If there has ever been a man who has been able to change the destiny of millions, it is none other than Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last prophet of Allah (God for some). Michael H. Hart, who wrote the book ‘100 most influential people in the world‘ in 1978, lists Prophet Muhammad at the top of his list because according to him Prophet Muhammad had done the most to influence the world.
Prophet Muhammad is often labelled as the "founder" of Islam, as if he wrote the Holy Quran himself and propagated a new religion. Whereas, the Qu’ran is a book from Allah, just like the earlier three holy scriptures, that is the Psalms, Torah and the Bible. Prophet Muhammad being totally illiterate could not have written a book like Quran and directed the men of Arabia to listen to the call of Allah and follow the religion of Islam exactly has Allah has commanded in the Holy Qu’ran. Even his own life became a living beacon for others to follow for Prophet Muhammad did not do any thing tangent to the commandments of Allah as contained in the Holy Qu’ran.
Although Prophet Muhammad was born in 571 AD, it was not until he was 40 when the first revelation of Quran came to him through Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) while the former was busy in prayers in solitude of cave of Hirah, some three miles from the then city of Makkah. and then for next 23 years he continued to receive the Heavenly revelations till the commandments finally ceased and the Holy Qu’ran was completed.
Since the first revelation of Qu’ran till this day, billions of people have converted to Islam and the conversion is picking up momentum all over the world. The commandments of Allah in the Quran and the living life of Prophet Muhammad has since become the way of life of the Muslims all over the world.
Although the men of letter and wisdom understand the truth in the prophet hood of Prophet Muhammad, many in the West or the Non Muslims are hesitant to call Prophet Muhammad as prophet or messenger of Allah, just like the earlier prophets like Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses, Ishaq, and Jesus (peace be upon them all), and better call him of founder of Islam rather than a Godly prophet.
Even Michael H. Hart in book ‘100 most influential people in the world‘, hesitates to call Prophet Muhammad a prophet of Allah and very cautiously makes his mention in his book:
Prophet Muhammad, Founder of Islam. Important religious, political and military leader who helped to unite Arabia under Islam. Whilst in seclusion in a mountain cave, Muhammad reported receiving a series of revelations from God; these revelations form the verses of the Qu’ran, regarded by Muslims as the “Word of God” and around which the Islamic religion is based.
From his first experiences in the cave, Muhammad reported receiving messages from God throughout his life. These messages form the Qu’ran – which to Muslims is the word of God. Muslims believe Muhammad to be the final prophet in a tradition stretching back to Moses, Abraham and Jesus.
Not only M H Hart, but many other Western and European writers, though Christian by faith, have written about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and proved many biased assertions wrong.
Barnaby Rogers on is one such writer who has written extensively on Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). His exhaustive "The Prophet Muhammad: A Biography" is wonderful book to be read for it has helped many non Muslims to accept Islam. Herein under are some excerpts from the his book:
The Prophet Muhammad is a hero for all mankind. In his lifetime he established a new religion, Islam; a new state, the first united Arabia; and a new literary language, the classical Arabic of the Qur'an, for the Qur'an is believed to be the word of God revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. A generation after his death he would be acknowledged as the founder of a world empire and a new civilization. Any one of these achievements would have been more than enough to permanently establish his genius. To our early twenty-first century minds, what is all the more astonishing is that he also managed to stay true to himself and retained to his last days the humility, courtesy and humanity that he had learned as an orphan shepherd boy in central Arabia. (Source)
This is just the introduction to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In coming posts we will give details on Him right from his birth, the dawn of prophet hood and the life under prophet hood.
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One of the only woman mentioned in the Holy Quran by name is Maryam (Mary), mother of Prophet Eesa (Jesus). And her mention is found in many chapters of the Holy Quran to talk of her chastity and describe how as virgin and untouched by any man she gave birth to a prophet to dispel any doubts that have arisen about the birth of her son. Not only that mention of Maryam is made in various chapters, a special chapter is dedicated by name to Maryam (Surah Al Maryam) besides mention of her family (Surah Al Imran) beside her mention in Surah Al Nuh.
Since Allah has specially mentioned the purity and chastity of Maryam, Muslims respect Maryam as the mother of a prophet and one of the few exalted women in the religions of Allah:
Allah Almighty praised her and described her as being pure and chaste; Allah Almighty Says (what means): {And [the example of] Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity, so We blew into [her garment] through Our angel [i.e. Gabriel], and she believed in the words of her Lord and His scriptures and was of the devoutly obedient.} [Quran 66:12]
Maryam's mother Hannah (Anne) was a pious woman but childless. So she prayed to God to be blessed with an offspring. And when Allah listened to and honoured her request, she made a request in utter distress:
Behold! a woman of 'Imran said: "O my Lord! I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb for Thy special service: So accept this of me: For Thou hearest and knowest all things." (Surah Al-Imran, 35)
However, she expected a boy to be born to her as a tiding to this effect was given to her. But when she delivered the baby, it was a female, later called Maryam. Though feeling happy to have become mother, she still "complained" to Allah for she expected a boy to be born to her:
"My Lord, I have delivered a female." And Allah was most knowing of what she delivered, "And the male is not like the female. And I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah ]." (Surah Al-Imran, 36)
And thus Maryam grew up in purity and grace and was given to Prophet Zackariah (peace be upon him) to be raised and reared in pure and religious environment. Here it me be mentioned that Prophet Zackariah was the husband of Hannah's sister who later gave birth to Prophet Yahya (peace be upon him) in equally peculiar circumstances as of Hannah.
Maryam lived in seclusion but Allah protected her and provided her with means of sustenance, which even surprised Prophet Zackariah who whenever visited her in her chamber found fresh fruits and eatables. He once asked:
"O Mary! Whence (comes) this to you?" She said: "From Allah.for Allah Provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure." (Surah Al-Imran, 37)
And then Holy Quran mentions the special circumstances in which Maryam was impregnated and delivered Prophet Eesa. Read the following selected verses when Angel Jibraeel (Gabriel) visited her chamber and gave her the tidings of a son being born to her.
When the angel Gabriel approached her, she was frightened as she was all alone in her chamber and no man had ever visted her except for Prophet Zackriah:
She said, "Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, [so leave me], if you should be fearing of Allah ." (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:18)Behold! the angel said: "O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee- chosen thee above the women of all nations. (Surah Al-Imran, 42)"O Mary! worship Thy Lord devoutly: Prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down." (Surah Al-Imran, 43)Behold! the angels said: "O Maryam! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah. (Surah Al-Imran, 45)
The Angel Gabriel said:
He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you [news of] a pure boy." (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:18)
Maryam replied:
"How can I have a boy while no man has touched me and I have not been unchaste?" (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:20)
Angel Gabriel said:
"Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, and We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter [already] decreed.' " (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:21)
And so she conceived by the will of Allah and a baby boy was born to her. When she came out of her chamber and went to her people, they were definitely surprised and aghast for they knew of Maryam's piety and that fact that she received no visitation in her chamber.
They said, "O Maryam, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented." (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:27)O sister of (Prophet) Haroon (Aaron), your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste." (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:28
So she pointed to him.
They said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle a child?" (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:29)
And then newly born Eesa spoke up and said:
[Eesa] said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah . He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet. (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:30)And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive. And [made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant. (Al Quran Surah Noah, 19:31-32)
This is how the birth of Prophet Eesa (peace be upon him) happened. The peculiar circumstances gave birth to many controversies as Christians consider Jesus as son of God for he was born to a virgin on commandant from God and they thus consider God as the father. We take a break here and the remaining account of Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) will be written separately under the part of Prophets.
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The end of month of Sha'ban, the new moon ushers in the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the Islamic calendar and the beginning of the 30 days long month of fasting and self-reflection for the Muslims all over the world. It is the month in which Al Qur'an, the fourth and the last Divine Scripture was revealed unto Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
We extend our heartiest congratulations to all Muslims who by virtue of fasting during this holy month will not only perform an obligatory and one of the important of five pillars of Islam, but will be blessed with countless bounties from the Allah Almighty as a reward for abstaining from food and drinks and marital relations from dawn to dusk.
While fasting is obligatory on able bodied and healthy Muslims, be men or women, Allah does not intend to overburden those who do not have the power to fast or are in travel:
“But if any of you is ill or on a journey, the same number (should be made up from other days” {Qur'an, Surat al-Baqarah 2: Verse 184}
“And as for those who can fast with difficulty, (e.g. an old man), they have (a choice either to fast or) to feed a poor person for every day” {Qur'an, Surat al-Baqarah 2: Verse 184}
And yet: Lo! Muslim men and women (who submit to Allah), and men who believe and women who believe, and men who obey and women who obey, and men who speak the truth and women who speak the truth, and men who persevere (in righteousness) and women who persevere, and men who are humble and women who are humble, and men who give alms and women who give alms, and men who fast and women who fast, and men who guard their modesty and women who guard (their modesty), and men who remember Allah much and women who remember - Allah hath prepared for them forgiveness and a vast reward. (Qur'an, Surah Al Ahzab 33:35)
During this blessed month, one must find time and devote it to learning Islam better and strengthening one's faith. Some of the activities devout Muslims recommend are as under:
Remembering of Allah during daily chores like driving, walking, cooking or working.
Recite or listen to Qur’an recitation and read explanation.
Listen to lectures of renowned scholars by attending specially arranged sittings during the month of Ramadan.
Pray tarawieh, special Ramadan prayers in the masjids after the Isha - the night prayer and the last of the five prayers of the day.
Try to be nice, pleasing, kind and generous during this month. However, this does not mean after this month is over, one should become disrespectful and discourteous. In fact this month teaches us restraint from evil and urge us to inculcate into our souls for the remaining part of our lives.
Make arrangements for opening of fast of the poor by arranging rations and cooked food for th needy.
Offer special prayers and dua for the parents, friends, and relatives who are no more for their forgiveness.
Those who can write, must write about beauty and truth of Islam so that even Non Muslims read the best of Islam and draw healthy inferences.
May Allah’s immaculate grace and exceptional wisdom conquer lives of all Muslims as we celebrate this holy month of Ramadan. Have a blessed and peaceful Ramadan!
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Prophets Zackariah and Yahya (John, peace be upon them both) are amongst the prominent from the lineage of Prophets Ibraheem (Abraham), his son Ishaq (Isaac), Yaqoob (Jacob), Dawood (David) and Suleiman (Solomon). Their mention is found in the holy scriptures Torah and later in all following holy scriptures including the Bible and Holy Qur'an.
Like many unprecedented miracles and events, the birth of Prophet Yahya to Prophet Zackariah is unique as Prophet Zackariah was blessed with a son at a very later age, around 100 years to his barren wife. Prophet Zackariah was a God fearing man and always invited his people to follow the path shown by none other than one Allah (God) and be righteous in their dealings.
Reaching the old age, he feared that after his death, his people might go astray and no one would remember his teachings and forget praying to Allah. So he earnestly wanted a son to carry on with his prophet-hood and continue to enlighten the hearts of his people. His prayers were thus answered and a son whose name was to be Yahya as decide by Allah, for before his birth the name Yahya never existed, was born to him.
The mention of these two early prophets is mentioned in Al Qur'an Surah Al Maryam, 9:2-14 as under:
2: [This is] a mention of the mercy of your Lord to His servant Zackariah, 3: When he called to his Lord a private supplication. 4: He said, "My Lord, indeed my bones have weakened, and my head has filled with white, and never have I been in my supplication to You, my Lord, unhappy. 5: And indeed, I fear the successors after me, and my wife has been barren, so give me from Yourself an heir. 6: Who will inherit me and inherit from the family of Yaqoob (Jacob). And make him, my Lord, pleasing [to You]." 7: [He was told], "O Zackariah, indeed We give you good tidings of a boy whose name will be Yahya (John). We have not assigned to any before [this] name." 8: He said, "My Lord, how will I have a boy when my wife has been barren and I have reached extreme old age?" 9: [An angel] said, "Thus [it will be]; your Lord says, 'It is easy for Me, for I created you before, while you were nothing.' " 10: [Zackariah] said, "My Lord, make for me a sign." He said, "Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three nights, [being] sound." 11: So he came out to his people from the prayer chamber and signaled to them to exalt [ Allah ] in the morning and afternoon. 12: [ Allah ] said, "O Yahya, take the Scripture with determination." And We gave him judgment [while yet] a boy 13: And affection from Us and purity, and he was fearing of Allah 14: And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a disobedient tyrant.
This is all about both the prophets as mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Prophet Yahya continued to preach just like his father for as long as he lived.
Prophet Yahya is buried in the the Prophet Yahya Masjid, Jamia Nabi Yahya, is located in the village of Sebastia, near Nablus, Syria. It is located in the central square of the village. There are six burial niches here, among them are tombs traditionally identified as the burial places of Elisha, Obadiah, and Yahya. It is believed that the masjid stands at the place where Prophet Yahya's body was buried by his followers.
A church was erected on the spot of the tomb during the Byzantine era and then superseded by a Crusader-built church in 1160. It was transformed into a masjid by Saladin in 1187, although some sources say it was converted by the Mamlooks in 1261, later restored and mostly rebuilt during the 19th century while Palestine was under Ottoman rule. Watch the video below showing the Prophet Yahya Masjid and his burial chamber inside the masjid:
In Torah and Bible, the mention of both the prophets is also found in the older scriptures of Torah and Bible in more details, wherein Prophet Yahya is mentioned as John, the baptist.
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This is the second post on the subject of how Islam differs from other religions and faith. In fact this post was to be more specific on many issues, but while searching for queries that non Muslims have and their view point about Islam, I came across some concerns which I thought I must talk out first before proceeding on certain specifics.
This concern is about outright negation of religion of Islam. A comment caught my eye which said that this man made religion, pointing towards the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is nothing but based on illogical framework, which could only a many could write. Well this is something which I took seriously as we as Muslims believe in all holy scriptures before the Holy Quran and respect all prophets and messengers of Allah sent before the last of the prophets Muhammad (peace be upon him).
And this notion is not new as prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had confronted with the same opposition at the time of his revealing the word of Allah as revealed unto him more than 1400 years ago. And this sometimes dejected the prophet of Allah. and it were these times, when Allah revealed His assurance and condolence to his prophet:
[But] those who have disbelieved say, "You are not a messenger." Say, "Sufficient is Allah as Witness between me and you, and [the witness of] whoever has knowledge of the Scripture - (Qur'an Surah Ar Ra'ad 13:43)
"O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger to make clear to you [the religion] after a period [of suspension] of messengers, lest you say, "There came not to us any bringer of good tidings or a warner." But there has come to you a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And Allah is over all things competent." (Qur'an Surah Al Madinah 5:19)
And now note this:
"And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic." (Qur'an, Surah As-Saf 61:6)
Those who label Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to have written Qur'an himself, it may be added that that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was totally illiterate and expecting someone who did not know how to read and write coming up with such soul searching verses as contained in the Holy Qur'an is simply unbelievable. There had to be some divine power which was author of such scripture, the same way the earlier scriptures were revealed by Allah on earlier messengers.
Yet again comes the concept of crucification of Prophet Eesa (Jesus, may peace be upon him). I have already written a separate post on the issue. But a few words here again. While followers of Bible believe that the Christ was actually crucified and was then lifted up by the God on the third day, we as Muslims believe that it was not Prophet Eesa who was crucified but someone who resembled him as clearly narrated in the Qur'an:
"That they said [in boast], 'We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah'; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no [certain] knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not." (Surah An Nisah 4:157)
On this negation, I have read many comments by the followers of the Bible who say that if we accept what Islam says about non-crucification of Christ, the whole central idea of Christianity would collapse.
And this is exactly the case. Every holy scripture has been an update on the previous scriptures and Allah has revealed his commandments slowly and gradually. What is contained in Bible about crucification is what people of the time "WITNESSED." They had no idea how Allah safeguarded his prophet from undergoing the agony of crucifixion and thus had someone else looking like Christ been crucified while Christ was taken up alive up in the heavens. For Allah, who has created this universe, the magnitude of which is far beyond our knowledge, replacing Prophet Eesa with someone who looked exactly like him that even his mother and friends could not feel the difference is something very easy and simple. Allah simply commands:
To be ("kun!" !كن), and it is (fa ya kūn فيكون)
"(Allah,) The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is." (Qur'an, Surah Al Baqara 2:117)
Does after reading the verse above from Holy Qur'an there remains a doubt in the endless powers of the Allah Almighty the creator of this universe to do things much beyond our comprehension? And it is this truth contained in the Holy Qur'an by virtue of which millions of followers of other faiths and religions have embraced Islam for they have found the enlightened path shown to them through commandments of Allah as contained in the Holy Qur'an revealed unto Prophet Muhammad.
Thus there is no harm in changing one's faith when one comes across the truth or an update on what we already know through the older scriptures - just like we have updates of our softwares everyday.
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My childhood was the time of comics and classics. In the absence of TV or any visual entertainment except for the cinemas, most of our free time was spent in reading comics and classics. It was through classics, I came across narrations of the Great Flood and Prophet Nuh (Noah), the destruction of the people of Prophet Lut (Lot) and the story of Prophet Eesa (Jesus), may peace be upon them all.
While reading the tragedy described of the crucification of Prophet Eesa, I was really appalled at the pain endured by the prophet and his later elevation from his grave. Feeling rather uneasy about the whole episode, I went to my father who was a man of wisdom and intellect and esquired as to why Allah (God to other religions) had His prophet undergone such tragedy and pain when he was crucified. The simple answer my father gave me was "Christ was never crucified!!" Seeing me still puzzled, he asked me to bring the copy of the Holy Quran with translation and then made me read the relevant verses about how Allah describes the event.
But before I present the view point of Muslims as presented in the Holy Quran, I would like to present the same event presented in the other holy scriptures, specially the Bible, which runs tangent to our belief as Muslims.
The crucification of Jesus is described in Wikipedia as:
According to the canonical gospels, Jesus, the Christ, was arrested and tried by the Sanhedrin, and then sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally crucified by the Romans. Jesus was stripped of his clothing and offered wine mixed with myrrh or gall to drink before being crucified. He was then hung between two convicted thieves and according to Mark's Gospel, died some six hours later. During this time, the soldiers affixed a sign to the top of the cross stating "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" which, according to the Gospel of John, was written in three languages. They then divided his garments among themselves and cast lots for his seamless robe, according to the Gospel of John. After Jesus' death, according to the Gospel of John one soldier pierced his side with a spear to be certain that he had died.
In Matthew 27:32-56 New International Version (NIV), the crucification is described as under:
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is Jesus, the king of the Jews.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At another place, it is quoted: Jesus cried, "Father! Into your hands I commit my spirit!" and He died (Luke 23:46)
Now I come to the event of crucification as it appears in the Holy Quran:
"That they said [in boast], 'We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah'; but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but so it was made to appear to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no [certain] knowledge, but only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not." (Surah An Nisah 4:157)
In view of the above reference, the Muslims believe that the Prophet Eesa was raised to Heaven without being put on the cross, and what onlookers saw on the cross was someone who resembled Prophet Eesa. Muslims thus believe that Prophet Eesa is alive up in the heavens and will descend to earth in final End Days to put the misled back on Allah's path before the world comes to an end.
"Behold! Allah said: 'O Eesa! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and clear thee [of the falsehoods] of those who blaspheme; I will make those who follow thee superior to those who reject faith, to the Day of Resurrection: Then shall ye all return unto me, and I will judge between you of the matters wherein ye dispute." (Surah 3:55)
From the above two view points as mentioned in Bible and Quran, the followers of the Bible question Quran and object to the Quranic "conjectures": As per Christians claims the "death" of Jesus has not only been recorded in all four Gospels and other New Testament books, but was mentioned in historical documents from ancient times such as Josephus and Tacitus. In the presence of such credible documents, it is impossible for the mother and friends of Jesus to have not recognized To believe Jesus was not the person on the cross is to suggest that His closest followers and own mother did not recognize Him, nor did those who put Jesus to death.
Just as thew birth of Prophet Eesa was a miracle, likewise it was not difficult for Allah to replicate his body with someone else looking exactly like him that even his own mother and friends had no iota of doubt that the man crucified was none other than Jesus. And his not being crucified is enough proof that Allah DID NOT FORSAKE HIM as has been mentioned in the Mathews referred above.
These are two views expressed in Bible and Quran about crucification or otherwise of Prophet Eesa (Jesus). It is only for the wise to interpret what has been the actual truth.
Studying religions is always interesting for it is through studying the differences between religions, one can make a decision to stick to one's own beliefs and religion or make up one's mind to convert to a religion which overrides others in its essences and practicality.
My great grandfather was an ordinary man, yet he had a mind with full of question. Born Muslim, he thought he needed to know why should he continue to follow his faith which he has been practicing since his birth or what his family members believed in. So one day, in his prime youth, he left his house to live with Hindu sadhus, Christians, Zoroastrians and even Jews. He spent good about five years of his life in search of truth while men of his youth were marrying and raising children. He traveled thousands of miles interacting with people of other religions to find answers.
And then one day, when his family had lost all hopes of his return, he came back in a miserable condition due to excessive traveling but with an enlightened mind - he had the right answers to what he has been looking for - Islam was the religion which not only is a religion but a complete way of life. And then he preached the practical Islam to people of his village and those who came to him for seeking answers he once himself had.
All religions teach men to be clean, free of bigotry, hatred and enmity. No religion supports adultry, lies and talking ill of others in their absence. All religions talk of some divine power 'up there' but are not sure of its true definition. Even in Christianity, there is a confusion as to what God is - is it one entitiy or a combination of trinity.
Unlike all religions, Islam gives practical answers to every query one may have provided one is prepared to receive answers tangent to one's belief. The Holy Quran, the last of the Holy Scriptures after Pslams, Torah and Bible, gives out the code of conduct for the entire wordly life and of life hereafter to its followers. Unlike many other religions where the religious men detach themselves from the socitiey and enshrine them in places of worship, Islam is for ordinary peopel - living and raisning familes, working to earn bread and butter for self and family and at the same time praying and preaching.
In Islam, all men are equal and all fundamental rights of individual as well as of society have been clearly spelt out and no one is allowed to temper these. There is an ongoing wave in the Western societies, where there is a rise in rate of non Muslims converting to Islam, to cope up with a concept of secular Islam. That is to say being a Muslim, one looks like a non Muslim in how he lives and how he unfolds his Islamic aspirations. That is to say the West's concept of a secular Islam.
But here Islam differs from other regions. Since Allah, the One and the Almighty, has elaborated the concept of Islam in very clear and easy to understand terms, anyone who digresses from these teachings no more remain a practicing Muslim, for unless a man believes and practices what is been given to him from Allah, life cannot be lived as a true Muslim.
There are many who coerce Muslims to drink and eat pork for everyone else does, despite the fact that all Godly religions prohibit these. Now if some Muslim does it, he is deemed to have disobeyed his creator, Allah the Almighty. Likewise adultery and sex outside marital bonds has become a norm all over the word. Even is some countries man and woman live with the marital bond and have children and then decide to marry or walk their separate ways. This is in fact collapse of the moral fiber of the society and an easy way to escape the responsibility of raising and owning a family and having legitimate children.
Thus Islam lays down responsibilities and guardianship over everyone so that everyone is respected, honoured and accounted for:
“Everyone of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects and responsible for them; a husband is a guardian of his family and is responsible for it; a lady is a guardian of her husband’s house and is responsible for it, and a servant is a guardian of his master’s property and is responsible for it.”
This is just the introduction - we will continue to talk about the subject in our coming posts.
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Prohibition of pork or pig / swine's flesh in Islam is taken as something strange by the non Muslims as they find it no harm to eat it in abundance without ever knowing its prohibition not by Islam alone but all other religions who received prophets and messengers with heavenly scriptures. Now that is a different thing that following religion in its true letter and spirit is dwindling due to liberal view of life and setting aside commandments of the Allah Almighty, God to other religions.
As a Muslim, I know foe sure it has been forbidden by Allah for Muslims to consume pork in any measure as it is strictly forbidden.
[So] O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to God if it is [indeed] Him that you worship. He has only forbidden to you the flesh of swine, dead animals, blood, and that which has been dedicated to other than God. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him. Indeed, God is Forgiving and Merciful. Surah Al Baqarah 2:172 - 173
And isn't this commandment enough to desist from eating pork? Remember when Allah forbade Adam (and Eve) not to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree. And when they did, how the wrath and anger of Allah befell on them and they were expelled from the Heavens. So going by the same logic, if Allah forbids eating of pork, it should be taken in the same spirit and desisted from under any circumstances.
Although the swine or the pig is from the goat family with divided hoof, it is the only animal which has been forbidden to eat by the Muslims. But is it only Quran that carries such commandment from Allah or other heavenly scriptures like Torah and Bible too have commandments from Allah as regard prohibition of pork? I had to look around and came across references from Torah and Bible to this effect, substantiating the similar commandment from Allah in the Holy Quran:
"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. 8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you." Leviticus 11:7-8
"And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass." Deuteronomy 14:8
“Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you.” [Leviticus 11:7-8]
In Bible, an incident has been quoted wherein Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) sent demeans or evil spirits to a herd of pigs - this rises no doubt as an unclean and detestable animal was chosen for evil spirits.
Here this incident is quoted in Matthews 8:28-34:
When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding.The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.
Now a question arises why Allah has forbidden pork specifically and we know that no Heavenly Commandment can be without any reason. Allah has given his knowledge and wisdom to find the why of this prohibition. I looked around on the INTERNET to find out the reason why and here is a gist of my findings:
Pigs are known to be unclean and "unethical animals.' For they show cannibalistic behaviors by eating carrion, their own dead carcasses as well as consuming food scraps, insects and their own fecal matter. Pigs are even known to kill and eat their own young.
Pork contains more fats than other meats. Therefore, people who are fond of pork are more obese than others. Cholesterol is higher in their blood thus making them more prone to asthereosclerosis cardiovascular accidents and sudden death.
The pigs lack sweet glands that allow flushing out the poison in the blood stream. Thus these poisons get enriched into pork and thus harms human health.
Pigs harbor large concentrations of viruses and parasites because of their scavenger lifestyle. These pathogenic organisms create dangerous health complications. Pigs are the primary hosts or carriers of viruses and parasites like Menangle virus, Hepatitis E virus (HEV), Nipah virus, Taenia solium tapeworm and PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) which are known to cause gastrointestinal stress leading to fever and possibly a fatal infection
Pork is also held responsible for the onset of damamagiong and dangerous diseases like Hepatitis E, , Liver Cancer and Cirrhosis Multiple Sclerosis and Yersinia
There is so much material available that gives an insight into the harmful effects of pork. The Holy commandment from Allah has not been a mere warning - the wisdom and research in science has given the answer. It is for us to know that Allah does not forbid man of any of its gifts. While Allah's commandment is enough for the believers to desist from eating pork, science gives answers for those with weak conviction and faith.
Listen to a learned Islamic scholar on prohibition of pork:
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Awhile ago I read a Christian brother remarking that the God of Christians is different from the Allah (Arabic translation of the word God). This really amazed me as we as Muslims always believe that there is only one Allah (or God) who created this entire universe and sent a large number of prophets starting from Prophet Adam, followed by Prophets Lut, Moses, David, Jesus and finally prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all) and also revealed His four holy books to prophets David, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).
However when I finally read about the Trinity, did the true meaning of a God being different from Allah dawned on me. And the genesis of this notion commences with the birth of Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him).
The birth of Prophet Eesa (Jesus) is a unique event in the lineage of prophets and messengers of Allah. While the details of the events leading to the birth of Prophet Eesa (peace be upon him) is being shared separately in the series of posts under the prophets and messengers of Allah, here the concept of Trinity arising out of extraordinary birth of Prophet Eesa by virgin Mariam (Mary) seems to have given the concept of Trinity: The Father, the Son and the Holy spirit.
The Trinity thus becomes another contradiction between Bible and Quran. Here we present the issue as narrated in Bible and Quran.
The concept of Trinity is quite complex to understand as it embodies one God in three persons. Herein under the concept of Trinity is described in the Wikipedia with references from the Christian holy scriptures:
As per the Christian faith, the Trinity holds that God is three con-substantial persons or hypostases — the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit—as "one God in three Divine Persons". The three Persons are distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature" (homoousios). In this context, a "nature" is what one is, whereas a "person" is who one is. Sometimes differing views are referred to as nontrinitarian.
According to this central mystery of most Christian faiths, there is only one God in three Persons: while distinct from one another in their relations of origin (as the Fourth Council of the Lateran declared, "it is the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds") and in their relations with one another, they are stated to be one in all else, co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial, and each is God, whole and entire.
In many holy scriptures of Christians words to this effect appear:
"I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—Matthew 28:19
Luke 3:21-22 . . . when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, [22] and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” (cf. Mt 3:13-17)
Even Judaism traditionally maintains a tradition of monotheism to the exclusion of the possibility of a Trinity. In Judaism, God is understood to be the absolute one, indivisible, and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. The idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical — it is even considered by some polytheistic.
Contrary to the Christians belief of Trinity, Allah Almighty very categorically clarifies the notion so held:
“And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): ‘O 'Eesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: “Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?”’ He will say: ‘Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden (and unseen).
‘Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: “Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” And I was a witness over them while I dwelt among them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things." [Surah Al-Maa’idah 5:116-117]
As for the oneness of Allah, which is also admitted by Judaism, the Holy Quran very clearly mentions the notion of oneness of Allah, God to others:
"Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him." (Sura Al Ikhlas 112-1-4)
The above verses from Holy Quran clearly maintains that Allah neither begetteth not, nor is He begotten, negating the very notion that Prophet Jesus is son of Allah.
In Islam, Allah (God for all followers of heavenly religions), the ONENESS of Allah the Almighty takes precedence over everything. Therefore ascribing someone equal to or as partner of Allah is the greatest of all sins, called Shirk in Arabic meaning taking a partner. Allah therefore on many a places in the Holy Quran has asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to forewarn the people who equate someone with Allah:
“Then do not set up rivals unto Allah (in worship) while you know (that He Alone has the right to be worshiped).” (Al-Baqarah 2:22)
"And surely they disbelieved when they said: 'Christ, the son of Mary, is indeed God'; whereas Christ had said: 'Children of Israel! Serve Allah, Who is your Lord and my Lord.' Allah has forbidden Paradise to those who associate anything with Him in His divinity and their refuge shall be the Fire. No one will be able to help such wrong-doers." [Al Quran Surah Al Maidah Chapter 5: 72]
Allah begins this ayah by saying, “laqad kafara” meaning certainly they have disbelieved i.e. there’s no doubt they have committed kufr. Who are these people? These are the people who say that Allah is the Messiah or God is Messiah.
They made this claim in spite of the fact that Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) made it known that he was the servant of Allah and His Messenger. The first words that Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) uttered when he was still a baby in the cradle were:
“And verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him (Alone). That is the straight path.” [Surah Ale-Imran 3: ayah 51]
We see that Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) clearly conveyed the message that Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. He didn’t claim divinity. He didn’t demand the people to worship him, but Allah. In the ayah, the term “Rabb” has been used. Rabb denotes the Owner, Sustainer, Provider, Planner, and Creator. Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) was not a sustainer, provider, planner or creator. He was created himself. If he was the owner of the world, he would not have faced opposition when he came.
Whoever says Allah has a partner, He has a child or there’s someone else who should be worshipped along with Allah, such a person is not going to enter paradise. His entry into Jannah is forbidden. He will be sent to the Fire. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers. Shirk is the greatest injustice. Allah created us and we worship or obey someone else?
In this verse:
Allah clearly says that those people who believe in the divinity of Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) are not believers. The usage of “laqad” in the beginning of the ayah lays emphasis on the matter.
All the messengers of Allah brought the message of tawheed. They didn’t claim to worship themselves or someone other than Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala.
Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) has no share in “uloowiya” of Allah meaning he doesn’t deserve worship. He called himself Abdullah, a slave of Allah. Slaves are not worshipped.
If Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) doesn’t have divinity then the same rule applies to other messengers and pious people. If a Prophet of Allah doesn’t deserve worship then what about those lesser than him? Why do people go to graves and pray for intercession? Why do people prostrate graves, scholars or pious people?
Anyone who commits shirk will not enter Jannah. He will become the fuel for HellFire. Allah says in Surah an-Nisa Ayah 116, “Indeed, Allah does not forgive that you associate partners with Him, but He forgives other than that for whom He wills. And whoever associates partners with Allah, then surely he has lost the way, straying far away.”
It is recorded in the saheeh that the Prophet Muhammad (peace peace be upon him) had someone proclaim to the people,
“Only a Muslim soul shall enter Paradise.” Does that mean someone who claims to be Muslim only he will enter Paradise? No. But:
مُؤْمِنَة
Only a believing soul shall enter Jannah. This believing soul is a Muslim with the right faith and righteous deeds. This includes believers from the time of Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) and Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him). As long as anyone followed his messenger correctly he was on the right path. A Muslim is the one who submits to Allah and worships Him alone.
It is a mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala that He is informing us beforehand that these actions will lead to the HellFire. It is our responsibility to go out to the people who take Eesa to be Allah, those who worship graves, or those who prostrate to scholars and inform them that this is shirk. These actions will make them fuel for fire. If we don’t tell them then we are concealing the truth.
To quote from the very books of Christians, here are References:
Matt. iv. 10, where Christ rebukes Satan for desiring the worship of other than Allah: John xx. 17, where Christ says to Mary Magdalene, "Go unto my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father; and to my God and your God." Cf. also Luke xviii. 19, where Christ rebukes a certain ruler for calling him Good Master: "Why callest thou me good? None is good, save One, that is, Allah." In Mark xii. 25 Jesus says: "The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; the Lord our God is One Lord."
The verse 73 of Surah Al Maidah Chapter below strictly rejects the doctrine of Trinity:
( 73 ) They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three." And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment.
People who say Allah is one of three gods are committing kufr [disbelieve]. According to one belief, the other two gods are Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) and his mother Lady Mariam. And according to another belief, the other two gods are Prophet Eesa (Jesus, peace be upon him) and the Holy Spirit i.e. angel Jibreel ‘alayhi salaam.
The concept of Trinity is a much later fabrication in the Christianity and is utter false fabrication. If they die upon this then nothing can save them from the painful torment in the Hereafter.
In Surah al-Anbiya 21: Ayah 22, Allah says, “Had there been within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah, they both would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.”
The system of the earth, in itself asserts that there is only One God. Surah al-Muminoon 23: Ayah 91 says, “Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. (If there had been), then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is Allah above what they describe (concerning Him).” All these verses point towards one direction only: – Allah is the only God.
Therefore we as Muslims do not subscribe to the concept of Trinity nor take Prophet Jesus as son of Allah for Allah is far above these worldly relations. And believe in absolute oneness of Allah and believe that Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was a man just like others who was born naturally to his mother Mary, though in peculiar circumstances, and was a prophet of Allah, just like the complete lineage of prophets from Adm till Muhammad (may peace be upon them all).
You may like to watch a enlightening video by Dr Zakir A Naik, the prominent Muslim scholar on the subject of Trinity:
References: Surah Al Maidah [Part III] | Surah As Samad Chapter 112 | If you like Islam: My Ultimate Decision, and to keep yourself updated on all our latest posts to know more about Islam, follow us on Facebook
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In my earlier post on Bible and Quran, I have given an over view of the the Muslims' belief in all earlier prophets before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the three holy books revealed before the Holy Quran. There I have noted that while the narration of various historical events as mentioned in the earlier three holy books are similar to the same events mentioned in the Holy Quran, there appear to be some contradictions in the manner these have been mentioned. Thus in a series of posts from now, I will try to mention the contradictions between the Holy Bible and Holy Quran, based on the events so mention in the last holy book revealed on the mankind, the Holy Quran.
Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) and Eve and the Original Sin:
" Traditionally, the origin has been ascribed to the sin of the first man, Adam, who disobeyed God in eating the forbidden fruit (of knowledge of good and evil) and, in consequence, transmitted his sin and guilt by heredity to his descendants.
The doctrine has its basis in the Bible. Although the human condition (suffering, death, and a universal tendency toward sin) is accounted for by the story of the Fall of Adam in the early chapters of the book of Genesis, the Hebrew Scriptures say nothing about the transmission of hereditary sin to the entire human race. In the Gospels also there are no more than allusions to the notion of the Fall of Man and universal sin. The main scriptural affirmation of the doctrine is found in the writings of St. Paul and particularly in Romans 5:12–19, a difficult passage in which Paul establishes a parallelism between Adam and Christ, stating that whereas sin and death entered the world through Adam, grace and eternal life have come in greater abundance through Christ.
As per Christians, the Satan or the Iblees appeared in front of Eve in the form of a serpent and enticed to eat the forbidden fruit. According to the Genesis story, God rebuked Adam for what he did, but the latter put all the blame on Eve: [The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it] (Genesis 3:12)
When I was in my school days, I started a correspondence course on Bible to know something about it. And when talking of the Original Sin, I was told through the course that due to the sin committed by the Prophet Adam and his wife Eve of eating the forbidden fruit which revealed on to them the humanly desires of lust, the right and wrong (which were not to be among the angels and the duo), they were expelled from the heavens to earth and it from then on the man was to endure the hardships of labour to earn a living and a woman to bear the pain of child birth as a punishment of the sin so committed.
[I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you] (Genesis 3:16)
Now this is as far the Holy Bible goes and the Christians' faith in the original sin which necessitates baptism so that every newly born is cleansed of the sin which he is born with.
In the Holy Quran, while the description of the Prophet Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit as enticed by the Ibless (Satan) is not as elaborate as the Bible, however, there is no mention of the original sin. No sooner did the duo disobeyed the command given to them by their creator, Allah the Almighty, they felt ashamed of their act and asked forgiveness from Allah:
“Then they both ate of that tree, and so their private parts appeared to them, and they began to stick on themselves the leaves from Paradise for their covering. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray. Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness and gave him guidance.”(Quran 20:121-122)
The above reference from the Holy Quran clearly shows that through Allah Almighty did not like the act of disobedience from Prophet Adam and Eve, He forgave them and gave them guidance for their new home, our present world. Thus continuation of the Original Sin as described in the Bible has been contradicted. Even is tis mentioned in the Holy Quran:
“And no bearer of burdens shall bear another’s burden.” (Quran 35:18)
The above reference from the Holy Quran thus negates the notion of the Original Sin as it says that no one carries the burden of one's sins but he who committed it. And if they are forgiven by their creator, Allah the Almighty, then they become as clean and pure like a newly born child. Thus for us Muslims, the Holy Quran clearly tells us the purity of our newly born unlike the notion of children born with the original sin.
May Allah Almighty bless us knowledge and wisdom to interpret the Holy Books in the correct perspective and may not enslave us what has been written in the earlier books for each successive holy book was an update on the previous books as knowledge was passed on th the mankind in bits and pieces, slowly and gradually for us to digest with the new knowledge and wisdom we may have gained since the last revelation.
I will talk of the following two contradictions in my coming posts:
Birth of Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) and the concept of Trinity
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