Things have gone wild recently, and I have been on the move for the past three months. Changing places and countries, along with people too, while still away from home, it was hard for me to write, or even check on my contacts, whom I beg their pardon. A flashback to the past year, which dragged on at last, and it is very hard to determine if it was a success or fizzle, but it is acceptable at any rate. Still staying the course, I am picking me apart, trying to find out what went wrong, if any.
I should have written this from Kuwait, but it was almost impossible, for I was not in the mood for writing in my last days there. It is time to say thanks to this calm and peaceful country whom I have had many friends there. The Good days I spent there will always be remembered.
Be Forward looking, this is what I always believe in, and never lose faith, for things could have been worst!
And may Allah bless us all.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Characteristics of Muslims
Islam in a nutshell is a religion of high morality. No ten commandments in Islam, for, any orders set in the Qur'an or the Sunnah( Prophet's traditions) are to be followed strictly and any Prohibitions are to be avoided as much as one can bear. Islam never loses sight of the way a Muslim should be while dealing with others. The Prophet's call to humanity has passed two distinct stages. The first stage, at Mecca, was devoted to establish the rules of the new religion and focused in the main on the doctrinal aspect, attempting to convince the people to worship the One, Allah, the Lord of the Worlds and to deliver them out of the darkness of slavery and servitude to humans or to the idols they were taking for gods. The second stage was after the migration to Medina. Much of the Prophet's Muhammad efforts there were made on the moral sphere along with the spiritual and religious arena. Morality was taken to a new higher plane by Islam. For the first time in history at then, a black man could pray shoulder-to-shoulder with his former master. Bilal Ben Rabah, the Prophet's muezzin and a great figure in Islam and the one whom every Muslim child knows about, was but an example of how religion can effect change on the characteristics of humans. The road for emancipation was first ever trodden by Islam, giving the clue for all those who came after as long as one thousand years. The "dream" of a black man to have his social and moral status recognized came to fruition by the religion that is now being smeared wrongfully.
Interpersonal dealings are tackled in many verses in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Following is an account of how a good Muslim should be, even when dealing with the dregs of society. Read:
" And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say "Peace!" (63) Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrate and standing; (64) Those who say "Our Lord! avert from us the Wrath of Hell, for its Wrath is indeed an affliction grievous― (65) "Evil indeed is it as an abode, and as a place to rest in"; (66) Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes); (67) Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred, except for just cause, not commit fornication― and any that does this (not only) meets punishment (68) (But) the Penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell therein in ignominy― (69) Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (70) And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion― (71) Those who witness no falsehood and, if they pass by futility, they pass by it with honourable (avoidance); (72) Those who, when they are admonished with the Signs of their Lord, droop not down at them as if they were deaf or blind: (73) And those who pray "Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous." (74) Those are the ones who will be rewarded with the highest place in heaven because of their patient constancy; therein shall they be met with salutations and peace (75) Dwelling therein how beautiful an abode and place of rest! (76)". (25:63-76)
Interpersonal dealings are tackled in many verses in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. The Following is an account of how a good Muslim should be, even when dealing with the dregs of society. Read:
" And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say "Peace!" (63) Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrate and standing; (64) Those who say "Our Lord! avert from us the Wrath of Hell, for its Wrath is indeed an affliction grievous― (65) "Evil indeed is it as an abode, and as a place to rest in"; (66) Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those (extremes); (67) Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred, except for just cause, not commit fornication― and any that does this (not only) meets punishment (68) (But) the Penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell therein in ignominy― (69) Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful (70) And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion― (71) Those who witness no falsehood and, if they pass by futility, they pass by it with honourable (avoidance); (72) Those who, when they are admonished with the Signs of their Lord, droop not down at them as if they were deaf or blind: (73) And those who pray "Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous." (74) Those are the ones who will be rewarded with the highest place in heaven because of their patient constancy; therein shall they be met with salutations and peace (75) Dwelling therein how beautiful an abode and place of rest! (76)". (25:63-76)
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Jesus in Islam in Brief
The story of Jesus in brief as told in the Qur'an in the Surah ( Quranic Chapter) that bears the name of Maryam( Mary). As far as I know, there is no Chapter in the Old nor the New Testament that bears the name of Mary, rather, they smeared her!
Read carefully.
"Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. (16) She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them: then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. (17) She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah." (18) He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son." (19) She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?" (20) He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is a matter (so) decreed." (21) So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. (22) And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" (23) But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-free): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; (24) "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. (25) "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man say `I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.' " (26) At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). they said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! (27) "O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" (28) But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" (29) He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; (30) "And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; (31) "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; (32) "So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"! (33) Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. (34) It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it "Be", and it is. (35) Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight. (36)
(Qur'an, Surat Maryam(Mary) verses from 16 to 36)
Highlight this verses:
"Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is." (3:59).
Finally, if you have good reason and still believe that Jesus is the son of God or God Himself, then you may have to think once more!
"It is not (possible) for any human being unto whom Allah had given the Scripture and wisdom and the prophethood that he should afterwards have said unto mankind: Be slaves of me instead of Allah; but (what he said was): Be ye faithful servants of the Lord by virtue of your constant teaching of the Scripture and of your constant study thereof." (3:79).
It goes without saying that Jesus is a cherished and beloved Prophet that All Muslims believe in, as a Prophet and wise man.
Read carefully.
"Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. (16) She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them: then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. (17) She said: "I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah." (18) He said: "Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son." (19) She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?" (20) He said: "So (it will be): thy Lord saith `That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is a matter (so) decreed." (21) So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. (22) And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm-tree: she cried (in her anguish): "Ah! would that I had died before this! Would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!" (23) But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-free): "Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; (24) "And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree: it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee. (25) "So eat and drink and cool (thine) eye. And if thou dost see any man say `I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.' " (26) At length she brought the (babe) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). they said: "O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought! (27) "O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!" (28) But she pointed to the babe. They said: "How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?" (29) He said: "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; (30) "And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; (31) "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; (32) "So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)"! (33) Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. (34) It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it "Be", and it is. (35) Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a Way that is straight. (36)
(Qur'an, Surat Maryam(Mary) verses from 16 to 36)
Highlight this verses:
"Lo! the likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, then He said unto him: Be! and he is." (3:59).
Finally, if you have good reason and still believe that Jesus is the son of God or God Himself, then you may have to think once more!
"It is not (possible) for any human being unto whom Allah had given the Scripture and wisdom and the prophethood that he should afterwards have said unto mankind: Be slaves of me instead of Allah; but (what he said was): Be ye faithful servants of the Lord by virtue of your constant teaching of the Scripture and of your constant study thereof." (3:79).
It goes without saying that Jesus is a cherished and beloved Prophet that All Muslims believe in, as a Prophet and wise man.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Debunking Western Myths About Islam
The following is an article I wrote in response to Dr. Timothy R. Furnish's article"Seven Myths About Islam". Mr. Furnish is an assistant professor of history, Georgia Perimeter College, Dunwoody, and the author of Holiest Wars: Islamic Mahdis, their Jihads and Osama bin Laden (Praeger, 2005).
It is true that 9/11 terrorist attacks had renewed American, and Western, interest in Islam and the Middle East. And it is also true that there has been systematic misleading information, or it is better to say, disinformation in this regard. No one can deny the media is taking its toll on Islam and Muslims, wrongfully stereotyping them and always inciting the feelings in the Muslim world by reckless and disgraceful actions as it may be seen in the ceaseless stream of offensive cartoons made under the guise of freedom of expression, which miraculously ceases to apply when it comes to hotly-debated issues such as the holocaust or the Jewish history. It shows nothing but the Western hypocrisy, or, the politically-correct double standardism.
Your first myth, that it is not true that Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion, was followed by the very unrealistic myth of your own creation that Christianity is the world's most-rapidly growing faith. While having the biggest number of followers is nothing of importance to Islam and is not a reason to brag about, because there are many who are counted as Muslims while they are really not, it is still proved untrue that Christianity is the world's fastest growing faith as you claim in your essay.
I refer you to these statements made by your own people:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
And it is really interesting to know that Christianity is gaining ground outside the borders of Europe and especially in China and the Sub-Saran countries!
For Muslims, there are many constant reminders that Islam came into existence as a foreigner (among pagan and hostile nations). The early Muslim state was founded by handful number of men who set the examples in many situations, see Badr battle, that it was never how much men do you have, but how much of them practice what they believe in. But at any rate, you made an absolutely wrong statement and invented a new myth of which credit will goes to you, as no one even the most fundamentalist Christians ever said that Christianity is surpassing Islam in growth rates or is the world fastest-growing faith.
Second: Islam is not solely a religion of peace. You made your argument on verses you say outweigh the verses that call for toleration in the Qura'n. You mentioned the verse in Surat Al Anfal number 12" When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying:) I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger", and verse number 3(actually you mean 4) on the beheading of the unbelievers. I wonder how come you get your Ph.D. in Islamic history while ignoring, or may be intentionally disregarding, the fact that these two verses were said in the right of those who disbelieve(pagans at that time) because they were declaring a state of war against Islam at that time. You intentionally forget that this should not apply to Christians or Jews because whenever they are concerned in the Qura'n, Allah always use the honorific title" people of the scripture" to distinguish them from non-monotheists.
Beating wives in Islam is only permitted to the smallest scale possible that even you can't with such beating harm a little children let a lone an adult fully fledged woman. The Mother of the believers Aisha said that "the Prophet has never beaten any woman or a maid"(authentic account, mentioned in the Bukhari). And as Muslims, we all ordered to follow suit. Besides, even in the verse in question from Surat Al Nisa(Woman)- by the way there are no chapters or suras in the Qura'n named Men- which reads" Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allâh has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allâh and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allâh orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property). As to those women on whose part you see ill¬conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allâh is Ever Most High, Most Great ".
You can see the sequence of events: first one has to admonish, then, if they continue to show ill conduct he can refuse to share beds with them as part of the remedy and the last thing is beating, lightly- a beating which must not be harming, as it was made clear in different hadiths.
It goes without saying that the last thing the Prophet Muhammad recommended Muslims to do is to take care of women and to show tenderness and be pious towards Allah when they deal with women.
Concerning the verse in Surat al-Ma’idah" O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliyâ’, they are but Auliyâ’ of each other", the word walay, or auliya, means more than a friend, as it means a protector, defender or sponsor, and sometimes also the word aulia, singular wali, is used to mean rulers. So it is not an order to stay away from the Jews or the Christians as you have implied, but rather, it is an injunction not to make them defenders or patrons or rulers above our fellow Muslims and this is quite fair and proved to be right all the time, and I can provide you with many evidences to substantiate the fact that the Christians have always sided with the Jews against Muslims.
While you surely have read Surat Al Ma'ida, of which you have extracted the verse you have mentioned, you intentionally forget to mention other verses which praise the Christians for their affinity, or the should-be affinity, with Muslims. I refer to the verses from 81 to 85 in the same Sura, i.e. Al Ma'ida: "Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Al-Mushrikûn (see V.2:105), and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud. (82) And when they (who call themselves Christians) listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised. They say: "Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses. (83) "And why should we not believe in Allâh and in that which has come to us of the truth (Islâmic Monotheism)? And we wish that our Lord will admit us (in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection) along with the righteous people (Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Companions radhiallahu'anhuã)." (84) So because of what they said, Allâh rewarded them Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), they will abide therein forever. Such is the reward of Al-Muhsinûn (the good-doers).
I should also refer to another verse in the Qura'n which uses the word tauala, to which the word aulia is related: "Allâh does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allâh loves those who deal with equity. (8) It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allâh forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers those who disobey Allâh). (Sura 60. Al-Mumtahana))
The verse is clear enough and the Qura'n is an integral body which can't be divided or deemed to have conflicting orders. It may be wrongfully shown to have conflicting orders when this is part of a decontextualization process as the one you introduced in your essay. Any academic writer, not necessarily some one who has a Ph.D. in Islamic history or Islamic law, knows the blunders and misinformation that would result when you take a text out of its context, let a lone a holy text that must be related to circumstances that prompted a certain revelation to be understood well to base your judgments and final results.
Your third myth on the "misinformation parade is the allegation that jihad does not mean holy war", is a more deluding phrase and another example of twisting facts with personal understanding or misunderstanding. Jihad is a word derived from the verb jahada which means to strive for, make every effort; to fight, do one's best, and to endeavor among other meanings. You mentioned some of these meanings and said it is half-right. According to your account, jihad came to mean fighting against unbelievers in order to expand territory under Muslim rule in early Islamic history. This is also half-right. There are many hadiths- hadith or tradition of the Prophet is a source of legislation in Islam and is the highest authority with the Qura'n since we all believe all hadiths are words of God said by His Messenger- that relates jihad to other types of struggle. The Prophet was once asked by one of his companions" which jihad is better?", which means even the companions of the Prophet knew there are many types of jihad, and the Prophet replied by saying" it is a word of truth before a tyrannical sultan"(authentic hadith).
I don't know what made you make such a statement that jihad means Muslim piety mainly for Sufis whom are minority according to your statement. I am a Sunni and it is still true for Sunnis that jihad means fighting back enemies and also struggling against one's evil desires and saying truth whatever the cost may be. As for the Ottoman Empire, the reason they called it a Holy War against the French, the British and the Russians in WWI was merely to draw support of the Muslim nations under their control at then. And Islam is not, and should not be, responsible for what the Ottoman empire did.
Concerning your fourth myth that "the whopper that Islam spread peacefully from Arabia", it is one more manifestation of your off-the-peg misrepresentation. There is no compulsion in religion, and this is a well known Muslim rule.
How can a religion that forbids cruelty against animals and tells us that a woman has doomed herself to hell because she caged a cat and denied the cat access to water or to let the cat search for food, be cruel against a human being? Did not the Prophet whom you call supported harshness and spread his call by the sword said once that "Allah rewarded and praised" a man who has once seen a dog craving for water and then provided the dog with water?
Islam fully grants the freedom to a creed. Allah says" Say (O Muhammad (SAW) to these Mushrikûn and Kâfirûn): "O Al-Kâfirûn (disbelievers in Allâh, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al-Qadar)! (1) "I worship not that which you worship, (2) "Nor will you worship that which I worship. (3) "And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. (4) "Nor will you worship that which I worship. (5) "To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islâmic Monotheism)." (6) ( Surat Al Kafiroun 109 verses from 1 to 6).
Again, the freedom to a creed is emphasized in this verse" And say: "The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve" (surat al Kahf 18-29).
The reasons to start a war on Islam-Yeas you can not start a war except for very limited reasons unlike the way things are run by any US administration- are demonstrated in the following verses from surat al Baqara:
" And fight in the Way of Allâh[] those who fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly, Allâh likes not the transgressors. [This Verse is the first one that was revealed in connection with Jihâd, but it was supplemented by another (V.9:36)]. (190) And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah[] is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-Al-Harâm (the sanctuary at Makkah),[] unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers. (191) But if they cease, then Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (192) And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allâh) and (all and every kind of) worship is for Allâh (Alone).[] But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zâlimûn (the polytheists, and wrong-doers.) (193"
More to come:" So if they withdraw from you, and fight not against you, and offer you peace, then Allâh has opened no way for you against them"(4-89).
The paramount rule concerning any act of war in Islam is clearly set forth in the this verse" But if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and (put your) trust in Allâh. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower"( 8-61).
Remember the way the Prophet acted towards the dwellers of Mecca after the great victory over them, a bloodless conquest that was only made possible after Quraish broke its truce with the Prophet, and his(PBUH) immortal saying to them" you are free to go, you are surely at liberty".
Your fifth myth regarding the Crusades and how it is untrue that European Catholic Crusaders started the war with Islam is one more manifestation of your unscholarly approach. While the declared goal of the Crusades was to recapture Jerusalem and the sacred Holy Land under the banners of the Church, they had hidden agenda and economic and political aspirations. It is untrue that the Crusades were simply the first time that European Christians managed to take the fight to their enemy's territories.
The horrible crimes that were committed against the crusaders' co-religionists in the Fourth Crusade are but a reminder of how cruel and aggressive were the Crusades and not as you simply put it. The looting and plunders of a Greek Christian city, i.e. Constantinople, still shadow the relations among different Christian denominations. And I need not to talk about what the "defensive" crusaders did to the" offensive" Muslims at that time!
To juxtapose Usama ben Laden phraseology in your argument is a perfect marriage between unscholarly approach with self-defeating claims.
Your sixth myth" Another fairy tale about Islam is that poverty produces terrorists" and how it is naivety from the part of the Americans to take their paradigm about poverty and crime and how the former causes the latter and apply it on a context where it doesn't fit is nothing but a part of the broader decontextualization in your essay. While it is still unjustifiable and strictly forbidden to kill innocents and launch terrorist attacks, it is not only poverty that produces terrorism, rather, it is also the feeling of injustice and despair over the biased US policy in the Middle East, and actually everywhere else in a unipolar world. It the systematic genocides committed everywhere against Muslims- in Bosnia and Palestine to mention but a few.
The seventh myth, that it is not true to repeat that Islam has been hijacked by terrorists, has to do with the pervious myth and allegations. UBL, ayatollahs in Iran, Taliban, the Saudi Wahabism- all are twisting religion to fit their political agenda and they are not an authority on Islam. A good Muslim is by definition a peaceful one. There are absolutely no verses in the Qura'n or hadiths that allows the killing of innocent people, and I challenge you to bring me some that says otherwise.
It is Muslims, not Islam, who are in a critical and hard situation. Thanks to imperial aggressions and long-time colonization, most of the Arab and Muslim countries are having economic and social ills. However, this is by no means an absolution of our own failures to catch up with the advanced world and should never be an excuse to our rulers who saddled their peoples with intolerable inequities and ceaseless tyranny.
It is true that an interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural communication should be based on honesty and openness, but this will not happen through misinformation and misrepresentation of facts concerning a religion that is not responsible for, and is not conforming to, the deeds of some of those who attributed themselves thereto.
It is true that 9/11 terrorist attacks had renewed American, and Western, interest in Islam and the Middle East. And it is also true that there has been systematic misleading information, or it is better to say, disinformation in this regard. No one can deny the media is taking its toll on Islam and Muslims, wrongfully stereotyping them and always inciting the feelings in the Muslim world by reckless and disgraceful actions as it may be seen in the ceaseless stream of offensive cartoons made under the guise of freedom of expression, which miraculously ceases to apply when it comes to hotly-debated issues such as the holocaust or the Jewish history. It shows nothing but the Western hypocrisy, or, the politically-correct double standardism.
Your first myth, that it is not true that Islam is the world's fastest-growing religion, was followed by the very unrealistic myth of your own creation that Christianity is the world's most-rapidly growing faith. While having the biggest number of followers is nothing of importance to Islam and is not a reason to brag about, because there are many who are counted as Muslims while they are really not, it is still proved untrue that Christianity is the world's fastest growing faith as you claim in your essay.
I refer you to these statements made by your own people:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
And it is really interesting to know that Christianity is gaining ground outside the borders of Europe and especially in China and the Sub-Saran countries!
For Muslims, there are many constant reminders that Islam came into existence as a foreigner (among pagan and hostile nations). The early Muslim state was founded by handful number of men who set the examples in many situations, see Badr battle, that it was never how much men do you have, but how much of them practice what they believe in. But at any rate, you made an absolutely wrong statement and invented a new myth of which credit will goes to you, as no one even the most fundamentalist Christians ever said that Christianity is surpassing Islam in growth rates or is the world fastest-growing faith.
Second: Islam is not solely a religion of peace. You made your argument on verses you say outweigh the verses that call for toleration in the Qura'n. You mentioned the verse in Surat Al Anfal number 12" When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying:) I am with you. So make those who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger", and verse number 3(actually you mean 4) on the beheading of the unbelievers. I wonder how come you get your Ph.D. in Islamic history while ignoring, or may be intentionally disregarding, the fact that these two verses were said in the right of those who disbelieve(pagans at that time) because they were declaring a state of war against Islam at that time. You intentionally forget that this should not apply to Christians or Jews because whenever they are concerned in the Qura'n, Allah always use the honorific title" people of the scripture" to distinguish them from non-monotheists.
Beating wives in Islam is only permitted to the smallest scale possible that even you can't with such beating harm a little children let a lone an adult fully fledged woman. The Mother of the believers Aisha said that "the Prophet has never beaten any woman or a maid"(authentic account, mentioned in the Bukhari). And as Muslims, we all ordered to follow suit. Besides, even in the verse in question from Surat Al Nisa(Woman)- by the way there are no chapters or suras in the Qura'n named Men- which reads" Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allâh has made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to support them) from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient (to Allâh and to their husbands), and guard in the husband's absence what Allâh orders them to guard (e.g. their chastity, their husband's property). As to those women on whose part you see ill¬conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful), but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allâh is Ever Most High, Most Great ".
You can see the sequence of events: first one has to admonish, then, if they continue to show ill conduct he can refuse to share beds with them as part of the remedy and the last thing is beating, lightly- a beating which must not be harming, as it was made clear in different hadiths.
It goes without saying that the last thing the Prophet Muhammad recommended Muslims to do is to take care of women and to show tenderness and be pious towards Allah when they deal with women.
Concerning the verse in Surat al-Ma’idah" O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Auliyâ’, they are but Auliyâ’ of each other", the word walay, or auliya, means more than a friend, as it means a protector, defender or sponsor, and sometimes also the word aulia, singular wali, is used to mean rulers. So it is not an order to stay away from the Jews or the Christians as you have implied, but rather, it is an injunction not to make them defenders or patrons or rulers above our fellow Muslims and this is quite fair and proved to be right all the time, and I can provide you with many evidences to substantiate the fact that the Christians have always sided with the Jews against Muslims.
While you surely have read Surat Al Ma'ida, of which you have extracted the verse you have mentioned, you intentionally forget to mention other verses which praise the Christians for their affinity, or the should-be affinity, with Muslims. I refer to the verses from 81 to 85 in the same Sura, i.e. Al Ma'ida: "Verily, you will find the strongest among men in enmity to the believers (Muslims) the Jews and those who are Al-Mushrikûn (see V.2:105), and you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud. (82) And when they (who call themselves Christians) listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognised. They say: "Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses. (83) "And why should we not believe in Allâh and in that which has come to us of the truth (Islâmic Monotheism)? And we wish that our Lord will admit us (in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection) along with the righteous people (Prophet Muhammad SAW and his Companions radhiallahu'anhuã)." (84) So because of what they said, Allâh rewarded them Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise), they will abide therein forever. Such is the reward of Al-Muhsinûn (the good-doers).
I should also refer to another verse in the Qura'n which uses the word tauala, to which the word aulia is related: "Allâh does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allâh loves those who deal with equity. (8) It is only as regards those who fought against you on account of religion, and have driven you out of your homes, and helped to drive you out, that Allâh forbids you to befriend them. And whosoever will befriend them, then such are the Zâlimûn (wrong-doers those who disobey Allâh). (Sura 60. Al-Mumtahana))
The verse is clear enough and the Qura'n is an integral body which can't be divided or deemed to have conflicting orders. It may be wrongfully shown to have conflicting orders when this is part of a decontextualization process as the one you introduced in your essay. Any academic writer, not necessarily some one who has a Ph.D. in Islamic history or Islamic law, knows the blunders and misinformation that would result when you take a text out of its context, let a lone a holy text that must be related to circumstances that prompted a certain revelation to be understood well to base your judgments and final results.
Your third myth on the "misinformation parade is the allegation that jihad does not mean holy war", is a more deluding phrase and another example of twisting facts with personal understanding or misunderstanding. Jihad is a word derived from the verb jahada which means to strive for, make every effort; to fight, do one's best, and to endeavor among other meanings. You mentioned some of these meanings and said it is half-right. According to your account, jihad came to mean fighting against unbelievers in order to expand territory under Muslim rule in early Islamic history. This is also half-right. There are many hadiths- hadith or tradition of the Prophet is a source of legislation in Islam and is the highest authority with the Qura'n since we all believe all hadiths are words of God said by His Messenger- that relates jihad to other types of struggle. The Prophet was once asked by one of his companions" which jihad is better?", which means even the companions of the Prophet knew there are many types of jihad, and the Prophet replied by saying" it is a word of truth before a tyrannical sultan"(authentic hadith).
I don't know what made you make such a statement that jihad means Muslim piety mainly for Sufis whom are minority according to your statement. I am a Sunni and it is still true for Sunnis that jihad means fighting back enemies and also struggling against one's evil desires and saying truth whatever the cost may be. As for the Ottoman Empire, the reason they called it a Holy War against the French, the British and the Russians in WWI was merely to draw support of the Muslim nations under their control at then. And Islam is not, and should not be, responsible for what the Ottoman empire did.
Concerning your fourth myth that "the whopper that Islam spread peacefully from Arabia", it is one more manifestation of your off-the-peg misrepresentation. There is no compulsion in religion, and this is a well known Muslim rule.
How can a religion that forbids cruelty against animals and tells us that a woman has doomed herself to hell because she caged a cat and denied the cat access to water or to let the cat search for food, be cruel against a human being? Did not the Prophet whom you call supported harshness and spread his call by the sword said once that "Allah rewarded and praised" a man who has once seen a dog craving for water and then provided the dog with water?
Islam fully grants the freedom to a creed. Allah says" Say (O Muhammad (SAW) to these Mushrikûn and Kâfirûn): "O Al-Kâfirûn (disbelievers in Allâh, in His Oneness, in His Angels, in His Books, in His Messengers, in the Day of Resurrection, and in Al-Qadar)! (1) "I worship not that which you worship, (2) "Nor will you worship that which I worship. (3) "And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. (4) "Nor will you worship that which I worship. (5) "To you be your religion, and to me my religion (Islâmic Monotheism)." (6) ( Surat Al Kafiroun 109 verses from 1 to 6).
Again, the freedom to a creed is emphasized in this verse" And say: "The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve" (surat al Kahf 18-29).
The reasons to start a war on Islam-Yeas you can not start a war except for very limited reasons unlike the way things are run by any US administration- are demonstrated in the following verses from surat al Baqara:
" And fight in the Way of Allâh[] those who fight you, but transgress not the limits. Truly, Allâh likes not the transgressors. [This Verse is the first one that was revealed in connection with Jihâd, but it was supplemented by another (V.9:36)]. (190) And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah[] is worse than killing. And fight not with them at Al-Masjid-Al-Harâm (the sanctuary at Makkah),[] unless they (first) fight you there. But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers. (191) But if they cease, then Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (192) And fight them until there is no more Fitnah (disbelief and worshipping of others along with Allâh) and (all and every kind of) worship is for Allâh (Alone).[] But if they cease, let there be no transgression except against Az-Zâlimûn (the polytheists, and wrong-doers.) (193"
More to come:" So if they withdraw from you, and fight not against you, and offer you peace, then Allâh has opened no way for you against them"(4-89).
The paramount rule concerning any act of war in Islam is clearly set forth in the this verse" But if they incline to peace, you also incline to it, and (put your) trust in Allâh. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Knower"( 8-61).
Remember the way the Prophet acted towards the dwellers of Mecca after the great victory over them, a bloodless conquest that was only made possible after Quraish broke its truce with the Prophet, and his(PBUH) immortal saying to them" you are free to go, you are surely at liberty".
Your fifth myth regarding the Crusades and how it is untrue that European Catholic Crusaders started the war with Islam is one more manifestation of your unscholarly approach. While the declared goal of the Crusades was to recapture Jerusalem and the sacred Holy Land under the banners of the Church, they had hidden agenda and economic and political aspirations. It is untrue that the Crusades were simply the first time that European Christians managed to take the fight to their enemy's territories.
The horrible crimes that were committed against the crusaders' co-religionists in the Fourth Crusade are but a reminder of how cruel and aggressive were the Crusades and not as you simply put it. The looting and plunders of a Greek Christian city, i.e. Constantinople, still shadow the relations among different Christian denominations. And I need not to talk about what the "defensive" crusaders did to the" offensive" Muslims at that time!
To juxtapose Usama ben Laden phraseology in your argument is a perfect marriage between unscholarly approach with self-defeating claims.
Your sixth myth" Another fairy tale about Islam is that poverty produces terrorists" and how it is naivety from the part of the Americans to take their paradigm about poverty and crime and how the former causes the latter and apply it on a context where it doesn't fit is nothing but a part of the broader decontextualization in your essay. While it is still unjustifiable and strictly forbidden to kill innocents and launch terrorist attacks, it is not only poverty that produces terrorism, rather, it is also the feeling of injustice and despair over the biased US policy in the Middle East, and actually everywhere else in a unipolar world. It the systematic genocides committed everywhere against Muslims- in Bosnia and Palestine to mention but a few.
The seventh myth, that it is not true to repeat that Islam has been hijacked by terrorists, has to do with the pervious myth and allegations. UBL, ayatollahs in Iran, Taliban, the Saudi Wahabism- all are twisting religion to fit their political agenda and they are not an authority on Islam. A good Muslim is by definition a peaceful one. There are absolutely no verses in the Qura'n or hadiths that allows the killing of innocent people, and I challenge you to bring me some that says otherwise.
It is Muslims, not Islam, who are in a critical and hard situation. Thanks to imperial aggressions and long-time colonization, most of the Arab and Muslim countries are having economic and social ills. However, this is by no means an absolution of our own failures to catch up with the advanced world and should never be an excuse to our rulers who saddled their peoples with intolerable inequities and ceaseless tyranny.
It is true that an interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural communication should be based on honesty and openness, but this will not happen through misinformation and misrepresentation of facts concerning a religion that is not responsible for, and is not conforming to, the deeds of some of those who attributed themselves thereto.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
On Niqab
I was never a fan of facebook.com though I use it for some professional purposes, but recently, I was involved in a debate over niqab, or Muslim face veil. the following is a quickly written article I posted about niqab at a group on facebook created by some people calling for a ban on niqab. I may discuss the whole issue here on my blog, but not in the time being because I have had enough with it now.
"Always think in whatever you write or do. This is the message I want to drive home this time, and I hope the moderators of this group will get it this time. While the description of the group bears the provocative motto "No Penguins" followed by a witless outcry to ban niqab for irrelevant reasons, people here continue their oft-repeated phrase that they stand for moderation. The strange thing is that they contradict themselves by calling for moderation while demanding at the same time to ban a religious symbol that continued to exist in Egypt and other parts of the world for long time on the basis of subjective beliefs rather than well founded grounds.
While my two other posts focused on individual freedom and the freedom to a creed with all its manifestation, I will not focus here on that point as it also proved irrelevant to the people supporting a ban on something only because they don't like it, not because it contradicts to a social or religious norm, which should be the reason to think in calling to bring a ban on a certain thing, let alone a religious symbol.
Of all the posts here, no one of those supporting a ban on niqab provided a solid evidence of what they think the reason to take such a stand, except the only apparently reasonable reason put by a lady here who claims that Islam did not say that women should put it on and stating also that those who said it is fard or mandatory had no proof at all. She made her argument that niqab is ordered only for the Prophet's wives (Mothers of the believers as we are ordered to call them) and that it is not applicable to other Muslim women, wrongfully supporting such a claim by a verse which is taken out of the context and certainly not understood correctly. I refer her to these two links: http://islamweb.net/ver2/Library/BooksCategory.php?flag=1&bk_no=37&ID=123
http://www.shiaweb.org/books/zawjat_alnabi/pa4.html
If for some reasons you can not understand Arabic I promise I will translate the whole pages for you if you asked for.
While some Muslim scholars differed among themselves whether niqab is fard(mandatory) or not, no one ever broke the consensus that it is good and a virtue for women. Still think the need to call for such a ban in a Muslim society?
The reason I discussed the issue from a religious point of view is that those supporting the ban on niqab used it in their argument and I used that very argument to refute them.
To link niqab to extremism and radicalism is as hideous as linking Islam to terrorism which has nothing to do with the truth. I really feel sorry for my whole generation to defend such a Muslim symbol from an attack launched in the main by people counted as Muslims.
Moderation is not what we think is moderation; rather, it is what is established by religious and social norms to be so.
Should I speak to liberal minded, secular, or religious people? I really can't figure out what types of minds do people supporting such a ban and clamoring for moderation have.
Will there be some one who has the courage to admit that it was wrong to call for such a ban? Do you have the courage to admit openly you were wrong? And even if you don't think you are wrong, do you ever read opinions other than those you adhere to?
Read carefully before you post an answer please."
"Always think in whatever you write or do. This is the message I want to drive home this time, and I hope the moderators of this group will get it this time. While the description of the group bears the provocative motto "No Penguins" followed by a witless outcry to ban niqab for irrelevant reasons, people here continue their oft-repeated phrase that they stand for moderation. The strange thing is that they contradict themselves by calling for moderation while demanding at the same time to ban a religious symbol that continued to exist in Egypt and other parts of the world for long time on the basis of subjective beliefs rather than well founded grounds.
While my two other posts focused on individual freedom and the freedom to a creed with all its manifestation, I will not focus here on that point as it also proved irrelevant to the people supporting a ban on something only because they don't like it, not because it contradicts to a social or religious norm, which should be the reason to think in calling to bring a ban on a certain thing, let alone a religious symbol.
Of all the posts here, no one of those supporting a ban on niqab provided a solid evidence of what they think the reason to take such a stand, except the only apparently reasonable reason put by a lady here who claims that Islam did not say that women should put it on and stating also that those who said it is fard or mandatory had no proof at all. She made her argument that niqab is ordered only for the Prophet's wives (Mothers of the believers as we are ordered to call them) and that it is not applicable to other Muslim women, wrongfully supporting such a claim by a verse which is taken out of the context and certainly not understood correctly. I refer her to these two links: http://islamweb.net/ver2/Library/BooksCategory.php?flag=1&bk_no=37&ID=123
http://www.shiaweb.org/books/zawjat_alnabi/pa4.html
If for some reasons you can not understand Arabic I promise I will translate the whole pages for you if you asked for.
While some Muslim scholars differed among themselves whether niqab is fard(mandatory) or not, no one ever broke the consensus that it is good and a virtue for women. Still think the need to call for such a ban in a Muslim society?
The reason I discussed the issue from a religious point of view is that those supporting the ban on niqab used it in their argument and I used that very argument to refute them.
To link niqab to extremism and radicalism is as hideous as linking Islam to terrorism which has nothing to do with the truth. I really feel sorry for my whole generation to defend such a Muslim symbol from an attack launched in the main by people counted as Muslims.
Moderation is not what we think is moderation; rather, it is what is established by religious and social norms to be so.
Should I speak to liberal minded, secular, or religious people? I really can't figure out what types of minds do people supporting such a ban and clamoring for moderation have.
Will there be some one who has the courage to admit that it was wrong to call for such a ban? Do you have the courage to admit openly you were wrong? And even if you don't think you are wrong, do you ever read opinions other than those you adhere to?
Read carefully before you post an answer please."
Monday, August 27, 2007
What Islam Is All About ?
I got this email long time ago from a friend of mine, and I think it can serve as a reference for any one interested in Islam. You can get to know the basics of Islam through some of the links listed here.
"This Message is for every inquiring and broad-minded human being. It is for every seeker of the truth who might have once wondered what the religion of Islam is all about? Who is Allah? What is the ultimate goal of man's existence? Or what happens after death? These questions and many others one may come across on certain occasions but brushed them aside for various reasons. Islam is indeed misunderstood and misrepresented in the West. 'This is hardly surprising' ,remarks the Frenchman, Dr. Maurice Bucaille, in the introduction to his book, The Bible, The Qur'an, and Science: 'If we consider the way so many generations in the West were instructed in the religious problems facing humanity and admit the ignorance in which they were kept in about anything related to Islam.'
Hence Islamic ideals remain obscure for the vast majority of non-Muslims. This Message does not attempt to answer all the questions you may have. It will open before you, however, a new dimension of thinking and will help you appreciate the importance of your role as a human being in this universe, and the relationship between you and your Creator, God Almighty Allah. It presents Islam to you concisely, and provides straightforward answers to many questions about Islam and its credentials.
You may start here http://discover.islamway.com/
especially these Audios (The Purpose of Life - Reasons of Becomming a Muslim )
or http://sultan.org/
or go directly to the videos --->
V i d e o s
Note: In each Video you have got the CD Quality Downloadable version of the video
followd by the google video streamable version to watch it online
Bilal Philips
The True Way of Life/Religion of Godhttp://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Bilal_Philips/Bilal%20Philips%20-%20The%20True%20Religion%20of%20God%20%5b300k%5d.mpg
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-7496991507660475917&hl=en
In Search of Peace
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Bilal_Philips/Bilal_Philips_in_India-In_Search_of_Peace_300kbps.mpg
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=999690101672857178&hl=en
More Videos by Shikh Bilal Philips
http://www.bilalphilips.com/bilal_pages.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=288
Yusuf Estes
In search of peace 2
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-in_search_of_peace_2_300k.mpg
(sorry couldn't find google video for this.)
Priests and Preachers Enter Islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes_in_India-Priests_and_Preachers_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1489047104871776788
Does Islam Equal Terrorism
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Does_Islam_Equal_Terrorism-Yusuf_Estes_in_India_300k.mpg
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf%20Estes%20-%20Does%20Islam%20Equal%20Terrorism%20QA%20%5b300k%5d.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3539132033695405747
Jesus In Islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-Jesus_In_Islam.wmv
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4757022845544241963
Jesus and the message
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-Jesus_and_the_message_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1035865114770309345
Building bridges between faiths
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-building_bridges_between_faiths_1_300k.mpg
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-building_bridges_between_faiths_2_300k.mpg
(sorry couldn't find google video for this.)
Clearing misconceptions
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-clearing_misconceptions_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8502813350415489073
Common sense of islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-common_sense_of_islam_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4306527867002555738
Muhammad A to Z
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-muhammad_az_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1357552157029002370
Women in Islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-women_in_islam_300k.mpg
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-women_in_islam_q_a_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5920175252140330826
Also Don't forget to have a look at YouTubeIslam
http://www.youtubeislam.com/video.php
and WatchIslam
http://www.watchislam.com
Read:
Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam http://www.islam-guide.com/islam-guide.pdf
Holy Quran (Translation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran in the English Language)
http://www.islamway.com/SF/quran/download.php?lang=en
French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Indonesia (http://www.islamway.com/SF/quran/ )
Note :
The Qur'an exists only in Arabic. Allah did not reveal its contents in any other language. Therefore no one can give literal translation of the meaning of any Ayah (verse) or Surah (chapter) of the Qur'an into any other language. The same applies, though to a lesser extent, also to the sayings of the man commissioned by Allah to interpret the Qur'an, namely, the Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Spread The Word
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided (Quran 16:125).
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. (Quran 1:256)
and Allah Knows The Best
"This Message is for every inquiring and broad-minded human being. It is for every seeker of the truth who might have once wondered what the religion of Islam is all about? Who is Allah? What is the ultimate goal of man's existence? Or what happens after death? These questions and many others one may come across on certain occasions but brushed them aside for various reasons. Islam is indeed misunderstood and misrepresented in the West. 'This is hardly surprising' ,remarks the Frenchman, Dr. Maurice Bucaille, in the introduction to his book, The Bible, The Qur'an, and Science: 'If we consider the way so many generations in the West were instructed in the religious problems facing humanity and admit the ignorance in which they were kept in about anything related to Islam.'
Hence Islamic ideals remain obscure for the vast majority of non-Muslims. This Message does not attempt to answer all the questions you may have. It will open before you, however, a new dimension of thinking and will help you appreciate the importance of your role as a human being in this universe, and the relationship between you and your Creator, God Almighty Allah. It presents Islam to you concisely, and provides straightforward answers to many questions about Islam and its credentials.
You may start here http://discover.islamway.com/
especially these Audios (The Purpose of Life - Reasons of Becomming a Muslim )
or http://sultan.org/
or go directly to the videos --->
V i d e o s
Note: In each Video you have got the CD Quality Downloadable version of the video
followd by the google video streamable version to watch it online
Bilal Philips
The True Way of Life/Religion of Godhttp://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Bilal_Philips/Bilal%20Philips%20-%20The%20True%20Religion%20of%20God%20%5b300k%5d.mpg
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-7496991507660475917&hl=en
In Search of Peace
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Bilal_Philips/Bilal_Philips_in_India-In_Search_of_Peace_300kbps.mpg
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=999690101672857178&hl=en
More Videos by Shikh Bilal Philips
http://www.bilalphilips.com/bilal_pages.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=288
Yusuf Estes
In search of peace 2
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-in_search_of_peace_2_300k.mpg
(sorry couldn't find google video for this.)
Priests and Preachers Enter Islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes_in_India-Priests_and_Preachers_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1489047104871776788
Does Islam Equal Terrorism
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Does_Islam_Equal_Terrorism-Yusuf_Estes_in_India_300k.mpg
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf%20Estes%20-%20Does%20Islam%20Equal%20Terrorism%20QA%20%5b300k%5d.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3539132033695405747
Jesus In Islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-Jesus_In_Islam.wmv
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4757022845544241963
Jesus and the message
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-Jesus_and_the_message_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1035865114770309345
Building bridges between faiths
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-building_bridges_between_faiths_1_300k.mpg
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-building_bridges_between_faiths_2_300k.mpg
(sorry couldn't find google video for this.)
Clearing misconceptions
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-clearing_misconceptions_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8502813350415489073
Common sense of islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-common_sense_of_islam_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4306527867002555738
Muhammad A to Z
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-muhammad_az_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1357552157029002370
Women in Islam
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-women_in_islam_300k.mpg
http://www.nooralanoor.com/mpeg/Yusuf_Estes/Yusuf_Estes-women_in_islam_q_a_300k.mpg
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5920175252140330826
Also Don't forget to have a look at YouTubeIslam
http://www.youtubeislam.com/video.php
and WatchIslam
http://www.watchislam.com
Read:
Brief Illustrated Guide To Understanding Islam http://www.islam-guide.com/islam-guide.pdf
Holy Quran (Translation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran in the English Language)
http://www.islamway.com/SF/quran/download.php?lang=en
French, German, Russian, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Indonesia (http://www.islamway.com/SF/quran/ )
Note :
The Qur'an exists only in Arabic. Allah did not reveal its contents in any other language. Therefore no one can give literal translation of the meaning of any Ayah (verse) or Surah (chapter) of the Qur'an into any other language. The same applies, though to a lesser extent, also to the sayings of the man commissioned by Allah to interpret the Qur'an, namely, the Prophet, Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Spread The Word
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided (Quran 16:125).
There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. (Quran 1:256)
and Allah Knows The Best
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Say Not Fie Unto Them
Ingratitude towards Parents, a modern day scourge that dismantles the very structure of family bonding, is the cause of many and almost all the troubles in these days, as it decays the core of the society and then the worst is to follow. We all read horrible stories about sons killing their parents almost everyday; matricide and parricide are common terms in news nowadays. And in the lesser form of ingratitude towards parents, though also a sin, we see young people abandoning their parents, in a time when they are in dire need to them. It is happening everywhere but especially in the West and the so called advanced countries. This is a problem that has been tackled thoroughly in Islam.
Allah says" Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them to attain old age with thee, say not "Fie" unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word" ( Noble Qur'an 17:23)
It should be an issue of paramount importance that it followed the capital sin in Islam, i.e. to worship other than Allah. The noble verse highlights the value of parents in Islam and the way sons should follow in dealing with their fathers. So, even a small word as fie, offf in the original Arabic text of the Noble Qur'an , must not be said to any of the parents.
It is guidance from Allah to all the human beings, a divine message that every one of any faith must follow. This is one of the reasons Islam is called a religion of high morals.
Not only Muslims must be pious and polite towards their parents, but also to financially support them if they needed and to take care of them using whatever means available to them.
Ingratitude towards parents is one of the sins that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) warned its doers of their doom both in this life and in the Hereafter.
Some would argue that not all Muslims are good to their parents, which is right, but this has nothing to do with the doctrine, and if people fall short of its application, that is not a blemish to such doctrine, but to the people who fail to abide by it.
Allah says" Thy Lord hath decreed, that ye worship none save Him, and (that ye show) kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them to attain old age with thee, say not "Fie" unto them nor repulse them, but speak unto them a gracious word" ( Noble Qur'an 17:23)
It should be an issue of paramount importance that it followed the capital sin in Islam, i.e. to worship other than Allah. The noble verse highlights the value of parents in Islam and the way sons should follow in dealing with their fathers. So, even a small word as fie, offf in the original Arabic text of the Noble Qur'an , must not be said to any of the parents.
It is guidance from Allah to all the human beings, a divine message that every one of any faith must follow. This is one of the reasons Islam is called a religion of high morals.
Not only Muslims must be pious and polite towards their parents, but also to financially support them if they needed and to take care of them using whatever means available to them.
Ingratitude towards parents is one of the sins that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) warned its doers of their doom both in this life and in the Hereafter.
Some would argue that not all Muslims are good to their parents, which is right, but this has nothing to do with the doctrine, and if people fall short of its application, that is not a blemish to such doctrine, but to the people who fail to abide by it.
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