SHAYKH AL ISLAM

Who are Muslims?

Think you can recognise a Muslim by dress or nationality? Think again. Almost one-fourth of the world's population is Muslim. And although some people mistakenly believe that all Muslims are Arab (or vice versa), Arabs make up only 18% of the world's Muslim population. Muslims are found everywhere from West Africa to Eastern Europe to China and the Philippines, and they are establishing a growing presence in the West. Muslims come in all races and colours, are found in all professions and walks of life, and have made significant contributions to every field of human endeavour since the beginning of Islam, from science and mathematics to art and the humanities. In today's 'global village,' there is no place on earth that they are not making an impact. Furthermore, despite media bias, the vast majority of Muslims belong to stable, loving families, and have nothing to do with terrorism or other acts of violence.

What is Islam?

The word 'Islam' comes from the Arabic root aslama, which means peace and submission; a practising Muslim strives to submit wholeheartedly to God, thereby achieving peace in this life and the Next. Submitting to God's will does not mean that a person need no longer think, or that he must give up his free will to choose; rather, like a law-abiding citizen, a person who observes God's commands benefits himself and others by respecting Divine laws and using his freedom wisely. The Islamic concept of submission is thus an active one; a Muslim struggles to increase his knowledge, develop his character, and do what is right to the best of his ability - after which he accepts that the outcome of his affairs is ultimately in God's hands.

Source: Jihad in the Qur'an: The Truth from the Source (Second Edition)

Meaning of 'Islam'

A common misconception about "Islam" is that it is the religion that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad [Peace & Blessings upon him] only. Islam, the Qur'an tells us, is rather the name of the one religion that Allah, the One and only God, revealed to every Prophet that He sent to people since the time of the first man and Prophet, Adam. For instance, all the following Prophets were Muslims who taught Islam to people: Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Zachariah, John, and Jesus [Peace be upon all of them]. The following verse describes Israelite Prophets as "Muslims":

Surely We revealed the Torah in which there was guidance and light; with it, the Prophets who aslamu [became Muslims] guided the Jews (from 5.44).

The name "Muslim" was in fact coined by Allah who used it long before the time of Prophet Muhammad [Peace & Blessings upon him] and the Qur'an, as revealed in the following verse:

And jahidu (do jihad) [O you who believe!] in the way of Allah jihadihi (the kind of jihad that is due to Him). He has chosen you and has not laid upon you a hardship in religion; it is the faith of your father Abraham. He [Allah] has named you al-Muslimin (the Muslims) earlier and in this [the Qur'an], so that the Messenger be a witness over you, and you be witnesses over the people. Therefore keep up prayer, pay the obligatory alms, and hold fast to Allah; He is your Master; so how excellent a Master and how excellent a Supporter! (22.78).

The verse clearly states that Allah has named the followers of His religion "Muslims" not only in the Qur'an but also in Books that He had revealed to previous Prophets, such as the Torah of Moses and the Injil of Jesus. Note also the following verse which states that Prophet Noah, who lived long before Prophet Abraham, told his people that Allah ordered him to be "one of the Muslims":

But if you [O people!] turn away [from my call], I have not asked you for any reward; my reward is only with Allah, and I have been commanded to be one of al-Muslimin (the Muslims) (10.72).

In other words, previous divine Books and Prophets would have used terms equivalent to "Islam" and "Muslim" in their respective languages. The Arabic verb "yuslim" means "surrenders" or "submits." It is used in a special way in the Qur'an as in "surrenders one's self to Allah," "surrenders to Allah," or such variations. The derived Qur'anic noun "Islam," therefore, means "submission to Allah." To be a Muslim is to believe in Allah as the One Lord, submit to His will, and carry out His commandments. So, Islam is in fact a universal term that describes the one religion that Allah instructed, through His various Messengers, all people to embrace. Let's read some of the relevant Qur'anic verses, starting with these about Prophets Abraham and his sons and grandsons:

And who has a better religion than he who aslama [has become a Muslim] (has surrendered himself) to Allah, is a doer of good, and has followed the faith of Abraham, worshipping one God. And Allah took Abraham as a close friend (4.125).

And who turns away from the religion of Abraham but he who makes himself a fool; and surely We chose him [Abraham] in this world, and in the hereafter he is surely among the righteous (2.130). When his Lord said to him; "Aslim (Be a Muslim; submit)," he said: "Aslamtu (I have become a Muslim; I have submitted) to the Lord of the people" (2.131). And Abraham enjoined the same on his sons, and so did Jacob [Abraham's grandson]: "O my sons! Surely Allah has chosen for you the [true] religion, therefore die not except as Muslimun (Muslims)" (2.132). Or were you [O People of the Book!] witnesses when death visited Jacob, when he said to his sons: "What will you worship after me?" They said: "We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac, one God, and to Him we are Muslimun (Muslims)" (2.133).

The following verses which refer to the Jews and Christians, or the "People of the Book," emphasize and instruct the Prophet to stress that "Islam" or "submission to Allah" is the true religion of the Lord:

And they [the Jews and Christians] say: "None shall enter paradise except he who is a Jew or a Christian." These are [nothing more than] their desires. Say [O Muhammad!]: "Bring your proof if you are truthful" (2.111). Verily, whoever aslama (becomes a Muslim; surrenders himself) to Allah and is a doer of good, his reward is with his Lord, and there is no fear for them nor shall they grieve (2.112).

Surely the [true] religion in the sight of Allah is al-Islam (Islam), and those to whom the Book had been given differed only after knowledge had come to them, out of transgression among themselves. And whoever denies the verses of Allah, then surely Allah is quick in reckoning (3.19). But if they argue with you [O Muhammad!], say: "Aslamtu (I have become a Muslim; I have surrendered myself) to Allah and so everyone who follows me." And say to those who have been given the Book and to the unlearned people: "A'aslamtum (Would you become Muslims; would you submit)?" So if Aslamu (they become Muslims; they submit) then they have found the right way, but if they turn away, then your responsibility is only the deliverance of the Message; and Allah sees the servants (3.20).

This verse is about Prophet Solomon and the Queen of Sheba who came to visit him in his palace:

It was said to her [Queen of Sheba]: "Enter the hall." But when she saw it she deemed it to be a lake of water and bared her legs. He [Solomon] said: "It is a hall made smooth with glass." She said [praying to Allah]: "My Lord! Surely I have wronged myself, and aslamtu (I have become a Muslim; I submit) with Solomon to Allah, the Lord of the people" (27.44).

Prophet Muhammad [Peace & Blessings upon him] is the last Prophet of Islam, and the Qur'an is the last Book from Allah:

[O people!] Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the last of the Prophets; and Allah is aware of everything (33.40).

The Qur'an stresses that, contrary to the claims of the disbelieving Arabs, making a human being a Messenger, as happened to Prophet Muhammad [Peace & Blessings upon him], was not an unprecedented event. In fact, this is exactly how Allah communicated with people: through Messengers that carried His Message to people:

Say [O Muhammad!]: "I am not the first of the Messengers, and I do not know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am but a manifest warner" (46.9).

In addition to the belief in the oneness of Allah, the hereafter, and the angels, the Qur'an requires the Muslim to believe in all previous Messengers and the Books and Messages that Allah revealed to them. This is consistent with the Qur'an's affirmation that all Messengers delivered the same religion and were sent by the same God. The Muslim is commanded to hold all Prophets in equally high esteem and reverence. The failure to believe in any Prophet is a failure to believe in all Prophets, and a failure to be a Muslim:

Say [O you who believe!]: "We believe in Allah, in that which has been revealed to us; in that which was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Descendents (Jacob's sons); in that which was given to Moses and Jesus; and in that which was given to the Prophets from their Lord; we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him we are Muslimun (Muslims)" (2.136).

The Messenger [Muhammad] believes in that which has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers; they all believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His Messengers; [they say] we make no distinction between any of His Messengers; and they say: "We hear and obey [Allah's commandments]; grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord. And to You is the eventual course" (2.285).

By Dr Louay Fatoohi

One God

What do Muslims believe in? [Belief in Allah subhana na wa ta'ala ]

Islam is based on faith in a Higher Power, the Gracious Lord and Creator of the Universe, without family or partners, called 'Allah'. Muslims prefer to use the Arabic word Allah for God, because it has no plural, feminine or diminutive form that could be associated with idolatry (i.e. gods, goddesses or 'demi-gods'). Although Allah is referred to as 'He,' it is understood that God is Self-Sufficient, and transcends both duality and gender; the 99 Names of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an contain 'feminine' attributes (such as the Compassionate) as well as 'masculine' ones (i.e. the Almighty). Allah is Merciful and Just, All-Knowing and All-Seeing, Friend and Guide, and the only one worthy of our worship and devotion.

Our belief is that there is only one God (Allah subhana wa ta'ala) and Allah subhana wa ta'ala is present at all time. He existed before time and will exist after time ends. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has no relations or family what so ever, meaning he has no mother, no father, no brother, no sister, no son or daughter. He is totally self-sufficient. He is not dependent on any thing or anyone but the whole universe depends on Him. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) does not get tired or have any need for sleep. He is free from all needs. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) does not oppress anyone.

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has ninety nine beautiful attributes to him which a few are; He is the Most Merciful and does not lie. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is the Most Powerful. He does not get tired or fall asleep He is free from all needs. He can do whatever He wants. He created the skies and the earth and created everything that came before them. Everything dies by His command and He will make everyone come back to life on the Day of Judgement (to account for his or her deeds).

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is One and has No partners. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) is alone in His rule over the universe. All movements in the universe are Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s creation. No leaf can move without His permission and blessing. Every order of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has to be obeyed whether we understand it or not. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) alone is the Most Worthy of worship. Nobody is allowed to worship the idols, Sun, Moon, trees, water, Angel or prophet's etc.

Prophet Muhammad

Prophethood

Islam teaches that belief in a Higher Power, coupled with a universal code of ethics (summarised in the simple maxim 'believe in God and be good'), is the natural religion of mankind. This religion (or way of life), in its diverse manifestations, has been taught by Prophets, who were sent by Allah to every nation and tribe at some point in time. Prophets called people to a personal relationship with their Lord, and set a blessed example of how to live. When people forgot or corrupted the message, He sent another Prophet to restore it. The Qur'an mentions 25 Prophets by name; of these, five were great Messengers: Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (Peace be upon all of them), and the Final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Blessings upon him).

Each Prophet received Divine revelation, and some were given books of Scripture. Muslims believe that Allah revealed Jewish and Christian Scriptures in their original versions, but that their texts have since been corrupted. The Qur'an, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Blessings upon him) through the Angel Gabriel, holds the unique position of being God's final message to humanity, and He has promised to preserve it intact until the end of time. Interestingly, scholars have verified that the Qur'an is the only world scripture that has but a single version (in Arabic), identical to the text that was revealed more than 1400 years ago. It is also the only scripture that can be committed to memory by people of all ages, regardless of their native tongue.

A Prophet is a man whom Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has sent with orders to guide the people onto the right path. Miracles accompany him to show that he is indeed a Messenger of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala). The greatest miracle that came with our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam is the living miracle which we have with us today - the Noble Qur'an. The first Prophet was HaDrat Adam alayhi salaam and the last Prophet Hadrat Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam.

Altogether the number of Prophets that were sent to this world were approximately 124,000. Out of all the Prophets 313 were Messengers, from whom there were five messengers known as the 'resolute' Messengers. The difference between a Prophet and a Messenger is that a Messenger received a scripture or a book of revelation. Every Messenger is a Prophet, but not all Prophets are Messengers. In the Noble Qur'an, only a few of the Prophets and they stories are mentioned. Even though the other Prophets names are not mentioned in the Noble Qur'an, we still must believe that they were Prophets and the things that they taught, and preached, to the people was the truth.

Prophets are free from all sins. None of the Prophets committed any sin, neither big nor small. Jews and Christians believe that prophets could commit sins. But Muslims believe that a Prophet has never committed a sin neither before nor after he was announced as a Prophet. A Prophet can see Jinns, Satan, Angel and other things that are invisible to our eyes. Prophets can communicate with animals, plants and other things, which are incapable of communicating with humans.

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) informs them the knowledge of the past and future as they need it. A Prophets decision is safe from errors, but even with all these skills Prophets still need the guidance of Allah (subhana wa ta'ala). Even if a miracle appear from a Prophet's hands, it is only able to appear with Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s command and will. A prophet cannot be disabled in any form, i.e. have one eye. A person cannot become a prophet by just worshipping Allah (subhana wa ta'ala), only those people whom Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has chosen can be Prophets, and that is why whoever was a Prophet was born a Prophet.

Usually prophets announce themselves to the people at the age of 40, but Hadrat Isa (alayhi salaam) (Jesus) announced his prophecy when he was a baby. All the Prophets have been men, none of them have been women. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) gave revelation to His Prophets in different ways. Sometimes the Angel brought it to them and sometimes Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) put it directly in to the Prophet's heart, or sometimes in their dreams or when they were awake. Prophecy started in line from Prophet Adam (alayhi salaam) to Prophet Isa (alayhi salaam), but when Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) sent Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam prophecy finished. If anyone claims and says that, "I'm a Prophet after Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)" he is a liar and a non-believer, whoever says and believes that this person is a Prophet then that person also becomes a non-believer himself.

99 Names of Muhammad

Belief in Angels

Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) created Angel from light. We can't see or hear them in their actual form. They are free from sins. They come in any form or shape they wish. They always obey Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) orders. Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has given them different duties for example: Two Angel stay with every person, one on the right and one on the left. The Angel on the right side writes down the good deeds that the person performs, and the Angel on the left side writes down all the bad deeds that the person commits. There is no place in the universe where there are no Angel. Nobody knows how many Angel there are except Allah (subhana wa ta'ala). From amongst the Angels there are four that are well known these are:

Hadrat Jibraeel (alayhi salaam) (Gabriel) is the chief of the Angel. He has got 70, 000 wings and his job was to carry messages from Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to His prophets.

Hadrat Mikaeel (alayhi salaam) (Michael) distributes the food and controls the weather.

Hadrat Israfeel (alayhi salaam) will blow the horn. When Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) orders him to blow it, It will destroy the whole universe before the Day of Judgement begins.

Hadrat Izraeel (alayhi salaam) He is the "Angel of Death", who extracts the peoples soul at the time of death.

Belief in the Books

Muslims faith is that all the books and scriptures sent by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to his Messengers are true. From amongst them the books and scriptures which have been sent down there are four well known:

Towrat (Original Torah). This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to Prophet Musa (alayhi salaam) (Moses).

Zaboor (Original Psalms). This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to Prophet Dawoud (alayhi salaam).

Injeel (Original Gospel). This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to Prophet Isa (alayhi salaam) (Jesus).

The Noble Qur'an. This book was revealed by Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) to the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam).

The Noble Qur'an is Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s last book and everything inside it is true, nothing has been taken out and nothing new has been added. It will remain perfect until the Day of Judgement. It is Allah (subhana wa ta'ala)'s last perfect book and Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) promises in the Noble Qur'an that He will never let anyone change it.

With the Torah the Psalms and the Gospel we have to believe that at the time that these books were revealed, everything in them was true, but after some time, people have taken verses out of those books and added new verses of their own. Now if we see anything in these books which the Noble Qur'an verifies then we believe in that. And if we see anything which is in contradiction to the Noble Qur'an or Ahadeeth we have to reject it. If we see something which is not mentioned in the Noble Qur'an or Ahadeeth, we cannot say anything about it except that "Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) knows best".

Apart from these four books Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has sent other books and scriptures to the messengers and although we don't know the details of these books and scriptures we must believe that at the time they were revealed what was written in them was true.

Fate

One of the beliefs of a Muslim is to believe in Fate (Qadr). Allah (subhana wa ta'ala) has the knowledge of everything, He knew everything before He created us and He has given us free will to make our own decisions in life, for example to choose the right or the wrong path. We will be judged by our intentions.

Death

Death comes in different forms to every human being, for example death for a good believer will be peaceful and the soul will leave the body easily. For a non-believer death, is very difficult and the soul struggles, trying not to leave the body.

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Death of a Muslim

When the time of death for a Muslim is close the Angel, Hadrat Izraeel alayhi salaam, comes down with a thousand other Angels the faces of whom shine like the sun. They come and sit next to him. With them they bring silk clothes from Heaven and Heavenly perfumes for the person who is close to his death. Hadrat Izraeel alayhi salaam comes closer to the person and says:

" Oh soul come out of that body, your lord is pleased with you."

Shortly after that the soul leaves the body, the Angel dress the soul in Heavenly silk clothes and put on the perfumes. The Angel then take the soul to the sky, and the groups of Angel which they pass them will know that it is a soul of a good believer, they will say to the soul "Welcome holy-soul you have been obedient to Allah and Allah is pleased with you."

Meanwhile the Angels take the soul to the first level of the sky and knock on the door and the Angel inside ask. "Who is it?" The Angel outside reply: "We have brought a good person's soul."

The Angel inside open the doors to welcome the soul. The soul is then taken to the second level of the sky, and the in the same manner the soul keeps travelling with the Angel until it reaches the seventh level. The Angel then leave the soul on the seventh level where it goes to a place called Il-li-yeen. Illiyeen is the place where all good Muslim souls are gathered after death. The soul is asked questions by the souls who are already there, they ask about their families back on earth: "How are they? What are they doing?" Some old souls will ask about such and such a person, the new soul will say, "Hasn't he come to you?" The old soul replies, "No, he must have been thrown into Hell."

After all the talking one of the old soul says: "Let him rest now he is very tired". The soul returns to his body at the time of burial, then the Questioning starts.

At the time of burial, the soul of the dead person is going to be in Illy-yeen or in Sij-jeen. After the body has been buried, the soul returns to the body in the grave. Two Angels, called Munkar and Nakeer, arrive at the grave to question the dead person their first question is:

"WHO IS YOUR LORD"?
"MY LORD IS ALLAH Subhanahu wa Ta'ala " replies the believer.

"WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION"?
"MY RELIGION IS ISLAM" replies the believer.

Then the dead person is shown the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam and the two Angel ask: "WHO IS THIS MAN"? The believer will reply "THIS MAN IS PROPHET MUHAMMAD Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam "

The Angel will then ask "HOW DO YOU KNOW"? "I READ THE BOOK OF ALLAH Subhanahu wa Ta'ala AND ACTED UPON IT".

A voice will be heard: "This person is a true believer." At this point the person's grave bed will widen as far the eye can see. Light will appear in the grave and fresh air and heavenly perfume will come in the grave from a window opening into heaven. The person will be dressed in clothing from heaven and the Angel will order him to sleep. The person will rest in his grave until Yawm-ul-Qiyama (the day of judgement).

Then a handsome man, with clean clothes and with beautiful smells will come saying: "Be happy, This is the day Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala promised you." The dead person will ask: "Who are you?" The man will say: "I am your good deeds".

When all the questions have been asked the soul will be free to go back to Illiyeen. You must remember that every soul has contact with its body in the grave. A small example of that would be: If a person passing by the grave says salaam, the dead person answers the salaam even if he is in Illiyeen.

The Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam said that when a person's body is buried, he wakes up by rubbing his/her eyes. He/she will feel as though the sun is setting and say, " leave me I want to read Asar Salaat." Then the questioning will start.

The grave is not a pit into which dead bodies are thrown, but it is a door to a world where people go after death (Barzakh). It is the stage between death and the Day of Judgement. After death every soul is alive. Non-believers will stay in imprisonment and will get punished, but a good Muslim's soul is free and it could go anywhere he/she likes. For example can perform Hajj, can appear in dreams of people who are still alive and can give them news and also go to people's houses, however they are invisible.

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Death of a Non-Believer

When a non-believer is close to death, Hadrat Izraeel alayhi salaam and thousands of other Angel come with darkened faces. They will have Clothes from hell and dirty smells from hell. Angel Izraeel will approach the non-believer and say:

"Oh corrupt soul come out, Allah is angry with you". The soul with great difficulty leaves the body and will be dressed in the clothes from hell and the dirty smells of Hell will be put on him. The soul is then taken to the sky and on the way all the Angel who go past, curse it. When the Angels knock on the door of the first level of the sky, the Angel in side reply "Throw him in SIJJEEN" (Sijjeen is a place under the seven skies where all the soul of non-believers wait). The soul is thrown into Sijjeen and the souls who are already there can not talk, because they are in their own punishment. The soul is then taken back to his body at the time of burial and the questioning starts in the same way. When the questioning is done, the soul returns to Sijjeen and it still has contact with its body. When a non-believer is buried, the same questions will be asked to the non-believer:

"WHO IS YOUR LORD" ?
"I DON'T KNOW" replies the non-believer.

"WHAT IS YOUR RELIGION"
"I DON'T KNOW". replies the non believer

Then the dead person will be then be shown the face of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam and the two Angels will ask: "WHO IS THIS"? "I DO NOT KNOW" replies the non believer.

The Angel will say: "He is a liar! put clothes of fire on Him, make Him a bed in hell and open the window of Hell for him". Then facing the non-believer, the window of hell fire opens and hot air from hell enters the grave. The grave tightens and the Angel will hit the non-believer between the eyes with an iron bar. If that iron bar hit a mountain in this world, the mountain would crumble like powder. Then the non-believer will scream in so much pain that everything from East to West will be able to hear the screams, all except human beings and Jinns. The second punishment will be the 99 poisonous snakes in the grave, which will not stop biting the person until the Day of Judgement. This is because he did not believe in Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Then an ugly looking man will come, who will smell disgusting and who will be wearing dirty clothes and say: "Be unhappy this is the day that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala promised you. You will suffer in agony until the Day of Judgement". The person from the grave, will ask: "Who are you" The man will reply: "I am your bad deeds"

QUESTION People who have tragic deaths like being burnt or drowned in the sea or get eaten by an animal. Where do they go for questioning?

ANSWER After the soul returns from Illyeen or Sijjeen, the soul enters the spine and the person is ready for questioning. The grave of a person is where the spine is, even if it is in the stomach of the whale. The soul enters the spine of the body. As there are always pieces of spine left even if it is in the ashes or in the stomach of a whale.

In the grave all the body rots away except the spine because on the day of Judgement the bodies will be risen from it. But the Prophets and the pious people, their body do not rot away like a normal persons body does.

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The Day of Judgement

The Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam said: The Day of Judgement will not come until, ten major signs happen or appear:

1) Imam Mahdi alayhis salam
2) Dajjal (anti-Christ)
3) Return of Jesus (Prophet Isa alayhis salam)
4) Ya'jooj ma'jooj (Gog & Magog)
5) Earth Beast
6) Thick Smoke
7) The Sinking of the houses
8) The rising of the Sun from the West
9) The South wind
10) The chasing of the Fire

These are known as the ten major signs before the day of judgement.

Imam Mahdi [alayhis salam]

Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will come near the Day of Judgement. His name will be Muhammad. His mother's name will be Aminah and his father's name will be Abdullah. His title will be Al-Mahdi. Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will be from Hadrat Sayyeda Fatimah's Radi Allahu ta'ala anha's generation, which was the daughter of the Most Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will also be from Hadrat Sayyadina Imam Hasan Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu's generation (Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam's grandson.)

Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will be an excellent, just, and generous ruler. His face will resemble that of our Most Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Imam Mahdi will be born in Madina and will grow up there. When Imam Mahdi alayhis salam reaches the age of forty, the king of the Muslims in Madina will die. Everyone will want Imam Mahdi alayhis salam to become King, but Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will not want to become the king.

Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will go to Makkah and hide in a Muslim's house, but the Muslims will look for him and find him. The Muslims will take him to the Ka'bah and will all start to bear allegiance to him. When the Muslims will bear allegiance to him, a voice will be heard, "This is Allah's Khaleefah, so do whatever he says." Everyone will hear this voice.

Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will then become the King, and he will be very well known throughout the world. The King of Syria at that time will be envious of Imam Mahdi and will send an army to try and overthrow him. When the army reaches the area between Makkah and Madina, the entire army will sink except for two men. One man will go back to his King and tell him that the entire army has sunk. The other person will go to Makkah and tell Imam Mahdi alayhis salam that they came with an army, but it sank into the ground. He will then bear allegiance to him.

When people find this out that Imam Mahdi alayhis salam's enemy have sunk into the earth, he will become even better known and famous. This will happen at the time when the Christians will govern the land between the area of Syria, and city Khaybar, in Arabia. Turkey will also be under Christian rule.

Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will gather an army together to fight against the Christians. The king of Persia, (Iran) whose name will be Mansoor, will send a big army to help Imam Mahdi. When the Christians, find out that the Muslims are getting together, they will gather their army from Rome, Arabia, and other lands, and assemble in Syria. At this time, the Christian military will have seventy different flags. Under each flag there will be twelve thousand soldiers. Imam Mahdi alayhis salam
will move from Makkah to Madina. From there, he will go to Syria. The war between both armies will take place near Damascus. One part of Imam Mahdi alayhis salam's army will run away, another part will be martyred, and the third part will defeat the Christians under Imam Mahdi's leadership. Imam Mahdi will win the war, but many Muslims will be martyred. After this Syrian war, Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will go with his army, to Istanbul and fight the non-Muslims there, with the help of Allah.

After all this a day will come when Imam Mahdi alayhis salam will hear the news that Dajjal has come. He will send five hundred people to find out if this news is true. When these people return, they will say that this news is false. The Most Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam said that, these five hundred people will have the highest status in the world at that time. When Imam Mahdi alayhis salam hears the news that the coming of the Dajjal is false, people will start living a better life, but after a very short while, Dajjal will appear.

Dajjal (The Anti-Christ)

Dajjal will appear in the area between Syria and Iran. He will be sitting on a white donkey and will have one eye. He will have the Devil's power and will claim that he is Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.

At that time there will be a lot of food shortage, but Dajjal will have mountains of food with him. He will have a garden, which he will call Heaven, but in reality, it will be the Hell-fire. He will also have a fire with him, which he will call Hell, but in reality it will be Heaven. In thick letters, on his forehead, there will be written the letters "KAA FAA RAA" which means "Non-believer".

He will stay in the world for forty days: the first day will be equal to a year in length, the second day will be equal to one month, the third day will be equal to a week, and the other days will be the same as normal days. With the speed of the winds, he will go all around the world, except Makkah (Where the house of Allah is the Ka'bah) and Madinah (Where our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam is buried) Many people will believe in him. He will go to a nation and say, "I am your God." They will all be Muslims, and will reply, "Oh one eyed Dajjal! We don't believe in you." So Dajjal will make them starve and their animals will die. Their harvest will be destroyed. They will sacrifice everything but will remain steadfast in their faith.

Then he will go to another nation and say, "Believe in me as your God". They will say, "Yes, we do". So Dajjal will give an order to the sky to rain, and it will rain. With this rain, the animals of the people who believe will fatten. Their harvest will increase more than normal. Then Dajjal will go to a place where there will be no population and he will give an order to the earth to take out its treasures. The earth will take out all of its treasures and it will collect behind Dajjal. When the people see this, they will believe in him even more.

Dajjal will show people strange things. Dajjal will call a person and say to him, "Believe in me that I am God." The man will refuse to believe him. Dajjal will make pieces of that man and then make him alive again, that person will then follow him. A Muslim nearby will say, "You made him alive but I still don't believe you. You are the one-eyed Dajjal."

Dajjal will meet another man and say to him, "If I make your camel alive, will you believe in me?" The man will say, "Yes." A devil will come in the shape of the camel. That man will believe that it is his camel.

There will be another man whose mother, father, and brothers have all died. Dajjal will say to him, "If I bring your family to life again will you believe in me?" The man will say, "Yes". Some devils will come in the form of his family members. This man will also believe in him. In this way he will try to make people say that he is God.

Then he will go to Asfahaan (a city in Iran). From there, seventy thousand Jews will join him. Then he will go to the border of Yemen. From there, he will try to enter Makkah and Madina, but the Angel will not let him enter any of the cities. The Angel will turn his head towards Syria and he will be in Syria again. Dajjal's soldiers will bring a Muslim to him; Dajjal will ask him: "Do you believe that I am God?" The man will reply "No." Dajjal will cut the man into two halves, and will walk between the two halves. Dajjal will then make the man alive again, and will ask, "Do you believe that I am your God?" The man will reply, "You are the one eyed Dajjal that the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam told us about." Dajjal will try to kill him again but Allah will turn his body into copper, Dajjal will not be able to kill him again. Dajjal will throw him into a fire which he will have with him, which in reality will be Heaven. At that time this man will have the highest status in the world. And he will be Hadrat Khidar alayhis salaam.

Then Dajjal will go towards Damascus. On the eastern side of Damascus, there will be a Mosque and Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will be preparing to offer the Asar prayer. Dajjal will get his army ready to fight against Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam. Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will also get his army ready to fight against him. Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will be very worried because Dajjal will have a bigger army than his. So he and the Muslims will be praying to Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, asking for help. Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam and his army will go into the Mosque and prepare a plan. They will read Salaat al-Asar prayer. While Dajjal and his army will be surrounding the Mosque.

Hadrat Isa (Jesus) returns to Earth

Then Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will come down from the Minaret of the Mosque with two Angel. Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will be wearing yellow clothes. Both his hands will be on the wings of Angels.

When Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam lowered his head down, from his head, drops of water will fall as if they were diamonds. And when he puts his head up, water drops will fall as if they were diamonds. Imam Mahdi and the Muslims will recognise Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam from this sign. The people will have congregated for the prayer and Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will see Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam. Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will request Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam to lead the prayer, but Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will say, "You lead the prayer." Imam Mahdi will lead the Salaat (prayer).

After the Salaat, Imam Mahdi and Hadrat Isa alayhim as-salaam and the other Muslims will come out from the Mosque. Outside the gates of the Mosque, Dajjal will be waiting with his army. When he will see Hazrat Isa (alayhi salaam), he will feel as though his body will dissolve and he will start to run away, but Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will catch him and kill Dajjal at a place called Baab-ul-ludd (an airport in Israel). A fight will start between the Jews and Muslims. The Jews will start to run away but they will not be able to hide. When a Jew hides behind a rock, the rock will call the Muslim soldiers out and say: "There is a Jew hiding behind me, kill him!" If a Jew hides behind a tree trunk, the tree will call to a Muslim soldier saying, "There is a Jew hiding behind me. Kill him". Everything will talk except a tree called Gharqad, which will not tell a Muslim if a Jew is hiding behind it. This tree is very holy for the Jews.

In this way Dajjal and his followers will be killed. And Hazrat Isa alayhis salaam will kill Dajjal. After his death, there will be peace. Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam and Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will start visiting places, and they will meet those people who refused to believe in Dajjal. They will be satisfied with them and will satisfy them by giving them glad tidings of Heaven. After this the people will have a good life.

Sometime will pass, then Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will pass away. At that time, his age will be of fifty years. Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will offer his funeral prayer and bury him. Imam Mahdi alayhis salaam will have ruled for nine years. After that, Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will stay with the people and will rule the world. During his reign, Ya'jooj Ma'jooj will appear.

Gog & Magog

God created a nation of people called Ya'jooj and Ma'jooj. In the beginning they were free. King Zul Qarnain had them imprisoned behind a very large and dense wall after one of his expeditions. They are still imprisoned today, and will be freed near the Day of Judgement. They will come out and create a lot of trouble. Their population is ten times larger than the world's population.

As we know Zul Qarnain travelled from East to West and North to South, when Zul Qarnain went East, the people said to him, "In between these mountains, there is a people called Ya'jooj Ma'jooj, who are like animals. Their teeth are like those of wild animals. When they come out they eat snakes, scorpions, horses, mules, donkeys, vegetables and wild animals. We will give you anything if you build a wall between the Ya'jooj Ma'jooj and us so that they won't harm us." Zul Qarnain said, "I don't need paying, but what I would like is that you can help me by bringing me pieces of iron, wood and coal." When they brought these things, Zul Qarnain started to build the wall. After this, he started to blow on it. When it became red-hot, he said, "Bring liquid copper." He put this liquid copper on the wall and made it very strong. Then he said, "They will come out from behind the wall, when Allah wants them to"

To this day the Ya'jooj Ma'jooj are trapped behind this wall. Everyday, they try to break this wall. When the sun sets, the wall is as thin as a sheet of paper. Their leader says, "Come on, let's go home now. Leave it, it is like a page. We will come tomorrow and break it down." When they come the next day, with God's will, the wall is as strong as before. Everyday, that is what they do, but when it is time for them to come out, then that day they will try to break that wall but in the evening, the wall will be as thin as a page. The leader will say, "Leave it for today and says the words Inshallah (if it is Allah wills) we will finish it tomorrow." When they come the next day, they will see that the wall is as thin as a page and then they will break the wall and come out. This will be the time when 'Jesus' -Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will be ruling the world. Allah will order Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam to take all his followers to the mountain of Tur.

The Ya'jooj Ma'jooj will come and eat the people in the world. They will drink all the water from the East and all the water from Buhaira Tabria. Wherever there is water, they will drink all of it. If they find any humans they will eat them. People will be scared and will hide. When they don't see a person on earth they will say, "We have finished all the people on earth now we will fight the people in the sky." They will shoot arrows towards the sky. Allah will make their arrows red and send them back, and then they will be happy and say " That we have killed the people in the sky also". At that time, Prophet Isa alayhis salaam will be on the mountain. There will be a shortage of food. Prophet Isa alayhis salaam and the other Muslims will pray to Allah, "Oh Allah! Save us from them."

Allah will listen to their prayers and create a spot on their necks. With that, they will all die. Then Prophet Isa alayhis salaam and the Muslims will come down from the mountain, they will see that all the ground is covered with bodies and a dirty smell will be spreading. They will pray to Allah, "Oh Allah! Save us from this dirty smell." Allah will send birds whose necks are like camels'. They will take all the bodies and throw them on mount Nimbar, this mountain is in Palestine. After this, Allah will send rain. With this, all the ground will be clean. Then Prophet Isa alayhis salaam with his people will stay on the ground and the shortage of food will finish. Allah will send blessings in everything. There will be so much blessing that one pomegranate will be enough for one tribe, and one pomegranate's peel will make one big tent enough for a group of people to stay under. In this way, one cow's milk will be enough for one tribe. All these blessings will come when all the Ya'jooj Ma'jooj are dead.

Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam will stay in the world for forty years. He will get married and have children. After forty years, he will die and be buried in the Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam's tomb. After Hadrat Isa, alayhis salam there will be a king called JahJa. After him, there will be four or five kings, and then people will start to do bad things. That will be the time when the houses start to sink.

Reference : Islamic Information Centre

Video : Death

Our time will come one day very soon ...

4 minutes

Life after Death

Although people are inclined to forgetfulness and sin, Islam affirms an overall positive view of man - who has been created as God's representative on earth - and teaches that faith and appreciation of goodness is inherent to human nature. Furthermore, children are born in a state of purity and do not 'inherit' sin. Life's test is to do one's best and to resist evil in the world and within oneself, so that one can stand before Allah with a clean heart on the Day of Judgement. Those who are successful will be rewarded in Paradise, but those who have neglected their souls will be doomed to Hell. Each individual is responsible for his own actions, and cannot rely on the goodness of others to absolve him of his sins. Although in the end, no one can attain salvation except by Allah's grace, the normal prerequisites will be faith accompanied by good works that, together, weigh heavier in the balance than the wrong that one has done. Reward will be granted in proportion to effort. Paradise is a place of physical and spiritual beauty and perfection, where people will have their hearts' desires and will be blessed with the vision of Allah Most High.

Heaven

Allah has made Heaven for the Muslims. In heaven, people will live comfortably. This is only made for the Muslims. Non believers will never enter Heaven. In Heaven, there will be cutlery made of gold and silver. Every person will be young their age will be thirty-three. Every person will be sixty yards tall. No one will have a beard, except Hazrat Ibrahim (alayhi salaam). The people who go to Heaven will never age they will stay young and never die. Heaven's material is one gold brick and one silver brick. People will get married and will have children. Everybody will have a piece of land that is as big as from Syria to Yemen. Every person will have 80,000 slaves. In Heaven there will be horses with wings. The people of heaven will sit on them and can go wherever they want. One person asked the Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam, "If we want to do farming, could we do it?" Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam replied, "Yes, but if you want to do farming, when you put the seed in the soil, it will grow before you blink your eyes."

Allah created so many gifts in Heaven, but no one knows all of them. The biggest gift that Muslims will receive, is that Muslims will see Allah. Some of the heavenly people will be in the top floors and some will be on the bottom floors. The people who will be at the bottom floors will see the top floor people, just like we see the stars. In Heaven the biggest place will be Waseela. That is the place that Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam will get. Allah will tell the people of heaven, "I will give you my biggest gift, and that is my pleasure. I will never be angry with you, and I will always be pleased with you."

In Heaven there will be a market where the people of heaven will go every Friday. The wind will blow in a northerly direction, with which the people will look even more handsome and more beautiful. That market will not be for buying. In the market people will come to meet each other. The one who will go first to the market, their faces will be shining like the moon. The people who will go after, their faces will be shining like the stars. First the Prophets will go, then their followers will go. From the Prophets, Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam will go first. Out of the followers, Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam followers will go first into Heaven and they will be wearing crowns and there will be one diamond on the crowns. If that diamond shone on earth, it will shine from East to West.

In Heaven, Muslims will always praise Allah. They will never get tired when they praise Allah and Muslims also won't get tired when they worship Allah. Whatever Muslims want in Heaven, it will come to him or her by itself.

In Heaven all the Muslims will stay as friends. There they will never fight. They will never get ill in Heaven. They will never spit in Heaven. They will never go to the toilet in Heaven. When the Muslims burp in Heaven, all the food what they have eaten will be digested. They will not need to clean their nose in Heaven. It will stay clean by itself. In Heaven, there will be a bird as big as a camel. In Heaven, the first meal that the Muslims will get will be Heaven's fish kebabs, and Heaven's ox's meat.

In Heaven, there will be four streams. One will be water, one will be honey, one will be milk, and one will be Heaven's wine. In Heaven the Muslims will drink from these four streams. The Muslims in Heaven will watch the Hell people getting punishment from Allah, and the Muslims in Heaven will be standing up and watching. The Muslims in Heaven will say, "Oh look, how Allah has completed his promise, and Allah's promise was that the Muslims will go to Heaven and the non-believers will go to Hell."

In Heaven, the Hoors that are so beautiful that if a Hoor puts her hand out of the sky, her hand will shine like the sun. If a Hoor throws one of her nails on the earth, the whole world will become perfumed. All the Hoors will be wearing seventy clothes in Heaven. The Hoors will sing Allah's praise. If any of the Hoors smile, the whole of the Heaven will shine. The good Muslim ladies in heaven will have, an even higher status than the Hoors of Heaven.

The Muslims will say to the non-believers in Hell, "You are non-believers. That is why all of you are burning in fire. We Muslims are passing our lives comfortably in Heaven." In Heaven, Muslims will see their friends burning in Hell. The Muslims in Heaven will ask their friends in Hell, "Why did Allah put you in Hell?" They will say, "We never gave food to the poor, we never used to worship Allah, and we never read Salaat." Some of the non-believers will ask the Muslims in Heaven for water, but the Muslims in Heaven will say, "We can't even give you a glass of water because Allah has made everything in Heaven unlawful for you."

THE LAST MAN WHO ENTERS HEAVEN

Allah will order a man to stand in front of Hell. He will have a lot of heat on his face from Hell. He will request to Allah, "Oh my Allah! Put my face towards Heaven because there is too much heat here." Allah will reply, "If I do this, will you ask anything else from me?" The man will say, "No, I won't ask for anything else." His face will be turned towards Heaven. After a while, the man will ask to Allah, "Take me in front of the gate of Heaven." Allah will say to him, "If I do this, you won't ask me for anything else." The man will say, "I will not ask for anything else." Allah will put the man in front of the gate of Heaven. When the man will see the beauty of Heaven he will say to Allah, "Oh Allah, send me into Heaven." Allah subhana wa ta'ala will say, "You promised me you would not ask me for anything else." The man will say, "After this I will not ask for anything else." Allah subhana wa ta'ala will send the man to Heaven and he will get a very big place in Heaven. He will be the last man to enter Heaven.

Hell

Hell is a place that Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala has made for the non-believers. Hell has seven doors and seven levels. The highest one is called Jahannam. The lowest one is called Haawiya. All the levels have different names: Jahunnam, Saqar, Nutaa, Hutamah, Sa'eer, Jaheem and Haawiya. Inside Hell there are 70,000 jungles. In every jungle, there are 70,000 sections. In every section there are 70,000 snakes and scorpions. Those snakes are very poisonous, that if they bite someone this poison will stay in them for forty years. They will always bite the non-believers. The scorpions will be as big as donkeys and the snakes will be as big as camels. The Hell fire will be seventy times hotter than the world's fire. On the order of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, when the people of Hell will be thrown into Hell, they will wear clothes. The clothes will be marked with fire. The snakes and the scorpions will bite the people. When they will be punished like this, they will die again and again, and they will become alive again and again. This will happen to them over and over again.

In Hell, the least punishment will be that the people will be given fire shoes to wear, with this the person's brain will boil, like water boils in the kettle. The person will think he will be having the most punishment even though this punishment will be the least.

In Hell, starvation will trouble people. They will ask for food to eat. They will get Zaqqoom. This is going to be so disgusting that if one drop of this falls on the earth the whole of the earth's things will start to smell and become disgusting. A type of food will be given to them called Daree. This will also get stuck in their throats. To bring it down they will ask for water but they will get hot pus, which will be so dirty that if a bucket full of this falls on the world the whole world will become sour. It is going to be so hot that when the people of Hell put their faces down to drink it their faces will burn. When they drink this, it will cut everything inside their stomach. This will always happen with them. Bad Muslims may go to Hell, but they will not stay in Hell forever. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala decides how long He wants them to stay. At the end of their punishment, they will go to Heaven. If Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala wants, he can forgive them or punish them.

People, who do good deeds to show people, will go to a place in Hell called Hub-Hub. This is a very bad place of Hell and is so terrible that the other parts of Hell ask protection from it. The people of Hell will want to die, but they can't die because the Angel will have slaughtered death on the Day of Judgement. The people who worshipped statues, the stars, the moon etc, in their life on earth, will be with them. Allah wants to show them that they worshipped these things on earth, but now they are with them, but they can't help. The Devil (Shaytaan) will also be in Hell. The people will say to him, "You misled us, we are here because of YOU!" Devil will say, "Allah sent Prophets, and He sent books. You know I was wrong, so why did you follow me?"

The non-believers will ask the Angel's who are in charge of Hell to ask Allah to forgive them. When the Angel's request Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala, to forgive the non-believers, Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala will say to the Angel, "Tell the non-believers, I sent Messengers to you on earth. Why didn't you believe in what they said? So now you will remain in Hell forever." Then the non-believers will remain in Hell forever.

O Allah! Save us from the fire of Hell, and admit us into the gardens of Paradise.

Common Misconceptions About Islam

There is a lot of erroneous information floating around regarding the faith of Islam: that Muslims worship a moon god or a black stone; that Islam degrades women; that Muslims are all violent terrorists; etc. Here we set the record straight.

Islam is a widely-misundertood religion. Those who are unfamiliar with the faith often have misunderstandings about its teachings and practices. Common misconceptions include that Muslims worship a moon-god, that Islam is oppressive against women, or that Islam is a faith that promotes violence. Here we bust these myths and expose the true teachings of Islam.

Muslims worship a Moon God ?

Some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Allah is an "Arab god," a "moon god," or some sort of idol. Allah is the proper name of the One True God, in the Arabic language. The most fundamental belief that a Muslim has is that "There is only One God," the Creator, the Sustainer -- known in the Arabic language and by Muslims as Allah. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word for the Almighty.

Muslims dont believe in Jesus

In the Qur'an, stories about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ (called 'Isa in Arabic) are abundant. The Qur'an recalls his miraculous birth, his teachings, and the miracles he performed by God's permission. There is even a chapter of the Qur'an named after his mother, Mary (Miriam in Arabic). However, Muslims believe that Jesus was a fully human prophet and not in any way divine himself.

Most Muslims are Arabs

While Islam is often associated with Arabs, they make up only 15% of the world's Muslim population. The country with the largest population of Muslims is Indonesia. Muslims make up 1/5 of the world's population, with large numbers found in Asia (69%), Africa (27%), Europe (3%) and other parts of the world.

Islam oppresses women

Most of the ill-treatment that women receive in the Muslim world is based on local culture and traditions, without any basis in the faith of Islam. In fact, practices such as forced marriage, spousal abuse, and restricted movement directly contradict Islamic law governing family behavior and personal freedom.

Muslims are violent terrorist extremists

Terrorism cannot be justified under any valid interpretation of the Islamic faith. The entire Qur'an, taken as a complete text, gives a message of hope, faith, and peace to a faith community of one billion people. The overwhelming message is that peace is to be found through faith in God, and justice among fellow human beings. Muslim leaders and scholars do speak out against terrorism in all its forms, and offer explanations of misinterpreted or twisted teachings.

Muslims are intolerant of other faiths

Throughout the Qur'an, Muslims are reminded that they are not the only ones who worship God. Jews and Christians are called "People of the Book," meaning people who have received previous revelations from the One Almighty God that we all worship. The Qur'an also commands Muslims to protect from harm not only mosques, but also monasteries, synagogues, and churches -- because "God is worshipped therein."

Islam promotes 'Jihad' to spread Islam by the sword and kill all unbelievers

Throughout the Qur'an, Muslims are reminded that they are not the only ones who worship God. Jews and Christians are called "People of the Book," meaning people who have received previous revelations from the One Almighty God that we all worship. The Qur'an also commands Muslims to protect from harm not only mosques, but also monasteries, synagogues, and churches -- because "God is worshipped therein."

The Qur'an was written by Muhammad [Peace be upon him] and copied from Christian & Jewish sources

The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad [May Allah shower His Mercy upon him] over a period of two decades, calling people to worship One Almighty God and to live their lives according to this faith. The Qur'an contains stories of Biblical prophets, because these prophets also preached the message of God. Stories are not merely copied, but the oral traditions are referred to in a way that focuses on the examples and teachings that we can learn from them.

Islamic prayer is just a ritualized performance with no heartfelt meaning

Prayer is a time to stand before God and express faith, give thanks for blessings, and seek guidance and forgiveness. During Islamic prayer, one is modest, submissive and respectful to God. By bowing and prostrating ourselves to the ground, we express our utmost humility before the Almighty.

The crescent moon is a universal symbol of Islam

The early Muslim community did not really have a symbol. During the time of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad [May Allah shower His Mercy upon him], Islamic caravans and armies flew simple solid-colored flags (generally black, green, or white) for identification purposes. The crescent moon and star symbol actually pre-dates Islam by several thousand years, and wasn't affiliated with Islam at all until the Ottoman Empire placed it on their flag.

Piety and Terrorism ?

Question:-

How is it that there are Muslims who seem very pious and yet do much evil? They pray five times a day, give charity and fast, and even go on the pilgrimage but indulge in terrorism. Will they attain paradise?

Answer:-

There are several possible alternatives:-

(1) That what you think is evil is not so and not seen as such by them.

(2) That they are ignorant and have not studied or understood their religion and have been misled by others.

(3) That they have been strongly provoked. Had they not followed their religion they would have had no restrictions on their behaviour at all and they would have been much worse.

(4) That they do not practice their religion correctly. They do the outer motions without an equivalent inner content. For instance, when they pray they may do the posture changes and utter the words mechanically, but their thoughts and desires are wandering or occupied with their worldly affairs instead of Allah. They may fast, give charity and go on pilgrimage for show or to obtain praise or honour, avoid criticism or gain some other advantage. They have no real faith.

(5) Some people use religion for political or economic purposes or to support their own prejudices and interests.

Allah judges by the sincerity of motives and not by superficial actions. But we are seldom in a position to judge this. We are required, therefore, to follow the Law in judging the thieves, murderers, adulterers and other miscreants.

Jesus In Islam

Jesus [Isa alayhis salaam] In Islam

Muslims do believe that Isa alayhis salaam was sent down as a Prophet of Allah (God), but he (Jesus) is not God or Lord, nor the son of God. Muslims do not believe that Isa alayhis salaam, also known as Jesus by Christians and others, is dead or was ever crucified. We believe that he was raised to heaven and is there, and will descend at the appointed time, end all wars, and bring peace to the world. Like Jesus [Isa alayhis salaam], Muhammad Peace and Blessings upon him is also a Prophet and Messenger. Muhammed Peace and Blessings upon him is the last Prophet, though, and there is none after him. Hence, Islam is the last religion, complete, with the Noble Qur'an as the unchanged and perfect word of God for over 1400 years, as God promised to preserve it till the last day for all of humankind, unlike sacred texts of other religions which have mulitple versions and are "revised" periodically. God, or Allah in Arabic, is Divine and Supreme Being and Creator.

What the Noble Qur'an says about Jesus:

They slew him not, nor did they crucify him but it was made dubious to them.
(Noble Qur'an, Surah Nisaa, Verse 157)

Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam himself told of the coming of Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings upon him. In the Bible, Jesus [Isa alayhis salaam] says,

If you love me, Keep my commandments. And I will pray to the Father and He shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever. (Bible, John 14-15/16)

But when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me, and he also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. (Bible, John 15-26/27)

I have yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the spirit of Truth will come, he will guide you into all truth, for he shall speak not of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that he shall speak, and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and he shall show it unto you. (Bible, John 16-12/14)

Ulema (learned scholars in Islam) have said that the person who is described by Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam to come after him - in the above verse - does not comply with any other person but Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings upon him.

In this case, the "comforter" he mentions is none other than Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings upon him and his laws and way of life (Shariah) and Book (Noble Qur'an) are those that Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam asks his followers to abide by.

The "person" whom Jesus [Isa alayhis salaam] prophecised will come after him, is called Pargaleeta in the Bible . This word was deleted by interpreters and translators and changed at times to "Spirit of Truth" and at other times, to "comforter" and sometimes "Holy Spirit." The original Greek and its meaning is "one whom people praise exceedingly." The sense of the word, then, is applicable to the word Muhammad in Arabic, since Muhammad means "the praised one."

Jesus [Isa alayhis salaam] also says in the Bible,

... and a little while and you shall not see me; and again a little while, you shall see me because I go to the Father. (Bible, John 16:16)

... and the Noble Qur'an says,

And surely they slew him not. But Allah (God) raised him unto Himself.
(Noble Qur'an, Surah Nisaa, Verse 157-158)

As such, Muslims believe that Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam was raised to heaven. According to Hadith, he is on the second heaven. Rasulullah Salla Allahu alayhi wa Sallam mentioned, "During the Meraj (Ascension), I met Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam on the second heaven. I found him of medium stature, reddish white. His body was so clean and clear, that it appeared as though he had just performed ghusal (ablution, cleansing of the entire body) and come." In another Hadith, Rasulullah Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam mentioned to the Jews that, " Hadrat Isa alayhis salaam is not dead, he will most surely return to you before Qiyamat (the Day of Judgement)."

May Allah Guide all people to the Truth. Ameen.

The Mission of Jesus

There is no reason to argue anymore, in both the Gospel (the New Testament) and the Qur'an (the Final Testament) the mission and identity of Jesus is echoed in unison.

Christians and Muslims are in accord, consent, acknowledgment, corroboration, harmony, unanimity, solidarity, coexistence, attunement, settlement, compatibility, that Jesus was:

· The statement of the truth (Qur'an19:34) and (John 14:6)
· A word of God (Qur'an 10:19) and (John 1:1)
· Apostle of God (Qur'an 4:157) and (Hebrews 3:1)
· A sign (Qur'an 19:21) and (Luke 2:34)
· Born faultless (Qur'an 19:19) and (John 8:46)
· Servant of God (Qur'an 19:31) and (Phalinthians 2:7)
· Mary his Mother, was given glad tidings of the coming of Jesus by Angel Gabriel (Qur'an 3:45) and (Luke 1:30)
· Was born from a virgin (Qur'an 3:47) and (Luke 1:34)
· Was the Messiah (Qur'an 9:31) and (John 1:41)
· Preformed many miracles (Qur'an 5:110) and (Matthew 4:24)
· Was with the spirit from God (Qur'an 4:171) and (Matthew 12:18)
· Ascended to Heaven (Qur'an 3:55) and (John 3:13)
· Will return to earth (Qur'an 19:33) and (Revelation 20:5)

Along with other similarities, such as that we both believe we will pass by Jesus on the Day of Judgement [as Jesus is quoted as saying 'no one will go to the Creator except by me'], we both believe Jesus is a descendant of Prophet Abraham, that Jesus was born in Israel, the Jews were violent towards Jesus.

We also agree about the Ten Commandments:
(Exodus 12: 1-17 & Deuteronomy 5: 6-21) with confirmation in the Qur'an:
1. There is only One God (Qur'an 47:19)
2. Thou shall make no image of God, there is nothing whatsoever like unto Him (Qur'an 42:11)
3. Thou shall not use God's name in vain, nake not God's name an excuse to your oaths (Qur'an 2:224)
4. Thou shall honor thy mother and father, be kind to your parents if one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not a word of contempt nor repel them but address them in terms of honor. (Qur'an 17:23)
5. Thou shall not steal. (Qur'an 5:38 - 39)
6. Thou shall not lie or give false testimony. (Qur'an 24:7)
7. Thou shall not kill, If anyone has killed one person it is as if he had killed the whole mankind (Qur'an 5:32)
8. Thou shall not commit adultery, do not come near adultery. It is an indecent deed and a way for other evils. (Qur'an 17:32)
9. Thou shall not covet thy neighbors wife or possessions. (Qur'an 4:36)
10. Thou shall keep the Sabbath holy.(Qur'an 62:9)

Therefore, Muslims are not anti-Christs as a few separatists teach, we are worshippers of the God of Abraham as our fellow Christians are, we have a Christology similar to millions of other Christians.

Millions of educated Bible following Christians also have similar views as Muslims regarding the Prophethood of Jesus;

The very first groups of Christians such as the Ebonites, the Cerinthians, the Basilidians, the Capocratians, the Hypisistarians, the Arians, Paulicians and Goths also accepted Jesus as a Prophet of God, Even in the modern age there are a large number of Christian Churches which teach Jesus was only a Prophet, for example;

The majority of today's Anglican Bishops do not worship Jesus as God;

In the British newspaper the "Daily News" 25/6/84 under the heading "Shock survey of Anglican Bishops" We read ;

"More than half of England's Anglican Bishops say that Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God, according to a survey published today. The pole of 31 of England's 39 bishops shows that many of them think that Christ's miracles, the virgin birth and the resurrection might not have happened exactly as described in the Bible. Only 11 of the bishops insisted that Christians must regard Christ as both God and man, while 19 said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as 'God's supreme agent'"

The Roman Catholic Church no longer believes Christ is the only single way to attain salvation; "The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."[330] Vatican's New Catechism 841.

Catholics are the largest group of Christians who also recently declare that even without Christ, you can be saved; "This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church: Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation."[337] Vatican's New Catechism 847.

Here are more Bible following groups who have non Protestant opinions ;

Christian Science (Mary Baker Eddy): "Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus Himself declared, but is the Son of God."Science and health key to the scriptures p.361.

The Christian Spiritual Alliance (Roy Eugene Davis): "Jesus was not the only begotten." (Roy Eugene Davis, the Hidden teachings of Jesus Revealed 1968, p. 9.

The Christadelphians (John Thomas). "Jesus Christ did not exist as a person >from eternity as one of the triune Godhead.... He did not actually come into being until He was begotten of the Holy Spirit and born in Bethleherm" (Christedelphian messenger no.46 the word made flesh p.3)

Course in miracles-(Helen Schucman) Jesus is a man, who is like all other men, and the Christ idea, which all men possess and must eventually demonstrated. He becomes the pattern for all of us. Jesus the man was used by the Christ to demonstrate the illusion of the world"

Eckankar (Paul Twitchell): "do not put Him [Jesus] in a special category, for all saviours and prophets who came to earth to help mankind did their part arid passed on to the glory of the heavenly kingdom .. _ "74

The Foundation of Human understanding (Roy Masters): -you must not have any concepts of what Christ is like or God is like. it all must be an inward revelation process-" (Roy Masters (tape), -The Mystery of Golgotha.

Jehovah's Witnesses- Charles Taze Russell-"There is Scriptural evidence for concluding that Michael was the name of Jesus Christ before he left heaven and after his return." (WT 5/15/1969, p. 307)

Lucis Trust (Alice Bailey): -The Incarnation, which is for popular Christianity synonymous with the historical birth and earthly life of Christ, is for the mystic not only this but also a Perpetual cosmic and personal process.- (Alice Bailey, From Bethlehem to Calvary Lucis, 1976, P. 7.

The Masonic Lodge: A former Mason reports 'Freemasonry carefully excludes' the Lord Jesus Christ from the lodge and chapter, repudiates His mediatorship, rejects His atonement, denies and disowns His Gospel, frowns upon His religion and His church, ignores the Holy Spirit... " Edmond Ronayne, The Masters Carpet (Ezra Cook Company of chicago, 1879), p. 87.)

Mormonism- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints-"....Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven," (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, pp. 50-51).

Oneness Pentecostals"The Son of God existed from all eternity only as a plan in the mind of God." (The Oneness of God, D. Bernard p.295) "the role of the son is temporary and not eternal" (p.105, 108)

Rosicrucianism (AMORO (H. Spencer Lewis): "Nowhere in the teachings and practices of Jesus can we find the least intimation that His great system was intended to bring salvation to the physical body of man. ( K SpencerLewis, The secret Doctrine of Jesus (San Jose, CA-- Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC), pp. 186-87,189-91.)

Science of Mind (Ernest Holmes): "Jesus is the name of a man. Christ means the Universal Principle of Divine Sonship.'(N. Kasturt Sathya Sai Speaks, vol. 8, Ist ed. 1975, p.144.)

Theosophy (Helena. P Blavatsky): "Nowhere throughout the New Testament is Jesus found calling himself God, or anything higher than 'a son of God,' the son of a 'Father,' common to all." Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The Secret Doctrine (India: Theosophical Publishing House 1971), vol. 5, p. 369n.

The Unification Church (Sun Myung Moon): "It is a great error to think Jesus was God Himself. Jesus is no different from other men."( Young Oon Kin, Divine Principle and its Application (HSA-UWC, 1968), p. 75.) "We must understand that this (John 8.58) also does not signify that Jesus was God Himself .Jesus on earth was a man no different from US except for the fact that He was born without original sin." (Divine Principle p. 212).

Unitarian Universalism: Unitarian Universalist minister Waldemar Argow states: "They [Unitarian/Universalists] do not regard him as a supernatural creature, the literal son of God who was miraculously sent to earth as part of an involved plan for the salvation of human souls.', (Waldemar Argow, Unitarian Universalism-Some Questions Answered (pamphlet) (Boston, MA. Unitarian Universalism Assoc., nd.), p. 6.)

Unity School of Christianity (Charles Fillmore), "Most of our religious beliefs are based on the [erroneous] idea that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God." Unity (periodical), October, 1976, pp. 59-60.)

In conclusion, we know there are many ways to interpret the Bible, yet one fact remains, Jesus never insisted that we believe in his blood to be saved nor did Jesus order us to call him God. Jesus never commanded anyone to worship him as the God of Abraham did.

Jesus asked us to believe that he was sent by God (John 5:24), which Muslims along with other Christians believe.

Technically, Muslims are the largest group of Christians (those who believe Christ was sent by God) approximately one and a half Billion, and the fastest growing Religion.

Kindly accept fellow Monotheists, and let God be the Judge in the End.

ANSWERING CHRISTIANITY

The True Religion

The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim", The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by The Final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah upon him) in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed in its final form.

Islam is the religion which was given to Adam (Peace be upon him), the first man and the first Prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the Prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion Islam was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book of divine revelation, the Qur'an, Allah states the following:

"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:3)

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will It be accepted of Him" (Surah Al 'imran 3:85)

"Abraham was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." (Surah Al 'imran 3:67)

Nowhere in the Bible will you find Allah saying to Prophet Moses' (Peace be upon him) people or their descendants that their religion is Judaism, nor to the followers of Christ that their religion is Christianity. In fact, Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus (Peace be upon him)! The name "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos which means the annointed. That is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah". The name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a latinized version of the Hebrew name Esau (Isa).

For simplicity's sake, we will however continue to refer to Prophet Isa (Peace be upon him) as Jesus. As for his religion, it was what he called his followers to. Like the prophets before him, he called the people to surrender their will to the will of Allah; (which is Islam) and he warned them to stay away from the false gods of human imagination.

According to the New Testament, he taught his followers to pray as follows: "Yours will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".

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Huzaifah bin Yaman

Huzaifah bin Yaman [Noble Companion of the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon him)]

The Beloved Prophet Muhammad's close confidante who proved extremely helpful in devising strategy.

Hadrat Huzaifah bin Yaman, [may Allah be pleased with him], was though born in Makkah, had the unique distinction of embracing Islam much ahead of others, almost immediately after the Beloved Prophet Muhammad [Peace and Blessings upon him] attaining Prophethood in Makkah. In fact he was a Makkan as his father Yaman belonged to Makkah’s tribe of Abas. But it so happened that Yaman murdered someone among his clansmen and was forced to take refuge in Madinah. He married a woman of tribe of Abdul Shahal. She bore him Huzaifah. Huzaifah grew up in Madinah but since the family kept active contact with Makkah, came to know of the message of Prophet Muhammad very early in his childhood. Even as the light of Islam began to illuminate the Arabian peninsula, Huzaifah developed a passionate desire to see the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him]. He joined a delegation of 10 people of Madinah who traveled to Makkah, called upon the Prophet and embraced Islam at a very young age.

However, he was always dogged by the dilemma as to call himself an Ansar or a Muhajir. When he wanted the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] to put him in a certain category, he was told to adopt whatever title he liked. He chose to be Ansar. He participated in all the battles except the Badar. It was because he had promised the Quraish that he would not participate in the impending battle between the Makkans and the Muslims of Madinah. It so happened that he had his father Yaman were caught by the Quraish a little before the Badar was to take place while traveling between the two cities. They released him on the promise that they would not participate in the forthcoming battle against Quraish. Even as Muslims were bracing for the fight, the duo approached the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] and narrated him the accounts. The Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] asked them not to violate their vow.

They however, took part in the battle of Uhud. Though Huzaifah survived, his father was slain at the hands of some of the holy companions due to mistaken identity. In fact, Yaman along with Sabith bin Waqash had been deputed to defend the camps housing the families of the Muslim warriors. But as the battle wore on, they left the camps and plunged into the battle fearing that they would miss a golden opportunity to have martyrdom. Sabith fell a martyr at the hands of a soldier from the opponents. But Yaman was chased by a group of soldiers from the Muslim army itself even as Huzaifah was crying from a distance to alarm them. But Yaman was dead. Huzaifah reached as father lay breathing his last. Huzaifah perceived the gravity of the situation and cried aloud: ‘My friends, May Allah forgive you, and He is a forgiver. Ameen!’

When the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] came to know of it, he wanted to give blood money on behalf of the companions. But Huzaifah refused to take any compensation and said his father wanted to be a martyr, and his wish has been fulfilled. This elevated him in the estimation of the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him].

The Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] was impressed with keen intelligence, decision-making in critical situation, and capacity to keep secrets possessed by Huzaifah. He employed him for all such assignments that required these qualities. He had once confided into him and told him the names of the hypocrites who were damaging the cause of Islam by being the members of the society. He wanted them to keep watch over the activities of hypocrites. This continued even during the time of the caliphate. Second caliph Umar while leading funeral prayers would often ask if Huzaifah was present in the congregation and would excuse himself from leading the prayer if Huzaifah was not present.

At the battle of Trench (Khandaq), the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] deputed him to make forays into the enemy camp in a disguise and gather intelligence about their morale even as the siege of Madinah by the Quraish was proving too long. A prayer chanted by the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] at that moment removed fear from his heart and stopped shivering that ran through his body due to cold season. The Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] instructed him to merely gather intelligence and avoid any kind of offensive action. He got into a camp and befriended the men of the opponent camp. It was to be addressed by chieftain Abu Sufiyan. Abu Sufiyan began by advising the people to check who was sitting by their side lest someone carried the news to the opposing camp. Huzaifah got worried for a moment. But then he immediately began to ask the names of all those around him even before they could check his antecedents. Abu Sufiyan began to address them: ‘O people of Quraish, the hailstorm has uprooted our camps, upturned our cooking vessels, killed our animals. Banu Quraizah (a tribe of Jews) has left our company. It is no longer in our interest to be waiting here for a military engagement.’ He then mounted his horse and rode away towards Makkah. While doing so, Abu Sufiyan came within the attacking range of Huzaifah, but the latter remembered the Prophet’s advice and resisted his temptation. This intelligence input considerably helped the Beloved Prophet [Peace and Blessings upon him] in surmising the morale of the enemy and plan his strategy.

Huzaifa was part of Muslim army which conquered important forts at Hamadan, Ray and Nahavand. Once Umar asked him to point out if there was any hypocrite among his office bearers. He said there is one but refused to identify the person. But he found out after some time that Umar had dismissed him.

When he fell terminally ill prior to his death, he instructed the holy companions who had gathered around him not to put him in an expensive burial garments. When the death finally came knocking at his door he said: 'O my Lord, You know I always accorded precedence to poverty over affluence, humility over boastfulness and akhira (the day of judgement) over duniya (worldly life).'

Hinduism to Christianity to Islam

Story of Ahmad Tabarani

The following story is about a brother from Guyana who became a Muslim from being a Hindu and Christian Priest for 10 years.

His current name is Ahmed Tabarani. He was born in a poor Hindu family in Guyana. However, he used to dislike worshipping statues since his childhood. As he grew up, he became connected with the local Church because they worshipped three divine beings (God, Jesus and Holy Spirit) rather than worshipping hundreds of idols. Eventually, he became a Christian and studied for many years to become a Christian priest. The Church hired him and paid for all his travelling and living expenses. His family became very pleased to see that because he became a Christian, their poverty was removed. As a result, the whole family became Christians.

During the 10 years of serving as a Priest, he always used to wake up at night and meditate. He used to ask God to show him whether he was following the truth. In one such nights, he had a vision. He saw that three people dressed in white long throbes, wearing turban and beard are walking towards him and these people are to show him the true religion. After seeing this vision, many years passed by but he didn't see such a thing happening. But one day, a group of Muslims visited a Masjid near his place to call people towards Allah. That afternoon, as he was going to the Church, he saw three of these Muslims are coming towards him. Immediately, he remembered his vision. These three Muslims resembled exactly what he saw in the vision. Then he approached them and asked what religion they follow. The Muslims told him about Islam and he became a Muslim on the spot and quit being a priest. Poverty again took over his family as he quit his job. All his family members, especially his mother, became angry at him for becoming a Muslim. But he said the following words to his mother, "Dear mother, I could give you a new pair of shoes, but they will become worn out. I could give you a new dress, but that too will become old and ripped. But I can give you something that will never finish. My mother, say 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam is His Messenger.'" The mother was really touched by this statement and became a Muslim. Following her, everyone else in the family also became Muslims.

For 15 years, Ahmed Tabarani is a practising Muslim serving Islam with his total energy. He is currently living in Canada.

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From Drury Lane to Makkah

The first detailed account of the Hajj by an English Muslim had to wait until the Edwardian era, when the artist, Hedley Churchward became the first recorded British 'Guest of God.'

By Shaykh Abdul-Hakim Murad

History has not recorded the name of the first British Muslim to carry out the rites of Hajj. Rumours abound of converted Crusaders who made the trip in medieval times, and of British Muslims in Ottoman naval service who visited the hallowed precincts in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. But the first detailed account of the Hajj by an English Muslim had to wait until the Edwardian era, when the artist Hedley Churchward became the first recorded British 'Guest of God.'

Like many Anglo-Muslims of his day, Churchward was the conservative, gentlemanly scion of an ancient family; indeed, his ancestors possessed the second oldest house in Britain . His father ran a successful business in Aldershot , and was well-received in regimental circles, enabling the young Churchward to meet Queen Victoria and the philanthropist Baroness Burdett-Coutts. Showing an early artistic talent, Churchward studied art and became a recognised painter, specialising in the then highly prestigious field of theatrical scene painting.

A leisurely trip through Spain opened the young scene-painter's eyes to the glories of Moorish architecture, and he was tempted to venture across the Straits to Morocco . Here, in a world still untouched by Western influence, he quickly fell in love with the gentle and beautiful lifestyle of Islam. After several visits, he gravely announced to his startled family that he had become a Muslim.

Churchward travelled on to Cairo, where he studied for several years at Al-Azhar. His scholarship developed apace, enabling him to preach Friday sermons at a small mosque, and even landing him an appointment to the prestigious post of lecturer in Seerah. at the Qadis' Academy - no small achievement for a convert. In need of more lucrative work, Churchward then sailed for South Africa , where his art and his elegant drawing-room manner soon won him the favour of Cecil Rhodes, who made him the gift of a rare pink diamond. Moving effortlessly between the Muslim community and the Transvaal 's white elite, it was thanks to Churchward's earnest intercession that President Paul Kruger granted permission for the erection of the first mosque in the Witwatersrand goldfields.

On his return to Cairo, Mahmoud Churchward married the daughter of a prominent Shafi'i jurist of Al-Azhar, and continued his Arabic lecturing. But both his head and his heart told him that his Islam was not yet complete: the magnetic pull of the Fifth Pillar was becoming impossible to resist. As he later recorded: 'One evening, as I strode along the looming Pyramid in the sunset, and saw the jagged skyline of Cairo behind the dreamy African dusk, I decided to carry through what I had intended to do ever since I turned a Moslem - I would go to the Ka'aba at Makkah.'

As an Englishman, he realised that this ambition might prove hard to fulfill: there was a danger that the Caliphal authorities at Jeddah might distrust the sincerity of his claims to be a Muslim, and unceremoniously turn him away. He therefore petitioned the senior 'Ulema (scholars) for a letter of recommendation. In the awe-inspiring presence of the Chief Qaadi (judge) of Egypt, together with Shaykh al-Islam Mehmet Jemaluddin Efendi (the Ottoman Empire's highest religious authority, who happened to be on a visit to Cairo), he submitted to a three-hour examination on difficult points of faith. Passing with flying colours, he received a beautifully-calligraphed testimonial signed by the scholars present. This religious passport was to serve him well in overcoming the bureaucratic obstacles which lay ahead.

In 1910, after a further year in South Africa , the would-be Haji packed his trunks and set out from Johannesburg for the Holy Land . Steamers in those days were slow, and Churchward faced the added impediment of having to travel via Bombay , where he spent weeks in frustrating negotiations with shipping-clerks, officials, and an urbane Lebanese Christian who was the Ottoman consul. At last he found an elderly pilgrim ship, the SS Islamic, and this vessel, captained by a Scotsman and armed with cannon against the threat of pirates, chugged slowly across the shimmering heat of the Indian Ocean, visiting the poverty-stricken Arabian Gulf before wending its leisurely way up the Red Sea.

The days passed slowly, and the time for Hajj was fast approaching. Steaming at six knots, halting at small ports to deliver sacks of mail, which had to be handed over with six-foot tongs because of the fear of plague, there was little to do except watch the dolphins, eat curry, and pray on deck with the Indian pilgrims.

Landing briefly at the Sudanese port of Suakin , Churchward dropped in on the British Consul, who airily told him that his plans to visit Makkah were doomed. 'My dear chap,' he told him, sipping an iced drink on the Consular veranda, 'to begin with you will not be allowed to land at Jeddah.'

But two days later, the Islamic steamed into the roadstead of the Arabian port. 'On the Indian deck,' he recorded, 'there started a great packing of pots, portable stoves, babies and sacks of rice.' It proved necessary to row ashore in a small dinghy, plunging through the hot spray past a Turkish battleship that had been moored for so long that the coral had grown up around it, immobilising it forever. Once his little boat was beached on the sands, a short conversation with the Ottoman officials established that all was well, and Churchward went into the town to make contact with the local representative (wakil) of Sharifa Zain Wali, a rich businesswoman of Makkah who ran a large organization of mutawwifs - pilgrim guides. Naturally, she could not attend him here in person - as Churchward later observed. The Wakil took Churchward to his beautiful Arab house, and explained how to don his Ihram clothing before letting him settle down for the night. 'Finding a level place on the irregular stones I lay down anew', he wrote. 'This time a thousand million mosquitoes hovered over me.' The following day, he telegraphed most of his money through to Makkah, and entrusted, as was the custom, the remainder of his funds to the Mutawwif. That evening, 'while the lamps of Jeddah glowed in a tropic sunset, two donkeys arrived.' The road beyond Jeddah was little more than a camel track, but the Wakil confidently led the small party towards the nocturnal east, with Halley's Comet hanging splendidly among the stars above. 'Against the stars I saw rock faces; we seemed to be trotting through a kind of canyon. Saving the fall of our donkeys' feet there was nothing to be heard, not even a jackal. ... Bang! Explosions suddenly rang from some place high in the dark hills. No mistake, those were rifle shots ... The growing brightness showed a very picturesque old building, a kind of tower several hundred feet above the road. From the steep path serving the structure some fez-adorned figures ran down. They wore uniforms and held guns in their hands.'

An Ottoman officer came up, and politely explained that his men had successfully chased off a band of robbers. In those days, attacks by desert Arabs on pilgrims were distressingly common; but Churchward and his party rode on, trusting in Allah. In the oven-like heat of the early afternoon, after several stops at roadside coffee-houses, they passed the stone pillars which indicated the beginning of the sacred territory into which no non-Muslim may intrude.

'On entering here my guide signed to me that we should say the proper prayer. Touching his heart and forehead he recited the Fatiha (opening chapter of the Qur'an) and held his hands together as if to receive Heaven's blessing. Then he said, Hena al-Haram (Here is the Holy Ground).'

'Some pigeons, wild doves and other birds were the first specimens of desert fauna I came on. They appeared perfectly tame, and fluttered a few inches from our faces. Some sat on the hard stones and allowed the donkeys to go right upon them. Very carefully the Wakeel led his beast around the little creatures, for no man will dare to kill a living thing here.'

In the Holy City at last, after almost two days on the road, Churchward and his companions entered the tall mansion-cum-hotel of the Sharifa. This pious and aristocratic lady, a direct descendent of the Holy Prophet, had family connections in Cape Town , where her company of pilgrim guides had been recommended to Churchward. Unpacking his goods, he sent her a gift of a Gouda cheese, which was borne up to her unseen presence by excited servants..''

The English pilgrim struggled up seven flights of stairs, bathed, and slept on the roof. He was awoken before dawn by the strange lilting sound of Ottoman bugles, and after prayers and a breakfast of melons he set off behind the Mutawwif towards the Sacred Mosque. Churchward and his companion finally entered the House of God. The first stage of a five-month journey had finally come to an end.

(www.islam-online.net)

Articles of faith

Yvonne Ridley was a hard-drinking, hard-nosed news reporter until her capture by the Taliban and subsequent conversion to Islam. She tells Eloise Napier how the Qur'an changed her life

Tuesday February 24, 2004
The Guardian

It was September 28 2001 - just 17 days after the destruction of the World Trade Centre. Yvonne Ridley, a 43-year-old single mother, and chief reporter at the Sunday Express, had been sent to Islamabad in nearby Pakistan to cover the start of George Bush's "war on terror". In search of a scoop, she had dressed in a burka and made an illegal sortie over the border into Afghanistan.

It was on the return journey, just two miles from the border, that her careful plans unravelled, with disastrous consequences. Ridley was passing by a Taliban checkpoint when her donkey bolted. She was just attempting to scoop up the reins when her camera slipped from her shoulder and into full view of a Taliban soldier.

Ridley thought she was either going to be gang-raped or stoned to death. "I wondered how much pain I could take and prayed that, whatever happened, I would die quickly," she says. In the event, she was only taken to jail, first in Jalalabad and then in Kabul, and held for a total of 10 days. In her diary, she recorded: "They [her Taliban captors] constantly refer to me as their guest and say that they are sad if I am sad. I can't believe it ... I wish everyone at home knew how I was being treated. I bet people think I am being tortured, beaten and sexually abused. Instead, I am being treated with kindness and respect. It is unbelievable."

Her capture was to mark a watershed in Ridley's life - it began her own road to Islam and her decision to become a committed peace campaigner. She quit her job at the Sunday Express and moved to Qatar, leaving her only child in the UK.

"I always wanted to be an actress," says Ridley with a lopsided smile. It is now two years and three months since her capture, and we are sitting beside a swimming pool in the well-heeled compound where she lives in Doha, Qatar's capital. It is midwinter, and the heat from the sun is gentle on our backs. Far from wearing the voluminous robes sported by many Muslim women in Qatar, she is clad in green combat-style trousers and a large black T-shirt bearing the words "Don't panic, I'm Islamic!"

When, last year, Ridley converted from C of E to Islam, some commentators suggested that she was suffering from Stockholm syndrome - the psychological condition in which captives divest themselves of former beliefs and adopt those of their captors. Ridley rejects this, saying that at no time did anyone try to brainwash her. She tells me that, at one point, she was visited by a cleric who asked if she wanted to convert to Islam. She refused but said that she would read the Koran if she ever got out. She kept her word, and what began as an academic exercise became a spiritual journey.

It seems ironic that such a strident believer in the equality of the sexes should choose a religion that appears to encourage the subjugation of women. "On the contrary," she says, "the Koran makes it clear that women are equal in spirituality, worth and education. What everyone forgets is that Islam is perfect; people are not."

What has impressed Ridley more than anything else is the sisterhood among Muslim women. "They are always helping each other in matters such as childcare, fundraising and studying. They want each other to do well. I hadn't expected this. In the west we're all too busy pinching each other's boyfriends, and criticising each other's clothes or weight."

The daughter of a miner from Durham, Ridley started in provincial newspapers before progressing to jobs with the Daily Mirror, the News of the World, the Sunday Times and the Daily and Sunday Express. "I reached the rank of editor by being one of the boys, although I didn't recognise this until much later," she says.

Things changed when Ridley had her daughter, Daisy - the result, as she bitterly regrets admitting, of a burst condom. Suddenly, she couldn't do the after-work drinks where all the networking was done and deals were struck. For her, motherhood was "like being in a three-legged race with a ball and chain on the legs". Her solution to the problem was to send Daisy, now 11, to boarding school in the Lake District. (Daisy's father and grandparents live close by and provide a stable home life for her.) In the holidays, Daisy often flies out to join her mother and the two of them take off on travel expeditions.

As we wander back to Ridley's villa, with its airy rooms and marble floor, I comment that private education doesn't come cheap. She gives me a semi-smile. "In my bleakest, blackest moments I look at Daisy and I think: 'Porsche Boxster!' "

Ridley has no zeal to convert the rest of the world to Islam, and is happy for Daisy to be brought up a Christian - although "of course, it's a very good stepping-stone to Islam." In the background, the call to prayer echoes through the windows. I ask her if she prays five times a day, as good Muslims are supposed to do. She says she tries to, although she hasn't appeared to do so while I have been with her - despite having heard the call several times already.

The indiscriminate bombing of civilians during the war in order to destroy Afghan morale affected Ridley more than anything before or since. As a result of her disgust, she contacted the anti-war campaigner and Labour MP, Alan Simpson. He persuaded her to talk at the Stop the War Coalition rally in Trafalgar Square in September 2002. Since then, she has travelled across the world addressing anti-war conferences, meetings and rallies.

Her retainer with the Sunday Express ended in February 2003 and, shortly afterwards, al-Jazeera offered her a job as senior editor of its English-language website. Life at the new job was rosy to start with but, within six months, a secretary from the office was sent round to her home with the message: "You've been terminated."

Her dismissal has never been fully explained by the news station, though a spokesman cites "administrative reasons". Reading between the lines, it seems that Ridley was just more trouble than she was worth. Not only did she attempt to set up the first branch of the National Union of Journalists in the Middle East, but her reports on the conduct of US soldiers in Iraq are also said to have angered the White House. When al-Jazeera suggested she sign an inferior contract, Ridley refused. In retaliation, her former employers declined to sanction her exit visa and so, when I visited her, she was stuck in Doha, twiddling her thumbs while the lawyers tried to thrash out the problem.

Unprompted, she reveals that al-Jazeera is sitting on several Osama bin Laden videotapes, none of which has been released because of White House fears that they will incite more terrorist attacks. She then mentions that the UK intelligence services called her in for questioning after her business cards were found on terrorist suspects. With a certain panache, she refused to be questioned in Scotland Yard and, instead, insisted on meeting her interviewers in Patisserie Valerie on London's Old Compton Street. With rows of croissants and strawberry tarts sitting prettily behind the glass counter, she told the officers firmly: "If I was involved in anything suspicious, do you think I'd be stupid enough to give my card to a known suspect?"

Next, Ridley brings up the subject of possible sleeping al-Qaida terrorist cells in the UK. "My theory is that MI6 knows full well who some of the players are," she says. "I suspect there is an unwritten agreement that nothing [terrorist attacks] will happen in the UK, so long as MI6 is kept in the loop." I ask her how she has come to this conclusion, and her answer is simple. "Through talking to people from all backgrounds - the intelligence service, the Muslim world ..."

Later that evening, we visit a restaurant close to her home. The food is delicious, although Ridley, now swathed in dramatic black robes, eats little and instead puffs cherry tobacco from a large, ornate hookah. A few of her former colleagues from al-Jazeera join us. They are all British Muslims, bright and younger than Ridley. They have an open affection for her and, when the conversation is not centred on office gossip, they tease her gently. She entertains everyone with an anecdote from her Taliban odyssey. The last few days of her incarceration were spent in a Kabul jail, where a group of evangelical Christian missionaries were imprisoned. They were accused of trying to convert Muslims to Christianity, a charge they hotly denied. When Ridley made a second trip to Afghanistan the following year, she discovered that the Christians' headquarters had been located right next door to Osama bin Laden's former house. They had had no idea.

Ridley's first novel, Ticket to Paradise, has just been published in the US. Rife with thinly disguised scandal, it is likely to stir up a hornet's nest in Fleet Street. More novels and a move into politics look likely; she is considering standing for the European parliament. She has no regrets about the path her life has taken. The sobriety that has come with her new lifestyle has made her realise that much of her old confidence was founded on alcohol.

"I don't know how long my celebrity/notoriety is going to last, but I am going to use it for as long as I am able, to highlight injustices and atrocities," says Ridley. "Hopefully, it will change perceptions, or at least get people talking more about what is happening - and how bombs and bullets are not necessarily the answer."

· This interview appears in full in the March 2004 edition of Harpers & Queen.

A Story of Reversion from New Zealand

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

My name is Mohammed Suhayb and Alahmdolillah, I am a Muslim. However I have not always been one although Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) tells us we are all born in to this world as Muslims.

I was born in Sunderland England in 1974 and was adopted at an early age. The only parents I know are my adoptive parents. I lived in Hartlepool until I was 7 before moving to New Zealand where I have spent most of my life (except for a brief stint back in the UK). Please don't get worried I'm not going to bore you with my whole life story. My reason for putting this brief history is that I am amazed when I look back at how Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) guided me to the stage in my life where I was ready to accept the beautiful and perfect religion of Islam.

It was 2001 when Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) opened my heart and my mind to Islam and I took Shahada, Alhamdolillah. It was after meeting a person who is now my wife.

Prior to this I lived a somewhat typical New Zealand lifestyle, excessive drinking, drug abuse, parties, and all types of crime. This I thought was normal, everyone I knew lived this way and I thought I was happy with a lot of friends. I now realise I was a miserable, lonely and angry young man. If things had not have changed I would be either dead or in jail right now.

Whilst I tried hard to cover it up and act like those people around me there was something I couldn't hide. I knew there must be more to life and I knew that the way I was living was wrong. I spent a lot of time researching other religions in the hope that I would have some kind of spiritual awakening and change my ways. I was very interested in Hinduism and a few other new age type things, but none of this brought me peace. I would always end up going back to my old ways.

Only after meeting my wife did things really change. We discussed our future and the fact that if we wanted to stay together I would need to become a Muslim. I had no problems with this but the one thing I couldn't do was accept a religion just for marriage. If I was to become a Muslim I had to believe in Islam. So I started to read. I was blessed in that I already knew some Muslims who were more than happy to give me books to read and Alhamdolillah it didn't take long until Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) guided me to the straight path. I can remember clearly going to meet the Maulana with my future in laws and how nervous I was. Sitting there and having things explained and then taking Shahada. I can remember standing outside afterwards and feeling like I had finally made the right decision, it was almost as if I could feel Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)'s happiness. It was better than any drug or high I had ever experienced.

Things didn’t change instantly though, it wasn’t like I took Shahada and then became a perfect and practicing Muslim. It was a huge struggle to give up my old ways and let go of the past. It still is to this day. Still that's what Islam is all about isn't it? Struggling with our Nafs (self) and Shaytaan. I still fall down from time to time although I am happy to say I am well and truly clear of the the drugs and alcohol. I take immense reassurance in remembering that Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) knows my faults and is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Since my reversion my life has been truly blessed Alhamdolillah. One of the biggest things is my relationship with my parents. I am ashamed to say that before my reversion I was not a good son and I treated my parents very badly. But since reverting I am pleased to say our relationship has improved. I now understand the importance of the parents, especially the mother. The other big blessing is that my parents are accepting of my new religion. They even go as far as to buy halal meat and cook it in a clean oven when we’re invited to dinner. I don't think they fully understand it all but I do try to explain things as best I can. Insha Allah one day my parents may also be guided to Islam.

Perhaps the biggest blessing is the fact that I have been shown the real Islam, the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat. Also the people who have come into my life to teach me about my religion. The greatest of these personalities being my Pir o Murshid, Hadrat Ghazi e Millat. At first I didn't really understand the enormity of it all but through research and learning about what it means to be a Mureed and who my Pir o Murshid is, I am truly amazed and thankful that Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) has blessed me with this opportunity. To think that here in New Zealand pretty much as far away from anywhere in the world you can get I had the opportunity of taking Bayat with Pir Sahab and sitting in his company on several occasions, Alhamdolillah.

I am truly thankful to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) for all of the blessings He has given me especially in guiding me to Islam, I often wonder why I have been shown the Straight Path but Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) knows best.

Islam really is the perfect religion and way of life, the more I read and learn, the more I realise this. Without Islam I would still be wandering this world lonely, angry and lost.

I make Dua (pray) that Allah (Subahanhu Wa Ta'ala) sends His blessings upon all those who are suffering and going through hardships. I pray that He blesses all those that have left this world with paradise. I pray that He blesses all those who have come into my life and helped me as a Muslim. I pray that He blesses us all and helps us to become better Muslims, and that He continues to guide more of us to this perfect and blessed religion. Ameen.

All thanks and praises belong to Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) and choicest peace and blessing be upon His Beloved Messenger Muhammad Mustafa (Sallallahu Ta’ala Alaihi Wassalam.

A Muslim in the Family

3O minute Film about New Muslims in the UK

Tanya's Story

Tanya's Path to Peace...

Description: Tanya tells her story how she became a Muslimah,
describing her teen years and how her search for truth led her to Islam.

Yusuf Ali

How I became a Muslim

7 MINUTES

Islam and the Destiny of Man

Introduction To Islam and the Destiny of Man By GAI EATON

There has been one constant factor in human history over the past thirteen centuries. This is the confrontation between Islam and what was once Christendom and is now the secular Western World. During the relatively brief period of European imperialism this rivalry between the two Faiths, the two cultures, could be forgotten. While the 'Cold War' dominated international politics it was of minor consequence. It has now resurfaced, as it was bound to do sooner or later since Islam claims a universal mission as does Western civilization. The motto of the Ottoman sultans, 'One World, one Faith, one Ruler' is echoed today in the talk of 'One World' or the 'New World Order'. But which world is it to be? Is peaceful and fruitful co-existence possible? This must depend upon mutual understanding and, since decisions depend upon the power to execute them, it is on the Western side of the frontier that understanding is most essential.

Europeans and Americans are so deeply convinced of the superiority of their secular, liberal culture that it is, to say the least, difficult for them to empathise with a profoundly different system, and yet understanding requires some degree of empathy. They may ask: Why should we bother? The answer, I believe, is that the peace and good order of our world in the twenty first century depend upon this understanding. The Muslim Ummah (the Community of Believers) is, today, weak, confused and divided. It will not always be so, and now is the time for the people of what is, for the moment, the dominant civilization to make the necessary intellectual and imaginative effort to glimpse the world and human destiny from a different perspective to the one they take for granted.

Books by academic Islamicists have their uses, but they seldom give the reader any sense of what it means to be a Muslim. This task is best undertaken by those who, in a sense, belong to both worlds and are equally at home in both; the Western converts to Islam. The European or American who has come to Islam in this way stands astride the oldest frontier in the world, a frontier which divides two areas of reciprocal incomprehension, and he or she might be said to commute between two distinct planetary systems. Those who stand astride this frontier find obliged to act as interpreters between two different languages and must themselves speak both with adequate fluency. The Western Muslim does not change his identity, but he changes his direction, his Orientation. He is dyed in the colour of the culture into which he was born and which formed him; he asks the questions which this culture asks, and he retains a sense of tragedy and of the world's ambiguity with which the European tradition is imbued but which is strange to the traditional Muslim. He is still haunted by the ghosts of Europe's past, and ancestral voices familiar to his kind are not silenced although he has distanced himself from them.

My aim in Islam and the Destiny of Man is to offer some keys to understanding from the point of view of a Westerner who is also a Muslim and who is therefore more sharply aware than any 'born Muslim' can be of the areas of misunderstanding which bedevil relations between the two cultures. At the same time, this book reflects my own personal experience and my personal understanding of my chosen Faith. The question of how I myself came to Islam is, therefore, of some relevance, and the answer to this question may even serve to illuminate what follows.

I was recently commissioned by a fellow Muslim (who preferred to remain anonymous) to write some 20 pages on what he called my 'Odyssey'. To explain why one has come to a particular religion does necessitate an essay in autobiography if the question is to receive anything like an adequate answer. The journey from unbelief to faith is always a journey through the landscape of an individual life, and I was glad of the opportunity to trace the stations of this journey in some detail. I had grown tired of giving superficial answers to a question I had been asked countless times over the years.

My publishers suggested that my brief essay in autobiography should be attached to the new and revised edition of Islam and the Destiny of Man. This makes sense to me. Most readers tend to underestimate the personal elements which underlie the text of almost every book, including works of non-fiction, and I—for my part—always feel that I would have a better understanding of whatever I may be reading if I knew more about the author. The writer or, for that matter, the lecturer who claims to be offering an entirely objective account of his subject is, none the less, a unique individual possessed by the need to communicate with other individuals; everything that we say or do reflects what we are and relates to our personal history.

Over recent years a growing number of men and women in Europe and the United States have been converting to Islam, and there is widespread curiosity as to what motivates them. A recent article in a Sunday newspaper compared me to the notorious Kim Philby and other 'Cambridge communists' of the 1930s who gave their loyalty to an alien creed. I do not recognise the comparison, except in so far as dissatisfaction with Western civilization is often one element among others in the motivation of those who see Islam as the only real alternative to the culture in which they were reared. But there are no simple explanations for this phenomenon. In 1986 two young journalists in Paris, the one French and the other Moroccan, published a book on conversions to Islam in the West. This was the outcome of extensive research and a great number of interviews carried out both in Europe and the United States. If there is a pattern to these conversions and if it is possible to generalise as to their motivation, this book should provide a key. In fact it demonstrates that there is no clear pattern and that the reasons for conversion are as many and as various as the individuals concerned.

It does however appear that a majority of intellectuals, taking this term in its broadest sense, have come to Islam through its 'mystical' dimension, Sufism. This is something that surprises some Muslims and shocks others. At best it seems to them like an attempt to reach the heights without passing by way of the lowlands or, quite simply, a case of trying to run before we can walk. There are. I think, two main reasons for this orientation. In the first place, the European or American intellectual, when he begins to doubt his own doubts and perceives the need for a way of faith and certainty, is less concerned with outward observance and a set of rules than with finding a spiritual path towards personal awareness of the divine Presence. Secondly, the intellectual is, by his very nature, someone who asks questions and is not prepared to accept facile answers. In the writings of the great Sufi Masters of the past he finds answers which satisfy him and solve problems which he had always assumed to be insoluble. But whatever the individual's motives for conversion—or what he thinks are his motives—it seems clear that God designs for each man and each-woman a path unlike any other, Yet all these paths, some smooth and some stony, have led to the same end, the same homecoming.

Gradual Approach With New Converts

Commentary by Adil Salahi

When dealing with new converts to Islam, some of us are very eager to get them to understand all aspects of their new faith and what it requires of them. They want these new Muslims to lead a perfectly complete Islamic way of life from the first day they declare their acceptance of the faith. This often puts new Muslims in a difficult position, and gives them a sense of falling short of what God expects of them. It is important, therefore, to try to understand what the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) did with new Muslims, and whether he immediately gave them a list of duties to fulfil and recommended practices to observe.

The Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) sent his companion Mu'adh ibn Jabal to Yemen as governor. A reasonable percentage of the population there were Muslims already and Islam was continuing to spread among them. Hence, Mu'adh's duties included a good measure of advocacy of Islam among the local population. The Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) outlined for him the method of approach he was to follow. He said to him: "You are going to people who believe in their Scriptures. When you are with them call on them to declare that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is God's Messenger. If they accept this from you then tell them that God has imposed on them a duty to offer five prayers every day. If they also accept this from you then tell them that God has made it a duty for them to pay a certain amount of charity which is taken from the rich among them and distributed to their poor. If they accept this from you, do not touch their precious property. Beware of a prayer by a person suffering injustice; for such a prayer goes directly to God, with no barrier to stop it." (Related in all six authentic anthologies).

The important point in this Hadith is the gradual approach the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) outlines for his companion who was to be governor over a large portion of the expanding Muslim state. It should be remembered that Mu'adh was sent on this mission about a year before the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)'s pilgrimage; that is, in year 9 of the Islamic calendar. However, some reports suggest that it was a little earlier and one report puts the date as the early days of year 10. Whichever was true, it was towards the end of the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)'s lifetime, when practically all Islamic laws had been in place. Mu'adh was certainly aware of all major duties of Islam, including fasting in Ramadan, which was started in year 2, and the pilgrimage, which was made obligatory before year 8, while prayer and zakah started much earlier. Nevertheless, the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) told Mu'adh to call on people first to believe in God and His Messenger. It is clear that he was concentrating on the approach to follow, not the outline of all duties. It is well known that all Islamic duties are required of believers; they do not apply to other people. If a person does not believe in God and in Muhammad as God's Messenger, no prayer or zakah is of use, because they would be lacking the proper basis they should have.

It should be noted that the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) tells Mu'adh not to speak to those people about prayer until they have believed in God's oneness and Muhammad's message. The Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) was aware that most of them followed earlier religions, and the concept of believing in God was not new to them, but they had first to correct this belief so as to bring it to the proper Islamic way of believing in God's absolute oneness and in Muhammad as God's Messenger. When this is in place, then Mu'adh was to explain to them their prayer duty. Needless to say, the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not expect him to stop at saying that your prayers must be offered five times a day. He was to explain to them the benefit of prayer, and the wisdom of spreading it over the whole day, from dawn to night time, so as to make a Muslim always in contact with God.

At this stage of explaining the duty of prayer, Mu'adh was not to speak about other duties, but when the people accepted that they must offer their prayers and actually began to do so, he was to take the next step and tell them about zakah. Needless to say, attending regularly to prayer will make people submit more fully to God’s orders. They would know that a human being submits himself, time, effort and all that he owns to God Almighty. Hence, they would accept the next duty that provides for social security for all. "If they accept this from you then tell them that God has made it a duty for them to pay a certain amount of charity which is taken from the rich among them and distributed to their poor." Mu'adh would need to explain that such zakah purges the giver of greed and the desire for self-aggrandizement. It gives him the feeling of mutual care in society. Both giver and taker will be rewarded because zakah ensures that the community is coherent and that everyone is looked after. Under the Islamic system, no one goes hungry from one day to the next.

The Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) also explains to Mu'adh that he was not to touch what is dear and precious. Zakah is taken from the general wealth of a person. It must not be of the worst type, but when it is paid, the giver has fulfilled the duty God requires of him. He is then free to enjoy what God has given him.

The next point the Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) tells Mu'adh is that when the people have paid their zakah he was not to try to get what is precious for them. They pay their zakah from the average they have, keeping the best for themselves. This is perfectly acceptable as long as they do not give away the worst they have.

Needless to say, Mu'adh would then call on them to implement other Islamic teachings. But the points specified by the Prophet take priority. The Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) gives Mu'adh a warning against something very serious. As a governor, he needs to make sure of maintaining justice. Any governor who fails to do so is liable to be the target of prayers by the victims of injustice. The Beloved Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) warns Mu'adh and every ruler and governor that such a prayer is definitely answered. God is certainly aware of whatever injustice is perpetrated. He knows who perpetrates it and who is its victim. The victim will always have access to God's help through prayer. God will certainly support those who are unjustly treated. He has forbidden injustice and will punish its perpetrator.

Questions about Islam

Question. First of all, what is the correct way to pronounce "Muslim"? I have read the "Moslem" is an improper and offensive way to say Muslim. Is that correct? What sound does the "U" make? Is is "moo"slim or "mu"slim as in Muhammad? A short U?

A. The latter.

Question. How would you describe the faith of Islam (the most important guidelines to follow, etc)?

A. It is the way of the Prophets and the elect of human beings since our father Adam through our father Abraham then Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, upon them blessings and peace, consisting in true worship of our Creator and excellent living and dying until we return to Him and enter everlasting life, in which this life forms less than a drop in the ocean; a way the formal description of which is [1] belief in the one God alone without partner, son, or spouse, in the angels, the Divine Books, the Prophets and Messengers, the Day of the Resurrection and Judgment, and the foreordained Divine decree that includes both good and evil, and [2] praying the five prayers in their appointed times every 24 hours, remitting the poor-due, fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing, if physically and monetarily able, the pilgrimage to Makka.

Question. I have read that Islam believes that the God of the Jews and Christians is the same God of the Muslims, is that a correct statement? And that Muhammad was the last and final Prophet

of God correcting misleading concepts in the above religions. So then all three religions are from the same origin?

A. All three dispensations are indeed from the same Divine origin and we believe that Religion is one just as God is One, the same One that sent all the Prophets and Whose basic message does not change.

Question. What would you say is the relationship of Islam to Judaism and Christianity today?

A. Islam is the unadulterated form of their message but addressed to all creation, a universal Last Testament.

Question. I recently traveled to Israel and Egypt and felt the Middle Eastern tension for myself. There are so many political issues with the state of Palestine and Israel. Is the root of the conflict primarily religious?

A. No more for the Zionists than for those whom they have been plundering, oppressing, and killing mercilessly since that conflict began.

Question. It seems as though there is a real hatred towards the Jews, is that true? More so than towards Christians? Why?

A. There is no hatred towards "the Jews and Christians" but hatred towards injustice and oppression, hence expressions as those attributed to Jesus in the Gospel such as "whitened sepulchres" and "race of vipers" to characterize attitudes that ultimately stem from satanic pride and which are also excoriated in other Divine admonitions including the Psalms and the Qur'an.

The reason why the latter describes the Christians as generally closer to the truth is only insofar as they tend to be more devoid of that trait; further, they reject only one of the Prophets of God (Muhammad) while the others reject two (Jesus and Muhammad).

Question. What is the greatest hindrance holding Islam back from advancing? How can this barrier be removed?

A. It is advancing by the grace of God despite any appearance to the contrary. The ending has already been written and it is to the honor and glory of God and His Prophets, let the enemies try what they may.

Question. How would you describe the faith of Islam specifically in South Africa? Do you think it could end up similar to the Sudan one day?

A. The Sudan has been the object of a systematic campaign of defamation in the Western press and the second question apparently presupposes the misconceptions born of such a campaign, however, I leave both questions to others more qualified to answer them.

Question. I have so many things to ask, but this I will make my last! I have read that physical action towards unbelievers is not to result in violence towards the innocent, but when I think of what has gone on in the Sudan or even the 9/11 situation, I see the innocent being killed. Is this only those taking Islam out of the context Muhammad intended?

A. As far as any true and sincere people of faith and goodness can see, true Muhammadan Islam is the last remaining living Divine recipe for enlightened belief and right living in the highest desirable sense for all human beings. It makes perfect sense that the enemies of the human race should therefore focus on the poisoning, corruption, and demonization of Islam whether through aggressive, insane chaos or through a reptilian discourse that poses as reasonable and historical but strives even more desperately and aggressively to represent the followers of the most perfect man ever to walk the earth as fanatic loons. See, for example, the hate site "jihad watch."

However, the last word belongs to the owner of this Religion which is God Himself--a fact of which there is no escape. Hence the vanity of the misrepresentation that is going on, of which the situations mentioned are mere elements, and their ultimate irrelevance to the endurance of Islam as the last Godgiven way of safety and salvation.

Hajj Gibril GF Haddad
[Sun, 21 Mar 2004]

Link : http://www.livingislam.org/o/qisl_e.html

You Are Never Alone

Sometimes, when the world's not on your side
you don't know where to run to
you don't know where to hide
you gaze, at the stars in the sky
at the mountains so high
through the tears in your eyes
looking for a reason, to replace what is gone
just remember, remember, that you are never alone
you are never alone
just reach into your heart and Allah is always there
you are never alone
through sorrow and through grief
through happiness and peace
you will never be alone
so now, as you long for your past
prepare for your future
but knowing nothing’s going to last
you see, this life is but a road
a straight and narrow path
to our final abode
so travel well o muslim and paradise will be your home
and always remember, you are never alone.

You Are Never Alone By Md. Ziyaullah Khan

Why British Women are turning to Islam

THE SPREAD OF A WORLD CREED

The Times - Tuesday, 9th November 1993 - Home-news Page

"Lucy Berrington finds the Muslim Faith is winning Western admirers despite hostile media coverage."

Unprecedented numbers of British people, nearly all of them women, are converting to Islaam at a time of deep divisions within the Anglican and Catholic churches.

The rate of conversions has prompted predictions that Islaam will rapidly become an important religious force in this country. "Within the next 20 years the number of British converts will equal or overtake the immigrant Muslim community that brought the faith here", says Rose Kendrick, a religious education teacher at a Hull comprehensive and the author of a textbook guide to the Qur'an. She says: "Islam is as much a world faith as is Roman Catholicism. No one nationality claims it as its own". Islam is also spreading fast on the continent and in America.

The surge in conversions to Islam has taken place despite the negative image of the faith in the Western press. Indeed, the pace of conversions has accelerated since publicity over the Salman Rushdie affair, the Gulf War and the plight of the Muslims in Bosnia. It is even more ironic that most British converts should be women, given the widespread view in the west that Islam treats women poorly. In the United States, women converts outnumber men by four to one, and in Britain make up the bulk of the estimated 10, 000 to 20, 000 converts, forming part of a Muslim community of 1 to 1.5 million. Many of Britains "New Muslims" are from middle-class backgrounds. They include Matthew Wilkinson, a former head boy of Eton who went on to Cambridge, and a son and daughter of Lord Justice Scott, the judge heading the arms-to-Iraq enquiry.

A small scale survey by the Islaamic Foundation in Leicester suggests that most converts are aged 30 to 50. Younger muslims point to many conversions among students and highlight the intellectual thrust of Islam. "Muhammad" said, "The light of Islam will rise in the West" and I think that is what is happening in our day" says Aliya Haeri, an American-born psychologist who converted 15 years ago. She is a consultant to the Zahra Trust, a charity publishing spiritual literature and is one of Britain's prominent Islamic speakers. She adds: "Western converts are coming to Islam with fresh eyes, without all the habits of the East, avoiding much of what is culturally wrong. The purest tradition is finding itself strongest in the West."

Some say the conversions are prompted by the rise of comparative religious education. The British media, offering what Muslims describe as a relentless bad press on all things Islamic, is also said to have helped. Westerners despairing of their own society - rising in crime, family breakdown, drugs and alcoholism - have come to admire the discipline and security of Islam. Many converts are former Christians disillusioned by the uncertainty of the church and unhappy with the concept of the Trinity and deification of Jesus.

Why I am Proud to be Muslim

"The true religion with Allah is Islam. (Qur'an, 3:19).

And whoever desires another religion than Islam, it shall not be accepted of him." (Qur'an, 3:85)

Islam is a true religion. It is the religion of Allah the Almighty and his beloved Messenger, Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Islam is one of the major religions of the world, with Muslims making 20% of the total population of the world. It is also one of the fastest growing religions in the world. These are some of the several reasons for which I am proud to be a Muslim.

Islam is a complete way of life. The Noble Qur'an and the Hadith teach us how to live a civilized life. Islam teaches us purity and encourages cleanliness. It teaches us respect towards our parents and elders. It teaches us to help the less fortunate, by giving alms and charity to them. There is equality in Islam. All Muslims are equal in the eyes of Allah, whether they are Arabs, African or Indian. There is unity among Muslims. Each Muslim helps his fellow Muslim brother. These beautiful attributes of Islam make me proud to be a Muslim.

The most important reason for which I am proud of Islam is the Beloved Prophet, Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam is the greatest prophet of Allah. There is not a single prophet or a man that can match the qualities of our beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam. He was a preacher, a statesman and a ruler. His sunnah is the best example a Muslim can follow. He is still considered the greatest leader by many non-Muslims in the West.

Islam has also had a huge influence on the entire world. This is another important reason that makes me proud of Islam. Muslim scientists and scholars formed the basis of the European Renaissance. Muslim mathematicians and scientists were important contributors to medicine, technology and philosophy. Islamic medicine and science influenced Europe greatly during the fifteenth century.

Muslims should be proud of their religion. They should not be embarrassed to be Muslims. Allah the Almighty says in the Noble Qur'an, "You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) mankind; you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah." (3:110)

Muslims are the best nation created by Allah. We were created in the best stature and will remain so, as long as we obey Allah. He says in the Qur'an, "Surely, we created man of the best stature; Then we reduced him to the lowest of low; Except such as believe and do righteous deeds. For they shall have a reward unfailing." (95:4-6)

The companions of Rasulullah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam were proud of being Muslims. For this reason, they were able to defeat the non-believers and were able to conquer so many parts of the world. They did not hide themselves in a corner, afraid to declare their faith. They were proud of their religion. An excellent example of this display of Muslim pride was Abu Dharr Ghifari. He accepted Islam at a time when Muslims were being tortured and persecuted. After accepting Islam, the Noble Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam told him not to tell anyone in Makkah about his acceptance of Islam because the non-believers might kill him. But Abu Dharr vowed to proclaim his faith. He told the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam that he would go to the Sacred Mosque and proclaim his faith. The Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam remained silent. Later, he went to the Holy Ka'ba, where the Quraish were sitting and talking. He called out in a loud voice, "O people of Quraish, I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." Immediately, they jumped on him and began to beat him cruelly. But Hadrat Abbas, the Prophet's uncle saw him and told the Quraish to stop beating him up, since he belonged to the Ghifar tribe of Syria and his death could end the trade between Syria and Makkah.

This sahabi had so much pride in his religion that he announced it in front of his enemies, even at the risk of his life. We should be proud of our religion. We are not supposed to hide our faith unless our lives are in danger like the time when Muslims were being persecuted in Makkah. But once they had the strength to defend themselves, they spread their religion. They took the message of Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam to different people and different kings. They were proud of their religion because they knew that Islam was and is the truth. They knew that their duty was to spread Islam.

I am proud to be a Muslim and I feel that Muslims should be proud of their religion. They should display their faith and should be proud to be a part of this beautiful religion called Islam.

[Why I am Proud to be Muslim By : Yasin Syed]
http://www.iqra.net/muslimstudents1/essayseniors6

Question on Conversion

Proposition:-

There are all kinds of people from every religion who convert to every other religion. They all claim that having done so gives them some kind of psychological fulfillment. Even people who follow cults make this claim. The whole thing means absolutely nothing. Richard Gere, the film actor converted to Buddhism. Does that prove that Buddhism is a correct religion? But the conversion of well-known or supposedly intelligent people means nothing.

Comment:-

All true Religions, those which have been revealed, come through the higher minds of the founders. They are in a more intimate contact with reality. This means that they contain knowledge about man and existence in general which other people are not generally conscious of, but nevertheless affect them.

People follow these religions for various reasons - comfort, companionship, or some other of kind of economic, social or psychological advantage. Some, however, follow them because they create some kind of resonance within themselves. It increases their awareness and brings them into contact with the same realities as perceived and experienced by the founders. Others are what is known as "spiritually dead" and cannot perceive anything in them, and still others, a negative set of people see their own "ID" or "Devils" reflected in them.

But because people in general are less conscious to various degrees and also have fixations, fantasies and prejudices, they misinterpret or distort the message. Therefore, the original teachings of these different religions are misunderstood, and as ordinarily understood and practiced, they are in various states of corruption. Some are more corrupt than others, and there are various levels within the same religion.

Suppose we denote the various religions by the letters A, B, C, D etc. We also denote the levels by numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. Then we may have the following:-

A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7,

B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6,

C1, C2, C3, C4, C5,

D1, D2, D3, D4.

Though A3, for instance, is not the same as B3 or C3, they are equivalent in level.. But A reaches higher than B which reaches higher than C, which reaches higher than D. This is because A is a later more developed state than B and may be regarded as including the stages of B. Similarly, B is later than C and includes it.

When people convert from one religion to another they choose the one which conforms best to their desires or one which they understand best. They move from a lower state to a higher state - say A1 to B2. If as a result of this, their studies and development continues then they may rise within the same religion or they may convert to another religion but to a higher stage in it. They may go from B2 to B3. Or they may go from B2 to C3. Later they may go from C3 to D4 or B4 or A4.

Though they go higher, there is no guarantee that they are going into a religion which will take them to the highest level. i.e. C does not reach level 6 and B does not reach level A. But the history of mankind shows a movement of people in the series D to C to B to A.

So, though I do not think that a particular Muslim or set of Muslims is better or worse than anyone in any other religion, I do think that Islam itself reaches to the highest level and is represented by A above. But obviously, as indicated above, other will agree or disagree according to how they see and understand these different religions.