Islamophobia and how to counter it

Islam is the fastest growing religion of the world and many ‘fear’ that a day may come that the total number Muslims may surpass the total number of majority Christian religion in many countries. This a fear is made to take its roots among the Christians that Islam is a threat and so stems the notion “Islamophobia,” which has now a root cause of religious intolerance because f which radical and anti-Islam groups are getting popular both overtly and covertly to “check” Islam from growing. 

In fact religious intolerance is gaining momentum in many countries to an extent that even the Jews have started to feel that their greater danger is not from the Muslims, but from the Christian white supremacy. Thus this religious intolerance which is gaining momentum the world over is creating a phobia which may not be as real or big as is being projected in media. A recent “terror’ attack in Melbourne Australia made Australia media crying Terror Islam.  And when many such attacks are made by white Christians, specially in the USA where it has almost become a norm, no one labels the white Christians as terrorist. In fact after each such white Christian attack, there always is a statement that the attacker had mental problems, was depressed or under the effect of some unimaginable disease.

In Britain, slapping, spitting and pushing of Muslims and subjecting them to terrifying racist attacks, specially females, is a routine to an extent that media takes no note of it. But even if one Muslim retaliates in self defence, the entire media becomes hysterical that the Muslim was in fact radical, just waiting for an excuse to burst out.

The anti-Muslim sentiments erupted in early 70s and then on to an extent that in a report by the Runnymede Trust's Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia (CBMI) entitled Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us All (1997)  which concluded that the "anti-Muslim prejudice had grown so considerably and so rapidly in recent years that a new item in the vocabulary was needed." And thus to the satisfaction of everyone and to round up the Muslims everywhere they could be found to be under the pretext of Islamophobia. 

And thus the use of the term Islamophobia has become common to express "dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force." But this is not the end as there many more terms used to express the same effects like anti-Muslimism, intolerance against Muslims, anti-Muslim prejudice, anti-Muslim bigotry, hatred of Muslims, anti-Islamism, Muslimophobia, demonization of Islam, or demonization of Muslims.

The intensity of Islamophobia have recently gained momentum, specially after the September 11 attacks in the USA, the rise of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and multiple terror attacks in Europe. Some even associate the rising fears due to increased presence of Muslims in the United States and in the European Union.

Now we all know and even the majority rationale thinkers know that the 9/11 attacks were engineered to find an excuse for the USA to move out and attack stable Muslim countries of Iraq and Libya and create such a chaos that for years altogether the presence of US and its allies' forces remain in the Middle East to ensure "peace and stability of the region" they themselves destabilized, and to expand their scope of operations further in the region. And now we see the clear manifestation of this agenda as Yemen and Syria are under a constant state of war and which has also allowed the other stake holders like Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia to settle their own scores and gains. 

The creation of ISIS to many is part of the manifestation which played a great role in projecting 'barbaric Islam' beheading Christians and even Muslims to instill fear of Islamophobia. When one sees videos of people being beheaded, this really scare them and thus an intrinsic hatred has been developed and whenever any radical Muslim takes a solitary action, this validates their game plan to tarnish the image of Islam, and allow the US and its allies stay in troubled region. 

Now how can we counter the effects of Islamophobia and help constitution of an atmosphere which is free from radicalization and allows non Muslims to feel at ease when in company of Muslims. To my mind here are some of the approach lines:

• First and foremost reaction to islamophobia should be humility, yet steadfastness in the face of toughest of opposition and hostility. We should not forget how our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was subject to horrible insults and hate crimes in his lifetime. He remained steadfast, patient and tolerant in the face of toughest of the opposition. Even when people of Taif stoned him and Angel Gabriel wanted a nod from the Prophet to destroy the entire community, the bleeding Prophet did not opt for the extreme action, for He was confidant that one day his opponents would understand the truth He was spreading. And so did it happen, and world witnessed it. So let us be prepared for the worst and with our steadfastness and conviction persuade those on the opposing end that Islam is a religion of peace and we as Muslims would never support any act of terror for it goes against our very basic ethos.
• All Muslims are not terrorists - but some terrorists are Muslims. This actually is the main thrust line we should discuss whenever we are confronting a hostile crowd. After all the young men killing own countrymen, specially in USA, does not mean that all Americans are lunatics or mentally sick.So why for the action of few radicals the who Muslim community or the religion of Islam be blamed.
• There is a misinformation being spread that Islam is a violent religion which encourages killing. This is simply outrageous. In fact Islam teaches that 'Whosoever kills a person ... it shall be as if he has killed all mankind.' So how can Islam promote terrorism and allow killing of the innocents.
• While islamophobia seems to be dominant anti Muslim sentiment, it may be noted that a very meager percentage of general public supports the notion. So we must find like minded people from other side of the fence and launch campaigns to show our unity with the society and dissociation with any acts of violence involving Muslims.
• We must stress that the hate game of religions, faith and races are one and the the same thing. The purpose behind each move is to disturb peace for the ulterior motives of a very minority. The United We Stand slogan to combat all acts of racism, antisemitism and Islamophobia must be professed and actively pursued.
• In fact we should use islamophobia same as antisemitism is used to hit back at the Jews. We Muslims too are sufferers of islamophobia the same way Jews are or for that matter people of any faith or region.
• We mus allow interfaith gatherings by opening our doors to people of other faiths so that they see for themselves how peaceful we profess our religion. In some countries, Muslims invite people of other faiths to join in on their religious days like Eid for inculcating and fostering love and understanding of each other.
• While doing so, we should also be on the look out for the hate preachers in our mosques and community centers and root them out before they pollute young innocent minds and instigate them for the fulfillment of their ulterior motives. 
• We must involve our local counselors and people who matter in community that they should support their Muslim community in fight against islamophobia. By involving them, we will have a better voice to be heard and understood appropriately.
• And last but not the least of course is to dispel the notion of Jihad. A least understood Islamic term, Jihad cannot be waged without the proclamation of the head of an Islamic country. ISIS and groups like these do not have moral and religious authority to kill people on the pretext of Jihad.  Remember, "The literal meaning of Jihad is struggle or effort, and it means much more than holy war. Muslims use the word Jihad to describe three different kinds of struggle: A believer's internal struggle to live out the Muslim faith as well as possible. The struggle to build a good Muslim society." And we should let others to understand this very clearly. It has become a fashion to think of war mongering no sooner the word jihad is heard. Anyone who is using jihad for own designs should be discouraged with firm hand so that he does not bring bad name to the community and religion as a whole.

All is not bad it seems. In a recent report, Muslim Advocates found 80 instances of 'clear anti-Muslim rhetoric' employed by political candidates in 2017 and 2018. And it is claimed that Anti-Muslim campaigning in the US is a 'losing strategy'.

So let us start right from this do on to fight the notion of islamophobia and present to the world a model that has been enshrined in the Holy Qur'an and as practically exhibited by our noble and revered Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

For more posts, please refer to our reference page: Islam and the rest of the World. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.

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Women Mentioned in the Holy Quran: Queen Sheba and the Prophet Solomon

Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon, peace be upon him) was one of the greatest kings and prophet of Allah who has been mentioned in all holy scriptures including the Holy Qur'an. He, despite being a very powerful king, has been very humble and feared Allah more than anyone else of his times. Beside many bounties, Allah had also blessed him the ability to understand the speech of animals, birds and insects even the ants. He also ruled over the unseen jinns and the human beings. 

There are many stories attributed to him, which we shall share in time, but in this post we share his ability to understand the birds and command the jinns as we describe the story of a powerful woman queen who ruled people of Sheba.

The Prophet Sulaiman held his meeting with all men, jinns, animals and birds every day. It so happened that one day he found that a hoopoe was missing. and from here on the verses 20-44 of Surah An Naml, the 27th surah / chapter of the Holy Qur'an narrates the entire story of how the Prophet Sulaiman came to know of the Queen of Sheba. However, it may be noted that in the Qur'an the name used is Saba, but we use name Sheba as it is known in other scriptures:

20. And he took attendance of the birds and said, "Why do I not see the hoopoe - or is he among the absent?21. I will surely punish him with a severe punishment or slaughter him unless he brings me clear authorization."22. But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, "I have encompassed [in knowledge] that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Saba with certain news.23. Indeed, I found [there] a woman ruling them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne.24. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan has made their deeds pleasing to them and averted them from [His] way, so they are not guided,25. [And] so they do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden within the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare -26. Allah; there is no God save Him, the Lord of the Tremendous Throne. 27. (Solomon) said: We shall see whether thou speaketh truth or whether thou art of the liars.28. Go with this my letter and throw it down unto them; then turn away and see what (answer) they return,

Prophet Sulaiman was a deeply religious man and was distressed that a whole people should be lost in worshiping the sun, rather than the One God who created it. Thus he sent a message to the Queen, inviting her and her people to worship Allah.

When the Queen received the letter from the all powerful King, she assembled her assembly of chieftains for consultation:

29. (The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.30. Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful;31. Exalt not yourselves against me, but come unto me as those who surrender.32. She said: O chieftains! Pronounce for me in my case. I decide no case till ye are present with me.33. They said: We are lords of might and lords of great prowess, but it is for thee to command; so consider what thou wilt command.34. She said: Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. Thus will they do.35. But lo! I am going to send a present unto them, and to see with what (answer) the messengers return.36. So when they came to Solomon, he said, "Do you provide me with wealth? But what Allah has given me is better than what He has given you. Rather, it is you who rejoice in your gift.

This verse is worth noticing  for one would find the difference between the answer of an all powerful king and a humble servant and God fearing prophet. In fact the reply is not meant to express pride and vanity. What it means to say is this: “I have no desire for your wealth; I only desire that you should believe, or at least submit to a righteous system. If you agree to neither of these alternatives, it is not possible for me to accept the bribes of wealth and leave you free in the matter of a polytheistic and wicked system of life. What my Lord has given me is enough for me to cherish any desire for your wealth.

37. Return unto them. We verily shall come unto them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from thence with shame, and they will be abased.

Thus the reply is plainly clear: “O messengers, take these gift back to the people who have sent you. They will either have to yield to our first proposal, i.e. they should come before us as Muslims, or we shall bring forces against them.”

The details of the story that have been omitted are to the effect. The envoys returned to the queen with the gift and made a report of what they had seen and heard. The queen decided on the basis of what she heard about the Prophet Sulaiman to make a visit to Jerusalem to see him personally. She left Saba for Palestine accompanied by her royal entourage and sent a message to Solomon’s court that she was coming to personally hear the invitation from the king and to have a direct talk with him. Here, the story is resumed from the time when the queen had reached near Jerusalem and was going to appear before Solomon (peace be upon him) in a day or two.

And when the queen accepted the invitation to come to his court, Prophet Sulaiman summoned one of his jinns to bring the queen;s throne before she reaches her court to show her his might:

38. He said: O chiefs! Which of you will bring me her throne before they come unto me, surrendering ?39. A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work.40. One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.

In the verse 40 above,  nothing is known with certainty as to who this person was, what special knowledge he had and what book is referred to here, the knowledge of which he had. No explanation of these things has been given either in the Quran or in any authentic Hadith. Some of the commentators say that it was an angel, others say that it was a man.  In any case the person was not from among the jinns, and possibly he was a man. He possessed some extraordinary knowledge, which had been derived from some Divine Book. The jinn had claimed to fetch the throne within a few hours by means of his physical strength; this man fetched it in a moment by the power of his knowledge. The words of the Quran are very clear in this regard. This person’s claim did not remain a claim like the jinn’s, but, in fact, as soon as he made the claim the throne was seen placed before the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) the next moment.

41. He said: Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will go aright or be of those not rightly guided.42. So, when she came, it was said (unto her): Is thy throne like this ? She said: (It is) as though it were the very one. And (Solomon said): We were given the knowledge before her and we had surrendered (to Allah).

This verse 43 below has been added by Allah to clarity the queen’s position, saying that she was not obdurate and stubborn. She had been an unbeliever till then mainly because she came of an unbelieving people. As she had become accustomed to bowing down before a false deity since her childhood, it had become a hindrance for her to the right way. As soon as she came in contact with the Prophet Sulaiman, she discerned the right way and the hindrance was removed forthwith.

43. What prevented her (from accepting the True Faith) was her worshiping deities other than Allah, for she belonged to an unbelieving people.

When the queen was asked to enter the palace, she tucked up her skirts, because she thought she had to pass through a pool of water. Prophet Sulaiman, not wishing to humiliate the queen, informed her that what she had mistaken for water was actually smooth slabs of glass which paved the courtyard.

44. It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.

This was the last thing, as explained in verse 44 above, that opened queen’s eyes:

• The first thing was Prophet Sulaiman’s letter that began with the name of the All-Compassionate, the All- Merciful Allah, a way different front the common custom prevalent among the kings. 
• The second was his rejection of her gifts, which made the queen understand that he was a different kind of king. 
• The third was the report made by the queen’s envoys from which she came to know about Solomon's pious life, his wisdom and his message of the truth. This very thing had induced her to travel to Jerusalem to personally meet the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him), and to this she had referred when she said: “and we had surrendered (to Allah)”. 
• The fourth thing was the removal of her throne from Marib to Jerusalem in no time, from which the queen realized that he had Allah’s power with him. Now this was the last thing that removed every doubt from her mind regarding the unique and great personality of the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him). 

When she saw that in spite of possessing every means of comfort and ease and a grand palace for a dwelling, he was so free from every conceit, so God-fearing and righteous and so grateful to God that he bowed before Him for every small favor and his life was so different from the life of those who were enamored of the world, she exclaimed the words "My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds."

This story of the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) and the queen of Sheba has been related in the Old and the New Testaments and the Israelite traditions in different ways, but the Quranic narration differs from all others. A resume of the story as given in the Old Testament [please read details in E.N. 50 at reference 1 given below]

The story mentioned in the Holy Qur'an thus teaches us that submitting to Allah is richer than silver or gold, and better than splendor or wealth. And this exactly what Prophet Sulaiman had in his mind when he decided to invite the Queen and her people to worship none other than one omnipotent Allah rather than the sun they worshiped.

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Surah At Taghabun (Mutual Loss and Gain): Summary of 64th Chapter of the Holy Quran

Sūrat at-Taghābun is part of the 28th Juz' / Part of the Holy Qur'an with 18 verses and 2 rukuh. And of the five agreed upon surahs that fall under the category of Al-Musabbihat (The Praisers, which are the surahs that declare Allah’s perfection) is the last surah. It  takes its name from the sentence Dhalika yaum-ut taghabun of verse 9. The theme of this Surah is an invitation to the Faith, obedience (to Allah) and the teaching of good morals.

The surah can be divided into three clear segments: First in which all men are addressed, Second in which Disbelievers are dealt with and the Third part which talks of people who listens to Allah's Divine call and believe in Him. Let us now read explanation of the Surah segmented into these three portions:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

The first four verses are addressed to all men, telling them that Allah alone is their Creator, Master, Ruler, and He has not made this universe without purpose and wisdom, that man has not been created and left irresponsible, so that he may act as he may please, and there should be nobody to call him to account, and that the Ruler of this universe is not a care-free and ignorant king so that he may have no knowledge of what is happening in his kingdom:

1. Whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is on the earth glorifies Allah. His is the dominion, and to Him belong all the praises and thanks, and He is Able to do all things.
2. He it is Who created you, then some of you are disbelievers and some of you are believers. And Allah is All-Seer of what you do.
3. He has created the heavens and the earth with truth, and He shaped you and made good your shapes, and to Him is the final Return.
4. He knows what is in the heavens and on earth, and He knows what you conceal and what you reveal. And Allah is the All-Knower of what is in the breasts (of men).

The verses 5-10 are addressed to those men, who do not believe in the invitation of the Qur'an. Right from the outset, the disbelievers have been asked that haven't they received the news of those, earlier than therm, who declined the Divine calling?  And it is made amply clear that the evil they tasted in the world in consequence of their misdeeds was neither the real punishment of their crimes nor the full punishment since a day is yet to come when everyone will taste the reward or otherwise of one's deeds. And that in historical events there is a sign which will show conclusively to the one who considers this deeply that the torment of the Hereafter is inevitable, as warned by the Messengers. One can also judge from this how terrible it will be. This knowledge will fill one with such fear that will keep him on the straight way:

5. Has not the news reached you of those who disbelieved afore time? And so they tasted the evil result of their disbelief, and theirs will be a painful torment.6. That was because there came to them their Messengers with clear proofs (signs), but they said: "Shall mere men guide us?" So they disbelieved and turned away (from the truth), and Allah was not in need (of them). And Allah is Rich (Free of all wants), Worthy of all praise.7. The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected (for the Account). Say (O Muhammad ): "Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy for Allah.8. Therefore, believe in Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad ), and in the Light (this Qur'an) which We have sent down. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do.9. (And remember) the Day when He will gather you (all) on the Day of Gathering, that will be the Day (to determine) mutual loss and gain (i.e. loss for the disbelievers as they will enter the Hell-fire and gain for the believers as they will enter Paradise). And whosoever believes in Allah and performs righteous good deeds, He will remit from him his sins, and will admit him to Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise) to dwell therein forever, that will be the great success.10. But those who disbelieved (in the Oneness of Allah - Islamic Monotheism) and denied Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), they will be the dwellers of the Fire, to dwell therein forever. And worst indeed is that destination.

From verses 11-18 onward, the discourse now turns to the believers. While reading this this last portion of the surah, one should keep in mind the fact that at the time when these verses were revealed. Muslims were passing through great hardships. After years of persecution at Makkah they had left their homes and emigrated to Madinah, where the sincere Muslims who had given them refuge had been doubly burdened, who have now been promised to gain double of what they have loaned to Allah by helping their brethren:

11. No misfortune ever befalls unless it be by Allah's leave. And whosoever has faith in Allah, Allah directs his heart along the Right Path. Allah has knowledge of everything.12.  Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger (Muhammad ), but if you turn away, then the duty of Our Messenger is only to convey (the Message) clearly.
13. Allah there is no god but He; in Allah should the believers put all their trust.14. O you who believe! Verily, among your wives and your children there are enemies for you (i.e. may stop you from the obedience of Allah), therefore beware of them! But if you pardon (them) and overlook, and forgive (their faults), then verily, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
15. Your wealth and your children are only a trial, whereas Allah! With Him is a great reward (Paradise).
16. So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much as you can; listen and obey; and spend in charity, that is better for yourselves. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, then they are the successful ones.
17. If you lend to Allah a goodly loan (i.e. spend in Allah's Cause) He will double it for you, and will forgive you. And Allah is Most Ready to appreciate and to reward, Most Forbearing,
18. All-Knower of the unseen and seen, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Sūrat at-Taghābun with English subtitles:

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of other chapters (Though not complete but building up from 30th Part backwards for chapters in 30th Part are shorter and easier to understand). 

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | Al-Musabbihat |
An effort has been made to gather explanation of the surahs of the Holy Qur'an from authentic souses and then present a least possible condensed explanation of the surah. However, those wanting detailed explanations and tafsir (exegesis), may refer to sites the references of which are given above.

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Short Stories from the Holy Quran: Abel, Cain and the Crow

All stories begin with "once upon a time" - but what about a story that was the first story of an incident that happened at the very beginning of mankind? Well, that is the story of the first two ever born sons of the Prophet Adam and his wife Eve: The story of Habeel and Qabeel, or as in English Abel and Cain.

The story has been part of all the Divine scriptures like Torah and Bible and by and large has the same substance. A story that tells man's intrinsic attributes of love, hatred, jealousy, guilt and remorse - a story that emphasizes the sanctity of human life.

Both the brothers were asked to offer up individual sacrifices to God; God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's; out of jealousy, Cain slew Abel - the first ever case of murder committed upon the Earth. In the Islam, Abel has been chronicled in history as one of the first believers and as the first ever martyr. Although Islam does not traditionally view Abel as a Prophet, some scholars speak of him as a prophet like his father. 

Herein under how the story of Abel and Cain has been mentioned in the fifth Surah / chapter of the Holy Qur'an, Surah al Maidah. This incident has been quoted in Surah Al Maidah right after an incident which has been mentioned wherein the Jews of Medina plotted against the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and wanted to kill him and invited him on a dinner. It was at the nick of the time that the heinous intentions were picked up and the Prophet of Allah did not go for the dinner.

The two sons of Adam were Habil (in the English Bible, Abel) and Qabil (in English, Cain). Cain was the elder, and Abel the younger, - the righteous and innocent one. Presuming on the right of the elder, Cain was puffed up with arrogance and jealousy, which led him to commit the crime of murder. Among the Christians, Cain was the type of the Jew as against Abel the Christian. The Jew tried to kill Jesus and exterminate the Christian. In the same way, as against Muhammad, the younger brother of the Semitic family, Cain was the type of the Old Testament and New Testament people, who tried to resist and kill Muhammad and put down his people.[4]

• 5: 27) And recite to them the story of Adam's two sons, in truth, when they both offered a sacrifice [to Allah], and it was accepted from one of them but was not accepted from the other. Said [the latter], "I will surely kill you." Said [the former], "Indeed, Allah only accepts from the righteous [who fear Him].
• 5:28) If you should raise your hand against me to kill me - I shall not raise my hand against you to kill you. Indeed, I fear Allah, Lord of the worlds.
• 5:29) Indeed I want you to obtain [thereby] my sin and your sin so you will be among the companions of the Fire. And that is the recompense of wrongdoers."
• 5:30) And his soul permitted to him the murder of his brother, so he killed him and became among the losers.
• 5:31) Then Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show him how to hide the disgrace of his brother. He said, "O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?" And he became regretful.

 Although no details have been given as to what prompted the two brothers to offer a sacrifice, but mentions from history as have been shared by the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reveal that Prophet Adam used to marry the son of a birth to the daughter of another Birth. Thus, it turned out to be so that the sister of Cain, who was to be married to Abel, was rather beautiful and Cain wanted to marry her instead, breaking the rule as set forth by their father. In order to decide the feud between the two, both offered a sacrifice with a view that one whose sacrifice is accepted will have the hand of the sister in dispute.

Abel, who was a shepherd, offered and well-fed lamb for the sacrifice, while Cain offered a few strands of his produce being a farmer. And as it turned out, the sacrifice of Abel was accepted, which was not accepted by Cain and in a scuffle, Cain killed Abel. Ashamed of his act, Cain did not what to do with the body of his slain brother and as per verse 5:31 quoted above, Allah sent a crow who flew near Cain and started to dig the earth to hide something it was carrying as to show to Cain how to carry out the burial of his brother. Seeing this, Cain lamented: O woe to me! Have I failed to be like this crow and hide the body of my brother?" And he became regretful.

The purpose of sharing the story of Abel and Cain in fact is a message for mankind. In fact, as per Islamic teachings, the murder of single soul in fact is tantamount to killing of the whole mankind. However, despite sending clear messages so that man can take a lead and desist from killing one's brethren, the man did not even spare prophets of Allah and many of them were slain when they tried to persuade their people to listen to the Divine commandments and follow the righteous path. In fact, more than the ordinaries, it was the prophets that were persecuted, mocked and even killed.

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Surahs of the Holy Quran Known as Al-Musabbihat "The Praisers"

Al-Musabbihat “The Praisers,” is the title given to those Surahs of the Qur’an, which begin with Subhana (Glory to), or Sabbaha (he glorified), or Sabbaha (he glorifies), Sabbih (glorify thou) and 'Yusabbihu'.

It is generally agreed that the following five surahs fall under the category of Al-Musabbihat:

• Al-Hadid (57th surah)
• Al-Hashr (59th surah)
• As-Saff (61st surah)
• Al-Jum'uah (62nd surah)
• At-Taghabun (64th surah)

Of the five surahs above, Surahs Al-Hadid, Al-Hashr and As-Saff commence with the past perfect tense 'sabbaha' "purity has been proclaimed" whilst the last two, namely Al-Jumu'ah and At-Taghabun commence with the imperfect tense yusabbihu [purity is proclaimed]. This implies that the purity of Allah should be declared at all times, the past, the present and the future.

However, some scholars also include the following two additional surahs in the same category of Al-Musabbihat:

• Al-Isra (17th surah)
• Al-Ala (87th surah)

It is oft quoted that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to recite Al-Musabbihat before he went to sleep and said: "Indeed there is an Ayah in them that is better than one thousand Ayat."
. 
There is however difference of opinion as to which surah the prophet of Allah had referred to. Herein under are different views:

• Ibn Kathir commented that this verse referred to is "He is the First and the Last, the Ascendant and the Intimate, and He is, of all things, Knowing." (Al-Hadid 57:3) [1]
• Abdu ‘l-Haqq says it is most probably either the last verse of the Suratu 1-Hashr ” He is Allah, the Pardoner, the Maker, the Fashioner! To him are ascribed excellent titles,” Or, the first verse of the Suratu ‘l-Hadid ” All that is in the Heavens and in the Earth praiseth Allah.” (Refrence Majma’u ‘l-Bihar, p. 86; Mishkat, book vii ch. i.) [2]

You may refer to our post "114 Chapters (Sūrahs) of the Holy Qur'an" for translation, meaning and summary of above surahs as appended in numerical ascendancy. also refer to our reference page: Understanding Qur'an.

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99 Attributes of Allah: Ar Rahman - Ar Raheem (The Most Gracious - The Most Merciful)

The very first verse of the Holy Qur'an (Surah Fateha, Chapter 1: verse 1) mentions two of the major attributes of Allah, Almighty:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"

These two attributes are then repeated in the Surah Fateha (verse 3) exclusively:

 الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

Since both attributes Ar Rahman and Ar Raheem are from the same family of words, these have come together for their very close and similar meanings and attributes of Allah. In simple explanation, Ar Rahman means "He who wills goodness and mercy for all His creatures" while Ar Raheem means "He who acts with extreme kindness."

Ar Rahman and Ar Raheem stem from the root r-h-m which has the following classical Arabic connotations:

• to have tenderness, gentleness, kindness
• to love
• to have mercy, to have pity
• to show favor and goodness
• to have all that is required for beneficence

The root r-h-m also indicates womb; meaning that which provides protection and nourishment, and that from which all of creation is brought into being.

Ar Rahman

Ar Rahman besides twice mentioned in Surah Fateha, appears nine times more in the Holy Qur'an. In fact one of the surahs is named Surah Ar Rahman (Chapter 55) which begins with this great attribute of Allah "Ar Rahman."

• Say (O Muhammad SAW): "Invoke Allah or invoke the Most Beneficent (Allah), by whatever name you invoke Him (it is the same), for to Him belong the Best Names. And offer your Salat (prayer) neither aloud nor in a low voice, but follow a way between. [17:110]
• Those (were) the ones whom Allah bestowed favor upon them from (among) the Prophets, of (the) offspring (of) Adam, and of those We carried with Nuh and of (the) offspring (of) Ibrahim and Israel and of (those) whom We guided and We chose. When were recited to them (the) Verses (of) the Most Gracious, they fell prostrating and weeping. [19:58]
• [The Prophet] has said, “My Lord, judge [between us] in truth. And our Lord is the Most Compassionate, the one whose help is sought against that which you describe.”[21:112]
• Surely it is from Sulayman, (Solomon) and surely it is in The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Ever-Merciful. [27:30]
• They will say, "O woe to us! Who has raised us up from our sleeping place?" [The reply will be], "This is what the Most Compassionate had promised, and the messengers told the truth." [36:52]
• Who feared the Most Gracious unseen and came with a heart returning [in repentance].[50:33]
• The Most Gracious [Surah Ar Rahman 55:1]
• He is Allah, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Most Gracious, the Especially Merciful. [59:22]
• The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows, they will not speak except for one whom the Most Gracious permits, and he will say what is correct.[78:38]

Thus the attribute of Ar Rahman conveys the idea of fullness and extensiveness, indicating the great quality of love and mercy which engulfs all of creation without any effort or request on our part. Al-Rahman is the Beneficent One whose endless outpouring of love and mercy are continually showered upon all of creation.

The Most Gracious has imparted this Qur’an unto man. He has created man: He has imparted unto him articulate thought and speech. At His behest the sun and the moon run their appointed courses; before Him prostrate themselves the stars and the trees. And the skies has He raised high, and has devised for all things a measure, so that you too, O men, might never transgress the measure of what is right: weight, therefore, your deeds with equity, and cut not the measure short! and the earth has He spread out for all living beings, with fruit thereon, and palm trees with sheathed clusters of dates, and grain growing tall on its stalks, and sweet-smelling plants. Which, then, of your Sustainer’s powers can you disavow? 

In short, Ar Rahman describes the quality of abounding Grace which is inherent in and inseparable from the Almighty.

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals, and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His Mercy. " (That is, He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that day)

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Ar Raheem

The second attribute of Allah is Ar Raheem, the Most Merciful. Ar Raheem conveys the idea of constant renewal and giving liberal reward to those who are deserving - the Merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested as that which is received as the consequence of one's deeds.

Ar Raheem is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an and many places as quoted under:

• And your god is one God. There is no deity [worthy of worship] except Him, the most gracious, the Especially Merciful. [2:163]
• Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." [3:31]
• And whoever emigrates for the cause of Allah will find on the earth many [alternative] locations and abundance. And whoever leaves his home as an emigrant to Allah and His Messenger and then death overtakes him - his reward has already become incumbent upon Allah . And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful. [4:100]
• Know that Allah is severe in penalty and that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. [5:98]
• And [Noah] said, "Embark therein; in the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful." [11:41]
• "And not I absolve myself. Indeed, the soul (is) a certain en joiner of evil, unless [that] bestows Mercy my Lord. Indeed, my Lord (is) Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [12:53]
• And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful. [26:9]
• In the victory of Allah . He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful. [30:5]
• [And] "Peace," a word from a Merciful Lord. [36:58]

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:  "Al-Rahman is the beneficent One whose love and mercy are manifested in the creation of the world, and al-Raheem is the merciful One whose love and mercy are manifested in the state that comes after" (AH), i.e as a consequence of the deeds of men. Thus the former is expressive of the utmost degree of love and generosity, the latter of unbounded and constant favor and mercy.

As per another explanation, Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem are two names derived from Ar-Rahmah (the mercy), but Rahman has more meanings that pertain to mercy than Ar-Raheem. There is a statement by Ibn Jarir that indicates that there is a consensus on this meaning. Further, Al-Qurtubi said, "The proof that these names are derived (from Ar-Rahmah), is what At-Tirmidhi recorded - and graded Sahih from `Abdur-Rahman bin `Awf that he heard the Messenger of Allah say:

(Allah the Exalted said, 'I Am Ar-Rahman. I created the Raham (womb, i.e. family relations) and derived a name for it from My Name. Hence, whoever keeps it, I will keep ties to him, and whoever severs it, I will sever ties with him.') He then said, "This is a text that indicates the derivation.'' He then said, "The Arabs denied the name Ar-Rahman, because of their ignorance about Allah and His attributes.''

Al-Qurtubi said, "It was said that both Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem have the same meaning, such as the words Nadman and Nadim, as Abu `Ubayd has stated. Abu `Ali Al-Farisi said, `Ar-Rahman, which is exclusively for Allah, is a name that encompasses every type of mercy that Allah has. Ar-Raheem is what effects the believers, for Allah said,

You may refer to our post "99 Attributes of Allah" for complete list of 99 attributes with meaning and explanations

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Christian Concept of Vicarious Atonement and Islam

Since descent of Adam and Eve from heavens to the earth, Allah has sent thousands of prophets and messengers for the guidance of the mankind and make them realize that a day would come when everything visible to the naked eye of the man will be destroyed and all dead will be resurrected to answer for their deeds. No prophet or messenger ever proclaimed that his death will save their followers from their sins as they took upon them their sins.

But in Christianity, there exists a belief called Vicarious Atonement which contends that "Jesus Christ took the place of mankind, suffering the penalty for sin." Atonement is term meaning “reconciliation” or “amends.” Vicarious means “done in place of or instead of someone else.” So, in literal terms, the Christian concept of “vicarious atonement” is that Jesus was substituted for humanity and punished for our faults in order to pay for the sins we had committed and reconcile us to God. Vicarious atonement is also referred to as “substitutionary atonement” or “penal substitution.”

This concept only exists in Christianity and no other religion ratifies this belief.

In Islam the very concept of Vicarious Atonement is alien for it means that it is Jesus and not Allah who has the right to justice. It is something that is simply not palatable. Jesus like any other prophet or messenger was a messenger of Allah, chosen to show the righteous path to his people. We in Islam believe the innocence of Prophet Eesa (Jesus Christ) and are averse to the notion that a sinless person could have been punished by All on behalf of the sins of his people.

Sin is not a tangible matter nor is it a liquid that is injectable into the body. Sin is either a thought or an action. You can’t punish crime without punishing the criminal. Sin is what a sinner does and it is the sinner who deserves the punishment. Allah doesn't punish murder, theft and fornication, rather He punishes murderers, thieves and fornicators. We shouldn't be treating sin as some type of abstract thing.

If one wants to clarify “well what we mean is that all sin must be accounted for and it was accounted for in punishing Jesus”. But Jesus was innocent and sinless according to Christian theology, hence how could he be “punished”? How could an innocent person be “punished” when the very word “punished” itself denotes that one is suffering a penalty for an offense that he committed? Innocents are not “punished”, rather they are made to suffer at times, but never “punished”. [3]

Secondly the very concept of Vicarious Atonement nullifies the concept of repentance and forgiveness. In Islam we believe that if someone commits a crimes and repents with his heart and soul, he has been assured of forgiveness by the Allah Almighty.

“Say: ‘O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.’” (Surah Surah Az-Zumar, 39:53-54)

Holy Qur'an which is the last revealed Divine scripture from Allah, after the Psalms, Torah and Bible, makes it very clear almost throughout the 114 surahs / chapter that Day of Resurrection is a reality, a day when all lying in graves will be raised and they would run towards the point of assembly in waves as locust to be questioned for the deeds. 

The sole purpose of cautioning man of the Day of resurrection and presenting the concept of reward and punishment is that while one lives, one must adhere to commandments of Allah and follow the righteous path. and even if one is diverted from the path subscribed by someone, the door of repentance is always open and one must seek forgiveness of Allah. But despite all guidelines if one still persists and continues to sin and involves himself in pleasures and forgets the benevolence of Allah, then fro such people there will be a day when their deeds will be presented before them and justice will be done. 

Herein under are some of the excerpts from the Holy Qur'an:

They will come out of the graves with downcast eyes like an expanding swarm of locusts. (Surah Al Qamar 54:7) 

On that day all sovereignty will belong to Allah: He will judge between them; then those who have faith and do righteous deeds will be in gardens of bliss, (Surah Al Hajj chapter 22 , verse 56) 

And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah . Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly. ( Surah Al Baqarah, chapter 2, verse 281) 

Do not these think that they shall be raised again, for a mighty day, the day on which men shall stand before the Lord of the worlds? (Surah Al Mutaffifin 83:4-6)

Verily We shall give life to the dead, and We record all that they send before and that they leave behind, and We have taken account of all things in a clear Book [of evidence]. (Surah Ya Seen, 36:12)

And to every soul will be paid in full of its deeds, and He knows best all that they do. (Surah Az Zumar 39:70)

The above four references amply make it clear that everyone who ever lived on this earth will be resurrected and questioned for one's deeds. And those whose deeds are heavier in good, will reside in Heavens forever. But those who lived their lives on earth in earthly leisure and pleasures and disregarded the message and commandments of Allah brought to them by their prophets, who were from among them, will be the losers for their final abode be the blazing fire of hell.

Thus if someone believes that Prophet Eesa (Jesus, may peace be upon him) would take away their sins no matter what they do on this earth are certainly misled, for every person will have to appear before Allah and be presented with one's dossier as has been mentioned above, and rewarded or punished accordingly.

When the earth is shaken with her utmost shaking, and the earth casts out all the burdens from within her, and man says, "What has befallen her?" On that Day shall she relate whatever had happened (on her), for your Lord shall have commanded her (to do so). On that day, men shall turn up in sundry groups to be shown their deeds. Then, whoever has done an atom's weight of good, shall see it; and whoever has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it. (Surah Az Zalzala (The Earthquake) 

Therefore my brothers and sisters from all faiths, prepare yourself for the day when you will be standing all alone in front of the almighty Allah and listening to your deeds. Do good now and evade evil as best as you can to have a positive and righteous dossier that would not fail you. Remember, the clock is moving very fast and one may never know when angel of death will beget one.

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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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Please share this page to your friends and family members through Facebook, WhatsApp or any means on Social Media so that they can also be benefited by it and better understand Islam and the Holy Qur'an - Insha Allah (Allah Willing) you shall be blessed with the best of both worlds.

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