Short Stories from the Holy Quran: Prophet Moses and Khidr

A lot many stories appear in the Holy Qur'an which teach us many lessons for living our lives as per the dictates of Allah to be blessed. In the on going series of Short Stories from the Holy Qur'an, today we are sharing the story about the interaction of Prophets Muse (Moses) and Khidr (may Allah's blessings be on both).

Before relating the story, let us quote averse from Holy Qur'an which gives an insight for all of us to understand the wisdom of very word that is contained therein for us:

"It is He who has sent down to you, [O Muhammad], the Book; in it are verses [that are] precise - they are the foundation of the Book - and others unspecific. As for those in whose hearts is deviation [from truth], they will follow that of it which is unspecific, seeking discord and seeking an interpretation [suitable to them]. And no one knows its [true] interpretation except Allah . But those firm in knowledge say, "We believe in it. All [of it] is from our Lord." And no one will be reminded except those of understanding." [Surah Aale'Imran 3:7]

While many of us know Prophet Musa very well, some may not have listened about Khidr, a mention of whom is made not only in the Holy Qur'an but in other scriptures and history books as well. The majority of Islamic scholars are of the opinion that Khidr was a Prophet.  The Quran refers to him as one of Allah’s servants who was granted knowledge, comprehension and mercy.

“Then they found one from among Our servants to whom We had granted mercy from Us and whom We had taught knowledge from Ourselves.” (Quran 18: 65)

Many scholars believe that since Khiḍr was Moses’s guide and teacher so he must be superior to Moses; only a prophet can be superior to another prophet; therefore Khiḍr was a prophet.  The name Khidr is taken to mean “the green one” colloquially associated with the Arabic word for green, al-akhdar.  Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) has been quoted as saying: “He was named Khidr because he sat on a dry, barren piece of land and it suddenly became green under him.”

Now coming to the stories of meeting of Moses and Khidr in the Holy Qur'an. However, as a prelude, it would be pertinent to quote a passage from Hadith in which Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) described the circumstances which led Moses to embark upon the journey to meet Khidr.:

‘Moses got up to deliver a sermon before Bani Israel and he was asked, 'Who is the most learned person among the people?' Moses replied, 'I (am the most learned).' Allah then admonished Moses for he did not ascribe all knowledge to Allah only (Then) came the Divine Inspiration:-- 'Yes, one of Our slaves at the junction of the two seas is more learned than you.'

Thus Moses embarked upon the journey along with his companion. Moses was asked to carry a fish in a container and where the fish leaves the container would be the place where he would meet a man wiser than him. The details appear as below in the Holy Qur'an [Surah Al Kahf 18:60-82]:

(v. 60) And when Moses said unto his servant, “I shall continue on till I reach the junction of the two seas, even if I journey for a long time. (v. 61) Then when they reached the junction of the two, they forgot their fish, and it made its way to the sea, burrowing away. (v. 62) Then when they had passed beyond, he said to his servant, “Bring us our meal. We have certainly met with weariness on this journey of ours.” (v. 63) He said, “Didst thou see? When we took refuge at the rock, indeed I forgot the fish—and naught made me neglect to mention it, save Satan—and it made its way to the sea in a wondrous manner!” (v. 64) He said, “That is what we were seeking.” So they turned back, retracing their steps. (v. 

Tired of the long journey, Prophet  Moses decided to stop and take rest. However while Moses was taking a nap, his companion saw the fish wriggle out of the container and slipped into the water. But the companion did not make a mention of this to Moses when the commenced their journey. It was only after when they had already traveled quite far ahead that Prophet Moses realized he had moved much past the destined point. So retraced his steps to the place where the fish had entered the water. 

Now here is a lesson for us to learn: Prophet Moses did not scold his companion nor lament about having gone off course, or wasting time and effort.  What had happened had happened; it was the will of God.  Prophet Moses’ behaviour is that of a person satisfied with God’s decree.  Once he learned that he had stepped away from the correct path he took the necessary action to return to the right way.  This is a lesson for all of us.  In this life, so many of us choose the wrong path but are afraid or too embarrassed to rectify their mistakes!  Once a person realizes that he has committed a mistake, they should immediately set about to head in the right direction. This should never be considered a defeat; rather, it is a victory.

Once back to the point where the fish had slipped into the water, Prophet Moses found the man he was looking for: Read as described in the Qur'an:

65) There they found a servant from among Our servants whom We [End Page 209] had granted a mercy from Us and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Presence. (v. 66) Moses said unto him, “Shall I follow thee, that thou mightest teach me some of that what thou hast been taught of sound judgment?” (v. 67) He said, “Truly thou wilt not be able to bear patiently with me. (v. 68) And how canst thou bear patiently that which thou dost not encompass in awareness?” (v. 68) He said, “Thou wilt find me patient, if God wills, and I shall not disobey thee in any matter.” (v. 70) He said, “If thou wouldst follow me, then question me not about anything, till I make mention of it to thee.” (v. 71) So they went on till, when they had embarked upon a ship, he made a hole therein. He said, “Didst thou make a hole in it in order to drown its people? Thou hast done a monstrous thing!” (v. 72) He said, “Did I not say unto thee that thou wouldst not be able to bear patiently with me?” (v. 73) He said, “Take me not to task for having forgotten, not make me suffer much hardship on account of what I have done.” (v. 74) So they went on till they met a young boy, and he slew him. He said, “Didst thou slay a pure soul who had slain no other soul? Thou hast certainly done a terrible thing!” (v. 75) He said, “Did I not say unto thee that thou wouldst not be able to bear patiently with me?” (v. 76) [Moses] said, "If I should ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me as a companion. You have obtained from me an excuse." (v. 77) So they set out, until when they came to the people of a town, they asked its people for food, but they refused to offer them hospitality. And they found therein a wall about to collapse, so Khidr restored it. [Moses] said, "If you wished, you could have taken for it a payment." (v. 78) [Khidr] said, "This is parting between me and you. I will inform you of the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience. (v 79) As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea. So I intended to cause defect in it as there was after them a king who seized every [good] ship by force. (v. 80) And as for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would overburden them by transgression and disbelief. (v. 81) So we intended that their Lord should substitute for them one better than him in purity and nearer to mercy. (v. 82) And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city, and there was beneath it a treasure for them, and their father had been righteous. So your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. That is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience."

This story has been mentioned in Qur'an not only to please us who are more interested in listening to stories at bed time or otherwise to amuse ourselves and our children. After telling a story, we never try to invoke questions in our minds as to the why to such events and how we should relate our lives to the lessons contained in a story or an incident that happens in our lives.

Concluding the Prophet Moses and Khidr story, we would see that:

• Whatever Khidr did was in accordance with the instructions from Allah. He was to show three lesson-able incidents to Prophet Moses and he did not go beyond. This shows complete obedience to Allah, for Khidr acted exactly he was told to. 
• Khidr was given knowledge of the incidents to show Moses how to have firm and unquestionable belief in Allah. The prophets do not question Allah when they are given a commandment, for it is Allah alone who knows the outcome and the philosophy behind. It is thus incumbent upon us all to have a firm belief in Allah, His book and the Messengers including the last of the Messengers Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). And we should never be found questioning our beliefs.
•  The story of Moses and Khidr tells us to be patient and trust in the mercy and wisdom of Allah, for Allah’s decree stems from His supreme and absolute wisdom. It tells us that Allah does not treat anyone unfairly and that His decree for us is most just and inherently generous. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) once said: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer.  If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him.  If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” 
• While following the commandments of Allah, our personal judgment should never ever overtake the commandment of Allah and the way how a particular commandment is to implemented as explained and even practically manifested by the the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ).
• It is important to understand that Allah does not create evil for its own sake, but rather it is often the forerunner of good.  These three events illustrate this point.  When we understand this we will never feel victimized or treated unfairly.  Sometimes the good in a difficult situation does not become clear until a long time afterwards, at other times it is apparent immediately.  

Always remember that The life of a human being is sometimes beset by trials, tragedies or calamities that appear to make no sense but in retrospect we see them for what they really are, lessons from the Most Wise designed to take us closer to the supreme reward, Al-Jannah, or Paradise. 

May Allah grant us wisdom to obey His commandments without hesitation and grant us patience to await the outcome from a situation which may seemingly be to our loss. For Ever loss, there awaits a big reward, if not in this world but surely in the hereafter when we would most hard pressed for Allah's blessing. Aameen.

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Astrology and Islam

Everyday in the newspapers a section on Zodiac signs appears and tell the readers how the day would be as per the particular Zodiac sign of the reader - and let me tell you this is one of the most read section by a large segment of the people for they believe that movement of stars at a particular time of hour, day, week, month or year will have telling effect on their business, social life and worldly affairs. 

In fact the astrology is so popular among a large section of our society that they do not take decisions like naming children, marriages, business deals and travel plans unless they have consulted an astrologist or have read books on astrology to find he best dates to perform a certain task or undertake an engagement.

In recent times, polytheistic astrology has dramatically spread, and it has become a means of distorting people's belief in Allah. Private institutes have been founded, books, magazines and newspapers are published, under various titles such as What's in the Stars for You?, Constellations and many others in order to advertise such a seductive commodity that often appeals to the uneducated public.

But the question is: Do stars and their movement shape our destinies? Many would answer in positive for it has become a general belief that stars, their position at a particular time and their movement has telling effect on our lives and since it is scientifically proved that that astrology does effect our lives, there is no harm in believing in astrology and makes one's decisions of life. But here a question arise: If astrology had all the answers about in one's life, what about the beliefs and faiths? Where does the belief in God goes who is the master of the universe and without whose nod, nothing moves or happens? 

Honestly speaking, Islam forbids all forms of fortune or future telling, whether it is based on astrology or palm readings. Although many things do happen as predicted in astrology or what the lines on our palms mean, the fact of the matter is that believing so nullifies one's belief in God and faith that whatever happens to a person is because it is willed by God and not due to peculiarities of one's Zodiac sign.

Talking of astrology and its effect on one's life, Islam takes a serious note of it, for we firmly believe that it is none other than Allah who can bring about any good or evil in our lives and anyone who has a belief other than this is commuting a heinous act of sin of shirk. It goes outside our faith if we look for answers to our future and destiny in anything else other than the will of Allah.

This brings us to our faith in Allah and our future for no one is better future teller than the One who shapes our future and none else. Let us see what Allah says about future in the Holy Qur'an and true understanding of these verses should clear our minds and thoughts and belief in the fortune and future telling stemming from any other means than Allah Himself:

"If Allah helps you, none can overcome you! And if Allah forsakes you, who is there, then, after Allah that can help you? Therefore, the true believers should trust in Allah Alone." [Surah Ale Imran 3: verse 160]

Verily, the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah Alone. He it is Who sends down the rain, and He Alone knows what is taking shape in the wombs of the mothers. No living being knows what he will earn the next day, nor does any know in what land he is to die! Verily Allah is the All Knowing, Wise. [Surah Luqman 31:34] 

"Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our Protector"; and on Allah let the believers put their trust. [Surah Taubah 9:51] 

And He has subjected for you the night and day and the sun and moon, and the stars are subjected by His command. Indeed in that are signs for a people who reason.[Surah An Nahl 16:12] 

"Say (O Muhammad) : Behold what is in the heaven and the earth! But revelations and warnings avail not folk who will not perceive." [Surah Yunus verse 101] 

However, Allah does give some knowledge of the future to His chosen ones: "(He Alone is) the All-Knower of the unseen, and He reveals to none His ghayb (unseen), except to a Messenger (from mankind) whom He has chosen. (He informs him of unseen as much as He likes), and then He makes a band of watching guards (agnels) to march before him and after him." [Surah Al-Jinn, 72:26-27] And Prophet Yousef  (Josef, peace be upon him) was gifted with this knowledge to interpret dreams and indications. Likewise, Prophet Idris (Enoch, peace be upon him ) was also blessed with his immense knowledge of heavenly sciences. In fact he is considered as the founder of the science of the stars, also called "ilm al nujum" in Arabic. And that he was supposedly known to be the first person to educate mankind that living creatures are under the influence of cosmic rays. But such knowledge as is said before has only been given to the chosen ones by Allah as signs of His full grasp on the affairs of the future.

The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) has been quoted as saying as narrated  by Abu Hurayrah [Sahih Muslim Hadith 133]: "Don't you know what your Lord said? Your Lord observed: I (Allah) have never endowed My bondsmen with a favor, but a section amongst them disbelieved it, and said: stars, it was due to the stars.

At another place an incident has been quoted attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) in the Hadith book of Sahih Al-Bukhari [Hadith 1.807] narrated by Zaid bin Khalid Al Juhani that one day the Prophet Muhammad  (ﷺ) led us in the Fajr prayer at Hudaibiya after a rainy night. On completion of the prayer, the Prophet (ﷺ) faced the people and said, "Do you know what your Lord has said (revealed)?" The people replied, "Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ) know best." He (ﷺ) said, "Allah has said, 'In this morning some of my slaves remained as true believers and some became disbelievers; whoever said that the rain was due to the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah had belief in Me and disbelieved in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star!' 

It would also be pertinent to quote a particular occurrence from the life of Prophet Muhammad can be considered evidence of his opposition of theoretical views of the influence of heavenly bodies. Prophet Muhammad's only son died around the age of two, coincidently during a solar eclipse. It was perceived by the Arabic community that solar eclipse symbolized a bad omen. Prophet Muhammad wanted Arabs to eradicate the pre-Islamic era paganism and superstitious beliefs. Distraught by the death of his son, he gathered his community and told them that solar eclipse is an irrelevant event and does not occur in correlation to someone's birth or death. The experience of Prophet Muhammad is considered proof that there is no celestial influence or synchronicity between such phenomenon and human events. 

We have often observed that even the most prominent astrologers can't get precise in describing people and events simply because astrology is not designed for concrete predictions. Obviously, the reason behind the accuracy of some predictions is more than just a simple coincidence. We have ample examples of such predictions at the start of each year or on taking over a particular government - the claims are made and then fade away as most prove to be a fallacy.

Thus in the light of above verses from the Holy Qur'an and Hadiths attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), we have reason to believe that anyone who interprets the movement of stars and predicts future is in fact interfering into something which is the sole domain of Allah and it would be sheer ignorance on the part of humans to believe anyone else other than its creator for anything leave alone astrology.

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Surah Al Haaqah - The Inevitable Reality: Summary of 69th Chapter of the Holy Quran

Sūrat al-Ḥāqqah is the 69th surah with 52 ayats with two rukus, part of the 29th Juzʼ  of the Holy Qur'an. The surah was revealed in Makkah.

The word Haaqah is from the word Haq and it means that which is to happen, the inevitable reality. The surah can be divided into two parts: The first section (verses 1-37) carries a strong description of the Hereafter,  while the second section (verses 38-52) is about Qur’an being a revelation of Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) being a true Messenger of Allah.

About this Surah, ‘Umar Bin Abdil Khattab, the second caliph of Islam, has been quoted to have said: “Before embracing Islam one day I came out of my house with a view to causing trouble to the Prophet of Allah. I found him reciting Surah al-Haaqah in the prayer in the Masjid Al Haram. I stood behind him and listened. As he recited the Qur’an I wondered at its literary charm and beauty. Then suddenly an idea came to my mind that he must be a poet as the Quraysh alleged. Just at that moment he recited the words,

إِنَّهُ لَقَوْلُ رَسُولٍ كَرِيمٍ – وَمَا هُوَ بِقَوْلِ شَاعِرٍ ۚ

“That this is verily the word of an honored Messenger. It is not the word of a poet,” 

(69: 40-41).

I said to myself: Then he must be a soothsayer, if not a poet. Thereupon he recited the words:

وَلَا بِقَوْلِ كَاهِنٍ ۚ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ – تَنزِيلٌ مِّن رَّبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

“Nor is it the word of a soothsayer, little is that you remember! This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the ‘Alameen,” (69: 42-43).

On hearing this Islam entered deep into my heart. [Musnad Ahmad]. This tradition of Hadrat Umar shows that this surah had been sent down long before his acceptance of Islam, for even after this event he did not believe for a long time, and he continued to be influenced in favor of Islam by different incidents from time to time, till at last in the house of his own sister he came by the experience that made him surrender and submit to the Faith completely. 

Let us now read explanation of the Surah segmented into portions as per the subject matter:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ 

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

The surah begins with the word "al-Haaqqah" which means an event which has inevitably to take place and the occurrence of which in the future is so certain as to admit of no doubt or suspicion. To use this word for Resurrection and to begin the discourse with it by itself shows that the people were denying its occurrence. They are being told: That which you are denying is inevitable: your denial will not prevent its occurrence.

1. The (Inevitable) Reality (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)! 2. What is the Reality? 3. And what will make you know what the Reality is?

These two questions in verse 2-3 have been put to arouse the listeners, to make them understand the importance of the theme and listen to what follows with full attention.

Verses 4-12 are in fact a reminder to the disbelievers that before them, many disbelievers of their kind too denied the messages and commandments of Allah and then were destroyed by the wrath of Allah, only to be remembered in the history books as a forewarning to those who do not beleive in what the prophets and messengers from Allah tried to tell them and convince them to follow the straight path of one Allah, the creator of the universe, who also has the ability to bring it to an end whenever He would will:

4. Thamud and 'Ad people denied the Qari'ah [the striking Hour (of Judgement)]! 5. As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the awful cry! 

People of Thamud demanded a miracle of witnessing a ten month pregnant she-camel emerge from a certain rock. Their Prophet Saleh (peace be upon him) made them promise that if their request is responded to they would believe in him and follow him. They agreed to do so. But when the she-camel emerged they wanted to get rid of it because they still disbelieved in their Messenger despite benefiting from the camel and plotted to kill it. As result, they were punished by Allah by a strong earthquake and overwhelming cry. They were overtaken by this and were left dead in their homes.

The punishment of the people of Thamud has been described in other surahs of the Qur’an as well. In Surah al-A’raf ayah 78 it has been called ar-rafjah [الرَّجْفَة] meaning a terrible earthquake; in Surah Hud ayah 67 it has been termed as-sayhah [الصَّيْحَة] meaning a violent blast; in Surah Fussilat ayah 17 it has been said that were overtaken by saaiqatu al-aathab [صَاعِقَةُ الْعَذَاب], a humiliating scourge. These words describe different aspects of the same calamity.

6. And as for 'Ad, they were destroyed by a furious violent wind; 7. Which Allah imposed on them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so that you could see men lying overthrown (destroyed), as if they were hollow trunks of date-palms! 8. Do you see any remnants of them? 

“And as for ‘Ad, they were destroyed by a furious violent wind,” (69: 6). Sarsar [صَرْصَر] is a harsh, cold and bitter wind which chills down to the bones. Sarsar is a repeated word which means it is a wind which continuously repeats itself. The winds continued to blow fiercely for seven nights and eight days without any mercy or blessing. They would cause the palm tree to hit the ground, and fall down on a person’s head. That man’s head would shatter and the trunk would remain a lifeless corpse. “Do you see any remnants of them?” (69: 8) meaning do you find any one of them left or anyone who even attributes himself to being from them. Rather they are all gone, right down to the last of them, and Allah did not make for them any successors.

9. And Pharaoh, and those before him, and the cities overthrown [the towns of the people of [Lout (Lot)] committed sin, 10. And they disobeyed their Lord's Messenger, so He punished them with a strong punishment. 11. Verily! When the water rose beyond its limits [Nuh's (Noah) Flood], We carried you (mankind) in the floating [ship that was constructed by Nuh (Noah)]. 12. That We might make it a remembrance for you, and the keen ear (person) may (hear and) understand it.

As for the Pharaoh, it has been described in many Hadiths that  Angel Jibreel [Gabriel] was ordered by Allah to lift the cities of Sodom and Gamorah and slam them upside down. They were then pelted with stones upon stones. This was their punishment in this life and in the Hereafter much worse and everlasting awaits them.   The mention of punishment of people of Lot and the great flood of Noah has already been told in our earlier posts: Prophet Lot and Wrath of Allah on his people and Prophet Noah and the great flood. 

Verses 13-18 describe the happenings on the Day of Resurrection - the day when a horrible sound trumpet will be blown, the sound which which will convert the mountains in ordinary dust and the hearth will burst open and throw out all that it contained:

13. Then when the Trumpet will be blown with one blowing (the first one), 14. And the earth and the mountains shall be removed from their places, and crushed with a single crushing, 

In the verse 14. a word "dhukka" has been used which is from the root dal-kaf-kaf which means ‘to crush, break, beat, crumble to pieces, to push or thrust’. It is severe smashing that breaks something and levels it to the ground. On the Judgment Day, both the earth and the mountains will be smashed into each other, and they will turn into dust.  One smashing and everything will turn into small particles. This again shows us the power of Allah.

15. Then on that Day shall the (Great) Event befall, 16. And the heaven will split asunder, for that Day it (the heaven will be frail (weak), and torn up, 

While reading the verses (13-16) one should keep in mind that at some places in the Qur'an the three stages of Resurrection which will occur one after the other at different times have been mentioned separately, and at others all the three have been combined and mentioned as a single event. For example, in (Surah An-Naml, verse 87) the first blowing of the Trumpet has been mentioned, when everyone will be suddenly struck with terror. At that time they will witness the general confusion and the upsetting of the order of the universe, as described in (Surah Al-Hajj, verses 1-2); (Surah Ya Seen, verses 49-50) and (Surah At- Takweer, verses 1-6). In (Surah Az-Zumar, verses 67-70), mention has been made of the second and third blowing of the Trumpet. On the second blowing of it everyone will fall down dead, and when it is blown for the third time, all dead men will rise back to life and present themselves before Allah. In (Surah Ta Ha, verses 102-112); (Surah Al-Anbiya, verses 101-103); (Surah Ya Seen, verses 51-53 )and (Surah Qaf,verses 20-22), only the third sounding of the Trumpet has been mentioned. But here and at many other places in the Qur'an all the events of Resurrection, from the blowing of the first Trumpet till the people’s entry into Heaven and Hell have been described as a single event.

17. And the angels will be on its sides, and eight angels will, that Day, bear the Throne of your Lord above them. 18. That Day shall you be brought to Judgement, not a secret of you will be hidden.

The mention of Allah Almighty would be sitting on the Throne (verses 17-18 above) and that eight angels would be upholding it along with Him has been used to give an idea of Allah Almighty’s rule and sovereignty. And a scene has been constructed as of worldly kingship and the same terms have been used for it as are common for kingship and its accompaniments in order to enable us to understand matters pertaining to sovereignty of the universe to some extent only by means of this very scene and terms. Besides, the conception of God that the Quran gives also prevents one from imagining that the Being Who is free from physical existence as to body, direction and place, should be residing somewhere and His creatures should sustain Him. Therefore, pursuing any research to determine its meaning would be tantamount to disbelief.

Verses 19 - 37 tell of the reading of the records of the well meaning and the evil doers and will be rewarded and punished according to what they have been doing in their worldly life:

19. Then as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand will say: "Take, read my Record! 20. "Surely, I did believe that I shall meet my Account!" 21. So he shall be in a life, well-pleasing. 22. In a lofty Paradise, 23. The fruits in bunches whereof will be low and near at hand. 24. Eat and drink at ease for that which you have sent on before you in days past!

25. But as for him who will be given his Record in his left hand, will say: "I wish that I had not been given my Record! 26. "And that I had never known, how my Account is? 27. "I wish, would that it had been my end (death)! 28. "My wealth has not availed me, 29. "My power and arguments (to defend myself) have gone from me!" 30. (It will be said): "Seize him and fetter him, 31. Then throw him in the blazing Fire. 32. "Then fasten him with a chain whereof the length is seventy cubits!" 33. Verily, He used not to believe in Allah, the Most Great, 34. And urged not on the feeding of the poor, 35. So no friend has he here this Day, 36. Nor any food except filth from the washing of wounds, 37. None will eat except the sinners, disbelievers, polytheists, etc.

38. So I swear by whatsoever you see, 39. And by whatsoever you see not, 40. That this is verily the word of an honoured Messenger [i.e. Jibrael (Gabriel) or Muhammad  which he has brought from Allah]. 41. It is not the word of a poet, little is that you believe! 42. Nor is it the word of a soothsayer (or a foreteller), little is that you remember! 43. This is the Revelation sent down from the Lord of the 'Alameen (mankind, jinns and all that exists).

Here is a caution for the Prophet of Allah too and it has been told to the disbelievers that if He makes up anything from His own and tells you something not willed or sent by Allah, He too shall be prosecuted:

44. And if he (Muhammad ) had forged a false saying concerning Us (Allah), 45. We surely should have seized him by his right hand (or with power and might), 46. And then certainly should have cut off his life artery (Aorta), 47. And none of you could withhold Us from (punishing) him.

The 48th verse below and the second verse of the second surah of the Holy Qur'an, Surah Al Baqarah "This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the pious - Muttaqeen."  carry the same message: 

48. And verily, this Qur'an is a Reminder for the Muttaqun (pious)

This means that while the Qur'an is potentially for all, only those who possess certain qualities can benefit from it. The first such quality is piety: those who want to benefit should be disposed to distinguish between good and evil, and to shun evil and do good. Those who lead an animal existence, who never consider whether their actions are either good or bad, who are helplessly tossed about by the animal desires that dominate their minds, such persons are all together incapable of deriving any benefit from the guidance embodied in the Qur'an.

The concluding verse (49-52) say it all for the truth contained in the Holy Qur'an, the book of commandments of none but Allah, the Almighty. That is, the Qur'an is an admonition for those who wish to avoid wrongdoing and its evil consequences. And they will ultimately have to despair and regret as to why they had rejected this Qur'an.

49. And verily, We know that there are some among you that belie (this Qur'an). 50. And indeed it (this Qur'an) will be an anguish for the disbelievers (on the Day of Resurrection). 51. And Verily, it (this Qur'an) is an absolute truth with certainty. 52. So glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most Great.

May Allah grant us wisdom to understand the Holy Qur'an and live a life as commanded therein and as followed by the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him), Aameen.

You may now like to listen to Arabic recitation of Sūrat al-Ḥaaqah 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 | 4 |
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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Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: Germany

Like most of the prescient European countries, Muslims moved to Germany as part of the diplomatic, military and economic relations between Germany and the Ottoman Empire in the 17-18th centuries. The first Muslims came to Germany as prisoners of war from the Siege of Vienna by the Ottomans (1683). The majority of these prisoners were in fact either baptized or returned to their homeland. Twenty Muslim soldiers are said to have served under Frederick William I of Prussia, at the beginning of the eighteenth century. In 1745, Frederick II of Prussia established a unit of Muslims in the Prussian army called the "Muslim Riders" and consisting mainly of Bosniaks, Albanians and Tatars. In 1760 a Bosniak corps was established with about 1,000 men. 

In 1798 a Muslim cemetery was established in Berlin. The Türkischer Friedhof Berlin cemetery, which moved in 1866, still exists today. In the First World War, the Ottoman Empire fought on Germany’s side and fallen Turkish soldiers were buried at the cemetery, since when it has also borne the name Şehitlik, meaning ‘martyrs’. The Şehitlik mosque directly beside it was built between 1999 and 2005 and took its name from the cemetery. 150 graves are still preserved today.

In the First World War the Ottoman Empire fought on the side of the Central Powers. Consequently, Muslim prisoners of war from the Allies on the one hand came to two internment camps in Wünsdorf and Zossen near Berlin, whilst the Ottoman armed services on the other hand came to Berlin. The first mosque to be erected on German soil was in the so-called "Halbmondlager" [Half Moon Camp] in Wünsdorf. The wooden domed structure with its 25-meter-high minaret, modeled on the Dome of the Rock, did not exist for long, however, and was demolished in 1930, having fallen into a state of disrepair.

The Wünsdorf Mosque [Photo]

It may be interesting for many to know that the presently rather abhorred word "Jihad" was used by Germany to its favour. During the First World War, German officials created a newspaper called “El Dschihad” (Jihad) to encourage Muslim soldiers from other countries to fight their “holy war”, according to the German Historical Museum in Berlin. Even the first mosque constructed in Germany was a part of this strategy, allowing prisoners to practice their religion, and then to teach them about the holy war in order to convince them to fight alongside Germany against the Allies. [1]

It was after the First World War that Muslims as students found their way into German colleges and universities. and thus the number of Muslims started to increase. However, the Muslims came to Germany en mass  with the signing of recruitment agreements with Muslim states, such as Turkey (1961), Morocco (1963), Tunisia (1965) and Yugoslavia (1968). A stop was put on recruitment during the economic crisis of 1973. 

Today, Germany ranks fifth in EU for relative Muslim population size. Between 2010 and 2016, the number of Muslims living in Germany rose from 3.3 million (4.1% of the population) to nearly 5 million (6.1%), while the rest of the population shrank modestly from 77.1 million to 76.5 million. Immigration has been a major factor in the growth of Germany’s Muslim population. But, even if there is no more immigration, Muslims will continue to increase as a share of Germany’s population in future decades because German Muslims, on average, are much younger and have more babies than Germans as a whole. [4]

Today Turks constitute a large majority of Muslims in Germany (63.2%), followed by smaller groups from Pakistan, countries of the former Yugoslavia, Arab countries, Iran and Afghanistan. The majority of Muslims in Germany are Sunnis, at 75%. There are Shia Muslims (7%) and mostly from Iran.

Turks, who constitute a major portion of the peaceful "parallel society" in Germany, are well established and are running major businesses across Germany, specially in provision of Halal meat. One can easily find number of famous Turkish "Donor Kebabs" shops which are a haven for all Muslims. Likewise, most of the mosques are owned by Turkey, followed by many by the Arabs and some by Pakistanis. 

A Turkish Kebab shop, Germany

There is a large number of students from Pakistan studying in universalities of Germany and then rendering useful hand in German industries and companies. My two sons are also in Germany and have done their Masters in IT and are employed in one of the leading companies of Germany. The Pakistan students' communities are well managed in all major cities which frequently hold national days of Pakistan, besides other cultural events

My wife poses with our son at the entrance of his university in Kiel, Germany

Generally, the Muslims are a useful part of German society and when I visited Germany in 2014, I found them practicing their religious obligations side by side their routine activities meshing perfectly well in the German society. The prayer halls and mosques are in abundance and are well organized and managed by local communities.

Herein under are impressions of a Pakistan living in Munich for quite sometimes: [7]

• Germans are generally very accommodating and don't do racial/religious jokes because of their own tragic history. International people also take a lot of care not to make any Nazi/Hitler joke with any German because it's a very sensitive topic. If a Muslim goes to bar and asks for non alcoholic drink, no one is surprised. Though in some cases Germans might ask you for the first time but if you tell them you are Muslim and don't drink alcohol then they won't ask you second time or make a joke of it. 
• One Pakistani living in Munich observes that: "Majority of Germans specially the young generation are very tolerant and don't care what media tells them. If they are curious then they will ask you instead of giving a verdict on what they came to know from media. This was really impressive and totally unlike how majority of Americans are brainwashed by Fox News about Muslims and Islam. I myself organized a vigil in Munich city center in response to the tragic attack by the terrorists in school in Peshawar back in Dec, 2014 in Pakistan. I was easily given permission for that and in fact, there were 2 policemen with us throughout for our safety. Many Germans stopped and took part in the prayers along with a big number of international community who specially came for the vigil."
• Overall, I believe life of Muslims is much more comfortable in Germany as compared to living in Italy, UK or France considering current scenario. Angela Merkel didn't take any anti-Islam stance after Charlie Hebdo attack unlike France and UK. Muslim families are encouraged to integrate with the society and learn German language but I haven't heard anyone complaining that any individual/organization forced to abstain from any religious practice. 

After the recent flux of the immigrants due to open door policy of Germany, many social issues have come up. While majority of the immigrants are peaceful and are trying to learn German language and seeking admission in colleges and universities to be a useful citizen of Germany, some foul incidents have been over magnified, like the incident of a "brutal killing" of a German man, allegedly at the hands of two Muslim refugees. [4] Although many murders do take place in Germany every day, but since it involved a Muslim and Germans, it seems the incident had been blown out of proportion. 

As per a Pew Research Center report: "In general, Germans express positive views of refugees, with most saying they make Germany stronger because of their hard work and talents (59%), rather than being a burden by taking jobs and social benefits (31%). Most Germans also see Muslims in their country in a positive light: Roughly two-thirds say they have a “very favorable” (10%) or “mostly favorable” (55%) view of Muslims, compared with about three-in-ten who express a mostly (23%) or very (6%) unfavorable opinion. At the same time, there is widespread uncertainty about integration. A majority of Germans (61%) believe most Muslims in Germany “want to be distinct from the larger German society,” rather than adopting “Germany’s customs and way of life.” [4]

There is yet another dimension to the thinking in Germany: To many non-Muslim Germans, the comparatively high significance that many Muslims attach to divine laws raises the question of to whom all the immigrants and refugees who have come to us in recent years would rather pledge allegiance and loyalty: the state that took them in, or Allah? The German minister for the interior, Horst Seehofer, addressed this fear with a sentence that was meant as a reassurance to voters: “Islam does not belong to Germany,” earlier this year.  [3]

As a fallout of growing anti Muslim sentiments, in 2017, Muslims and Islamic institutions were targeted by attacks 950 times, where houses are painted with Nazi symbols, hijab-wearing women are harassed, threatening letters are sent and 33 people were injured. In nearly all cases, the perpetrators were right-wing extremists. [2]

Thus today, Muslims live in Germany between a wide wedge of higher shade Love / acceptance and varying shades of hate / mistrust, trying to merge into the German society.

Here now watch a short but comprehensive documentary of Muslims in Germany from the beginning till date:

Photo (Header): Zentralmoschee Köln | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

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Short Stories from the Holy Quran: Yajooj and Majooj - Gog and Magog

Each and every word of the Holy Quran carries some message or lesson for those who have faith and belief in Oneness of Allah and the hereafter. While all surahs / chapters are revealed with some reference in context, Surah Al Kahaf assumes a greater degree of importance as beside other things, it also carries four stories for Muslims to learn lessons from. These four stories include the mention of:

• The People of the Cave,
• The owner of tow gardens,
• Prophets Moses and Khizar (Moses, Khidar, may peace be upon them), and
• Mention of many stories attributed to Dhulqarnain also called Zulqarnain

We will take on the stories related to above reference one by one, but for today we focus on one story which is wrapped up in mystery and has to be understood in almost full both from the Holy Qur'an and Hadiths of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him)

Dhulqarnain has been mentioned in Surah Kahaf as one great king who ruled the world. Some scholars call him a prophet while some call him a blessed pious man who was gifted with many attributes by the Allah Almighty to help the poor and oppressed people of his time. While he was traveling in the world, he came across a weary and wretched people who seemed to have been subjected to extreme suppression or torture. Herein under how this incident has been described in the Holy Qur'an, Surah Al Kahf (94-98):

{They said: “O Dhulqarnain! Verily Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog) are doing great mischief in the land. Shall we then pay you a tribute in order that you might erect a barrier between us and them?” He said: “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute). So help me with strength (of men), I will erect between you and them a barrier. “Give me pieces (blocks) of iron;” then, when he had filled up the gap between the two mountain-cliffs, he said: “Blow;” then when he had made them (red as) fire, he said: “Bring me molten copper to pour over them.” So they (Yajooj and Majooj (Gog and Magog)] could not scale it or dig through it. (Dhulqarnain) said: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true”}

Before we describe the story, the text highlighted above, “That (wealth, authority and power) in which my Lord had established me is better (than your tribute) " may be seen in the context of another story we have already mention of Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon, may peace be upon him) and King of Sheba. When Queen of Sheba offered wealth and gifts to Prophet Sulaiman, he too, being a pious and God fearing man had replied almost in the same words as Dhulqarnain had:

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. [Surah An Naml, the 27th surah / chapter  verse 35-36]

The correlation has just been mentioned that pious and just Muslims who fear Allah have no lust for worldly wealth and fortunes for they help each other to please Allah alone. 

So Dhulqarnain built a wall of steel upon which molten copper was poured to block a pass between two mountains, which was the only passage from where the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj could come and threaten and plunder the people so mentioned in the Qur'an. However, when he was done, he forewarned the people that: “This is a mercy from my Lord, but when the Promise of my Lord comes, He shall level it down to the ground. And the Promise of my Lord is ever true.”

The warning thus meant that one day this wall would come down and the people behind would one day again come out to spoil the peace of the world. The mention of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj doesn't finish here for Qur'an makes a mention of these people once again later. But we need to completely understand the story of Yajooj and Majooj as mentioned in various Hadiths of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

While mention of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj appears again in the Holy Quran, as per the authentic Hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) near the end of time, the descendants of the tribes of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will break open the wall and emerge again, and cause a terrible menace. This will be approximately be the time when the Prophet Eesa (Jesus, may Allah exalt his mention) would have already descended to the earth and people will be living an extremely peaceful life filled with prosperity and abundance. 

And then as already forewarned by Dhulqarnain the wall which imprisoned Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will break and they will surge forth in large numbers and swarm the world.

"But when Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj are let loose and they rush headlong down every hill." [Quran 21:97]

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) have been quoted as saying in the authentic Hadith books of Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah that: Every day Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will try to break (dig) through the wall erected by Dhulqarnain until they reach the end of it to that extent that they can actually see the light on the other side. They then return (home) saying that 'We will break through tomorrow.' But Allah Ta'ala causes the wall to revert to its original thickness and the next day they start digging through the wall all over again, and this process continues each day until as long as Allah wills them to remain imprisoned. When Allah wishes them to be released, then at the end of the day they will say, "If Allah wills, tomorrow we will break through." The following day they will find the wall as they had left it the previous day (i.e. it will not have returned to its original state) and after breaking the remaining part of it they will emerge."

The emergence of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will happen after Prophet Eesa (Jesus a.s.) would have already ridden the world of the menace of the anti-Christ, Ad-Dajjal. The menace of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will be so big that Prophet Eesa will take all the goof people atop the Mountain of Toor to save them from treacheries of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. The Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj will then destroy everything that would come their way and there will no life, animals or crops will be left on ground. Obsessed with their success, the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj would then fire their arrows towards the sky to "kill' everyone up there and their arrows would fall back drenched in blood, though there is no explanation available as to whose blood those arrows be drenched with.

Al-Nawaas ibn Sam’aan (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), wile describing the signs of the Day of judgment said: “… and Allah will send Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj, swiftly swarming from every mound. They will pass the lake of Tiberias [in Palestine] and will drink everything that is in it. Then the last of them will pass by and will say, ‘There used to be water here once.’ The Prophet of Allah, Eesaa (Jesus), and his companions, will be besieged until a bull’s head will be more precious to one of them than a hundred dinars are to any of you today. Eesaa (Jesus) and his companions will pray to Allah, and Allah will send a kind of worm (like that found in the noses of camels and sheep) on their (Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj) necks, and they will fall down dead, all at once. Then Eesaa (Jesus) and his companions will come down out of the place where they were besieged, and they will find hardly a hand span of land that is not filled with the stench (of Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj), so Eesaa (Jesus) and his companions will pray to Allah, and He will send birds like the necks of camels to carry them away and throw them wherever Allah wills.” (Reported by Muslim, 18/68). [6]

Then Prophet Eesa and the faithfuls will descend but would be unable to bear the stench of the decaying bodies of the Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. So Prophet Eesa would again pray to Allah and Allah will send down torrential rains that would flush out the dead bodies of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj to make life livable for the people. 

It is quoted that the people will burn the wood of the arrows of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj for seven years. As per one Hadith quoted in Sahi Muslim :Allah will order the earth to yield forth its crops in abundance and there will be such blessing and prosperity that one pomegranate will be sufficient for a whole group while the peel thereof will suffice to cast a shadow over them. The milk of one camel will be sufficient for many groups while one milk giving cow will be sufficient for a whole tribe. One milk giving goat will be sufficient for a whole family..."

It would be pertinent to quote here an Hadith as mentioned Sahih Muslim Hadith 6931 Narrated by Hudhayfah ibn Usayd Ghifari about the time of Qiyamah or the End Day, Day of Resurrection, from which the letting lose of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj can be ascertained:

Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) came to us all of a sudden as we were (busy in a discussion). He (may peace be upon him) said: What do you discuss about? (the Companions) said: We are discussing about the Last Hour. Thereupon he (may peace be upon him) said: It will not come until you see ten signs before and (in this connection) he made a mention of the smoke, Dajjal, the beast, the rising of the sun from the west, the descent of Jesus son of Mary (Allah be pleased with him), The Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj (Gog and Magog), and landslides in three places, one in the east, one in the west and one in Arabia at the end of which fire would burn forth from the Yemen, and would drive people to the place of their assembly.

Thus, the emergence of Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj would also indicate that the Doomsday Day was already at hand.

Photo | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

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Muslims in Non Muslim Countries: France

Muslims first came to France soon after the consolidation of their foothold in Spain in the eighth century. However, they were not successful as in Spain and were defeated at the Battle of Tours in 732, but could hold on for a while in Septimania until 759. The y again ventured into France in the 9th century and were able to gain some success in the Southern France but were again expelled by 975. During the winter of 1543–1544, after the siege of Nice, Toulon was used as an Ottoman naval base under the admiral known as Hayreddin Barbarossa. The Christian population was temporarily evacuated, and Toulon Cathedral was briefly converted into a mosque until the Ottomans left the city. The fall of Muslims in Spain in the 17th century, about fifty thousand Moriscos entered France, according to the research of Henri Lapeyre.

Muslims have been in France even at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1922, as a sign of recognition from the French Republic to the fallen Muslim tirailleurs, a light infantry which operated ahead of main forces, mainly coming from Algeria, the Great Mosque of Paris was built, which is still serves a major landmark for Muslims in France. 

In recent times, lot of of Muslim immigrants came to France in the late 1960s and 1970s. Their influx was mainly from the French colonies like Algeria and other North African colonies. Today, Islam is the second-most widely professed religion in France behind Catholic Christianity by number of worshipers. France also has the largest number of Muslims in the Western world primarily due to migration from North African and Middle Eastern countries.

The majority of Muslims in France belong to the Sunni denomination. While the majority of Muslims in France are of immigrant origin, mainly from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia, an estimated 100,000 are converts to Islam of indigenous ethnic French background. According to the French polling company IFOP (The Institut français d'opinion publique / French Institute of Public Opinion)  Muslims numbered  between 3 and 4 millions as late as 2016. 

The great majority of Muslims practice their religion in the French framework of laïcité as religious code of conduct must not infringe the public area. Most of them observe the fast of Ramadan and do not eat pork while many do not drink wine.

For French Muslims, being religious comes at a cost. The life Muslims have undergone many shades of acceptance, rejection or sidelining in the past two decades. The fallout of 2015 incidents has had a telling effect on how non Muslims view Muslims at large. 

The publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine, successively has left a very bad taste of France about Muslims living in France. The continued government support to the magazine in the name of freedom of expression and speech does not go well with the sentiments of the Muslims which revere the Prophet of Islam above anything else. The stubbornness of the magazine to continue publishing derogatory caricatures had resulted in many sad incidents, which were instigated by one after the other freedom pf expression. Even after the last incident, to add fuel to the fire, the magazine raised printing of copies from three to five million, while the French government granted nearly €1 million to support the magazine. Although majority of Muslims denounce attacks and violence, they also believe that newspapers and media should not take undue advantage to hurt religious sentiments of the Muslims.

Grande Mosquée - Paris Mosque, France [Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Author: Gryffindor ]

Muslims are generally discriminated in getting jobs. According to a recent (2018) study (Anti-Muslim Discrimination in France: Evidence from a Field Experiment, conducted by IZA Institute of Labor Economics), French Muslim job seekers are less likely to get a callback for an interview than their Christian counterparts. French Muslims are even less likely to hear back from employers when they are religious. The opposite is true for Christians: being outwardly religious ended up boosting their callback rate. “Consequently, religious Muslims must submit twice as many applications as religious Christians before being called back by the recruiters,” economist Marie-Anne Valfort of Pantheon-Sorbonne University notes in the paper. [3]

The wearing of Muslim clothing specially by females is the main target of the secular French aspirations. Hijab by Muslim females is generally detested and even not allowed officially and many incidents of expulsions from schools and colleges of Muslim girls have been observed.

The passage of the controversial national security bill in 2017 has been a source of concern by the Muslims as it significantly expands the state's power to fight terrorism, and generally the Muslims face the fallout of the implementation of the security measures. The bill is even criticized as it poses a historic threat to civil liberties. "This is the first time since the age of de Gaulle that French law will enshrine a provision that will de facto target French minorities," said Patrick Weil, a French constitutional scholar and a leading historian of French immigration. Charles de Gaulle headed a provisional postwar government from 1944 to 1946 and served as president of France from 1959 to 1969. [6]

Successive governments since the 1980s have tried to create a brand of Islam particular to France, with the dual objective of integrating the country’s Muslim minority and fighting Islamist extremism.  In an interview earlier this year, when the French President Emmanuel Macron said that he plans to “set down markers on the entire way in which Islam is organized in France.” Macron has suggested training imams of Muslim mosques and in keeping with secularism, the training would be in cultural values, not religious texts, in order to foster a generation of imams “made in France.”

Obviously such ideas are not liked by the Muslims. “The Muslim community is tired and disappointed with a series of ridiculous and humiliating offers,” M’hammed Henniche, the president of the Union of Muslim Associations of Seine-Saint-Denis—a majority-Muslim district northeast of Paris.

However, despite many such restrictions by the French governments and indifferent attitude by the non Muslim majority, Muslims living in France feel a stronger attachment to their country than they do in much of Europe, despite experiencing high levels of discrimination. Muslims with French citizenship feel very attached to France, with Muslims rating their level of attachment at 4.3 on a scale of five. However, Muslims have also showed lower than average levels of trust in the police. [2]

You may like to watch a video on the challenges faced by Muslims in France:

Updated October 2020: The recent spate of unrest in France followed by killing of a school teacher who showed caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is yet another dark day for Muslims in France. The emotional response by the French president Macron has further fueled the fire and the mainstream Christians are presently showing a very hostile attitude towards the Muslims. As per reports, the people of Paris have resorted to showing caricatures by showing videos on large buildings, further provoking and intimidating the sentiments of Muslims. When would sanity prevail in France and when would they would stop playing with the emotions of Muslims in the garb of freedom of speech, is not known. But for now a very volatile situation exists in France.

Disclaimer: The data for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If any one differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors.  If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.

To know more about life of Muslims in other non Muslim countries, please visit our page: Islam and Life of Muslims in Non Muslim Countries

You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Quran.

Photo French Flag | References: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 

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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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