienced greater future profitability suggests that political favours were real rather than perceived, however. Further evidence lies in the fact that the "contribution effect" is greatest for companies that give to the most powerful politicos (for example, congressional committee heads), to home-state candidates and to congressional, rather than senate, contenders (budget and tax laws originate in Congress). Potential benefits include "favourable tax treatment ... the awarding of government contracts, the imposing of tariffs or other penalties on competitors, and implementing favourable regulatory requirements".Once a politician has served his or her purpose, the relationship alters. "Firms decrease their contributions to politicians who are expected to soon retire or change their affiliation from the committee that has jurisdiction over the firm's operations, to the committee with no such jurisdictions".While this would suggest that politicians are selling themselves short, the study suggests "there may be other substantial hidden costs, above and beyond hard-money contributions". A possible translation of the above might be that gift vouchers, free flights and free accommodation in swanky hotels might be on offer.It's hard to imagine that happening in the UK, of course. Few British quoted companies donate money directly to political parties any longer, although individual directors may do so. The 2000 Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act required shareholders to approve donations from listed companies, since when corporate donations have shrivelled. More common is the corporate sponsoring of political events . Would-be investors in US stocks should concentrate on the many generous companies in the defence, tobacco, automobiles and oil sectors, while avoiding forays into real estate and precious metals - they're a stingier bunch. Finally, while Republican candidates receive more corporate money, companies that fund Democrats enjoy the best returns.A murky road, from Hitler to JFKA long and murky relationship exists between politicians and their financial benefactors."From Indonesia and Malaysia to Italy, politically connected firms are more valuable than their less fortunate competitors," say the authors of a paper, Betting on Hitler - The Value of Political Connection in Nazi Germany. They found that "helping to undermine democracy at important junctures produced high returns" and companies with board members "known to favour the party (or backing it financially) outperformed the market by 6% to 9%" immediately after Hitler's accession to power. A 2006 research paper, looking at 157 announcements across 35 countries, found the market capitalisation of a firm increases by an average 2% when a large shareholder enters politics.A separate study found firms decline in value by 2% when a legislator "connected" to a firm dies ("connected" is defined as living in, or born in, the same city in which a firm operates). Another paper analysed government bail-outs of financially distressed companies from 35 countries between 1997-2002 and found "politically connected firms are significantly more likely to be bailed out than similar non-connected firms". Most studies found that such market anomalies are even more noticeable in countries rife with corruption. Brazil lived up to its reputation when Dutch scholars found that firms contributing the most money to federal deputies contesting the 1998 election experienced the highest stock returns after the election. A 2001 study of Indonesian firms connected to the then ruling Suharto family found that announcements of the president's declining health caused decreases in the firm's market value.While US corruption may not be as obvious as that seen in Suharto's Indonesia or Hitler's Germany, a paper entitled Friends in High Places: The Wealth Effects of JFK's Assassination on the Assets of LBJ's Supporters" indicates that political favouritism is not a new phenomenon. Market reaction to the president's death indicated that it expected "significant benefits to accrue" to firms connected to vice president Lyndon Johnson. The authors go on to relate a joke that did the rounds during the duo's 1960 campaign. Kennedy, a Catholic, tells Johnson that "when we get elected I'm going to dig a tunnel to the Vatican". LBJ's reply? "That's OK with me as long as Brown & Root gets the contract."
Muslims Are Coming.
By: Maged Taman
We Muslims frankly want to convert the world to Islam because of the good Islam has to humanity. Any other faith has the right to do the same. It is like the free market it is competing of ideas. We have the internet and the mass media and millions of blogs. All of these help the debate and sharpen ideas. It creates consensus that when all facts are available and through unbiased discussions people will meet at a point or at least will get close enough to the truth.
As Muslims we would like to convert the Muslims first to Islam that the west unfairly denied us this right by supporting the rotten and immoral Arab regimes. Who are in fact if we talk Christianity are the most antichrist regimes in the world. We do not want the world to convert to extreme or militant Islam that the west created by leaving an empty vacuum to them. We want moderate Islam we want to spread the teachings and gospel of Jesus as we Muslims got it right.
Muslims are coming not by invading or forcing others to convert to Islam. Islam believes in Muslims who come to Islam willingly with convinced minds and searching hearts. Muslims will not invade America but Americans will explore Islam. It is not a clash of civilizations but it is a debate of civilizations.
Why Muslims are coming:
1- Islam is real.
2- Islam believes in reasoning. Even after you convert to Islam very willingly you use reason for almost every thing.
3- Islam is for every one interest: the universal and humane values.
4- Islam spreads morality.
5- Islam protects you personally with diminish of crimes, social problems.
6- Islam is an open door to every one.
7- Islam is tolerant to every one.
8- Islam encourages honesty which is the best medium of exchange to all of us.
9- Islam acknowledges human weakness and pulls the hand of sinner.
10- Islam is a peaceful religion. Militant Muslims is a rare phenomena second to the ruthless oppression.
11- Islam has great momentum it moves people towards great causes.
12- Islam is dynamic: no one is certain of going to heaven or desperate that he will go to hell. Muslim is realistically optimistic. No one faith is 100% all the times we all struggle to be more believers. We are there when we pray and do the good deeds otherwise our hearts get rusty.
13- Islam has no one between you and God. You are special to him and more so as you get closer to him.
14- Islam looks at hearts and God in Islam is the God of hearts.
15- Islam is against wars but evil would not leave the good in peace as happened with the early Christians and Jews. Wars abused by all people from different religions and backgrounds.
16- Islam fights poverty which brings a lot of evil with it.
17- Jesus (PBUH) is coming back as a Muslim (Yes same Jesus of the Gospel).
Muslims are coming not by invading but by debating. They are not coming form outside but from within the west. They will not come falling from trees but by growing from the land. They are not coming for any purpose except for God and the Islamic values. They are bringing Islam to the west since the west oppressed Islam in its countries and doing a little to help out. Islam is coming to the west because the leaders of the west are civilized and knows the importance of liberty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cNZQQD58S8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73EfykhtXsE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84ZtVLI5kXM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wzFW1D1MII&feature=related
The Prophet of Mercy
From: http://www.islamicity.com/
By: Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah
Quba, the first mosque of Islam, was originally built by the Prophet Mohammad and his fellow emigrants from Makkah on their arrival in Madinah in 622. That year marks the beginning of both the Muslim era and the Muslim calendar.
For thirteen years in his birthplace of Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad called people to the worship of the One True God, to do good and renounce all that was false. But the powers with interests to protect remained implacably hostile and made life intolerable for those who had submitted to the truth.
In constant search for fertile soil to plant the message of truth, the noble Prophet eventually migrated - not fled - northwards to Yathrib. The green oasis became known as the Madinah or the City of the Prophet and was to become the territorial base from which he won the hearts of multitudes and consolidated Islam's place in the landscape of the peninsula.
The leaders of Makkah and a large part of its citizenry remained stubbornly hostile and sought - through wars, siege and alliances - to destabilise the fledgling community. The Prophet, who desired security and peace for people, negotiated a truce with the pagan Makkans on terms that many of his followers were deeply unhappy about. This was in the fifth year after the hijrah or migration to Madinah.
The truce turned out to be beneficial to the whole peninsula but the Makkans eventually broke it by mounting a bloody aggression against an ally of the state of Medinah. The Prophet could not overlook this breach and in the eighth year after the hijrah, he mobilised an impressive force and moved on Makkah. Ten thousand converged on the city, reaching there in the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting. The Quraysh realised that there was no hope of resisting, let alone of defeating, the Muslim forces. What was to be their fate - they who had harried and persecuted the believers, tortured and boycotted them, driven them out of their hearths and homes, stirred up others against them, made war on them, and killed many?
They were now completely at the mercy of the Prophet.
Revenge was easy. He could have laid waste the city and wiped out its inhabitants. But revenge was not his object. He did not lead his confident army into Makkah like any tyrant, full of arrogance, forgetting the Almighty, the Cause of all causes, and intoxicated with self-conceit.
Far from it. In the words of an early biographer, he entered with great humility and gratitude, prostrating himself repeatedly on the back of the camel he was riding, before the One God, thankful to Him for all He had provided, declaring an all-embracing amnesty and peace, in place of any thought of avenging past material or mental afflictions, and in fact demonstrating what God wills of Godly men: "... enter the gate prostrating and say 'Amnesty'." (The Quran, 2:58; 7:160).
He ordered Bilal, the Ethiopian, to go on the rooftop of the Ka'bah to call the adhan. The noble Prophet led the congregational prayer and then addressed the assembled citizens in the compound around the Ka'bah. He reminded them of what they had done to him and the Muslims, and said, "The arrogance and racial pride of the heathen days has been wiped out by God today. All human beings are descended from Adam, and Adam was made of clay."
He recited the following verse of the Quran:
"0 human beings! We have indeed created you of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Surely the most honorable of you with God is the one among you who is most deeply conscious of Him. Surely, God is Knowing, Aware. (The Quran, 49:13)
He then asked them in a voice full of compassion and tenderness:
'0 people of Quraysh! What do you think I will do with you?'
One of them, Suhayl ibn Amr, who had fought against the Prophet, replied on behalf of the Makkans:
'We think (you will treat us) well, noble brother, son of a noble brother.'
A radiant smile flashed across the face of the beloved Prophet of God and, in a spirit of magnanimity and tolerance, he said:
"I shall speak to you as Yusuf [Joseph] spoke unto his brothers: 'There is no reproach against you today; God will forgive. He is the most Merciful and the most Compassionate.' " (Quran,12:92)
And he added:
'No more responsibility burdens you today.'Idhhabuu... wa antum at-tulaqaa - Go, for you are free.'
Instantaneously Makkah was transformed, and overnight practically the entire population was won over to Islam. Nothing else could have won them over so profoundly and sincerely. They were not the inhabitants of a defeated and occupied country, but equals with the victors in rights as well as obligations. When a Messenger of God is the liberator of a town, nothing less exalted could be expected.
Without leaving a single companion of his to garrison the city, the Prophet soon returned to Madinah, leaving Makkah to be governed by a Makkan just converted. He never had to regret this later. This is how human hearts are won. In the entire episode, thirteen lives were lost.
'I am the Prophet of Battle; I am the Prophet of Mercy,' he is reported to have said. But it was destined for Muhammad to demonstrate that even in battle, he was the "Prophet of Mercy".
The above account has been partly compiled from the book, Battlefields of the Prophet, by the renowned scholar Muhammad Hamidullah. This book lists the number of people killed in battle on both sides in all the engagements led by the Prophet. This number is given as less than 500 (see box). It is clear neither revenge nor hatred, greed nor domination was ever the driving passion in the wars that the noble Prophet engaged or were forced into. His purpose was primarily to win over people to the truth. He did not see his enemies as irredeemable infidels, but as potential forces for the good, for their own selves and for others. And he gave them the opportunity and the space to transform themselves.
By: Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah
Quba, the first mosque of Islam, was originally built by the Prophet Mohammad and his fellow emigrants from Makkah on their arrival in Madinah in 622. That year marks the beginning of both the Muslim era and the Muslim calendar.
For thirteen years in his birthplace of Makkah, the Prophet Muhammad called people to the worship of the One True God, to do good and renounce all that was false. But the powers with interests to protect remained implacably hostile and made life intolerable for those who had submitted to the truth.
In constant search for fertile soil to plant the message of truth, the noble Prophet eventually migrated - not fled - northwards to Yathrib. The green oasis became known as the Madinah or the City of the Prophet and was to become the territorial base from which he won the hearts of multitudes and consolidated Islam's place in the landscape of the peninsula.
The leaders of Makkah and a large part of its citizenry remained stubbornly hostile and sought - through wars, siege and alliances - to destabilise the fledgling community. The Prophet, who desired security and peace for people, negotiated a truce with the pagan Makkans on terms that many of his followers were deeply unhappy about. This was in the fifth year after the hijrah or migration to Madinah.
The truce turned out to be beneficial to the whole peninsula but the Makkans eventually broke it by mounting a bloody aggression against an ally of the state of Medinah. The Prophet could not overlook this breach and in the eighth year after the hijrah, he mobilised an impressive force and moved on Makkah. Ten thousand converged on the city, reaching there in the month of Ramadan, the month of fasting. The Quraysh realised that there was no hope of resisting, let alone of defeating, the Muslim forces. What was to be their fate - they who had harried and persecuted the believers, tortured and boycotted them, driven them out of their hearths and homes, stirred up others against them, made war on them, and killed many?
They were now completely at the mercy of the Prophet.
Revenge was easy. He could have laid waste the city and wiped out its inhabitants. But revenge was not his object. He did not lead his confident army into Makkah like any tyrant, full of arrogance, forgetting the Almighty, the Cause of all causes, and intoxicated with self-conceit.
Far from it. In the words of an early biographer, he entered with great humility and gratitude, prostrating himself repeatedly on the back of the camel he was riding, before the One God, thankful to Him for all He had provided, declaring an all-embracing amnesty and peace, in place of any thought of avenging past material or mental afflictions, and in fact demonstrating what God wills of Godly men: "... enter the gate prostrating and say 'Amnesty'." (The Quran, 2:58; 7:160).
He ordered Bilal, the Ethiopian, to go on the rooftop of the Ka'bah to call the adhan. The noble Prophet led the congregational prayer and then addressed the assembled citizens in the compound around the Ka'bah. He reminded them of what they had done to him and the Muslims, and said, "The arrogance and racial pride of the heathen days has been wiped out by God today. All human beings are descended from Adam, and Adam was made of clay."
He recited the following verse of the Quran:
"0 human beings! We have indeed created you of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Surely the most honorable of you with God is the one among you who is most deeply conscious of Him. Surely, God is Knowing, Aware. (The Quran, 49:13)
He then asked them in a voice full of compassion and tenderness:
'0 people of Quraysh! What do you think I will do with you?'
One of them, Suhayl ibn Amr, who had fought against the Prophet, replied on behalf of the Makkans:
'We think (you will treat us) well, noble brother, son of a noble brother.'
A radiant smile flashed across the face of the beloved Prophet of God and, in a spirit of magnanimity and tolerance, he said:
"I shall speak to you as Yusuf [Joseph] spoke unto his brothers: 'There is no reproach against you today; God will forgive. He is the most Merciful and the most Compassionate.' " (Quran,12:92)
And he added:
'No more responsibility burdens you today.'Idhhabuu... wa antum at-tulaqaa - Go, for you are free.'
Instantaneously Makkah was transformed, and overnight practically the entire population was won over to Islam. Nothing else could have won them over so profoundly and sincerely. They were not the inhabitants of a defeated and occupied country, but equals with the victors in rights as well as obligations. When a Messenger of God is the liberator of a town, nothing less exalted could be expected.
Without leaving a single companion of his to garrison the city, the Prophet soon returned to Madinah, leaving Makkah to be governed by a Makkan just converted. He never had to regret this later. This is how human hearts are won. In the entire episode, thirteen lives were lost.
'I am the Prophet of Battle; I am the Prophet of Mercy,' he is reported to have said. But it was destined for Muhammad to demonstrate that even in battle, he was the "Prophet of Mercy".
The above account has been partly compiled from the book, Battlefields of the Prophet, by the renowned scholar Muhammad Hamidullah. This book lists the number of people killed in battle on both sides in all the engagements led by the Prophet. This number is given as less than 500 (see box). It is clear neither revenge nor hatred, greed nor domination was ever the driving passion in the wars that the noble Prophet engaged or were forced into. His purpose was primarily to win over people to the truth. He did not see his enemies as irredeemable infidels, but as potential forces for the good, for their own selves and for others. And he gave them the opportunity and the space to transform themselves.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Almighty God
From: http://www.christianity-islam.com/god.html
The ONENESS of God as seen in Christianity and Islam, the sources are mainly the Bible, and Quran.
Tries to Worship Human Beings
"In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listen to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" at that, the man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker."
Acts 14:8-12
"They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God (Allah): there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)."
Quran 9:31
Worshipping Angels
"Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize."
Colossians 2:18
"Nor would he instruct you to take angels and prophets for Lords and Patrons. What! would he bid you to unbelief after you have bowed your will (to Allah in Islam)?"
Quran 3:80
"One Day He will gather them all together, and say to the angels, "Was it you that these men used to worship?"
Quran 34:40
Worshipping Other Gods
"So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes."
Genesis 35:2
"Were you witnesses when Death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will you worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship your God (Allah) and the God (Allah) of your fathers,- of Abraham, Isma'il (Ishmael), and Isaac, - the One (True) God (Allah): to Him we bow (in Islam)."
Quran 2:133
Foreign gods
(One of the Commandments) "You shall not have no other gods before me."
Exodus 20:3
"Serve Allah (God), and join not any partners with Him"...
Quran 4:36
Unique
"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me."
Isaiah 46:9
..."there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things)."
Quran 42:11
No Part from Him
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God."
Isaiah 45:5
"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only...He begets not, nor is He begotten"...
Quran 112:1-3
He is Present Everywhere
"Where can I go from your Spirit: Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you."
Psalm 139:7-12
"Don't you see that Allah (God) knows (all) that is in the between three, but He makes the fourth among them, - nor between five but He makes the sixth, -nor between fewer nor more, but He is in their midst, wheresoever they be; in the end He will tell them the truth of their conduct, on the Day of Judgment. For Allah has full knowledge of all things."
Quran 58:7
God is the Supreme King
"The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; upon them he has set the world."
1 Samuel 2:6-8
"It is Allah (God) that gives (you) Want or Plenty, and to Him shall be your return."
Quran 2:245
..."Abraham said: "My Lord is He Who gives life and death"...
Quran 2:258
God Knows All Things
"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
Matthew 10:30
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power his understanding has no limit."
Psalm 147:4-5
..."and his understanding no one can fathom."
Isaiah 40:28
"Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant. He takes an account of them (all), and has numbered them (all) exactly.".
Quran 19:94
"Say: "Whether you hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, Allah knows it all: He knows what is in the heavens, and what is on earth. And Allah has power over all things."
Quran 3:29
God does not Slumber or Sleep
"He(God) will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."
Psalm 121:3-4
"Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory)."
Quran 2:255
God is Just
"The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous."
Psalm 19:9
"There is no god but He: that is the witness of Allah, His angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Power, the Wise.".
Quran 3:18
The ONENESS of God as seen in Christianity and Islam, the sources are mainly the Bible, and Quran.
Tries to Worship Human Beings
"In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listen to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" at that, the man jumped up and began to walk. When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker."
Acts 14:8-12
"They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of Allah, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God (Allah): there is no god but He. Praise and glory to Him: (far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him)."
Quran 9:31
Worshipping Angels
"Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize."
Colossians 2:18
"Nor would he instruct you to take angels and prophets for Lords and Patrons. What! would he bid you to unbelief after you have bowed your will (to Allah in Islam)?"
Quran 3:80
"One Day He will gather them all together, and say to the angels, "Was it you that these men used to worship?"
Quran 34:40
Worshipping Other Gods
"So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes."
Genesis 35:2
"Were you witnesses when Death appeared before Jacob? Behold, he said to his sons: "What will you worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship your God (Allah) and the God (Allah) of your fathers,- of Abraham, Isma'il (Ishmael), and Isaac, - the One (True) God (Allah): to Him we bow (in Islam)."
Quran 2:133
Foreign gods
(One of the Commandments) "You shall not have no other gods before me."
Exodus 20:3
"Serve Allah (God), and join not any partners with Him"...
Quran 4:36
Unique
"Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me."
Isaiah 46:9
..."there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things)."
Quran 42:11
No Part from Him
"I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God."
Isaiah 45:5
"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only...He begets not, nor is He begotten"...
Quran 112:1-3
He is Present Everywhere
"Where can I go from your Spirit: Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day for darkness is as light to you."
Psalm 139:7-12
"Don't you see that Allah (God) knows (all) that is in the between three, but He makes the fourth among them, - nor between five but He makes the sixth, -nor between fewer nor more, but He is in their midst, wheresoever they be; in the end He will tell them the truth of their conduct, on the Day of Judgment. For Allah has full knowledge of all things."
Quran 58:7
God is the Supreme King
"The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; upon them he has set the world."
1 Samuel 2:6-8
"It is Allah (God) that gives (you) Want or Plenty, and to Him shall be your return."
Quran 2:245
..."Abraham said: "My Lord is He Who gives life and death"...
Quran 2:258
God Knows All Things
"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
Matthew 10:30
"He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power his understanding has no limit."
Psalm 147:4-5
..."and his understanding no one can fathom."
Isaiah 40:28
"Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to (Allah) Most Gracious as a servant. He takes an account of them (all), and has numbered them (all) exactly.".
Quran 19:94
"Say: "Whether you hide what is in your hearts or reveal it, Allah knows it all: He knows what is in the heavens, and what is on earth. And Allah has power over all things."
Quran 3:29
God does not Slumber or Sleep
"He(God) will not let your foot slip- he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."
Psalm 121:3-4
"Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory)."
Quran 2:255
God is Just
"The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous."
Psalm 19:9
"There is no god but He: that is the witness of Allah, His angels, and those endued with knowledge, standing firm on justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Power, the Wise.".
Quran 3:18
Friday, March 07, 2008
I Am A Prophet, Nay Shut Up.
By: Maged Taman
People still do not believe or do not want to believe how hard to come up with a a book like the Quran. They alleged that it was made up by Muhammad (PBUH)and not by God. Take this example suppose today I want to declare that I am prophet Taman and I made a book like the Quran. See what I have to go through:
1- I need to be the perfect liar. It means that I have to convince all people for 23 years around me of my message even my wife and children. The conflict will come here. As a perfect liar, I would be a well known liar. You can not lie to all the people all the time. You will find someone that found a lie that I had done. Or if I am very honest and decided to make great lies for 23 years against God people will easily read my face. Honest people are easily red if they lie from my experience. It is very difficult to be a selective liar to lie about a message that would consume more than 80% of your functional life and be honest in the other 20%. Prophet Muhammad is known for his honesty before and after the message.
2- I need to make it up first. I would not just go out one day and say an angel of God came to me and then get verses every few days. I may try to make a book like the Quran first or big chapters to be sure of my abilities. Even though someone will catch me thinking of the verses or writing them down in a piece of paper. Prophet Muhammad did not know how to write or read. People saw him during the time the inspiration of God comes into him he would get clammy and then bring the miraculous verses of God.
3- I would need to consult the torah and gospels before I would write this book. A lot of people would know my interest in that early on. Prophet Muhammad was not known to be a scholar.
4- I would need to make my book a linguistic miracle: I would have to be very good with poetry and I well be well known for my skill of language. Prophet Muhammad did not know how to write or read.
5- I would need to find scientific miracles for people who would come centuries after me so they believe in my book. Even if this crossed my mind how can I come up with miracles that people would find them true after 1400 years or so.
6- What will be my real belief of God: I would wander suppose there is a God and he discovered that I am writing a book and say it is from God I would be very fearful. Particularly, I believe there is other books from God. I would at least look confused. Prophet Muhammad looked a strong believer. It is just impossible to give faith to people if you do not have faith yourself. My fluctuation in faith does not come from the message of the Quran but from the personal and widespread injustices in the world. Or may be God wants me to feel this way for a reason.
7- I would need to pray for long nights and fast and go for wars for a God that I created would be very crazy. Very early on people will know that I have paranoia. Even if it is only selective paranoia they will be smart enough to know this paranoia. When the jealous and corrupted Arabs at time of Muhammad were trying to suppress his message they would think and say to each other what would we say to people about him. Then they will say let us say he is crazy. If you note they did not say what we think ourselves about him.
8- I would need to make a second book: To be more convincing is to bring other knowledge like the hadith that is different from the Quran. Miraculously I would need to be able to have the language style very different for the two books.
9- I would need to fear God: by definition righteousness is the product of feeling the existence of God all time and fearing him so you do everything right in your life. Muhammad was known to be the most righteous of humans. So how we can reconcile his fear of God with lies against God. If we say he was himself deceived and the Quran is inspired by Satan. I would say read the Quran and talk to yourself am I really saying the truth or read in my blog: Is the Quran inspired by Satan?. You may say UFO inspired him. Call them and find out. UFO can not affect our spirituality, visions or prophecies. I do not predict that UFO would be interested to see us worship God or be righteous. We do not even know what in hell this UFO phenomena all about. Satan also could not be a writer or one of his guys. I do not think he will be interested to spread morality and make us worship God.
People still do not believe or do not want to believe how hard to come up with a a book like the Quran. They alleged that it was made up by Muhammad (PBUH)and not by God. Take this example suppose today I want to declare that I am prophet Taman and I made a book like the Quran. See what I have to go through:
1- I need to be the perfect liar. It means that I have to convince all people for 23 years around me of my message even my wife and children. The conflict will come here. As a perfect liar, I would be a well known liar. You can not lie to all the people all the time. You will find someone that found a lie that I had done. Or if I am very honest and decided to make great lies for 23 years against God people will easily read my face. Honest people are easily red if they lie from my experience. It is very difficult to be a selective liar to lie about a message that would consume more than 80% of your functional life and be honest in the other 20%. Prophet Muhammad is known for his honesty before and after the message.
2- I need to make it up first. I would not just go out one day and say an angel of God came to me and then get verses every few days. I may try to make a book like the Quran first or big chapters to be sure of my abilities. Even though someone will catch me thinking of the verses or writing them down in a piece of paper. Prophet Muhammad did not know how to write or read. People saw him during the time the inspiration of God comes into him he would get clammy and then bring the miraculous verses of God.
3- I would need to consult the torah and gospels before I would write this book. A lot of people would know my interest in that early on. Prophet Muhammad was not known to be a scholar.
4- I would need to make my book a linguistic miracle: I would have to be very good with poetry and I well be well known for my skill of language. Prophet Muhammad did not know how to write or read.
5- I would need to find scientific miracles for people who would come centuries after me so they believe in my book. Even if this crossed my mind how can I come up with miracles that people would find them true after 1400 years or so.
6- What will be my real belief of God: I would wander suppose there is a God and he discovered that I am writing a book and say it is from God I would be very fearful. Particularly, I believe there is other books from God. I would at least look confused. Prophet Muhammad looked a strong believer. It is just impossible to give faith to people if you do not have faith yourself. My fluctuation in faith does not come from the message of the Quran but from the personal and widespread injustices in the world. Or may be God wants me to feel this way for a reason.
7- I would need to pray for long nights and fast and go for wars for a God that I created would be very crazy. Very early on people will know that I have paranoia. Even if it is only selective paranoia they will be smart enough to know this paranoia. When the jealous and corrupted Arabs at time of Muhammad were trying to suppress his message they would think and say to each other what would we say to people about him. Then they will say let us say he is crazy. If you note they did not say what we think ourselves about him.
8- I would need to make a second book: To be more convincing is to bring other knowledge like the hadith that is different from the Quran. Miraculously I would need to be able to have the language style very different for the two books.
9- I would need to fear God: by definition righteousness is the product of feeling the existence of God all time and fearing him so you do everything right in your life. Muhammad was known to be the most righteous of humans. So how we can reconcile his fear of God with lies against God. If we say he was himself deceived and the Quran is inspired by Satan. I would say read the Quran and talk to yourself am I really saying the truth or read in my blog: Is the Quran inspired by Satan?. You may say UFO inspired him. Call them and find out. UFO can not affect our spirituality, visions or prophecies. I do not predict that UFO would be interested to see us worship God or be righteous. We do not even know what in hell this UFO phenomena all about. Satan also could not be a writer or one of his guys. I do not think he will be interested to spread morality and make us worship God.
The Story of Moses (part 1 of 10): The Birth and Upbringing of Moses
From: www.islamreligion.com
By Jeremy Boulter based on Ibn Katheer
Prophet Moses is a figure of importance in of the Bible as well as the Quran. The Torah is attributed to him by all fundamental Jews, Christians and Muslims, and he is mentioned in each of their scriptures more than any other Prophet in regards to the delivery of the message. The Psalms and Tanakh (Jewish Bible) constantly refer to the debt which the Israelites owe God for their salvation from the Pharaoh, in which Moses was instrumental. It was also him through which the Law of God was given to the Children of Israel, a code which they were commanded to abide throughout life.. In the Gospels, Jesus often compares his own authority to that of Moses amongst the Jews. The letters of Paul are devoted to demonstrating the replacement of the authority and Law of Moses with the authority and Law of Jesus as a means to salvation. In the Quran, it not only mentions the story of Moses more than any other prophet’s, but also acknowledges the Torah of Moses as the earlier revelation of God, the original of which the Quran confirms and replaces (in its application).
In looking at Moses as an exemplary Messenger, Muslims perceive many similarities between him and the Prophet Muhammad, may God praise them both. Both of them were guided to form a strong and abiding nation under God’s authority. Both brought with them God’s Law, albeit in different languages. Both were given their duty as a prophet well into maturity. Both were ordered to migrate for the sake of Allah. One of the major differences, however, is in the characteristics of their respective followers. The children of Israel are so characterized by their obduracy that the prize Moses sought (leading his people into Jerusalem, the focal point of worship for the Children of Israel) never materialized in his lifetime. On the other hand, the followers of Muhammad were pliable and eager, so much so that a mere seven years after fleeing Mecca, the focal point of Muslim worship was retaken and made subservient to them.
In this article and the ones following, the story of Moses will be told as mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah,[1] along with some discussion on the similarities and differences encountered in the Christian and Judaic traditions.
The Story of His Birth and Upbringing
The epoch of the birth of Moses was one fraught with severe trials on the children of Israel. The Pharaoh had consulted his seers over a dream that a fire from the north destroyed the property of his Egyptian subjects, sparing the property, however, of the Israeli bondsmen. His seers explained this to be a warning that a leader would arise among the Israelites who would bring him and his nation to ruin. His reaction was to try and prevent this from happening by killing all the male children among the Israeli bondsmen.[2] Some traditions indicate that the Pharaoh was given sincere advice not to carry out this policy completely, as it would result in a loss of man-power. Hence Aaron was born in a year when male children were allowed to live, but Moses in a year when all male children were to be killed. The exact truth of this, however, is not known; perhaps the policy of male infanticide was not put into practice until after Aaron’s birth.
Moses’ mother, Jochebed[3], was fortunate in that her pregnancy was not visible until very late, so she was able to conceal his birth. After he was born, she placed him in a padded chest with air-holes and let him down into the reeds on the banks of the Nile when not feeding him,[4] so that any sudden search by the Pharaoh’s police would not discover him. This was in accordance with God’s instructions.
“And We inspired the mother of Moses, (saying): ‘Suckle him, but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear nor grieve. Verily! We shall return him to you, and shall make him one of Our Messengers.’” (Quran 28:7)
When he was a little stronger, she was inspired by God to let loose the chest[5], but became so worried concerning what would happen to him, she almost disclosed that she had a son in that chest in an effort to motivate people to observe where he had floated off to. However, she managed to keep everything under cover by dispatching her daughter, Miriam, to secretly seek out what became of him. Miriam witnessed some ladies of the Pharaoh’s court discover the chest and take it into the Pharaoh’s Palace.[6] When the Pharaoh’s wife, Asiyah, opened the chest and saw the baby boy, she said:
“A comfort for the eye for me and you. Don’t kill him; he may be of benefit to us, or we could adopt him as our son.”(Quran 28:9)
As Asiyah was childless, she needed a wet nurse to feed her new-found babe.
According to Judeo-Christian traditions, Miriam witnesses her brother being found by the maids of the Pharaoh’s daughter, Merytamon, who came across Moses floating in a basket amongst the reeds while walking with the Princess near the river. The basket was not taken to the palace, but brought to Merytamon there, on the bank. Miriam then took the opportunity to offer to find the baby a wet nurse straight away. This seems a little too obvious a move, one that may have led the Egyptians to suspect the offer. According to Islamic sources, however, there seems to be an interval in which the Pharaoh’s approval was sought.
When Asiyah tried to find a suitable wet nurse among her retainers, however, she discovered that he would not suckle anyone. She sent him with her midwives to the market, seeking help further afield, where his sister spotted him again. It was there that Miriam offered to take them to a trustworthy ‘nursing’ mother.
“She said, ‘Shall I direct you to a household who will rear him for you, and look after him in a good manner?’” (Quran 28:12)
She brought them to her mother, from whom the baby Moses at last suckled with will. On being informed of the matter, Asiyah asked Jochebed to lodge with her. She refused, but agreed to foster the baby in her home for a wage, as was the custom of that day.[7] Thus did God…
“…restore him to his mother, that her eye might be comforted and she might not grieve, and that she would know the promise[8] of God to be true.” (Quran 28:13)
When the Moses was weaned, he went back to Asiyah in the Pharaoh’s palace, and was thus brought up as a member of the court with all the privileges that it implied. His supposed foster relations with the Israelites made him sympathetic to them and also, reciprocally, encouraged them to trust him, so, as he grew up and reached puberty, they were inclined to seek his help when in need. This is what catalyzed the next step in the mission of Moses when he reached adulthood, as will be narrated in the next article.
Footnotes:
[1] The words, actions and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad as reported by his companions
[2] Ibn Kathir Qasas al-Anbiya; English translation, by R.A. Azimi; Pub. Darussalam, pp. 299-300: The Story of Moses
[3] Jochadebed is the name given to Miriam, Aaron and Moses’ mother by Biblical, not Muslim, scholars. The names of Moses’ sister and mother are not mentioned by authentic Islamic accounts.
[4]Tafsir Ibn Kathir: Commentary on Quran 28:7
[5] Quran 20:37-38.
[6] Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Hasan al Basri et al in Tabari 19:532, Tafsir Ibn Kathir on Quran 28:10-11.
[7] Mentioned in Tafsir Ibn Kathir citing Ibn Abbas in the commentary on Quran 28:12.
[8] In verse 7 of this chapter, God promises to Jochebed when she sent him off into the river that He would reunite them, and also that he would be a messenger.
Next: The Story of Moses (part 2 of 10): Moses in Midian
Parts of This Article
The Story of Moses (part 1 of 10): The Birth and Upbringing of Moses
The Story of Moses (part 2 of 10): Moses in Midian
The Story of Moses (part 3 of 10): The Return to Egypt
The Story of Moses (part 4 of 10): Moses and the Sorcerers
The Story of Moses (part 5 of 10): The Plagues in Egypt
The Story of Moses (part 6 of 10): The Death of the Pharaoh
The Story of Moses (part 7 of 10): From Sea to Mountain
The Story of Moses (part 8 of 10): People Turn away from God
The Story of Moses (part 9 of 10): Condemned to Wander
The Story of Moses (part 10 of 10): The Earth Swallows Korah
View all parts together
Iran: Fighting for Moderation
From: www.newsweek.com
Iran's reformists are fighting an uphill battle just to compete in Iran's upcoming parliamentary ballot. How they hope to defeat Ahmadinejad—eventually.
By Maziar Bahari Newsweek Web Exclusive
Mar 7, 2008 Updated: 2:21 p.m. ET Mar 7, 2008
Kasra Noori is a worried man. The 38-year-old Iranian journalist is anxious about what will happen to his country after next week's parliamentary elections. But he also has more personal concerns. With military and judicial hardliners shutting down reformist newspapers on charges ranging from promoting decadence to endangering national security, Noori has lost eight jobs in the last 10 years. Now he frets over how he can provide for his wife and three-year-old daughter. "I've been seriously looking for an alternative source of income," says Noori. "You simply can't make a living as a journalist in Iran."
Noori hoped that politics might offer one of those alternatives. "I thought in a hardliners-dominated parliament we should have a strong reformist contingent in order to express people's concerns about [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad's disastrous economic and international policies," Noori says. But when he tried to register last year as a moderate candidate for the March 14 ballot, he found his path blocked by the Council of Guardians of the Revolution. The conservative group of clerics and lawyers, which supervises Iran's elections, was on a mission to exclude almost any reformist who dared to register as a candidate.
A few days after Noori submitted his name, the inspectors from Council of Guardians' Supervision Committees started asking about him around his neighborhood. "They went to my local grocer and asked him about my personal life," says Noori. "They asked him questions like if I look at women lustfully, if I go to the local mosque to pray, if my wife dresses modestly, what I buy from the grocer. Questions that had nothing to do with my qualifications as a candidate." Still, Noori considers himself relatively fortunate that the questions were so mild. In some cases the inspectors have asked candidates if they have had illegitimate relationships with women and whether they were addicted to drugs. There are no reports that conservative candidates have come under similar scrutiny. Indeed, in some cases the inspectors are conservative candidates themselves.
Like most disqualified moderates, Noori was expelled on three main charges: lack of real commitment to the teachings of Islam; lack of belief in velayate faghih, Iran's system of governance, in which a religious scholar is the supreme leader of the country; and "notoriety," a catchall phrase that is essentially meaningless. A devout Muslim from a religious family in Tehran, Noori objected to all charges. "As far as I know I'm a good Muslim, and it seems that I'm also enjoying a relatively good reputation in public," he says. Noori challenged the claims and was finally cleared of being "notorious," but he was still disqualified on the basis of the first two charges.
Many moderates see the conservatives' pre-election witch hunt as tantamount to a military coup. According to reformist activists, the Revolutionary Guard forcibly mobilized its members, including the paramilitary youth group Basij, to vote for Ahmadinejad in the 2005 presidential election. They fear similar tactics in this upcoming poll as well. "The Guards are the main supporters of the hardliners," says Saeid Shariati, the spokesman for the largest reformist party, the Participation Front. "The Council of Guardians as a group didn't qualify and disqualify the candidates. It was a group of five or six Guards, military and intelligence commanders, who decided the filtering of the candidates."
Undeniably, Iran's high inflation and unemployment rates have cost Ahmadinejad some support among his conservative backers. Still, he has retained some genuine grass-roots backing. Take Masoomeh Ramezani, a single mother of five in Lalain, a village three hours south of capital. She lives in a different world from intellectuals and journalists like Kasra Noori. Widowed when her children were young, she supported her family by working as a cleaner in the nearby town of Saveh. Last year, after Ahmadinejad passed a new law increasing payouts for single mothers, Ramezani received the equivalent of a $9,000 loan. "God bless Mr. Ahmadinejad. May he live a hundred years," says Ramezani with tears in her eyes. "He rescued me. The other people in Tehran only talk and talk, but they don't care about us poor people in the villages. But Mr. Ahmadinejad, may God protect him, works for us." Who is she going to vote for in the parliamentary elections? "Whoever supports Mr. Ahmadinejad."
That kind of support all but ensures there will be a conservative victory in the parliamentary vote. Indeed, the reformists acknowledge Ahmadinejad's popularity in villages and small towns but say that he is winning it at the long-term expense of the nation. "He is running the country like a charity by spreading the easily earned oil money across the country without thinking about the disastrous economic consequences it may have," says Noori. "The only reason why Ahmadinejad has managed to survive is the revenue from selling oil at $103 per barrel. If the price of oil comes down, the country will be engulfed in chaos and mayhem." Reformists like Noori believe that it will take some sort of economic disaster or foreign military threat, most probably from the United States or Israel, to alert the hardliners running the Iranian government—especially Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei—to the dangers of Ahmadinejad's populist extremism.
That's unlikely to happen anytime soon. So for now the moderates are pursuing a two-tier approach. They want to have some presence in the parliament in order to keep their political presence alive. "If we didn't take part in the elections, the hardliners would have totally dominated the parliament, closed our offices, and that would be the end of us as reformist activists," says Shariati. Surviving, even with the tiny number of seats they're expected to win, will also allow the reformists to prepare themselves for the presidential elections in June 2009. But first the reformists have to deal with divisions within their ranks. The likely reformist candidates for the presidency are former president Mohammad Khatami and former speaker of the parliament Mehdi Karrubi—perhaps the only contenders with enough stature to prevent the Council of Guardians from disqualifying them from the race. The factions, however, have presented different lists of parliamentary candidates and display little inclination to mend fences. In an exclusive interview with NEWSWEEK this week, Karrubi called Khatami a weak politician and said his allies were extremists "who questioned the Islamic component of the Islamic Republic." In turn, Khatami's allies say that Karrubi is a pretender and not a real reformist.
Noori, for his part, is spending the time ahead of Election Day working as the unpaid editor of the reformists' Web site. He operates out of an old building full of like-minded disqualified candidates who jokingly call themselves "the notorious." They try to keep their minds off their imminent defeat by putting on brave faces for young volunteers who have had enough of Ahmadinejad. But privately the reformists acknowledge that even their best-case scenario predicts a mere 40 out of 290 seats in the Iranian parliament. As little as that, they hope, would at least keep their cause alive—at least until the next vote comes around.
Blogger Comment:
1- Ahmadinejad has came from the people. He is looked at as a clean and pure man that is the right man to pave the way to spread of Islamic Justice and freedom.
2- Islam was tolerant to its enemies even the hypocrites who would do anything to defy Islam.
3- For Islamic justice to spread we have to be moderates. You can be angry and moderate I do not see any problem with that.
4- Ahmadinejad should make clear that Muslims are not here to wipe Israel but to find a peaceful and dignified coexistence.
5- He has to get more moderate voices in the government.
6- He has to be close to Sunni people and not their leaders. Who conspired against Iran in the past.
7- He has to look for a political Mahdi and not military one. Muslims are not here to carry God's wrath but to save themselves and the world from his wrath. We already living in the time of tribulation that Jesus prophesied about that would happen before his second coming.
8- He has to play low key, some in the west is looking for an enemy. Do not fall in the trap.
9- Muslims hope is uniting and have their voices heared. There are a lot of strong persons that are feared by others they get that out of respect and fearing of their reasoning than fighters, screamers or annoyers.
10- Ahmadinejad can be a forceful voice of moderation he is already have the appeal and the political skills. He needs to win the western mentality. He has to keep the revolution of Khomeini alive. He has to have the appeals of Muslims who crave a just and real democratic Islamic country.
Iran's reformists are fighting an uphill battle just to compete in Iran's upcoming parliamentary ballot. How they hope to defeat Ahmadinejad—eventually.
By Maziar Bahari Newsweek Web Exclusive
Mar 7, 2008 Updated: 2:21 p.m. ET Mar 7, 2008
Kasra Noori is a worried man. The 38-year-old Iranian journalist is anxious about what will happen to his country after next week's parliamentary elections. But he also has more personal concerns. With military and judicial hardliners shutting down reformist newspapers on charges ranging from promoting decadence to endangering national security, Noori has lost eight jobs in the last 10 years. Now he frets over how he can provide for his wife and three-year-old daughter. "I've been seriously looking for an alternative source of income," says Noori. "You simply can't make a living as a journalist in Iran."
Noori hoped that politics might offer one of those alternatives. "I thought in a hardliners-dominated parliament we should have a strong reformist contingent in order to express people's concerns about [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad's disastrous economic and international policies," Noori says. But when he tried to register last year as a moderate candidate for the March 14 ballot, he found his path blocked by the Council of Guardians of the Revolution. The conservative group of clerics and lawyers, which supervises Iran's elections, was on a mission to exclude almost any reformist who dared to register as a candidate.
A few days after Noori submitted his name, the inspectors from Council of Guardians' Supervision Committees started asking about him around his neighborhood. "They went to my local grocer and asked him about my personal life," says Noori. "They asked him questions like if I look at women lustfully, if I go to the local mosque to pray, if my wife dresses modestly, what I buy from the grocer. Questions that had nothing to do with my qualifications as a candidate." Still, Noori considers himself relatively fortunate that the questions were so mild. In some cases the inspectors have asked candidates if they have had illegitimate relationships with women and whether they were addicted to drugs. There are no reports that conservative candidates have come under similar scrutiny. Indeed, in some cases the inspectors are conservative candidates themselves.
Like most disqualified moderates, Noori was expelled on three main charges: lack of real commitment to the teachings of Islam; lack of belief in velayate faghih, Iran's system of governance, in which a religious scholar is the supreme leader of the country; and "notoriety," a catchall phrase that is essentially meaningless. A devout Muslim from a religious family in Tehran, Noori objected to all charges. "As far as I know I'm a good Muslim, and it seems that I'm also enjoying a relatively good reputation in public," he says. Noori challenged the claims and was finally cleared of being "notorious," but he was still disqualified on the basis of the first two charges.
Many moderates see the conservatives' pre-election witch hunt as tantamount to a military coup. According to reformist activists, the Revolutionary Guard forcibly mobilized its members, including the paramilitary youth group Basij, to vote for Ahmadinejad in the 2005 presidential election. They fear similar tactics in this upcoming poll as well. "The Guards are the main supporters of the hardliners," says Saeid Shariati, the spokesman for the largest reformist party, the Participation Front. "The Council of Guardians as a group didn't qualify and disqualify the candidates. It was a group of five or six Guards, military and intelligence commanders, who decided the filtering of the candidates."
Undeniably, Iran's high inflation and unemployment rates have cost Ahmadinejad some support among his conservative backers. Still, he has retained some genuine grass-roots backing. Take Masoomeh Ramezani, a single mother of five in Lalain, a village three hours south of capital. She lives in a different world from intellectuals and journalists like Kasra Noori. Widowed when her children were young, she supported her family by working as a cleaner in the nearby town of Saveh. Last year, after Ahmadinejad passed a new law increasing payouts for single mothers, Ramezani received the equivalent of a $9,000 loan. "God bless Mr. Ahmadinejad. May he live a hundred years," says Ramezani with tears in her eyes. "He rescued me. The other people in Tehran only talk and talk, but they don't care about us poor people in the villages. But Mr. Ahmadinejad, may God protect him, works for us." Who is she going to vote for in the parliamentary elections? "Whoever supports Mr. Ahmadinejad."
That kind of support all but ensures there will be a conservative victory in the parliamentary vote. Indeed, the reformists acknowledge Ahmadinejad's popularity in villages and small towns but say that he is winning it at the long-term expense of the nation. "He is running the country like a charity by spreading the easily earned oil money across the country without thinking about the disastrous economic consequences it may have," says Noori. "The only reason why Ahmadinejad has managed to survive is the revenue from selling oil at $103 per barrel. If the price of oil comes down, the country will be engulfed in chaos and mayhem." Reformists like Noori believe that it will take some sort of economic disaster or foreign military threat, most probably from the United States or Israel, to alert the hardliners running the Iranian government—especially Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei—to the dangers of Ahmadinejad's populist extremism.
That's unlikely to happen anytime soon. So for now the moderates are pursuing a two-tier approach. They want to have some presence in the parliament in order to keep their political presence alive. "If we didn't take part in the elections, the hardliners would have totally dominated the parliament, closed our offices, and that would be the end of us as reformist activists," says Shariati. Surviving, even with the tiny number of seats they're expected to win, will also allow the reformists to prepare themselves for the presidential elections in June 2009. But first the reformists have to deal with divisions within their ranks. The likely reformist candidates for the presidency are former president Mohammad Khatami and former speaker of the parliament Mehdi Karrubi—perhaps the only contenders with enough stature to prevent the Council of Guardians from disqualifying them from the race. The factions, however, have presented different lists of parliamentary candidates and display little inclination to mend fences. In an exclusive interview with NEWSWEEK this week, Karrubi called Khatami a weak politician and said his allies were extremists "who questioned the Islamic component of the Islamic Republic." In turn, Khatami's allies say that Karrubi is a pretender and not a real reformist.
Noori, for his part, is spending the time ahead of Election Day working as the unpaid editor of the reformists' Web site. He operates out of an old building full of like-minded disqualified candidates who jokingly call themselves "the notorious." They try to keep their minds off their imminent defeat by putting on brave faces for young volunteers who have had enough of Ahmadinejad. But privately the reformists acknowledge that even their best-case scenario predicts a mere 40 out of 290 seats in the Iranian parliament. As little as that, they hope, would at least keep their cause alive—at least until the next vote comes around.
Blogger Comment:
1- Ahmadinejad has came from the people. He is looked at as a clean and pure man that is the right man to pave the way to spread of Islamic Justice and freedom.
2- Islam was tolerant to its enemies even the hypocrites who would do anything to defy Islam.
3- For Islamic justice to spread we have to be moderates. You can be angry and moderate I do not see any problem with that.
4- Ahmadinejad should make clear that Muslims are not here to wipe Israel but to find a peaceful and dignified coexistence.
5- He has to get more moderate voices in the government.
6- He has to be close to Sunni people and not their leaders. Who conspired against Iran in the past.
7- He has to look for a political Mahdi and not military one. Muslims are not here to carry God's wrath but to save themselves and the world from his wrath. We already living in the time of tribulation that Jesus prophesied about that would happen before his second coming.
8- He has to play low key, some in the west is looking for an enemy. Do not fall in the trap.
9- Muslims hope is uniting and have their voices heared. There are a lot of strong persons that are feared by others they get that out of respect and fearing of their reasoning than fighters, screamers or annoyers.
10- Ahmadinejad can be a forceful voice of moderation he is already have the appeal and the political skills. He needs to win the western mentality. He has to keep the revolution of Khomeini alive. He has to have the appeals of Muslims who crave a just and real democratic Islamic country.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Muslims, Catholics in Vatican Talks
from: www.islamonline.com
By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent
"We must try, together with the Pope, to get on a path of dialogue on issues confronting humanity today," Pallavicini said. PARIS/ROME — Senior Muslim and Vatican scholars meet Tuesday, March 4, in Vatican City to set the stage for a summit between Pope Benedict XVI and a galaxy of Muslim scholars later this year to help bridge the gap between Islam and the Catholic church.
"The two-day talks are aimed at working out the details of a landmark meeting between the Pope and some 138 Muslim dignitaries by midyear," vicar Ceriani, the media officer of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID), told IslamOnline.net.
"The meeting seeks to promote tolerance between different faiths and address roots of animosity."
The Muslim delegation includes Yahya Sergio Pallavicini, vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community; chair of the Muslim Academic Trust in London Abdal-Hakim Murad, and Ibrahim Kalin Silk, professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the PCID, will head the Vatican's delegation to today's meeting.
The meeting is the idea of the Pope as part of his official response to a Muslim initiative that urged for a candid dialogue with Christian clergymen worldwide.
In an open letter themed "A Common Word Between Us and You," 138 Muslim scholars wrote to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders in October, saying "the very survival of the world itself" might depend on dialogue.
Tuesday's talks and the upcoming summit come after Catholic-Muslim relations have hit all time low as Benedict angered Muslims with a speech on faith and reason in September 2006 in Germany.
In his speech, Benedict cited a medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."
He repeatedly expressed regret for the reaction to the speech but stopped short of the clear apology sought by Muslims.
The no-apology stance had forced the leading International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), chaired by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, to boycott the Vatican.
Key Dialogue
Topping the priorities of today's meeting is the importance of dialogue between Islam and Christianity.
"Now there is a need for deeper dialogue on doctrine, theology and the character of religions in today's world and the challenges we face," Pallavicini, the vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community, told Reuters.
"We must try, together with the Pope, to get on a path of dialogue on issues confronting humanity today."
On the Pope's summit with Muslim scholars in the Vatican, Pallavicini says extremism and terrorism will be high on the talks agenda.
"Terrorism is one thing that has to be discussed," he said.
"All religious leaders must renew a message of peace in their faith. Then it will be easier to isolate extremists and avoid the wrong use of religion."
At the end of their preparatory talks on Wednesday, Muslim and Catholic leaders will also issue a statement calling for the respect of all faiths.
According to Vatican sources, the statement will draw a line between "the freedom of expression, on the one hand, and irreverence of religions, on the other," in a reference to the recent reprinting in Danish newspapers of a blasphemous cartoon of a man described as Prophet Muhammad with a ticking bomb in his turban.
The Vatican strongly condemned last month the republication of the offensive cartoon.
By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent
"We must try, together with the Pope, to get on a path of dialogue on issues confronting humanity today," Pallavicini said. PARIS/ROME — Senior Muslim and Vatican scholars meet Tuesday, March 4, in Vatican City to set the stage for a summit between Pope Benedict XVI and a galaxy of Muslim scholars later this year to help bridge the gap between Islam and the Catholic church.
"The two-day talks are aimed at working out the details of a landmark meeting between the Pope and some 138 Muslim dignitaries by midyear," vicar Ceriani, the media officer of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID), told IslamOnline.net.
"The meeting seeks to promote tolerance between different faiths and address roots of animosity."
The Muslim delegation includes Yahya Sergio Pallavicini, vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community; chair of the Muslim Academic Trust in London Abdal-Hakim Murad, and Ibrahim Kalin Silk, professor of Islamic Studies at Georgetown University.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the PCID, will head the Vatican's delegation to today's meeting.
The meeting is the idea of the Pope as part of his official response to a Muslim initiative that urged for a candid dialogue with Christian clergymen worldwide.
In an open letter themed "A Common Word Between Us and You," 138 Muslim scholars wrote to Pope Benedict and other Christian leaders in October, saying "the very survival of the world itself" might depend on dialogue.
Tuesday's talks and the upcoming summit come after Catholic-Muslim relations have hit all time low as Benedict angered Muslims with a speech on faith and reason in September 2006 in Germany.
In his speech, Benedict cited a medieval text that characterized some of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as "evil and inhuman," particularly "his command to spread by the sword the faith."
He repeatedly expressed regret for the reaction to the speech but stopped short of the clear apology sought by Muslims.
The no-apology stance had forced the leading International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS), chaired by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, to boycott the Vatican.
Key Dialogue
Topping the priorities of today's meeting is the importance of dialogue between Islam and Christianity.
"Now there is a need for deeper dialogue on doctrine, theology and the character of religions in today's world and the challenges we face," Pallavicini, the vice-president of the Italian Islamic Religious Community, told Reuters.
"We must try, together with the Pope, to get on a path of dialogue on issues confronting humanity today."
On the Pope's summit with Muslim scholars in the Vatican, Pallavicini says extremism and terrorism will be high on the talks agenda.
"Terrorism is one thing that has to be discussed," he said.
"All religious leaders must renew a message of peace in their faith. Then it will be easier to isolate extremists and avoid the wrong use of religion."
At the end of their preparatory talks on Wednesday, Muslim and Catholic leaders will also issue a statement calling for the respect of all faiths.
According to Vatican sources, the statement will draw a line between "the freedom of expression, on the one hand, and irreverence of religions, on the other," in a reference to the recent reprinting in Danish newspapers of a blasphemous cartoon of a man described as Prophet Muhammad with a ticking bomb in his turban.
The Vatican strongly condemned last month the republication of the offensive cartoon.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Purification Of The Heart - A Book Review
From: www.islamicity.com
By: Ismail Rayillume Media.org* -
It has been said by our illustrious predecessors that the intellect lies in the heart [1]. A verse of the Noble Quran states, "In this is a lesson for every man who has a heart or gives ear with full attention" [2]. In a sound tradition, Muhammad stated while pointing his fingers towards the heart, "Verily, God looks not at your bodies nor at your faces but He looks at your hearts" [3].
Consequently, the scholars of Islam wrote countless texts on how to cleanse and purify one's heart from 'spiritual diseases' that may cause one to defy the sacred law, or at least lead one to do so. Purification of the Heart by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is one such book that deals with the Islamic science of tasawwuf. Although this is literally translated as sufism, a more meaningful interpretation would be 'purification'. In fact, one of the great saints of Islam, Sidi Ahmad Zarruq defined Sufism as 'sincerity in turning to Allah' [4]. The book is actually a translation of a poem called "Matharat al-Qulub" (literally 'purification of the hearts') written by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, a great scholar from Mauritania.
This particular book is different from others that deal with the same topic in that the main text is poetry, albeit translated from the original Arabic, not surprising since poetry is still a massive part of certain cultures in the east and somewhat lost and forgotten in the west. Another welcome difference is that the commentary is divided into subheadings such as 'Definition', 'Etiology', 'Treatment' and 'Discussion', rather reminiscent of a medical textbook dealing with physical diseases.
Chapters include the diseases of 'Miserliness', 'Love of the World', 'Envy' and 'Ostentation'. The latter chapter addresses what we as humans desire from our worship to God. Do we desire some benefit in this world? Do we worship God in hope of the delights of the hereafter? Or are we steadfast out of fear of punishment? Shaykh Hamza states, "Imam Malik said that to seek out Paradise is acceptable, though the motivation behind worship should eventually be solely for the sake of God and fulfilment of His commands" [5]. There are, of course, differences of opinion, as highlighted by an interesting quote from a 8th century (CE) female scholar and major spiritual influence in the classical Islamic tradition, Rabia al-Adawiyya, "Go after the gardener, not after the gardenÉ. O God, if I worship You for Paradise, then put me in the Fire" [6]. Shaykh Hamza goes on to state that the strongest opinion is to worship in order to seek out the pleasures of the next life.
One may ask what the purpose is of such a book. The author of the original poem felt that society's weakness was due to weakness in the heart. Shaykh Hamza powerfully elaborates, "If we examine the trials and tribulations, wars and other conflicts, every act of injustice all over the earth, we'll find they are rooted in human hearts. Covetousness, the desire to aggress and exploit, the longing to pilfer natural resources, the inordinate love of wealth and position, and other maladies are manifestations of diseases found nowhere but in the heart... So if you want to change our world, do not begin by rectifying the outward" [7].
Does the book fulfil the objectives? It certainly presents all types of feelings and emotions that humankind suffers with to such an extent it would be surprising if one could not find a single chapter relevant to oneself. Having said that, it is an incredibly difficult science to study alone yet this is a perfect introduction. The commentary is excellent and definitely highlights the prevalence of diseased hearts in the modern world, not restricting it to any particular community.
Included in the appendices is a commentary on the famous litany (al-wird al-latif) of Imam Abdallah al-Haddad. Shaykh Hamza ends this particular section with a clear message, "The point is: remember God. The Prophet told his Companions that the remembrance of God is the best of deeds, greater than jihad. Obviously, if one must defend himself, then this jihad becomes necessary. But jihad is a means, not the end. We were created to remember God" [8].
Also included is a short text on the importance of purification in the month of Ramadan and finally a wonderful excerpt from the work of Sidi Ahmad Zarruq to have one reflect for a long time to come. The book is well presented and easy to read. It is also sufficiently 'non-Muslim friendly' in the choice of words and style of language, important because there is no reason why non-Muslims should not benefit from this work. A relevant and necessary book for modern times.
Ismail Ray is a contributing writer for Illume Magazine.
References
1 Shaykh Gibril Haddad: http://www.livingislam.org/n/rkx_e.html2 The Majestic Qur'an 50:37. Nawawi Foundation translation.3 Sahih Muslim.4 Iqaz al-himam fi sharh al-Hikam, Ibn Ajiba.5 Purification of the Heart. Hamza Yusuf. Hardcover. Starlatch Press. 2004. Page 62.6 ibid. page 63.7 ibid. page 7.8 ibid. page 183.
By: Ismail Rayillume Media.org* -
It has been said by our illustrious predecessors that the intellect lies in the heart [1]. A verse of the Noble Quran states, "In this is a lesson for every man who has a heart or gives ear with full attention" [2]. In a sound tradition, Muhammad stated while pointing his fingers towards the heart, "Verily, God looks not at your bodies nor at your faces but He looks at your hearts" [3].
Consequently, the scholars of Islam wrote countless texts on how to cleanse and purify one's heart from 'spiritual diseases' that may cause one to defy the sacred law, or at least lead one to do so. Purification of the Heart by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf is one such book that deals with the Islamic science of tasawwuf. Although this is literally translated as sufism, a more meaningful interpretation would be 'purification'. In fact, one of the great saints of Islam, Sidi Ahmad Zarruq defined Sufism as 'sincerity in turning to Allah' [4]. The book is actually a translation of a poem called "Matharat al-Qulub" (literally 'purification of the hearts') written by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, a great scholar from Mauritania.
This particular book is different from others that deal with the same topic in that the main text is poetry, albeit translated from the original Arabic, not surprising since poetry is still a massive part of certain cultures in the east and somewhat lost and forgotten in the west. Another welcome difference is that the commentary is divided into subheadings such as 'Definition', 'Etiology', 'Treatment' and 'Discussion', rather reminiscent of a medical textbook dealing with physical diseases.
Chapters include the diseases of 'Miserliness', 'Love of the World', 'Envy' and 'Ostentation'. The latter chapter addresses what we as humans desire from our worship to God. Do we desire some benefit in this world? Do we worship God in hope of the delights of the hereafter? Or are we steadfast out of fear of punishment? Shaykh Hamza states, "Imam Malik said that to seek out Paradise is acceptable, though the motivation behind worship should eventually be solely for the sake of God and fulfilment of His commands" [5]. There are, of course, differences of opinion, as highlighted by an interesting quote from a 8th century (CE) female scholar and major spiritual influence in the classical Islamic tradition, Rabia al-Adawiyya, "Go after the gardener, not after the gardenÉ. O God, if I worship You for Paradise, then put me in the Fire" [6]. Shaykh Hamza goes on to state that the strongest opinion is to worship in order to seek out the pleasures of the next life.
One may ask what the purpose is of such a book. The author of the original poem felt that society's weakness was due to weakness in the heart. Shaykh Hamza powerfully elaborates, "If we examine the trials and tribulations, wars and other conflicts, every act of injustice all over the earth, we'll find they are rooted in human hearts. Covetousness, the desire to aggress and exploit, the longing to pilfer natural resources, the inordinate love of wealth and position, and other maladies are manifestations of diseases found nowhere but in the heart... So if you want to change our world, do not begin by rectifying the outward" [7].
Does the book fulfil the objectives? It certainly presents all types of feelings and emotions that humankind suffers with to such an extent it would be surprising if one could not find a single chapter relevant to oneself. Having said that, it is an incredibly difficult science to study alone yet this is a perfect introduction. The commentary is excellent and definitely highlights the prevalence of diseased hearts in the modern world, not restricting it to any particular community.
Included in the appendices is a commentary on the famous litany (al-wird al-latif) of Imam Abdallah al-Haddad. Shaykh Hamza ends this particular section with a clear message, "The point is: remember God. The Prophet told his Companions that the remembrance of God is the best of deeds, greater than jihad. Obviously, if one must defend himself, then this jihad becomes necessary. But jihad is a means, not the end. We were created to remember God" [8].
Also included is a short text on the importance of purification in the month of Ramadan and finally a wonderful excerpt from the work of Sidi Ahmad Zarruq to have one reflect for a long time to come. The book is well presented and easy to read. It is also sufficiently 'non-Muslim friendly' in the choice of words and style of language, important because there is no reason why non-Muslims should not benefit from this work. A relevant and necessary book for modern times.
Ismail Ray is a contributing writer for Illume Magazine.
References
1 Shaykh Gibril Haddad: http://www.livingislam.org/n/rkx_e.html2 The Majestic Qur'an 50:37. Nawawi Foundation translation.3 Sahih Muslim.4 Iqaz al-himam fi sharh al-Hikam, Ibn Ajiba.5 Purification of the Heart. Hamza Yusuf. Hardcover. Starlatch Press. 2004. Page 62.6 ibid. page 63.7 ibid. page 7.8 ibid. page 183.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Jihadists and Non-Jihadists Follow Me and Leave Ben Ladin
By: Maged Taman
This is a call to all Jihadists everywhere as well regular Muslims. The message is simple: follow me and leave Ben Ladin, El Zwahiri and El Qaeda leaders. Why should you do that for these reasons:
1- Though I agree with them in their anger about the tyrants and the west and all the wrong policies over the years ( please see my articles the third structure and why the Muslims and Arabs despise the American policies in my web site) I am different I can reshape my anger into successful plans.
2- Though, I was against them in my country I was a single person and I had no leaders or followers but now I feel bold and can criticize them, the tyrants and the west. Besides God is supporting me with ideas, guidance and resolve.
3- I have nothing to loose I was already in oppression in my country and discrimination in America. I am actually going against all enemies and I feel happy doing that.
4- I do not care If I die like a man, I lived for long time like a rat. It is actually the time to die like a man.
5- God however wants us to be smart, he does not like us to threw ourselves in fire. He wants us to be smart in getting his victory in earth and glorifying him.
6- The change may be coming in America I am excited about that. However, we do not know how long this change will take and if it will extend to us in the Muslim countries or this for media consumption. We have to give the Americans the benefit of doubt and meanwhile we do what is in our interest.
7- I could be El Mahdi Al Muntazer, I do not know I have his physical appearance as the prophet described him and I have Taman Health Plan that God gave to me and the Americans were looking for it for over 90 years and other grand ideas as well. It solve basically most the Americans problems including the economy read it in http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/robots/04-1619.html
8- I believe more that the guidance is already in the Quran, we have to follow it and God will guide us to our freedom and salvation.
9- I have a lot in America and the west who believe in my ideas and will help us in our struggle. They want us first to take the right and strong direction so they can offer help.
10- Our struggle is not a military one but ideological one, though having people like me who are willing to die for a good cause will make our struggle serious and meaningful.
11- We do not need to fight but we need to make it clear that we are willing to fight for our freedom. More important numbers conquer brevity it is time for us to outnumber the tyrants. We will be able to get in our side people around them from political systems, intelligence, army and police. Let us overwhelm them.
12- You do not need to be Jihadist to follow me all of Muslims can follow me. Do not be afraid this is not a trap. I do not work for the CIA. If anything they wanted to harm me because I am against the tyrants their Friends. However a lot of good people in America in the CIA, FBI, politic , Media and Hollywood are supporting me. How do I know I communicate with a lot of people with visions, just kidding. Besides as you see my blog is in the Internet alive and well, a lot of good people are supporting me behind my back.
13- My gift to the American people is Taman Health Plan if they would not support the tyrants through their politicians like in the old days and let me free my people. I call Taman Health plan the plan of freedom.
Thus if you are Jihadist or non- Jihadist join me so we can make plans for our freedom. I have to make it clear I do not dictate what Muslims should do but I consult with them what we have to do and what the guidance of God is. If you are interested E- mail me magedtaman2000@yahoo.com
Let us form a new powerful and united front that can free Muslims and have new free and just world Let us call it El Mahdi Project. Sunni, Shia and all Muslim sects are welcomed as well all organizations. Non-Muslims who would like to support me in my task are also welcomed.
This is a call to all Jihadists everywhere as well regular Muslims. The message is simple: follow me and leave Ben Ladin, El Zwahiri and El Qaeda leaders. Why should you do that for these reasons:
1- Though I agree with them in their anger about the tyrants and the west and all the wrong policies over the years ( please see my articles the third structure and why the Muslims and Arabs despise the American policies in my web site) I am different I can reshape my anger into successful plans.
2- Though, I was against them in my country I was a single person and I had no leaders or followers but now I feel bold and can criticize them, the tyrants and the west. Besides God is supporting me with ideas, guidance and resolve.
3- I have nothing to loose I was already in oppression in my country and discrimination in America. I am actually going against all enemies and I feel happy doing that.
4- I do not care If I die like a man, I lived for long time like a rat. It is actually the time to die like a man.
5- God however wants us to be smart, he does not like us to threw ourselves in fire. He wants us to be smart in getting his victory in earth and glorifying him.
6- The change may be coming in America I am excited about that. However, we do not know how long this change will take and if it will extend to us in the Muslim countries or this for media consumption. We have to give the Americans the benefit of doubt and meanwhile we do what is in our interest.
7- I could be El Mahdi Al Muntazer, I do not know I have his physical appearance as the prophet described him and I have Taman Health Plan that God gave to me and the Americans were looking for it for over 90 years and other grand ideas as well. It solve basically most the Americans problems including the economy read it in http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/robots/04-1619.html
8- I believe more that the guidance is already in the Quran, we have to follow it and God will guide us to our freedom and salvation.
9- I have a lot in America and the west who believe in my ideas and will help us in our struggle. They want us first to take the right and strong direction so they can offer help.
10- Our struggle is not a military one but ideological one, though having people like me who are willing to die for a good cause will make our struggle serious and meaningful.
11- We do not need to fight but we need to make it clear that we are willing to fight for our freedom. More important numbers conquer brevity it is time for us to outnumber the tyrants. We will be able to get in our side people around them from political systems, intelligence, army and police. Let us overwhelm them.
12- You do not need to be Jihadist to follow me all of Muslims can follow me. Do not be afraid this is not a trap. I do not work for the CIA. If anything they wanted to harm me because I am against the tyrants their Friends. However a lot of good people in America in the CIA, FBI, politic , Media and Hollywood are supporting me. How do I know I communicate with a lot of people with visions, just kidding. Besides as you see my blog is in the Internet alive and well, a lot of good people are supporting me behind my back.
13- My gift to the American people is Taman Health Plan if they would not support the tyrants through their politicians like in the old days and let me free my people. I call Taman Health plan the plan of freedom.
Thus if you are Jihadist or non- Jihadist join me so we can make plans for our freedom. I have to make it clear I do not dictate what Muslims should do but I consult with them what we have to do and what the guidance of God is. If you are interested E- mail me magedtaman2000@yahoo.com
Let us form a new powerful and united front that can free Muslims and have new free and just world Let us call it El Mahdi Project. Sunni, Shia and all Muslim sects are welcomed as well all organizations. Non-Muslims who would like to support me in my task are also welcomed.
The Third Structure.
By: Maged Taman
When I was in my country Egypt and passing by one of the Patriot democratic party buildings, I usually talks to myself there is no hope to us. You see the police outside the building and inside the strong corrupt and well connected members of the party. Most of them are hypocrite and protect their own interest. As you know no tyrant can stand alone.
There is always the first structure which are the people who are member of his party and enjoy the benefits that the regime provide them. In return they are to stand to any democratic voice and rally people around the tyrant. This is what I call the first structure or the party members. In the Arab kingdoms they are usually the extended family and close allies. Then the second structure comes which cause the domination of this tyrant and his party over the media and most of the powers in the country: police, military, university officials and other important posts in the country.
If this is not enough as in some tyrants that seek total domination they use another big power as in the old soviet union and Eastern Europe before and America now. IT is what I call it the third structure. So to change a regime you have to penetrate through these three structures. In my country Egypt of course you will be even crazy if you would even think about it. People who are crazy and thought about it they talked about a military coo which is likely to bring another tyrant regime. Others thought about revolution which is very difficult to do and will jeopardize a lot of people to death. You have to remember that Mubarak was the one who ordered the police to shoot people in the streets in 1/18, 1/19 upraise against former dictator Sadat. He did right with peace with Israel but he was a dictator and left us with a tyrant.
The other way you can try as I did before 9/11 is to publish in American media to get the politicians' attention. They did not publish may article that talk about the dictatorship of the Arab leaders. I was even afraid if get more vocal that the American government would supply my name to the Arab regimes. As you see America (the third structure) was looking for its major interests: the oil, protecting Israel and protecting these corrupt regime. After 9/11 you get people talk about the need of democracy and fighting poverty in the Arab world. This media consumption is to deflect the anger of the young Arab and Muslims. Meanwhile they work in the dark to support these regimes to fight the terrorists.
As you would guessed my mind does not belong to any of the above I am a real mix:I am pro-Jewish and for Israel existence, real moderate Muslim with western mentality, very prodemocratic well identified by many in the liberals and conservative and like family values. I was never in any party in my country and in the West I am very independent. I am basically a man in the middle.
When I was in my country Egypt and passing by one of the Patriot democratic party buildings, I usually talks to myself there is no hope to us. You see the police outside the building and inside the strong corrupt and well connected members of the party. Most of them are hypocrite and protect their own interest. As you know no tyrant can stand alone.
There is always the first structure which are the people who are member of his party and enjoy the benefits that the regime provide them. In return they are to stand to any democratic voice and rally people around the tyrant. This is what I call the first structure or the party members. In the Arab kingdoms they are usually the extended family and close allies. Then the second structure comes which cause the domination of this tyrant and his party over the media and most of the powers in the country: police, military, university officials and other important posts in the country.
If this is not enough as in some tyrants that seek total domination they use another big power as in the old soviet union and Eastern Europe before and America now. IT is what I call it the third structure. So to change a regime you have to penetrate through these three structures. In my country Egypt of course you will be even crazy if you would even think about it. People who are crazy and thought about it they talked about a military coo which is likely to bring another tyrant regime. Others thought about revolution which is very difficult to do and will jeopardize a lot of people to death. You have to remember that Mubarak was the one who ordered the police to shoot people in the streets in 1/18, 1/19 upraise against former dictator Sadat. He did right with peace with Israel but he was a dictator and left us with a tyrant.
The other way you can try as I did before 9/11 is to publish in American media to get the politicians' attention. They did not publish may article that talk about the dictatorship of the Arab leaders. I was even afraid if get more vocal that the American government would supply my name to the Arab regimes. As you see America (the third structure) was looking for its major interests: the oil, protecting Israel and protecting these corrupt regime. After 9/11 you get people talk about the need of democracy and fighting poverty in the Arab world. This media consumption is to deflect the anger of the young Arab and Muslims. Meanwhile they work in the dark to support these regimes to fight the terrorists.
As you would guessed my mind does not belong to any of the above I am a real mix:I am pro-Jewish and for Israel existence, real moderate Muslim with western mentality, very prodemocratic well identified by many in the liberals and conservative and like family values. I was never in any party in my country and in the West I am very independent. I am basically a man in the middle.
Why Arabs and Muslims Despise American Policies.
By: Maged Taman
If we want a healing between the Arab/Muslim and America we have to examine the wrong policies that led to this struggle. It is not the Arab/Muslim delusions to have these angry feelings against America. It is the American foreign policy that was built on interest mainly (please read the book confession of an economic hit man by John Perkins).
You have to understand that most of the Arab and Muslims do not hate America or Americans but some of American policies. In our region the most important for America is the oil and Israel. Do not misunderstand me I am a pro-Jewish and I am for Israel existence. Things are getting better there now and we should not rock the boat and we all to pray for the peace process to succeed let us examine the policies.
When the Iranians elected Mossadek as Prim minister in the fifties American CIA helped to overthrow him since he wanted to nationalize the oil (against American corporate oil interest) . When the Shah was torturing his people in Iran America was supporting him. America then supported Saddam knowing how butcher he was to fight the Iranians (did they try to make peace between them as per Jesus teachings!!). I was surprised when I heard from a respected American politician saying that we thought both were evil to us so we supported the less evil. One million died in the Iranian/Iraqi war a lot of them were children (I do not think they were sheep).
As always happen when a lot of injustice exits the hard liners and terror/jihad take over.When The crazy Saddam attacked Kuwait (which as other corrupted Arab states where arming Iraq in that war for fear of democracy or spread of Islamic morality) Saddam did not think America will attack him. He mentioned in 1990 to Dan Rather to ask the west about Saddam he was thinking that he was their agent and he miscalculated and president Bush (41) taught him a big lesson. Saddam was saying that he was in his way to Israel, it looks like he forgot to check the map before going. Some people preferred that President Bush (41) would have better given him a face save (closed door politics) knowing Saddam big ego instead of killing thousands of people and loss of all this huge money. Particularly he did not take him out of office and actually they turned down the Kurds and Shiite upraise and let Saddam destroy the upraise. I leave this to historians to debate it since I am looking now from the 20/20 hindsight.
Through the last 30 years America was supporting the most totalitarian regimes in the Arab world particularly the Egyptians and Saudi for Israel and the oil. America knew very well how oppressed we are. The funny thing they say they supported Israel because Israel is a democracy (how about us!!). Most or Arab tyrants would attack Israel in the media while in private meetings with American officials they express their loyalty.
The Palestinian-Israel conflict is their everlasting plan so they keep their peoples busy so they do not ask for democracy or improving their living conditions. Most of these regimes look for their best interest: power, money, glory, fame, family and inheritance, their people comes the very last. They play the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in different directions according to the best of each regime interest.
Moderates like me would just shut their mouth since these very repressive regimes would never listen to moderates and they are very strong that we can not even make a revolution.Before 09/11 I sent an article to one of the famous American news magazine telling them about the severe repression that gave rise to terrorism they did not publish it. 9/11 happened and most of Arab/Muslims were angry since just wars in Islam would usually happen army to army. Bin Laden thought that this kind of terrorism/jihad is the asymmetrical war that only available to the weak against the strong. Most Arab/Muslims supported America to go after Ben Laden in Afghanistan and they did. After revenge which is a normal human reaction the next step to America is to find the roots of terrorism and correct it otherwise we will have more of the same for decades.
As Americans officials stated the terrorists/jihads need to be right once and we need to be right all the time. Most moderates would not like to see any further terror any where but jihads will not dissolve their cells until they see major shift of policies, they will not take my advise anyway. We do not appease jihads/terrorists by changing American policies as well we have to remember that America was appeasing the terrorist Saddam and the other Arab dictators while torturing their people.
President Bush (43) went to Iraq ( big package: oil, protecting Israel, WMD, Saddam-Al Qaeda remote link, freedom, justice....). It is clear from Bob Woodward book that president Bush was quite strong about his Christian convection of freeing people before the attack. They expected that they will be met with flowers which would be only true if they went only for the Iraqi people, which the congress would not approve it anyway, or they do not have the above history I discussed. They made reasonable decisions but nothing is reasonable in this area. When people are oppressed for long time they can easily get brainwashed. The American media showed also that WMD and oil were primary targets of invasion which did not help. Actually every thing can go wrong went wrong.
Even the Saudi who were pushing for the war would not like it to be a short walk, otherwise they may be next on line. The cost of war on human lives and money were great. Again this tell you the need for democracy every where if we are hoping for a predictable world. Most moderate said O.K. Saddam was an evil guy and you made him and you destroyed him and results of wars are unpredictable let us start a new era and spread democracy in the middle east. Moderates still fear it will be a selective democracy against Iran and Syria who present a potential harm to Israel. For honesty President Bush tried to urge the corrupted Arab leaders to give democracy to their people but they stood one hand firm against him. This is the only time you see all of them very united. Then America agreed to the very short steps the Arab leaders want to make. Which most moderates are joking about it since it means we will have a true democracy in our life time only if we have a life span of 400-500 years. The argument is American security is more important and they need these regimes to support them in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict and they need the Saudi for oil. So we are back to status quo their interest to have us oppressed again. May be we need President Bush to put only one or two of his critics in the prison so America knows what oppression is.
Muslim scholars who support the Arab repressive regimes should fear God and criticize the Arab leaders and stand to the poor and oppressed (this is God command in both the bible and the Quran). This will facilitate the American promise to support our freedom. It will also form a pragmatic new front that can unite the Arab/Muslim masses to give us the power to negotiate with America. I do not think America has a certain formula for our democracy and we have to unite in one voice Shiite and Sunni. Unfortunately, we do not have as yet a Caliph that Muslims have to follow his guidance.
Unlike what the west think that we want to convert the world to Islam, our primary mission is to convert Muslims to Islam. We want to see morality, democracy and Justice to all people. We want all people to be righteous regardless of their religion or belief, no compulsion to creed in Islam. Conversely the west did not work to spread the morality of its religious belief, it just repressed ours. There is no theocracy in Islam. Actually unlike the Islamic government in early Islam, the new form of government now is a morality-based righteous governments with widespread consultation and sharing of decision between all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Believe me I enjoyed working with righteous Jews in America more than a lot of mean people in my country.
Meanwhile as Muslims we have to be pragmatic, dynamic, flexible and adjustable. This is what people call it the dynamic of politics. The world is just too complicated that people can not make opinions and assumptions and stick to them since the other side can change and yield. In Islam the worst enemies of our messenger Mohamed (pbuh) ended to be his best friends. A lot of diplomacy and political maneuvers are what we need now (talk softly with a big stick). We need to compete with Bin Laden for the hearts and minds of the poor and oppressed Arabs and Muslims. I offered my Taman Health Plan and my New World Order as two gifts to the American politicians to take them both not one only and fix the world. I will come out of my cave in the right time to bless their efforts.
If we want a healing between the Arab/Muslim and America we have to examine the wrong policies that led to this struggle. It is not the Arab/Muslim delusions to have these angry feelings against America. It is the American foreign policy that was built on interest mainly (please read the book confession of an economic hit man by John Perkins).
You have to understand that most of the Arab and Muslims do not hate America or Americans but some of American policies. In our region the most important for America is the oil and Israel. Do not misunderstand me I am a pro-Jewish and I am for Israel existence. Things are getting better there now and we should not rock the boat and we all to pray for the peace process to succeed let us examine the policies.
When the Iranians elected Mossadek as Prim minister in the fifties American CIA helped to overthrow him since he wanted to nationalize the oil (against American corporate oil interest) . When the Shah was torturing his people in Iran America was supporting him. America then supported Saddam knowing how butcher he was to fight the Iranians (did they try to make peace between them as per Jesus teachings!!). I was surprised when I heard from a respected American politician saying that we thought both were evil to us so we supported the less evil. One million died in the Iranian/Iraqi war a lot of them were children (I do not think they were sheep).
As always happen when a lot of injustice exits the hard liners and terror/jihad take over.When The crazy Saddam attacked Kuwait (which as other corrupted Arab states where arming Iraq in that war for fear of democracy or spread of Islamic morality) Saddam did not think America will attack him. He mentioned in 1990 to Dan Rather to ask the west about Saddam he was thinking that he was their agent and he miscalculated and president Bush (41) taught him a big lesson. Saddam was saying that he was in his way to Israel, it looks like he forgot to check the map before going. Some people preferred that President Bush (41) would have better given him a face save (closed door politics) knowing Saddam big ego instead of killing thousands of people and loss of all this huge money. Particularly he did not take him out of office and actually they turned down the Kurds and Shiite upraise and let Saddam destroy the upraise. I leave this to historians to debate it since I am looking now from the 20/20 hindsight.
Through the last 30 years America was supporting the most totalitarian regimes in the Arab world particularly the Egyptians and Saudi for Israel and the oil. America knew very well how oppressed we are. The funny thing they say they supported Israel because Israel is a democracy (how about us!!). Most or Arab tyrants would attack Israel in the media while in private meetings with American officials they express their loyalty.
The Palestinian-Israel conflict is their everlasting plan so they keep their peoples busy so they do not ask for democracy or improving their living conditions. Most of these regimes look for their best interest: power, money, glory, fame, family and inheritance, their people comes the very last. They play the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in different directions according to the best of each regime interest.
Moderates like me would just shut their mouth since these very repressive regimes would never listen to moderates and they are very strong that we can not even make a revolution.Before 09/11 I sent an article to one of the famous American news magazine telling them about the severe repression that gave rise to terrorism they did not publish it. 9/11 happened and most of Arab/Muslims were angry since just wars in Islam would usually happen army to army. Bin Laden thought that this kind of terrorism/jihad is the asymmetrical war that only available to the weak against the strong. Most Arab/Muslims supported America to go after Ben Laden in Afghanistan and they did. After revenge which is a normal human reaction the next step to America is to find the roots of terrorism and correct it otherwise we will have more of the same for decades.
As Americans officials stated the terrorists/jihads need to be right once and we need to be right all the time. Most moderates would not like to see any further terror any where but jihads will not dissolve their cells until they see major shift of policies, they will not take my advise anyway. We do not appease jihads/terrorists by changing American policies as well we have to remember that America was appeasing the terrorist Saddam and the other Arab dictators while torturing their people.
President Bush (43) went to Iraq ( big package: oil, protecting Israel, WMD, Saddam-Al Qaeda remote link, freedom, justice....). It is clear from Bob Woodward book that president Bush was quite strong about his Christian convection of freeing people before the attack. They expected that they will be met with flowers which would be only true if they went only for the Iraqi people, which the congress would not approve it anyway, or they do not have the above history I discussed. They made reasonable decisions but nothing is reasonable in this area. When people are oppressed for long time they can easily get brainwashed. The American media showed also that WMD and oil were primary targets of invasion which did not help. Actually every thing can go wrong went wrong.
Even the Saudi who were pushing for the war would not like it to be a short walk, otherwise they may be next on line. The cost of war on human lives and money were great. Again this tell you the need for democracy every where if we are hoping for a predictable world. Most moderate said O.K. Saddam was an evil guy and you made him and you destroyed him and results of wars are unpredictable let us start a new era and spread democracy in the middle east. Moderates still fear it will be a selective democracy against Iran and Syria who present a potential harm to Israel. For honesty President Bush tried to urge the corrupted Arab leaders to give democracy to their people but they stood one hand firm against him. This is the only time you see all of them very united. Then America agreed to the very short steps the Arab leaders want to make. Which most moderates are joking about it since it means we will have a true democracy in our life time only if we have a life span of 400-500 years. The argument is American security is more important and they need these regimes to support them in resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict and they need the Saudi for oil. So we are back to status quo their interest to have us oppressed again. May be we need President Bush to put only one or two of his critics in the prison so America knows what oppression is.
Muslim scholars who support the Arab repressive regimes should fear God and criticize the Arab leaders and stand to the poor and oppressed (this is God command in both the bible and the Quran). This will facilitate the American promise to support our freedom. It will also form a pragmatic new front that can unite the Arab/Muslim masses to give us the power to negotiate with America. I do not think America has a certain formula for our democracy and we have to unite in one voice Shiite and Sunni. Unfortunately, we do not have as yet a Caliph that Muslims have to follow his guidance.
Unlike what the west think that we want to convert the world to Islam, our primary mission is to convert Muslims to Islam. We want to see morality, democracy and Justice to all people. We want all people to be righteous regardless of their religion or belief, no compulsion to creed in Islam. Conversely the west did not work to spread the morality of its religious belief, it just repressed ours. There is no theocracy in Islam. Actually unlike the Islamic government in early Islam, the new form of government now is a morality-based righteous governments with widespread consultation and sharing of decision between all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Believe me I enjoyed working with righteous Jews in America more than a lot of mean people in my country.
Meanwhile as Muslims we have to be pragmatic, dynamic, flexible and adjustable. This is what people call it the dynamic of politics. The world is just too complicated that people can not make opinions and assumptions and stick to them since the other side can change and yield. In Islam the worst enemies of our messenger Mohamed (pbuh) ended to be his best friends. A lot of diplomacy and political maneuvers are what we need now (talk softly with a big stick). We need to compete with Bin Laden for the hearts and minds of the poor and oppressed Arabs and Muslims. I offered my Taman Health Plan and my New World Order as two gifts to the American politicians to take them both not one only and fix the world. I will come out of my cave in the right time to bless their efforts.
40 Guiding Principals of Islam
By Kassim Ahmad.
From www.19.org
The following list compiled by brothar Kassim is neither exhaustive nor are they necessarily arranged in order of importance. However, the list might be useful to provide a quick information about the nature of islam, that is, surrendering God in peace and for peace. 19.org
We have summarized the teachings of the Holy Quran into 40 principles, arranging them, to the best of our knowledge, in an order of priority given in the Quran. We hope that Muslims can easily order their lives in that pattern and attain success. The numbers in parenthesis refer to some of the Quranic verses stating each principle.
1-Believe in God and live righteously. (2:62, 112)
2-Worship God alone and do not associate Him with anyone or anything else. (17:22-23)
3-Do not fear mankind, but fear God. (5:44; 33:37, 39)
4-Respect and honor your parents. (17:23-24)
5-Enjoin good and forbid evil. (3:104)
6-Fight in the cause of justice and truth with your wealth and your lives. (4:75; 9:111)
7-Act justly, do not commit evil and rule according to God’s laws, i.e. justice, truth and mercy. (4:58, 135; 5:8; 7:28-29; 5:44)
8-Perform prayers and other rites of worship, without quarrelling over methodology, and pay the poor-rate.
(98:5; 22:67)
9-Obey just leaders, respect, honor and support them, but do not idolize them. (4:59; 33:56; 9:30-31)
10-Be an active, dynamic, creative and courageous person. (2:30-34; 4:75-77; 15:28-30)
11-Do not be egoistic and proud. (25:43; 17:37)
12-Treat everyone with civility and give greetings to all. (2:83; 28:55; 43:89; 4:86)
13-Hold firmly to principles, but be flexible in methods. (2:67-71, 142; 3:103; 5:54; 22:67)
14-Put moral considerations uppermost, but do not disregard your due material interests. (28:77)
15-Save lives and do not kill except in the cause of justice. (17:33)
16-Do not kill for fear of poverty. (17:31)
17-Do not practice usury, but practice charity. (2:275-80)
18-Be honest and fair in financial and economic dealings. (6:152)
19-Practice consultations to solve problems. (42:36)
20-Do not accept unverified information. (17:36)
21-Listen to all views and follow the best. (39:18)
22-Read in order to know, but read critically. (96:1-5)
23-Unite and do not divide. (3:103; 6:159; 61:4)
24-Fulfill promises. (17:34)
25-Do not practice bribery and corruption. (2:188)
26-Do not devour the properties of orphans. (17:34)
27-Do not be extravagant and wasteful, or stingy. (17:26-29)
28-Give charities to relatives, the poor and destitute and towards public welfare. (9:60; 17:26)
29-Do not aggress, but defend yourself against aggression. (7:33; 42:39)
30-Believers are brothers and make peace between believers. Avoid suspicion, spying and backbiting among believers. (49:9-10,12)
31-Persevere in any good effort and do not fear to face difficulties and hardships.
Success comes only after hardships. (2:45, 177; 94:5-8)
32-Use intelligence, reason and historical precedents to understand and carry out God’s commands.
(7:179; 8:22; 10:100; 12:111; 3:137)
33-Speak the truth. Do not lie, although stratagem is allowed against adversaries.
(8:7-8; 25:72; 33:70; 12:70-81)
34-Enter into marriage with believers, do not marry disbelievers, and do not commit adultery.
(5:5; 30:21; 17:32)
35-Cooperate and help each other in good works; do not cooperate in evil works. (5:2)
36-Eat and drink moderately, and avoid intoxicants and gambling. (7:31; 2:219)
37-Dress decently. (24:30-31)
38-Be kind and forgiving. (42:40,43)
39-Do not ridicule or mock one another. (49:11)
40-Do not ask about small and inconsequential details. (2:67-71; 5:101-102; 22:67)
From www.19.org
The following list compiled by brothar Kassim is neither exhaustive nor are they necessarily arranged in order of importance. However, the list might be useful to provide a quick information about the nature of islam, that is, surrendering God in peace and for peace. 19.org
We have summarized the teachings of the Holy Quran into 40 principles, arranging them, to the best of our knowledge, in an order of priority given in the Quran. We hope that Muslims can easily order their lives in that pattern and attain success. The numbers in parenthesis refer to some of the Quranic verses stating each principle.
1-Believe in God and live righteously. (2:62, 112)
2-Worship God alone and do not associate Him with anyone or anything else. (17:22-23)
3-Do not fear mankind, but fear God. (5:44; 33:37, 39)
4-Respect and honor your parents. (17:23-24)
5-Enjoin good and forbid evil. (3:104)
6-Fight in the cause of justice and truth with your wealth and your lives. (4:75; 9:111)
7-Act justly, do not commit evil and rule according to God’s laws, i.e. justice, truth and mercy. (4:58, 135; 5:8; 7:28-29; 5:44)
8-Perform prayers and other rites of worship, without quarrelling over methodology, and pay the poor-rate.
(98:5; 22:67)
9-Obey just leaders, respect, honor and support them, but do not idolize them. (4:59; 33:56; 9:30-31)
10-Be an active, dynamic, creative and courageous person. (2:30-34; 4:75-77; 15:28-30)
11-Do not be egoistic and proud. (25:43; 17:37)
12-Treat everyone with civility and give greetings to all. (2:83; 28:55; 43:89; 4:86)
13-Hold firmly to principles, but be flexible in methods. (2:67-71, 142; 3:103; 5:54; 22:67)
14-Put moral considerations uppermost, but do not disregard your due material interests. (28:77)
15-Save lives and do not kill except in the cause of justice. (17:33)
16-Do not kill for fear of poverty. (17:31)
17-Do not practice usury, but practice charity. (2:275-80)
18-Be honest and fair in financial and economic dealings. (6:152)
19-Practice consultations to solve problems. (42:36)
20-Do not accept unverified information. (17:36)
21-Listen to all views and follow the best. (39:18)
22-Read in order to know, but read critically. (96:1-5)
23-Unite and do not divide. (3:103; 6:159; 61:4)
24-Fulfill promises. (17:34)
25-Do not practice bribery and corruption. (2:188)
26-Do not devour the properties of orphans. (17:34)
27-Do not be extravagant and wasteful, or stingy. (17:26-29)
28-Give charities to relatives, the poor and destitute and towards public welfare. (9:60; 17:26)
29-Do not aggress, but defend yourself against aggression. (7:33; 42:39)
30-Believers are brothers and make peace between believers. Avoid suspicion, spying and backbiting among believers. (49:9-10,12)
31-Persevere in any good effort and do not fear to face difficulties and hardships.
Success comes only after hardships. (2:45, 177; 94:5-8)
32-Use intelligence, reason and historical precedents to understand and carry out God’s commands.
(7:179; 8:22; 10:100; 12:111; 3:137)
33-Speak the truth. Do not lie, although stratagem is allowed against adversaries.
(8:7-8; 25:72; 33:70; 12:70-81)
34-Enter into marriage with believers, do not marry disbelievers, and do not commit adultery.
(5:5; 30:21; 17:32)
35-Cooperate and help each other in good works; do not cooperate in evil works. (5:2)
36-Eat and drink moderately, and avoid intoxicants and gambling. (7:31; 2:219)
37-Dress decently. (24:30-31)
38-Be kind and forgiving. (42:40,43)
39-Do not ridicule or mock one another. (49:11)
40-Do not ask about small and inconsequential details. (2:67-71; 5:101-102; 22:67)
Quran From God Or Not: That Is The Question.
By: Maged Taman
Shakespeare was wrong when he said in one of his novel: "To be or not to be" that is the question. The right question is: Quran from God or Not?. It is the question about our existence and destiny after death. To be or not to be? only answer half of our question, what we will be here in earth.
I could be born Muslim or non-Muslim. The question always comes: why you start by the Quran in understanding all religions. The answer is simple:
1- It is the last book alleged to be from God.
2- It is believed in a large scale from God.
3- The evidences are facts that no single letter had changed in The Quran over 1428 years.
5- Thus reading the Quran with the right to be suspicious is the main door for discovering God, religions or debating them. God invites you to dispute Islam and argues against religion.
4- You can hate some Muslims this is not against Islam. However the most important question for your life now and the afterlife is: Quran from God or not.
As I regularly watch the Catholic channel I enjoy watching devout Christians with enlightened faces and good hearts. They have been reading and teaching the gospels and the pillars of their faith for long time. It is not easy but I would ask them to read the Quran as well go through my blog.
If God is the one who is really talking to us in the Quran we are to listen to him and open our minds and hearts. Comparing Jesus and Muhammad should not be our task. Two great prophets with two different approaches to conduct the message of God. Muhammad is more like Moses. The question is simple though needs thorough examination: Is Quran From God Or Not?
The answer is more important than ever been in the history of religion for several reasons:
1- The world is falling apart. Politicians have failed to to fix it. The best they can do is to put band aids here and their so the rich and connected in the world continue to enjoy their possessions. If global warming fail to be contained we all will suffer. Similarly a lot of world problems need a a restructure approach., many of them are chronic and many are in crisis like immigration.
2- We are creating a world of haters and resentful young people around the world we succeeded to oppress and suppress them in the past through dictatorships and they are blowing up in our face now.
3- If to understand the politics of Jesus we will find it is the politics of Islam. It is the same justice and equality of Islam. One of the best books written about Jesus is The Politics Of Jesus by Obery M. Hendricks, JR.
4- The understanding of the rupture has to be reconsidered. We are delaying solving the world problems since some Christians believe they will rupture soon. Suppose the understanding of prophecies are wrong since the interpretation was not by God or Jesus himself we wait for the world to fall apart before we fix it.
5- The thing the Muslims and Christians believe in and most Jews in the near future is the second coming of Jesus. So we best be ready to receive him and the best way to do that is to follow his teachings. Many Muslims would not ask you to believe in a Muslim Messiah and I personally do not care. What we need to do is create a better life for all of us and to abide by the good of our religions.
Shakespeare was wrong when he said in one of his novel: "To be or not to be" that is the question. The right question is: Quran from God or Not?. It is the question about our existence and destiny after death. To be or not to be? only answer half of our question, what we will be here in earth.
I could be born Muslim or non-Muslim. The question always comes: why you start by the Quran in understanding all religions. The answer is simple:
1- It is the last book alleged to be from God.
2- It is believed in a large scale from God.
3- The evidences are facts that no single letter had changed in The Quran over 1428 years.
5- Thus reading the Quran with the right to be suspicious is the main door for discovering God, religions or debating them. God invites you to dispute Islam and argues against religion.
4- You can hate some Muslims this is not against Islam. However the most important question for your life now and the afterlife is: Quran from God or not.
As I regularly watch the Catholic channel I enjoy watching devout Christians with enlightened faces and good hearts. They have been reading and teaching the gospels and the pillars of their faith for long time. It is not easy but I would ask them to read the Quran as well go through my blog.
If God is the one who is really talking to us in the Quran we are to listen to him and open our minds and hearts. Comparing Jesus and Muhammad should not be our task. Two great prophets with two different approaches to conduct the message of God. Muhammad is more like Moses. The question is simple though needs thorough examination: Is Quran From God Or Not?
The answer is more important than ever been in the history of religion for several reasons:
1- The world is falling apart. Politicians have failed to to fix it. The best they can do is to put band aids here and their so the rich and connected in the world continue to enjoy their possessions. If global warming fail to be contained we all will suffer. Similarly a lot of world problems need a a restructure approach., many of them are chronic and many are in crisis like immigration.
2- We are creating a world of haters and resentful young people around the world we succeeded to oppress and suppress them in the past through dictatorships and they are blowing up in our face now.
3- If to understand the politics of Jesus we will find it is the politics of Islam. It is the same justice and equality of Islam. One of the best books written about Jesus is The Politics Of Jesus by Obery M. Hendricks, JR.
4- The understanding of the rupture has to be reconsidered. We are delaying solving the world problems since some Christians believe they will rupture soon. Suppose the understanding of prophecies are wrong since the interpretation was not by God or Jesus himself we wait for the world to fall apart before we fix it.
5- The thing the Muslims and Christians believe in and most Jews in the near future is the second coming of Jesus. So we best be ready to receive him and the best way to do that is to follow his teachings. Many Muslims would not ask you to believe in a Muslim Messiah and I personally do not care. What we need to do is create a better life for all of us and to abide by the good of our religions.
Sorry Guys If Islam Is Not From God Christianity and Judiasim Would Be Illusion.
By: Maged Taman
I am a man who love logic and mathematics. I am a man who love "because of that: it is this". So take me as I am with my simple logical mind with no deep philosophy or unseen spirituality. Tell me how can you prove to me that Judaism and Christianity are religions from God and in the same time Islam is a man-made or Satan-made religion. How Islam or Quran is an imitation of them and not from the same God:
1- How the imitation is more perfect than the original.
2- How the imitation came and stayed like it is while the original had changed even for the least of people to believe in that many words or letters are different in different texts even if they did not change the meaning.
3- How the imitation would glorify God more than the original. In Judaism he is less than perfect and in Christianity he is a human. In the latter he was marginalized (God forgive me) to be the father of the real God Jesus.
4- How the prophets would be exalted more in the imitation than the original.
5- How the imitation insist more in the ten commandments than the original.
6- Why a lot of Christians and Jews would like to see Muslims not to follow the ten commandments.
7- Why many Christians and Jews would prefer to have a morally corrupted Muslim leaders than to see moral people leading the Muslims.
8- How the imitation have more devotion to God in all aspects of life than the original.
9- How the imitation is oppressed by the original so the world can continue to have low morality.
10- How the imitation is calling for justice, peace and prosperity to every one and the original prefer certain groups over others.
11- How the imitation got much better scientific facts than the original.
As you see if the imitation was fake the original should be more fake. Sorry guys, I am not the most devout person in the earth I am mainly an observer. If Islam is not from God Christianity and Judaism are illusions.
I am a man who love logic and mathematics. I am a man who love "because of that: it is this". So take me as I am with my simple logical mind with no deep philosophy or unseen spirituality. Tell me how can you prove to me that Judaism and Christianity are religions from God and in the same time Islam is a man-made or Satan-made religion. How Islam or Quran is an imitation of them and not from the same God:
1- How the imitation is more perfect than the original.
2- How the imitation came and stayed like it is while the original had changed even for the least of people to believe in that many words or letters are different in different texts even if they did not change the meaning.
3- How the imitation would glorify God more than the original. In Judaism he is less than perfect and in Christianity he is a human. In the latter he was marginalized (God forgive me) to be the father of the real God Jesus.
4- How the prophets would be exalted more in the imitation than the original.
5- How the imitation insist more in the ten commandments than the original.
6- Why a lot of Christians and Jews would like to see Muslims not to follow the ten commandments.
7- Why many Christians and Jews would prefer to have a morally corrupted Muslim leaders than to see moral people leading the Muslims.
8- How the imitation have more devotion to God in all aspects of life than the original.
9- How the imitation is oppressed by the original so the world can continue to have low morality.
10- How the imitation is calling for justice, peace and prosperity to every one and the original prefer certain groups over others.
11- How the imitation got much better scientific facts than the original.
As you see if the imitation was fake the original should be more fake. Sorry guys, I am not the most devout person in the earth I am mainly an observer. If Islam is not from God Christianity and Judaism are illusions.
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