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I add this page cuz I know that my site will be viewed from people from around the world and I thought is my duty to give
them an idea about our greatest religion ...
please visit this page soon
What if,
Allah couldn't take the time to bless us today because we couldn't take the time to thank Allah yesterday?
What if,
Allah decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we didn't follow Allah today?
What
if,
We never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when Allah sent the rain?
What if,
Allah
didn't walk with us today because we failed to recognize it as Youm Al-Jumma?
What if,
Allah took away
the Quran tomorrow because we would not read it today?
What if,
Allah took away His message because we
failed to listen to His Messenger(SAW)?
What if,
The door of the masjid was closed because we did not open
the door of our heart?
What if,
Allah stopped loving and caring for us because we failed to love and care
for others?
What if,
Allah would not hear us today because we would not listen yesterday?
What
if,
Allah answered our prayers the way we answer the Adhaan (call to prayer)?
What if,
Allah met
our needs the way we give Allah our lives ???
words took from al-muslim.org
What is Islam ?
ISLAM means submission, that is, submission to the will of God, the characteristic attitude of members of our faith. MUSLIM
(also spelled Moslem) is based on the same Arabic root as Islam (s-l-m) and means one who submits to God, that is, a believer
in Islam.
Answers to Seven Questions About Islam
1. What is Islam?
The word "Islam" is an Arabic word that means "submitting and surrendering
your will to Almighty God". The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "salam", which means peace.
Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islam
was both revealed by God and carries a deep spritual meaning only by submitting ones will to Almighty God can one obtain
true peace both in this life and in thelife hereafter. Islam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential
message which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone. For this reason, Islam is
not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham,
Moses and Jesus.
2. Who are Muslims?
The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone
who submits to the will of God". The message of Islam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message
becomes a Muslim. Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from
the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are
Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World
from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races,
ethnic groups and nationalities. From the very beginning, Islam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in
the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine
Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God. A Muslim is
a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you
don't see it as much today, the word "Mohammedans" was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer
and is the result of either willful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans
were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This
is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.
3.
Who is Allah?
Very often one will here the Arabic word "Allah" being used in regards to Islam. The word
"Allah" is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God, and is the same word used by Arabic speaking Christians and
Jews. If one were to pick up an Arabic translation of the Bible, one would see the word "Allah" being use where
the word "God" is used in English. Actually, the Arabic word for Almighty God, "Allah", is quite similiar
to the word for God in other Semitic languages for example, the Hebrew word for God is "Elah". For various reasons,
some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This is certainly not the
case, since the Pure Monotheism of Islam calls all people to the worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all
of the other prophets. However, even though Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God since there is only one God
their concepts concerning Him differ in some significant ways.
4. Who is Muhammad?
The last and final
prophet that God sent to humanity was the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of Islam.
The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons, but mainly because the results of his mission have
brought more people into the pure belief in One God than any other prophet. Even though other religious communities claimed
to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with
Almighty God. Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestions of God, "God Incarnate" or the "Son
of God". All of these false ideas lead to the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to
the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against
these falsehoods, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasized that he was only a human-being tasked with the preaching of Gods
message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as "the Messenger of God and His Slave". To Muslims, Muhammad is the
supreme example for all people he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbor husband,
father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Muslims
don't need to have "faith" that he existed and that his teachings are preserved they know it to be a fact. Even
when his followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had be sent as a mercy to all of mankind.
Because people had distorted or forgotten Gods messages, God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to Muhammad.
This was because Almighty God promised not to send another messenger after him. Since all of Gods messengers have preached
the message of Islam i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone Muhammad is actually the last prophet
of Islam, not the first.
5. What are the Teachings of Islam?
The foundation of the Islamic faith is
belief in the Unity of God. This means to believe that there is only one Creator and Sustainer of everything in the Universe,
and that nothing is divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Him. Truly believing in the Unity of God means much more
than simply believing that there is "One God" as opposed to two, three or four. There are a number of religions
that claim belief in "One God" and believe that ultimately there is only one Creator and Sustainer of the Universe.
Islam, however, not only insists on this, but also rejects using such words as "Lord" and "Savior" for
anyone besides Almighty God. Islam also rejects the use of all intermediaries between God and Man, and insists that people
approach God directly and reserve all worship for Him alone. Muslims believe that Almighty God is Compassionate, Loving and
Merciful. The essence of falsehood is the claim that God cannot deal with and forgive His creatures directly. By over-emphasizing
the burden of sin, as well as claiming that God cannot forgive you directly, false religions seek to get people to despair
of the Mercy of God. Once they are convinced that they cannot approach God directly, people can be mislead into turning to
false gods for help. These "false gods" can take various forms, such as saints, angels, or someone who is believed
to be the "Son of God" or "God Incarnate". In almost all cases, people who worship, pray to or seek help
from a false god dont consider it to be, or call it, a "god". They claim belief in One Supreme God, but claim that
they pray to and worship others beside God only to get closer to Him. In Islam, there is a clear distinction between the Creator
and the created. There is no ambiguity in divinity anything that is created is not deserving of worship and only the Creator
is worthy of being worshipped. Some religions falsely believe that God has become part of His creation, and this has led people
to believe that they can worship something created in order to reach their Creator. Muslims believe that even though God is
Unique and beyond comprehension He has no "Son", partners or associates. According to Muslim belief, Almighty God
"does not beget nor was He begotten" neither literally, allegorically, metaphorically, physically or metaphysically
He is Absolutely Unique and Eternal. He is in control of everything and is perfectly capable of bestowing His infinite Mercy
and Forgiveness to whomever He chooses. That is why is called the All-Powerful and Most-Merciful. Almighty God has created
the Universe for man, and as such wants the best for all human beings. Muslims see everything in the Universe as a sign of
the Creatorship and Benevolence of Almighty God. Also, the belief in the Unity of God is not merely a metaphysical concept.
It is a dynamic belief that effects ones view of humanity, society and all aspects of life. As a logical corollary to the
Islamic belief in the Oneness of God, is its belief in the oneness of mankind and humanity.
6. What is the Qur'an?
It is the final revelation of the will of Almighty God's to all of mankind, which was conveyed through the Angel
Gabriel, in Arabic, to the Prophet Muhammad in its sounds, words and meanings. The Quran, sometimes spelled Koran, was relayed
to the Prophet's companions, which they memorized verbatim, and which has been publicly and continually recited by them and
their successors until the present day. In short, the Qur'an is the book of guidance from God par excellence. The Qur'an is
still memorized and taught by millions of people. The language of the Qur'an, Arabic, is still a living language to millions
of people, so unlike the scriptures of other religions, the Qur'an is still read in its original language by countless millions
of people. The Qu'ran is a living miracle in the Arabic language; and is know to be inimitable in its style, form and spiritual
impact. God's final revelation to mankind, the Qur'an, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. The
Qur'an, in contrast to many other religious books, was always thought to be the Word of God by those who believed in it, i.e.
it wasn't something decreed by a religious council many years after being written. Also, the Qu'ran was recited publicly in
front of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during the life of the Prophet Muhammad. The entire Qur'an was also completely
written down in lifetime of the Prophet, and numerous companions of the Prophet memorized the entire Qur'an word-for-word
as it was revealed. So unlike other scriptures, the Qur'an was always in the hands of the common believers, it was always
thought to be God's word and, due to wide-spread memorization, it was perfectly preserved. In regards to the teachings of
the Qur'an - it is a universal scripture, and it is addressed to all of mankind, and not to a particular tribe or "chosen
people". The message that it brings is nothing new, but the same message of all of the prophets - submit to Almighty
God and worship Him alone. As such, God's revelation in the Qur'an focuses on teaching human beings the importance of believing
in the Unity of God and framing their lives around the guidance which He has sent. Additionally, the Qur'an contains the stories
of the previous prophets, such as Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus; as well as many commands and prohibitions from God. In modern
times in which so many people are caught up in doubt, spiritual despair and "political correctness", the Qur'anic
teachings offer solutions to the emptiness of our lives and the turmoil that is gripping the world today.
7.
How Do Muslims View the Nature of Man, the Purpose of Life and the Life Hereafter?
In the Holy Qur'an, God teaches
human beings that they were created in order to worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness.
Since the teachings of Islamic encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs.
Islam makes it clear that all human acts are acts of worship if they are done for God alone and in accordance to His Divine
Law. As such, worship in Islam is not limited to religious rituals. The teachings of Islam act as a mercy and a healing for
the human soul, and such qualities as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islam
condemns pride and self-righteousness, since Almighty God is the only judge of human righteousness. The Islamic view of the
nature of man is also realistic and well-balanced. Human beings are not believed to be inherently sinful, but are seen as
equally capable of both good and evil. Islam also teaches that faith and action go hand-in-hand. God has given people free-will,
and the measure of one's faith is one's deeds and actions. However, human beings have also been created weak and regularly
fall into sin. This is the nature of the human being as created by God in His Wisdom, and it is not inherently "corrupt"
or in need of repair. This is because the avenue of repentance of always open to all human beings, and Almighty God loves
the repentant sinner more than one who does not sin at all. The true balance of an Islamic life is established by having a
healthy fear of God as well as a sincere belief in His infinite Mercy. A life without fear of God leads to sin and disobedience,
while believing that we have sinned so much that God will not possibly forgive us only leads to despair. In light of this,
Islam teaches that: only the misguided despair of the Mercy of their Lord. Additionally, the Holy Qur'an, which was revealed
to the Prophet Muhammad, contains a great deal of teachings about the life hereafter and the Day of Judgment. Due to this,
Muslims believe that all human beings will ultimately be judged by God for their beliefs and actions in their earthly lives.
In judging human beings, Almighty God will be both Merciful and Just, and people will only be judged for what they were capable
of. Suffice it to say that Islam teaches that life is a test, and that all human beings will be accountable before God. A
sincere belief in the life hereafter is key to leading a well-balanced life and moral. Otherwise, life is viewed as an end
in itself, which causes human beings to become more selfish, materialistic and immoral.
AL-QURAN, The Miracle of Miracles
Say: If the whole of mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur`an, they could not produce
the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.
What is a miracle?
I think
it is necessary that we have a clear picture of what we mean by a miracle. Here are some definitions:-
"An
event that appears so inexplicable by the laws of nature, that it is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God."
"A person, thing or event that excites admiring awe." "An act beyond human power, an impossibility."
It is logical that greater the impossibility, greater the miracle. For example, should a person expire before
our very eyes and is certified dead by a qualiified medical man, yet later on a mystic or a saint commands the corpse to 'arise!',
and to everybody's astonishment the person gets up and walks away , we would label that as a miracle. But if the resurrection
of the dead took place after the corpse had been in the mortuary for three days, then we would acclaim this as a greater miracle.
And if the dead was made to arise from the grave, decades or centuries after the body had decomposed and rotted away, then
in that case we would label it the greatest miracle of them all!
A Common Trait:
It has been a common
trait of mankind since time immemorial that whenever a guide from God appeared to redirect their steps into the will and plan
of God; they demanded supernatural proofs from these men of God, instead of accepting message on its merit.
For example, when Jesus Christ (pbuh) began to preach to his people - "the children of Israel" - to mend their ways
and to refrain from mere legalistic formalism and imbibe the true spirit of the laws and commandments of god, his 'people'
demanded miracles from him to prove his bona fides ( his authenicity , his genuineness), as recorded in the christian scriptures:
Then certain of the scribes and the phairsees answered, saying master, we would have a sign ( miracle ) from
thee. But he answered and said unto them, "an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign (miracle) and there
shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas ( matthew 12:38-39 holy bible)
Though on the
face of it, Jesus (pbuh) refuses to pamper the jews here, in actual fact, he did perform many miracles as we learn from the
gospel narratives.
The holy bible is full of supernatural events accredited to the prophets from their lord.
In reality all those 'signs' and 'wonders' and 'miracles' were acts of God, but since those miracles were worked through his
human agents, we describe them as the miracles of prophets (i.e. Moses or Jesus (pbuh) by those hands they were performed).
Quirk Continues:
Some six hundred years after the birth of Jesus(pbuh), Muhammad (pbuh) the messenger
of God was born in Makkah in arabia. When he proclaimed his mission at the age of forty, his fellow countrymen, the mushriks
of makkah made an identical request for miracles, as had the jews, from their promised Messiah. Text book style, it was as
if the arabs had taken a leaf from the christian records. History has a habit of repeating itself!
And they say:
why are not signs sent down to him from his lord? (holy Qu`ran 29:50)
SIGNS! WHAT SIGNS!!
"Miracles ? Cries
he, what miracles would you have? Are not you yourselves there? God made you 'shaped you out of a little clay.' Ye were small
once; a few years ago ye were not at all. Ye have beauty, strength, thoughts, 'ye have compassion on one another.' Old age
comes-on you, and grey hairs; your strength fades into feebleness: ye sink down, and again are not. 'Ye have compassion on
one another': This struck me much: Allah might have made you having no compassion on one another, how had it been then! this
is a great direct though, a glance at first-hand into the very fact of things...." "(On heroes hero-worship and
the heroic in history,")by Thomas Carlyle.
"This Struck Me Much"
This, that "ye have compassion
on one another", impressed thomas carlyle most from his perusal of an English translation. I persume, there verse that
motivated this sentiment is:
1. And among his signs is this, that he created for you mates from amonng yourselves,
that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them. and he has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are signs
for those who reflect. (emphasis added) Translation by A Yusuf ALi (Qu`ran 30:21)
2. And one of his signs it
is, that he hath created wives for you of your own species that ye may dwell with them, and hath put love and tenderness between
you. herein truly are signs for those who reflect (emphasis added) Translation by Rev. J.M. Rodwell(M.A.)
3.
By another sign he gave you wives from among yourselves, that ye might live in joy with them, and planted love and kindness
into your hearts. surely there are signs in this for thinking men(emphasis added) Translation by N.J. Dawood.
The first example is from the translation by Yusuf Ali, a muslim. The second is by a christian priest the rev. Rodwell
and the last example is by an iraqi Jew, N.J. Dawood.
Unfortunately Thomas Carlyle had no access to any one
of these because none of them had seen the light of day in his time. The only one available to him in 1840 was as he said
on page 85 of his book under referance - "We also can read the Koran; our translation of it, by sale, is known to be
a very fair one."
Taint Is In The Motive:
Carlyle is very charitable to his fellow countryman. The
motives of george sale, who pioneered an English translation of the Holy Quran, were suspect. He makes no secret of his antagonism
to the holy book of Islam. In his preface to his translation in 1734 he made it known that it was his avowed intention to
expose the man Mohammad and his forgery. He records: "who can apprehend any danger from so manifest a forgery?... The
protestants alone are able to attack the koran with success; and for them, I trust, providence has reserved the glory of its
overthrow." George Sale, And he set to work with his prejudiced translation. You will be able to judge how 'fair' and
scholarly george sale was from the very verse which 'struck' (carlyle) 'much!' Compare it with the three example already given
by a muslim, a christian and a jew: And of his signs another is, that he had created you , out of yourselves, wives that ye
may cohabit with them, and hath put love and compassion between you.
I dont think that george sale was a 'a
male chauvinist pig' of his day to describe our mates, wives or spouses as sexual objects. He was only keeping to his promise,
which carlyle overlooked. The arabic word which he (sale) perverted is 'li-tas-kunoo' which means to find peace, consolation,
composure or tranquility; and not 'cohabit' meaning 'to live together in a sexual relationship when not legally married' (the
reader's digest universal dictionary.)
Every word of the Quranic text is meticulously chosen, chiselled and
placed by the All-Wise himself. They carry God's 'fingerprint', and are signs of God. And yet, the spirtually jaundiced....
Ask For A Sign:
What signs?? They mean some special kinds of signs or miracles such as their own foolish
minds dictate. Everything is possible for God, but God is not going to humour the follies of men or listen to their false
demands. He has sent his messenger to explain his signs clearly, and to warn them of the consequences of rejection. Is that
not enough? The trend of their demand is generally as follows:
In specific terms they asked that he - Muhammad
(pbuh) - 'Put a ladder up to heaven an bring down a book from God in their very sight' - "Then we would believe,"
they said. Or "ye see the mountain yonder, turn it into gold' - "then we would believe." or 'make streams to
gush out in the desert' - "then we would believe."
Now listen to the soft, sweet reasoning of Muhammad(pbuh)
against the unreasonable and sceptical demands of the mushriks - "Do I say to you, verily I am an angel? Do I say to
you, verily in my hands are the treasures of God? Only, what is revealed to me do I follow." Listen further to the most
dignified reply he is commanded by his Lord to give the unbelievers.
Say (O Muhammad): 'The signs (miracles)
are indeed with Allah: And most certainly I am only a clear warner.!'
In the following ayah the holy prophet
is made to point to the holy Qur`an itself as an answer to their hypocritical demand for some special kind of 'sign' of 'miracle'
for which their foolish pagan mentality craved. For indeed all miracles are 'signs'; and it is their disbelief, their scepticism,
their lack of faith which motivates their request for a sign. They are asked to - 'look at the Qur`an' and again, 'look at
the Qur`an!'
It is not enough for them that we have sent down to thee (O Muhammad) the book(al-Qur`an) which
is rehearsed to them? Verily, in it (this perspicuous book) is a mercy and reminder to those who believe. (Qur`an 29:51).
Two Proofs:
As a proof of the divine authorship and the miraculous nature of the Qur`an, two arguments
are advanced by the almighty Himself:
1. 'that we' (God Almighty) have revealed to you (O muhammed!) 'the book
to you' who art absolutely an unlearned person. An 'ummi' prophet. One who cannot read or write. One who cannot sign his own
name. Let thomas carlyle testify regarding the educational qualifications of Muhammad -
'one other circumstance
we must not forget: that he had no school learnin; of the thing we call school-learning none at all.' Moreoever the divine
author(God Almighty) himself testifies to the veracity of Muhammed's(pbuh) claim that he could never have composed the contents
of the holy Qur`an; he could not have been its author:
And thou (O Muhammad) was not (able) to recite a book
before this (book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand:
In that case, indeed, would
the talkers of vanities have doubted (Qur`an 29:48).
The author of the Qur`an is reasoning with us, that had
Muhammad(pbuh) been a learned man, and had he been able to read or write, then in that case the babblers in the market places
might have had some justification to doubt his claim that the holy qur`an is God's word. In the event of Muhammed(pbuh) being
a literate person, the accusation of his enemies that he had probably copied his book (Qur`an) from the writings of the jews
and christians, or that perhaps he had been studying aristotle and plato, or that he must have browsed through the 'Torat,'
the 'Zabur' and the 'Injeel' and had rehashed it all in a beautiful language, might have carried some weight. Then, 'the talkers
of vanities' might have had a point. But even this flimsy pretence has been denied to the unbeliever and the cynic: a point
hardly big enough to hang a fly upon!
2. 'The book'? Yes, the 'book' itself, carries its own evidence proving
its divine authorship. Study the book from any angel. Scrutinize it. Why not take up the author's challenge if your doubts
are genuine? Do they not consider the qur`an(with care) had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein
much discrepancy. Consistency:
It is inconceivable that any human author would remain consistent in this teachings
and his preachings for a period of over two decades. From the age of forty, when Muhammad (pbuh) recieved his first call from
heaven to the age sixty-three when he breathed his last, for twenty-three years the holy prophet practised and preached Islam.
In those twenty-three years, he passed through the most conflicting vicissitudes of life. Any man, during the course of such
a mission, would be forced by circumstances to make 'honourable' compromises, and cannot help contradicting himself. No man
can ever write the same always, as the message of the holy qur`an is: consistent with itself, throughout! Or is it that the
unbelievers objections are merely argumentive, refractory, against their own better light and judgement.? Furthermore, the
holy qur`an contains or mentions many matters relating to the nature of the universe which were unknown to man before but
which subsequently through evolution and discoveries of Science have fully confirmed - a field where an untutored mind would
have most certainly lost in wild and contradictory speculations!
Self-Evident Proof:
Again and again when
miracles are demanded from the prophet of God by the cynical and frivolous few, he is made to point to the qur`an - message
from high - as 'the miracle.' The miracle or miracles! And men of wisdom, people with literary and spiritual insight, who
were honest enough to themselves, recognised and accepted al-qur`an as an a genuine miracle.
Says the holy
Qur`an: Nay here are signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: And none but the unjust reject our
signs. (qur`an 29:49).
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