Ban the Burka!

 

Ban the Burka!

 

Who can tell what or who is hiding in the tent called 'burqa'? Allah does not ordain such silly things.

24:31 And tell the believing women to lower their gaze, and guard their modesty. They should not show off their adornment beyond what may be decently and spontaneously apparent. Let them cover their chest area with a light covering. And let them not their attraction be apparent to any but their husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers, or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or their women folk, or their close dependents, or such male attendants as are beyond all sexual desire, or children who have no carnal knowledge of women. And they should not strike their feet or swing their legs in walking so as to draw attention to their hidden beauty and ornament. O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Turn all of you together to God so that you may be successful (in establishing a benevolent society). [33:59]

33:59 O Prophet! Tell your wives, your daughters, and women of the believers that they should draw loose-fitting outer garments around their person (when in public). This is easy and proper, so that they may be recognized and not be bothered. God is Absolver of imperfections, Merciful. (24:31)
[Jalbab = Outer garment = Overcoat = Lengthened dress = Chadar = Shawl = Loose-fitting garment = Modest dress. Body Parts Women Can Show In Public: Face, hands and forearms, heads, feet and ankles as during ablution. See 5:6.

A Hadith that agrees with the Qur’an: Ibn Umar said that during the times of Rasoolullah (S) men and women used to do Wudhu together. – Bukhari, Kitabil Wudhu]

The 10.6 million population of Holland has only 6% Muslims and only one hundred women use the burka.

The reasons given make good sense. "How can you relate to a person who is before you and whom you cannot see? It's a violation of human dignity talking, standing, sitting in front and not being able to see each other."

I will add: How do you not what monster is hidden behind the tent like burka?

The Mullah will, of course, raise hell about since he must raise hell on everything sensible.

Considering the dozens of thefts committed by burqa-clad women (who are actually criminals going incognito) in the busy marketplaces of the sub-continent, you have to admit that the burqa is indeed a security threat.

The burqa has outlived its importance. It might have been necessary in some societies earlier, but today it creates a phony and cumbersome wall between the sexes, who need to intermingle in the fields of education and business. Muslim society is all the poorer for the absence of bright female minds in these fields. And, as anyone who has lived in the Middle East will testify, the strict separation of the sexes has only lead to myriad social evils. In this society the only use of the burqa now is to make it a tool to make the women believe that they were, are, and will remain inferior creatures. For an exposition on this, please try to catch the brilliant videos of Saudi women’s right activist Wajiha Al Huwaider on the net.

The Muslim Shariah is based on the Bible and the Ten Commandments

The Muslim Shariah is based on the Bible and the Ten Commandments

 

SHARI'AH LAWS ARE PLAGIARIZED FROM THE BIBLE!

The "Muslim Ummah" is practicing much of the Judeo-Christian beliefs largely from the Old Testament. The 'religion' considered and practiced as Islam today has degenerated from the time of Prophet Muhammad (S). In the beginning there was a very simple Deen, Al-Islam revealed to the Prophet (S), which was fully encapsulated in just one Book, Al-Qur'an.

For example, the covering of the head for women which has become a point of much discussion in the West, is actually not found in the Qur'an. Therefore, it is not a part of the original teachings of the Prophet. It has been taken from the Christian Bible and incorporated into Islam.
Similarly many of the beliefs that are considered Islamic are actually derived from the Jewish and Christian scriptures. The early converts from Judaism and Christianity gradually incorporated their old beliefs into Islam to such an extent that the 'Islam' of today is often a verbatim manifestation of the Bible. None of these Biblical teachings were known to the Prophet and they cannot be found in the Qur'an at all. But the 'scholars' of Islam are unanimous in accepting these beliefs as part of Islam today.

Other than the head covering for women, our other practices like:

 The circumcision of males
 The stoning to death for adultery
 The stoning to death for apostasy
 The wearing of beards for men
 The dietary prohibition of many types of food
 The displaying of holy writings on the wall
 The belief that woman is created from man
 The collection of religious tithes or Zakaat
 The injunction against graven images like statues, sculptures and other representations of human and animal life forms
 The religious injunction that menstruating women are spiritually unclean
 The ritualized blessing of "Amen"
 The animal sacrifice (Aqeeqah) at the birth of children

All these things are derived from the Christian and Jewish Scriptures. This list is by no means exhaustive. These beliefs are NOT found anywhere in the Qur'an which is in fact the earliest and the only authentic teaching of Prophet Muhammad (S). Yet, these teachings can be found in very exact detail in the Christian Bible and the Jewish Scriptures. The Christian West should, therefore, credit it to the great tolerance and absorption of the early scholars and generations of the Muslim Ummah that they were able to bring with them a vast spectrum of Christian and Jewish beliefs which were accepted in that early era and are practiced by Muslims as part of Islam today. Therefore, there is no need for the Judeo-Christian world to be apprehensive about Islam. Our common heritage should bind us together instead of dividing us.
I would like to begin with the issue of the wearing of the head covering for women. In light of the post September 11, 2001 events, this issue has been frequently highlighted in the Western media. Muslim schoolgirls are prohibited from wearing the head-covering in France and elsewhere.

01. HEAD COVER FOR WOMEN ORIGINATES FROM THE BIBLE:
As I mentioned before the wearing of the head covering for women is not part of the Prophet's teachings and is not found in the Qur'an. It is a belief and a practice that was taken by the early Muslim scholars from the Christian Bible. (1 Cor 11:5-13)
So the commandment for a woman to cover her head is in the Bible. This belief has seeped into the Muslim belief and has now become part and parcel of today's Islam. The West has no problem with Catholicism putting its nuns in head cover. In Europe Catholic schools still encourage young girls to take up the wearing of the Catholic head-cover.
Unfortunately under the guise of modernity, a vast majority of Christians themselves are not following the teachings of the Bible - the large majority of Christian women do not cover the head. Hence, it is the Muslim Ummah who are very good Christians because they still uphold these Bible teachings.

02. CIRCUMCISION IS DERIVED FROM THE BIBLE:
The Sunni and Shi'a 'Muslims' believe male circumcision to be mandatory and they practice it universally. The truth is that God and the Prophet never asked the Muslims to circumcise anyone.
But where does the Muslim belief in circumcision come from? Once again the answer lies in the Bible. The Covenant of Circumcision is mandated in the Bible.
Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Later Muslims have found this belief acceptable and have incorporated it into their Muslim practices.
Note by Dr. Shabbir: Circumcision is a part of the Abrahamic tradition. The Qur'an neither ordains it nor forbids it. Allama Aslam Jairajpuri (d.1955) in his Tareekh-ul-Ummat states that Muhammad (S) was circumcised on the seventh day of his birth, according to the Arab tradition (Pg 48). Some historians have written that he was born circumcised. Medically speaking, one out of 1,000 males is born without a foreskin. In my humble opinion, Muslims should continue it for the benefits. For example, cancer is seldom encountered in a circumcised penis and the hygiene factor is obvious.

03. THE ISLAMIC STATE:
The Christian West raises alarm about the so-called 'Islamic State'. They should not really be afraid. Very often all the precepts and beliefs for the Islamic State, particularly the Shari'ah Law, are based almost entirely on Biblical teachings. They are not found in the Qur'an at all and therefore do not form part of the Prophet's teachings. An Islamic State under Shari'ah Law is nothing but Biblical Theocracy. This reflects the tolerance of the Muslim faith in accepting and incorporating Biblical teachings into Islam.
The Prophet brought the Qur'an to the entire humanity. But it is a credit to the great tolerance that the Muslim Ummah has picked up the Biblical teachings. The fervor to set up an Islamic State is nothing more than establishing the Biblical Theocracy. Let the Lord's Kingdom come!

04. PUNISHMENT FOR ADULTERY:
The recent cases of stoning women to death for adultery in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria are laws that are not from the Qur'an. God and the Prophet never taught Muslims to stone anyone to death for any crime. The words Shariah Law are not even mentioned in the Qur'an. The law of stoning to death for adultery is taken from the Bible. See Deut 22:20-21.
Hence the law of stoning people to death is Biblical. It has been accepted by the Muslims who came after the Prophet and this is another evidence of a great tolerance in Islam for upholding Biblical teachings. Why should the Christian West hold the Muslim Ummah in disgust for upholding Biblical laws?
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death (Lev 20:10). The Qur'an also prescribes a punishment for adultery, but it is a scourge of 100 lashes (24:2).

05. THE PUNISHMENT OF APOSTASY:
The United Nations Charter on Human Rights guarantees freedom of religion. This right was first guaranteed in the Qur'an.
2:256 There is absolutely no compulsion or coercion in Religion.
God and the Prophet guarantee all humans that they have the right to believe or disbelieve as they choose.
2:193 So, fight them (the aggressors) only until there is no more harassment and Religion may be adopted for the sake of God alone.
No one has the right to deny the right to freedom of religion. People will be held accountable for their choices in the life to come. God will decide what to do with people and their choice of belief. There is no earthly punishment prescribed in the Qur'an for those who believe or disbelieve. (4:137)
The Biblical teachings, however, say that anyone who blasphemes or becomes an apostate from his faith must be punished with death by stoning (Lev 24:16). Included among those who must be put to death by stoning are the deviants. (Deut 13:5-10)
Again it is the great tolerance and flexible nature of Islam today that these Biblical teachings have been absorbed and are practiced as part of the Islamic Shari'ah Law. The teachings from the Christian Bible show the Muslim proximity to the Christian faith. Hence, there should be no conflict between Islam and the Christian West about these laws. We have so much in common with each other.
The list is very long. Just a few of the many other beliefs are now given that the Muslims practice today. They are not found in the Qur'an but are taken from the Christian Bible. Unfortunately, because of the ignorance of the Muslim and Christian masses, these beliefs are manipulated by some clever people as excuses to create a rift between the West and Islam.

06. THE TALIBAN'S DESTRUCTION OF STATUES IN BAMIYAN:
We recall with dismay the huge hue and cry when Taliban destroyed the priceless ancient treasures in Bamiyan. Under the guise of religion, the Taliban insisted that the statues of the Buddha were idols and had to be destroyed. The Taliban based their actions on Islamic beliefs that have actually been absorbed from the Christian Bible. It is a Biblical teaching that graven images must not be made, and if made, they must be destroyed. (Deut 27:15, 4:16).
The Muslims have absorbed these Biblical teachings, and again this reflects the immense capacity of 'Muslims' to learn from the Christian Bible. The Qur'an does not say anywhere that statues or graven images are forbidden or that they must be destroyed. The Christian West has to take account of these truths and give due credit to Islam for giving fresh life to the Biblical teachings. Islam's proximity to the Bible is much deeper than what the Christian West would like to acknowledge.
The Qur'an Does Not Forbid Pictures, Paintings And Sculptures For Décor:
34:13 They worked for him (Solomon) as he desired, making forts, statues, sculptures, paintings and images, pools, and boilers well-dug into the ground…." [Please note a Prophet of God decorating his kingdom with statues, sculptures, paintings and images. Muslim orthodoxy, unfortunately, declares all fine arts as Forbidden.]

07. THE WEARING OF BEARDS:
The Christian West has also been disturbed by the Islamic practice of men wearing beards. After the September 11 event, many Muslim men with beards have been the subject of suspicion and summary searches by police and other law enforcement agencies throughout the West. Keeping beard is again not the teachings of the Prophet or the Qur'an. Instead, the wearing of beards by men is taken from the Christian Bible. The Christian Bible makes it clear.
Leviticus 19:27 Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. 21:5 Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.
2 Samuel 10:5 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."
Hence, the Taliban were following the Bible when they insisted that men should wear beards. No doubt the Prophet and the Qur'an never commanded men to sport beards. It is Islam's greatness as an evolving religion that it has absorbed much from the Judeo-Christian Scriptures.
The Muslims are told in the Qur'an that they should not follow the path of the Christians and the Jews. Despite such warning, the Muslim scholars, in the interests of preserving harmony and peace with their Christian brothers and sisters, decided that the Biblical teachings should be closely upheld by good Muslims. Therefore, the fear by the Christian West is misplaced and unfounded.
In conclusion, I would like to state that both Muslims and the Christian West should study and take cognizance of the vast area of similarity between the Muslim beliefs and Christian Biblical teachings.
In this age of high tensions, paranoia and fear of everything that is deemed Islamic, the Christian West should appreciate the fact that for one thousand years, the Muslim scholars have already shown a great tolerance towards Christianity by learning and absorbing many parts of the Christian Bible into their Islamic faith.
NOTE: The above list has been taken from the Christian Bible. Nothing of it can be found in the Qur'an.
In the light of the evident flexibility in Islam today, I hope that the Muslims all over the world will make the effort to show their Christian brothers and sisters that a great amount of our Islamic Shari'ah is drawn from the Christian Bible. At the same time I urge the Christians and Jews to give Muslims the due credit for being loyal to the Christian Bible and Jewish Scriptures. We have more in common between us than what divides us.

#end

The myth about Gandhi

The myth about Gandhi

 

 

A white Christian clergy started the Gandhi myth in South Africa. Rev. Joseph J. Doke, a Baptist Minster, was the first to write the biography of M. K. Gandhi followed by other European and American clergymen and writers. John H. Holmes, a Unitarian pastor from New York, praised Gandhi in his writings and sermons with titles like: Gandhi: The Modern Christ, Mahatma Gandhi: The Greatest Man since Jesus Christ, Mahatma Ji: Reincarnation of Christ and Gandhi before Pilate. Romain Rolland, a French Nobel Laureate in literature, looked at Gandhi not only as a Hindu saint, but also another Christ. He wrote Gandhi’s new biography in French. The English translation of this book opens with: He is the One Luminous, Creator of all, Mahatma.

Impressed with lavish propaganda about Gandhi in the West, the Hindu propaganda machine started churning out literature to elevate Gandhi to the status of a twentieth century Hindu god – "The seventh reincarnation of Vishnu, Lord Rama," proclaimed Krishnalal Shridharni. Portraits of Gandhi depicted him as Hindu avatar and a Christian saint. The Indian government, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, financed one-third the cost of the production of the movie Gandhi to portray Gandhi as "an absolute pacifist."

The Christian clergy had other motives in starting the Gandhi myth. By elevating Gandhi to a 20th century messiah and then converting him to Christianity would open the floodgate for evangelizing Hindu masses. Little did the Christians realize that Gandhi hoodwinked them with his insincere statements about Christianity? He was a die-hard Hindu, a true believer and defender of the caste order, the essence of Hinduism?  Gandhi apologists indulged in gross deception by claiming that Gandhi’s satyagrah in South Africa was in the defense of the rights of the native people. Nothing could be further from truth than this lie. How could Gandhi, a diehard supporter of the caste system, think for the welfare of African blacks whom he regarded lower than the Untouchables of India just slightly above animals?
Gandhi’s satyagrah was for better treatment of Indians in South Africa who, according to Gandhi, were treated the same way as savage kaffirs (native Black people). In his stay of twenty years in South Africa, Gandhi had no social contacts with the kaffirs, as he did not see any common ground with them in the daily affairs of life. He was horrified when he was lodged with "natives" in the same prison. He disliked wearing clothes with "N" (natives) printed on it. Gandhi had no like for the native food and nor did he like sharing the lavatory with them. It was this jail experience, which brought out his racism in the open:
"Kaffir and Chinese prisoners are wild, murderous and given to immoral ways. Kaffirs are as a general rule uncivilized – the convicts even more so. They are troublesome, very dirty and live almost like animal."

Gandhi believed that the British Empire was for the welfare of the world, and he accepted the superiority and predominance of the white race. However, he reminded the white people that upper-caste Indians shared with the Europeans a common heritage – the blood of the noble Aryan race. It is Aryan blood which is responsible for the advancement of human civilization. To Rev, Doke, Gandhi advised that the way to civilize kaffirs was through Christianity and by infusing Aryan blood into their race. He told the white colonists that the preservation of racial purity (Apartheid) was as important to the Indians as it was to the Europeans.
The colonial authorities were advised by the "mahatama" to raise a voluntary militia of Indians that would fight for the Empire. The Natal authorities were told that it was a "criminal folly" if they did not enlist Indians for the war. He was rebuffed with sarcastic and derogatory comments about the fighting ability of people like him.  Gandhi persisted and finally succeeded in persuading the authorities to form a voluntary ambulance corps of Indians under the command of Sergeant-Major Gandhi during the Boer War and the Zulu Rebellion. He urged the Indian community to show their loyalty to the British Empire by raising funds for the War. Indians were reminded that they were in South Africa due to the courtesy of the Empire: "It is not for us to judge whether the Kaffir revolt is justified or not. We are co-colonists with whites of this land whereas the black savages are as yet unfit to participate in the political affairs of the colony."
As a parochial Hindu, Sergeant- Major Gandhi selected only Gujrati Hindus as his assistants, three Sergeants and one Corporal in spite of the fact that the ambulance corps (20-24 men) was made up mostly of non-Gujratis with a substantial number of Muslims.

The Russian Revolution of 1914 inspired national movements against the colonial rule. The British brought Gandhi back to India to sabotage the Indian national movement against the British. The Congress Party, dominated by Gandhi, was set up under the patronage of the British authorities. The "apostle of peace" urged the Indian people to support the British by enlisting in the army during World War I. In his letter written to the Viceroy in 1930, Gandhi stated, "One of his reason for launching the Civil Disobediene Movement is to contain the violence of revolutionaries."  On the advice of white promoters of Gandhi, the black clergy and civil rights leaders traveled to India to seek Gandhi’s advice on solving the problem of segregation and civil rights of the blacks. How little did they know that Gandhi regarded the black people slightly above animals. Moreover, they were ignorant of the Hindu caste system, which was originally imposed as racial discrimination (varna ashrama dharma) by the Caucasian conquerors on the dark-complexioned natives of India, similar to Apartheid in South Africa. Later with the emergence of new racial groups as a consequence of miscegenation varna ashrama dharma, evolved into the hereditary caste system.
Untouchabilty is as integral a part of Hindu faith as anti-Semitism was to the Nazis. It is noteworthy that not a single black leader met Dr. B. R. Ambedkar – a highly educated man with an M. A. and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University, and M.Sc. and D.Sc. degrees from London University and Bar-at-Law from Grey’s Inn, London - who was the undisputed leader of the Untouchables at that time. Gandhi’s propaganda machine manipulated the visit of black leaders, as it did not want them to find the truth about his views on the caste system:

"I believe in Varnashrama (caste system) which is the law of life. The law of Varna (color and / or caste) is nothing but the law of conservation of energy. Why should my son not be scavenger if I am one? He, Shudra (lowest caste) may not be called a Brahmin (uppermost caste), though he (Shudra) may have all the qualities of a Brahmin in this birth. And it is a good thing for him (Shudra) not to arrogate a Varna (caste) to which he is not born. It is a sign of true humility."
In 1921, through violent speeches, Gandhi worked up his followers into a frenzy of racial hatred against the British. During the bloody demonstrations and riots against the visit of the Prince of Wales, William Francis Doherty, an American citizen working in Bombay, was murdered. Gandhi personally got involved in the cover up of this gruesome murder through bribe and intimidation. Gandhi was concerned that the murder would tarnish his image in the West.
It is a cruel joke and one of the biggest fabrications of the twentieth century that Gandhi won Indian freedom without spilling a drop of blood. The truth is that it was the devastating effect of World War II that forced the British to dismantle its Colonial Empire. Moreover, it was Gandhi and his Hindu dominated Congress party, that engineered the partition of the country on communal lines, as the Muslim dominant states stood in the way of the high caste Hindus who dreamt of setting their Ram Raj (mythical Hindu kingdom) based on caste ideology. 

The Partition of India in 1947 is one of the major upheavals of the twentieth century. In the State of Punjab alone, 11-12 million people lost their homes and hearths where their ancestors had lived for centuries. Possibly one million people died in the communal violence and thousands of young women were kidnapped. Couldn’t Gandhi have prevented the partition of India and saved all this destruction and deaths?
To test his celibacy, Gandhi slept with naked young girls. Dr. Sushila Nayar told Ved Mehta that she used to sleep with Gandhi as she regarded him as a Hindu god. The man, who had taken a vow of poverty, demanded and got even in jail the same comforts enjoyed by British high officials in India.
The "apostle of peace," who counseled a Jewish delegation" to oppose the evil of Nazism by "soul force" - by committing mass suicide, was all praise for annexing Kashmir by armed aggression. He told his Sikh followers that a rusty sword is useless in the age of the Atom Bomb. The development of nuclear weapons by India - a country that ranks among the poorest in the world and is near the bottom of human development index chart of the United Nations, exposes the real face of the "absolute pacifist" and the nation that calls him its "father." Maybe he agreed with lord Krishna who told Arjana during the battle of Mahabharata that "Victory is truth."

The Indian people have started looking deeper at the man behind the mask of divinity, but there is no let up in the perpetuation of the Gandhi myth in the West especially the United States. G. B. Singh rightfully deserves our thanks for bringing out the truth about Gandhi from Gandhi’s own mouth.
Note: Posted by Jagroop Singh slogh-Sikhs@yahoogroups.com <mailto:slogh-Sikhs@yahoogroups.com> <mailto:slogh-Sikhs@yahoogroups.com <mailto:mailto:slogh-Sikhs@yahoogroups.com>>

Yasha or Will of Allah

Yasha or Will of Allah

In this part I will research the understanding of Allah's Will 'Yasha' as used in the Quran. Most people read verses as 'if Allah Wills it', and then project their human understanding of 'willing something' unto Allah. The Human Will is subject to whims and emotions, controlled by it needs and wishes.

How can Allah's Will have the same definition as He is without any Need?

6:14 Say, "Shall I take for my master other than Allah Who is the Initiator of the heavens and the earth? And He provides all without return. Feeds but is not fed....

4:131 And to Allah belong all things in the Highs and all things in the Lows. We directed those who received the Scripture before you, and We direct you to be mindful of Allah's Laws (so that your society operates as smoothly as the Universe is operating). And if you reject the Truth, know that all things in the heavens and all things in the earth belong to Allah. Allah is Self-Sufficient, Owner of Praise.

Human Will is guided by Need, and is expressed through the filter of emotions, instinct and character of the person. This is the Will we know and understand. This is our definition of Will. But how does Will work with Allah how has no need, emotions, instincts or human psyche?

How can we form the right definition of the Divine Will? This is again one of the reasons why the Quran was revealed. To explain to us how the Will of Allah differs from human will and how it works in the Creation.

Here is a small introduction. One person at a forum asked me why I translated 'yasha' with Laws instead of Will:

Quote:

Where does it say in the original arabic of the verse what you mistranslated in the underlined portion ?

6:111 Even if We caused the angels to descend to them, and the dead to speak to them, and We lined up all the miracles before them, they would not believe. People can be guided only according to Allah's Laws, but most of them choose the way of ignorance.

First examine the proof:

2:284 To Allah belong all things in the heavens and all things in the earth. Whether you reveal or conceal your intentions and actions, Allah will bring you to account. He will forgive whom He wills/yasha and pusnishes whom He wills/yasha [He has appointed Laws of forgiveness and retribution]. Allah has Power over all things and events and He has appointed due measure for everything. (Laws for forgiveness: 3:31, 8:29, 33:70-71, 57:28, 61:11-12, 64:17, 71:3)

Ok, does Allah punish only by His Will? Or through the Laws He has given us in the Quran? Of course Allah can do what He wants, but He promises certain things to us. Will a believer be punished by Allah, even though the believer has done everything Allah has decreed in the Quran?

Allah says this in the Quran:
48:5 Thus He will admit the believing men and the believing women into
Gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they shall abide. And He will
absolve their faults and imperfections. And that is, with Allah, the Supreme
Triumph. (11:115).

And:

28:84 Anyone who brings actions that benefited others, the reward to him is better than what he has done. And anyone who is unfair in his dealings with others, such will be punished, but not more than the like of what they have done.

People were punished because they went against Allah's Law of human conduct.

His Will is expressed for example in these Laws:
3:31 Say (O Messenger), "If you love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and preserve your 'Self'. He will save you from trailing behind in humanity and in the community of nations. For, Allah is Most Protecting, Full of Grace (causing benevolent actions to flourish)."

33:70 O' You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Be mindful of Allah and speak words straight to the point.

7:180 All Names of Allah are the fairest names. You can invoke Him by any of them. Be mindful not to over-emphasize a single attribute of His. (For example, the Merciful God is also a Just God). Disregard those who distort His Names or the meaning of His Attributes (like calling Him, father, son, the man upstairs, the destroyer etc.) Be assured that all of you will be rewarded according to your doings, and by no other criterion.

Blasphemy the name = will cause punishment=is a Law. Who Allah punishes is determined by the Laws. Thus His Laws are expressing His Will.
Being mindfull of Allah and speak words of Truth and straightness=reward and forgiveness=His Law expressing His Will.

This is a promise. So Allah's Will is bound to His Promises. If I follow His Laws, He must reward me, as this is His Promise. So His Will follows His Laws and thus His Laws are His Will.

Allah's Will is shown through His Laws, so going against those Laws, is going against Allah's Will, which will end up in requital as Allah's Will is that we grow and develope our Self's. This can only be done through following His Laws.

Another one given in the traditional translation, Progressive Muslim translation:

30:48 God Who sends the winds, so they raise clouds, and He spreads them in the sky as He wishes/yasha, then He turns them into joined pieces, then you see the rain drops come forth from their midst. Then when He makes them fall on whomever He wills/yasha of His servants, they rejoice!

We know that the workings of the weather is formed by laws. Clouds follow airdensity and are pushed by the factors that are determined by heat and cold air which cause the movement. Heat and cold are determined by the sun, and the sun has a fixed amount of heat outburst as the earth rotates, also every area on earth is only exposed to the earth determined by its position.

Is this movement of the clouds determined by randomn will or by laws that were determined before the creation of the Universe? Does Allah just push a cloud to where He wills? No, we can predict the weather as far as we can follow the factors involved. That weather-prediction is not accurate is because we cannot follow all factors that control the airflows. There are to many factors. But we can see a consistent reaction to factors. With heat, air will rise, it will not come down. When a area has less density of air, wind will be produced, as the less density will suck up air from denser area´s. There is consistency in these behaviour of nature. This is why Allah says we must observe them:

2:164 (Never does Allah propose blind faith.) Behold, there are ample Signs In the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, and the alternation of the night and the day - and the ships that roam the ocean for the benefit of mankind - and the water that Allah sends down from the sky, thereby giving life to the land after it had been lifeless - and in dispersing a great variety of creatures therein - and in the currents of winds - and the clouds subservient between the high atmosphere and the Earth. All these are clear Signs for those who exercise their intellect. (The Universe is too organized to be the result of an accident 6:73.)

30:46 And of His Signs is this: He sends forth the winds that bear glad tiding, so that He might give you a taste of His Grace. And that ships might sail at His Command and so that you might.

So the verse must be translated as such:

30:48 (Divine Guidance is a blessing for humanity just as) it is Allah Who sends forth the winds that raise clouds, and then spreads them along the high atmosphere according to His Laws. And causes them to pile up and then break and you see the rain pouring down from within them. And when He makes it to fall on His servants by His Laws, behold, they rejoice.

Also this one:

42:49 To Allah belongs the Dominion of the heavens and the earth. He creates and designs all things according to His Yasha/Will/Laws. He bestows the gift of daughters according to His Yasha/Will/Laws and the gift of sons according to His Yasha/Will/Laws.

A boy or a girl is determind by an Y or X chromosome. The spermcell that makes it first to the femalecell, is that random will or is that determined by Laws? Well why do you think you ejeculate 100.000's of spermcells? Because one will have the correct position and path to reach the femalecell first. It is determined by the conditions the spermcell is in, which determines if it is first or not. And which conditions are the ones that will make a spermcell be first, were already determined in the Laws of nature. Laws that determine what is needed to make a spermcell quick or slow.

So what is Allah's Will here then? Is it not the Laws that determine the best position of a spermcell? Why a spermcell is first, is always determined by certain factors. When a runner wins a marathon, is it because of certain factors, or because random will, or is there a pattern to be found in why somebody wins or loses?

3:6 He it is Who shapes you in the wombs according to His Laws. There is no god but He. He is the Almighty, the Wise. (He uses his Power with wisdom and His Rule is the Rule of Law).

How are foetusses shaped? What determines this? Is this not the factors involved? The food the mom eats. How much she rests. If she bumps the stomach or not. The genes the baby has? Are those genes not determined by the sperm and egg cells genes, and in which conditions the egg and sperm were created and and in which conditions they have merged their genes in?

Do these procedures follow random processes or fixed processes? Are these not determined by Laws of the Universe? What does the Quran say about forming of humans in the womb:

22:5 O Mankind! If you are in doubt that humanity will one day stand at its feet, and that you will be resurrected back to life after death, consider the process of your own evolution. We have created you in stages: From dust, then from male and female gametes, then from a zygote, then from an embryo, shapely and first shapeless. We thus clearly explain things for you. The embryo and then the fetus stay in the womb until an appointed term according to Our Laws. Then We bring you forth as infants and carry you to maturity. While some of you die young, others live to the feeblest old age so that they know nothing after knowing much. (Resurgence of humanity can take place just as) you, O Prophet, see a dry barren land, but when We send down water on it, it vibrates with life and grows all kinds of beautiful plants.

As you can see it follows precise Laws, and thus the Laws resemble Allah's Will.

So what is Allah's Will? Is it random tampering with the creation? I believe not, Allah says we must look at the creation, investigate it. Why investigate it if it follows random processes? No, we must investigate them as understanding these laws and following them is following Allah's Will. It is the Laws that He has determined when creating the Universe. All must follow these Laws. When they follow these Laws, they are following Allah's Will. When we follow the Quran, we are following Allah's Will. Now, you will understand why to translate and understand Yasha with 'Laws' or 'Due Measure', as indeed 'yasha' means Will, but the Will of Allah are expressed in His Laws of the Universe.

It cannot be compared to the random human will that is controlled and guided by need and emotions. Allah's Will already has a fixed Goal and will not deviate from this goal. His Will is not guided by need or emotions. He has a fixed Outcome for us, and uses thus fixed Laws to guide us too this Goal. This is Allah's Will as can be seen through His Laws.

Allah will not deviate from His Laws and Goal:

33:62 That was the Way of Allah among those who lived before. And never will you find any change in Allah's Way. (The Divine Laws in the Universe never change, and the Law of Requital never fails to requite).

If you believe a thing or not, is determined by Laws that control your psyche. Allah's Laws, thus Allah's Will. As these Laws and how you interact with them decide if you believe or not.

6:56 Say, "I am forbidden to worship and obey on whom you call instead of Allah." Say, "I will not follow your desires, otherwise I will go astray and not be among the rightly guided."

To be guided is determined by how well you follow the Laws of your psyche. Not by a random will of Allah as if His Will is run by whims and emotions. Our psyche will see the Truth through following Laws and will be blocked in seeing the Truth by going against those Laws:

6:82 Those who attain belief and cloak not their belief with wrong doctrines, for them is inner peace and security. They are rightly guided.



2:142 Men of little understanding say, "What has turned them from the Direction that people formerly observed? Say, "Unto Allah belong the East and the West." He has Yasha shown the Straight Path to him who wills to follow it."

They ask: 'Why did they change their Qibla?'. Our reply is: 'It is through God's Yasha'. So what is His Will? Well He says 2 verses later:

2:144 We have seen your eagerness (O Messenger), therefore, We shall now make you turn to a Qiblah that is dear to you. Hence, turn your whole being focused on the Sanctified Masjid. And all of you believers, wherever you may be, turn your whole being focused toward it. Behold! Those who have been given the Scripture before know that this is the Truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what they do.

Allah shows us His Will, through His Laws He gives us in the Quran.

3:13 (Only recently at Badr), there was a Sign for you in the two armies that met in combat. One was fighting in the Cause of Allah, the other denying Him. With their own eyes the two armies saw each other as twice their number. (The believers in their motivation saw the manifold enemy just twice their own numbers, while the deniers saw the smaller opponents twice the size they actually were). But Allah strengthens people with His support according to His Yasha/Will/Laws. (Allah helps those who help themselves). This must be a lesson for people of vision for all times.

Is victory attained through random will or through fixed Laws? It is of course the factors that comply to the Laws that will gain the victory. This is why Allah says:

4:71 O You who have chosen to be graced with belief! Be fully prepared against danger. You shall remain alert to meet aggression. Take your precautions then mobilize in groups or all together as determined by your commander.

8:60 Make ready for them all the power you can muster, and all the equipment you can mobilize so that you may deter the enemies of Allah, and your enemies. And others beside them whom you know not, Allah knows them. Whatever wealth and effort you spend on your defenses, will be your spending in the Cause of Allah, and it will be repaid to you generously. And you shall not be wronged.

It is through good preparation and equipment and good men that decide a war's outcome. This is Allah's Will that is shown through His Laws. A true believer will always try to follow Allah's Laws. Allah promises us victory, but only when we follow His Laws that are in the Quran and in Nature.

People who project the Human definition of Will unto Allah, will see it as random Will, not following fixed Laws and not having a fixed Goal.
They misunderstand Allah's Will by believing Allah's Mercy is random, and is received through intervention of Allah:

36:47 And when it is said to them, "Spend on others of the provision Allah has given to you", the rejecters say to the believers, "Shall we feed anyone whom Allah could have fed if He so willed? You people are obviously lost in error." (6:149, 16:35, 43:20).

They don't understand that feeding the poor is a Law of Allah, and through that Law His Will is expressed:

22:36...and feed the contented poor who beg not as well as the poor who ask....

When people believe Allah's Will does not follow fixed Laws, they neglect His Laws as given in the Quran. They also reject the notion that Allah has a fixed Goal for our existence.

1:3 He is the Absolute Owner of the Day when all creation shall have completed their journey of existence, evolution and action to the Ultimate Just outcome. And He is the Supreme Appointer of the Way of Life that mankind may live by in order to attain success in both lives - and this System will most certainly prevail in this world. The Divine Law of Returns takes mankind to the Day of Final Judgment in His Court to account for all they did with the gift of life. This is a Day whose advent is beyond any doubt.

[3:189-190, 9:32-33, 17:111, 43:84, 82:18-19. 'Deen' = Way or System of Life = The Ultimate Just Outcome.]

11:119 Except those on whom your Lord will bestow His Grace (for working toward the Noble Objective of unity). And for this He created them. Those who defy (this Command) will fulfill the Word of your Lord, "Verily, I shall fill Hell with the nomad and urban mankind all together."

So Allah's Will is expressed in His Laws. Thus Allah's Yasha/Will is equal to His Laws as they guide us to His intended Goal, His Deen. This is a fixed Outcome, and thus follows fixed Laws.

Another person asked me:

Allah (S) uses different words for "His Law" for "His Sunnah and practices" and "His wish or Will or Yesha". He is very careful in choosing words and does not superimpose words with different or slightly different meanings on top of each other.

There are many verses which follow the following construct:
1. A man or a woman makes an unsual proposal.
2. Allah(S) responds back with an affirmative answer.
3. Proposer of the original proposal expresses his surprise that how is this possible because the norm is different.
4. Allah expresses that this is his "Yesha" or will that such an exception to his divine law will occur. "Yesha" is used in almost every case when an exception to his laws took place. Not when "business" as usual was intended.

3:38 - Man proposes Unusual thing

:39 - Allah approves and sends an Angle with the approval of this unusual request.

:40 Man is totally surprised on the approval of this unusual request. Allah Clarifies, this unusual thing will happen. It is not a law that Allah approves and sends an angel who delivers the approval and indicates that God has approved this exception and will cure the barren lady as indicated later.

Man only knows their own definitions of 'Will' based on their experience and use of the word. This is why we must investigate the Quran, as Allah explains His Will and how it works to us. Human Will is subject to constant changes of its goals. One second it is hungry and it wants food, the other it is sleepy and its will is to sleep. Allah has no needs or emotions, BUT He has a Will. So to make sure we don't confuse His Will with our definition of Will, He must explain it to us. This why there is the need for Revelation.

This explanation I have given above. For every Will, Allah gives an answer somewhere else in the Quran or in Nature to explain it. To win a war, you must prepare. To have a child, you must have the right factors present. To believe, your psyche must follow the correct state of mind that allows belief.

Through out the Quran, Allah says what His Will is, and most of His Wills are a surprise to mankind. That He shows Mercy and Nourishment to everyone is a surprise to many. Sometimes He uses stories of people to express this surprise of the Mercy in His Will, but also because of the possibilities in Allah's Creation.

With the story of Zacheria it doesn't say that his wife is cured through miracles. Zacheria was just surprised that at his late age it was still possible to have a child, but also that there was still a possibility for his wife to be cured. He thought it was impossible, due to his limited knowledge of the possibilities in Allah's Creation.

In 3:40 he is just surprised there is still a possibility that his wife can bare children. It is Zacheria who is suggesting that it is not possible, while he cannot know all the possibilities that were there. Allah does know all possibilities, and thus say that through His Will, which is presented through His Laws, she can still bare a child.

The same is with Mary where she is surprised to be chosen to bare a child, while in reality she thought she would be a nun the rest of her life. She asks how can I have a child? Allah answers with that His Will, which is expressed through His Laws, gives her the possibility to leave the Temple and get married. Which she does as explained in the verses after it. Mary believed it was Allah's Will to remain a nun, but Allah says she must submit to Allah's Laws and not to man-made ones. So her surprise was because of her misunderstanding of what really Allah's Laws were.

So the surprise of people is about the possibilities in Allah's Creation or that they believed man-made laws to be Allah's Laws, and thus they were surprised that He suggested otherwise.

The Quran is a simple and a clear Message, but your interpretation is determined by your approach. The verse can mean anything, but most approach it with pre-conceived ideas. Most believe Allah was saying in verses 3:40 that He cured through a miracle Zacheria's wife, while Zacheria is only surprised that there still is a possibility for her to be cured.

The majority approaches the verses already as:
1.Zacheria's wife was incurable.
2.Only a miracle could save her.
3.Thus Allah deviates from His Laws to cure her.

While at the same time this is also possible:
1. Zacheria BELIEVED himself that his wife was incurable, this does not mean at all this is also true. This only shows that man doesn't always knows all possibilities.
2. Her infertility could be cured with medicines, no miracle needed. This is not excluded at all. This possibility is just completely ignored to sustain a miracle-belief.
3. Allah tells Zacheria that His Will has made endless possibilities in His Laws for humans to find cures and solutions to problems.

You see the difference of approach? People must ask themselves why they first went for the Miracle-approach, instead of first using the reasonable approach. Why exclude the normal possibilities? Ask yourself this carefully. It is not a crime for not seeing my approach, as your mind is formed through the Collective approach to certain subjects.

So you have to question yourself again:
1. I cannot reject the non-miracle approach as being not true, so what would I prefer and why?
2. Does the Quran promote miracles? And if so, what is the Message behind miracles then?
3. Is the Creation proof enough for me to see Allah's Power, or do I need to see in the Quran miracles to proof this?

He also asked:

Correct tranlation must include his will or "yesha" mentioned twice in the verse 6.39, where YusufAli, Pickthal and Shakir all say it is Allah's Will to leave us astray or guide us.

The verse clearly indicates that it is his will to leave some stray. Will Allah Almighty make a rule to leave people "to go astray" as a rule?

This would contradict with many verses but already with the very first thing Allah calls Himself: Rahman. If we translate the verse as such: And He - Allah - sends astray whom He wills and He guides him whom He wills. My first question would be: So, what was the need to reveal the Qur'an? This approach comes from projecting the human use of power unto Allah. Human rulers as kings, ruled with ruthlessness and without anyone questioning them. Many rulers have misused their power to tyrannize mankind. This is explained in this verse:

2:258 Think of the one who adamantly argued with Abraham about his Lord because Allah had given him power (Nimrod Shaddad, the King of Babylon who used to proclaim divinity). Abraham said to him, "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death." He answered, "I give life and cause death." (Being a tyrant king he could reverse or impose death penalty upon his subjects). Abraham said, "Allah makes the sun rise from the East; make it rise from the West." Thereupon the rejecter of the Truth remained dumbfounded. And Allah does not guide people who displace reality with falsehood.

Here it clearly shows how rulers use power. This use of power has become the human definition of power, and so Allah must be even more tyrannizing and ruthless. They project on Him the concept that He will act as He wants. But a difference in behaviour would indicate a difference in goal. Allah says He already has a fixed goal for us, the Deen. This is why He says:

6:34 Messengers before you were denied and opposed. They steadfastly faced persecution until Our help reached them. There is none to alter the Decisions, Laws and Words of Allah. Some history of the Messengers has already come to you and sets examples for you.

17:77 Such has always been Our Law with all of Our Messengers, We sent before you. (Nations that drove them out, suffered dire consequences). You will never find a change in Our Laws.

So every person can believe at any point at this life. He can only be stopped by his own beliefs he chooses himself. This is a fixed Law of the Universe.

A psyche is controlled by certain Laws. When you lie a lot, your lies will mix with your real memories, and in the end you cannot distinguish the real memories from the fake ones anymore. So lying will cause false memories. Believing in multiple gods, will make your brain look for signs of these gods. Your brain will respond to your belief, and thus ignore the signs of One God.

These are simple Laws of the psyche. For example, you just had a fight with somebody, you're pissed off, and walk down the street. There a person bumps into you.

How will your upset mind approach this? As just a accident? Or as a personal attack and you need to defend yourself? Your brain is on defence mode. It will most likely interpret this innocent accident as an attack. This is a Law of your psyche.

If you already believe there are multiple gods by following your forefathers blindly. You will program your brain to only pick up clues in life that support the belief in multiple gods. Thus your brain will see signs of the One God, but it will not communicate this to your consciousness. This is why Allah uses the term 'Kafir' for those who reject His Messages. Kafir means farmer, and is used for a person who buries seed or other substances. In the Quran it got the meaning of a person who buries the Truth for himself. This is exactly what that person is doing. Through a personal choice, made out of Free Will, this person is burying the Truth from his consciousness. The person is doing it himself, by using Allah's Laws of the psyche. It was Allah's Will that we have Free Will, and so His Will made possibilities for us in the creation to have Free Will. So to believe or dis-believe is done through Allah's Will, His Will that we have the possibility to believe or dis-believe.

11:62 They said, "O Saleh! Great hopes We had placed in you before this! But now you are telling us to move away from worshiping what our forefathers worshiped. Verily, now we are in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion about the meaning of your call to us."

Instead of being objective, they already presume that their forefathers are right. They don't let go of their program and thus they cannot see the Reality. Their psyche follows Laws of observation and belief of the consciousness.

1. If there is already an established belief, and you do not doubt it. Then your brain will not let you see all the things that dis-prove your belief. It will only show that which confirms your belief.
2. When you try to stay objective, your brain will always communicate the Reality to you in its completeness, and not filter out anything.

This is seen for example in:

6:56 Say, "I am forbidden to worship and obey on whom you call instead of Allah." Say, "I will not follow your desires, otherwise I will go astray and not be among the rightly guided".

This Law of the psyche was determined by Allah at the beginning of Creation. This is His Will. And so His Will is expressed in these Laws of the Psyche. Yasha means Will, but it His Will is expressed in His Laws. He has a fixed Goal from which He will not deviate.

Allah gives you the possibility to be objective and observe the Reality without that pre-programmed observation. This is what Abraham did:

6:75 We gave Abraham insight, the ability to reflect, into the Mighty Dominion of the Universe so that he might attain firm conviction.
6:76 (Some of his people were idolaters and others were Nature worshipers.) One night when it grew dark upon him he saw a planet (Venus). Abraham exclaimed to them, "This is my Lord!" But when it went down, he said, "I love not the things that go down."
6:79 "I have focused firmly on Him Who initiated the heavens and the earth; as an upright man I turn away from all that is false. I will never be an idol worshiper in any form.

He observed the One God, by being objective. So he had to first decide to be objective. Only after that, did his brain show all the clues, that were first hidden for him because he followed his people.

This can be clearly seen with his conversation with his people:

21:52 He said to his father and his folk, "What are these images and statues that you sit around worshiping?"
21:53 They responded, "We found our ancestors worshipers of them."
21:54 He said, "Indeed you are in plain error as your ancestors were."
21:55 They said, "Are you telling us some serious truth or are you one of those jesters?"

He says: what are you doing?>>They say: what our forefathers did. Which implies they never left the belief that ruled their access to Reality>>Indeed you and your forefathers were blocked from seeing the truth>>They immediately wondered what he meant: Is he joking or telling his true opinion?>>so he smashed their idols:

21:58 Then he reduced them to fragments except the big one, so that they might turn to it. (37:88-98).

They still ran their belief-program and thus defended their idols:

21:59 They said, "Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be of the wrongdoers."

21:62 (And when he came) they asked, "Is it you who has done this to our gods, O Abraham?"

So he confronted them with something their belief-filter could not filter out, which is that their idols could talk:

21:63 Abraham grabbed the opportunity of driving home the point, "Whoever did it, did it. This is their chief. Ask them if they speak.

21:64 They were taken aback, withdrew themselves, thought and said to one another, "Verily, you yourselves are the wrongdoers." (You disregarded the security of the powerless idols).
21:65 They were utterly confounded in shame, lowered their heads and said to Abraham, "You know that they speak not."


Their filter that was sustained in their psyche because of their pre-conceived notions, but it can not filter and block all observations of Reality. And they were ashamed for admitting that one testing method to see if their idols were true or false, was shown to them. They were forced into objective observation to see indeed if their idols had power or not.

But what is their reaction:

21:68 The priesthood of the temple (in their vested interests) instigated the masses, "Burn him alive and uphold your gods if you are going to take any action!"

On that moment they could have decided to accept the test and see their gods had failed. But instead the priests decided to hold on to their program, and quickly fired up the people's anger, so that their thinking will be blocked by the rage.

So:
1. When you are angry, it is really hard for you to observe something not as an attack.
2. When you have a conviction, then your consciousness will only accept the things of Reality that confirm their belief.
3. When you try to be objective, you will pick up almost everything in Reality, and thus can form the most correct belief that coincides with Reality.

These are Laws of the psyche. Any psychiatrists can explain these too you. This is why Allah keeps saying we must look at His creation to believe in Him. He points out to Reality, to break your belief-program and make you objective, just as with Abraham.

Allah had already decided before the Creation that our psyche would run like this. We have a Free Will that can influence our observation of Reality. Animals don't have this option. So to express His Will, Allah has made Laws in our psyche, so our Free Will can be expressed.

Thus Allah's Will is experienced through His Laws. As you can see, to understand belief, you must first observe what the Quran says how belief works. Just as you said, Allah doesn't use words for nothing. They all have a purpose, and in the Quran, all the words are interconnected.

Yasha indeed means 'Will', but the danger is, that you will mix it up with the human definition of Will. This is why I use 'Laws' as it is through His Laws that Allah's Will works.

This is how the Quran explains itself.

I am a revert into Islam by phafudis@gmail.com

 

BISMILLAHI RAHMANI RAHIM

I am a revert into Islam . The good part about that is, I stood up in a masjid, declared in front of the imam and twenty other muslims that: Allah is the only diety worthy of worship, and Muhammad is His messenger. A lot of muslims have not done that.

I remained a christian for many years because it was considered blasphemous to question things and apply your aql . Then I collided with Islam. Initially we were encouraged to question, to explore and interrogate the sacrosant principle of the holy trinity.

Once inside Islam, that spirit of enquiry was brought to an abrupt halt. Reasons cited included inter alia the inability to read the Quran in arabic . And gradually the Quran was replaced by hadith as a source of knowledge. Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Hurreira and others now formed the basis of belief .

You can go to many Jummuah talks and hear nothing of the Quran except mere recitation . Not only are some of these Hadiths outrightly nonsensical, but also contradictory to the Quran.

Our Ulema are now sacrosant ivory tower dwellers, who can't be questioned. They are themselves Islam. When you question them you are supposedly questioning Islam, thus risk being declared a kaffir, a munafiqin, a shia etc.

Does our ulemas realise that Islam did not invent God. He existed before the advent of islam. People have been worshiping, praying to Him and obey His laws according to their understanding of the time. From time to time Allah (s.w.t) would send a prophet, to bring mankind back to the correct teaching, because, by the passage of time man gets lost. Whether he is a learned scholar or not.

Do men realise that when prophet Ebrahim (s.a.w) started his work, he went against the established religious order of the time . So was prophet Muhammad (s.w.t) and all the ambiya .

Today we observe and follow their teachings. Islam does not change, what changes is the interpretation and thus the practice . So questioning can never be a sign of unbelief, but rather its deepening . So those who don't want to be questioned, can they step down from the positions of power bestowed on them by men .

" Men of knowledge are ruined by eight things: greed and miserliness, showing off and partisanship, love of praise, delving into things whose reality they cannot reach , affectation by taking excessive pains to beautify their speech with superfluos expressions, lack of modesty before God, boastfulness, and not acting upon what they know." Imam Djafar Al Sadiq.

WHO ARE "CHRISTIANS" ? LET'S EXAMINE THE "WORDS OF ALLAH".

Allah has throughout His Revealed text, addressed the Jews and Christians as "The People of the Book" ('Ahlil-Kitabi) {meaning, People of the Earlier Books}. In verse 2: 105, quoted below, Allah has very distinctly indicated that the "Unbelievers" (Kuffars) {meaning, People without faith}; and the "Idolaters" (Mushrikeen) {meaning, the Pagans}; are the separate groups from the communities of the JEWS and CHRISTIANS.

It is never the wish of those without faith among the People of the Book nor of the Pagans that anything good should come down to you from your Lord. Qur'an 2: 105

In the following verse Allah has addressed Christians as Nasara (plur.), so called, having come from Nazareth.

Thou wilt find the most vehement of mankind in hostility to those who believe [in this Qur'an] are the Jews and the idolaters. And thou wilt find the closest of them in affection to those who believe [in this Qur'an] are those who say: Lo! We are Christians (Arabic: Nasara). That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not given to arrogance.

Qur'an 5: 82.

Behold! Allah said: "O Jesus! I will take thee and raise thee to Myself and
clear thee (of the falsehoods) of those who blaspheme; I will make those
who follow thee superior to those who reject Faith to the Day of
Resurrection; then shall ye all return unto Me and I will judge between you
of the matters wherein ye dispute. Qur'an 3: 55.

One who is aware of the above verses of the Qur'an and yet propagates that the CHRISTIANS are the "Unbelievers" (Kuffars) with a political agenda, is in reality knowingly hiding and denying the "Revealed Truth". Declaring the Christian community as the Kuffars is the denial of the Qur'an. Interestingly, the root word (verb) of the Arabic word Kuffar is K.F.R. This verb means: To cover; To deny; To (knowingly) hide. Allah knows what one hides and denies. The important question is; WHAT WILL BE THIS PERSON'S ANSWER TO ALLAH ON THE DAY OF RECKONING?

The Day when Allah Declared; He had Perfected the Religion Al-Islam, He also revealed the following verse:

This day are (all) good things made lawful for you. The food of those who
have received the Earlier Scripture is lawful for you, and your food is lawful for them. And so are the virtuous women of the believers and the virtuous
women of those who received the Scripture before you (lawful for marriage) when you give them their marriage portions and live with them in honor, not
in fornication, nor taking them as secret concubines. Qur'an 5: 5

God has woven a Heavenly Thread through the religious history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The following Command demands that a Believer must strengthen this Heavenly Thread of Messengers and the Books sent to these Messenger, but it should never be broken if that person has truly surrendered himself/herself to Allah.

Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and
that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob,
and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the
Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of
them, and unto Him we have surrendered. Qur'an 2: 136

MUSLIMS NEED TO REMIND THEMSELVES OF THE FOLLOWING EVENT FROM THEIR HISTORY

Below is a memorable historical event from the life of the Prophet Muhammad, his family members and the earlier followers of Islam who went from Arabia to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in North Africa seeking shelter and protection from a Christian King Negus who was renowned for his Justice and the Human rights in those days.

Makkan persecution of the Muslims increased in intensity. Many Muslims now became so subject to torture and murder that Muhammad instructed them to disperse throughout the world. When they asked where they should go, he advised them to escape to Abyssinia, the Christian kingdom - where "a king rules without injustice, a land of truthfulness - until God leads us to a way out of our difficulty." Fearful of Makkan persecution and desirous of worshipping God in peace and freedom, a number of Muslims emigrated to Abyssinia at Muhammad's advice... Their emigration to Abyssinia is usually referred to as "the first emigration in Islam."

The Makkans were so upset at this exodus of the Muslims to Abyssinia that they immediately sent a delegation to the Negus carrying precious gifts in order to bring about the emigrants' extradition and return to Makkah...

Apparently, the Makkan gifts to the patriarch were instrumental in obtaining this summary decision. The Negus, however, refused to concur in the judgment of his patriarch until he had a chance to hear the refugees plead their own case. He sent after them and asked, "What is this new religion which caused you to separate yourselves from your people, a religion which is different from mine as well as from any other of the known regions?"

Ja'far ibn Abu Talib rose and said in answer, "O King! We were in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols, eating carrion, committing all sorts of iniquity. We honored no relative and assisted no neighbor. The strong among us exploited the weak. Then God sent us a prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, loyalty, and purity were well known to us. He called us to worship God alone and to repudiate all the stones and idols which we and our ancestors used to worship. He commanded us always to tell the truth, to remain true to trust and promise, to assist the relative, to be good neighbors, to abstain from blood and things forbidden, and to avoid fornication, perjury, and false witness...

Thereupon the Negus asked, 'Will you show me some of the revelation which your Prophet claims to have come to him from God?" Ja'far answered, "Yes!" and recited to the Negus the verses of the Qur'an from Surah (chapter) of Mary....

The Negus then said, "What you have just recited and that which was revealed to Moses must have both issued from the same source. Go forth into my kingdom; I shall not extradite you at all." (End of quote).

Source: Dr. Muhammad Husayn Haykal's well known book Hayat Muhammad in Arabic. (1935). The English translation is entitled The Life of Muhammad. ISBN 0-89259-002-5, printed in U.S.A. (1976). pages 97-100.

THE ONGOING VIOLENCE THAT HAS BEEN MISDIRECTED WILL SUBSIDE IF THE TRUE MESSAGE OF ALLAH IS PROPAGATED...

Why God created MAN?

The most and simple answer will be Ibadah.  But, does man really need so much intelligence & brain power to perform physical prayer offerings or 12 hr. fasting?

Then the question arises, what does ibadah really means. Does it mean going to mosque 5 times a day or does it have a much higher meaning. Keep in mind most of God's creations perform Ibadah in one form or another.

Everything God has created has a purpose and therefore, there must be a purpose for all the brain power given to Man. One possibility is that Man is on a quest to discover God's grand plan where he wants us to unravel the secret of creation and other mysteries he wants us to reveal.

On the theoretical physics front, new theories such as String theory or M-theory predict that physical space in general has in fact 10 and 11 dimensions. Man has already discovered 4 dimensions, Timespace, xaxis, yaxis, zaxis. The other theoretical 7 spatial dimensions are not known yet. If and when they are discovered, what will happen.

Please keep in mind that in just 10k years, man has traveled from the bow/arrow to Iss space station and machines landing on mars. Pretty scary? isn'tit?

Is man going to be able to discover God's plan with the help of these dimensions?  Is that God's grand plan and is the reason why he gave man so much intellect? 

Others in the scientific paradigm predict that the graceful union of Einstein's general theory of relativity and Quantum physics will derive a theory of everything. Tragically Einstein died before he could complete this theory. Maybe someone else will take his place

How far will he go with his intelligence ? Lets see in 20k, or 100k or more years.

(We believe that man has unlimited intelligence, since a limit has not been mentioned in Books)). if yes, then I am not aware.
The only creation. 17:70 And We have favored the humans far above a great many of Our creation.
96:4 Who has taught the use of the pen.
96:5 Taught man what he knew not.
[The Pen symbolizes the transmission and exchange of knowledge through written records, unique to man. Since this is a Divine gift to mankind, “It is He Who taught.”]

Holier than thou: Islam and the religious ego

 

 

Holier than thou: Islam and the religious ego
by Asghar Ali Engineer
Back Print

 

Every religion has its own concept of the 'other', specially the 'religious other'. Generally the followers of a religious tradition looked down upon other religious traditions as inferior and less true, if not untrue though it may not be exactly the scriptural position.

 

All of us have our own religious ego, like personal ego. In fact our religious ego is nothing but reflection of our own personal ego. Thus all of us tend to glorify our own religious or faith tradition while devaluing that of others. If we do not find direct support for our 'communal ego' in our scriptures, we choose some verses to so interpret them as to support our own egoistic thinking. There is hardly any exception to this rule except few individuals who have more open mind.

 

Islam arose among Arabs, particularly among those of Mecca. Mecca, a well- developed town on the highway of international trade in the 6th century was divided into different pagan tribes worshipping their own deities though the concept of monotheism was not entirely unknown. Thus in pre-Islamic Arabia there was the 'tribal other' rather than the religious other. Though there were a few Christians but there were so far and few in between that they hardly made ay impact on the Arab society.

 

In Madinah of course there was a considerable presence of Jews, and for pagan Arabs of other tribes there did exist a religious other. However, despite the presence of the religious other in Madinah the real conflict was between tribes rather than between religions. Thus even in Madinah the real other was the tribal, rather than the religious other. In Mecca though there was no concept of a religious other at all. It was for this reason that there was a fierce opposition to the Prophet of Islam when he began to preach the message revealed to him. The Meccan Arabs, for the first time, became aware of a religious other in their own midst.

 

Islam too, did not confront any 'religious other' as far as Mecca was concerned. It was only in Madinah that Islam was pitted against Jews. But right from the beginning the Holy Prophet did not treat the Jews as the 'religious other'. He tried to integrate them in a composite political community through what is known as the Mithaq-i-Madinah (pact of Madinah). This compact was drawn between the Muslims (as newly emergent religious community on the horizon of Arabia), Jews belonging to various different tribes and pagans belonging to various tribes. Thus even in the religious category the 'tribal other' remained an important category.

 

The Mithaq-i-Madinah is a very important political document drawn up by the Prophet (PBUH). It shows the statesmanship of the Prophet and his catholicity towards religious other and also his most modern concept of composite political community. He described this community as Ummah wahidah i.e. one community. Though in other empires of the world religious minorities were tolerated but were given no political rights. It was the Mithaq-i-Madinah, which did. It is interesting to note that the leaders of Jami`at al-`Ulama-i-Hind quoted this political compact drawn up by the Prophet (PBUH) to oppose two nation theory of Jinnah. They maintained that when the Prophet created a composite political community in Madinah why Indian Muslims cannot.

 

It would be interesting to quote from this document drawn up by the Holy Prophet as it helps us to understand the status of the religious other in Islamic community. It is important to note that all scholars are unanimous on the authenticity of this document. In fact, it is a series of pacts signed by the Muslims and several tribes on different dates. Many scholars differ on the dates on which these pacts were signed but there is hardly any doubt about its contents.

 

Barakat Ahmed says in his book Muhammad and The Jews (Delhi, 1979,p-39) "The Sahifah signed by the Muslims and the Jews, and erroneously called 'The Constitution of Medina ', is very important document for the understanding of the status of non-Muslims in a Muslim dominated society. Scholars of all schools of thought, such as Watt, Serjeant and Hamidullah, agree that the document is 'unquestionably authentic'."

 

Barkat also points out that "The Sahifah is actually not the constitution of a state; it lays the guiding principle for building a multi-cultural and multi-religious ummah in which dominant group will always be Muslim." (P-46). But one cannot agree with Barkat Ahmed when he says that the dominant group will always be Muslims. It is his interpretation. In fact, a close look at the document and if the date of its signing - the first year of Hijrah according to Ibn Ishaq in his Sirah - is kept in mind it is obvious that the Muslims were an emerging community, not the dominant community in Madinah then.

 

The non-Muslims had, in the document, security rights equal to all the groups and also equal political and cultural rights with the Muslims. Also, complete religious freedom was guaranteed and all groups were accorded complete autonomy.

 

However, it was also required that Muslims and non-Muslims will take up arms against the enemy of the ummah (which was an inclusive term) and will share the cost of war (in fact there was no state taxation system then and each tribal community had to provide arms, horses and camels for war preparations). Also, the Sahifah said that Muslims and non-Muslims were sincere friends with honourable dealings and no treachery. This is provided in the Article 37 of the document. Significantly it was also provided in the Article 45 that non-Muslims will not be obliged to take part in the religious wars of Muslims nor Muslims will be obliged to take part in the religious conflict of the non-Muslim members of the ummah.

 

As there were no Christians in Madinah there is no mention of them in the Sahifah. Had they been present they too, like the Jews, would have been included in the compact. It is borne out from the fact that when a Christian delegation led by Abdul Masih and Bishop Abu Haritha b. 'Alqama visited Madinah, the Messenger of Allah invited the Christians too to join him on the basis of unity of God. It is mentioned in the Qur'an as follows: "O People of the Book! Come to a word equal between us and you that we worship none but Allah, and that we associate no partner with him, and that some of us take not others for Lords beside Allah." (Al-'Imran:64)

 

This invitation to Christians was extended to them after they declined to accept Islam. It clearly means that the Apostle of God honoured the Christians right to freedom of religion and emphasised what was common between them i.e. the Christians and Muslims. This document, it can be said without any exaggeration, was, in fact, foundation of the concept of modern liberal state with different religious communities constituting a single political community (ummah wahidah) which was multi-religious and multi-cultural and also multi-tribal as every tribe was an autonomous entity in every respect including various traditions and cultural practices.

 

It is important to note that freedom of religion is cardinal to the reachings of the Qur'an. It states the doctrine of freedom of religion in different ways. About the Jews it states that "Should they (the Jews) come to thee seeking judgement in a dispute, either judge between them or leave them. If thou keepest away from them, they shall not harm thee at all. But if thou undertakes to judge, then judge between them with equity. Surely Allah loves the just." (Ma'idah, 46-47)

 

If one has to judge with equity one has to judge according to ones own religious beliefs and on which the Jews always insisted. Thus the Prophet judged disputes between Jews according to the Commandments of the Torah. The principle of freedom of religion has been stated directly in the words of the Qur'an often quoted La ikrah fi' al-din (i.e. there is no compulsion in religion). (2:256) It is a clear statement of the freedom of conscience which is a fundamental philosophy of the modern secular state. The religious other cannot be forced into accepting religion much less persecuted on account of ones beliefs, religious or otherwise.

 

In keeping with the ethos of the time, the Qur'an divides people into three religious categories: 1) believers i.e. Muslims or Mu`mins; 2) Ahl al-Kitab i.e. those who possess a revealed Book from Allah like Bible or Torah (and later some Sufis of India included even the Vedas in this category of the revealed scriptures) and 3) kafirs i.e. unbelievers i.e. those who possess neither any scripture nor believe in any Supreme God. The word kafir has been much misunderstood due to its loose usage both by Muslims and non-Muslims.

 

The word Kafir literally means one who hides (truth). One who accepts the truth of other religions cannot be condemned as kafir though many Muslims did use the term in that sense in history (i.e. they used the term kafir for those who were not Muslims though they did believe in Christianity or Judaism). This is not true as far as the Qur'anic usage is concerned. Also, the Holy Prophet and his companions even accepted those not mentioned in the Qur'an as the people of the Book. For example, the Prophet made a treaty with the Zoroastrians of Bahrain as people of the Book. The fourth Caliph Uthman also entered into a similar treaty with the Berbers of Africa though they possessed no scripture of any kind.

 

It was much later that these categories came to be applied narrowly by some rulers and their religious collaborators. It was more due to arrogance of power or for political reasons than on account of the Qur'anic teachings. The category of kafirs was initially sub-divided into harbi and ghayr-harbi kafirs i.e. war-mongering non-believers and those with whom the Muslims have a pact for peace.

 

It is the duty of Muslims to live in peace with those unbelievers who have either a no-war or peace pact with them. War is permitted, as a last resort only with those unbelievers who commit aggression against Muslims. It is clear both in Qur'an and hadith that rights of all non-Muslim citizens whether ahl al-kitab or not i.e. even of unbelievers must be fully protected. As explained above, there cannot be any discrimination in matters of political, religious and cultural rights between Muslims and non-Muslims. The Mithaq-i-Madinah itself makes it quite clear.

 

The Qur'an does not make it obligatory on Muslims to convert others to Islam. Even if they do they should do it with wisdom and goodly manner (16:125). No one is permitted to apply coercion at all. Even aggressive style of d`awah (i.e. mission) is not in keeping with the spirit of the Qur'an. Also, four most fundamental values of the Qur'an are justice ('adl), benevolence (ihsan), wisdom (hikmah) and compassion (rahmah). These values are to be universally applied to entire humanity. And in keeping with the spirit of these values the rights of non-Muslims in a Muslim society must be protected.

 

The Qur'an says, in respect of those non-Muslims with whom there is a pact, "And if they seek help from you in the matter of religion, it is your duty to help (them) except against a people between whom and you there is a treaty. Thus even if Muslims seek help from Muslims against those with whom the Holy Prophet had entered into a treaty, such a request cannot be accepted.

 

Since Allah is just He will reward anyone who submits to His Will and is doing good to others. Thus we find in the Qur'an "Nay, whoever submits himself entirely to Allah and he is the doer of good (to others), he has his reward from his Lord, and there is no fear for such nor shall they grieve." (2:112). This verse was revealed in response to the assertion by the Christians and Jews that they alone will enter paradise. Here in this verse it is made clear that all those who surrender to Allah's will and do good to others will receive their reward from their Lord. Salvation does not come merely by following this or that religion. This has also been asserted in the verse 2:62. It says: "Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good, they have their reward with their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve."

 

Yet another verse of the Qur'an (16:36) elaborates on the universal approach of the Qur'an in matters of religion. It says, "And certainly We raised in every nation a messenger, saying: Serve Allah and shun the devil. Then of them was he whom Allah guided, and of them was he who inevitably fell into grievous error. So travel in the land and see what happened to those who rejected the truth (mukazzibin)". Thus all those who follow the path of truth as preached by Allah's apostle in their community, will be rewarded and will have nothing to fear.

 

And even if there are disputes in matters of religion it should be left to Allah to decide. It is for us to do good and submit ourselves to the will of Allah and to do justice. Thus the Qur'an says, "I believe what Allah has revealed of the Book, and I am commanded to do justice between you. Allah is our Lord and your Lord. For us are our deeds; and for you your deeds. There is no contention between us and you. Allah will gather us together and to Him is the eventual return." (42:15)

 

This verse is crystal clear that there is no use disputing about religious beliefs. We should go on doing good to each other. It is for Allah to judge on the Day of Judgement for what we believe. The real message of the Qur'an is what it calls istibaq al-khayrat (i.e. excelling each other in good deeds). See verses 5:48 and 2:148. But we waste more time in disputing with each other about our beliefs, be they inter-religious or intra-religious rather than excelling each other in good deeds.

 

It is also important to note that Allah has created diversity (5:48) and we should accept it in all humility. Diversity is, in fact our test. Our response should be pluralism i.e. respecting diversity. Human ingenuity also flowers in situation of diversity rather than in situation of monolithic socio-cultural or socio-religious structure. Each religion is unique as Allah has sent His apostles in all communities and nations.

 

The Qur'an advises the believers to live in peace with those who do not harm you or do not derive you away from your hoes and hearths. And the first attempt should be to make peace even with enemies. It is quite likely that Allah will bring about friendship between you and those of them whom you hold as enemies. And Allah is Powerful and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (60:7)

 

In the above verse also it is clear that we should do everything possible to remove causes of hostility and forgive our enemies, as Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. To live in peace with others is our religious duty. The religious other should not be treated as enemy just because he/she follows another religion. The Qur'an not only teaches tolerance for others but goes a step further and makes it obligatory on Muslims to treat all prophets of Allah with equal respect and those who do not do that are not real believers.

 

Thus it is obligatory for Muslims to treat all prophets of Allah before Muhammad (PBU) with equal respect. In the hadith literature (Sahih al-Bukhari 9:5) we find the Prophet (PBUH) saying that "do not give me prefernce over the other prophetsÉ" And the Prophet had said this after a Muslim had slapped a Jew for saying that Moses was above all human beings and refused to say that Muhammad was also above all human beings.

 

Thus Islamic teachings were far ahead of its times for showing not only tolerance but equal respect for others prophets and founders of religions. It was so far ahead that even Muslims could not appreciate it adequately. Though the Qur'an does not mention non-Biblical prophets but has made it clear that the list of the names of the prophets given is not exhaustive but only illustrative.

 

And since the Qur'an also maintains that Allah has sent His prophets to all the nations many Islamic thinkers, theologians and Sufi saints have concluded that there are Allah's prophets in non-Biblical communities also. Some Sufi Saints like Mazhar Jani Janan even maintain that the highly revered religious personalities in India like Ram and Krishna could also be the prophets of God. But even if they are not, Muslims should not show any disrespect to them according to the Qur'an verse 6:109.

 

As pointed out above it is Allah's will to have diversity in the world and believers have to live with the diversity in a way, which will promote peace and harmony. Our world is now becoming increasingly diverse with faster means of communication in our globalised world. Though there has always been diversity throughout history there is much more today and it is becoming a challenge for us.

 

Religion is an identity marker and in this increasing diversity we want to preserve our identity even with more vigour for fear of losing it. Now there are two ways of preserving ones religious identity: either in a negative way or a positive way. The negative way is to have un-respectful or even hostile attitude towards other religious identities and the positive way is to distinguish oneself through uniqueness of ones religious beliefs while maintaining a positive attitude towards others beliefs and identities. Normally most of the people follow the positive course.

 

But as we have discovered in democracy and in the situation of diversity, vested interests Ð more often political Ð manipulate religious identities for communal support and clash is artificially created. One has to meet this challenge continuously in day to day life. Often powerful religious symbols, which are part of these identities, are used to promote hatred and conflict. The most recent case in India is that of Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid issue.

 

Both Ramjanambhoomi and Babri Masjid are powerful symbols and have emotional appeal. The Hindutva forces, in order to enhance their political appeal, manipulated this identity marker and brought about tremendous conflict resulting in bloodshed. We have to be wary of these religious symbols. It is to be clearly understood that it is not religion per se but its followers with powerful vested interests manipulate its emotional appeal for their own purposes.

 

As far as Muslims are concerned they live either in majority situation or in minority situation in this diverse world. Where they are in majority it should be their religious duty, in keeping with the Qur'anic spirit and hadith teaching to treat non-Muslim minorities in an honourable and respectful manner. It is also to be noted that in the modern democratic world there is no 'political other'. All should have equal citizens' rights. Politically it is not religion but citizenship, which is important. Citizenship should not be determined on the basis of ones religion. Thus Muslim countries should not distinguish on the basis of religion as far as citizenship is concerned. Dhimmi, it should be noted, was a political category and was most important political category in its own time. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) took upon himself to fully protect dhimmis (i.e. the religious other) and exhorted Muslims repeatedly, as we see in the hadith literature, to treat dhimmis with great responsibility (dhimmi itself means for which Muslims were responsible).

 

But today this category has been replaced by the notion of citizenship. And all citizens should enjoy equal rights be they political, cultural or religious. Similarly the Muslims in minority situation (i.e. where Muslims are in minority) should enjoy equal political, religious and cultural rights. According to the Quran all children of Adam are equally honourable (17:70) irrespective of their caste, creed, race or tribe. This verse clearly establishes the doctrine of human rights and the concept of human rights is most fundamental to the philosophy of democracy.

 

Thus while religion is most important in giving meaning to our lives, it should be divested of its political implications. A composite and diverse political community should be treated as political ummah as the Prophet did after coming to Madinah. It is this concept of composite ummah wahidah (one political community) enjoying equal political, religious and cultural rights is most valid category in the modern world.

 

Thus Islam is most respectful of both the religious and political other. It does not treat either 'religious other' or 'political other' with a sense of hostility but, on the contrary, it makes it obligatory on Muslims to concede all rights to them and treat them with full respect. It believes in dialogue rather than in confrontation (see Qur'an ,29:46). And dialogue and diversity are the very basis of a democracy. And both are upheld by the Qur'an.
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'
The worst vice of the fanatic is his sincerity. (And he goes through life, his mouth open and his mind closed.)' - Oscar Wilde

 

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