A. Towards Understanding Islam A Brief Guide English

A Brief Guide

Towards Understanding Islam This is a Part I And will be continued to Part II

Compiled and Edited By

AKM FAKHRUL ISLAM New York, USA

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This small book A Brief Guide Towards Understanding Islam Part I is one of the supporting book for non-Muslims who would like to understand (a) Islam, (b) Muslims (Moslems), and the (c) Holy Qur’an (Koran). Especially the youths allover the world might get the answers of their queries in short. It might be the Text Book for the Students of all ages to acquire basic knowledge about Islam. It is rich in information, references, bibliography, and illustrations. It has been reviewed and edited by many professors and well-educated people. It is brief and simple to read, yet contains much scientific knowledge. It contains the whole book and follows:

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A Brief Guide Towards Understanding Islam PART I Contents Sl. No. Contains 00.00.00: Preface 01.00.00: Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam 01.01.00: The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an 01.01.01: The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development 01.01.02: The Qur’an on Mountains 01.01.03: The Qur’an on the Origin of the Universe 01.01.04: The Qur’an on the Cerebrum 01.01.05: The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers 01.01.06: The Qur’an on Deep Seas and Internal Waves 01.01.07: The Qur’an on Clouds 01.01.08: Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an 01.02.00: The Great Challenge to Produce One Chapter Like the Chapters of the Holy Qur’an 01.03.00: Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad the Prophet of Islam 01.04.00: The Verses in the Qur’an That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass 01.05.00: Miracles Performed by the Prophet Muhammad 01.06.00: The Simple Life of Muhammad 01.07.00: The Phenomenal Growth of Islam 02.00.00: Some Benefits of Islam 02.01.00: The Door to Eternal Paradise 02.02.00: Salvation from Hellfire 02.03.00: Real Happiness and Inner Peace 02.04.00: Forgiveness for All Previous Sins 03.00.00: General Information on Islam 03.01.00: What Is Islam? 03.02.00: Some Basic Islamic Beliefs 03.02.01: Belief in God

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A Brief Guide Towards Understanding Islam Part I Sl. No. Contains 03.02.02: Belief in the Angels 03.02.03: Belief in God’s Revealed Books 03.02.04: Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God 03.02.05: Belief in the Day of Judgment 03.02.06: Belief in Al-Qadar 03.03.01: Is there any Sacred Source other than the Qur’an? 03.03.02: Examples of the Prophet Muhammad’s Sayings 03.03.03: What does Islam say about the Day of Judgment? 03.03.04: How does someone become a Muslim? 03.03.05: What is the Qur’an About? 03.03.06: Who is the Prophet Muhammad ? 03.03.07: How did the Spread of Islam affect the Development of Science? 03.03.08: What do Muslims Believe about Jesus? 03.03.09: What does Islam say about Terrorism? 03.03.10: Human Rights and Justice in Islam 03.03.11: What is the Status of Women in Islam? 03.03.12: The Family in Islam 03.03.13: How do Muslims Treat the Elderly? 03.04.00: What are the Five Pillars of Islam? 03.04.01: The Testimony of Faith 03.04.02: Prayer 03.04.03: Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy) 03.04.04: Fasting the Month of Ramadan 03.04.05: The Pilgrimage to Makkah 04.00.00: Islam in the United States

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This book is

A Brief Guide Towards Understanding Islam Part I It consists of the following contents: The first chapter, Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam, answers some important questions which some people ask: (a) Is the Qur’an truly the literal word of God, revealed by Him? (b) Is Muhammad truly a prophet sent by God? (c) Is Islam truly a religion from God? In this chapter, six kinds of evidence are mentioned: 1) The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an: This section discusses (with illustrations) some recently discovered scientific facts mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago. 2) The Great Challenge to Produce One Chapter Like the Chapters of the Holy Qur’an: In the Qur’an, God challenged all human beings to produce a single chapter like the chapters of the Qur’an. Ever since the Qur’an was revealed, fourteen centuries ago, until this day, no one has been able to meet this challenge, even though the smallest chapter in the Qur’an (Chapter 108) is only ten words. 3) Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad , the Prophet of Islam: In this section, some of the Biblical prophecies on the advent of the Prophet Muhammad are discussed. 4) The Verses in the Qur’an Those Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass: The Qur’an mentioned future events which later came to pass, for example, the victory of the Romans over the Persians. 5) Miracles Performed by the Prophet Muhammad : Many miracles were performed by the Prophet Muhammad were witnessed by many people. 6) The Simple Life of Muhammad

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. These miracles

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This clearly indicates that Muhammad was not a false prophet who claimed prophet hood to attain material gains, greatness, or power. From these six kinds of evidence, we conclude that: (a) The Qur’an must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him. (b) Muhammad is truly a Prophet sent by God. (c) Islam is truly a religion from God. If we would like to know if a religion is true or false, we should not depend on our emotions, feelings, or traditions. Rather, we should depend on our reason and intellect. When God sent the prophets, He supported them with miracles and evidence which proved that they were truly prophets sent by God and hence that the religion they came with is true. The book contains Some Benefits of Islam, mentions some of the benefits that Islam provides for the individual, such as: (a) The Door to Eternal Paradise (b) Salvation from Hellfire (c) Real Happiness and Inner Peace (d) Forgiveness for All Previous Sins. Then the book contains General Information on Islam, provides general information on Islam, corrects some misconceptions about it, and answers some commonly asked questions, such as: (a) What does Islam say about terrorism? (b) What is the status of women in Islam?

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ِ‫بِسْمِ الِ الرّحْ ٰمنِ الرّ ِحيْم‬ In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

01.00.00 Some Evidence for The Truth of Islam God supported His last Prophet Muhammad with many miracles and much evidence which proved that he is a true Prophet sent by God. Also, God supported His last revealed book, the Holy Qur’an, with many miracles that prove that this Qur’an is the literal word of God, revealed by Him, and that it was not authored by any human being. This chapter discusses some of this evidence.

01.01.00 The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an The Qur’an is the literal word of God, which He revealed to His Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. It was memorized by Muhammad , who then dictated it to his Companions. They, in turn, memorized it, wrote it down, and reviewed it with the Prophet Muhammad . Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad reviewed the Qur’an with the Angel Gabriel once each year and twice in the last year of his life. From the time the Qur’an was revealed, until this day, there has always been a huge number of Muslims who have memorized all of the Qur’an, letter by letter. Some of them have even been able to memorize all of the Qur’an by the age of ten. Not one letter of the Qur’an has been changed over the centuries. The Qur’an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago, mentioned facts only recently discovered or proven by Scientists and Scholars. This proves without doubt that: (1) The Qur’an must be the literal word of God; (2) It revealed by Him to the Prophet Muhammad ; and that (3) The Qur’an was not authored by Muhammad or

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(4) The Qur’an was not authored by any other human being. (5) This also proves that Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God. It is beyond reason that anyone fourteen hundred years ago would have known these facts discovered or proven only recently with advanced equipment and sophisticated scientific methods. Some examples follow:

01.01.01 The Qur’an on Human Embryonic Development In the Holy Qur’an, God speaks about the stages of man’s embryonic development: (23:12) We created man from an essence of clay: (23:13) then turned him into a sperm-drop in a safe place: (23:14) then changed the sperm drop into a clot of blood and the clot into a piece of flesh: then turned the piece of flesh into bones: then clothed the bones with flesh: *12 and then brought him forth as quite a different creation (from the embryo). *13 So blessed is Allah, the best of all creators. *14 [Surah Al-Mu’min, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *12 Then changed the sperm drop into a clot of blood and the clot into a piece of flesh: then turned the piece of flesh into bones: then clothed the bones with flesh. This same thing has been mentioned in other place of the Qur’an such as: (22:5) O people, if you have any doubt about Life after death, you should know that We first created you of clay, then of a sperm-drop *5 then of a clot of blood, then of a lump of flesh, shaped or shapeless. *6 (We are telling you this) so that We may make the reality plain to you. And We make those (sperm drops), which We will, remain in the wombs for a fixed period, then We bring you forth as a child; then (We nourish you) so that you may attain to your full youth. And there may be among you one who is recalled earlier and one who is returned to the most abject age so that he should know nothing even after

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knowing all he could. *7 [Surah Al-Hajj, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] We first created you of clay, then of a sperm-drop *5 (22:5) *5 "We first created you of clay, then of a sperm-drop": The first man Adam was created directly from clay and after him the process of procreation started by means of sperm-drop. This has been stated in 32:7-8 as well. It may also mean that man is created from sperm-drop but his body is made of those elements which are all available in the earth. Created then of a clot of blood, then of a lump of flesh, shaped or shapeless. *6(22:5) *6 This refers to the different stages of development of the child in the womb of its mother. This description is based on observation and not on scientific research, and there was no need for it for the purpose for which reference to this has been made here. One who is returned to the most abject age so that he should know nothing even after knowing all he could. *79(22:5) *7 That is, "In old age man is again reverted to the same condition in which he was in childhood. He loses his senses and knows little or nothing like a child". Now let’s consider the first verses of (23:14): *13 Then brought him forth as quite a different creation (from the embryo): It means as follows: *13 Now let the disbelievers consider the Message of the Holy Prophet by observing their own creation, for this will convince them of its truth by proving its doctrine of Tawhid. The origin of man is from a mere inanimate sperm-drop, which undergoes several changes in the womb of the mother. But after this, when it sees the light of the day, it is quite a different creation from the embryo in the womb. Now it can hear, it can see, and in due course of time it can talk and think. Then, when he reaches adulthood and maturity, he is capable of performing wonderful deeds. It is obvious that Allah alone could create all these characteristics in an inanimate sperm-drop. (23:14) So blessed is Allah, the best of all creators*14: *14 The various stages of the creation of man have been cited to prove that Allah is All-Blessed and there is no human language which can describe the praise of which He is worthy, as if to say, "That Allah Who is able to develop an essence of clay into a perfect man, does not have any partner in His Godhead. Moreover, He

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has the power to raise him up again after his death, and is capable of working even greater wonders." In other place of the Qur’an it has been mentioned: (32:7) He Who excelled in the creation of all that He created. *13 He originated the creation of man from clay, [Surah As-Sajdah, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi] *13 That is, "In this limitless universe He has created countless numbers of things, but none of them is ugly and ill-shaped: everything has its own special beauty: everything is proportionate and symmetrical in its own way. Whatever He has made for a particular purpose, He has given it the most appropriate, form and invested it with the most: unable qualities for it. No better and more appropriate structure could be conceived, for example, for the eye and the ear which have been made for seeing and hearing. The air has precisely the same qualities which it should have for the purpose for which it has been made, and the water precisely the same qualities for the purpose for which it has been made. No one can point out any defect or flaw in the design of anything made by God; nor can anyone offer an alteration or modification in it." (32:8) Then made his progeny from the extract of a mean fluid, *14 [Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi] *14 That is, "In the beginning He created man directly by His own act of Creation, and- then placed in man himself such a procreative ability that similar men continue being produced by his sperm-drop. By one excellent act He gave life and consciousness and intellect to a combination of earthly elements by His creative Command so that a wonderful creation like man came into being; by another excellent act He placed in man's own organism such a wonderful machinery for the production of similar more men in the future, whose mode of functioning is highly astonishing and amazing. This is one of those verses of the Qur'an, which points to the direct creation of the first man. The scientists since the time of Darwin have felt greatly critical of this concept and have rejected it with contempt as unscientific. But the fact is that they cannot get rid of the concept of the direct creation of the first germ, if not of the first man, or of the first species of animals. If creationism is not accepted, then one will have to accept the utterly absurd idea that life originated merely accidentally; whereas even the simplest form of life as found in the single cell organism is so full of complexities and subtleties that regarding it as the result of an accident would be a million times more unscientific an idea than

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what the evolutionists think of creationism. And if once it is accepted that the first germ came into being by an act of direct creation, it would be no longer difficult to accept that the first member of every species of animal life was created by the Creator's own act of creation, and then its race started through different forms of procreation. If accepted this concept would explain away all those riddles and complexities which have remained unsolved in their theory of evolution in spite of all the scientific theorizing by the upholders of Darwinism. [For further explanation, see E.N. 1 of An-Nisa', E.N. 10 and 146 of Al-A'raf, and E.N. 17 of Al-Hijr in the Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi] We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him as a drop in a place of settlement, firmly fixed. Then We made the drop into an alaqah (leech, suspended thing, and blood clot), then We made the alaqah into a mudghah (chewed substance)... *1 [*1 Surah Al-Mu’minun, v.23:12-14, Towards Understanding the Qur’an - English Translation of Tafhimul Qur’an from London: Original Author: Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Literally, the Arabic word ‘alaqah’ has three meanings: (1) Leech, (2) Suspended thing, and (3) Blood clot. In comparing a leech to an embryo in the alaqah stage, we find similarity between the two*2 as we can see in figure 1. [*2 The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 8] Also, the embryo at this stage obtains nourishment from the blood of the mother, similar to the leech, which feeds on the blood of others.*3 [*3 Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Moore and others, p. 36]

Figure 1: Drawings illustrating the similarities in appearance between a

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leech and a human embryo at the alaqah stage. (Leech drawing from Human Development as Described in the Quran and Sunnah, Moore and others, p. 37, modified from Integrated Principles of Zoology, Hickman and others. Embryo drawing from The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 73.) The second meaning of the word alaqah is “suspended thing.” This is what we can see in figures 2 and 3, the suspension of the embryo, during the alaqah stage, in the womb of the mother. Figure 2: We can see in this diagram the suspension of an embryo during the alaqah stage in the womb (uterus) of the mother. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 66.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) Figure 3: In this photomicrograph, we can see the suspension of an embryo (marked B) during the alaqah stage (about 15 days old) in the womb of the mother. The actual size of the embryo is about 0.6 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore, 3rd ed., p. 66, from Histology, Leeson and Leeson.) The third meaning of the word ‘alaqah’ is “blood clot.” We find that the external appearance of the embryo and its sacs during the ‘alaqah’ stage is similar to that of a blood clot. This is due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo during this stage.*4 (see figure 4) [*4 Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah, Moore and others, pp. 37-38] Also during this stage, the blood in the embryo does not circulate until the end of the third week.*5 Thus, the embryo at this stage is like a clot of blood. [*5 The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 65]

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Figure 4: Diagram of the primitive cardiovascular system in an embryo during the alaqah stage. The external appearance of the embryo and its sacs is similar to that of a blood clot, due to the presence of relatively large amounts of blood present in the embryo. (The Developing Human, Moore, 5th ed., p. 65.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) So the three meanings of the word ‘alaqah’ correspond accurately to the descriptions of the embryo at the ‘alaqah’ stage. The next stage mentioned in the verse is the ‘mudghah’ stage. The Arabic word ‘mudghah’ means “chewed substance.” If one were to take a piece of gum and chew it in his or her mouth and then compare it with an embryo at the ‘mudghah’ stage, we would conclude that the embryo at the ‘mudghah’ stage acquires the appearance of a chewed substance. This is because of the Semites at the back of the embryo that “somewhat resemble teeth marks in a chewed substance.”*6 (see figures 5 and 6). [*6 The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 8]

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Figure 5: Photograph of an embryo at the mudghah stage (28 days old). The embryo at this stage acquires the appearance of a chewed substance, because the somites at the back of the embryo somewhat resemble teeth marks in a chewed substance. The actual size of the embryo is 4 mm. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 82, from Professor Hideo Nishimura, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.) Figure 6: When comparing the appearance of an embryo at the mudghah stage with a piece of gum that has been chewed, we find similarity between the two. A) Drawing of an embryo at the mudghah stage. We can see here the somites at the back of the embryo that look like teeth marks. (The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 79.) B) Photograph of a piece of gum that has been chewed. (Click on the image to enlarge it.) How could Muhammad have possibly known all this 1400 years ago, when scientists have only recently discovered this using advanced equipment and powerful microscopes which did not exist at that time?

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Hamm and Leeuwenhoek were the first scientists to observe human sperm cells (spermatozoa) using an improved microscope in 1677 (more than 1000 years after Muhammad ). They mistakenly thought that the sperm cell contained a miniature preformed human being that grew when it was deposited in the female genital tract.*7 [*7) The Developing Human, Moore and Persaud, 5th ed., p. 9] Professor Emeritus Keith L. Moore is one of the world’s most prominent scientists in the fields of anatomy and embryology and is the author of the book entitled The Developing Human, which has been translated into eight languages. This book is a scientific reference work and was chosen by a special committee in the United States as the best book authored by one person. Dr. Keith Moore is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. There, he was Associate Dean of Basic Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine and for 8 years was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy. In 1984, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. He has directed many international associations, such as the Canadian and American Association of Anatomists and the Council of the Union of Biological Sciences. In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Moore said: “It has been a great pleasure for me to help clarify statements in the Qur’an about human development. It is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a messenger of God.”*9 [*9 The reference for this saying is This is the Truth (videotape)] Consequently, Professor Moore was asked the following question: “Does this mean that you believe that the Qur’an is the word of God?” He replied: “I find no difficulty in accepting this.”*10 [*10 This is the Truth (videotape)] During one conference, Professor Moore stated: “....Because the staging of human embryos is complex, owing to the continuous process of change during development, it is proposed that a new system of classification could be developed using the terms mentioned in the Qur’an and Sunnah (what Muhammad said, did, or approved of). The proposed system is simple, comprehensive, and conforms to present embryological knowledge.

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The intensive studies of the Qur’an and Hadeeth (reliably transmitted reports by the Prophet Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of) in the last four years have revealed a system for classifying human embryos that is amazing since it was recorded in the seventh century A.D. Although Aristotle, the founder of the science of embryology, realized that chick embryos developed in stages from his studies of hen’s eggs in the fourth century B.C., he did not give any details about these stages. As far as it is known from the history of embryology, little was known about the staging and classification of human embryos until the twentieth century. For this reason, the descriptions of the human embryo in the Qur’an cannot be based on scientific knowledge in the seventh century. The only reasonable conclusion is: these descriptions were revealed to Muhammad from God. He could not have known such details because he was an illiterate man with absolutely no scientific training.” *11 (*11 This is the Truth (videotape).

01.01.02 The Qur’an on Mountains

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A book entitled Earth is a basic reference textbook in many universities around the world. One of its two authors is Professor Emeritus Frank Press. He was the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter, and for 12 years was the President of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC. His book says that mountains have underlying roots.*1 [*1 Earth, Press and Siever, p.435. Also see Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 157] These roots are deeply embedded in the ground, thus, mountains have a shape like a peg (see figures 7, 8, and 9).

Figure 7: Mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground. (Earth, Press and Siever, p. 413.)

Figure 8: Schematic section. The mountains, like pegs, have deep roots embedded in the ground. (Anatomy of the Earth, Cailleux, p. 220.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

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Figure 9: Another illustration shows how the mountains are peg-like in shape, due to their deep roots. (Earth Science, Tarbuck and Lutgens, p. 158.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

The Qur’an has described mountains God has said in the Qur’an: (78:6) Have We not spread the earth like a bed, *4 (78:7) and fixed the mountains like pegs, *5 [Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] (78:6) Have We not spread the earth like a bed, *4 *4 Enough light has been thrown at several places in The Meaning of the Qur'an on the supreme wisdom and power of Allah that underlies His making the earth a carpet, i.e. an abode of perfect peace and rest. [For explanation, see E.N.'s 73, 74, 81 of An-Naml, E.N. 29 of Ya Sin, E.N.'s 90, 91 of Al-Mu'min, E.N. 7 of AzZukhruf, E.N. 7 of Al-Jathiyah, E.N. 18 of Surah Qaf. Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

God created the heavens and the earth God has said in the Qur’an: (27:60) Well, Who is He Who created the heavens and the earth and sent down rainwater for you from the sky, then caused to spring up by it beautiful gardens, whose trees you had no power to cause to grow? Is there besides

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Allah another god (who is His associate in these works)? *73 (Nay,) but these people themselves have strayed from the right path. [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *73. No one from among the mushriks could answer that someone other than Allah had done these works, or someone else was Allah's associate in doing these. The Qur'an at other places says with respect to the pagans of Makkah and the Arab mushrikin: If you ask them, 'Who has created the heavens and the earth?' they will surely say: 'The All-Mighty, the All-Knowing One has created them'. (Az-Zukhruf, v.43:9) And if you ask them, Who has created them? They will surely say, 'Allah'. (Az-Zukhruf, v.43:87), If you ask them, 'Who sent down rain water from the sky and thereby raised the dead earth back to life?' They will surely say, 'Allah'. (Al-`Ankabut, v.29:63). Ask them: Who provides for you from the heavens and the earth? Who has power over these faculties of hearing and sight? Who brings forth the living from the dead and the dead from the living? Who controls and directs the system of the universe?' They will surely say, 'Allah'. (Yunus, v.10:31). Not only the polytheists of Arabia but of the whole world generally acknowledged, and acknowledge even today, that Allah is the Creator of the universe and He alone controls and directs its system. Therefore, none of them could answer this question even obstinately for the sake of the argument that their deities were Allah's associates in those works, for if he had done so, thousands of his own people would have belied him saying that, that was not their belief. This and the other questions that follow not only contain a refutation of the creed of shirk (polytheism) but of atheism as well. For example, in this first very question, it has been asked, "Who has sent down rainwater and caused to spring up by it beautiful gardens?" Just consider whether the presence of the substances essential for the growth of countless kinds of plant life, in the soil or near the soil, and the existence in water of those very qualities which are in accordance with the requirements of animal and vegetable life, and the evaporation of this water again and again from the seas, and its condensation and raining regularly in different parts of the earth from time to time, and the coordination between the soil and the air, the water, the

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temperature; etc., conducive to proper growth of plant life and fulfillment of the countless requirements of every sort of animal life, could be just accidental, or the result of the wise scheming and planning the supreme power and will of an AllWise Designer. And is it possible that this accident should continue to recur constantly for millions and millions of years on end? Only an obstinate person who has been blinded by prejudice will regard it as accidental, for no truth loving, sensible person can make such a senseless claim or accept it.

God made the earth as a place of rest God has said in the Qur’an (27:61) And Who is it Who made the earth as a place of rest' *74 and caused in it rivers to flow, and set in it firm mountains and placed barriers between the two bodies of water? *75 Is there besides Allah another god (who is His associate in these works)? Nay, but most of these people have no knowledge. [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Who is it Who made the earth as a place of rest' *74 *74 It is not a simple thing for the earth to be a place of rest for the countless kinds of different creations living on it. If man looks into the wise harmony and coordination with which this sphere of the earth has been established, he is simply amazed and starts feeling that these harmonies and concordances and relations could not be brought about without the grand design of an All-Wise, All-Knowing and All-Powerful God. This sphere of the earth is floating in space and is not resting on anything, yet there is no commotion and no vibration in its movement. Had there been any vibration in it, such as we experience during an earthquake, life could not exist here. This sphere comes before the sun and hides from it regularly, which causes the alternation of the day and night. Had it turned the same face perpetually towards the sun and kept the other side always hidden, no life could be possible here, for on the bright side all life would have been shriveled up, and on the dark side all life would have been frozen to death. The sphere is enveloped by a five hundred mile thick atmosphere, which protects it against the' continual bombardment of meteors, otherwise the twenty million meteors on the average, which dart towards the earth daily at 30 miles per second, would have caused such destruction as would not have allowed any man animal or tree to survive. The same atmosphere controls the temperature, raises clouds from the oceans, carries water

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to different parts of the earth and provides the required gases that sustain the human, animal and plant life. Without it the earth could not become a fit place of rest for any kind of animal life. Just under the earth's surface all those minerals and chemicals which are essential to the survival of vegetable and animal life have been provided in abundance. Wherever these natural resources do not exist, the land there cannot sustain any kind of life. A great store of water has been arranged on the earth in the form of oceans, rivers, lakes, springs and underground channels and snow on the mountains which melts and flows down in the form of rivers. Without such an arrangement there could be no life. Then the earth has been endowed with an appropriate gravitational pull by which it keeps the water and the air and all other things found on it attracted to it. If this pull had been a little less strong, it could not have stopped the air and the water from escaping. It would also have so much increased the temperature that life titer would have become difficult. On the other hand, if the gravitational pull had been a little stronger, the atmosphere would have been denser, its pressure would have increased, evaporation would have become difficult and rains impossible; the cold would have increased and less areas on earth would have been inhabitable; men and animals would have been shorter in size but heavier in weight, which would have made movement difficult. Besides, this sphere has been located at a suitable distance from the sun, which is most appropriate for the population here. If the distance had been longer, the earth would have received less of heat, the climate would have been much colder, the seasons much longer and the earth would be hardly inhabitable. On the other hand, if the distance had been shorter, the intensity of the heat along with other factors would have rendered it unfit for the kind of life man is living here. These are a few of those harmonies and concordances due to which earth has become a place of rest for its population. A man with a little common sense who is aware of these facts cannot imagine for a moment that these concordances have come into existence without the design of an All-Wise Creator, as a mere accident, nor can he ever conceive that a god or goddess, jinn or prophet, saint or angel, could have had any hand in the creation and bringing into operation of this grand design.

God originates the creation and then reproduces it God has said in the Qur’an: (27:64) And Who is it Who originates the creation and then reproduces it? *80 And Who provides you sustenance from the sky and the earth? *81 Is there besides Allah another god (who is a partner in these works) Say, "Bring your

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proof if you are truthful.” *82 [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Who is it Who originates the creation and then reproduces it? *80 *80 The simple fact that has been expressed in this one sentence is so vast in meaning and detail that as one considers it more and more deeply one goes on getting new and ever new proofs of Allah's existence and His unity to the first place, take the question of the creation itself. Man by his knowledge has not been able to discover what is life, how and wherefrom it comes. So far the admitted scientific fact is that the mere arrangement of inanimate matter by itself cannot bring about life. Though the atheists assume, unscientifically, that life comes into existence automatically when all the elements essential for its creation combine together accidentally in the right proportion, yet if the mathematical law of chance is applied to it, the possibility of its occurrence comes to naught. All attempts made so far to produce animate matter out of inanimate matter experimentally in the laboratory have met with utter failure in spite of employing every possible care. At the most what has been created is DNA, which is the basic constituent of the living cell. This is the essence of life but not life itself. Life in itself even now is a miracle which cannot be explained scientifically except by saying that it is the result of a Creator's will and command and design. Furthermore, life does not exist in a solitary form but in a limitless variety of forms. Man has so far discovered more or less a million species of animals and two hundred thousand species of plants on the earth, which in their constitution and special characteristics are so clearly and absolutely different from one another, and have been maintaining their distinctive features since the earliest known times so consistently that no Darwin could ever give any rational explanation of this great variety of life except the existence of the creative design of One God. Not a link has so far been discovered between any two species, which might have broken up the form of the characteristics and constitution of one species and might be struggling to attain the characteristics and constitution of another species. The whole record of the fossils is without such a precedent, and among the existing animals also there is no such "eunuch" in its physical form. Any member of any species that exists is found with the distinctive features of its own species, and every story that is invented and announced from time to tune about the discovery of some missing link is destroyed by the facts themselves. Therefore, the inevitable fact is that it is the All-Wise Designer, the Planner of creation, its Enforcer and its Fashioner, Who has endowed life with all its countless different forms. This was about the beginning of the creation. Now let us consider its reproduction. The Creator has placed in the constitution and snakeup of every animal and vegetable species such a wonderful mechanism, which goes on producing through its countless members an endless race exactly with its own

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distinctive form and nature and characteristics, and it never has happened even by mistake that in these millions and millions of tiny sex workshops a certain workshop of a species may have turned out a specimen of a different species. The observations of modern Genetics in this connection present wonderful facts. Every plant has been so endowed with the capability of procreating its species that the new generation should possess all the distinctive characteristics of its own species and its every member should be distinguished in its special features from the members of all other species. This element for the survival of the species and its procreation is contained in a part of a cell of every plant, which can be seen with effort only through a most powerful microscope. This tiny engineer directs the whole development the plant precisely and definitely on the way which is the way .of its own distinctive species. That is why all the plants that have emerged from a grain of wheat arty where in the world have in turn produced only wheat. In no climate and in no region has it ever happened that from the whole race of a grain of wheat even a single grain of barley might have emerged? The same is the case with animals and men. None of them has been created just for once, but on an inconceivably high scale a huge factory of reproduction is functioning every where, which is constantly bringing into existence, from the members of every species, countless other members of the same species. If one considers the microscopic germ of procreation which along with all the distinctive features and hereditary characteristics of its species is found in a small portion of its tiny self and thou looks at the extremely delicate and complex physiological system and the subtle, intricate processes by which the procreative seed of every member of every species produces a member of the same species, one cannot conceive for a moment that such a tine and subtle system could come into being by itself, and then keep on functioning by itself in millions and millions of the members of different species. This thing stands in need of an All-Wise Designer not only for its beginning but for its proper and perpetual functioning also it needs an Administrator Who is at once Wise and Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent, Who is ever watching and guiding the work of these workshops. These facts destroy the very basis of an atheist's denial of God as also of a polytheist's creed of polytheism. A foolish person only can think that an angel or a jinn or a prophet or a saint has any hand in this work of God, but no unbiased person possessed of a little common sense can ever say that this huge workshop of production and reproduction with all its underlying wisdom and order started working just accidentally and has since been working so automatically. Who provides you sustenance from the sky and the earth? *81 *81 The question of the provision of sustenance also is not as simple as a person may feel it to be from a cursory study of this brief sentence. There exist on this

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earth millions of animal and vegetable species, each comprising billions of members having different food requirements. The Creator has arranged the means of sustenance for each species in such abundance and so within easy reach that members of no species ever go without food. Then the agencies of the earth and sky which combine and work together in this system are varied and countless. Unless there is the right kind of coordination and harmony between the heat, light, air, water and the diverse substances of the earth, not a single particle of food can be produced. ‘Can anyone conceive that this wise system could come about just accidentally? Or, Without the intelligent planning and design of an All-Wise Creator? And can anybody in his senses imagine that in this system there could be any hand of Jinn or an angel or the spirit of a pious man? Is there besides Allah another god (who is a partner in these works) Say, "Bring your proof if you are truthful.” *82 *82 That is, "You should either bring a proof to show that someone else is an associate of Allah in these works, or, if that is not possible, you should at least explain by an argument why you should worship and serve any other god beside Allah, when One Allah alone has done, and is doing, all these works."

God created all the things for the mankind Will them not, then, give thanks? (36:34) We made in it gardens of date-palms and vines, and We caused springs to gush forth, (36:35) That they might eat of its fruits. It was not their hands that made them. *28 Will them not, then, give thanks? *29 [Surah Yasin,

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v.36:34-35, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *28 Another translation of this sentence can be: "......so that they may eat fruits thereof and what their own hands make." That is, the artificial kinds of food, which the people prepare from the natural products, e.g. bread, curry, jam, pickles, sauces and countless other things. Will them not, then, give thanks? *29 *29 In these brief sentences the vegetable and plant life of the earth has been presented as an argument. Man is eating the products of the earth day and night and regards this as very ordinary. But if he considers it seriously, he will see drat the growth of rich crops and lush green gardens from the dry earth and the flowing in it of the springs and rivers is not a simple thing, which might be happening of itself, but there is a great wisdom and power and providence which is working behind it. Consider the reality of the earth. The substances of which it is composed do not possess any power of their own for growth. All these substances individually as well as after every sort of combination, remain inorganic, and thus do not possess any sign of life. The question is: How did it become possible for plant life to emerge from the lifeless earth? If one looks into it, one will see that there are some important factors without whose provision before hand, life here never have come into existence. First: In particular regions of the earth, on its outer surface, a layer was arranged of many such substances, which could serve as food for vegetation. This layer was kept soft so that the roots of the vegetation could spread in it and suck food. Secondly: A system of irrigation was arranged on the earth in different ways so that the food elements could get dissolved in water and absorbed by the roots. Thirdly: the atmosphere was arranged around the earth which protects it against the calamities of the sky, becomes a means of the rainfall, and possesses gases which are necessary for the life and growth of the vegetation. Fourthly: A relationship was established between the sun and the earth so as to provide proper temperature and suitable seasons for the vegetation. With the provision of these main factors (which in themselves are combinations of countless other factors), the coming to life of the vegetation becomes possible. After arranging the suitable conditions the seed of each species of the vegetation was so constituted that as soon as it received favorable soil, water, air and season,

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vegetable life should begin stirring within it. Besides, inside the same seed a system was so arranged that from the seed of every species a plant precisely of the same species should grow with all the characteristics of its own species and heredity. Then, in addition to this, another wonderful thing was done. Vegetation was not created in twenty, or fifty, or a hundred kinds but in countless species, and they were so made that they should fulfill the requirements of food, medicine and clothing and innumerable other needs of the countless kinds of animals and man, who were to be brought into being after the vegetation on the earth. Anyone who ponders over this wonderful arrangement, if he is not stubborn and prejudiced, will himself testify that all this could not have come about by itself. There is certainly a wise plan underlying it, according to which harmonies and relationships of the soil, water, air and season with respect to the vegetation, and harmonics and relationships of the vegetation with respect to the needs and requirements of animals and human beings have been determined, keeping in view the finest detail. No sensible person can imagine that these universal, all-embracing relationships could be a mere accident. This same subtle arrangement points to the fact that this cannot be the work of many gods. This is, and can only be, the work of One God, Who is the Creator and Lord of the earth, water, air, sun, vegetation, animals and mankind. If each of these had a separate god, it cannot be imagined that such a comprehensive and universal plan with such deep and wise relationship and harmony could be produced, and should have continued to work with such regularity for millions upon millions of years. After giving these arguments for Tawhid, Allah says: "Do they not then give thanks?" That is: "Are these people so thankless and ungrateful that they do not render thanks to that God Who has provided all this for their survival, but thank others for the blessings and favors done by Him? Are they so wretched that instead of bowing before Him they bow before the false gods, who have not created even a blade of grass for them?"

Allah made the earth a dwelling place for you The Qur’an says: (40:64) Allah it is Who made the earth a dwelling place for you *89 and made the sky a canopy, *90 Who shaped you – and shaped you exceedingly well –

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and gave you good things as sustenance. *91 That is Allah, your Lord; blessed be Allah, the Lord of the Universe. [Surah Al-Mu’min, v.40:64, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Allah made the sky a canopy, *90 *90 That is, "You have not been exposed to outer space so that heavenly calamities should rain on you and annihilate you completely, but We have built over the earth a fully fortified celestial system (which appears like a dome to the eye), which does not allow any destructive element to reach you; so much so that even the destructive cosmic rays cannot reach you and that is how you are living peacefully on the earth." God Who shaped you and shaped you exceedingly well and gave you good things as sustenance. *91 *91 That is, "We had provided for you such a safe and peaceful place of rest even before your creation. Then We created you and gave you a fine body with most appropriate limbs and physical and mental powers of a high caliber. You did not create this erect stature, these hands and feet, these eyes and nose and ears, this talking tongue and this brain, which is a treasure house of great capabilities, nor were these created by your mother and father, nor had a prophet or a saint or a god the power to create them. Their Maker and Creator were the All Wise, All Merciful, All-Mighty Sovereign, Who created Man with this wonderful body to function in the world, when He decided to bring him into being. Then as soon as you were created, you found by His beneficence a vast table laid out with pure provisions containing items of pure food which is not poisonous but health-giving, which is not bitter and tasteless but tasty, which u not, rotten and stale and stinking but good smelling, which is not lifeless dregs but rich in vitamins and useful organic substances, so essential for the proper development and nourishment of yew body. Who has provided in such abundance this water, and corn, vegetables, fruits, milk, honey, meat and condiments, which not only add relish to your food but also provide you vitality and pleasures of life? And who has made the arrangements that these measureless granaries of food should go on coming out from the earth endlessly and their supply should never fail? Just consider this: What would have become of life if there had been no arrangement of food and man had been brought into existence suddenly? Is this not a clear proof that Your Creator is not merely a Creator but is an All-Wise Creator and All-Merciful Lord? (For further explanation, see Hud: 6, An-Naml 60-66 and the E.N.'s thereof):

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Who is it Who listens to the oppressed one when he invokes Him, and Who relieves him of his affliction? God has said in the Qur’an: (27:62) Who is it Who listens to the oppressed one when he invokes Him, and Who relieves him of his affliction? *76 And (Who is it Who) makes you vicegerents in the earth? *77 Is there besides Allah another god (to do this)? How little you reflect! [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Who is it Who listens to the oppressed one when he invokes Him, and Who relieves him of his affliction? *76 *76 The Arab polytheists themselves knew and acknowledged that Allah alone could avert a disaster. Therefore, the Qur'an reminds them again and again that they implore Allah alone for help when they are confronted by a calamity. But when the calamity is removed, they start invoking others besides Allah. [For details, see E.N.'s. 29 to 41 of Al-An`am, Yunus: 21-22, E.N. 46 of An-Nahl, and E.N. 84 of Bani Isra'il, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]. And this is not only true of the Arab polytheists but of all polytheists; so much so that even the Russian atheists who are regularly campaigning against GodWorship, had to invoke God when in the Second World War they were tightly encircled by the German forces. And (Who is it Who) makes you vicegerents in the earth? *77 *77 This has two meanings: (1) "He raises one generation after the other and one nation after the other"; and (2) "He gives you power and authority to rule in the earth".

Who is it Who shows you the way in the darkness of the land and the sea God has said in the Qur’an:

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(27:63) And Who is it Who shows you the way in the darkness of the land and the sea, *78 and Who sends the winds as harbingers of His mercy? *79 Is there besides Allah another god (who does this)? Far exalted is Allah above what they associate with Him. [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Who is it Who shows you the way in the darkness of the land and the sea, *78 *78 That is, "He has made such arrangements by means of the stars that you can find your way even in the darkness of the night." This is also because of the wise planning of Allah that He has created such means by which man can determine his direction and the way to his destination in his journeys by sea and land. In the day time he is guided by different land-marks and the direction of sunrise and sun-set, and in the dark nights by the stars. In Surah An-Nahl this has been counted among the bounties of Allah: "He has placed land-marks to direct people, and by the stars, too, they are guided aright." (v. 16) Who sends the winds as harbingers of His mercy? *79 *79 "Allah's mercy" the rain whose coming is promptly foretold by the winds.

None but Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, in the heavens and the earth (27:65) Tell them, "None but Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, in the heavens and the earth, *83 and they (your deities) do not even know when

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they will be raised back to life.” *84 [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Tell them, "None but Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, in the heavens and the earth, *83 *83 In the preceding verses, arguments have been given to prove that Allah is the One and only Deity when considered from the viewpoint of creation, design and provision of the means of sustenance. Now in this verse it is being told that from the viewpoint of knowledge too, which is an important attribute of Godhead, Allah is Unique and without associate. Whatever creations are therein the heavens and the earth, whether angels or jinn’s, prophets and saints, or other men and other creatures, they have only limited knowledge. Something is hidden from all of them. The All-Knowing One is only Allah, from Whom nothing whatever of this universe is hidden, and Who knows every thing of the past and the present and the future. The word ghaib means something hidden and covered. As a term it implies everything which is unknown, and beyond one's sphere of knowledge and information. There are many things in the world which individually are known to some human beings and. unknown to others. And there are many others which taken as a whole have never been known to any of mankind, nor are known at present; nor will be known in the future: The same is the case with the jinns and the angels and other kinds of creation: certain things are known to some of them and hidden from others, and many things hidden from all of them and known to none. All kinds of hidden things are only known to One Being, the All-Knowing Allah. For Him nothing is unknown everything is known and evident. In order to bring out this reality the method of the question as employed above with regard to creation, design and sustenance of the universe has not been adopted here. The reason is that the manifestations of those attributes are clear and evident which everyone sees, and which even the pagans and polytheists acknowledged, and do even today, that they are the works of Allah. So, the argument adopted above was: When all these works, as you admit, are being done by Allah, and no one else is His partner in these, why have you then made others His associates in Divinity, and in His worship? However, the attribute of knowledge has no perceptible manifestation which may be referred to and pointed out. It can be comprehended only by thought and reflection. Therefore, it has been put forward as an assertion instead of a question. Now it is for every intelligent person to think and consider for himself whether it is reasonable to believe that there should be any other than Allah, who is all-knowing, i.e. who knows all those conditions and things and realities which existed in the universe in the past; or exists now; or will exist in the future. And if there is none other who is all-knowing, and cannot be, then is it reasonable to believe that any of those who are not aware fully of the realities and

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conditions and circumstances can become the answerer of the people's prayers, fulfiller of their needs and remover of their hardships? There is a subtle relationship between Divinity and the knowledge of the unseen and hidden. Since the earliest times in whatever being has man imagined the presence of an attribute of Godhead, he has taken it for granted that it knows everything and nothing is hidden from it. In other words, it is self-evident for man to believe that making or marring the destinies, answering the prayers, fulfilling the needs and helping everyone in need of help, can be the work of the being who knows everything and from whom nothing is hidden. That is why whomever man has regarded as possessor of the powers and authority of Godhead he has necessarily regarded him as the knower of all hidden things as well. For his intellect testifies rightly that knowledge and authority are inter-dependent. Now if it is a fact that none but God is the Creator and the Designer and the Answerer of the prayers and the Providence, as has been proved in the foregoing verses, then it is also a selfevident reality that none but God is the Knower of the hidden things. After all, who in his senses could imagine that an angel or a jinn or a prophet or a saint or any other creature would be knowing where and what kinds of animals existed in the oceans and in the atmosphere and under the layers of the earth and upon its surface? And what is the correct number of the planets in the heavens? And what kinds of creatures exist in each of them? And where is each one of these creatures living and what are its requirements? All this should necessarily be known to Allah, because He has created them and He alone has to watch over their conditions and control their affairs and arrange for their sustenance. But how can some one else with his limited self have this vast and all-embracing knowledge and what has he to do with the functions of creation and sustenance that he should know these things? Then this quality is also not divisible in the sense that a person, for instance, may be the knower of everything on the earth, or the knower of everything concerning human beings only, on the earth. It is in the same way indivisible as are God's Creativity and His Providence and His Self-Subsistence indivisible. After all, how can it be possible for one to know all the affairs and all the conditions and states of all human beings who have been born in the world since the beginning of creation, and will be born till Resurrection, from the time their mothers conceived them till the time they will breath their last? And how and why will he know all this ? Is he the creator of these countless multitudes? Did he create their seed in their fathers' sperm-drop? Did he mould and shape them in their mother's womb? Did he arrange for their normal birth'? Did he make the destiny of each one of them? Is he responsible for taking decisions with regard to their life and death, their health and ill-health, their prosperity and adversity, and their rise and fall in the world? And since when did he become responsible for it? Since before his own birth or since after it? And how can these responsibilities remain

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confined only to human beings? This is only a part of the universal administration of the heavens and the earth. The Being Who is controlling the whole universe is the Being Who alone can be responsible for the creation and death of men, for restricting and extending their provisions and for making and marring their destinies. That is why it is a fundamental article of Islam that none other than Allah is the Knower of the hidden and unseen things. Allah may disclose whatever of His information He wills to whomsoever of His servants He pleases and bless him with the knowledge of one or more of the hidden things as a whole. Being the Knower of all hidden and unseen things is the attribute only of Allah, Who is the Lord of all creation "He alone has the keys of the `unseen' of which none has the knowledge but He." (Al-An`am: 59) "Allah alone has the knowledge of the Hour: He alone sends down the rain and He alone knows what is (taking shape) in the wombs of the mothers. No living being knows what he will earn the next day, nor does anybody know in what land he will die." (Luqman 34) "He knows what is before the people and also what is hidden from them; and they cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge save whatever He Himself may please to reveal." (Al-Baqarah: 255). The Qur'an does not rest content with this general and absolute negation of the knowledge of the hidden and unseen for the different forms of creation, but about the Prophets in particular, and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace) himself it clearly says that they do not possess the knowledge of the hidden and unseen, and that they were given only that much knowledge of the hidden by Allah as was necessary to enable them to carry out the duties of Prophethood. Surah Al-An`am.: 50, Al-A'raf: 187, At-Taubah: 101, Hud: 31, AlAhzab: 63, Al-Ahqaf: 9, At-Tahrim: 3 and Al-Jinn: 26-28 do not leave any room for doubt in this regard. All these elucidations of the Qur'an support and explain the verse under discussion after which there remains no doubt that looking upon another than Allah as the knower of the hidden and unseen and believing that someone else also possesses the knowledge of all the past and future events, is an absolutely un-Islamic belief. •

Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Imam Ahmad, Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abu Hatim have cited this saying of Hadrat `A'ishah through authentic reporters: "Whoever claimed that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) knew what was going to

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happen the next day, accused Allah of lying, for Allah says: O Prophet, say, `None in the heavens and the earth has the knowledge of the hidden and unseen but Allah'." •

Ibn al-Mundhir has reported this on the authority of 'Ikrimah, the well-known pupil of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: "A person asked the Holy Prophet: O Muhammad, when will Resurrection be? And our territory is suffering from famine: when will it rain? And my wife is pregnant: what will she deliver a boy or a girl? And I know what I have earned today; but what shall I earn tomorrow? And I know where I was born, but where shall I die?" In reply, the Holy Prophet recited verse 34 of Surah Luqman as cited above. Then the wellknown Tradition as reported in Bukhari; and Muslim and other works of Hadith also supports the same. According to it one of the questions asked by Angel Gabriel from the Holy Prophet when he sat among the Companions in human shape before him was: "When will Resurrection be?" The Holy Prophet replied: "The one being questioned knows no better than the one questioning." Then added, "This is one of those five things whose knowledge is possessed by none but Allah," and then he recited the above-cited verse of Surah Luqman.

They (your deities) do not even know when they will be raised back to life.” *84 *84 That is "Those others about whom it is thought that they possess the knowledge of the hidden and, therefore, are regarded as partners in Divinity, are themselves unaware of their future. They do not know when Resurrection will be when Allah will raise them up again. (27:66) But (on the contrary,) these people have lost the knowledge of the Hereafter;" nay, they are in doubt about it; nay, they are blind to it. *85 [Surah An-Naml, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *85 After warning the people about their basic errors with regard to Divinity, it is being said that the reason why these people are involved in these errors is not that they have reached this conclusion after serious thought and deliberation that there exist other beings also who are Allah's associates in His Divinity, but the actual reason is that they have never considered this matter seriously. As they are unaware of the Hereafter, or are in doubt about it, or are blind to it, their heedlessness of the Hereafter has developed in them an utterly irresponsible attitude. They are not at all serious about the universe and the real problems of their own lives. They do not bother to know what reality is and whether their philosophy of life accords with

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that reality or not. For, according to them, in the end the polytheist and the atheist, the monotheist and the agnostic, all will become one with the dust after death, and nothing will bear any fruit. The' theme of the Hereafter is contained in this sentence of the preceding verse: "They do not know when they will be raised back to life." In that sentence it was said that those who are made deities-the angels, jinn’s, prophets, saints, etc., do not themselves know when Resurrection will be. Here three things have been said about the common polytheists and the atheists: (1) They do not at all know whether there will be any hereafter or not; (2) This lack of information on their part is not due to the reason that they were never informed of this, but because they did not believe in the information given to them and doubted its authenticity; and (3) They never bothered to consider with due thought and seriousness the arguments that were advanced about the coming of the Hereafter, but they preferred to remain blind to it.

Allah is responsible for providing sustenance for all the creatures God has been said in the Qur’an: (11:6) There is not a single moving creature on the earth but Allah is responsible for providing its sustenance. He knows where it dwells and where it will permanently rest. *6 All this is recorded in a clear Book. [Surah Hu,Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *6. God is, on the one hand, All-Knowing. He knows exactly where each of His creatures is, be it the nest of a small bird or the hole of a tiny worm. On the other hand, God provides sustenance to all, and provides for them wherever they might be. He is aware at all times of where His creatures spend their lives and where they will breathe their last. It would be sheer stupidity if someone were to think that by resorting to methods such as covering one's face, or closing one's eyes one would be able to escape God's punishment. Even if someone succeeds in eluding the Prophet's observation it is to no avail. For no one can escape God's observation. Nor should anyone entertain the illusion that God is unaware of the fact that the Prophet (peace be on him) was doing his best to communicate the truth to the unbelievers, and that the latter were trying their utmost to clog their ears lest the truth reached them.

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Creation of the winds Qur’an says regarding the creation of the winds: (45:5) ‘Wa Tathriifithiwari’ means ‘And in the change of the winds’: *7 [Surah Al-Jathiya, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *7 The circulation of the winds implies the circulation of the different kinds of winds at different times, on different parts of the earth and at different heights, which cause change of the seasons. What deserves attention is not only that above the surface of the earth there is a thick atmosphere, which contains all those elements needed by living beings for breathing, and this thick covering has kept the earth's population safe from many of the heavenly calamities. Besides, another noteworthy thing is that the air is not just filled inertly in the atmosphere, but it blows occasionally in different ways. Sometimes a cool wind blows and sometimes a hot wind; sometimes it stops blowing and sometimes it starts blowing; sometimes it blows soft and sometimes strong, and sometimes it assumes the proportions of a storm, sometimes a dry wind blows and sometimes a moist wind; sometimes it brings the rain and sometimes it drives away the clouds. These different kinds of the winds do not blow without a purpose, but under a law and a system, which testifies that this arrangement is based on perfect wisdom, and it is serving great objectives. Then it is deeply related with coolness and heat, which go on increasing and decreasing according to the changing conditions and relationships between the earth and the sun. Furthermore, it has a deep relation with the seasonal changes and the distribution of the rain. All these facts proclaim that these arrangements have not been made haphazardly by some blind nature, nor have the sun and the earth and the air and water and vegetation and animals separate controllers, but inevitably One God alone is the Creator of them all, and it is His Wisdom that has established this system for a great objective, and it is His power that it is functioning regularly according to a pre-ordained law.

God fixed the mountains like pegs (78:7) and fixed the mountains like pegs, *5 (Surah An-Naba) *5 For the wisdom of creating mountains on the earth, see E.N. 12 of An-Nahl, E.N. 74 of An-Naml, E.N. 15 of Al-Mursalat, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi. They are as follows:

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(16:15) He has driven mountains firmly into the earth lest it should turn away from its usual course along with you: *12 He has caused rivers to flow and made natural ways *13 so that you may be directed aright. [Surah An-Nahl, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] He has driven mountains firmly into the earth lest it should turn away from its usual course along with you: *12 *12 This shows that the real function of mountains is to regulate the motion and speed of the Earth. We have come to this conclusion, for the Qur'an has made this benefit of mountains very prominent in many places. Therefore, their other benefits should be regarded as incidental. He has caused rivers to flow and made natural ways *13 *13 Natural ways are those routes which are formed along the banks of streams, ravines and rivers. Though the importance of these ways is great even in the plains, one feels their sore need, especially in the mountainous regions. (77:27) and did We not firmly fix towering mountains on it and give you sweet water to drink? *15 [Surah Al-Mursalat, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] *15 This is yet another argument for the possibility and reasonableness of the Hereafter. It is this very earth which since millions and millions of years has been sustaining and providing for countless different kinds of creatures. Every kind of vegetation and every kind of animal and man are living on it, to meet the requirements of all immeasurable treasures of provisions of different kinds are corning out of its belly. Then it is on this very earth that countless members of all kinds of creatures die every day, but there exists a wonderful arrangement in that the dead bodies of all creatures are deposited in the same earth, and it again becomes ready for sustaining life and providing home to the new members of every species. This earth has not been shaped like a smooth-surfaced ball either, but here and there on it there have been set high mountains and mountain-ranges, which play an important role in causing the change of seasons and rainfall, the birth of rivers creation of fertile valleys, growth of trees which supply timber, and provisions of a variety of minerals and stones. Then in the interior of this very earth, sweet water has been stored and on its surface rivers of sweet water have been arranged and from the saline waters of the sea also vapors of pure water are raised and caused to fall as rain from the sky. Is not all this an argument to prove that an All-Powerful Sovereign has created all this and He is not only All-Powerful but All-Knowing and All-Wise as well'? Now, if this earth has been thus equipped

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and provisioned only by His power and wisdom, why should an intelligent man trod it difficult to understand that the same Sovereign by His power can wind up this world and create another world on a new pattern, and the demand of His wisdom is that he should create another world after it so that He may call man to account for the deeds he has done in this world? [Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Moulana Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs? (Al-Qur’an, v.78:6-7) Modern earth sciences have proven that mountains have deep roots under the surface of the ground (see figure 9) and that these roots can reach several times their elevations above the surface of the ground.*2 [*2 The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, El-Naggar, p. 5] So the most suitable word to describe mountains on the basis of this information is the word ‘peg,’ since most of a properly set peg is hidden under the surface of the ground. The history of science tells us that the theory of mountains having deep roots was introduced only in the latter half of the nineteenth century.*3 [*3 The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, p. 5] Mountains also play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth.*4 They hinder the shaking of the earth. [*4 The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, pp. 44-45] God has said in the Qur’an: And He has set firm mountains in the earth so that it would not shake with you... (Al-Qur’an, Surah An-Nahl, v.16:15) Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that mountains work as stabilizers for the earth. This knowledge about the role of mountains as stabilizers for the earth has just begun to be understood in the framework of plate tectonics since the late 1960’s.*5 [*5 The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an, p. 5] Could anyone during the time of the Prophet Muhammad have known of the true shape of mountains? Could anyone imagine that the solid massive mountain which he sees before him actually extends deep into the earth and has a root, as scientists assert? A large number of books of geology, when discussing mountains, only describe that part which is above the surface of the earth. This is because

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these books were not written by specialists in geology. However, modern geology has confirmed the truth of the Qur’anic verses.

01.01.03 The Qur’an on the Origin of the Universe The science of modern cosmology, observational and theoretical, clearly indicates that, at one point in time, the whole universe was nothing but a cloud of ‘smoke’

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(i.e. an opaque highly dense and hot gaseous composition). [The First Three Minutes, a Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, Weinberg, pp. 94-105] This is one of the undisputed principles of standard modern cosmology. Scientists now can observe new stars forming out of the remnants of that ‘smoke’ (see figures 10 and 11).

Figure 10: A new star forming out of a cloud of gas and dust (nebula), which is one of the remnants of the ‘smoke’ that was the origin of the whole universe. (The Space Atlas, Heather and Henbest, p. 50.)

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Figure 11: The Lagoon nebula is a cloud of gas and dust, about 60 light years in diameter. It is excited by the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars that have recently formed within its bulk. (Horizons, Exploring the Universe, Seeds, plate 9, from Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) The illuminating stars we see at night were, just as was the whole universe, in that ‘smoke’ material. God has said in the Qur’an: Then He turned to the heaven when it was smoke... (Qur’an, 41:11) Because the earth and the heavens above (the sun, the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, etc.) have been formed from this same ‘smoke,’ we conclude that the earth and the heavens were one connected entity. Then out of this homogeneous ‘smoke,’ they formed and separated from each other. God has said in the Qur’an: Have not those who disbelieved known that the heavens and the earth were one connected entity, then We separated them?... (Qur’an, 21:30) Dr. Alfred Kroner is one of the world’s renowned geologists. He is Professor of Geology and the Chairman of the Department of Geology at the Institute of Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. He said: “Thinking where Muhammad came from . . . I think it is almost impossible that he could have known about things like the common origin of the universe, because scientists have only found out within the last few years, with very complicated and advanced technological methods, that this is the case.” [The reference for this saying is: This is the Truth (videotape)] Also he said: “Somebody who did not know something about nuclear physics fourteen hundred years ago could not, I think, be in a position to find out from his own mind, for instance, that the earth and the heavens had the same origin.” [This is the Truth (videotape)]

01.01.04 The Qur’an on the Cerebrum

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God has said in the Qur’an about one of the evil unbelievers who forbade the Prophet Muhammad from praying at the Kaaba: We will scorch his forehead. Meaning, `indeed We will make it extremely black on the Day of Judgment.' Then He says, A lying, sinful forehead! Meaning, the forehead of Abu Jahl is lying in its statements and sinful in its actions. [Qur’an, 96:15-16, Tafthir Ibn Kathir] (96:15) By no means! *12 If he does not desist, We shall drag him by his forelock, *12 That is, the person who threatens that he would trample the neck of Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) down when he performed the Prayer, would never be able to do so. (96:16) the forelock that is lying and utterly sinful. *13 *13 "The forelock" here implies the person with the forelock. [Surah Al-A’laq, v.96:15-16, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

Now, Let’s see the Occasion of Revelation of Surah Al-A’laq, vv. 96:6-19: This second part (v.96:6-19) of thee Surah was revealed when the Holy Messenger of Allah began to perform the Prayer in the Islamic way in the Ka'bah and Abu Jahl threatened and tried to prevent him from this. It so happened that after his appointment to Prophet hood even before he could start preaching Islam openly, he began to perform the Prayer in the precincts of the Ka'bah in the way Allah taught him; and from this the Quraish felt for the first time that he had adopted a new religion. The other people were watching it with curiosity, but Abu Jahl in his arrogance and pride threatened the Holy Prophet and forbade him to worship in that way in the Ka'bah. In this connection, quite a number of the Ahadith have been related from Hadarat Abdullah Ibn Abbas and Hadrat Abu Hurairah, which mention the foolish behavior of Abu Jahl.

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Hadrat Abu Hurairah says that Abu Jahl asked the people of Quraish: "Does Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) set his face on the ground before you? "When they replied in the affirmative, he said: "By Lat and Uzza, if I ever catch him in that act of worship, I would set my foot on his neck and rub his face in the dust.” Then it so happened that he saw the Holy Messenger in that posture and came forward to set his foot on his neck, but suddenly turned back as if in a fright and being asked what was the matter, he said there was a ditch of fire and a terrible apparition between himself and Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) and some wings. On hearing this Holy Prophet remarked: "Had he come near me, the angels would have smitten and torn him to pieces." [Ahmad, Muslim, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, Ibn AbI Hatim, Ibn al-Mundhir, lbn Marduyah, Abu Nu'aim Isfahani, Baihaqi]

• According to lbn Abbas, Abu Jahl said: "If I caught Muhammad (upon whom be Allah's peace and blessings) performing his Prayer by the Ka'bah, I would trample his neck down." When the Holy Prophet heard of it, he said: "If he acted so, the angels would seize him there and then?" [Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, Abdur Razzaq, Abd bin Humaid, Ibn al- Mundhir, Ibn Marduyah] •

According to another tradition from Ibn Abbas, the Holy Prophet was performing his Prayer at the Maqam Ibrahim. Abu Jahl passed that way and said: "O Muhammad, did I not forbid you this, and then he started to threaten him." In reply the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rebuked him severely. There upon he said: "O Muhammad, on what strength do you rebuke me? By God, my followers in this valley far exceed yours in number." [Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasai, Ibn Jarir, lbn Abi Shaibah, Ibn al-Mundhir, Tabarani, Ibn Marduyah]

Because of these very incidents the portion of this Surah beginning with ‘Kalla inn al-insana la-yat-gha’ was sent down. Naturally the place of this part should be the same as assigned to it in this Surah of the Qur’an, for after the coming down of the first Revelation the Holy Prophet had given expression to Islam first of all by the act of Prayer, and his conflict with the pagans. [Introduction, Surah Al-A’laq, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Now, let’s see what others say here: The Qur’an says:

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No! If he does not stop, We will take him by the naseyah (front of the head), a lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)! (Qur’an, 96:15-16) Why did the Qur’an describe the front of the head as being lying and sinful? Why didn’t the Qur’an say that the person was lying and sinful? What is the relationship between the front of the head and lying and sinfulness? If we look into the skull at the front of the head, we will find the prefrontal area of the cerebrum (see figure 12). What does physiology tell us about the function of this area? A book entitled ‘Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology’ says about this area, “The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area. This is a region of association cortex...” [Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211. Also see The Human Nervous System, Noback and others, pp. 410-411] Also the book says, “In relation to its involvement in motivation, the prefrontal area is also thought to be the functional center for aggression....” [Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 211]

Figure 12: Functional regions of the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex. The prefrontal area is located at the front of the cerebral cortex. (Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology, Seeley and others, p. 210.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) So, this area of the cerebrum is responsible for planning, motivating, and initiating good and sinful behavior and is responsible for the telling of lies and the speaking

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of truth. Thus, it is proper to describe the front of the head as lying and sinful when someone lies or commits a sin, as the Qur’an has said, “...A lying, sinful naseyah (front of the head)!” Scientists have only discovered these functions of the prefrontal area in the last sixty years, according to Professor Keith L. Moore. [Al-E’jaz al-Elmy fee alNaseyah (The Scientific Miracles in the Front of the Head), Moore and others, p. 41]

01.01.05 The Qur’an on Seas and Rivers Modern Science has discovered that in the places where two different seas meet, there is a barrier between them. This barrier divides the two seas so that each sea has its own temperature, salinity, and density. [Principles of Oceanography, Davis, pp. 92-93]. For example, Mediterranean Sea water is warm, saline, and less dense, compared to Atlantic Ocean water. When Mediterranean Sea water enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill, it moves several hundred kilometers into the Atlantic at a depth of about 1000 meters with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics. The Mediterranean water stabilizes at this depth. [Principles of Oceanography, Davis, p. 93] (see figure 13).

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Figure 13: The Mediterranean sea water as it enters the Atlantic over the Gibraltar sill with its own warm, saline, and less dense characteristics, because of the barrier that distinguishes between them. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius (C°). (Marine Geology, Kuenen, p. 43, with a slight enhancement.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) Although there are large waves, strong currents, and tides in these seas, they do not mix or transgress this barrier.

Barrier between two seas: The Holy Qur’an mentioned that there is a barrier between two seas that meet and that they do not transgress. God has said: He has set free the two seas meeting together. There is a barrier between them. They do not transgress. (Qur’an, 55:19-20)

Divider between fresh and salt water: But when the Qur’an speaks about the divider between fresh and salt water, it mentions the existence of “a forbidding partition” with the barrier. God has said in the Qur’an: He is the one who has set free the two kinds of water, one sweet and palatable, and the other salty and bitter. And He has made between them a barrier and a forbidding partition. (Qur’an, 25:53)

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This phenomenon has been perceived in many places in the sea and on the land that sweet water and bitter water has existed side by side. Turkish Admiral Syedi Ali Ra'is, in his book Mir 'at-al-Mamalik, written in the 16th century, has mentioned a place in the Persian Gulf, where springs of sweet waver exist under the bitter waters of the sea, where he could get drinking water for his fleet. The American Oil Company at first obtained water from the same springs in the Persian Gulf, before they dug up wells near Dhahran for supply of drinking water. Near Bahrain also there exist springs of sweet water at the sea bed from which people have been taking water until quite recently. Besides this apparent meaning which gives a rational proof of Allah's being the One and the only Lord of the universe, the verse contains a subtle suggestion as well: When Allah wills, He can raise up a righteous community from among a large wicked society just as He can cause springs of palatable and sweet water to gush out from under the salty waters of the sea. [Surah Al-Furqan, v.25:53; E.N. 68, Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] One may ask, why did the Qur’an mention the partition when speaking about the divider between fresh and salt water, but did not mention it when speaking about the divider between the two seas? Modern science has discovered that in estuaries, where fresh (sweet) and salt water meet, the situation is somewhat different from what is found in places where two seas meet. It has been discovered that what distinguishes fresh water from salt water in estuaries is a “syncline zone with a marked density discontinuity separating the two layers.” [Oceanography, Gross; p. 242. Also see Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301.] This partition (zone of separation) has a different salinity from the fresh water and from the salt water. [Oceanography, Gross, p. 244, and Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, pp. 300-301] (see figure 14).

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Figure 14: Longitudinal section showing salinity (parts per thousand ‰) in an estuary. We can see here the partition (zone of separation) between the fresh and the salt water. (Introductory Oceanography, Thurman, p. 301, with a slight enhancement.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) This information has been discovered only recently, using advanced equipment to measure temperature, salinity, density, oxygen dissolubility, etc. The human eye cannot see the difference between the two seas that meet; rather the two seas appear to us as one homogeneous sea. Likewise, the human eye cannot see the division of water in estuaries into the three kinds: fresh water, salt water, and the partition (zone of separation).

01.01.06 The Qur’an on Deep Seas and Internal Waves God has said in the Qur’an: (24:40) Or (their efforts may be likened to those of a man trying to swim in) a deep dark ocean, covered with billows, one over the other, and above it a cloud: darkness upon darkness: so much so that if he stretches out his hand, he cannot see *72 it. There is no light for the one whom Allah does not give light. *73 *72 This parable describes the condition of all the disbelievers and the hypocrites including those who perform good deeds for ostentation. It is being stated that such people are passing their life in a state of absolute and complete ignorance, whether otherwise they are the most learned people in the world and leaders in their respective fields of learning. They are like the mart that is lost in complete darkness where no ray of light can reach him. They think that knowledge merely consists in producing atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, supersonic planes and moon

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rockets, or in attaining excellence in economics and finance and law and philosophy. But they little understand that real knowledge is something entirely different and they have no idea of it. Thus considered they are just ignorant, and an illiterate peasant who has gained some acquaintance of the Divine Truth is wiser than they. There is no light for the one whom Allah does not give light. *73 *73 Here are stated the real object of the discourse which began with: "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth." When in fact there is no light in the universe except the Light of Allah and all manifestation of reality is due to that Light, where from can the one whom Allah does not give light have light? There exists no other source of light from where he can receive a ray. [Surah An-Nur, v.24:40, E.N’s 7273; Towards Understanding the Qur’an:Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Or (the unbelievers’ state) is like the darkness in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds. Darkness’s one above another. If a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it.... (Qur’an, 24:40) This verse mentions the darkness found in deep seas and oceans, where if a man stretches out his hand, he cannot see it. The darkness in deep seas and oceans is found around a depth of 200 meters and below. At this depth, there is almost no light (see figure 15). Below a depth of 1000 meters there is no light at all. [Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27] Human beings are not able to dive more than forty meters without the aid of submarines or special equipment. Human beings cannot survive unaided in the deep dark part of the oceans, such as at a depth of 200 meters.

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Figure 15: Between 3 and 30 percent of the sunlight is reflected at the sea surface. Then almost all of the seven colors of the light spectrum are absorbed one after another in the first 200 meters, except the blue light. (Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.) Scientists have recently discovered this darkness by means of special equipment and submarines that have enabled them to dive into the depths of the oceans. We can also understand from the following sentences in the previous verse, “...in a deep sea. It is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds....”, that the deep waters of seas and oceans are covered by waves, and above these waves are other waves. It is clear that the second set of waves is the surface waves that we see, because the verse mentions that above the second waves there are clouds. But what about the first waves? Scientists have recently discovered that there are internal waves which “occur on density interfaces between layers of different densities.” [Oceanography, Gross, p. 205] (See figure 16).

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Figure 16: Internal waves at interface between two layers of water of different densities. One is dense (the lower one), the other one is less dense (the upper one). (Oceanography, Gross, p. 204.) The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. Internal waves act like surface waves. They can also break, just like surface waves. Internal waves cannot be seen by the human eye, but they can be detected by studying temperature or salinity changes at a given location. [Oceanography, Gross, p. 205]

01.01.07 The Qur’an on Clouds

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Scientists have studied cloud types and have realized that rain clouds are formed and shaped according to definite systems and certain steps connected with certain types of wind and clouds. One kind of rain cloud is the cumulonimbus cloud. Meteorologists have studied how cumulonimbus clouds are formed and how they produce rain, hail, and lightning. They have found that cumulonimbus clouds go through the following steps to produce rain: (1) The clouds are pushed by the wind: Cumulonimbus clouds begin to form when wind pushes some small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) to an area where these clouds converge (see figures 17 and 18).

Figure 17: Satellite photo showing the clouds moving towards the convergence areas B, C, and D. The arrows indicate the directions of the wind. (The Use of Satellite Pictures in Weather Analysis and Forecasting, Anderson and others, p. 188.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

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Figure 18: Small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds) moving towards a convergence zone near the horizon, where we can see a large cumulonimbus cloud. (Clouds and Storms, Ludlam, plate 7.4.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.) (2) Joining: Then the small clouds join together forming a larger cloud. [See The Atmosphere, Anthes and others, pp. 268-269, and Elements of Meteorology, Miller and Thompson, p. 141] (see figures 18 and 19).

Figure 19: (A) Isolated small pieces of clouds (cumulus clouds). (B) When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase, so the cloud is stacked up. Water drops are indicated by ·. (The Atmosphere, Anthes and others, p. 269.) (Click on the image to enlarge it.)

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(3) Stacking: When the small clouds join together, updrafts within the larger cloud increase. The updrafts near the center of the cloud are stronger than those near the edges. [The updrafts near the center are stronger, because they are protected from the cooling effects by the outer portion of the cloud.] These updrafts cause the cloud body to grow vertically, so the cloud is stacked up (see figures 19 (B), 20, and 21). This vertical growth causes the cloud body to stretch into cooler regions of the atmosphere, where drops of water and hail formulate and begin to grow larger and larger. When these drops of water and hail become too heavy for the updrafts to support them, they begin to fall from the cloud as rain; hail, etc. [See the Atmosphere, Anthes and others, p. 269, and Elements of Meteorology, Miller and Thompson, pp. 141-142]

Figure 20: A cumulonimbus cloud. After the cloud is stacked up, rain comes out of it. (Weather and Climate, Bodin, p.123.)

Figure 21: A cumulonimbus cloud. (A Color Guide to Clouds, Scorer and Wexler, p. 23.)

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God has said in the Qur’an: (24:43) Do you not observe that Allah makes the cloud move gently then joins its pieces together: then gathers it into a mass of thick cloud: then you see that rain-drops fall down from its midst: and He sends down hail out of the high up mountains in the heaven: *75 then He smites with it whom He wills and turns it away from whom He pleases: then a flash of lightning from it dazzles the eyes. *75 This may mean frozen clouds which have been called `mountains in the heavens' metaphorically. It may also mean the mountains of the earth which stand high in the heavens and whose snow-capped peaks cause condensation in the clouds which results in hailstorms. [Surah An-Nur, v.24:43 and E.N. 75; Towards Understanding the Qur’an:Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Let’s see what others say about this verse: Have you not seen how God makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, and then makes them into a stack, and then you see the rain come out of it....? (Qur’an, 24:43) Meteorologists have only recently come to know these details of cloud formation, structure, and function by using advanced equipment like planes, satellites, computers, balloons, and other equipment, to study wind and its direction, to measure humidity and its variations, and to determine the levels and variations of atmospheric pressure. [See Ee’jaz al-Qur’an al-Kareem fee Wasf Anwa’ al-Riyah, al-Sohob, al-Matar, Makky and others, p. 55] The preceding verse, after mentioning clouds and rain, speaks about hail and lightning: ....And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky, and He strikes with it whomever He wills, and turns it from whomever He wills. The vivid flash of its lightning nearly blinds the sight. (Qur’an, 24:43) Meteorologists have found that these cumulonimbus clouds, that shower hail, reach a height of 25,000 to 30,000 ft (4.7 to 5.7 miles), like mountains, as the Qur’an said, “...And He sends down hail from mountains (clouds) in the sky...” (See figure 21 above). [Elements of Meteorology, Miller and Thompson, p. 141]

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This verse may raise a question: Why does the verse say “its lightning” in a reference to the hail? Does this mean that hail is the major factor in producing lightning? Let us see what the book entitled Meteorology Today says about this. It says that a cloud becomes electrified as hail falls through a region in the cloud of super cooled droplets and ice crystals. As liquid droplets collide with a hailstone, they freeze on contact and release latent heat. This keeps the surface of the hailstone warmer than that of the surrounding ice crystals. When the hailstone comes in contact with an ice crystal, an important phenomenon occurs: electrons flow from the colder object toward the warmer object. Hence, the hailstone becomes negatively charged. The same effect occurs when super cooled droplets come in contact with a hailstone and tiny splinters of positively charged ice break off. These lighter positively charged particles are then carried to the upper part of the cloud by updrafts. The hail, left with a negative charge, falls towards the bottom of the cloud, thus the lower part of the cloud becomes negatively charged. These negative charges are then discharged as lightning. We conclude from this that hail is the major factor in producing lightning. [Meteorology Today, Ahrens, p. 437] This information on lightning was discovered recently. Until 1600 AD, Aristotle’s ideas on meteorology were dominant. For example, he said that the atmosphere contains two kinds of exhalation, moist and dry. He also said that thunder is the sound of the collision of the dry exhalation with the neighboring clouds, and lightning is the inflaming and burning of the dry exhalation with a thin and faint fire.* These are some of the ideas on meteorology that were dominant at the time of the Qur’ans’ revelation, fourteen centuries ago. [*The Works of Aristotle Translated into English: Meteorological, vol. 3, Ross and others, pp. 369a-369b]

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01.01.08 Scientists’ Comments on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an The following are some comments of scientists* on the scientific miracles in the Holy Qur’an. All of these comments have been taken from the videotape entitled. This is the Truth. In this videotape, you can see and hear the scientists while they are giving the following comments. (To view the Real Player video of a comment, click on the link at the end of that comment. For a copy of this videotape, please visit) [www.islam-guide.com/truth.html] (*The occupations of all the scientists mentioned in this web site were last updated in 1997.)

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(1) Dr. T. V. N. Persaud is Professor of Anatomy, Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health, and Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. There, he was the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy for 16 years. He is well-known in his field. He is the author or editor of 22 textbooks and has published over 181 scientific papers. In 1991, he received the most distinguished award presented in the field of anatomy in Canada, the J.C.B. Grant Award from the Canadian Association of Anatomists. When he was asked about the scientific miracles in the Qur’an which he has researched, he stated the following: “The way it was explained to me is that Muhammad was a very ordinary man. He could not read, didn’t know [how] to write. In fact, he was an illiterate. And we’re talking about twelve [actually about fourteen] hundred years ago. You have someone illiterate making profound pronouncements and statements and that are amazingly accurate about scientific nature. And I personally can’t see how this could be a mere chance. There is too much accuracy and, like Dr. Moore, I have no difficulty in my mind that this is a divine inspiration or revelation which led him to these statements.” [http://www.islam-guide.com/video/persaud-1.ram] Professor Persaud has included some Quranic verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad in some of his books. He has also presented these verses and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad at several conferences. (2) Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson is the Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA. Formerly, he was Professor of Ob-Gyn and the Chairman of the Department of ObGyn at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He was also the President of the American Fertility Society. He has received many awards, including the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology Public Recognition Award in 1992. Professor Simpson studied the following two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad : •

{In every one of you, all components of your creation are collected together in your mother’s womb by forty days...} [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2643, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3208]

[What is between these special brackets {...} in this guide is a translation of what the Prophet Muhammad said. Also note that this symbol # used, indicates the

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number of the hadeeth. A hadeeth is a reliably transmitted report by the Prophet Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of.] •

If forty-two nights have passed over the embryo, God sends an angel to it, who shapes it and creates its hearing, vision, skin, flesh, and bones.... [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2645]

He studied these two sayings of the Prophet Muhammad extensively, noting that the first forty days constitute a clearly distinguishable stage of embryogenesis. He was particularly impressed by the absolute precision and accuracy of those sayings of the Prophet Muhammad . Then, during one conference, he gave the following opinion: “So that the two hadeeths (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad ) that have been noted provide us with a specific time table for the main embryological development before forty days. Again, the point has been made, I think, repeatedly by other speakers this morning: these hadeeths could not have been obtained on the basis of the scientific knowledge that was available [at] the time of their writing . . . . It follows, I think, that not only there is no conflict between genetics and religion but, in fact, religion can guide science by adding revelation to some of the traditional scientific approaches, that there exist statements in the Qur’an shown centuries later to be valid, which support knowledge in the Qur’an having been derived from God.” [http://islam-guide.com/video/simpson-1.ram] (3) Dr. E. Marshall Johnson is Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. There, for 22 years he was Professor of Anatomy, the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy, and the Director of the Daniel Baugh Institute. He was also the President of the Teratology Society. He has authored more than 200 publications. In 1981, during the Seventh Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Professor Johnson said in the presentation of his research paper: “Summary: The Qur’an describes not only the development of external form, but emphasizes also the internal stages, the stages inside the embryo, of its creation and development, emphasizing major events recognized by contemporary science.” [http://www.islam-guide.com/video/Johnson-1.ram] Also he said: “As a scientist, I can only deal with things which I can specifically see. I can understand embryology and developmental biology. I can understand

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the words that are translated to me from the Qur’an. As I gave the example before, if I were to transpose myself into that era, knowing what I knew today and describing things, I could not describe the things which were described. I see no evidence for the fact to refute the concept that this individual, Muhammad, had to be developing this information from some place. So I see nothing here in conflict with the concept that divine intervention was involved in what he was able to write.” (The Prophet Muhammad was illiterate. He could not read nor write, but he dictated the Qur’an to his Companions and commanded some of them to write it down.) [http://www.islam-guide.com/video/Johnson-2.ram] (4) Dr. William W. Hay is a well-known marine scientist. He is Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA. He was formerly the Dean of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. After a discussion with Professor Hay about the Quran’s mention of recently discovered facts on seas, he said: “I find it very interesting that this sort of information is in the ancient scriptures of the Holy Qur’an, and I have no way of knowing where they would come from, but I think it is extremely interesting that they are there and that this work is going on to discover it, the meaning of some of the passages.” And when he was asked about the source of the Qur’an, he replied: “Well, I would think it must be the divine being.” [http://www.islam-guide.com/video/hay-1.ram] (5) Dr. Gerald C. Goeringer is Course Director and Associate Professor of Medical Embryology at the Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA. During the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor Goeringer stated the following in the presentation of his research paper: “In a relatively few aayahs (Qur’anic verses) is contained a rather comprehensive description of human development from the time of commingling of the gametes through organogenesis. No such distinct and complete record of human development, such as classification, terminology, and description, existed previously. In most, if not all, instances, this description antedates by many centuries the recording of the various stages of human embryonic and fetal development recorded in the traditional scientific literature.” [http://www.islamguide.com/video/goeringer-1.ram]

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(6) Dr. Yoshihide Kozai is Professor Emeritus at Tokyo University, Hongo, Tokyo, Japan, and was the Director of the National Astronomical Observatory, Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan. He said: “I am very much impressed by finding true astronomical facts in [the] Qur’an, and for us the modern astronomers have been studying very small pieces of the universe. We’ve concentrated our efforts for understanding of [a] very small part. Because by using telescopes, we can see only very few parts [of] the sky without thinking [about the] whole universe. So, by reading [the] Qur’an and by answering to the questions, I think I can find my future way for investigation of the universe.” [http://www.islam-guide.com/video/kozai-1.ram] (7) Professor Tejatat Tejasen is the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy at Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Previously, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the same university. During the Eighth Saudi Medical Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Professor Tejasen stood up and said: “During the last three years, I became interested in the Qur’an . . . . From my study and what I have learned from this conference, I believe that everything that has been recorded in the Qur’an fourteen hundred years ago must be the truth that can be proved by the scientific means. Since the Prophet Muhammad could neither read nor write, Muhammad must be a messenger who relayed this truth, which was revealed to him as an enlightenment by the one who is eligible [as the] creator. This creator must be God. Therefore, I think this is the time to say ‘La ilaha illa Allah’, there is no god to worship except Allah (God), ‘Muhammadur rasoolu Allah’; Muhammad is Messenger (Prophet) of Allah (God). Lastly, I must congratulate for the excellent and highly successful arrangement for this conference . . . . I have gained not only from the scientific point of view and religious point of view but also the great chance of meeting many well-known scientists and making many new friends among the participants. The most precious thing of all that I have gained by coming to this place is ‘La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah’, and to have become a Muslim.” [http://www.islam-guide.com/video/tejasen-1.ram] After all these examples we have seen about the scientific miracles in the Holy Qur’an and all these scientists’ comments on this, let us ask ourselves these questions: (a) Could it be a coincidence that all this recently discovered scientific information from different fields was mentioned in the Qur’an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago?

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(b) Could this Qur’an have been authored by Muhammad or by any other human being? The only possible answer is that this Qur’an must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him.

01.02.00 The Great Challenge to Produce One Chapter Like the Chapters of the Holy Qur’an God has said in the Qur’an: And if you are in doubt about what We have revealed (the Qur’an) to Our worshiper (Muhammad ), then produce a chapter like it, and call your witnesses (supporters and helpers) besides God if you are truthful. And if you do not do it, and you can never do it, then fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is

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men and stones. It has been prepared for disbelievers. And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds that for them are gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow.... (Qur’an, 2:23-25) Ever since the Qur’an was revealed, fourteen centuries ago, no one has been able to produce a single chapter like the chapters of the Qur’an in their beauty, eloquence, splendor, wise legislation, true information, true prophecy, and other perfect attributes. Also, note that the smallest chapter in the Qur’an (Chapter 108) is only ten words, yet no one has ever been able to meet this challenge, then or today. [See Al-Borhan fee Oloom Al-Quran, Al-Zarkashy, vol. 2, p. 224] Some of the disbelieving Arabs who were enemies of the Prophet Muhammad tried to meet this challenge to prove that Muhammad was not a true prophet, but they failed to do so. [See Al-Borhan fee Oloom Al-Quran, Al-Zarkashy, vol. 2, p. 226] This failure was despite the fact that the Qur’an was revealed in their own language and dialect and that the Arabs at the time of Muhammad were a very eloquent people who used to compose beautiful and excellent poetry, still read and appreciated today.

The smallest chapter in the Holy Qur’an (Chapter 108) is only ten words, yet no one has ever been able to meet the challenge to produce one chapter like the chapters of the Holy Qur’an.

01.02.01 Allah challenged to the Disbelievers to forge something like the Qur’an What the Qur’an is All About: Chapter 16.00.00 Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi

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Compiled and Edited by: Akm Fakhrul Islam

The first challenge to the disbelievers: Allah challenged to the disbelievers has been expressed in the surah At-Tuur, v.52:33-34: • (33) Do they say, “This man himself has forged this Qur’an” The fact is that they do not want to believe. (34) Let them then produce a discourse like it, if they are true in what they say. Allah said, do they say, “This man himself has forged this Qur’an”. The fact is that they do not want to believe. It means that, the Quraish who think that Muhammad (pbuh) himself is the author of the Qur’an know it in their innermost hearts that it cannot be his word, and those others also whose mother tongue is Arabic not only clearly feel that it is far more sublime and superior to human speech but any one of them who knows Muhammad (pbuh) personally cannot ever suspect that this is actually his own word and speech. Therefore, the thing plainly is that those who ascribe the authorship of the Qur’an to the Holy Prophet do not in fact wish to affirm faith. That is why they are inventing false excuses one of which is this excuse. (For further explanation, see EN 21 of Yunus, EN 12 of Al-Furqan, EN 64 of Al-Qasas, EN 88-89 of Al-Ankabut, EN 1 to 4 of As-Sajdah, EN 54 of Ha-Mim As sajdah, EN 8 to 10 of Al-Ahqaf in the Tafhimat). Allah challenged to the Disbelievers that: ‘Let them then produce a discourse like it, if they are true in what they say.’ It has been mentioned that, ‘Not only is the Qur’an not the word of Muhammad (pbuh) but also the truth is that it is not the word of human being at all. It is beyond the power of man to compose and produce it. If you think it is human, you are challenged to produce the like of it, which should also be human.’ This challenged had been given not only to the Quraish but also to all the disbelievers of the world first of all in this verse. Then it was repeated thrice in Makkah and then finally in Madinah (please see Yunus 38, Hud 13, Bani Israil 88, Al-Baqara 23). But no one could dare meet this challenge of the Qur’an at that time, nor has anyone else had so far the ability to compose and produce a man made work like the Qur’an. Since people because of lack of understanding the real nature of the challenge, say that not to speak of the Qur’an, no one has the power to write prose or consequence poetry to the style of another person. Homer, Rumi, Shakesphere, Goethe, Ghalib, Tagore, Iqbal, all is unique in their styles: it lies in no one’s power

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to produce poetry like theirs by imitation. Those who give this answer to the challenge of the Qur’an are in fact, involve in the misunderstanding that the meaning of ‘let them then produce a discourse like it’, is a challenge to man to compose and write a book like the Qur’an, in the style of the Qur’an, whereas it does not imply any resemblance in literary style but it implies this. Bring a book of the same sublimity and quality and rank, not only in Arabic but on any language of the world that may be regarded as a match for the Qur’an in respect of the characteristics for which the Qur’an is a miracle. The following are in brief some of the main characteristics because of which the Qur’an has been a miracle (mu’jija) before as it is a miracle today: (1) The Qur’an is the highest and most perfect model of the literature of the language in which it was revealed. No word and no sentence in the entire Book is sub-standard. Whatever theme has been presented in it has been presented in the most appropriate words and in the most suitable style. One and the same theme has been presented over and over again but every time in a new style avoiding the defect or repetition everywhere. The entire Book, from the beginning to the end, is set in the choicest words, like chiseled and polished gems, that cannot be replaced. The discourses are so impressive that no one who knows the language, even if he is a disbeliever, can help being moved ecstasies on hearing them. Even after 1400 years this Book is still the model of Arabic literature and no other Arabic book can approach it in literary excellence not to speak of equaling it. Not only this: this Book (Qur’an) has so controlled the Arabic language that even after the passage of 14 centuries the standard of this language’s beauty and eloquence is the same that had been set by it; whereas in such long periods languages change out of recognition. No other language of the world has remained in the same state in so far as its spelling and diction, idiom, rules of language and usages are concerned. But it is only the power of the Qur’an that has held the Arabic language in place; each idiom of it is still use in Arabic literature; its literature is still the standard of Arabic; and in writing and speech still the same language is regarded as good Arabic that had been in the Qur’an 1400 years ago. Is there any man made book in any language of the world that bears the same characteristics? (2) This is the one single book in the world, which has no extensively and so universally influenced mankind’s thoughts, morals, civilization and way of life, as has no precedent in history. In the first instance, its impact changed one nation, then that nation rose and changed a major part of the world. No other Book has proved to be so revolutionary. This book has not remained confined to writing on paper but in the practical world its each word has formed and

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molded ideas and thoughts and built up a lasting civilization. Its influence has continued being operative for 1400 years and its circle of influence and impact is still expanding every day. (3) The theme that this Book discusses is the most expensive theme, which comprehends the whole Universe, from eternity to eternity. It deals with the reality of the Universe, its beginning and end, its system and law. It tells us to who is the Creator and Controller and Disposer of this Universe, what His attributes are, what His powers are and what is that essence and basis on which He has established this entire system of the world. It specifies man’s position and his place which he cannot change. It tells what is the write and correct way of thought and action for man in view of this place and position, which corresponds to the reality, and what are the wrong ways, which clash with the reality. Then to prove why the right way is right and the wrong ways wrong, it presents countless arguments from various phenomena of the earth and heavens, from different aspects of the system of the Universe, from man’s own self and existence and from man’s own history. Besides, it also tells how and for what reasons man adopts the wrong ways, by what means he can find out the right Way, which has always been one and shall remain one, and how he has been guided to it in every age. It does not merely point to the Right Way but presents a plan of the complete system of life for following that way, which contains a derailed and systematic code concerning beliefs, morals, purification of self, worship, social life, civilization, economy, politics, justice, law and every other aspect of human life. Furthermore, it also tells in full detail what are the results of following this Right Way and of adopting the wrong ways in this world and what consequences of this will appear in the Next World after the present system of the world has come to an end. It depicts fully the coming to an end of the present world and of the establishment of the New World. It gives every detail of the process of change; it portrays the Next World and describes fully how man will find a totally new life there, how his deeds from worldly life will be subjected to accountability, what things he will be questioned about, how his complete record, which he will not be able to deny or dispute, will be placed before him, what strong evidence will be produced in proof thereof, why the culprits will be punished and the righteous rewarded, what rewards will be bestowed on the righteous and in what forms will the culprits suffer the evil consequences of their misdeeds. The way this vast theme has been dealt with in this Book is not of the nature of some conclusions that its Author might have reached from some syllogistic premises but its nature is that its Author has the direct knowledge of the Reality.

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He (Allah, the Author of this Holy Qur’an) sees everything happening from eternity to eternity. All the realities are manifest for Him and the entire Universe is like an open book before Him. He sees the entire life of mankind, from its origin to its end, even beyond the present life into the second life simultaneously, and He is guiding man not on the basis of conjecture and speculation but on the basis of knowledge. Not a single truth that He presents as knowledge has been proved to be wrong so far. The concept of the Universe and Man that He presents fully explains all the phenomena and events and can become the basis of research in every branch of knowledge. His word contains the answer to all the ultimate problems of philosophy and natural and social sciences, and they are so coherent and consistent logically that a perfect, consistent and comprehensive system of thought can be built on their basis. Then from the practical aspect the guidance that He has given to man about various spheres of life is not only highly rational and pure but countless men have been living according to it in actual fact in different parts of the earth for 1400 years and have found it by experience to be the only valid way. Is there any man made book of the unique quality present in the world, or has ever been, which may be produced to match this Book? (4) This Book was not composed and written all at once and presented before the world, but reformatory movement was started with some basic and initial instructions and then for 23 years as the movement passed through different stages of its development, its parts were presented by the tongue of the leader, sometimes as lengthy discourses and sometimes as brief sentences, as the conditions and requirements of the occasion demanded. Then, when the Mission was brought to completion, these parts that had been issued at different times were compiled in the form of a complete Book, which has been known by the name of the ‘Qur’an’. The leader of the movement states that this discourses and sentences are not his original work but were sent down to him by the Lord of all creation. If a person asserts that they are the original work of the leader himself, he should produce a precedent from history to prove his contention. He should show whether it is possible that the speeches made and the instructions given by a man at different times while leading a powerful collective movement for years continuously by himself in different capacities, sometimes as a preacher and teacher of morals, sometimes as a leader of an oppressed class, sometimes as the ruler of a state, sometimes as the commander of a fighting army, sometimes as a victor, sometimes as a law giver and legislator, could form a complete and consistent and comprehensive system of thought and action, which should be free from every contradiction and inconsistency, which should appear to be dominated by the same central idea and pattern of thought,

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which should show that the leader has been building up a universal system of belief and action on the basis of the same foundation of his message with which he has started his work, and which should be a system each element and part of which is in perfect harmony and consistency with the other parts. Then the one who reads this collection of the discourses with a discerning eye cannot help realizing that the founder of the movement at the outset had a full plan of the movement in view till the last stage, and it never happened that a new idea might have struck him at some later stage, which was unknown to him before, or which he had to change later. If ever there has been a man of this caliber, his name should be made known to the world. (5) The leader who had been made to give these discourses and speak these sentences did not suddenly emerge from a hidden place to present these before the people nor would disappear after he had done so. He had lived his life in full view of the society before he started his movement as well as continued to live in the same society after that till his last breath. The people were well aware of the language and style of his conversation and speech. Hadith still presents a major part of it and by going through it the people who know Arabic can easily find out even today what was the leader’s own style of speech and conversation. His contemporaries who spoke his language felt then and those who know Arabic feel today that the language and the style of this Book is very different from the language and style of that leader. So much so that whenever in the midst of a sermon delivered by the leader there occurs a sentence or two of this Book, the distinction between the two becomes all too obvious. The question is: Has a man in the world ever had the power, or can he have capability, that he should go on conversing in two absolutely different styles consistently for years at a stretch and it should never become known that the two separate styles are, in fact, of one and the same person? It is possible that one may succeed in such affectation temporarily but it is not at all possible that one for twenty-three years continuously a person should have different diction and style when he recites the Revelations from Allah and a wholly different diction and style when he speaks in his personal capacity. (6) The leader while leading and guiding the movement met with different sorts of conditions. Sometimes he became the target of ridicule, humiliation and severe persecution of his fellow countrymen and the people of his own tribe and clan; sometimes his companions were so harshly treated that they were compelled to emigrate from the country; sometimes the enemies plotted against his life; sometimes he had to pass through extreme poverty and starvation; sometimes he had to fight wars successfully in which he suffered defeats as well as won

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victories; sometimes he overcome the enemies and the same enemies who had persecuted him, came before him humbled; sometimes he achieved such power which few people in the world have been able to achieve. Under all such conditions a person’s feelings obviously cannot remain the same. When on these different occasions the leader spoke in his personal capacity, his words and speeches carried the clear impression of his personal feelings, which naturally arise in the heart of a man on such occasions. But the discourses that were heard from him as Allah’s Revelations in these different conditions are wholly devoid of human feelings. At no place can even an acute observer and critic point out the play of human feelings in them. (7) The vast and comprehensive knowledge that is contained in this Book is not possessed even by any of the distinguished learned people of this 20th century, not to speak of the people of Arabia and Rome and Greece and Iran of those days. The condition of today is that after a man has spent his whole life-time studying a branch of philosophy or a natural or social science, he comes to know what ultimate problems of his field of study are, but when he studies the Qur’an seriously he comes to know that this Book contains a clear answer to those problems. This thing is not confined to any one branch of knowledge but holds good in respect of all those sciences which have anything to do with the Universe and Man. How can one believe that 1400 years ago an un-lettered man in the Arabian Desert posed such deep insight into every branch of knowledge, and he had thought over every basic problem and thought out an absolute and final answer to it? Although there are several other aspects also of the Qur’an’s being a miracle, if a man ponders over these few aspects only he will realize that the Qur’an’s being a miracle is far more evident today than it was at the time when it was revealed and if Allah so wills, it will go on becoming more and more evident and manifest as time passes till the Day of Resurrection.

Second challenge in Makkah: (13) Do they say, ‘He (Muhammad) has invented the Book himself?’ say to them (O Mohammad!), ‘Very well, if it is so, bring ten fabricated Surahs like this; and you may call to your assistance whomsoever (of your deities) you can except Allah, if you be right (in considering them your deities). (14) Now if they (your deities) do not come to your help you should know that this Book has been revealed with Allah’s knowledge and that there is no true deity other than Allah. Do you then surrender to this (which is the very Truth)?’ (Surah Hud, v.11:13-14)

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Here one and the same argument has been advanced to prove two things: Firstly : It is absolutely and undoubtedly True that Allah has revealed the Qur’an. Secondly : It proves the truth of the doctrine of Tauhid (Oneness of God). The argument is this: Prophet Mohammad said to the disbelievers: (1) ‘You say that the Qur’an has not been revealed by Allah but has been devised and invented by myself and ascribed to Him. If your claim had been genuine you would have been able to invent a book like this in answer to the challenge I have given you over and over again. As you have failed to do so even with your combined resources and forces, my claim that is has been revealed with Allah’s knowledge has been proved absolutely, fully and completely.’ (2) ‘Then there was a two-fold challenge from the Qur’an to your deities but they utterly failed to meet it. They were challenged to come to your aid and help produce a book like the Qur’an. As they have not helped you, it is a clear proof that they are absolutely powerless and have no share at all in Godhead. You have seen that they have not only failed in this decisive test, but have also proved to be impotent to defend themselves against the open attacks made on them in this Book, which asks the people not to worship them, for they have no share in the powers of Godhead. These things have proved that there is nothing Divine in them and you have made them your deities without rhythm or reason.’ Incidentally, this verse shows that chronologically this Surah was revealed earlier than Surah Yunus. For at first they were challenged in this Surah to bring ten Surahs like the Surahs of the Qur’an, but they failed to do so. Then in Surah Yunus they were challenged (verse 10:38) to bring even one Surah like this Qur’an. (Surah Yunus, v.10:38)

Third challenge in Makkah: Allah said: (38) Do they say that the prophet has composed it (Qur’an) himself? Tell them (O Mohammad!): if what you say be true, then produce one Surah like this, and you may call to your assistance anyone you can other than Allah. (39) The fact is that they have denied (on mere conjecture) what was not within the reach of their knowledge nor had they, as yet, tasted its consequences. Likewise, the people who went before them declared as false Revelations, but behold, what was the end of those unjust people! (40) Some of these people will believe in it and others will not, and your lord knows these mischief-makers. (Surah Yunus, v.10:38-40)

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Tell them (O Mohammad!): ‘If what you say be true, then produce one Surah like this, and you may call to your assistance anyone you can other than Allah.’ In this verse there is a general misunderstanding that the challenge of the Qur’an to produce (a book, nay) a Surah like this, is in regard to its eloquent, pure and unique literary excellence. This has been the natural result of the way in which discussions have been carried on to prove the miracle of the Qur’an. But the Qur’an is far above this that it should claim to be a unique and matchless book because of its excellent diction. There is no doubt at all that it is unique and matchless in this respect also, but the real basis of its claim and challenge, that no human brain is capable of producing a book like this, is its subject-matter and teachings. The Qur’an itself has stated at different places those aspects, which are a sure proof of its revelation from Allah and the refutation of the false aspersions that it was a human invention. This has already been explained at appropriate places and will be explained in the succeeding pages. Then it has been expressed that: ‘The fact is that they have denied (on mere conjecture) what was not within the reach of their knowledge nor had they, as yet, tasted its consequences.’ They could declare the Qur’an as forged on two grounds only but neither of these existed: (1) If they had a proof that the Book had not been revealed by Allah, but had been forged by someone; (2) That the Truths enunciated in it and the information given in it was false. But that is why: (1) No one could say on the basis of true knowledge that the Book had been really forged and then ascribed to God; (2) Nor could anyone say that he had peeped behind the curtains of the ‘unseen’ and discovered that there was not One God (as taught in this Book) but many gods in the heavens; (3) Nor could anyone assert on the basis of true knowledge that there were no angels, no Revelations and no God, but these were mere fictions that had been invented by some fertile imagination; (4) Nor had anyone witnessed by actually visiting the ‘Hereafter’ that the information about rewards and punishments was utterly wrong. But in spite of the lack of any proof to the contrary: they were challenging the genuineness of the Qur’an with the boldness and impudence of one who had made thorough research into the matter and proved it to the hilt.

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Then it has been expressed regarding those who do not believe in the Qur’an have been called ‘mischief makers’ because their rejection is to based on any sound reason but on prejudice and selfishness and because it prevents others from believing in it. And (O Prophet!), ‘your Lord knows them very well’ because there is nothing that is hidden from Him. (1) They can deceive the people that they are rejecting the Qur’an because they are convinced that it is not the Book of God; (2) But they cannot deceive Allah that they are doing this with good intentions for he knows that it is because of their mischief. (3) They are obdurate and obstinate and are suppressing the voice of their consciences and hearts. (4) They deliberately shut their ears and minds against the Truth; (5) They prefer their worldly interests, their fancies, their lusts and desires to it. That is why they cannot be regarded as ‘innocent’ sinners, but they are, in fact, the ‘mischief makers’.

Fourth Challenge: In Makkah Allah said: (86) O Mohammad! We may, if We so will, take back from you all of what We have revealed to you: then you will find none to help you in getting it back from Us. (87) All that you have received is by the favor of your Lord. Indeed His favor to you is very great. (88) Declare this: Even if human beings and jinn’s should cooperate with one another to bring forth a book like The Holy Qur’an, they will never be able to bring anything like it, even though all of them help one another. (Surah Bani Isra’il, v.17:86-88) ‘All that you have received is by the favor of your Lord. Indeed His favor to you is very great.’ Though the Holy Prophet apparently addresses these words, they are in fact meant for the disbelievers who considered the Holy Qur’an to be either the invention of the Holy prophet himself or of some other man, who secretly taught him the Qur’an. They are being told that this is the Word of Allah, as if to say, ‘Our Prophet has not fabricated the Qur’an but We have bestowed this on him, and if We take it back from him, the prophet has no power to invent such a thing nor has any other man the power to help the Prophet to present such a miraculous Book.’ ‘Even if human beings and jinn’s should cooperate with one another to bring forth a book like The Holy Qur’an, they will never be able to bring anything like it, even

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though all of them help one another.’ This is the fourth challenge to the disbelievers. This challenge occurs at several other places in the Qur’an: Fifth challenge : Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:23-24; Third challenge : Surah Yunus, v.10:38-39; Second challenge : Surah Hud, v.11:13-14; First challenge : Surah At-Tur, v.52:33-34; and Fourth challenge : Surah Bani Isra’il, v.17:86-88 At all these places, this has been cited as an answer to the charge of the disbelievers that Mohamad (Allah’s peace be upon him) has himself invented the Qur’an but is presenting it as Allah’s Word. Besides this, the same has also been refuted in Surah Yunus, v.10:16 • (O Mohammad!) Say also to them, ‘Had not Allah willed that I should recite the Qur’an to you, I could not have recited it to you, nor could I have been able to give you any information about it; already have I lived a lifetime among you before its revelation. Do you not use your common sense? Now let us turn the three arguments contained in these verses as a proof that the Qur’an is the Word of Allah: (1) The Qur’an is such a miracle in regard to its language, style, arguments, themes, topics, teachings and prophecies that it is beyond any human power to produce the like of it, as if to say, ‘You say that a man has invented this Qur’an but We challenge that even the whole of mankind combined cannot produce a Book like this Qur’an: nay, even if the Jinns, whom the mushriks (those who make partners with almighty Allah) worship as deities and whom this Book openly attacks, should come to the help of the disbelievers, they cannot produce a Book like this to refute this challenge.’ (2) As regards the charge that Mohammad (Allah’s peace be upon him) has himself invented this Book (Qur’an), the Qur’an refutes their claim, as if to say, ‘Mohammad is one of you and not a foreigner. He has lived among you for forty years before the revelation of the Qur’an. Did you ever hear words like those of the Qur’an from him even a day before his claim of Prophet Hood, or did you ever hear him discussing themes and problems contained in the Qur’an? If you consider the matter from this point of view, it will become obvious to you that the sudden change which has come about in the language, ideas, information, style and the way of thinking of Mohammad, could not take place without Divine Guidance.’ (3) ‘Can you not see that after the recital of the Qur’an he does not disappear but lives among you? You hear other things than the Qur’an from him. Do you not

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notice that the distinction between the two different styles of expression is so obvious that no man can successfully adopt the two styles at one and the same time?’ The distinction can also be noticed, even today, between the language of the Qur’an and that of the Traditions of the Holy Prophet. Anyone well versed in the Arabic language and literature notices the difference, which is so marked that one, can categorically say that these modes of expression cannot belong to one and the same person.

Fifth Challenge: in Madinah The challenge to the disbelievers had been given several times in the Qur’an at Makkah. It was meant to convince the opponents that the Qur’an is Divine Word and could not e produced by human mind. Now it was reiterated at Madinah (23) And if you be in doubt whether the Book We have sent down to Our servant is from Us or not, then produce, at least, one Surah like this. You may call all your associates to assist you and avail yourselves of the help of anyone other than Allah. If you are genuine in your doubt, do this. (24) But if you do not do this, and you can never do this, and then scare the Fire, which has been prepared for, the disbelievers and which shall have men and stones for fuel. (Surah Al-Baqarah, v.2:23-24)

01.03.00 Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad , the Prophet of Islam

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are evidence

In Deuteronomy 18, Moses stated that God told him: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy 18:18-19). [All of the verses on this page have been taken from The NIV Study Bible, New International Version, except where noted as being KJV which means King James Version] From these verses we conclude that the prophet in this prophecy must have the following three characteristics: (1) That he will be like Moses. (2) That he will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelite. (3) That God will put His words in to the mouth of this prophet and that he will declare what God commands him. Let us examine these three characteristics in more depth:

(1) A prophet like Moses: There were hardly any two prophets who were so much alike as Moses and Muhammad . Both were given a comprehensive law and code of life. Both encountered their enemies and were victorious in miraculous ways. Both were accepted as prophets and statesmen. Both migrated following conspiracies to assassinate them. Analogies between Moses and Jesus overlook not only the above similarities but other crucial ones as well. These include the natural birth, the family life, and death of Moses and Muhammad but not of Jesus. Moreover Jesus was regarded by his followers as the Son of God and not exclusively as a prophet of God, as Moses and Muhammad were and as Muslims believe Jesus was. So, this prophecy refers to the Prophet Muhammad and not to Jesus, because Muhammad is more like Moses than Jesus.

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Also, one notices from the Gospel of John that the Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of three distinct prophecies. The first was the coming of Christ. The second was the coming of Elijah. The third was the coming of the Prophet. This is obvious from the three questions that were posed to John the Baptist: “Now this was John’s testimony, when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” (John 1:19-21). If we look in a Bible with cross-references, we will find in the marginal notes where the words “the Prophet” occur in John 1:21 that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18:18.* We conclude from this that Jesus Christ is not the prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18. [*See the marginal notes in The NIV Study Bible, New International Version on verse 1:21, p. 1594]

(2) From the brothers of the Israelites: Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis 21). Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was not to come from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, i.e. the Ishmaelite. Muhammad , a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed this prophet. Also, Isaiah 42:1-13 speaks of the servant of God, His “chosen one” and “messenger” who will bring down a law. “He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.” (Isaiah 42:4). Verse 11 connects that awaited one with the descendants of Kedar. Who is Kedar? According to Genesis 25:13, Kedar was the second son of Ishmael, the ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad .

(3) God will put His words in the mouth of this prophet: The words of God (the Holy Qur’an) were truly put into Muhammad’s mouth. God sent the Angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad the exact words of God (the Holy Qur’an) and asked him to dictate them to the people as he heard them. The words are therefore not his own. They did not come from his own thoughts, but

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were put into his mouth by the Angel Gabriel. During the life time of Muhammad , and under his supervision, these words were then memorized and written by his companions. Also, this prophecy in Deuteronomy mentioned that this prophet will speak the words of God in the name of God. If we looked to the Holy Qur’an, we will find that all its chapters, except Chapter 9, are preceded or begin with the phrase, “In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, and the Most Merciful.” Another indication (other than the prophecy in Deuteronomy) is that Isaiah ties the messenger connected with Kedar with a new song (a scripture in a new language) to be sung to the Lord (Isaiah 42:10-11). This is mentioned more clearly in the prophecy of Isaiah: “and another tongue, will he speak to this people” (Isaiah 28:11 KJV). Another related point, is that the Qur’an was revealed in sections over a span of twenty-three years. It is interesting to compare this with Isaiah 28 which speaks of the same thing, “For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on rule; a little here, a little there.” (Isaiah 28:10). Note that God has said in the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18, “If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account.” (Deuteronomy, 18:19). This means that whoever believes in the Bible must believe in what this prophet says, and this prophet is the Prophet Muhammad.

01.04.00 The Verses in the Qur’an That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass One example of the events foretold in the Qur’an is the victory of the Romans over the Persians within three to nine years after the Romans were defeated by the Persians. God has said in the Qur’an: The Romans have been defeated in the nearest land (to the Arabian Peninsula), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious within bed’ (three to nine) years.... (Qur’an, 30:2-4)

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Let’s see what other commentators say: (30:2) The Romans have been defeated, (30:3) in the neighboring land; *1 but after their defeat they shall gain victory in a few years. *1 from what lbn `Abbas and the other Companions and their followers have said, it appears that the Muslims' sympathies in this war between Byzantium and Iran were with Byzantium and of the disbelievers of Makkah with Iran. This had several reasons: First: The Iranians had given it the color of a crusade between Magianism and Christianity, and, apart from the object of political conquest, they were making it a means of spreading Magianism. In the letter that Khusrau Parvez wrote to the Emperor Heraclius after the conquest of Jerusalem, he had clearly mentioned his victory as a proof of the truth of Magianism. In principle, the Magian creed resembled the polytheistic creed of the people of Makkah, because the Magis too, were disbelievers of Tawhid they believed in two gods and worshipped the fire. That is why the mushriks of Makkah were in sympathy with them. Contrary to them, the Christians, however corrupted their monotheism might be, still regarded belief in One God as the basis of religion, believed in the Hereafter and admitted Revelation and Prophet hood as the source of guidance. Thus, their religion in principle resembled Islam, and therefore, the Muslims were naturally in sympathy with them, and could not like that a polytheistic people should dominate them. Secondly: The people who believe in a previous Prophet before the advent of a new Prophet are naturally regarded and counted as Muslims until the message of the new Prophet reaches them and they clearly discard it. (For more explanation Please see E.N. 73 of Surah Al-Qasas, Towards Understanding the Qur’an : Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi). At that time only five to six years had passed since the Holy Prophet's advent as a Prophet and his message had not yet reached outside Arabia. Therefore, the Muslims did not look upon the Christians as disbelievers, but they certainly regarded the Jews as disbelievers because they had rejected the Prophet Jesus (May peace be upon him) to be a Prophet. Thirdly: The Christians from the very beginning had been treating the Muslims with sympathy as already mentioned above in Al-Qasas: 52-55, and in Al-Ma'idah: 82-85, and many of them were even accepting the message of the Truth with an

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open heart. Then, the way the Christian king of Habash had given refuge to the Muslims on their migration there and turned down the demand of the disbelievers of Makkah to return them, also required that the Muslims should wish the Christians well as against the Magians. [Surah Ar-Rum, 30:2-3, E.N.1, Towards Understanding the Qur’an : Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Let us see what history tells us about these wars. A book entitled History of the Byzantine State says that the Roman army was badly defeated at Antioch in 613, and as a result, the Persians swiftly pushed forward on all fronts. [History of the Byzantine State, Ostrogorsky, p. 95] At that time, it was hard to imagine that the Romans would defeat the Persians, but the Qur’an foretold that the Romans would be victorious within three to nine years. In 622, nine years after the Romans’ defeat, the two forces (Romans and Persians) met on Armenian soil, and the result was the decisive victory of the Romans over the Persians, for the first time after the Romans’ defeat in 613. [History of the Byzantine State, Ostrogorsky, pp. 100-101, and History of Persia, Sykes, vol. 1, pp. 483-484. Also see The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Micropaedia vol. 4, p.1036] The prophecy was fulfilled just as God has said in the Qur’an. There are also many other verses in the Qur’an and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad that mention future events which later came to pass.

01.05.00: Miracles Performed by the Prophet Muhammad Many miracles were performed by the Prophet Muhammad by God’s permission. These miracles were witnessed by many people. For example: •

When the unbelievers in Makkah asked the Prophet Muhammad to show them a miracle, he showed them the splitting of the moon. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3637, and Saheeh Muslim, #2802]

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Another miracle was the flowing of water through Muhammad’s fingers when his companions got thirsty and had no water except a little in a vessel. They came to him and told him that they had no water to make ablution or to drink except for what was in the vessel. So, Muhammad put his hand in the vessel, and the water started gushing out between his fingers. So, they drank and made ablution. They were one thousand five hundred companions. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3576, and Saheeh Muslim, #1856]

There were also many other miracles that were performed by him or which happened to him.

01.06.00 The Simple Life of Muhammad If we compare the life of Muhammad before his mission as a prophet and his life after he began his mission as a prophet, we will conclude that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad was a false prophet, who claimed prophet hood to attain material gains, greatness, glory, or power. Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad had no financial worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad drew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as a prophet and because of it, he became

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worse off materially. To clarify this more, let us browse the following sayings on his life: •

Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said, “O my nephew, we would sight three new moons in two months without lighting a fire (to cook a meal) in the Prophet’s houses.” Her nephew asked, “O Aunt, what sustained you?” She said, “The two black things, dates and water, but the Prophet had some Ansar neighbors who had milk-giving she-camels and they used to send the Prophet some of its milk.” [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2972, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2567]

•

Sahl Ibn Sa’ad, one of Muhammad’s companions, said, “The Prophet of God did not see bread made from fine flour from the time God sent him (as a prophet) until he died.” [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #5413, and AlTirmizi, #2364]

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Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said, “The mattress of the Prophet , on which he slept, was made of leather stuffed with the fiber of the date-palm tree.” [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2082, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6456]

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Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad’s companions, said that when the Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else except his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land which he left to charity. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2739, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17990]

Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim treasury was at his disposal, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula was Muslim before he died, and the Muslims were victorious after eighteen years of his mission. Is it possible that Muhammad might have claimed prophethood in order to attain status, greatness, and power? The desire to enjoy status and power is usually associated with good food, fancy clothing, monumental palaces, colorful guards, and indisputable authority. Do any of these indicators apply to Muhammad ? A few glimpses of his life that may help answer this question follow. Despite his responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a statesman, and a judge, Muhammad used: (a) To milk his goat, [Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #25662] (b) Mend his clothes, (c) Repair his shoes, [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #676, and Mosnad Ahmad, #25517]

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(d) Help with the household work, [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #676, and Mosnad Ahmad, #23706] (e) And visit poor people when they got sick. [Narrated in Mowatta’ Malek, #531] (f) He also helped his companions in digging a trench by moving sand with them. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3034, and Saheeh Muslim, #1803, and Mosnad Ahmad, #18017] His life was an amazing model of simplicity and humbleness. Muhammad’s followers loved him, respected him, and trusted him to an amazing extent. Yet he continued to emphasize that deification should be directed to God and not to him personally. Anas, one of Muhammad’s companions, said that there was no person whom they loved more than the Prophet Muhammad , yet when he came to them, they did not stand up for him because he hated their standing up for him,* as other people do with their great people. [*Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #12117, and Al-Tirmizi, #2754] Long before there was any prospect of success for Islam and at the outset of a long and painful era of torture, suffering, and persecution of Muhammad and his followers, he received an interesting offer. An envoy of the pagan leaders, Otba, came to him saying, “...If you want money, we will collect enough money for you so that you will be the richest one of us. If you want leadership, we will take you as our leader and never decide on any matter without your approval. If you want a kingdom, we will crown you king over us...” Only one concession was required from Muhammad in return for that, to give up calling people to Islam and worshipping God alone without any partner. Wouldn’t this offer be tempting to one pursuing worldly benefit? Was Muhammad hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it down as a bargaining strategy leaving the door open for a better offer? The following was his answer: {In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful} And he recited to Otba the verses of the Qur’an 41:1-38. [Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah, Ibn Hesham, vol. 1, pp. 293-294] The Following are some of these verses: A revelation from (God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; a Book whereof the verses are explained in detail; a Qur’an in Arabic, for people who know, giving good news and warning, yet most of them turn away, so they do not listen. (Qur’an, 41:2-4) On another occasion and in response to his uncle’s plea to stop calling people to Islam, Muhammad’s answer was as decisive and sincere:

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I swear by the name of God, O Uncle!, that if they place the sun in my righthand and the moon in my left-hand in return for giving up this matter (calling people to Islam), I will never desist until either God makes it triumph or I perish defending it. [Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah, Ibn Hesham, vol. 1, pp. 265-266] Muhammad and his few followers did not only suffer from persecution for thirteen years but the unbelievers even tried to kill Muhammad several times. On one occasion they attempted to kill him by dropping a large boulder, which could barely be lifted, on his head. [Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah, Ibn Hesham, vol. 1, pp. 298-299] Another time they tried to kill him by poisoning his food. [Narrated in AlDaremey, #68, and Abu-Dawood, #4510] What could justify such a life of suffering and sacrifice even after he was fully triumphant over his adversaries? What could explain the humbleness and nobility which he demonstrated in his most glorious moments when he insisted that success is due only to God’s help and not to his own genius? Are these the characteristics of a power-hungry or a self-centered man?

01.07.00 The Phenomenal Growth of Islam At the end of this chapter, it may be appropriate to point out an important indication of the truth of Islam. It is well known that in the USA and the whole world, Islam is the fastest-growing religion. The following are some observations on this phenomenon: •

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people...” (Hillary Rodham Clinton, Los Angeles Times). [Larry B. Stammer, Times Religion Writer, “First Lady Breaks Ground With

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Muslims,” Los Angeles Times, Home Edition, Metro Section, Part B, May 31, 1996, p. 3] • “Moslems are the world’s fastest-growing group...” (The Population Reference Bureau, USA Today). [Timothy Kenny, “Elsewhere in the World,” USA Today, Final Edition, News Section, February 17, 1989, p. 4A] • “....Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country.” (Geraldine Baum; Newsday Religion Writer, Newsday). [Geraldine Baum, “For Love of Allah,” Newsday, Nassau and Suffolk Edition, Part II, March 7, 1989, p. 4] • “Islam, the fastest-growing religion in the United States...” (Ari L. Goldman, New York Times). [Ari L. Goldman, “Mainstream Islam Rapidly Embraced By Black Americans,” New York Times, Late City Final Edition, February 21, 1989, p.1] This phenomenon indicates that Islam is truly a religion from God. It is unreasonable to think that so many Americans and people from different countries have converted to Islam without careful consideration and deep contemplation before concluding that Islam is true. These converts have come from different countries, classes, races, and walks of life. They include scientists, professors, philosophers, journalists, politicians, actors, and athletes. (To read the stories of people who have converted to Islam, please visit the links at Stories of New Muslims.) The points mentioned in this chapter constitute only some of the evidence supporting the belief that the Qur’an is the literal word of God that Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God, and that Islam is truly a religion from God.

02.00.00 Some Benefits of Islam Islam provides many benefits for the individual and the society. This chapter mentions some of the benefits gained through Islam for the individual.

02.01.00 The Door to Eternal Paradise

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God has said in the Qur’an: (2:25) And give good news (O Muhammad), to those who believe in this Book and do good deeds (in accordance with its teachings). For them there will be gardens underneath which canals flow. Their fruits will so resemble the fruits on the Earth that every time they will be provided with fruits, they will say, "Such fruits were provided to us before on the Earth *26." And there will be pure spouses *27 for them and therein they will live forever. [Surah Al-Baqarah; Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi] *26. The fruits of Paradise will not be as exotic in appearance as to be unfamiliar to people. They will resemble the fruits to which human beings are accustomed in this world, though infinitely excelling them in delicacy of taste. In appearance they may resemble, say mangoes, pomegranates and oranges, and the people of Paradise will be able to identify them as such. In taste, however, there will be no comparison between the terrestrial and heavenly fruits. *27. The Qur'anic text has the Arabic word azwaj which means 'spouses' or 'couples', and embraces both husband and wife. The husband is the zawj of his wife, and vice versa. In the Next World, however, this relationship of spouses will be qualified by purity. If a man has been virtuous in this world while his wife has not, their relationship in the Next World will be sundered and the man will receive another spouse who will be pure and virtuous. On the other hand, if a virtuous woman has had an evil husband she will be tied in companionship with a virtuous man. Where husband and wife have both been virtuous their relationship will become everlasting.

God has also said: (57:21) So vie with one another *37 in seeking to attain your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden whose width is as the width of the heaven and the earth, *38 one which has been prepared for those who believe in Allah and His Messengers. That is Allah’s bounty which He bestows upon those whom He pleases. Allah is the Lord of abounding bounty. [Surah Al-Hadid; Towards Understanding the Qur’an: Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi] *37 Musabagat (from which sabiqu of the original is derived) means to compete and vie with each other in order to excel. The meaning is: "Give up your rivalries with one

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another for amassing wealth, and pleasures and benefits, of the world and instead make the forgiveness of your Lord and Paradise the object of your struggle and rivalries.' *38 Some commentators have taken the word ard in 'arduha ka- 'ard-is- sama '-I wal-ard in the sense of breadth, but actually this word has been used here in the meaning of spaciousness and extensiveness. In Arabic the word ard is not only used for breadth, as a counterpart of length, but also for spaciousness, as it has been used in Ha Mim AsSajdah: 51: fa-dhu du'a in 'arid: "Then he is full of wordy supplications." Besides, one should also understand that the object here is not to foretell the area or extent of Paradise, but to give an idea of its vastness and extensiveness. Here its vastness has been described as the vastness of the heaven and earth, and in Surah Al-'Imran it has been said: "Hasten to follow the path that leads to your Lord's forgiveness and to Paradise whose vastness is that of the universe, which has been prepared for the righteous "' (v.3:133) When both these verses are read together, one gets the idea that the; gardens and palaces man will receive in Paradise will only serve as his dwelling-place t but the entire universe will be his home He will not be restricted to one place as be is in this world, where just for reaching the Moon, his nearest neighbor in space, he has had to struggle hard for years and expend excessive resources only to overcome the difficulties of a short journey. There the whole universe will be accessible to him: he will be able to see whatever he would desire from his station and be able to visit whichever place he would like easily.

The Prophet Muhammad told us that the lowest in rank among the dwellers of Paradise will have ten times the like of this world, [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #186, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6571] And he or she will have whatever he or she desires and ten times like it. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #188, and Mosnad Ahmad, #10832] Also, the Prophet Muhammad said: A space in Paradise equivalent to the size of a foot would be better than the world and what is in it. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6568, and Mosnad Ahmad, #13368] He also said: In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2825, and Mosnad Ahmad, #8609] He also said: The most miserable man in the world of those meant for Paradise will be dipped once in Paradise. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever face any misery? Did you ever experience any hardship?” So he will say, “No, by

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God, O Lord! I never faced any misery, and I never experienced any hardship.” [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2807, and Mosnad Ahmad, #12699] If you enter Paradise, you will live a very happy life without sickness, pain, sadness, or death; God will be pleased with you; and you will live there forever. God has said in the Qur’an: But those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them to gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow, lasting in them forever. There they shall have spouses purified and there We shall cause them to enter a shelter with plenteous shade. (Surah An-Nisa, v.4:57)

02.02.00 Salvation from Hellfire God has said in the Qur’an: Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them if one offered it as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers. (Qur’an, 3:91) So, this life is our only chance to win Paradise and to escape from Hellfire, because if someone dies in disbelief, he will not have another chance to come back to this world to believe. As God has said in the Quran about what is going to happen for the unbelievers on the Day of Judgment: If you could but see when they are set before the Fire (Hell) and say, “Would that we might return (to the world)! Then we would not reject the verses of our Lord, but we would be of the believers!” (Qur’an, 6:27) But no one will have this second opportunity. The Prophet Muhammad said: The happiest man in the world of those doomed to the Fire (Hell) on the Day of Judgment will be dipped in the Fire once. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever see any good? Did you ever experience any blessing?” So he will

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say, “No, by God, O Lord!” [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2807, and Mosnad Ahmad, #12699]

02.03.00 Real Happiness and Inner Peace

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Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to the commands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world. God has said in the Qur’an: 13:28 Those who believed and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah. Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. [Surah ArRa’ad, Tafsir Ibn Kathir] On the other hand, the one who turns away from the Qur’an will have a life of hardship in this world. God has said: But whoever turns away from the Qur’an,* he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment. (Qur’an, 20:124) [*i.e. neither believes in the Qur’an nor acts on its orders] This may explain why some people commit suicide while they enjoy the material comfort money can buy. For example, look at Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), formerly a famous pop singer who used to earn sometimes more than $150,000 a night. After he converted to Islam, he found true happiness and peace, which he had not found in material success. [The present mailing address of Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), in case you would like to ask him about his feelings after he converted to Islam, is: 2 Digs well Street, London N7 8JX, United Kingdom.]

02.04.00 Forgiveness for All Previous Sins When someone converts to Islam, God forgives all of his previous sins and evil deeds. A man called Amr came to the Prophet Muhammad and said, “Give me your right hand so that I may give you my pledge of loyalty.” The Prophet stretched out his right hand. Amr withdrew his hand. The Prophet said: What has

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happened to you, O Amr? He replied, “I intend to lay down a condition.” The Prophet asked: What condition do you intend to put forward? Amr said, “That God forgive my sins.” The Prophet said: Didn’t you know that converting to Islam erases all previous sins? [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #121, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17357] After converting to Islam, the person will be rewarded for his or her good and bad deeds according to the following saying of the Prophet Muhammad : Your Lord, Who is blessed and exalted, is most merciful. If someone intends to do a good deed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And if he does do it, (a reward of) ten to seven hundred or many more times (the reward of the good deed), will be recorded for him. And if someone intends to do a bad deed but does not do it, a good deed will be recorded for him. And if he does do it, a bad deed will be recorded against him or God will wipe it out. [Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #2515, and Saheeh Muslim, #131]

03.00.00 General Information on Islam 03.01.00 What Is Islam? The religion of Islam is the acceptance of and obedience to the teachings of God which He revealed to His last prophet, Muhammad .

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Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority has nothing to do with the extremely grave events, which have come to be associated with their faith. [Source: www.alim.org ]

03.01.01 What does Islam mean? In Arabic, when a warrior lays down his arms and surrenders because he knows he is defeated, we use the verb "aslama", which means "he submits." The word "Islam" comes from this verb and means "submission." So, in the widest sense, Islam means the religion of submission to God. A Muslim catechism says, "Islam is submission to God with all our being, with all our senses, with all our organs: the hands, the feet, the ears, the tongue, the stomach and the sexual organs. It is the submission of the inner life of each of us". (Cf. Qur'an: 2 Baqara 106/112). But in particular, we use the word Islam to indicate all the belief and practices of the religion, of which Muhammad is the Prophet and the Qur'an the sacred scripture. The Arabic word Islam simply means 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad (peace be upon him) rather than God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike. [Source: www.alim.org ] Islam means submission, obedience, surrender and compliance with the command and prohibition of the commander without objections. Allah has named the true religion, ‘Islam’ for it is an obedience to him, submission to His Commands without any resistance, purifying acts of worship for Him, believing in His words and having faith in Him. Islam then became a proper name for the religion brought by Muhammad {P.B.U.H}. [Yasser Gabr & Houda Karkour, Saudi Arabia]

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‘Islam’ is an Arabic word and connotes submission, surrender, and obedience as a religion, Islam stands for complete submission and obedience to Allah and that is why it is called ‘ISLAM’. Everyone can see that the universe we live in is an orderly universe. There is law and order among all the units that comprise this universe. Everything is assigned a place in a grand scheme, which is working in a magnificent and superb way. The sun, the moon, the stars and in fact all the heavenly bodies are knit together in a splendid system. They follow an unalterable law and do not make even the slightest deviation from their ordained course. The earth rotates on its own axis and in its revolution round the sun scrupulously follows the path laid down for it. Similarly, everything in the world, from the little whirling electron to the mighty nebulae, invariably follows its own laws. Matter energy, and life-all obey their laws and grow and change and live and die in accordance with those laws. EVEN in the human world the laws of nature are quite manifest. Man's birth, growth, and life are all regulated by a set of biological laws. He derives sustenance from nature in. Accordance with an unalterable law All the organs of his body from the small tissues to the heart and the brain are governed by the laws prescribed for them. In Short, ours is a law-governed universe and everything in it is following the course that has been ordained for it. This powerful, all-pervasive law, which governs all that comprises the universe, from the tiniest specks of dust to the magnificent galaxies in high heavens, is the law of God, the creator and ruler of the universe. As the entire creation obeys the law of God, the whole universe, therefore, literally follows the religion of Islam-for Islam signifies nothing but obedience and submission to Allah, the Lord of the universe. The sun, the moon, the earth, and all other heavenly bodies are thus ‘Muslim’. So is the case with air, water, and heat, stones, trees, and animals. Everything in the universe is ‘Muslim’ for it obeys God by submission to his laws. Even a man who refuses to believe in God, or offers his worship to someone other than Allah has perforce to be a ‘Muslim’ as far as his bodily existence is concerned. For his entire life, from the embryonic stage to the body’s dissolution info dust after death and every tissue of his muscles and every limb of his body follow the course prescribed for each by God’s law. His very tongue which on account of his ignorance, advocates the denial of God or professes multiple deities, is in its very nature a ‘Muslim’. His head which he wantonly bows to other besides Allah is a born Muslim. His heart, wherein, through his lack of true knowledge, he cherishes love and reverence for others, is ‘Muslim’ by intuition. These are all obedient to the divine Law, and their functions and movements are governed by the injunctions of that law alone. This, in short, is

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the real position of man and the universe. Let us now examine the problem in a different light. Man is so constituted that there are two aspects of his life: two distinct spheres of his activity. One is the sphere in which he finds himself totally regulated by the Divine Law. He cannot budge an inch or move a step away from it. Nor can he evade it in any way or from. In fact, like other creatures, he is completely caught in the grip of the law of nature and is bound to follow it. But there is another sphere of his activity as well. He has been endowed with reason and intellect. He has the power to think and form judgments, to choose and reject, and to adopt and spurn. He is free to adopt whatever course of life chooses. He can embrace any faith, adopt any way of life and formulate his living according to whatever ideologies he likes. He may prepare his own code of conduct or accept one formulated by others. He has been bestowed with free will and can chalk out his own course of behavior. In this latter aspect, he, unlike the other creatures, has been given freedom of thought, choice, and action. [Towards Understanding Islam:Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi]

03.01.02 How do we know Islam is the truth? We know ‘Islam is the truth’ in the following ways: (1) It is the only religion that holds Allah as One, Unique, and Perfect. (2) It is the only religion that believes in the sole worship of Allah, not Jesus, not an idol, and not an angel, only Allah. (3) The Qur’an does not contain contradictions. (4) The Qur’an contains scientific facts, which are 1300 years ahead of their time. The Qur’an, while revealed 1400 years ago contains scientific facts, which are only now being discovered. It is not in contradiction to science. (5) Allah has challenged the world to produce the like of the Qur’an. And He says they won't be able to. (6) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most influential man in history. In the book "The 100 most influential men in History", written by nonMuslim, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was #1. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was #3. It should be noted that even the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was a prophet sent by Allah. Would Allah allow a false prophet to be so successful? No. Even the Bible refers to this in Deuteronomy 18:19. A false prophet would die!!! Yet Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not die till he completely conveyed, and taught Allah's religion.

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(7) He had many prophecies, and all of his prophecies have come true, or are still coming true. [Source: www.sultan.org ]

03.01.03 Why does Islam often seem strange? Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred. They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still so important. [Source: www.alim.org ]

03.01 Faith and Obedience ISLAM means obedience to God. And it is a matter of common sense that this obedience cannot ensure in full measure unless man knows certain basic facts of live and reposes firm faith in them. What are those facts? And what are the primary essentials, which a man must know to fashion his life, in accordance with the Divine Way? This we propose to discuss here. First of all, one should have unshakable belief in the existence of God, for unless a man has a firm and unalloyed faith in God’s existence, how can he render obedience to Him? Then one must know the attributes of God. It is the knowledge of the attributes of God, which enables man to cultivate in him the nobles of human qualities and to fashion his life in virtue and godliness. If a man dose not know that there is one and only one God Who is the Creator, the ruler, and the Sustainer of the universe and there is none else to share with Him even a shred of the Divine power and authority, he may fall a prey to false god’s and offer his homage to them solicit their favor. But if he knows the divine attribute of tawhid (oneness of God), there is not the least possibility of his falling a prey to this illusion. Similarly, if a man knows that God is omnipresent and omniscient and He sees, hears, and knows everything that we do in public or in private-nay, even our unexpressed thoughts!then how can he afford to be indulgent and disobedient to God? He will feel that he is under eternal vigil and will, therefore, behave in the most appropriate way. But

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he who is not aware of these attributes of God may be misled, because of his ignorance, into God’s disobedience. So is the case with all other attributes of God. the fact is that the qualities and attributes which a man must possess, if he wants to pursue the way of Islam, can be cultivated and developed only out of profound knowledge of the attributes of God. It is the knowledge of God’s attributes, which purifies a man’s mind and soul, his beliefs, morals, and actions. And a mere cursory acquaintance with or just an academic knowledge of these attributes is not sufficient for the task ahead-there must be an unflinching conviction firmly rooted in the mind and heart of man so that he may remain immune from insidious doubts and perversions. Moreover, one must know in detail the way of living by following which one can seek the pleasure of God. Unless a man knows the likes and dislikes of God, how can he choose and adopt the one and reject the other? If a man has no knowledge of the Divine Law, how can he follow it? Thus the knowledge of the Divine Law and the Revealed code of Life are also extremely essential in this respect. But here, again, mere knowledge will not suffice. Man must have full confidence and conviction that it is the Divine Law and that his salvation lies in following this code alone. For knowledge without this conviction will fail to spur man to the Right Path and he may be lost in the blind alley of disobedience. Finally, one must also know the consequence of be-life and obedience and those of disbelief and disobedience. He must know what blessings would be showered upon him if he chooses God’s way and leads a life of purity, virtue, and obedience. And he must also know what evil and harrowing consequences would follow if he adopts the way of disobedience and revolt. Thus the knowledge of life after death is absolutely essential for this purpose. Man must have an unwavering belief in the fact that death does not mean the end of life; that there will be resurrection and he will be brought to the highest court of justice, to be presided over by God Himself; that on the Day of Judgment complete justice will prevail; and that good deeds will be rewarded and misdeeds punished. Everybody will get his due and there is no escape. This is bound to happen. This sense of responsibility and accountability is quite essential for the full-fledged obedience of the Law of God. A man who has no knowledge of the world to come may consider obedience and disobedience quite immaterial. He may think that the obedient and the disobedient will both meet a similar end: for, after death both will be reduced to mere dust. With this attitude of mind, how can he be expected to submit to all the inconveniences and troubles that are inextricably associated with the life of active obedience, and shun those sins the commission of which does not apparently bring

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to him any moral or material loss in this world? With this mental attitude a man cannot acknowledge and submit to God’s Law. Nor can a man, who lacks firm belief in the life hereafter and in the Divine Court of Judgment, remain firm and steadfast in the turbulent waters of life with its attraction or sin, crime and evil; for doubt and hesitancy rob a man of his will to action. You can remain firm in your behavior only if you are firm in your beliefs if you carry a wavering mind you cannot remain firm and steadfast. You can wholeheartedly follow a course only if you are sure of the benefits that will accrue to you by following it and of the losses and grievances that will engulf you if you disobey it. Thus, a profound know-ledge of the consequences of belief and disbelief and of the life after death is extremely necessary for canalizing life into God’s obedience. These are the essential facts which one must know if one wants to live the life of obedience, i.e. Islam. [Towards Understanding Islam : Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

03.01.05 Faith : What does it mean? Faith is what we have described in the foregoing discussion as ‘Knowledge and belief’. The Arabic word Imaan, which we have rendered in English as faith, literally means ‘to know’, ‘to believe’, and ‘to be convinced beyond the least shadow of doubt’. Faith, thus, is firm belief arising out of knowledge and conviction. And the man who knows and reposes unshakable belief in the unity of God, in His Attributes, in His Law and the Revealed Guidance, and in the Divine code of Reward and punishment is called Mu’min (faithful). This faith invariably leads man to a life of obedience and submission to the will of God. And one who lives this life of submission is known as Muslim. This should clearly bring home the fact that without faith (Imaan) no man can be a true Muslim. It is the indispensable essential; rather, the very starting point, without which any beginning can be made. The relation of Islam to Imaan is the same as of a tree to its seed. As a tree cannot sprout forth without its seed, in the same way it is not possible for a man, who has no belief to start with, to become a ‘Muslim’. On the other hand, just as it can happen that, in spite of sowing the seed, the tree may not grow for a multiple of reasons, or if it sprouts, its growth may be impaired or retarded, in the same way, a man may have faith, but due to a number of weaknesses, he may not become a true and staunch Muslim. Thus we find that faith is the starting point and leads man to the life of submission to God, and that a

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man cannot become a Muslim without faith. On the contrary, it is possible that a man may have faith but, because of the weakness of his will power, poor training, or bad company, he may not be living the life of a true Muslim. As such, from the viewpoint of Islam and Imaan, all men may be classified into four categories: (a) Those who have firm faith-a faith that makes them absolutely and wholeheartedly submit to God. They follow the way of God and devote themselves heart and soul to seek His pleasure by doing all that He likes and by avoiding all that He dislikes. In their devotion they are even more fervent that is the common man in pursuit of wealth and glory. Such men are true Muslim. (b) Those who do have faith, who believe in God, His Law and the Day of Judgment, but whose faith is not deep and strong enough to make them totally submit to God. They are far below the rank of true Muslims deserve punishment for their defaulted and misdeeds, but still they are Muslim. They are defaulters and wrongdoers but not rebels. They acknowledge the Sovereign and His Law and, although they are violating the Law, they have not revolted against the Sovereign. They admit its supremacy and their own guilt. Thus they are guilty and deserve punishment, but Muslims they remain. (c) Those that do not possess faith at all, these people refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and are rebels. Even if their conduct is not bad and even if they are not spreading corruption and violence, they remain rebels and their apparent good deeds are of little value. Such men are like the outlaws. And as, even if any action of an outlaws is in consonance with the law of the land, he does not become a loyal and obedient citizen, in the same way the apparent good of those who revolt against God cannot compensate for the gravity of the real wrong, revolt, and disobedience. (d) Those who neither possess faith nor do good deeds. They spread disorder in the world and perpetrate all kinds of violence and oppression. They are the worst of the people; for they are rebels as well as the wrongdoers and criminals. The above classification of mankind clearly shows that the real success and salvation of man depends on Imaan (faith). The life of obedience (Islam) takes its birth from the seed of Imaan. This Islam of a person may be flawless or defective. But without Imaan there can be no Islam. Where there is no Imaan there is no Islam.

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Where there is no Islam there is Kufr. Its form and nature may be different, but in any way it would be Kufr and nothing but Kufr. This brings home the importance of Imaan vis-à-vis life of true and total submission to God? [Towards Understanding Islam : Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

03.01.06 How to acquire the knowledge of God? Now the question arises: How to acquire the knowledge and belief in God, His attributes, His Law, and the Day of Judgment? We have already referred to countless manifestations of God around us and in our own selves, which bear witness to the fact that there is one and only one creator and Governor of this universe and it is He Who controls and directs it. These witnesses reflect the divine attributes of the creator: His great wisdom, His allembracing knowledge, His omnipotence, His mercy, His all-sustaining power, His force major-in short, His attributes can be traced everywhere in His work. But man’s intellect and his capacity to attain knowledge have erred in observing and understanding them. These are all manifest and clear and our eyes are open to read what is writ large on the creation. But here men have erred some have declared that there are two gods others began to profess belief in trinity, and still others succumbed to polytheism. Some began nature-worship and others divided into multifarious deities: gods of rain, air, fair, death, etc. As such, although the manifestations of God were quite clear, human reason has faltered on various counts and failed to see the reality in its true perspective. It met deception after deception and resulted in nothing but confusion of thought. We hardly need dilate here on these errors of human judgment. Similarly, with regard to life after death men have put forward many erroneous notions; for instance, that man is reduced to dust after death and will not rise to life again; or that man is subject to a process of continuous regeneration in this very world and is punished or rewarded in the oncoming cycles of life. Even greater difficulty arises when we come to the question of the code of life. To formulate a complete and balanced code of life that should conform to God’s pleasure merely with the help of human reason, is an extremely difficult task. If a man is equipped with the highest faculties of reason and intellect and he possesses matchless wisdom and experience of many years of deliberation, even then the chances of his formulating right views on life and existence are not very

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promising. And even if, after a lifelong deliberation, he succeeds in that he will still lack in the confidence that he has really discovered the truth and adopted the right path. Although the fullest and fairest test of man’s wisdom, reason, and knowledge might have been to leave him to his own resources without any external guidance so that he those who, through their own sagacious siftings and strivings, might have reached truth and righteousness would have won success and salvation, while those not reaching them would have failed. God, how- ever, spared His human creatures such a hard test? Through His grace and benevolence He raised for mankind men from among themselves to whom He imparted the true knowledge of His attributes, revealed to them His Law and the Right Code of Living, gave them the knowledge of the meaning and purpose of life and of the life after death and thus showed them the way by pursuing which man can achieve success and eternal bliss. These chosen men are the Messengers of God-His prophets. God has communicated knowledge and wisdom to them by means of way (revelation), and the book containing the Divine communications is called the Book of God, or the word of God. Now the test of man’s Wisdom and intellect lies in this: does he recognize God's Messenger after thoroughly observing his pure and pious life and carefully studying his noble and flawless teachings? The man who possesses right wisdom and sound common sense would verify truth and accept the instructions given by the Messenger of truth. If he denies the Messenger of God and his teachings, his denial would signify that he was devoid of the capacity to find out truth and righteousness. On account of this denial he would fail in his test. Such a man will never be able to discover the truth about God and His Law and the life after death. [Towards Understanding Islam : Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

03.02.00 Some Basic Islamic faiths or Beliefs • Muslims believe in Islam, or submission to God (Allah). • Islam teaches that God is One without any partners or associates.

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• He begets not nor was He begotten. • Allah is the Creator and He alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. • He is the sole Lord of the universe and its inhabitants without any challenge to His sovereignty. • He sustains and maintains creation without any need from it or for it. • Nothing happens in creation except what He allows to happen. • Allah is not given the (imperfect) attributes of His creation. • Man is not given the attributes of Allah. • All forms of worship must be directed only to Allah because He alone deserves worship, and it is He alone who can grant benefit to man as a result of His worship. • There is no need for any form of intercessor or intermediary between man and God. This theology is the belief and message of all of Allah’s Messengers; Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed, may peace be upon them all. “Do not worship besides Allah that which can not help or harm you.” (2:66) “Those on whom you call besides Allah are only slaves like yourselves.”(7:194) “Put your trust in Allah if you are truly believers.” (5:23) There are six main articles of faith that Muslims believe in: Faith in the Unity of God Faith in Allah’s angels Faith in Allah’s prophets Faith in Allah’s revealed books Faith in life after death Faith in pre-destination or divine decree [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali]

03.02.01 Belief in God The most fundamental and the most important teaching of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is faith in the prophet Muhammad (peace and

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blessings be upon him) is faith in the unity of God. This is expressed in the primary kalima of Islam as La ilaha illallah "There is no deity but Allah". This beautiful phrase in the bedrock of Islam has its foundation and its essence. It is the expression of this belief which differentiates a true Muslim from a kafir (unbeliever), a Mushrik (one who associates others with God in His divinity), or a Dahriya (atheist). The acceptance or denial of this phrase produces a world of difference between one man to another. The believers in it become one single community and those who do not believe in it form the opposite group. For the believers there is unhampered progress and resounding success in this world and in the hereafter, while failure and ignominy are the ultimate lot of those who refuse to believe in it. But the difference which occurs between the believers and the unbelievers is not the result of mere chanting of a few words. Evidently the mere utterance is of mere chanting of a few words. Evidently the mere utterance of a phrase or two cannot bring about such a mighty difference. The real force lies in the conscious acceptance of this doctrine and its stipulations and complete adherence to it in practical life. Unless you know the real meaning of the phrase "there is no deity but Allah" and the bearing of its acceptance on human life, you cannot realize the real importance of this doctrine. It would never become effective unless these essentials are achieved. Mere repeating of the word ‘food’ cannot dull the edge of hunger; mere chanting of a medical prescription cannot heal the disease. In the same way if the Kalima is re0peated without any understanding of its meanings and dictates, it cannot work the revolution which its meanings and dictates, it cannot work the revolution which it is meant to bring about. The revolution in thought and life can occur only if a person grasps the full meaning of the doctrine, realizes its significance, reposes true belief in it, and accepts and follows it in letter and spirit. Unless this grasp of the Kalima is developed it cannot become fully effective. We avoid fire because we have a realization that it burns; we keep away from poison because we believe that its use kills a man. Similarly, if the real meanings of Tawheed are fully grasped, it should necessarily make us avoid, in belief as well as in action, every form and shade of disbelief, atheism, and polytheism. This is the natural dictate of belief in the Unity of God. [Towards Understanding Islam: Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Muslims believe in the absolute unity of God (Allah). The essence of Islam is expressed in the phrase "La ilaha illa Allah," meaning "There is no deity but Allah." "And your God is One God; there is no god but He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful" (Qur'an 2:163). This statement of faith distinguishes a Muslim from an unbeliever, a polytheist, or an atheist. A Muslim is one who grasps the full meaning of this phrase, realizes its significance, and accepts and follows it in letter

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and spirit. Belief in the Unity of God means that there is no being worthy of worship except Him, that it is only to Him that heads should bow in submission and adoration, that He alone possesses all powers, that all are in need of His favor, and that all must seek His help and mercy. This belief is the bedrock of Islam; all other beliefs, commands, and laws of Islam stand firm on this foundation. [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Belief in one God (Allah), Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and Forgiving, the Creator and the Provider, He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none equal or comparable unto Him. Muslims believe in one, unique, incomparable God, Who has neither son nor partner, and that none has the right to be worshipped but Him alone. He is the true God, and every other deity is false. He has the most magnificent names and sublime perfect attributes. No one shares His divinity, or His attributes. In the Qur’an, God describes Himself: Say, “He is God, the One. God, to Whom the creatures turn for their needs. He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none like Him.” (Qur’an, 112:1-4)

Chapter 112 of the Qur’an written in Arabic calligraphy. No one has the right to be invoked, supplicated, prayed to, or shown any act of worship, but God alone. God alone is the Almighty, the Creator, the Sovereign, and the Sustainer of everything in the whole universe. He manages all affairs. He stands in need of none of His creatures, and all His creatures depend on Him for all that they need. He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, and the All-Knowing. In a perfect manner, His knowledge encompasses all things, the open and the secret, and the public and the private. He knows what has happened, what will happen, and how it will happen. No affair occurs in the whole world except by His will. Whatever He

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wills is, and whatever He does not will is not and will never be. His will is above the will of all the creatures. He has power over all things, and He is able to do everything. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent. In one of the: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad , we are told that God is more merciful to His creatures than a mother to her child. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2754, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #5999] God is far removed from injustice and tyranny. He is All-Wise in all of His actions and decrees. If someone wants something from God, he or she can ask God directly without asking anyone else to intercede with God for him or her. God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God. [It was reported by the Associated Press, London, on June 25, 1984, that a majority of the Anglican bishops surveyed by a television program said, “Christians are not obliged to believe that Jesus Christ was God.” The poll was of 31 of England’s 39 bishops. The report further stated that 19 of the 31 bishops said it was sufficient to regard Jesus as “God’s supreme agent.” The poll was conducted by London Weekend Television’s weekly religious program, “Credo.”] Even Jesus himself rejected this. God has said in the Qur’an: Indeed, they have disbelieved who have said, “God is the Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary.” The Messiah said, “Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord. Whoever associates partners in worship with God, then God has forbidden Paradise for him, and his home is the Fire (Hell). For the wrongdoers,* there will be no helpers.” (Qur’an, 5:72) [*The wrongdoers include the polytheists] God is not a trinity. God has said in the Qur’an: Indeed, they disbelieve who say, “God is the third of three (in a trinity),” when there is no god but one God. If they desist not from what they say, truly, a painful punishment will befall the disbelievers among them. Would they not rather repent to God and ask His forgiveness? For God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a messenger... (Qur’an, 5:73-75) Islam rejects that God rested on the seventh day of the creation that He wrestled with one of His angels, that He is an envious plotter against mankind, or that He is incarnate in any human being. Islam also rejects the attribution of any human form

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to God. All of these are considered blasphemous. God is the Exalted. He is far removed from every imperfection. He never becomes weary. He does not become drowsy nor does he sleep. The Arabic word Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians. This word cannot be used to designate anything other than the one true God. The Arabic word Allah occurs in the Qur’an about 2700 times. In Aramaic, a language related closely to Arabic and the language that Jesus habitually spoke,* God is also referred to as Allah. [*NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible, Douglas, p. 42]

03.02.01.01 The Meaning of the ‘Kalima’ In the Arabic language the word ilah means ‘one who is worshipped’, i.e. a being which on account of its greatness and power be considered worthy to be worshipped, to be bowed to in humility and submission. Anything or any being

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possess power too great to be comprehended by man is also called ilah. The conception of ilah also includes the possession of infinite powers: that may astonish others. It also conveys the sense that others are dependent upon ilah and that he is not dependent upon anyone else. The word ilah also carries a sense of concealment and mystery, that is, ilah would be a being unseen and imperceptible. The word khuda in Persian, deva in Hindi, and god in English bear, more or less, similar signification. Other languages of the world also contain words with a like sense. The word Allah, on the other hand, is the essential personal name of God. La ilaha illallah would literally mean "There is no ilah other than the One Great being known by the name "Allah". It means that in the whole of the universe, there is absolutely no being worthy to be worshipped other than Allah, that it is only to Him that heads should bow in submission and adoration, that He is the only Being possessing all powers, that all powers, that all are in need of His favor, and that all are obliged to solicit His help. He is concealed from our senses, and our intellect fails to perceive what He is. Having known the meanings of these worlds, let us now find out their real significance. From the most ancient known history of man as well as from the oldest relics of antiquity that we have been able to obtain, it appears that in every age man had recognized some deity or deities and had worshipped them. Even in the present age every nation on the face of the earth, from the most primitive to the most civilized, dose believe in and worship some deity. It shows that the idea of having a deity and of worshipping him is ingrained in human nature. There is doing so. But the question is: What that thing is and why man feels impelled to do so? The answer to this question can be discovered if we try to look into the position of man in this huge universe. A perusal of man and his nature from this view-point shows that he is not omnipotent. Neither he is self-sufficient and self-existing nor are his powers without limitations. In fact, he is weak, frail, needy, and destitute. He is dependent upon a multitude of forces and without their assistance he cannot make headway. There are countless things necessary to maintain his existence, but all of them are not essentially and totally within his powers. Sometimes they come to his possession in a simple and natural way, and at times he finds himself deprived of them. There are many important and valuable things which he endeavors to get, but sometimes he succeeds in getting them, while sometimes he does not, for it is not completely in his own power to obtain them. There are many things injurious to him; chances bring his hops to a sudden end; disease, worries, and calamities,

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always threaten him and mar his way to happiness. He attempts to get rid of them, and success and failure both visit him in this quest. There are many things whose greatness and grandeur overawe him mountains and rivers, gigantic animals and ferocious beasts. He experiences earthquakes, storms, and other natural calamities. He observes clouds over his head and sees them becoming thick and dark, with peals of thunder, flashes of lightning and continuous fall of heavy rain. He sees the sun, the moon, and the stars in their constant motion. He reflects how great, powerful, and grand these bodies are, and, in contrast to them, how frail and insignificant he himself is! The vast phenomena, on the one hand, and the consciousness of his own frailty, on the other, impress him with a deep sense of his own weakness, humbleness, and helplessness. And it is quite natural that the preliminary idea of divinity coincides with this sense. He thinks of those hands which are wielding these great forces. The sense of their powerfulness makes him seek their help. He tries to please them so that they may be beneficent to him, and he dreads them and tries to escape their wrath so that he may not be destroyed by them. In the most primitive stage of ignorance, man thinks that the great objects of nature whose grandeur and glory are visible, and which appears to be injurious or beneficent to him, hold in them the real power and authority, and therefore, they are diving. Thus he worships trees, and numerous other objects. This is the worst form of ignorance. When his ignorance dissipates to some extent and some glimmers of light and knowledge appear on his intellectual horizon, he comes to know that these great and powerful objects are in themselves quite helpless and dependent and are in no way better placed than man rather they are still more dependent and helpless. The biggest and the strongest animal dies like a tiny germ, and loses all his power; great rivers rise and fall and become dry; the high mountains are blasted and shattered by man himself; the productiveness of the earth is not under earth’s own control-water makes it prosperous and lack of water makes it barren. Even water is not independent. It depends on air which brings the clouds. Air too is powerless and its usefulness depends on other causes. The moon, the sun, and the stares also are bound up by a powerful law outside whose dictates they cannot make the slightest movement. After these considerations his mind turns to the possibility of some great mysterious power of divine nature which controls the objects he sees and which may be the repositories of all authority. These reflection give rise to belief in mysterious powers behind the natural phenomena, numberless gods are supposed to be governing various parts and aspects of nature such as air, light, water, etc, and some suggestive material forms or symbols are constructed to

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represent them. And he begins to worship those forms and symbols. This too is a form of ignorance, and reality remains hidden from the human eye even at this stage of intellectual and cultural pilgrimage. As man progresses still further in knowledge and learning, and as he reflects more and more deeply on the fundamental problems of life and existence, he finds an allpowerful law and an all-encompassing control in the universe. What a complete regularity control in the universe. What a complete regularity is observed in sunrise and sunset, in winds and rains, in the motions of stars and the changes of seasons! How in a wonderfully harmonious way countless different forces are working jointly, and what a highly potent and supremely wise Law it is, according to which all the various causes in the universe are made to work together at an appointed time to produce an appointed event! Observing this uniformity, regularity, and complete obedience to a firm law in all fields of believe that there must be a deity greater than all others, exercising supreme authority. For, if there were separate, independent deities, the whole machinery of the universe would be upset. He calls this greatest deity by different names, such as ‘Allah’ ‘Permeshwar,’ ‘God,’ KhudaI-Khudaigan,’ etc. but as the darkness of ignorance still persists, he continues worshipping minor deities along with the Supreme One. He imagines that the Divine Kingdom of God may not be different from earthly kingdoms. Just as a ruler has many ministers, trusted associates, governors, and other responsible officers, so the minor are like so many responsible officers, under the Great God who could not be approached without pleasing and propitiating the officers under Him. So they must also be worshipped and appealed to for help, and should in no case be offended can be made to the Great God. The more man increases in knowledge, the greater become his dissatisfaction with the multiplicity of deities. So the number of minor deities begins to decrease. More enlightened men bring each one of them under the searchlight of scrutiny and ultimately find that none of these man-made deities has any divine character; they themselves are creatures like man, rather more helpless. They are thus dropped out by one until only one God remains. But the concept of one God still contains some remnants of the elements of ignorance. Some people imaging that has a body as man have, and is settled in a particular place. Some believe that God came down to the earth in human form; others think that God after settling the affairs of the universe has retired and is now taking rest. Some believe that it is necessary to approach God through the media of saints and spirits, and nothing can be achieved without their intercession. Some imagine God to have a certain form or image and they regard it necessary to keep that before them for the purposes of worship. Such

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distorted notions of godhead have persisted and lingered, and many of them are prevalent among different people even in the present age. Tawheed is the highest conception of godhead, the knowledge of which God has sent to mankind in all ages through His prophets. It was this knowledge with which, in the beginning, Adam had been revealed to Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (God’s blessings be upon them all). It was this very knowledge which Muhammad (God’s blessings be upon him) brought to mankind. It is The Knowledge, pure and absolute, without the least shade of ignorance. Man because he guilty of shirk, idol-worship and kufr, only because he turned away from the teachings of the prophets and depended upon his own faulty reasoning, false perceptions or biased interpretations. Tawheed dispels all the clouds of ignorance and illumines the horizon with the light of reality. Let us see what significant realities this concept of Tawheed-this little phrase: ‘la ilaha illallah’-points out: what truth it conveys and what beliefs it fosters. This we can grasp if we ponder over the following points. First of all we are faced with the question of divinity. We are face to face with a grand, limitless universe. Man’s mind fails to discern its beginning and visualize its end. It is moving on in its chartered course from time immemorial and is continuing its journey in the vast vista of the future. Creatures beyond number have appeared in it-and go on appearing every day. The phenomena are so bewildering that a thinking mind finds itself aghast and wonderstruck. Man is unable to understand and grasp the reality by his unaided vision. He cannot believe that all this has appeared just by chance or accident. The universe is not a fortuitous mass of matter. It is not a jumble of uncoordinated objects. It is not a conglomeration of thing chaotic and meaningless. All this cannot be without a Creator, a Designer, a Controller, a Governor. But who con create and control this majestic universe? Only He can do so master of all; who is infinite and eternal; who is all-powerful, all wise, omnipotent, and omniscient; who is all-knowing and all-seeing. He must have supreme authority over all that exists in the universe. He must possess limitless powers, must be the lord of the universe and all that it contains, must be free from every flaw and weakness and none may have the power to interfere with His work. Only such a being can be the Creator, the Controller and the Governor of the universe. Secondly, it is essential that all these divine attributes and powers must vest in one being-it is virtually impossible for two or more personalities having all the powers and attributes equally to co-exist. They are bound to collide. Therefore there must

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be one and only one Supreme Being having control over all others. You cannot think of two governors for the same province or two supreme commanders of the same army! Similarly, the distribution of these powers among different deities, for instance, that one of them is all knowledge, the other all providence and still another life-giver-and each having independent domain in his own field-is unthinkable. The universe is an indivisible whole and each one of such deities will be dependent upon others in bound to occur. And if this happens, the world is destined to go to pieces. These attributes are also non-transferable. It is not possible that a certain attribute might be present in a certain deity at one time and at another time it is found in another deity. A divine being who is incapable of remaining alive himself cannot give life to others. The one who cannot protect his own divine power is definitely unsuited to govern the vast limitless universe. Thus the greater you reflect upon the problem, the firmer would be your conviction that all these divine powers and attributes must exist in one end the same being alone. Thus polytheism is a form of ignorance and cannot stand rational scrutiny. It is a practical impossibility. The facts of life and nature do not fit into that explanation. They automatically bring man to Reality, i.e. Tawheed (the Unity of God). Now keeping in view this correct and perfect conception of God, cast a searching glance at this vast universe. Exert yourself to the utmost and say if you find among all the objects that your see, among all the things that you perceive, among all that you can think, feel, or imagine-all that your knowledge can comprehend-anyone possessing these attributes. The sum, the moon, the stars, animals, birds or fishes, matter, any man or a group of men-does any of them possess these attributes? Certainly none! For everything in the universe is created, is controlled and regulated, is dependent on others, is mortal and transitory, is not elf-acting and self-propelling-its slightest movements are controlled by an inexorable law and it cannot deviate from that law. Their helpless condition proves that the attire of divinity cannot fit their body. They do not possess the slightest trace of divinity and have absolutely nothing to do with it. They are simply without the godly powers and it is a travesty of truth and a folly of the highest magnitude to attribute to them the divine status. This is the meaning of ‘La ilaha,’ i.e. there is no god; no human and material object possesses the divine power and authority deserving worship and obedience. But this is not the end of our quest. We have found that divinity does not vest in any material or human element of the universe and that none of them possess even the slightest trace of it. This very inquiry leads us to the conclusion that there is a Supreme Being, over and above all that our unwary eyes see in the universe, who possesses the Divine attributes who is the Will behind all phenomena, the Creator of this grand universe, the Controller of its superb Law, the Governor of its serene

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rhythm, the Administrator of all its working: He is Allah, the Lord of Universe and has none as associate in His Divinity. This is what "illallah" (but Allah) means. This knowledge is superior to all other kinds of knowledge and the greater you exert; the deeper will be your conviction that this is the starting-point of all knowledge. In every field of inquiry-may it be that of physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, biology, zoology, economics, politics, sociology, or humanities, you will find that the deeper you prove, the clearer become the indications of the truth of La ilaha illallah, in every field of knowledge and inquiry. It is this concept which opens up the doors of knowledge with the light of reality. And if you deny or disregard this reality, you will find that at every step you meet disillusionment, for the denial of this primary truth robs everything in the universe of its real meaning and true significance. The universe becomes meaningless and the vistas of progress get blurred and confused. [Towards Understanding Islam:Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

03.02.01.02 The Effects of Tawheed on Human Life Now let us study effects which the belief in La ilaha illallah brings forth upon the life of a man and see why he should always be a success in life, here and in the hereafter. (a) A believer in this Kalima can never be narrow-minded or shriveled in outlook. He believes in a God who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Master of the East and the West and Sustainer of the entire universe. After this belief he does not regard anything in the world as a stranger to himself. He looks upon everything in the universe as belonging to the same Lord whom he himself belongs to. He is not making partition in his thinking and behavior. His sympathy, love, and service do not remain confined to any particular sphere or group. His vision is enlarged, his intellectual horizon widens, and his outlook become liberal and as boundless as is the Kingdom of God. How can this width of vision and breadth of mind be achieved by an atheist, a polytheist, or one who believes in a deity supposed to possess limited and defective powers like a man?

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(b) This belief produces in man the highest degree of self-respect and self-esteem. The believer knows that Allah alone is the possessor of all power, and that none besides Him can benefit or harm a person, or provide for his need, or give and take away life, or wield authority or influence. This conviction makes him indifferent to, and independent and fearless of, all powers other than those of God. He never bows his head in homage to any of God’s creatures, nor does he stretch his hand before anyone else. He is not overawed by anybody’s greatness. This quality or attitude of mind cannot be produced by any other belief. For it is necessary that those who associate other beings with God, or who deny God, should bow in homage to some creatures, regard them able to benefit or harm them, and repose all their hopes in them. (c) Along with self-respect this belief also generates in man a sense of modesty and humbleness. It makes him unostentatious and unpretending and unpretending. A believer never becomes proud, haughty or arrogant. The boisterous pride of power, wealth and worth can have no room in his heart, because he knows that whatever he possesses has been given to him by God, and can take away just as He can give. In contrast to this, an unbeliever, when he achieves some worldly merit, becomes proud and conceited because he believes that his merit is due to his own worth. In the same way pride and self-concept are a necessary outcome and concomitant of shirk (association of others with God in His divinity), because a mushrik believes that he has a particular relation with the deities which does exist between them and other people. (d) This belief makes man virtuous and upright. He has the conviction that theirs is no other means of success and salvation for him except purity of soul and righteousness of behavior. He has perfect faith in God who is above all need, is related to none, is absolutely just, and none has any hand or influence in the exercise of His divine powers. This belief creates in him the consciousness that, unless he lives rightly and acts justly, he cannot succeed. No influence or underhand activity can save him from ruin. As against this, the kefirs and the mushriks always live on false hopes. Some of them believe that God’s son has atoned for their sins; some think that they are God’s favorites, and will not be punished, others believe that their saints will intercede with God on their believe that their deities and believe that by so bribing the deities they have acquired a license for all frivolities and ill-deeds s and depending upon their deities, they do not live pure and good lives. As to the atheists, they do not believe that there is any Being having power over them, to whom they would be responsible for their good or bad action; therefore they consider themselves altogether independent to act in whatever way them like in this world. Their

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own fancies become their gods and they live like slaves of their wishes and desires. (e) The believer does not become despondent and broken-hearted under any circumstances. He has firm faith in God who is the Master of all the treasures of the earth and the heavens, whose grace and bounty have no limit and whose powers are infinite. This faith imparts to his heart extraordinary consolation, fills it with satisfaction and keeps it filled with hope. In this world he might meet with rejection from all doors, nothing herein might serve his ends, All means aright, one after another, desert him; but faith in and dependence on God never leave him; and upon their strength he goes on struggling. Such a profound confidence can result from no other belief than belief in one God. Mushirks, kafirs, and atheists have small hearts; they depend upon limited powers; therefore in hours of trouble they are soon overwhelmed by despair and, frequently, they commit suicide. (f) This belief produces in man a very strong degree of determination, patient perseverance, and trust in God. When he makes up his mind and devotes his resources to fulfill the Divine Commands in order to secure God’s pleasure, he is sure he has the support and backing of the Lord of the universe, this certainty makes him firm and strong like a mountain, and no amount of difficulties, impediments, and hostile opposition can make him give up his resolution. Shirk, Kufr, and atheism have no such effect. (g) On account of man's interference and interpolation, many things have been inserted in those books, which are against reality, revolting to reason, and affronting to every instinct of justice. There are thing which are cruel and unjust and vitiate man's beliefs and action. Furthermore, unfortunately, things have been inserted that are obscene, indecent, and potently immoral. The Qur'an is free from all such rubbish. It contains nothing against reason, and nothing that can be proved wrong. None of its injunctions is unjust; nothing in it is misleading. Of indecency and immorality not a trace can be found in it. From the beginning to the end the whole Book is full of wisdom and truth. It contains the best of philosophy ad the choicest of law for human civilization. It points out the right path and guides man to success and salvation. It is on account of these special features of the Qur'an that all the peoples of the world have been direct to have faith in it, to give up all other Books, and to follow it alone, because it contains all that is essential for living in accordance with God's pleasure, and after it there remains absolutely no need for any other divine Book.

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The study of the differenced between the Qur'an and other divine Books makes one easily understand that the nature of faith in the Qur'an and that of belief in the former Books is not similar. Faith in the former divine Books should be limited to the confirmation that they were all from God, were true, and had been sent down to fulfill, in their time, the same purpose for which the Qur'an has been sent. On the other hand, belief in the Qur'an should be of the nature that it is purely and absolutely God's own words, that it is perfectly true, that every word of it is preserved, that everything mentioned therein is right, that it is the bounden duty of man to carry out in his life each and every command of it; and that whatever be against it must be rejected. [Towards Understanding Islam:Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi]

03.02.02 Belief in the Angels

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Angels are also Allah's creatures, spiritual beings created from light that are under His command. They administer Allah's kingdom, carrying out His orders obediently. They have no free-will or ability to disobey; it is their very nature to be Allah's faithful servants. These angels surround us, each having specific duties, such as their duties include recording man's deeds in this life, which will be presented on the Day of Judgment. [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Belief in the Angels (malaa-ikah) of Allah, recognizing them as spiritually pure and splendid beings whose nature requires no food, drink or sleep. They are honored servants who are assigned certain functions, and spend their days and nights in the worship of Allah. They do not speak before Allah does, and they act only by His command. Muslims believe in the existence of the angels and that they are honored creatures. The angels worship God alone, obey Him, and act only by His command. Among the angels is Gabriel, who brought down the Qur’an to Muhammad .

03.02.03 Belief in God’s Revealed Books Muslims believe in books that Allah has sent down to mankind through His prophets. These books include the Books of Abraham, the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These books all had the same source (Allah), the same message, and all were revealed in truth. This does not mean that they have been preserved in truth. Muslims (and many other Jewish and Christian scholars and historians) find that the books in existence today are not the original scriptures, which in fact have been lost, changed, and/or translated over and over again, losing the original message. "They change the words from their right places and forget a good part of the Message that was sent them..." (Qur'an 5:13). Reading these books today, we have no way of knowing what portion was revealed by Allah, and what was recorded and changed by man. Muslims believe that Allah sent a final revelation, the Qur'an, through the final Prophet of Allah, Mohammed (peace be upon him and all of Allah's messengers).

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"None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar..." (Qur'an 2:106). The sending of this divine Book is not a new and strange event; but only to confirm, restate, and complete those divine instructions which people had mutilated or lost in antiquity. "And We have sent down to you (O Mohammed) the book (this Qur’an) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety..." (Qur'an 5:48). The Qur'an is addressed to all of humanity. It seeks to guide mankind in all walks of life; spiritual, temporal, individual and collective. It contains directions for the conduct of life, relates stories and parables, describes the attributes of Allah, and speaks of the best rules to govern social life. It has directions for everybody, every place, and for all time. The Qur'an was revealed and preserved in the Arabic language. While translations into other languages may differ in word choice, the original Arabic script has been uncorrupted and unchanged since its revelation in the 7th century. [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Belief in all original scriptures and revelations of Allah (Al-Kutub), accepting them as the guiding light that the messengers received to show their respective people the right path to Him. In the Qur'aan, special reference is made to the books of Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus (peace be upon him), but long before the revelation of the Qur'aan to Muhammad (peace be upon him) some of these books and revelations had been lost or corrupted. The only authentic and complete book of Allah in existence today is the Qur'aan, which has been preserved as it was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in its pristine, pure form. Muslims believe that God revealed books to His messengers as proof for mankind and as guidance for them. Among these books is the Qur’an, which God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad . God has guaranteed the Qur’an’s protection from any corruption or distortion. God has said: Indeed, We have sent down the Qur’an, and surely We will guard it (from corruption). (Qur’an, 15:9)

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Belief in the Prophets and Messengers of God Allah is transcendent and beyond all physical limitations of man, so through the medium of an angel, Allah causes His command to be revealed to His human messengers and thus to mankind. The purpose of our life on this earth is to worship Allah and obey His commands. Through His Grace and Benevolence, Allah sent prophets and messengers to every nation, in order to communicate with and guide mankind to the right path. The prophets who were sent to mankind include (among others) Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, David, John the Baptist, Jesus, and finally, Mohammed (peace be upon all of Allah's prophets). These (and many other) chosen men all came with the same message: Islam. That is, they taught faith in One Almighty God, faith in the Day of Judgment, faith in the Prophets and the Books, and asked people consequently to live a life of obedience and submission to their Lord. This is the definition of a Muslim. Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was upright, and bowed his will to Allah's (which is Islam). And he joined not gods with Allah" (Qur'an 3:67). Some of these prophets brought revealed books. They were all men guided by Allah to teach mankind and guide them to the straight path. Muslims believe in them all and make no distinction between them. Say: 'We believe in Allah, and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in the Books given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets, from their Lord; we make no distinction between one and another among them, and to Allah do we bow our will in Islam (Qur'an 3:84). Muslims believe that the final prophet, Mohammed, came to invite people back to the true teachings of the previous prophets, and to bring to mankind a final and allencompassing guidance: the Qur'an. The Qur'an remains in its complete and unadulterated form; there is therefore no need for any more prophets to come. Allah's message is complete. [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Belief in all Messengers of Allah (Ar-Rusul) without any discrimination among them, as every known nation had a Warner or Messenger from Allah. They were

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chosen by Allah to teach humanity and deliver His Divine message. The Qur'aan mentions the names of some of them, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) stands as the Last Messenger and the crowning glory of the foundation of prophet hood. Muslims believe in the prophets and messengers of God, starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them). But God’s final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad . Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last prophet sent by God, as God has said: Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men, but he is the Messenger of God and the last of the prophets... (Qur’an, 33:40) Muslims believe that all the prophets and messengers were created human beings who had none of the divine qualities of God.

03.02.05 Belief in the Day of Judgment Muslims believe that this world will come to an end on a day Allah has appointed. Every soul shall have a taste of death; and only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense... (Qur'an 3:185). Everything will be annihilated, and all of the human beings who had lived in this world will then be restored to life and will be presented before Allah. The entire record of every man and woman - of all their deeds and misdeeds - will be presented before Allah for final judgment. God has said: "We shall set up scales of justice for the Day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt with unjustly in the least..." (Qur'an 21:47). One who excels in goodness will, by the Mercy of Allah, receive a goodly reward; one whose wrongs overweigh his good deeds will be punished. It is neither fair nor just to treat everyone equally. "Is he who is a believer like unto him who is a disbeliever and disobedient (to Allah)? They are not alike." (Qur'an 32:18).

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Allah on that day will judge with Justice, and every soul will receive what it has earned. While unsure of their fate in the Hereafter, Muslims are confident of the Mercy and Justice of Allah. "Say: 'Oh My servants who have transgressed against their own souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins, for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.'" (Qur'an 39:53). Those who emerge successfully from Judgment will go to eternal Paradise; those who are condemned and deserve punishment will be sent to Hell. Allah is the perfect and fair Judge. [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Belief in the Last Day (Yaum Al-Qiyaamah) and the Hereafter (Al-Aakhirah), acknowledging that this world will end someday, and that the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. People with good records will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to the Heaven of Allah, and those with bad records will be punished and cast into Hell and none will be treated with injustice. Muslims believe in the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection) when all people will be resurrected for God’s judgment according to their beliefs and deeds.

03.02.06 Belief in Al-Qadar Belief in Divine Decree Muslims believe that Allah has full power and knowledge of all things, and that nothing happens except by His will and with His full knowledge. What is known

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as divine decree, fate, or "destiny" is known in Arabic as al-Qadr. Everything in the world has a predetermined, set course. The destiny of every creature is already known to Allah. This belief does not contradict with the idea of man's free will to choose his course of action. Allah does not force us to do anything; we can choose whether to obey or disobey Him. Our choice is known to Allah before we even do it. We do not know what our destiny is; but Allah knows the fate of all things. Therefore, we should have firm faith that whatever befalls us, it is according to Allah's will and with His full knowledge. There may be things that happen in this world that we do not understand, but we should trust that Allah has wisdom in all things. [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Belief in Fate (Qadr), whether good or bad, which Allah, measured and ordained for all creation according to His previous knowledge, and as deemed suitable by His wisdom. And in the timeless knowledge of Allah, and in His power to plan and execute His plans, nothing could happen in His Kingdom against His will. His knowledge and power which are always in action command over His creation. He is Wise and Merciful and whatever he does must have a meaningful purpose. If this is established in our minds and hearts, we should accept with good faith that entire He does, although we may fail to understand it fully, or think it is bad. Muslims believe in Al-Qadar, which is Divine Predestination, but this belief in Divine Predestination does not mean that human beings do not have freewill. Rather, Muslims believe that God has given human beings freewill. This means that they can choose right or wrong and that they are responsible for their choices. The belief in Divine Predestination includes belief in four things: (1) God knows everything. He knows what has happened and what will happen. (2) God has recorded all that has happened and all that will happen. (3) Whatever God wills to happen happens, and whatever He wills not to happen does not happen. (4) God is the Creator of everything.

03.03.01 Is There any Sacred Source

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Other than the Qur’an? Yes. The sunnah (what the Prophet Muhammad said, did, or approved of) is the second source in Islam. The sunnah is comprised of hadeeths, which are reliably transmitted reports by the Prophet Muhammad’s companions of what he said, did, or approved of. Belief in the sunnah is a basic Islamic belief.

03.03.02 Examples of the Prophet Muhammad’s Saying The Prophet

Said:

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The believers, in their love, mercy, and kindness to one another are like a body: if any part of it is ill, the whole body shares its sleeplessness and fever. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2586, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6011]

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The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best of them in morals. And the best among them are those who are best to their wives. [Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #7354, and Al-Tirmizi, #1162]

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None of you believes (completely) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #13, and Saheeh Muslim, #45] The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and God will show mercy to you. [Narrated in Al-Tirmizi, #1924, and Abu-Dawood, #4941] Smiling at your brother is charity...[Narrated in Al-Tirmizi, #1956] A good word is charity. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1009, and Saheeh AlBukhari, #2989] Whoever believes in God and the Last Day (the Day of Judgment) should do good to his neighbor. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #48, and Saheeh AlBukhari, #6019]

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God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He look at your hearts and looks into your deeds. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2564] • Pay the worker his wage before his sweat dries. [Narrated in Ibn Majah, #2443] • A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man said, “This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt.” So he went down into the well again, filled his shoe with water, and gave the dog a drink. So, God thanked him and forgave his sins.} The Prophet was asked, “Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?” He said: {There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2244, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2466] •

03.03.03 What does Islam say about the Day of Judgment? Like Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial preparation for the next realm of existence. This life is a test for each individual for the life after death. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed and the dead will be resurrected for judgment by God. This day will be the beginning of a life that will never end. This day is the Day of Judgment. On that day, all people will be rewarded by God according to their beliefs and deeds. Those who die while believing that “There is no true god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God” and are Muslim will be rewarded on that day and will be admitted to Paradise forever, as God has said: And those who believe and do good deeds, they are dwellers of Paradise, they dwell therein forever. (Qur’an, 2:82) But those who die while not believing that “There is no true god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God” or are not Muslim will lose Paradise forever and will be sent to Hellfire, as God has said: And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter. (Qur’an, 3:85)

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And as He has said: Those who have disbelieved and died in disbelief, the earth full of gold would not be accepted from any of them if it were offered as a ransom. They will have a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers. (Qur’an, 3:91) One may ask, ‘I think Islam is a good religion, but if I were to convert to Islam, my family, friends, and other people would persecute me and make fun of me. So if I do not convert to Islam, will I enter Paradise and be saved from Hellfire?’ The answer is what God has said in the preceding verse, “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and he will be one of the losers in the Hereafter.” After having sent the Prophet Muhammad to call people to Islam, God does not accept adherence to any religion other than Islam. God is our Creator and Sustainer. He created for us whatever is in the earth. All the blessings and good things we have are from Him. So after all this, when someone rejects belief in God, His Prophet Muhammad , or His religion of Islam, it is just that he or she be punished in the Hereafter. Actually, the main purpose of our creation is to worship God alone and to obey Him, as God has said in the Holy Qur’an (51:56). This life we live today is a very short life. The unbelievers on the Day of Judgment will think that the life they lived on earth was only a day or part of a day, as God has said: He (God) will say, “How many years did you stay on the earth?” They will say: “We stayed a day or part of a day....” (Qur’an, 23:112-113) And He has said: Did you then think that We had created you in jest (without any purpose), and that you would not be returned to Us (in the Hereafter)? So, God is exalted, the True King. None has the right to be worshipped but Him... (Qur’an, 23:115-116) The life in the Hereafter is a very real life. It is not only spiritual, but physical as well. We will live there with our souls and bodies. In comparing this world with the Hereafter, the Prophet Muhammad

said:

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The value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is like what your finger brings from the sea when you put it in and then take it out. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2858, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17560]

The meaning is that, the value of this world compared to that of the Hereafter is like a few drops of water compared to the sea.

03.03.04 How Does Someone Become a Muslim? A person becomes Muslim when he believes that there is no god except Allah and Mohammed is the messenger of Allah, and verbally testifies this belief by saying: “Ashadu an la illaha illAllah, wa Ashadu anna Mohammed ar Rasool ullah.” “I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah.” [Dr. Ibrahim Dremali] Simply by saying with conviction, “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah,” one converts to Islam and becomes a Muslim. This saying means “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah),* and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” The first part, “There is no true god but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God has neither partner nor son. [*As was mentioned previously, the Arabic word Allah means God (the one and only true God who created the whole universe). This word Allah is a name for God, which is used by Arabic speakers, both Arab Muslims and Arab Christians.] To be a Muslim, one should also: Believe that the Holy Qur’an is the literal word of God, revealed by Him. Believe that the Day of Judgment (the Day of Resurrection) is true and will come, as God promised in the Qur’an. • Accept Islam as his or her religion. • Not worship anything nor anyone except God. • •

The Prophet Muhammad said: God is more joyful at the repentance of someone when he turns to Him in repentance than one of you would be if he

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were riding his camel in the wilderness, and it runs away from him, carrying his food and drink, so that he loses all hope of getting it back. He comes to a tree and lies down in its shade (awaiting death), for he has lost all hope of finding his camel. Then, while he is in that state (of desperation), suddenly it is there before him! So he seizes its halter and cries out from the depth of his joy, “O God, You are my servant and I am Your Lord!” His mistake comes from the intensity of his joy. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2747, and Saheeh AlBukhari, #6309] An important note: If you are interested in converting to Islam or have a question regarding that, then it is highly recommended that you visit “Live Help” thorough chat that is found near the top of www. Islam-guide.com so an advisor over there may help you in pronouncing the testimony right and to provide you with important resources for new Muslims.

The saying, “There is no true god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God,” inscribed over an entrance.

03.03.05 What is the Qur’an About?

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The Quran, the last revealed word of God, is the primary source of every Muslim’s faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects who concern human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, transactions, law, etc., but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time, it provides guidelines and detailed teachings for a just society, proper human conduct, and an equitable economic system. Note that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad in Arabic only. So, any Quranic translation, either in English or any other language, is neither a Quran, nor a version of the Quran, but rather it is only a translation of the meaning of the Quran. The Quran exists only in the Arabic in which it was revealed.

03.03.06: Who is the Prophet Muhammad ? Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570. Since his father died before his birth and his mother died shortly thereafter, he was raised by his uncle who was from the respected tribe of Quraysh. He was raised illiterate, unable to read or write, and remained so till his death. His people, before his mission as a prophet, were ignorant of science and most of them were illiterate. As he grew up, he became known to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous, and sincere. He was so trustworthy that they called him the Trustworthy.1 Muhammad was very religious, and he had long detested the decadence and idolatry of his society. [Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #15078]

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Mosque in Madinah.

At the age of forty, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. The revelations continued for twenty-three years, and they are collectively known as the Quran. As soon as he began to recite the Qur’an and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered persecution from unbelievers. The persecution grew so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate. This emigration from Makkah to the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After several years, Muhammad and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies. Before Muhammad died, at the age of sixty-three, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China. Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the truth and clarity of its doctrine. Islam calls for faith in only one God, Who is the only one worthy of worship. The Prophet Muhammad was a perfect example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate, truthful, and brave human being. Though he was a man, he was far removed from all evil characteristics and strove solely for the sake of God and His reward in the Hereafter. Moreover, in all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of God. (For more information on the Prophet Muhammad , please refer to the links at More on the Prophet Muhammad .)

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How Did the Spread of Islam Affect the Development of Science? Islam instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation. Within a few years of the spread of Islam, great civilizations and universities were flourishing. The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas, and of new thought with old, brought about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history. Many crucial systems, such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and the concept of zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics), were transmitted to medieval Europe from the Muslim world. Sophisticated instruments which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery, such as the astrolabe, the quadrant, and good navigational maps, were also developed by Muslims. The Astrolabe: One of the most important scientific instruments developed by Muslims which was also used widely in the West until modern times.

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Muslim physicians paid much attention to surgery and developed many surgical instruments as seen in this old manuscript.

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03.03.08: What do Muslims Believe about Jesus? Muslims respect and revere Jesus (peace be upon him). They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers to mankind. The Qur’an confirms his virgin birth, and a chapter of the Quran is entitled ‘Maryam’ (Mary). The Qur’an describes the birth of Jesus as follows: (Remember) when the angels said, “O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him (God), whose name is the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, revered in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (to God). He will speak to the people from his cradle and as a man, and he is of the righteous.” She said, “My Lord, how can I have a child when no mortal has touched me?” He said, “So (it will be). God creates what He wills. If He decrees a thing, He says to it only, ‘Be!’ and it is.” (Qur’an, 3:45-47) Jesus was born miraculously by the command of God, the same command that had brought Adam into being with neither a father nor a mother. God has said: The case of Jesus with God is like the case of Adam. He created him from dust, and then He said to him, “Be!” and he came into being. (Qur’an, 3:59) During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles. God tells us that Jesus said: I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you the shape of a bird out of clay, I breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by God’s permission. I heal the blind from birth and the leper. And I bring the dead to life by God’s permission. And I tell you what you eat and what you store in your houses....” (Qur’an, 3:49) Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to Him. And the likeness of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus. God has said: ...They said, “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)... (Qur’an, 4:157)

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Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to change the basic doctrine of the belief in one God, brought by earlier prophets, but rather to confirm and renew it.*

The Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. * Muslims also believe that God revealed a holy book to Jesus called the Injeel, some parts of which may be still available in the teachings of God to Jesus in the New Testament. But this does not mean that Muslims believe in the Bible we have today because it is not the original scriptures that were revealed by God. They underwent alterations, additions, and omissions. This was also said by the Committee charged with revising The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version). This Committee consisted of thirty-two scholars who served as members of the Committee. They secured the review and counsel of an Advisory Board of fifty representatives of the co-operating denominations. The Committee said in the Preface to The Holy Bible (Revised Standard Version), p. iv, “Sometimes it is evident that the text has suffered in transmission, but none of the versions provides a satisfactory restoration. Here we can only follow the best judgment of competent scholars as to the most probable reconstruction of the original text.” The Committee also said in the Preface, p. vii, “Notes are added which indicate significant variations, additions, or omissions in the ancient authorities (Mt 9.34; Mk 3.16; 7.4; Lk 24.32, 51, etc.).” For more in-depth articles regarding this subject, please visit the following external web pages: Confessions of the New American Bible and Bible Contradictions.]

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03.03.09 What does Islam Say about Terrorism? Islam, a religion of mercy, does not permit terrorism. In the Quran, God has said: God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes. God loves just dealers. (Qur’an, 60:8) The Prophet Muhammad used to prohibit soldiers from killing women and children, [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1744, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3015] And he would advise them: ...Do not betray, do not be excessive, and do not kill a newborn child. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1731, and Al-Tirmizi, #1408 And he also said: Whoever has killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of forty years. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #3166, and Ibn Majah, #2686] Also, the Prophet Muhammad Abu-Dawood, #2675]

has forbidden punishment with fire. [Narrated in

He once listed murder as the second of the major sins. [Narrated in Saheeh AlBukhari, #6871, and Saheeh Muslim, #88] And he even warned that on the Day of Judgment: The first cases to be adjudicated between people on the Day of Judgment will be those of bloodshed. (This means killing and injuring) [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1678, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6533] Muslims are even encouraged to be kind to animals and are forbidden to hurt them. Once the Prophet Muhammad said A woman was punished because she imprisoned a cat until it died. On account of this, she was doomed to Hell. While she imprisoned it, she did not give the cat food or drink, nor did she free it to eat the insects of the earth. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2422, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2365]

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He also said that a man gave a very thirsty dog a drink, so God forgave his sins for this action. The Prophet was asked, “Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?” He said: There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2244, and Saheeh AlBukhari, #2466] Additionally, while taking the life of an animal for food, Muslims are commanded to do so in a manner that causes the least amount of fright and suffering possible. The Prophet Muhammad said: When you slaughter an animal, do so in the best way. One should sharpen his knife to reduce the suffering of the animal. [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #1955, and Al-Tirmizi, #1409] In light of these and other Islamic texts, the act of inciting terror in the hearts of defenseless civilians, the wholesale destruction of buildings and properties, the bombing and maiming of innocent men, women, and children are all forbidden and detestable acts according to Islam and the Muslims. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the vast majority have nothing to do with the violent events some have associated with Muslims. If an individual Muslim were to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of violating the laws of Islam. (For more articles on Islam on terrorism, please refer to the links at More on Islam on Terrorism.)

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03.03.10 Homan Rights and Justice in Islam Islam provides many human rights for the individual. The following are some of these human rights that Islam protects. The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred, whether a person is Muslim or not. Islam also protects honor. So, in Islam, insulting others or making fun of them is not allowed. The Prophet Muhammad said: Truly your blood, your property, and your honor are inviolable. [Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #1739, and Mosnad Ahmad, #2037] Racism is not allowed in Islam, for the Qur’an speaks of human equality in the following terms: (49:13) Human beings, We created you all from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you. *28 Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. *29 (Surah Al-Hujurat) *28 In this verse the whole of mankind has been addressed to reform it of the great evil that has always been causing universal disruption in the world, that is, the prejudices due to race, color, language, country, and nationality. On account of these prejudices man in every age has generally been discarding humanity and drawing around himself some small circles and regarding those born within those circles as his own people and those outside them as others. These circles have been drawn on the basis of accidental birth and not on rational and moral grounds. In some cases their basis is the accident of being born in a particular family, tribe, or race, and in some particular geographical region, or in a nation having a particular color or speaking a particular language. Then the discrimination between one's own people and others is not only confide to this that those who are looked upon as one's own people are shown greater love and cooperation than others, but this discrimination has assumed the worst forms of hatred, enmity, contempt and tyranny. New philosophies have been propounded for it, new religions invented, new codes of law made and new moral principles framed; so much so that nations and empires have made this distinction a permanent way of life with them and

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practiced it for centuries. The Jews on this very basis regarded the children of Israel as the chosen people of God and even in the practice of their religious rites looked upon the non-Jews as inferior to the Jews in rights and rank. This very discrimination gave birth to class distinctions (varnashrama) among the Hindus according to which superiority of the Brahmins was established, all other human beings came to be regarded as inferior and unclean and the shudras cast into the depths of disgrace and degradation. Every person can see for himself even in this 20th century what atrocities have been committed against the colored people in Africa and America on account of the distinction between the white and the black. The treatment that the Europeans meted out to the Red Indian race in America and to the weak nations of Asia and Africa had the same concept underlying it. They thought that the lift and property and honor of all those who had been born outside the frontiers of their own land and nation were lawful for them and they had the right to plunder and take them as their slaves and exterminate them if need be. The worst examples of how the nationalism of the western nations has turned one nation against the others and made it their bloodthirsty enemy have been seen in the wars of the recent past and are being seen even in the present time. In particular, if what was manifested by the racism of the Nazi Germany and the concept of the superiority of the Nordic race m the last World War is kept in view. One can easily judge how stupendous and devastating is the error for whose reform this verse of the Qur'an was revealed. In this brief verse, Allah has drawn the attention of all mankind to three cardinal truths: (1) "The origin of all of you is one and the same: your whole species has sprung up from one man and one woman: all your races that are found in the world today are, in fact, the branches of one initial race that started with one mother and one father. In this process of creation there is no basis whatever for the divisions and distinctions in which you have involved yourselves because of your false notions. One God alone is your Creator. Different men have not been created by different Gods. You have been made from one and the same substance; it is not so that some men have been made from some pure and superior substance and some other men from some impure and inferior substance. You have been created in one and the same way; it is not also so that different men have been created in different ways. And you are the offspring of the same parents; it is not so that in the beginning there were many human couples which gave birth to different populations in the different regions of the world.' (2) "In spite of being one in origin it was natural that you should be divided into nations and tribes. Obviously, all the men on the earth could not belong to one and

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the same family. With the spread of the race it was inevitable that countless families should arise, and then tribes and nations should emerge from the families. Similarly, it was inevitable that after settling in different regions of the earth, there should be differences of colors, features, languages and ways of living among the people, and it was also natural that those living in the same region should be closer in affinity and those living in remote regions not so close; but this natural difference never demanded that distinctions of inequality, of high and low, of noble and mean, should be established on its basis, that one race should claim superiority over the other, the people of one color should look down upon the people of other colors, and that one nation should take preference over the ocher without any reason. The Creator had divided the human communities into nations and tribes for that was a natural way of cooperation and distinction between them. In this way alone could fatuity, a brotherhood, a tribe and a nation combine to give birth to a common way of life and to cooperate with each other in the affairs of the world. But it was all due to satanic ignorance that the differences among mankind created by Allah to be a means of recognition, were trade a means of mutual boasting and hatred, which led mankind to every kind of injustice and tyranny. (3) The only basis of superiority and excellence that there is, or can be, between man and man is that of moral excellence. As regards birth, all men arc equal, for their Creator is One, their substance of creation is one, and their way of creation is one, and they are descended from the same parents. Moreover, a person’s is born in a particular country, nation, or clan is just accidental. Therefore, there is no rational ground on account of which one person may be regarded as superior to the other. The real thing that makes one person superior to others is that one should be more God-conscious, a greater avoider of evils, and a follower of the way of piety and righteousness. Such a man whether he belongs to any race, any nation and any country, is valuable and worthy on account of his personal merit. And the one who is reverse of him in character is in any case an inferior person whether he is black or white, born in the east or the west. These same truths that have been stated in this beef verse of the Qur'an have been explained in greater detail by the Holy Prophet in his addresses and traditions. In the speech that he made on the conquest of Makkah, after going round the Ka'bah, he said: 'Thank God Who has removed from you the blemish of ignorance and its arrogance. O people, men are divided into classes: the pious and righteous, which are honorable in the sight of Allah, and the sinful and vicious, which are contemptible in the sight of Allah, whereas all men are the children of Adam and Adam had been created by Allah from clay." (Baihaqi, Tirmidhi).

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On the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage, in the midst of the Tashriq days, he addressed the people, and said: 'O people, be aware: your God is One. No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, and no non-Arab any superiority over an Arab, and no white one has any superiority over a black one, and no black one any superiority over a white one, except on the basis of taqwa (piety). The most honorable among you in the sight, of Allah is he who is the most pious and righteous of you. Say if I have conveyed the Message to you?" And the great congregation of the people responded, saying: Yes, you have, O Messenger of Allah." Thereupon the Holy Prophet said: "Then let the one who is present convey it to those who are absent," (Baihaqi). In a Hadith he has said: "You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from the dust. Let the people give’ up boasting of their ancestors, otherwise they will stand more degraded than a mean insect in the sight of Allah." ( Bazzar) In another Hadith the Holy Prophet said: "Allah will not enquire about your lineage on the Day of Resurrection. The most honorable in the sight of Allah is he who is most pious. "(Ibn Jarir) In still another Hadith he said: "Allah does not see your outward appearances and your possessions, but He sees your hearts and your deeds." (Muslim, lbn Majah). These teachings have not remained confined to words only but Islam has practically established a universal brotherhood of the believers on the basis, which does not allow any distinction on account of color, race, language, country and nationality which is free from every concept of high and low, clean and unclean, mean and respectable, which admits all human beings with equal rights, whether they belong to any race and nation, any land or region. Even the opponents of Islam have not had to admit that no precedent is found in any religion and any system of the success with which the principle of human equality and unity has been given practical shape in the Muslim society, nor has it ever been found. Islam is the only religion which has welded and combined innumerable races and communities scattered in all corners of the earth into one universal Ummah. In this connection, a misunderstanding also needs to be removed. In the case of marriage, the importance that Islamic law gives to kufu(likeness of status) has been taken by some people in the sense that some brotherhoods are noble and some mean, and matrimonial relations between them are objectionable. But this, in fact, is a wrong idea. According to the Islamic law, every Muslim man can marry every Muslim woman, but the success of the matrimonial life depends on maximum

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harmony and conformity between the spouses as regards habits, characteristics and ways of life, family traditions and economic and social status, so that they may get on well with each other. This is the real object of being equal and alike. Where there is unusual difference and disparity between the man and the woman in this regard, lifelong companionship will be difficult. That is why the Islamic law disapproves of such intermarriages, and not for the reason that one of the spouses is noble and the other mean, but for the reason that in case there is a clear and apparent difference and distention in status, there would be a greater possibility of the failure of the matrimonial life if the marriage relationship was established. *29 That is, "This is only known to Allah as to who is really a man of high rank and who is inferior in respect of qualities and characteristics. The standards of high and low that the people have set up of their own accord are not acceptable to and approved by Allah. Maybe that the one that has been regarded as a man of high rank in the world is declared as the lowest of the low in the final judgment of Allah, and maybe that the one who has been looked upon as a very low person here, attains to a very high rank there. The real importance is not of the honor and dishonor of the world but of the honor and dishonor that one will receive from Allah. Therefore, what man should be most concerned about is that he should create in himself those real qualities and characteristics which make him worthy of honor in the sight of Allah. [Towards Understanding the Qur’an : Sayyid Abul A’la Mawdudi] Islam rejects certain individuals or nations being favored because of their wealth, power, or race. God created human beings as equals who are to be distinguished from each other only on the basis of their faith and piety. The Prophet Muhammad said: {O people! Your God is one and your forefather (Adam) is one. An Arab is not better than a non-Arab and a non-Arab is not better than an Arab, and a red (i.e. white tinged with red) person is not better than a black person and a black person is not better than a red person,* except in piety.} [Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #22978] *The colors mentioned in this Prophetic saying are examples. The meaning is that in Islam no one is better than another because of his color, whether it is white, black, red, or any other color. One of the major problems facing mankind today is racism. The developed world can send a man to the moon but cannot stop man from hating and fighting his fellow man. Ever since the days of the Prophet Muhammad , Islam has provided a vivid example of how racism can be ended. The annual pilgrimage

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(Hajj) to Makkah shows the real Islamic brotherhood of all races and nations, when about two million Muslims from all over the world come to Makkah to perform the pilgrimage. Islam is a religion of justice. God has said: Truly God commands you to give back trusts to those to whom they are due, and when you judge between people, to judge with justice.... (Quran, 4:58) And He has said: ...And act justly. Truly, God loves those who are just. (Quran, 49:9) We should even be just with those who we hate, as God has said: ...And let not the hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is nearer to piety.... (Quran, 5:8) The Prophet Muhammad said: {People, beware of injustice,*5 for injustice shall be darkness on the Day of Judgment.}*6 [Narrated in Mosnad Ahmad, #5798, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2447] [*5oppressing others, acting unjustly, or doing wrong to others.] And those who have not gotten their rights (i.e. what they have a just claim to) in this life will receive them on the Day of Judgment, as the Prophet said: {On the Day of Judgment, rights will be given to those to whom they are due (and wrongs will be redressed)...}7 [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2582, and Mosnad Ahmad, #7163]

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03.03.11 What is the Status of Women in Islam?

Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings without any guardianship over her (whether that be her father, husband, or anyone else). She has the right to buy and sell, give gifts and charity, and may spend her money as she pleases. A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her own family name rather than taking her husband’s. Islam encourages the husband to treat his wife well, as the Prophet Muhammad said: • {The best among you are those who are best to their wives.} [Narrated in Ibn Majah, #1978, and Al-Tirmizi, #3895] Mothers in Islam are highly honored. Islam recommends treating them in the best way. •

A man came to the Prophet Muhammad and said, “O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good

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companionship?” The Prophet said: {Your mother.} The man said, “Then who?” The Prophet said: {Then your mother.} The man further asked, “Then who?” The Prophet said: {Then your mother.} The man asked again, “Then who?” The Prophet said: {Then your father.} [Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2548, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #5971] (For in-depth articles on women in Islam, please refer to the links at In-Depth Articles on Women in Islam.)

03.03.12 The Family in Islam The family, which is the basic unit of civilization, is now disintegrating. Islam’s family system brings the rights of the husband, wife, children, and relatives into a fine equilibrium. It nourishes unselfish behavior, generosity, and love in the framework of a well-organized family system. The peace and security offered by a stable family unit is greatly valued, and it is seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its members. A harmonious social order is created by the existence of extended families and by treasuring children.

03.03.13 How Do Muslims Treat the Elderly? In the Islamic world, one rarely finds “old people’s homes.” The strain of caring for one’s parents in this most difficult time of their lives is considered an honor and a blessing and an opportunity for great spiritual growth. In Islam, it is not enough that we only pray for our parents, but we should act with limitless compassion, remembering that when we were helpless children, they preferred us to themselves. Mothers are particularly honored. When Muslim parents reach old age, they are treated mercifully, with kindness and selflessness. In Islam, serving one’s parents is a duty second to prayer, and it is their right to expect it. It is considered despicable to express any irritation when, through no fault of their own, the old become difficult.

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God has said: Your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to your parents. If one of them or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them a word of disrespect, or scold them, but say a generous word to them. And act humbly to them in mercy, and say, “My Lord, have mercy on them, since they cared for me when I was small.” (Qur’an, 17:23-24)

03.04.00 What Are The Five Pillars of Islam? The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, giving Zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able.

03.04.01 The Testimony of Faith

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The testimony of faith is saying with conviction, “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadur rasoolu Allah.” This saying means “There is no true god (deity) but God (Allah),* and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.” The first part, “There is no true god but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God has neither partner nor son. This testimony of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which should be said with conviction in order to convert to Islam [as explained previously on http://www.islam-guide.com/ch3-6.htm]. The testimony of faith is the most important pillar of Islam. [For more details on the word Allah, [*http://www.islamguide.com/ch3-2.htm#About_Allah]

03.04.02 Prayer Muslims perform five prayers a day. Each prayer does not take more than a few minutes to perform. Prayer in Islam is a direct link between the worshipper and God. There are no intermediaries between God and the worshipper. In prayer, a person feels inner happiness, peace, and comfort, and that God is pleased with him or her. The Prophet Muhammad said: • {Bilal, call (the people) to prayer, let us be comforted by it.}* Bilal was one of Muhammad’s companions who were charged to call the people to prayers. [*Narrated in Abu-Dawood, #4985, and Mosnad Ahmad, #22578] Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and night. A Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories, or universities. (For detailed information on how to perform prayer, please refer to the links at [http://www.islam-guide.com/more/#Prayer (How to Perform Prayer)] or refer to the book entitled A Guide to Salat (Prayer) by M. A. K. Saqib)

03.04.03

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Giving Zakat (Support of the Needy) All things belong to God, and wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The original meaning of the word zakat is both ‘purification’ and ‘growth.’ Giving zakat means ‘giving a specified percentage on certain properties to certain classes of needy people.’ The percentage which is due on gold, silver, and cash funds that have reached the amount of about 85 grams of gold and held in possession for one lunar year is two and a half percent. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a small portion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth. A person may also give as much as he or she pleases as voluntary alms or charity.

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Fasting the Month of Ramadan Every year in the month of Ramadan,* all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations. [*The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar (which is lunar, not solar).] Although the fast is beneficial to health, it is regarded principally as a method of spiritual self-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry, as well as growth in his or her spiritual life.

03.04.05 The Pilgrimage to Makkah The annual pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah is an obligation once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. About two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj is performed in the twelfth month of the Islamic calendar. Male pilgrims wear special simple clothes which strip away distinctions of class and culture so that all stand equal before God.

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Pilgrims praying at the Haram mosque in Makkah. In this mosque is the Kaaba (the black building in the picture) which Muslims turn toward when praying. The Kaaba is the place of worship which God commanded the Prophets Abraham and his son, Ishmael, to build.

The rites of the Hajj include circling the Ka’aba seven times and going seven times between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa, as Hagar did during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together in Arafa* and ask God for what they wish and for His forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Day of Judgment. [*An area about 15 miles from Makkah.] The end of the Hajj is marked by a festival, Eid Al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers. This, and Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the two annual festivals of the Muslim calendar.

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04.00.00 Islam in the United States It is difficult to generalize about American Muslims. They are converts, immigrants, factory workers, and doctors. This varied community is unified by a common faith, underpinned by a nationwide network of a large number of mosques.

Muslims arrived early in North America. By the eighteenth century, there were many Muslims in North America. Great numbers of Americans have entered the fold of Islam. They are from different classes: the rich, the poor, the educated, and the illiterate. Today, there are about five and a half million Muslims in the United States. [The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996, Famighetti, p. 644]

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For More Information on Islam Suggested Links on Islam: If you have finished reading the basic (previous) articles in this web site, which are the articles of the book, then it is highly recommended that you visit our partner web site for more information on Islam: www.IslamReligion.com It’s an important and attractive web site for people of various faiths who seek to understand Islam and Muslims. It contains a lot of brief, yet informative articles about different aspects of Islam. New articles are added every week. It also features Live Help by chat. Also below are some suggested web pages and web sites for more info. These web pages are not included in the book. All of these links open a new window, so to come back here, close the new window. These links are categorized into the following subjects: Stories of New Muslims More on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Quran More on Muhammad in the Bible More on the Basic Islamic Beliefs More on the Life After Death, the Day of Judgment, Paradise, and Hellfire More on Real Happiness in Islam General Information on Islam in Brief General Information on Islam in Depth In-Depth Articles on Jesus More on the Prophet Muhammad Comparative Religion Regarding the Bible and Jesus Translation of the Meanings of the Holy Quran Translation of Some Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad More on Islam on Terrorism In-Depth Articles on Women in Islam How to Perform Prayer To Ask a Live Person About Islam by Phone Questions and Answers on Islam Online Islamic Bookstores Islamic Organizations

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Stories of New Muslims (how they converted, their thoughts, and feelings): Stories of Converts Stories of Priests Who Converted to Islam How Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam) Converted to Islam (formerly a famous pop singer) Stories of New Muslims My Journey to Islam (from IslamiCity web site) My Journey to Islam (from IslamOnline web site) New Muslims’ Stories (from IslamWeb web site) The Sword of Islam Discusses how Islam was spread by the sword of Islam (i.e. the truth and rightness of Islam) and not by the sword of steel (i.e. force). More on the Scientific Miracles in the Holy Qur’an: It is the Truth The Bible, the Quran, and Science (by Dr. Maurice Bucaille) [Notes: 1. Copied from Witness Pioneer web site with permission. 2. Does not include the entire book.] Science in the Quran (from BeConvinced web site) Short Articles on the Quran and Science The Amazing Quran (by Dr. Gary Miller) The Quran and Modern Science (by Dr. Maurice Bucaille) Islam and Science (from IslamiCity web site) More on Muhammad in the Bible: More Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad (from this web site) The Bible’s Last Prophet Muhammad in the Bible Muhammad is mentioned by his exact name in the Gospel of Barnabas More on the Basic Islamic Beliefs: The Muslim’s Belief Pillars of Faith More on the Life After Death, the Day of Judgment, Paradise, and Hellfire: The Lowest Rank of Those in Paradise

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Paradise According to the Quran and the Prophet’s Sayings Everlasting Life in Paradise Some of the Bounties which God has prepared for the Believers in Jannah (Paradise) Paradise, Its Description, Its Bounties, and Its Intimates About Paradise, the Hereafter, and What Make the Heart Tender Descriptions of Paradise from the Quran Description of Paradise RealPlayer Audio Lecture from islaam.com: time 27m:30s. The Least Torture for Those in Hell What Happens in the Grave Remembering the Hereafter Life After Death More on Real Happiness in Islam: The Way To Achieve Happiness The Way To Happiness (from al-sunnah.com) General Information on Islam in Brief: Discover Islam (with illustrations) What is Islam Introducing Islam The True Religion What is the Purpose of Life? Discover Islam (from IslamOnline web site) I Want to Embrace Islam But... (wrong excuses for not becoming a Muslim) The Purpose of Life RealPlayer Audio Lecture, time 1h:23m. To save, right click then save Part1 & Part2, size about 5.2 MB each. (Back to List of Subjects) General Information on Islam in Depth: About Islam and Muslims Be Convinced Several Valuable Online Booklets on Islam Several Valuable Online Brochures on Islam Towards Understanding Islam (an online book)

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About Islam (from the MSA at USC) Articles on Islam in different languages Islam: Empire of Faith (a PBS film on the history, culture, innovation, and leaders of the Islamic empires) Online Video Shows on Islam (by Shabir Ally) Discover Islam Online TV To Order “A Journey to Explore Islam” CD (a very informative CD with more than 450 subjects on Islam) In-Depth Articles on Jesus (most of these articles are from Islam Answers Back web site): The Bible Denies the Divinity of Jesus Jesus is Not Son of God According to the Bible and the Quran Jesus in the Holy Quran Was Jesus God and Man at the Same Time? The Truth About Jesus More on the Prophet Muhammad : About the Prophet Muhammad Twelve Proofs that Muhammad is A True Prophet From “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History” Biography of the Prophet Muhammad Comparative Religion Regarding the Bible and Jesus: Islam Answers Back The Bible, the Quran, and Science (by Dr. Maurice Bucaille) [Notes: 1. Copied from Witness Pioneer web site with permission. 2. Does not include the entire book.] Confessions of the New American Bible (from Islam Answers Back web site) Bible Contradictions (from Islam Answers Back web site) Short Articles on Comparative Religion The Plain Truth Translation of the Meanings of the Holy Quran: The Noble Quran In the Shade of the Quran - Part 30 (commentary on the last 37 chapters of the Qur’an) Lord’s Words (the Holy Qur’an categorized into topics)

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To Order The Holy Qur’an, a translation by Saheeh International (one of the best translations) Translation of Some Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad Riyad-us-Saliheen Saheeh Al-Bukhari Saheeh Muslim A Collection from Different Books

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More on Islam on Terrorism: Islam, Muslims, and Violence (a special report and coverage by Islam Online web site) Islam, Jihad (Holy War), and Terrorism Is Islam A Religion of Terror? Attack on the USA - A Muslim Response Islam and Terrorism (by Dr. Bilal Philips) Tolerance in Islam Jihad (Holy War) Explained A Condemning Statement on 9/11 Tragedy by the President of the Committee of Senior Scholars of Saudi Arabia A Condemning Statement on 9/11 Tragedy by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judiciary Council of Saudi Arabia A Condemning Statement on 9/11 Tragedy by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, an Islamic Scholar The Islamic Verdict on Hijacking and Kidnapping The Islamic Verdict on Suicide Bombings In-Depth Articles on Women in Islam: More on Women in Islam (from this web site) Women in Islam (from About Islam and Muslims web site) Women in Islam (from Be Convinced web site) Women in Christianity and Islam in Brief Women in Christianity and Islam in Depth How to Perform Prayer: The Right Way to Pray How to Perform Ablution (which is necessary for Prayer) The Muslim Prayer Prayer Time Calculator

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To Ask a Live Person About Islam by Phone: Toll free Tel. # within the USA and Canada: 1-877-WHY-ISLAM or 1-877-949-4752 (from 9 am to 9 pm Eastern Standard Time) Questions and Answers on Islam (and to submit a question about it): Ask About Islam (from IslamOnline web site) Islam Questions and Answers FAQ on Islam (by Dr. Zakir Naik) FAQ on Islam (from Lord’s Words web site) Ask the Scholar (from IslamToday web site) Questions and Answers About Islam (from Islam Web site) Online Islamic Bookstores: Darussalam Publications Al-Basheer Publications Islamic Organizations: Also, If you would like more information on Islam, or if you have any questions or comments, you may contact one of the following organizations (Note: To search for addresses of Islamic centers near you, please visit Islamic Finder): (1) The United States: Islamic Assembly of North America 3588 Plymouth Road, Suite # 270, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA Tel.: (734) 528-0006 - Fax: (734) 528-0066 E-mail: [email protected] Islamic Foundation of America PO Box: 3415, Merrifield, VA 22116, USA Tel.: (703) 914-4982 - Fax: (703) 914-4984 E-mail: [email protected] Al-haramain Islamic Foundation 1257 Siskiyou Blvd., no. 212, Ashland, OR 97520, USA Tel.: (541) 482-1116 - Fax: (541) 482-1117 E-mail: [email protected]

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Understanding Islam Foundation 11153 Washington Pl., Culver City, CA 90232, USA Tel. and Fax: (301) 558-9865 E-mail: [email protected] World Assembly of Muslim Youth PO Box: 8096, Falls Church, VA 22041-8096, USA Tel.: (703) 820-6656 - Fax: (703) 783-8409 E-mail: [email protected] Islamic Information Institute of Dar-us-Salam 5301 Edgewood Rd., College Park, MD 20740-4623, USA Tel.: (301) 982-9463 - Fax: (301) 982-9849 E-mail: [email protected] Al Jumuah Magazine PO Box: 5387, Madison, WI 53705-5387, USA Tel.: (608) 277-1855 - Fax: (608) 277-0323 E-mail: [email protected] (2) Canada: Islamic Information & Da’wah Center International 1168 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M6H 1N1, Canada Tel.: (416) 536-8433 - Fax: (416) 536-0417 E-mail: [email protected] (3) The United Kingdom: Al-Muntada Al-Islami Centre 7 Bridges Place, Parsons Green, London SW6 4HW, UK Tel.: 44 (0207) 736 9060 Fax: 44 (0207) 736 4255 E-mail: [email protected]

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Jam’iat Ihyaa’ Minhaaj Al-Sunnah PO Box: 24, Ipswich, Suffolk IP3 8ED, UK Tel. and Fax: 44 (01473) 251578 E-mail: [email protected] (4) Saudi Arabia: Alharamain Islamic Foundation PO Box: 69606, Riyadh 11557, Saudi Arabia Tel.: (966-1) 465-2210 - Fax: (966-1) 462-3306 E-mail: [email protected] World Assembly of Muslim Youth PO Box: 10845, Riyadh 11443, Saudi Arabia Tel.: (966-1) 464-1669 - Fax: (966-1) 464-1710 E-mail: [email protected] For Further Reading on Islam: • The True Religion, by Bilal Philips. • The Qur’an and Modern Science, by Dr. Maurice Bucaille, edited by Dr. A.A. B. Philips. • Towards Understanding Islam, by Sayyid Abul A’ala Mawdudi. • Life After Death (pamphlet), by World Assembly of Muslim Youth. • Interpretation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran in the English Language, by Dr. Muhammad Al-Hilali and Dr. Muhammad Khan. • The Muslim’s Belief, by Muhammad al-Uthaimin, translated by Dr. Maneh alJohani. Note: This list of books is useful for people who do not have access to the Internet. But for people who have access to the Internet, it is much better to use the suggested links at [http://www.islam-guide.com/more/] For More Information on Islam. There, you may find links to most of these books.

References For Enrichment of the Book: (01) Ahrens, C. Donald. 1988. Meteorology Today. 3rd Ed. St. Paul: West Publishing Company.

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(02) Anderson, Ralph K.; and others. 1978. The Use of Satellite Pictures in Weather Analysis and Forecasting. Geneva: Secretarial of the World Meteorological Organization. (03) Anthes, Richard A.; John J. Cahir; Alistair B. Fraser; and Hans A. Panofsky. 1981. The Atmosphere. 3rd ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. (04) Barker, Kenneth; and others. 1985. The NIV Study Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House. (05) Bodin, Svante. 1978. Weather and Climate. Poole, Dorest: Blandford Press Ltd. (06) Cailleux, Andre’. 1968. Anatomy of the Earth, London: World University Library. (07) Couper, Heather; and Nigel Henbest, 1995. The Space Atlas. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited. (08) Davis, Richard A., Jr. 1972, Principles of Oceanography. Don Mills, Ontario: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. (09) Douglas, J. D.; and Merrill C. Tenney, 1989. NIV Compact Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House. (10) Elder, Danny; and John Pernetta. 1991. Oceans. London: Mitchell Beazley Publishers. (11) Famighetti, Robert. 1996. The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1996. Mahwah, New Jersey: World Almanac Books. (12) Gross, M. Grant. 1993. Oceanography, a View of Earth. 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc. (13) Hickman, Cleveland P.; and others. 1979. Integrated Principles of Zoology. 6th Ed. St. Louis: The C. V. Mosby Company. (14) Al-Hilali, Muhammad T.; and Muhammad M. Khan. 1994. Interpretation of the Meanings of The Noble Qur’an in the English Language. 4th revised ed. Riyadh: Maktaba Dar-us-Salam. (15) The Holy Bible, Containing the Old and New Testaments (Revised Standard Version). 1971. New York: William Collins Sons & Co., Ltd. (16) Ibn Hesham, Abdul-Malek. Al-Serah Al-Nabaweyyah. Beirut: Dar ElMarefah. (17) The Islamic Affairs Department, The Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C. 1989. (18) Understanding Islam and the Muslims. Washington, D.C.; The Islamic Affairs Department, The Embassy of Saudi Arabia. (19) Kuenen, H. 1960 Marine Geology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (20) Leeson, C. R.; and T. S. Leeson, 1981, Histology. 4th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company.

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(21) Ludlam, F. H. 1980, Clouds and Storms, London: The Pennsylvania State University Press. (22) Makky, Ahmad A.; and others. 1993. Ee’jaz al-Qur’an al-Kareem fee Wasf Anwa’ al-Riyah, al-Sohob, al-Matar. Makkah: Commission on Scientific Signs of the Qur’an and Sunnah. (23) Miller, Albert; and Jack C. Thompson. 1975. Elements of Meteorology. 2nd ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. (24) Moore, Keith L.; E. Marshall Johnson; T.V.N. Persaud; Gerald C. Goeringer; Abdul-Majeed A. Zindani; and Mustafa A. Ahmed. 1992. Human Development as Described in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Makkah: Commission on Scientific Signs of the Qur’an and Sunnah. (25) Moore, Keith L.; A.A. Zindani; and others. 1987. Al-E’jaz al-Elmy fee alNaseyah (The scientific Miracles in the Front of the Head). Makkah: Commission on Scientific Signs of the Qur’an and Sunnah. (26) Moore, Keith L. 1983, The Developing Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology, With Islamic Additions. 3rd Ed. Jeddah: Dar Al-Qiblah. (27) Moore, Keith L.; and T.V.N. Persaud. 1993. The Developing Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology. 5th Ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company. (28) El-Naggar, Z.R. 1991, The Geological Concept of Mountains in the Qur’an. 1st ed. Herndon: International Institute of Islamic Thought. (29) Neufeldt, V. 1994. Webster’s New World Dictionary, Third College Edition. New York: Prentice Hall. (30) The New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1981. 15th Ed. Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. (31) Noback, Charles R.; N.L. Strominger; and R.J. Demarest. 1991. The Human Nervous System, Introduction and Review. 4th Ed. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. (32) Ostrogorsky, George. 1969. History of the Byzantine State, Translated from the German by Joan Hussey, Revised Ed. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. (33) Press, Frank; and Raymond Siever. 1982, Earth. 3rd Ed. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Company. (34) Ross, W.D.; and others. 1963. The Works of Aristotle Translated into English: Meteorological. vol. III, London: Oxford University Press. (35) Scorer, Richard; and Harry Wexler. 1963. A Color Guide to Clouds. Robert Maxwell. (36) Seeds, Michael A. 1981, Horizons, Exploring the Universe. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company.

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(37) Seeley, Rod R.; Trent D. Stephens; and Philip Tate. 1996. Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology. 2nd ed. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, Inc. (38) Sykes, Percy. 1963, History of Persia 3rd Ed. London: Macmillan & Co Ltd. (39) Tarbuck, Edward J.; and Frederick K. Lutgens, 1982. Earth Science. 3rd Ed. Columbus: Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. (40) Thurman, Harold V. 1988, Introductory Oceanography. 5th Ed. Columbus: Merrill Publishing Company. (41) Weinberg, Steven. 1984. The First Three Minutes, a Modern View of the Origin of the Universe, 5th Ed. New York: Bantam Books. (42) Al-Zarkashy, Badr Al-Deen. 1990. Al-Borhan fee Oloom Al-Quran. 1st Ed. Beirut: Dar El-Marefah. (43) Zindani, A.A. This is the Truth (video tape), Makkah: Commission on Scientific Signs of the Qur’an and Sunnah. (44) An Introduction to the understanding of the Qur'an: Syyid Abul A'ala Mawdudi; Translated by Dr. Zafar Ishaq Ansari, London (45) Tafthir Ibn Kathir The Numbering of Hadeeths for the Enrichment of this Book: The numbering of Hadeeths in this book is based on the following: (01) Saheeh Muslim: According to the numbering of Muhammad F. Abdul-Baqy. (02) Saheeh Al-Bukhari: According to the numbering of Fath Al-Bari. (03) Al-Tirmizi: According to the numbering of Ahmad Shaker. (04) Mosnad Ahmad: According to the numbering of Dar Ehya’ Al-Torath AlAraby, Beirut. (05) Mowatta’ Malek: According to the numbering of Mowatta’ Malek. (06) Abu-Dawood: According to the numbering of Muhammad Muhyi Al-Deen Abdul-Hameed. (07) Ibn Majah: According to the numbering of Muhammad F. Abdul-Baqy. (08) Al-Daremey: According to the numbering of Khalid Al-Saba Al-Alamy and Fawwaz Ahmad Zamarly. Compiled and Edited by: AKM FAKHRUL ISLAM, New York, USA B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc. in Geology, Dhaka University, Bangladesh; Manager Geology(Prev), Petrobangla, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tel/Fax: 718-855-8114, 646-6103804(cell), email:[email protected], web: www.travelsandhajj.com Copyright © Akm Fakhrul Islam All rights reserved. No part of this web site or the book entitled Towards Understanding Islam A Brief Guide for All Mankind may be reproduced or

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transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except for the situation below which is permitted. For Reproducing: Reproducing, reprinting, or copying this web site, any page in it, or the book as a whole is permitted free of charge on the following conditions: (1) Absolutely no change, addition, or omission is introduced (2) To add the following text and link at the end of each web page with a font size of at least 3 (12 pt): The source of this article is www.pdfcoke.com/my_docs Please note that this permission does not apply to the articles and links under the page neither “For More Information on Islam” nor the languages of this web site other than English. Publication Information on the Book: Publication information on the book, Towards Understanding Islam A Brief Guide for All Mankind: will be given later.