We are nearer to Jesus than them

We are nearer to Jesus than them

Muhammad Hassan

Summary of the lecture

The Prophets of Allah were all sent with one religion, they, the prophets, from the time of Adam till the seal of Prophets our beloved chosen prophet, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him, have been sent with the message of Islam. Hence, the only religion approved by Allah is Islam. The lecture mentioned the creed of Christians that Allah is third of three and Jesus is His son, on the other hand Islam that the Prophets have been sent with totally renounces this creed that Allah have labeled with infidelity. Monotheists are the nearest to Jesus the prophet of Allah because they believe that he’s the slave and Messenger of Allah, and His word sent to Mariam. Moreover they believe in all the prophets and never disbelieve in a single prophet, thus whoever believes in Jesus (peace be upon him) and disbelieves in Mohammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) then he disbelieved in Jesus before he had disbelieved in Prophet Mohammad.

The lecture

All Praise is due to Allah, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no God except Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that our master and beloved Muhammad is His servant, His Messenger, the chosen one from among all creatures, and His beloved. He (Muhammad) fulfilled the trust, conveyed the Message, and advised the nation; so Allah drove away, by him, the grief. And he fought in the cause of Allah sincerely till the definite end came to him.

Therefore, we ask Allah to grant him, because of his favor toward us, the best grant He gave for a prophet and messenger because of his mission. And prayers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his companions, his beloved ones, his followers and anyone followed his guidance and treaded his way till the Day of Judgment.

Dear virtuous fathers and beloved brothers, may Allah greet you all. May you be blessed along with your steps and achieve a place in Paradise. And may Allah reward you for this care; although, by Allah, I do not deserve it.

We seek refuge in Allah from the submissiveness of hypocrisy. Therefore, I ask Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, Who gathered me with you in this blessed gathering for obeying Him, to gather me with you in the hereafter with the master of the callers to Islam, the Chosen Prophet, in His Paradise and place of honor; indeed He is the owner of that and the One able to achieve it.

Dear beloved for the sake of Allah, ‘we are nearer to Jesus than them’ is the title of our lecture to you in this generous blessed night. As I am accustomed to do, my speech to you tonight will be arranged according to the following subdivisions:

First: Prophets are brothers.
Second: Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam.
Third: The whole Christian creed.
Fourth: The only way for the Paradise of Allah the Exalted.

So; lend me your heart and ear, because, now, this issue is very important

First: Prophets are brothers;

Dear generous brothers, the Christian world and also the weak defeated Muslim world witness in these days great celebrations because of the birthday of the Jesus (best prayers and peace of Allah be upon him and our prophet too) at the time in which the Christians reviled Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, great revile and invented atrocious lie against him: {Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the mountains fall in ruins, (90) That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most Beneficent (Allah). (91) But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Beneficent (Allah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children). (92) There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) as a slave. (93) Verily, He knows each one of them, and has counted them a full counting. (94) And everyone of them will come to Him alone on the Day of Resurrection (without any helper, or protector or defender)} [Surat Maryam: 90-92].

{تَكَادُ السَّمَاوَاتُ يَتَفَطَّرْنَ مِنْهُ وَتَنشَقُّ الْأَرْضُ وَتَخِرُّ الْجِبَالُ هَدًّا ﴿٩٠﴾ أَن دَعَوْا لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ وَلَدًا ﴿٩١﴾ وَمَا يَنبَغِي لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ أَن يَتَّخِذَ وَلَدًا ﴿٩٢﴾ إِن كُلُّ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ إِلَّا آتِي الرَّحْمَـٰنِ عَبْدًا ﴿٩٣﴾ لَّقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا ﴿٩٤﴾ وَكُلُّهُمْ آتِيهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَرْدًا} مريم: 90-95

Transliteration: Takadu alssamawatu yatafattarna minhu watanshaqqu alardu watakhirru aljibalu haddan (90) An daAAaw lilrrahmani waladan (91) Wamayanbaghee lilrrahmani an yattakhitha waladan (92) In kullu man fee alssamawati waalardi illa atee alrrahmani AAabdan (93) Laqad ahsahum waAAaddahum AAaddan (94) Wakulluhum ateehi yawma alqiyamati fardan

Actually, those who claim that Jesus is the son of Allah, Allah is Jesus son of Mary or Allah is the third of three (in trinity) are the farthest people from Jesus and the people who disbelieve in him most. On the other hand, the nearest people to Jesus are the monotheists along with their leader, imam and master of prophets, Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) who said: “I am the nearest of all people to Jesus son of Mary in this worldly life and hereafter too.” They (the companions) said: “O Messenger of Allah, how?” Whereupon he said: “All the prophets are paternal brothers have one religion, and there has been no prophet between me and him (i.e. Jesus)” [Reported by Muslim].

«أنا أولى الناس بعيسى بن مريم. في الأولى والآخرة قالوا: كيف؟ يا رسول الله! قال: الأنبياء إخوة من علات. وأمهاتهم شتى. ودينهم واحد. فليس بيننا نبي» رواه مسلم

Therefore; dear brothers, prophets are brothers with one religion. Whereupon, anyone disbelieves in one of the prophets and messengers has indeed disbelieved in all the prophets and messengers. If you believed in Jesus and disbelieved in Muhammad, you had disbelieved in Jesus before disbelieving in Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon them and upon all their brothers). On the other hand, if you believed in Muhammad and disbelieved in Jesus, you had disbelieved in Muhammad before disbelieving Jesus. Look at the religion’s justice!

Consider the Holy Qur`an with me. Allah sent to the people of Noah no messenger but Noah (peace be upon him); but when they belied him (alone), Allah the Exalted and Glorious said: {The people of Nûh (Noah) belied the Messengers} [Surat Ash-Shu’ara: 105].

{كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ} الشعراء: 105

Transliteration: Kaththabat qawmu noohin almursaleena

And when the people of Lot belied none but Lot (peace be upon him), Allah the Exalted and Glorious said: {The people of Lût (Lot) (-who dwelt in the town of Sodom in Palestine) belied the Messengers} [Surat Ash-Shu’ara: 160].

{كَذَّبَتْ قَوْمُ لُوطٍ الْمُرْسَلِينَ} الشعراء:160

Transliteration: Kaththabat qawmu lootin almursaleena

Also, the people of ‘Ad belied none but Hud (peace be upon him); however, Allah the Exalted and Glorious said: {‘Ad (people) belied the Messengers} [Surat Ash-Shuara: 123].

{كَذَّبَتْ عَادٌ الْمُرْسَلِينَ} الشعراء: 123

Transliteration: Kaththabat AAadun almursaleena

Also, the people of Thamûd belied none but Salih (peace be upon him); however, Allah the Exalted and Glorious said: {Thamûd (people) belied the Messengers} [Surat Ash-Shuara: 141].

{كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ الْمُرْسَلِينَ} الشعراء: 141

Transliteration: Kaththabat thamoodu almursaleena

Therefore; whoever belies a prophet has belied all his brothers of the Prophets and Messengers. Furthermore, Allah taught this fact to the people of monotheism, and they accepted and believed in it; so Allah blessed their acceptance and recorded it in His Qur`an at the end of Surat Al-Baqarah; He Almighty said: {The Messenger (Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allâh, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. (They say), "We make no distinction between one another of His Messengers" - and they say, “We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your Forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).”} [Surat Al-Baqarah: 285].

{آَمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آَمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ وَقَالُوا سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ} البقرة: 285

Transliteration: Amana alrrasoolu bima onzila ilayhi min rabbihi waalmuminoona kullun amana biAllahi wamalaikatihi wakutubihi warusulihi la nufarriqu bayna ahadin min rusulihi waqaloo samiAAna waataAAnaghufranaka rabbana wailayka almaseeru

Therefore, the Prophets are paternal brothers who have one religion; they are dignified majestic caravan that has one message, one way and one religion. Dear brothers, there is no religion with Allah called Judaism, Christianity or Abrahamic; rather, the religion with Allah from the time of Adam till the beloved chosen Messenger is Islam. Allah the Exalted and Glorious said: {Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam} [Surat Al-Imran: 19]; and this is the second element in this lecture.

{إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَام} آل عمران: 19

Transliteration: Inna alddeena AAinda Allahi alislamu


Second: Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam;

Is Islam the religion of Adam? Yes. Is Islam the religion of Noah? Yes. Is Islam the religion of Abraham? Yes. Is Islam the religion of Jesus? Yes. Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam. Dear good brothers, Noah came with nothing but Islam. So, you should consider with me this important element, especially in this time, to prostrate yourselves to your Lord because He chose you as monotheist and sent Muhammad to you.

Noah came with nothing but Islam; Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said about him in Surat Yunus: {and I have been commanded to be of the Muslims (i.e. those who submit to Allâh’s Will)} [Surat Yunus: 72].

{وَأُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ} يونس: 72

Transliteration: waomirtu an akoona mina almuslimeena

And Abraham came with nothing but Islam; Allah said about him in Surat Al-Baqarah: {And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah), (saying), "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower." Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajjand ‘Umrah), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful.} [Surat Al-Baqarah: 127-128],

{وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ (127) رَبَّنَا وَاجْعَلْنَا مُسْلِمَيْنِ لَكَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِنَا أُمَّةً مُسْلِمَةً لَكَ وَأَرِنَا مَنَاسِكَنَا وَتُبْ عَلَيْنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ} البقرة:127-128

Transliteration: Waith yarfaAAu ibraheemu alqawaAAida mina albayti waismaAAeelu rabbana taqabbal minna innaka anta alssameeAAu alAAaleemu (127) Rabbana waijAAalnamuslimayni laka wamin thurriyyatina ommatan muslimatan laka waarina manasikana watub AAalaynainnaka anta alttawwabu alrraheemu

Then Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said: {And who turns away from the religion of Ibrahim (Abraham) (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) except him who befools himself? Truly, We chose him in this world and verily, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. (130) When his Lord said to him, "Submit (i.e. be a Muslim)!" He said, "I have submitted myself (as a Muslim) to the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)." (131) And this (submission to Allah, Islam) was enjoined by Ibrahim (Abraham) upon his sons and by Ya'qub (Jacob), (saying), "O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion, then die not except in the Faith of Islam (as Muslims - Islamic Monotheism)."} [Surat Al-Baqarah: 130-132].

{وَمَنْ يَرْغَبُ عَنْ مِلَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَفِهَ نَفْسَهُ وَلَقَدِ اصْطَفَيْنَاهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (130) إِذْ قَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (131) وَوَصَّى بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَا بَنِيَّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى لَكُمُ الدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُون} البقرة: 130-132

Transliteration: Waman yarghabu AAan millati ibraheema illa man safiha nafsahu walaqadi istafaynahu fee alddunya wainnahu fee alakhirati lamina alssaliheena (130) Ith qala lahu rabbuhu aslim qala aslamtu lirabbi alAAalameena (131) Wawassabiha ibraheemu baneehi wayaAAqoobu ya baniyya inna Allaha istafa lakumu alddeena fala tamootunna illawaantum muslimoona

Jacob came with Islam; Allah said about him in Surat Al-Baqarah: {Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya‘qûb (Jacob)? When he said unto his sons, "What will you worship after me?" They said, "We shall worship your Ilâh (God - Allâh), the Ilâh (God) of your fathers, Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael), Ishâq (Isaac), One Ilâh (God), and to Him we submit (in Islâm)."} [Surat Al-Baqarah: 133].

{أَمْ كُنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءَ إِذْ حَضَرَ يَعْقُوبَ الْمَوْتُ إِذْ قَالَ لِبَنِيهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ بَعْدِي قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آَبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ} البقرة:133

Transliteration:Am kuntum shuhadaa ithhadara yaAAqooba almawtu ith qala libaneehi mataAAbudoona min baAAdee qaloo naAAbudu ilahaka wailaha abaika ibraheema waismaAAeela waishaqa ilahan wahidan wanahnu lahu muslimoona

Lot came with nothing but Islam; Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said about him in Surat Az-Zariyat: {[Ibrahim (Abraham)] said: "Then for what purpose you have come, O Messengers?" (31) They said: "We have been sent to a people who are Mujrimun (polytheists, sinners, criminals, disbelievers in Allah); (32) To send down upon them stones of baked clay. (33) Marked by your Lord for the Musrifun (polytheists, criminals, sinners those who trespass Allah's set limits in evil-doings by committing great sins). (34) So We brought out from therein the believers. (35) But We found not there any household of the Muslims except one [i.e. Lout (Lot) and his two daughters].} [Surat Az-Zariyat: 31-36].

{قَالَ فَمَا خَطْبُكُمْ أَيُّهَا الْمُرْسَلُونَ (31) قَالُوا إِنَّا أُرْسِلْنَا إِلَى قَوْمٍ مُجْرِمِينَ (32) لِنُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهِمْ حِجَارَةً مِنْ طِينٍ (33) مُسَوَّمَةً عِنْدَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُسْرِفِينَ (34) فَأَخْرَجْنَا مَنْ كَانَ فِيهَا مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (35) فَمَا وَجَدْنَا فِيهَا غَيْرَ بَيْتٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِين} الذاريات: 31-36

Transliteration: Qala fama khatbukum ayyuha almursaloona (31) Qaloo inna orsilna ila qawmin mujrimeena (32) Linursila AAalayhim hijaratan min teenin (33) Musawwamatan AAinda rabbika lilmusrifeena (34) Faakhrajna man kana feeha mina almumineena (35) Fama wajadna feehaghayra baytin mina almuslimeena

Joseph came with nothing but Islam; Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said about him in Surat Yusuf: {"My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me something of the interpretation of dreams - the (Only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Walî (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian, God, Lord.) in this world and in the Hereafter. Cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous."} [Surat Yusuf: 101].

{رَبِّ قَدْ آَتَيْتَنِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَعَلَّمْتَنِي مِنْ تَأْوِيلِ الْأَحَادِيثِ فَاطِرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَنْتَ وَلِيِّي فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآَخِرَةِ تَوَفَّنِي مُسْلِمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ} يوسف: 101

Transliteration: Rabbi qad ataytanee mina almulki waAAallamtanee min taweeli alahadeethi fatira alssamawati waalardi anta waliyyee fee alddunya waalakhirati tawaffanee musliman waalhiqnee bialssaliheena

Solomon came with nothing but Islam; Allah said about the queen of Saba’ in Surat An-Naml: {She said: "O chiefs! Verily! Here is delivered to me a noble letter, (29) "Verily! It is from Sulaiman (Solomon), and verily! It (reads): In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful; (30) "Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allah with full submission)' "} [Surat An-Naml: 29-31].

{قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ (29) إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ (30) أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ} النمل: 29-31

Transliteration: Qalat ya ayyuha almalao innee olqiya ilayya kitabun kareemun (29) Innahu min sulaymana wainnahu bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi (30) AllataAAloo AAalayya watoonee muslimeena

Also, when Balqis returned to Allah, she believed in nothing but Islam; He said: {She said: "My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit [in Islâm, together with Sulaimân (Solomon)] to Allâh, the Lord of the ‘Âlamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists)."} [Surat An-Naml: 44].

{قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} النمل: 44

Transliteration: qalat rabbi innee thalamtu nafsee waaslamtu maAAa sulaymana lillahi rabbi alAAalameena

Furthermore, Moses came with nothing but Islam; Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said about him in Surat Yunus: {And Mûsâ (Moses) said: "O my people! If you have believed in Allâh, then put your trust in Him if you are Muslims (those who submit to Allâh’s Will)."} [Surat Yunus: 84].

{وَقَالَ مُوسَى يَا قَوْمِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ آَمَنْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُوا إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُسْلِمِينَ} يونس: 84

Transliteration: Waqala moosa ya qawmi in kuntumamantum biAllahi faAAalayhi tawakkaloo in kuntum muslimeena

Also, when the Magicians returned to Allah; they believed in nothing but Islam. And they supplicated to Allah by this supplication, in face of the threat of Pharaoh: {"And you take vengeance on us only because we believed in the Ayât (proofs, evidence, lessons, signs, etc.) of our Lord when they reached us! Our Lord! pour out on us patience, and cause us to die as Muslims."} [Surat Al-Araf: 126].

{رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسْلِمِينَ} الاعراف: 126

Transliteration: rabbana afrigh AAalayna sabran watawaffana muslimeena

Also, Jesus came with nothing but Islam; He Almighty said: {Then when ‘Isa (Jesus) came to know of their disbelief, he said: "Who will be my helpers in Allâh’s Cause?" Al-Hawâriyyûn (the disciples) said: "We are the helpers of Allâh; we believe in Allâh, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we submit to Allâh)."} [Surat Al-Imran: 52].

{فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عِيسَى مِنْهُمُ الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْصَارِي إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِ آَمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَاشْهَدْ بِأَنَّا مُسْلِمُونَ} آل عمران: 52

Transliteration: Falamma ahassa AAeesa minhumu alkufra qala man ansaree ila Allahi qala alhawariyyoona nahnu ansaru Allahi

Allah is greatest! Even Jesus! Is Islam his religion? Yes. {Then when ‘Isâ (Jesus) came to know of their disbelief, he said: "Who will be my helpers in Allâh’s Cause?" Al-Hawâriyyûn (the disciples) said: "We are the helpers of Allâh} [Surat Al-Imran: 52].

{فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ عِيسَى مِنْهُمُ الْكُفْرَ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْصَارِي إِلَى اللَّهِ قَالَ الْحَوَارِيُّونَ نَحْنُ أَنْصَارُ اللَّهِ} آل عمران: 52

Transliteration: Falamma ahassa AAeesa minhumu alkufra qala man ansaree ila Allahi qala alhawariyyoona nahnu ansaru Allahi

Actually; there is no Prophet, had been sent by Allah, but there were disciples and helpers for him. The disciples said: "We are the servants of Allâh; we believe in Allâh, O Jesus, bear witness that we are Muslims”. Then their last and master and imam (Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) came with the religion of Islam; and his Lord, the Exalted and the Glorious, addressed him by saying: {This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islâm as your religion} [Surat Al-Maidah: 3].

{الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا} المائدة: 3

Transliteration: alyawma akmaltu lakum deenakum waatmamtu AAalaykum niAAmatee waradeetu lakumu alislama deenan

Allah is Greatest! … Furthermore, Islam is the religion of the believer jinn: {And of us some are Muslims (who have submitted to Allâh, after listening to this Qur’ân), and of us some are Al-Qâsitûn (disbelievers - those who have deviated from the Right Path)’. And whosoever has embraced Islâm (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitting to Allâh), then such have sought the Right Path. (14) And as for the Qâsitûn (disbelievers who deviated from the Right Path), they shall be firewood for Hell} [Surat Al-Jinn: 14-15]

{وَأَنَّا مِنَّا الْمُسْلِمُونَ وَمِنَّا الْقَاسِطُونَ فَمَنْ أَسْلَمَ فَأُولَئِكَ تَحَرَّوْا رَشَدًا (14) وَأَمَّا الْقَاسِطُونَ فَكَانُوا لِجَهَنَّمَ حَطَبًا} الجن: 14-15

Transliteration: Waanna minna almuslimoona waminna alqasitoona faman aslama faolaika taharraw rashadan (14) Waamaalqasitoona fakanoo lijahannama hataban

{Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam} [Surat Al-Imran: 19].

{إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ} آل عمران: 19

Transliteration: Inna alddeena AAinda Allahi alislamu

O you, monotheist, whom had been favored by Islam, I swear by Allah that you could never feel the greatness of this grace unless you go to the countries of infidelity. There you could see whom Allah bestowed upon them everything a man can desire; they knew everything in the universe, blew up the atom, made the rocket and plane and spaceship, and turned the whole world into small village by the virtue of the astonishing techniques in the field of communication and transportation. They know everything in the universe except their Creator, the Exalted the Glorious. Allah is greatest! They know everything but the Creator! On the other hand, if you asked a simple man from among our simple fathers; who is your Lord? He would say: “Allah”, and if you asked him; what is your religion? He would say: “Islam”, and if you asked him; who is your prophet? He would say: “Muhammad (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and I believe in him along with all his brothers of the prophets and messengers”. If you asked him; do you believe in Jesus? He would say: “Yes”, and if you asked him; did you accuse Maryam? He would say: “Never. God forbid.” And if you asked him; did you say about her heinous saying like the saying of the Jews? He would say: “No. God forbid.” Rather, it is said by a just priest respects his mind before respecting the truth. When he was asked by one of the Muslim strivers; I ask you by the name of the Lord, if you wanted to read for your daughter, whom you want to bring up as chaste and shy, the story of Mary’s pregnancy, from which book could you read it? Whereupon, this just priest said: “I swear by God that I did that; I read it from the Holy Qur`an.” Allah is Greatest! Allah is Greatest! He read it from the book of Muhammad, the book of pureness, chastity and honor. He read it from the Holy Qur`an that mentioned the story in purity. That is why I previously said; I hope that the authors of the realistic story, who play on the string of sex and crime, would study the technique of the story in the book of Allah to learn pureness, chastity, honor and chivalry. Indeed the nation got bored of this impure filthy play, and it is time for it to learn every generous honorable manner.

Islam is the religion of all prophets. None of the prophets came with something other than this, Islam, this submission and compliance to Allah the Exalted the Glorious. Allah said to the Last Messenger: {And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) but We revealed to him (saying): Lâ ilâha illa Ana [none has the right to be worshipped but I (Allâh)], so worship Me (Alone and none else)} [Surat Al-Anbiya: 25].

{وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ} الانبياء: 25

Transliteration: Wama arsalna min qablika min rasoolin illa noohee ilayhi annahu la ilaha illa anafaoAAbudooni

Dear beloved brothers, recognize the favor of Allah the Exalted the Glorious. It is reported in the two Sahihs on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Every child is born with a true faith (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism or to Christianity or to Magianism” [Al-Bukhari’s narration].

«كل مولود يولد على الفطرة فأبواه يهودانه أو ينصرانه أو يمجسانه...» متفق عليه واللفظ للبخاري

Someone grows up in a Jewish house; so he becomes Jewish saying that Ozair is the son of Allah. Another grows up in a Christian house; so he becomes Christian saying that the Christ is the son of Allah. And another grows up in a Magus house; so he worships the fire instead of Allah. But me and you grew up in houses declare Allah’s oneness; so we declared the oneness of Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, with no desire or choice. Hence, to whom does the favor return? It is to Allah, the Exalted the Glorious: {They regard as favour to you (O Muhammad, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) that they have embraced Islâm. Say: "Count not your Islâm as a favour to me. Nay, but Allâh has conferred a favour upon you that He has guided you to the Faith if you indeed are true} [Surat Al-Hujurat: 17].

{يَمُنُّونَ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ أَسْلَمُوا قُلْ لَا تَمُنُّوا عَلَيَّ إِسْلَامَكُمْ بَلِ اللَّهُ يَمُنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ هَدَاكُمْ لِلْإِيمَانِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ} الحجرات:17

Transliteration:Yamunnoona AAalayka an aslamoo qul latamunnoo AAalayya islamakum bali Allahu yamunnu AAalaykum an hadakum lileemani in kuntum sadiqeena

O Allah, as You chose us to be monotheists; we ask You, the most Gracious, to bestow upon us steadiness on monotheism, to make us die on it and to resurrect us among the monotheists under the flag of the ideal monotheist, the master of the Messengers (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him).


Third: The whole Christian creed;

I declare this creed from the base of its being declared to us by the Holy Quran. Therefore; I say, from the very beginning, that this is our Holy Qur`an and these are our Masjids and those are the monotheists, and it is obligatory upon the scholars to explain the Holy Qur`an for the monotheists in the houses of Allah. Indeed the houses of Allah in the earth are the Masjids.

This is a necessary introduction in order not to be accused. It is the Qur`an of our Lord in the houses of our Lord to our monotheist brothers. We ask Allah to make us die as monotheists. Ameen.

Allah has declared the whole Christian creed about Jesus in clear definite verses. Allah the Exalted the Glorious said: {Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allâh is the Messiah [‘Isâ (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary)"} [Surat Al-Ma`idah: 72].

{لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ...} المائدة: 72

Transliteration:Laqad kafara allatheena qaloo inna Allaha huwa almaseehu ibnu maryama

This is the Qur`an of our Lord the Exalted the Glorious; so consider the verses: {But the Messiah [‘Isâ (Jesus)] said: "O Children of Israel! Worship Allâh, my Lord and your Lord." Verily, whosoever sets up partners (in worship) with Allâh, then Allâh has forbidden Paradise to him, and the Fire will be his abode. And for the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) there are no helpers} [Surat Al-Maidah: 72]

{وَقَالَ الْمَسِيحُ يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ وَمَأْوَاهُ النَّارُ وَمَا لِلظَّالِمِينَ مِنْ أَنْصَارٍ} المائدة: 72

Transliteration:waqala almaseehu ya banee israeela oAAbudoo Allaha rabbee warabbakum innahu man yushrik biAllahi faqad harrama Allahu AAalayhi aljannata wamawahu alnnaru wamalilththalimeena min ansarin

{ Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity)." But there is no ilah (god) (none who has the right to be worshipped) but One Ilah (God -Allah). And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them. (73) Will they not repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (74) The Messiah ['Iesa (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary), was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother [Maryam (Mary)] was a Siddiqah [i.e. she believed in the words of Allah and His Books (see Verse 66:12)]. They both used to eat food (as any other human being, while Allah does not eat). Look how We make the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to them, yet look how they are deluded away (from the truth).} [Surat Al-Maidah: 73-75].

{لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ وَمَا مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِلَّا إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ (73) أَفَلَا يَتُوبُونَ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَهُ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (74) مَا الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ وَأُمُّهُ صِدِّيقَةٌ كَانَا يَأْكُلَانِ الطَّعَامَ انْظُرْ كَيْفَ نُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْآَيَاتِ ثُمَّ انْظُرْ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ} المائدة: 73-75

Transliteration: Laqad kafara allatheena qaloo inna Allaha thalithu thalathatin wama min ilahin illailahun wahidun wain lam yantahoo AAamma yaqooloona layamassanna allatheena kafaroo minhum AAathabun aleemun (73) Afala yatooboona ila Allahi wayastaghfiroonahu waAllahu ghafoorun raheemun (74) Ma almaseehu ibnu maryama illa rasoolun qad khalat min qablihi alrrusulu waommuhu siddeeqatun kana yakulani alttaAAama onthur kayfa nubayyinu lahumu alayati thumma onthur anna yufakoona

Allah declared that whoever says that Allah is the Christ or that Allah is the third of the three is infidel; clear infidelity. Actually this is the creed of the Christian sects about Jesus (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him and upon our prophet too). They say that the Jesus is neither a prophet nor righteous servant to Allah. And when they were asked; “Then who is he?” they said: “He is the Lord of the prophets, the Creator of the prophets, the Sender of the prophets, the Helper of the prophets, and the Lord of the angels!” Furthermore, when the priest wants to baptize one of them and declares him as Christian, he would say to him in front of a basin of water in the church: “You would believe that you will never enter Paradise unless you are baptized, and you have to believe that Jesus is the son of God, and that he had entered the womb of Mary, and that he had been crucified, murdered and buried, then he got up alive after three days. Then he ascended to the sky and sat at the right side of the Lord, his father, and he is awaiting the coming of the day of salvation to judge in the Day of Judgment between his creatures.” Then the priest would turn his face to the baptized person and say: “Do you believe in this?” Whereupon he says: “Yes.” And the priest says to him, after pouring some water from this basin over his head: “And I baptize you in the name of the Father God, Son God and the Holy Spirit.” They think that Jesus became human and god in the same time! What does this mean? It means that he became god because of the essence of his father and became human because of the essence of his mother (Allah is exalted above that)! In fact, Jesus is the servant and messenger of Allah and His word which He cast upon Mary and he is spirit from Him. Allah has mentioned his story in many of the chapters of the Holy Qur`an. First; He answered those who astonished his birth with no father; He Almighty said: {Verily, the likeness of ‘Isâ (Jesus) before Allâh is the likeness of Adam} [Surat Al-‘Imran: 59],

{إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ آَدَمَ} آل عمران: 59

Transliteration: Inna mathala AAeesa AAinda Allahi kamathaliadama

And I ask you; which is more miraculous; who is born with no father or mother or who is born with just no father? Actually, the more miraculous one is the one who is created with no father or mother, because having father and mother is the origin of the humans, while Adam was created without having them. Allah says: {And mention in the Book (the Quran, O Muhammad SAW, the story of) Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew in seclusion from her family to a place facing east. (16) She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh [angel Jibrael (Gabriel)], and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects. (17) She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Beneficent (Allah) from you, if you do fear Allah." (18) (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son." (19) She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?" (20) He said: "So (it will be)…} [Surat Maryam: 16-21],

{وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَرْيَمَ إِذِ انْتَبَذَتْ مِنْ أَهْلِهَا مَكَانًا شَرْقِيًّا (16) فَاتَّخَذَتْ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ حِجَابًا فَأَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهَا رُوحَنَا فَتَمَثَّلَ لَهَا بَشَرًا سَوِيًّا (17) قَالَتْ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ مِنْكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقِيًّا (18) قَالَ إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَسُولُ رَبِّكِ لِأَهَبَ لَكِ غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا (19) قَالَتْ أَنَّى يَكُونُ لِي غُلَامٌ وَلَمْ يَمْسَسْنِي بَشَرٌ وَلَمْ أَكُ بَغِيًّا (20) قَالَ كَذَلِكِ قَالَ رَبُّكِ...} مريم:16-21

Transliteration: Waothkur fee alkitabi maryama ithi intabathat min ahliha makanan sharqiyyan (16) Faittakhathat min doonihim hijaban faarsalna ilayha roohana fatamaththala laha basharan sawiyyan (17) Qalat innee aAAoothu bialrrahmani minka in kunta taqiyyan (18) Qala innamaana rasoolu rabbiki liahaba laki ghulaman zakiyyan (19)Qalat anna yakoonu lee ghulamun walam yamsasnee basharun walam aku baghiyyan (20) Qala kathaliki qala rabbuki

Consider His saying: {said: "So (it will be), your Lord said.} And He almighty says: {Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is only that He says to it, "Be!" - and it is!} [Surat Yasin: 82].

{إِنَّمَا أَمْرُهُ إِذَا أَرَادَ شَيْئًا أَنْ يَقُولَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ} يس: 82

Transliteration: Innama amruhu itha arada shayan an yaqoola lahu kun fayakoonu

{Verily, the likeness of ‘Isa (Jesus) before Allâh is the likeness of Adam. He created him from dust, then (He) said to him: "Be!" - and he was} [Surat Al-Imran: 59].

{إِنَّ مَثَلَ عِيسَى عِنْدَ اللَّهِ كَمَثَلِ آَدَمَ خَلَقَهُ مِنْ تُرَابٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ كُنْ فَيَكُونُ} آل عمران: 59

Transliteration: Inna mathala AAeesa AAinda Allahi kamathali adama khalaqahu min turabin thumma qala lahu kun fayakoonu

Mary had become pregnant by the ability of the King to demonstrate His unlimited ability to His creatures and declare to them that there is nothing impossible to Him on earth or in the sky. Allah created human beings in four kinds; He created Adam with no father or mother, He created Eve from Adam without having mother, He created Jesus from mother without having father, and He created the rest of the people from a father and a mother. He did so to make all creatures know that He is able to do everything.

Yusuf, the carpenter, who had been accused with committing fornication with Mary by the Jews (may Allah curse them), said: “O Mary, what is this?” Yusuf look at the abdomen of Mary and saw the signs of pregnancy appearing on her one day after another, although she is a virgin that had been donated by her mother (Jinna daughter of Faquod) for servicing the house of Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, by saying: {"O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve Your Place of worship), so accept this from me. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knowing."} [Surat Al-Imran: 35].

{رَبِّ إِنِّي نَذَرْتُ لَكَ مَا فِي بَطْنِي مُحَرَّرًا فَتَقَبَّلْ مِنِّي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ} آل عمران: 35

Transliteration: rabbi innee nathartu laka ma fee batnee muharraran fataqabbal minnee innaka anta alssameeAAu alAAaleemu

And when Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, answered her call and she gave birth to Mary, she said: {"O my Lord! I have given birth to a female child," - and Allâh knew better what she brought forth,} [Surat Al-Imran: 36].

{رَبِّ إِنِّي وَضَعْتُهَا أُنْثَى وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ} آل عمران: 36

Transliteration: rabbi innee wadaAAtuha ontha waAllahu aAAlamu bima wadaAAat

Actually, there is no female gives birth without His knowledge: {and Allâh knew better what she brought forth, - "And the male is not like the female,} [Surat Al-Imran: 36].

{وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَا وَضَعَتْ وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنْثَى} آل عمران: 36

Transliteration: waAllahu aAAlamu bima wadaAAat walaysa alththakaru kaalontha

And when she donated her to Allah (i.e. donated her for servicing His house) {her Lord (Allâh) accepted her with goodly acceptance. He made her grow in a good manner and put her under the care of Zakariyâ (Zachariya)} [Surat Al-Imran: 37].

{فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنْبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا وَكَفَّلَهَا زَكَرِيَّا} آل عمران: 37

Transliteration: Fataqabbalaha rabbuha biqaboolinhasanin waanbataha nabatan hasanan wakaffalaha zakariyya

It is enough to know that who brought her up is one of the prophets of Allah, Zachariah: {Every time he entered Al-Mihrâb to (visit) her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Maryam (Mary)! From where have you got this?" She said, "This is from Allâh." Verily, Allâh provides sustenance to whom He wills, without limit."} [Surat Al-Imran: 37].

{...كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِنْدَهَا رِزْقًا قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّى لَكِ هَذَا قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ} مريم: 37

Transliteration: kullama dakhala AAalayha zakariyya almihraba wajada AAindaha rizqan qala ya maryamu annalaki hatha qalat huwa min AAindi Allahi inna Allaha yarzuqu man yashao bighayrihisabin

This is the environment in which this fragrant pure rose (Mary) had grown up; she is honored by the beloved chosen Prophet. I swear by Allah, Whom there is no God except Him, that there is no religion honoring Jesus or Mary like the religion of Muhammad, the beloved. It is reported in the two Sahihs on the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash’ary that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Many men have become perfect and no one from amongst the women is perfect except for Mariam Bint ‘Imran…” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].

«كمل من الرجال كثير ولم يكمل من النساء إلا مريم بنت عمران...» رواه البخاري

From whom is this witness? Therefore; every person should know that Islam, the religion of justice and right, never belittles the right of anyone. The beloved Messenger says: “no one from amongst the women is perfect except for Mariam Bint ‘Imran, Asiya wife of Pharaoh, and the excellence of ‘A`isha as compared to women is that of Tharid (Dish made with meat, bread and soup) over all other foods” [Reported by Al-Bukhari].

«...ولم يكمل من النساء إلا : مريم بنت عمران ، وآسية امرأة فرعون ، وفضل عائشة على النساء كفضل الثريد على سائر الطعام» رواه البخاري

I ask Allah to facilitate to me, along with you, a lecture about this Hadeeth, to spend generous interesting night with these exalted models and good examples hoping that the Muslim sister may again look forward to these high peaks, after having the trivial males and females have been presented as models and examples.

Yusuf, the carpenter, looked at the signs of pregnancy appear at Mary… But first; dear brothers, I would like to say that the majority of the scholars of interpretation agree upon that Mary (peace be upon her) became pregnant with Jesus (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him and upon our Prophet too) for nine complete months, although we think that Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, was (and still) able to create Jesus in the womb of Mary in one minute and make her deliver him in one minute (and even less); there is nothing impossible to Him on earth or in the sky. However; Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, made Mary conceive Jesus normally… Then when Yusuf, the carpenter, looked at the abdomen of Mary, he said to her: “O Mary, could there be a child with no father?!” Look at this smart indirect hint! He did not talk directly because he knows that she is worshipper. Yusuf said: “O Mary, could there be a child with no father? Could there be plants with no seeds? Could there be plants with no rain?” Whereupon Mary said: “O Yusuf, Yes.” He asked: “O Mary, How?” So, she replied: “O Yusuf, did you forget that Allah created Adam, when he created him, with no father or mother; and He created the plants, when He created them, with no seeds; and He created the plants, when He created them, with no water or rain?” Whereupon Yusuf said: “I know that Allah is Able to do all things”

{Or like the one who passed by a town while it had tumbled over its roofs. He said: "Oh! How will Allâh ever bring it to life after its death?" So Allâh caused him to die for a hundred years, then raised him up (again). He said: "How long did you remain (dead)?" He (the man) said: "(Perhaps) I remained (dead) a day or part of a day". He said: "Nay, you have remained (dead) for a hundred years, look at your food and your drink, they show no change; and look at your donkey! And thus We have made of you a sign for the people. Look at the bones, how We bring them together and clothe them with flesh". When this was clearly shown to him, he said, "I know (now) that Allâh is Able to do all things." (259) And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said, "My Lord! Show me how You give life to the dead." He (Allâh) said: "Do you not believe?" He [Ibrâhîm (Abraham)] said: "Yes (I believe), but to be stronger in Faith." He said: "Take four birds, then cause them to incline towards you (then slaughter them, cut them into pieces), and then put a portion of them on every hill, and call them, they will come to you in haste. And know that Allâh is All-Mighty, All-Wise."} [Surat Al-Baqarah: 259-260].

{أَوْ كَالَّذِي مَرَّ عَلَى قَرْيَةٍ وَهِيَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَى عُرُوشِهَا قَالَ أَنَّى يُحْيِي هَذِهِ اللَّهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا فَأَمَاتَهُ اللَّهُ مِئَةَ عَامٍ ثُمَّ بَعَثَهُ قَالَ كَمْ لَبِثْتَ قَالَ لَبِثْتُ يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ قَالَ بَلْ لَبِثْتَ مِئَةَ عَامٍ فَانْظُرْ إِلَى طَعَامِكَ وَشَرَابِكَ لَمْ يَتَسَنَّهْ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى حِمَارِكَ وَلِنَجْعَلَكَ آَيَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَانْظُرْ إِلَى الْعِظَامِ كَيْفَ نُنْشِزُهَا ثُمَّ نَكْسُوهَا لَحْمًا فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ قَالَ أَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ (259) وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَى قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِنْ قَالَ بَلَى وَلَكِنْ لِيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِي قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِنَ الطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ اجْعَلْ عَلَى كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ادْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ} البقرة: 259-260

Transliteration: Aw kaallathee marra AAala qaryatin wahiya khawiyatun AAala AAurooshihaqala anna yuhyee hathihi Allahu baAAda mawtiha faamatahu Allahu miata AAamin thumma baAAathahu qala kam labithta qala labithtu yawman aw baAAda yawmin qala bal labithta miata AAamin faonthur ila taAAamika washarabika lam yatasannah waonthur ila himarika walinajAAalaka ayatan lilnnasi waonthur ila alAAithami kayfa nunshizuha thumma naksooha lahman falamma tabayyana lahu qala aAAlamu anna Allaha AAala kulli shayin qadeerun (259) Waith qala ibraheemu rabbi arinee kayfa tuhyee almawta qala awalam tumin qala bala walakin liyatmainna qalbee qala fakhuth arbaAAatan mina alttayri fasurhunna ilayka thumma ijAAal AAalakulli jabalin minhunna juzan thumma odAAuhunna yateenaka saAAyan waiAAlam anna Allaha AAazeezunhakeemun

Fourth: The only way to the Paradise of Allah the Exalted the Glorious;

{Surely, they have disbelieved who say: "Allâh is the Messiah [‘Isâ (Jesus)], son of Maryam (Mary)"} [Surat Al-Maidah: 72],

{لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ} المائدة: 72

Transliteration: Laqad kafara allatheena qaloo inna Allaha huwa almaseehu ibnu maryama

{Surely, disbelievers are those who said: "Allâh is the third of the three (in a Trinity)} [Surat Al-Maidah: 73].

{لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلَاثَةٍ} المائدة: 73

Transliteration: Laqad kafara allatheena qaloo inna Allaha thalithu thalathatin

Dear beloved brothers; it is reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of ‘Ubada Ibn As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “He who said: "There is no God except Allah, He is One and there is no associate with Him, that Muhammad is his servant and His messenger, that Christ is the slave of Allah and the son of His slave-girl and he is His word which He sent to Mary and is His Spirit, that Paradise is a fact and Hell is a fact," Allah would make him (he who affirms these truths) enter Paradise through any one of its eight gates he pleases” [Reported by Muslim].

«من قال: أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأن محمدا عبده ورسوله، وأن عيسى عبد الله وابن أمته وكلمته ألقاها إلى مريم وروح منه، وأن الجنة حق، وأن النار حق، أدخله الله من أي أبواب الجنة الثمانية شاء» رواه مسلم

And in the Hadeeth that is narrated by ‘Uthman Ibn ‘Affan: “I know a word no servant sincerely says it from his heart but he would be prevented from hellfire.” [Reported by Imam Ahmad with an authentic chain of transmission]

«إني لأعلم كلمة لا يقولها عبد حقا من قلبه إلا حرم على النار» رواه أحمد، إسناده صحيح

Actually, this is the way. And it is reported in Sahih Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “By Him in Whose hand is the life of Muhammad, he who amongst the community of Jews or Christians hears about me, but does not affirm his belief in that with which I have been sent and dies in this state (of disbelief), he shall be but one of the denizens of Hellfire” [Reported by Muslim].

«والذي نفس محمد بيده! لا يسمع بي أحد من هذه الأمة يهودي ولا نصراني، ثم يموت ولم يؤمن بالذي أرسلت به، إلا كان من أصحاب النار» صحيح مسلم

We believe unwavering belief that Jesus had not been crucified; rather, Allah casted the likeness of Jesus upon the Jewish criminal, “Judas Iscariot” Who guided the Jews to kill Jesus. Allah cast the likeness of Jesus upon Judas to be killed instead of Jesus as a just punishment to him. Then Allah ascended Jesus to Him. The Majority of the scholars of exegesis said that {but when You took me up} [Surat Al-Maidah: 117]

{فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي} المائدة: 117

Transliteration: falamma tawaffaytanee

means ‘when you made me sleep’, because sleep is minor take up (i.e. minor death); when you sleep you are away from life, although all your body still work by the order of the King. Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, took him up and the chosen Prophet met him in the second sky with his maternal cousin, Yahiya (peace be upon them). Also, among the major signs of the Day of Judgment is the descending of Jesus by Allah to rule the world again with the Shar’ia of Muhammad Ibn Abdullah; Glory be to Allah! When Jesus descends, he would descend at the time of performing obligatory prayer led by the Muslims’ Imam. Once the Muslims’ Imam sees Jesus, he would recognize him, so he would like to go back to make Jesus, the Prophet of Allah, lead the prayer, but Jesus would refuse and say: “No, o nation of Muhammad, your Imam is one from amongst you.” And he would pray behind the Imam from the nation of the beloved chosen Prophet (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him). Listen to the Hadeeth of the Messenger of Allah which is reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayra: “By Him in Whose hand is my life, the son of Mary (peace be upon him) will soon descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the swine and abolish Jizya (money imposed upon non muslims) and the wealth will pour forth to such an extent that no one will accept it”.

«والذي نفسي بيده، ليوشكن أن ينزل فيكم ابن مريم حكما مقسطا، فيكسر الصليب، ويقتل الخنزير، ويضع الجزية، ويفيض المال حتى لا يقبله أحد» متفق عليه

I swear by Allah that Jesus never saw a cross. The story of crucifixion appeared after 328 years from the date of taking him up; he had never saw it. He will break crosses, kill the swine and abolish Jizya. Abolishing Jizya means not to accept it from anybody; you have either to believe in monotheism and the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) or be killed. At this time wealth will pour forth and this means that the blessing will return to the earth because of the return of justice. I swear by Allah that the blessing had been removed from the earth because of its people injustice, and it will never return to it unless they return just.

It is reported in Az-Zawa`id (the additions) of Imam Abdullah son of Imam Ahmad that they found a grain of wheat as big as a kernel of date (nowadays the grain of wheat is hardly seen, while in sometime it was as big as a kernel of date) and it was in a box upon which it is written that this grew in the earth when it was full with blessing, but when the blessing had been taken away from time and age and everything we saw a life of hardship Allah said about it: {But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur’ân nor acts on its teachings.) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection} [Surat Taha: 124].

{وَمَنْ أَعْرَضَ عَنْ ذِكْرِي فَإِنَّ لَهُ مَعِيشَةً ضَنْكًا} طه: 124

“And money will be in abundance that no one will take it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari]

«...ويفيض المال حتى لا يقبله أحد، حتى تكون السجدة الواحدة خيرا من الدنيا وما فيها...» رواه البخاري

Abu Hurayra added “If you wish, you can recite the saying of Allah almighty: {and there is none of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him [‘Isâ (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), as only a Messenger of Allâh and a human being] before his [‘Isâ (Jesus), peace be upon him) or a Jew’s or a Christian’s] death (at the time of the appearance of the angel of death). And on the Day of Resurrection, he [‘Isa (Jesus)] will be a witness against them} [Surat An-Nisa: 159].”

{وَإِنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا لَيُؤْمِنَنَّ بِهِ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا} النساء: 159

Dear beloved brothers, I finally declare the innocence of Jesus that is declared by Allah, the Exalted the Glorious, at the end of Surat Al-Maidah; Allah almighty said: {And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): "O 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)! Did you say unto men: 'Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah?' " He will say: "Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it. You know what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden and unseen. (116) "Never did I say to them aught except what You (Allah) did command me to say: 'Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.' And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst them, but when You took me up, You were the Watcher over them, and You are a Witness to all things. (This is a great admonition and warning to the Christians of the whole world). (117) "If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." (118) Allah will say: "This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are Gardens under which rivers flow (in Paradise) - they shall abide therein forever. Allah is pleased with them and they with Him. That is the great success (Paradise).} [Surat Al-Maidah: 116-119].

{وَإِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَأَنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَهَيْنِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ مَا يَكُونُ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَ مَا لَيْسَ لِي بِحَقٍّ إِنْ كُنْتُ قُلْتُهُ فَقَدْ عَلِمْتَهُ تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلَا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ (116) مَا قُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَمَرْتَنِي بِهِ أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ رَبِّي وَرَبَّكُمْ وَكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا مَا دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمَّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنْتَ أَنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ شَهِيدٌ (117) إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (118) قَالَ اللَّهُ هَذَا يَوْمُ يَنْفَعُ الصَّادِقِينَ صِدْقُهُمْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٌ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا أَبَدًا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ} المائدة: 116-119

Transliteration: Waith qala Allahu ya AAeesaibna maryama aanta qulta lilnnasi ittakhithoonee waommiya ilahayni min dooni Allahi qala subhanaka mayakoonu lee an aqoola ma laysa lee bihaqqin in kuntu qultuhu faqad AAalimtahu taAAlamu ma fee nafsee walaaAAlamu ma fee nafsika innaka anta AAallamu alghuyoobi (116) Ma qultu lahum illa ma amartanee bihi ani oAAbudoo Allaha rabbee warabbakum wakuntu AAalayhim shaheedan ma dumtu feehim falammatawaffaytanee kunta anta alrraqeeba AAalayhim waanta AAala kulli shayin shaheedun (117) In tuAAaththibhum fainnahum AAibaduka wain taghfir lahum fainnaka anta alAAazeezu alhakeemu (118) Qala Allahu hatha yawmu yanfaAAu alssadiqeena sidquhum lahum jannatun tajree min tahtiha alanharu khalideena feeha abadan radiya Allahu AAanhum waradoo AAanhu thalika alfawzu alAAatheemu

After this speech; I ask Allah to forgive our sins. And prayers and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, and his family and companions. O Allah, forgive to us our sins. O Allah, cover to us our defaults. O Allah, make us feel peace. O Allah, make our hardships easy for us and remove our solicitudes and grieves. O Allah, return the stray people to You kindly. O Allah, take our foreheads toward You; O the Lord of the worlds. O Allah, as You created us as monotheists, make us die as monotheists and resurrect us among the monotheists under the flag of the Model of the believers and the Master of the prophets. O the most Gracious, we ask You by Your Grace.

O Allah, cover our sins and do not expose them. O Allah, honor us and do not humiliate us. O Allah, be with us and do not be against us. O Allah, grant success to everyone wants good to Islam and Muslims. O Allah, destroy everyone wants evil to Islam and Muslims and perish him as You perished the people of ‘Aad and Thamud. O the most Gracious, we ask You by Your Grace. O Allah, make Egypt an oasis of safety and peace. O Allah, do not deprive Egypt from safety and peace. O Allah, do not deprive Egypt from welfare and stability. O Allah, grant welfare and luxury to Egypt and all Muslim countries. O Allah, save Egypt from rise in prices, diseases and the clear and hidden afflictions. O Allah, save Egypt by saving the monotheism of the monotheists. O the most Gracious, we ask You by Your Grace.

Finally; all right words I said are from Allah and every wrong or forgetfulness is from me and Satan and I declare that Allah and His Messenger are innocent from it. And I seek refuge with Allah from reminding you and not reminding myself. And prayers and peace of Allah be upon our Prophet, Muhammad, and his family and companions.



Translated by: Wathakker Website

Experience of a Converted Hindu Woman

Experience of a Converted Hindu Woman
My Experiences and How I Find that Islam does not Oppress Women
by : Sister Noor

I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off and have children and serve the husband - whether he was kind or not. Other than this I found that there were a lot of things which really oppressed women, such as:

* If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari (costume), eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry. The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband's family. And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty giving it. * Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured, and could end up being a victim of "kitchen death" where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, and try to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these instances are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own father's had the same fate last year!
* In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as among the gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebrations, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shira) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this. This made me see that the Hindu religion which is based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof , but were merely traditions which oppressed women could not be right.

Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this is a country which gives equal rights to men and women, and does not oppress them. We all have the freedom to do as we like, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people and make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to "socialise" (bars, dance halls, etc.). I realised that this "equality" was not so true in practice as it was in theory. Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, more subtle way. When I went with my friends to those places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realised how naïve I was, and recognised what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out. Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don't call this enjoying.
I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please and appear more appealing, and also talk in a certain way so people like them. During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respected with. Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone's belief, they do this. If making money is someone's belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminishing in this way.
In these days of so called "society of equal rights", you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you're weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression even though some women do not realise it. When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life. Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only-recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and some other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women.
Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds. The Qur'an itself, which is the Word of God, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam gives the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but made by God; hence it is a perfect religion.
Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe, and are told that this is oppression - it is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only for her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to none but his wife. In addition, God has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty:

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they could be known as such (i.e. decent and chaste) and not molested." (Qur'an 33:59) If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed. Another point I'd like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by God do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free-running between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever God commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind; there is no doubt about that. A verse in the Qur'an explains this concept clearly:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (i.e. from indecency, illegal sexual acts, etc.); that will make for greater purity for them. And God is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (from indecency, illegal sexual intercourse, etc.); and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments . . . " (Qur'an, Surah Al-Nur 24:31) When I put on my hijab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really want to do it. When I put on the hijab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness. Satisfied that I had obeyed God's command. And happy with the good and blessings that come with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in behaviour towards me.
Finally, I'd like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Qur'an itself there is a verse which says "Let there be no compulsion in religion". I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing. Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion God has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind whose ruling and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other. This is not the case of Islam which truly liberated women and gave them an individuality not given by any other authority.

---

Sister Noor embraced Islam while an undergraduate studying in the
Department of Biology at the University of Essex, U. K.

Purpose of Life: The Big Questions

Dr. Brown is the author of The Eighth Scroll, described by North Carolina State SenatorLarry Shaw as, ”Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code. The Eighth Scroll is a breath-holding, white-knuckled, can’t-put-down thriller that challenges Western views of humanity, history and religion. Bar none, the best book in its class!” Dr. Brown is also the author of three scholastic books of comparative religion, MisGod’ed, God’ed, andBearing True Witness. His books and articles can be found on his websites, www.EighthScroll.com and www.LevelTruth.com, and are available for purchase through amazon.com.

- Dr. Laurence Brown, MD

PART 1 – Who made Us?

At some point in our lives, everybody asks the big questions: “Who made us,” and “Why are we here?”

So who did make us?  Most of us have been brought up more on science than religion, and to believe in the Big Bang and evolution more than God.  But which makes more sense?  And is there any reason why the theories of science and creationism cannot coexist?

The Big Bang may explain the origin of the universe, but it doesn’t explain the origin of the primordial dust cloud.  This dust cloud (which, according to the theory, drew together, compacted and then exploded) had to come from somewhere.  After all, it contained enough matter to form not just our galaxy, but the billion other galaxies in the known universe.  So where did that come form?  Who, or what, created the primordial dust cloud?

Similarly, evolution may explain the fossil record, but it falls far short of explaining the quintessential essence of human life the soul.  We all have one.  We feel its presence, we speak of its existence and at times pray for its salvation.  But only the religious can explain where it came from.  The theory of natural selection can explain many of the material aspects of living things, but it fails to explain the human soul.

Furthermore, anyone who studies the complexities of life and the universe cannot help but witness the signature of the Creator. Whether or not people recognize these signs is another matter as the old saying goes, denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.  (Get it? Denial, spelled “de Nile” … the river Ni … oh, never mind.) The point is that if we see a painting, we know there is a painter.  If we see a sculpture, we know there’s a sculptor; a pot, a potter.  So when we view creation, shouldn’t we know there’s a Creator?

The concept that the universe exploded and then developed in balanced perfection through random events and natural selection is little different from the proposal that, by dropping bombs into a junkyard, sooner or later one of them will blow everything together into a perfect Mercedes.

If there is one thing we know for certain, it is that without a controlling influence, all systems degenerate into chaos.  The theories of the Big Bang and evolution propose the exact opposite, however that chaos fostered perfection.  Would it not be more reasonable to conclude that the Big Bang and evolution were controlled events? Controlled, that is, by the Creator?

The Bedouin of Arabia tell the tale of a nomad finding an exquisite palace at an oasis in the middle of an otherwise barren desert.  When he asks how it was built, the owner tells him it was formed by the forces of nature.  The wind shaped the rocks and blew them to the edge of this oasis, and then tumbled them together into the shape of the palace.  Then it blew sand and rain into the cracks to cement them together.  Next, it blew strands of sheep’s wool together into rugs and tapestries, stray wood together into furniture, doors, windowsills and trim, and positioned them in the palace at just the right locations.  Lightning strikes melted sand into sheets of glass and blasted them into the window-frames, and smelted black sand into steel and shaped it into the fence and gate with perfect alignment and symmetry.  The process took billions of years and only happened at this one place on earth purely through coincidence.

When we finish rolling our eyes, we get the point.  Obviously, the palace was built by design, not by happenstance.  To what (or more to the point, to Whom), then, should we attribute the origin of items of infinitely greater complexity, such as our universe and ourselves?

Another argument to dismiss the concept of Creationism focuses upon what people perceive to be the imperfections of creation.  These are the “How can there be a God if such-and-such happened?”  arguments.  The issue under discussion could be anything from a natural disaster to birth defects, from genocide to grandma’s cancer.  That’s not the point.  The point is that denying God based upon what we perceive to be injustices of life presumes that a divine being would not have designed our lives to be anything other than perfect, and would have established justice on Earth.

Hmm … is there no other option?

We can just as easily propose that God did not design life on Earth to be paradise, but rather a test, the punishment or rewards of which are to be had in the next life, which is where God establishes His ultimate justice.  In support of this concept we can well ask who suffered more injustices in their worldly lives than God’s favorites, which is to say the prophets?  And who do we expect to occupy the highest stations in paradise, if not those who maintain true faith in the face of worldly adversity? So suffering in this worldly life does not necessarily translate into God’s disfavor, and a blissful worldly life does not necessarily translate into beatitude in the hereafter.

I would hope that, by this line of reasoning, we can agree upon the answer to the first “big question.”  Who made us? Can we agree that if we are creation, God is the Creator?

If we can’t agree on this point, there probably isn’t much point in continuing.  However, for those who do agree, let’s move on to “big question” number two “why are we here?” What, in other words, is the purpose of life?

PART 2 – Purpose of Life

The first of the two big questions in life is, “Who made us?” We addressed that question in the previous article and (hopefully) settled upon “God” as the answer.  As we are creation, God is the Creator.

Now, let us turn to the second “big question,” which is, “Why are we here?”

Well, why are we here?  To amass fame and fortune?  To make music and babies?  To be the richest man or woman in the graveyard for, as we are jokingly told, “He who dies with the most toys wins?”

No, there must be more to life than that, so let’s think about this.  To begin with, look around you.  Unless you live in a cave, you are surrounded by things we humans have made with our own hands.  Now, why did we make those things?  The answer, of course, is that we make things to perform some specific function for us.  In short, we make things to serve us.  So by extension, why did God make us, if not to serve Him?

If we acknowledge our Creator, and that He created humankind to serve Him, the next question is, “How?  How do we serve Him?”  No doubt, this question is best answered by the One who made us.  If He created us to serve Him, then He expects us to function in a particular manner, if we are to achieve our purpose.  But how can we know what that manner is? How can we know what God expects from us?

Well, consider this: God gave us light, by which we can find our way.  Even at night, we have the moon for light and the stars for navigation.  God gave other animals guidance systems best suited for their conditions and needs.  Migrating birds can navigate, even on overcast days, by how light is polarized as it passes through the clouds.  Whales migrate by “reading” the Earth’s magnetic fields.  Salmon return from the open ocean to spawn at the exact spot of their birth by smell, if that can be imagined.  Fish sense distant movements through pressure receptors that line their bodies.  Bats and blind river dolphins “see” by sonar.  Certain marine organisms (the electric eel being a high-voltage example) generate and “read” magnetic fields, allowing them to “see” in muddy waters, or in the blackness of ocean depths.  Insects communicate by pheromones.  Plants sense sunlight and grow towards it (phototrophism); their roots sense gravity and grow into the earth (geotrophism).  In short, God has gifted every element of His creation with guidance.  Can we seriously believe he would not give us guidance on the one most important aspect of our existence, namely our raison d’etre our reason for being? That he would not give us the tools by which to achieve salvation?

And would this guidance not be .  .  .  revelation?

Think of it this way: Every product has specifications and rules.  For more complex products, whose specifications and rules are not intuitive, we rely upon owner’s manuals.  These manuals are written by the one who knows the product best, which is to say the manufacturer.  A typical owner’s manual begins with warnings about improper use and the hazardous consequences thereof, moves on to a description of how to use the product properly and the benefits to be gained thereby, and provides product specifications and a troubleshooting guide whereby we can correct product malfunctions.

Now, how is that different from revelation?

Revelation tells us what to do, what not to do and why, tells us what God expects of us, and shows us how to correct our deficiencies.  Revelation is the ultimate user’s manual, provided as guidance to the one who will use us ourselves.

In the world we know, products that meet or exceed specifications are considered successes whereas those that don’t are … hmm … let’s think about this.  Any product that fails to meet factory specifications is either repaired or, if hopeless, recycled.  In other words, destroyed.  Ouch.  Suddenly this discussion turns scary-serious.  Because in this discussion, we are the product the product of creation.

But let’s pause for a moment and consider how we interact with the various items that fill our lives.  As long as they do what we want, we’re happy with them.  But when they fail us, we get rid of them.  Some are returned to the store, some donated to charity, but eventually they all end up in the garbage, which gets … buried or burned.  Similarly, an underperforming employee gets … fired.  Now, stop for a minute and think about that word.  Where did that euphemism for the punishment due to an underperformer come from?  Hmm … the person who believes the lessons of this life translate into lessons about religion could have a field day with this.

But that doesn’t mean these analogies are invalid.  Just the opposite, we should remember that both Old and New Testaments are filled with analogies, and Jesus Christ taught using parables.

So perhaps we had better take this seriously.

No, I stand corrected.  Most definitely we should take this seriously.  Nobody ever considered the difference between heavenly delights and the tortures of hellfire a laughing matter.

PART 3 – The Need for Revelation

In the previous two parts of this series, we answered the two “big questions.”  Who made us?  God.  Why are we here?  To serve and worship Him.  A third question naturally arose: “If our Creator made us to serve and worship Him, how do we do that?” In the previous article I suggested that the only way we can serve our Creator is through obeying His mandates, as conveyed through revelation.

But many people would question my assertion: Why does mankind need revelation?  Isn’t it enough just to be good?  Isn’t it enough for each of us to worship God in our own way?

Regarding the need for revelation, I would make the following points: In the first article of this series I pointed out that life is full of injustices, but our Creator is fair and just and He establishes justice not in this life, but in the afterlife.  However, justice cannot be established without four things�a court (i.e., the Day of Judgment); a judge (i.e., the Creator); witnesses (i.e., men and women, angels, elements of creation); and a book of laws upon which to judge (i.e., revelation).  Now, how can our Creator establish justice if He did not hold humankind to certain laws during their livetimes?  It’s not possible.  In that scenario, instead of justice, God would be dealing out injustice, for He would be punishing people for transgressions they had no way of knowing were crimes.

Why else do we need revelation?  To begin with, without guidance mankind cannot even agree on social and economic issues, politics, laws, etc.  So how can we ever agree on God?  Secondly, nobody writes the user manual better than the one who made the product.  God is the Creator, we are creation, and nobody knows the overall scheme of creation better than the Creator.  Are employees allowed to design their own job descriptions, duties and compensation packages as they see fit?  Are we citizens allowed to write our own laws?  No?  Well then, why should we be allowed to write our own religions?  If history has taught us anything, it is the tragedies that result when mankind follows its caprice.  How many who have claimed to banner of free thought have designed religions that committed themselves and their followers to nightmares on Earth and damnation in the hereafter?

So why isn’t it enough just to be good?  And why isn’t it enough for each of us to worship God in our own way?  To begin with, peoples’ definitions of “good” differ.  For some it is high morals and clean living, for others it is madness and mayhem.  Similarly, concepts of how to serve and worship our Creator differ as well.  More importantly and to the point, nobody can walk into a store or a restaurant and pay with a different currency than the merchant accepts.  So it is with religion.  If people want God to accept their servitude and worship, they have to pay in the currency God demands.  And that currency is obedience to His revelation.

Imagine raising children in a home in which you have established “house rules.” Then, one day, one of your children tells you he or she has changed the rules, and is going to do things differently.  How would you respond?  More than likely, with the words, “You can take your new rules and go to Hell!” Well, think about it.  We are God’s creation, living in His universe under His rules, and “go to Hell” is very likely what God will say to any who presume to override His laws with their own.

Sincerity becomes an issue at this point.  We should recognize that all pleasure is a gift from our Creator, and deserving of thanks.  If given a gift, who uses the gift before giving thanks?  And yet, many of us enjoy God’s gifts for a lifetime and never give thanks.  Or give it late.  The English poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, spoke of the irony of the distressed human appeal in The Cry of the Human:

And lips say “God be pitiful,”

Who ne’er said, “God be praised.”

Should we not show good manners and thank our Creator for His gifts now, and subsequently for the rest of our lives?  Don’t we owe Him that?

You answered “Yes.” You must have.  Nobody will have read this far without being in agreement, but here’s the problem: Many of you answered “Yes,” knowing full well that your heart and mind does not wholly agree with the religions of your exposure.  You agree we were created by a Creator.  You struggle to understand Him.  And you yearn to serve and worship Him in the manner He prescribes.  But you don’t know how, and you don’t know where to look for the answers.  And that, unfortunately, is not a subject that can be answered in an article.  Unfortunately, that has to be addressed in a book, or maybe even in a series of books.

The good news is that I have written these books.  I invite you to start with The Eighth Scroll.  If you’ve liked what I’ve written here, you’ll love what I’ve written there.

ISLAM is finding a niche in the West

By Gwen Shrift Staff Writer http://www.phillyburbs.com/intelligencerrecord/article1.asp?F_num=1508843 There are about 7 million Muslims in the United States, with about 2 million attending the nation's 1,209 mosques. An average 30 percent of those participating in activities at their mosques are converts. That he may never forget the presence of God, the devout Muslim tempers his intentions with a lyrical word in Arabic, language of the prophet Mohammed. "Inshallah"- "If God wills" - is no cheap catchphrase. It describes the whole relationship between the Muslim and Allah, the supreme being, of whom the Quran says: "To God belong the East and the West; and wherever you turn, there is the face of God. For God is omnipresent, all-knowing." Not since the Puritans has God ruled lives the way Allah still guides the Muslim. Fourteen centuries after Mohammed, Islam is still cool water in the desert to the faithful. The words of the Quran pull strongly to seekers of peace and wisdom, and all are welcome to drink at the spring. Yet to some non-Muslims, the faith can be a force that steals a person's spirit and twists it to evil. Many were outraged when a 20-year-old Islamic convert from California was found in Afghanistan earlier this year, allegedly fighting on the side of terrorists against his own country. For many, the face of an Islamic convert comes from news photos of the dazed-looking, heavily bearded and filthy John Walker Lindh, who's now known as the American Taliban. Yet Islamic converts are more likely to be blacks who get involved in mosque-sponsored interfaith discussions or programs to help the needy, according to a major study of religious groups released last year by the Hartford Seminary's Institute for Religious Research. In other words, the average Islamic convert is more Jameel Jaabir than John Walker Lindh. A profession of faith Jaabir, 28, converted to Islam three years ago, lives in Morrisville, works as a manager in a local distribution company, raises his daughter as a Muslim and is deeply involved in the Masjid As Saffat in Trenton, his house of worship,. Apart from the fact that Lindh is in a lot of trouble with the American government for allegedly joining the Taliban, his emergence didn't seem to do much for the public image of those who convert to Islam. Muslims say conversion to Islam is a matter of what's in a person's heart and mind. There is no baptism. One professes the faith and embraces the Islamic deen, or complete way of life. The most devout Islamic thinkers believe every human is born a Muslim, so entering the faith is regarded as reversion rather than conversion. Hartford Seminary researchers reported there are about 7 million Muslims in the United States, with about 2 million regularly attending the nation's 1,209 mosques. An average 30 percent of those participating in activities at their mosques are converts, according to the study, which says the average mosque has 16 conversions a year. So what is the world to make of the American Taliban? "This is a unique case where a young man who came to Islam got into a situation," says Sayyid M. Syeed, secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America. "It became a tragedy that he became famous because he was found in Afghanistan. ... The most famous convert in America today, that is globally recognized and Americans are proud of, is Cassius Clay." Like many who convert to Islam, Clay took an Arabic name and became Muhammad Ali. Jaabir, born Corey Little, is still deciding how best to combine his birth name and his chosen name. "Some scholars believe you should keep your original last name," he says. Yet the Arabic names are evocative of a rich spiritual tradition: Jameel is one of the 99 attributes of Allah, and means one who is beautiful on the inside and acts in a beautiful manner. Jaabir means "one who consoles the aggrieved." Jaabir also is deciding on the right Arabic name for Nicole, his 9-year-old daughter. This devotion to Islamic roots runs counter to recent reports that some American citizens born with Arabic names are changing them to Western ones, often in fear of discrimination after the Sept. 11 attacks. Such Westernizing of names is a footnote in the larger story of the most recent clash between some elements of Islam and the West. Much has been made of the Islamic roots of those who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks, how copies of the Quran were found among their belongings, how they were instructed to cry "Allah Akbar!" ("God is great") as they prepared to slam jetliners into tall buildings. Mainstream Islam denounced the alleged religious motivation for the attacks, pointing out the faith is based on values such as peace and charity. But historical tensions are unlikely to end anytime soon, with enormous implications for both the Islamic and non-Islamic worlds. In his best-selling volume "What Went Wrong?" (written before Sept. 11, 2001), scholar Bernard Lewis concludes that "The worldwide exposure given to the views and actions of Osama bin Laden and his hosts the Taliban has provided a new and vivid insight into the eclipse of what was once the greatest, most advanced, and most open civilization in human history ... . "If the peoples of the Middle East continue on their present path, the suicide bomber may become a metaphor for the whole region, and there will be no escape from a downward spiral of hate and spite, rage and self-pity, poverty and oppression ... . "If they can abandon grievance and victimhood, settle their differences, and join their talents, energies, and resources in a common creative endeavor, then they can once again make the Middle East, in modern times as it was in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, a major center of civilization." In the name of Allah Muslims submit themselves to the will of God according to the Quran, which they believe was divinely revealed to Mohammed, who was born in the year 570 in what is now Saudi Arabia. Muslims consider Mohammed the last in a line of prophets that includes Abraham, Moses and Jesus, regard the Quran as the completion of all holy scriptures and believe Islam is the one true faith. Muslims do not worship Mohammed, but the faithful say or write "peace be upon him" at every mention of his name and the names of the other prophets. Mohammed is sometimes called Rasul Allah, which means "messenger of Allah." Virtually all Islamic documents, from announcements on the bulletin board at the local masjid to the opening verse of the Quran begin with the words: "Bis-millah hir-Rahman nir Rahim (In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful)." The central creed of Muslims is the belief in one God and in Mohammed's role as God's true messenger. Muslims abide by the five pillars of Islam: acknowledgement of the above-mentioned articles of faith, daily prayers, giving alms to the needy, fasting during the month of Ramadan and making a pilgrimage to Mecca, birthplace of Mohammed. Besides their belief in one God and in the prophets, Muslims believe in the books revealed to the prophets who preceded Mohammed, including the Torah and the Gospel; in angels, heaven and hell, life after death and a day of judgment. Though not all Muslims are Arabs, the Quran and all Islamic prayers and religious terms are in Arabic. Muslims say the original text of the Quran has survived with no revisions or variations. Translations are regarded as explanations of the Quran's meaning, rather than the scripture itself. Memorizing all 114 chapters of the Quran is a sign of devotion. The devout Muslim's day is marked by the call to prayer, which in Islamic nations puts a stop to all other activity. "In the West, the world is still going on around you," says Rashidah Khalifa, a student at the College of New Jersey who volunteers at the Masjid As Saffat. "It's a blessing to be living in the West, but it forces you to be conscious of what you're doing." A new life Those who convert to Islam accept more than a set of beliefs. Islam governs one's conduct, dress and daily schedule. Jaabir, once preoccupied with hip-hop, now lives his life by the rhythms of faith. At prayer times, he quietly withdraws to a room apart from his usual workspace. On Fridays, the Muslim counterpart of the Christian sabbath, he leaves work and drives to the Masjid As Saffat for midday worship. He makes up his work hours later. "That's a very minute price to pay for serving Allah," he says. Like other Muslims, Jaabir is governed by Quranic teachings on proper dress and conduct. Muslims are expected to "lower their gaze and guard their modesty," which is why Muslims dress as they do. So when Jaabir's daughter, Nicole, covers her head when setting out to Sunday school at the masjid, she's not claiming second-class status but rather obedience to the will of God, according to Islamic belief. For the same reasons, Nicole's dad wears loose trousers, a shirt that reaches below the knees and a cap. Jaabir and Nicole are among the first arrivals at the Masjid As Saffat, a small brick building on a side street in central Trenton. They're here for prayers and for Nicole's Sunday school class. Soon, the masjid is crowded with worshippers and their children. While most of the women wear full Islamic garb, some of the younger girls are dressed in jeans and sweaters. Every woman follows the Quran according to her culture: Pakistani women wear printed loose cotton tunics and trousers, Eastern Europeans loose, long-sleeved, flannel dresses that reach to the ankle. Every female in the masjid, from first-graders to grandmothers, wears the head scarf known as a hijab. Classroom doors are covered with children's artwork. The crafts tell you the children who study in these rooms are named Nour, Khaleeq, Afrida, Nusheen, Leema, Fatima, Amina, Ibrahim and Usama. Everyone goes downstairs to a large room for assembly. Men and boys sit on one side, women and girls on the other. The Sunday school principal asks a little girl to read in Arabic, then discusses a lesson for the day - if you help your fellow Muslims when they're in difficulties, Allah will help you. The teacher asks the kids for examples of "difficulties." "A mother going through pregnancy," says one boy. "When you can't pay the bills," offers a little girl. Everyone recites the opening chapter of the Quran, translated here: "In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful "All praise belongs to God, Lord of all worlds, The Compassionate, the Merciful, Ruler of Judgment Day. It is You that we worship, And to You we appeal for help. Show us the straight way, The way of those You have graced, Not of those on whom is Your wrath, Nor of those who wander astray." Nicole goes upstairs and takes her place in a class of other third-graders taught by Khalifa. The teacher takes out a set of homemade flash cards, each depicting one of the 30 characters in the Arabic alphabet. Nicole eagerly calls out the names of the letters. Khalifah drills the students: "Why is this (the letter) jim (rather than the similar-looking ha or kha)?" "Because it's got a dot in the middle," says Nicole. The teacher discusses how a letter looks different according to whether it begins, connects or doesn't connect with another. She teaches them four new Arabic letters, handing out worksheets printed with examples. The children practice forming the characters, then recite chapters of the Quran, known as surahs. After a break, the class turns to Islamic history and moral concepts. Khalifa asks the children what a hypocrite is. "It's, like, a fake Muslim," says one girl. "It's someone who pretends to be something they're not," Khalifa explains. "No back-biting! No talking about people behind their backs!" Khalifa asks her students to recite 10 of the 99 attributes of Allah, all they've memorized so far - or at least some have. A few of the girls have mastered the list ("Ar-Rahim, the most merciful, Al-Mumin, guardian of faith, As-Salaam, the source of peace ...") but the lesson needs work. "Next week, we're going to have a test," Khalifa announces. "And everybody better know the 10 attributes of Allah. If you don't do well, you're going to be talking to your parents." Nicole, a student at M.R. Reiter Elementary School, loves her Arabic studies. "I'm just a couple of steps away and I'll be reading the Quran - I can't wait," she says. Likewise, her father lives for the rewards of prayer, for every reminder of Allah. "This is the right deen, this is the path I'm on," he says. "Every day, I pray for this knowledge, the understanding ... Islam is the truth. I didn't know this before." Gwen Shrift can be contacted via e-mail at gshrift@phillyburbs.com

Hinduism preaches Terrorism ?

[In Rig Veda III:34:9 Indra killed the Dasyus (dark skinned natives) and "gave protection to the Aryan color." Not only did the Aryans shamelessly , pray for booty in war but they based their militarily won supremacy on

the lightness of their skin color compared to the dark colors of the native

Dasyus. They arrogantly proclaim, "Let those who have no weapons suffer sorrow." (Rig

Veda IV:5:14.)]

"Renowned is he when conquering and when slaying:

'tis he who wins cattle in the combat.When Indra hardens his indignation all that is fixed and all that moves fear him. Indra has won all kine, all gold, all horses, - Maghavan, he who breaks forts in pieces;" --Rig Veda IV:17:10-11.

Indra is praised for killing thousands of the abject tribes of Dasas

with his arrow and taking great vengeance with "murdering weapons." (Rig

Veda IV:28:3-4) One hymn mentions sending thirty thousand Dasas "to

slumber" and another hymn sixty thousand slain. A hymn dedicated to the

weapons of war (Rig Veda VI:75) refers to a warrior "armed with mail,"

using a bow to win cattle and subdue all regions, "upstanding in the car

the skillful charioteer guides his strong horses on whithersoe'er he

will." The arrows had iron mouths and shafts "with venom smeared" that

"not one be left alive." Hymn VII:83 begins, "Looking to you and your

alliance, O ye men, armed with broad axes they went forward, fain for

spoil. Ye smote and slew his Dasa and his Aryan enemies."

Only occasionally did the authors of these hymns look to their own sins.

"Free us from sins committed by our fathers, from those wherein we have ourselves offended.

O king, loose, like a thief who feeds the cattle,as from the cord a calf, set free Vasishtha.

Not our own will betrayed us, but seduction,

thoughtlessness, Varuna! wine, dice or anger.

The old is near to lead astray the younger:

even sleep removes not all evil-doing." --Rig Veda VII:86:5-6.

A hymn to the frogs compares the repetitions of the priests around the

soma bowl to the croaking of the frogs around a pond after the rains come. (Rig Veda VII:103)

The basic belief of the prayers and sacrifices is that they will help them to gain their desires and overcome their enemies, as in Rig VedaVIII:31:15: "The man who, sacrificing, strives to win the heart of

deities will conquer those who worship not." [VERY TOLERANT VEDIC-HINDUS??]

 Furthermore, the prayers for riches continue, and Indra is thanked for winning wealth in horses, cattle, and gold by his chariot. Agni helps to slay the many in war by the hands of the few, "preserving our wealthy patrons with thy succors, and ourselves." (Rig Veda I:31:6, 42) Indra

helped win the Aryan victory:

 "He, much invoked, hath slain Dasyus and Simyus, after his wont, and laid them low with arrows.The mighty thunderer with his fair-complexioned friends won the land, the sunlight, and the waters." --Rig Veda I:100:18.

 Control of the waters was essential for agricultural wealth. Indra is

praised for crushing the godless races and breaking down their forts.

(Rig Veda I:174) [Again, the "tolerant" & "holy" scriptures speak.]

In the tenth and last book of the Rig Veda some new themes are explored,

but the Dasyus are still condemned for being "riteless, void of sense,

inhuman, keeping alien laws," and Indra still urges the heroes to slay the enemies; his "hand is prompt to rend and burn, O hero thunder-armed: as thou with thy companions did destroy the whole of Sushna's brood."(Rig Veda X:22)

Obviously, the "myth" that the current "evils" of the Hindu system such as the caste system, etc. are all corruptions of later Hindus & all the clean values of the ancient Hindus illustrated in the Vedas were much purer, peaceful & more spiritual...........

RIGHT.....WHATEVER.

Moreover, as one can see, Hitler's view of the Aryans & choice of the swas-tika

symbol was not entirely inappropriate for his genocidic tendencies.

A Letter from a muslim girl to her christian parents

Hello Mami and Papi,

I don't know how else to approach you in order to explain my
reasoning behind my life changing decision and have you listen and
understand at the same time.

Since I can long remember I have not be a strong believer of
Christianity, there was a lot that did not make sense to me, for
example, why I have to beg for forgiveness to a priest? Why I have to
pray to saints and not straight to God, why is Jesus the SON of God,
why are their SOO many versions of the bible?

Prior to the beginning of my sophomore semester (September 2005) my
curiosity took its place and I went ahead and began doing some
research. This research of course was mild, but when Ramadan hit in
October of 2005 I observed the way my Muslim friends used to worship
Allah (God) and how they were so true to their religion, it was
beautiful...

The religion became a fascination to me, and I truly
wanted to know more. I purchased a few books in the UK and read some
pamphlets on the religion. I did not make any decisions but I
continued to read and become more familiar to Islam.

Islam began making sense to me, the idea that we pray only to Allah,
that we ask Allah for help and for forgive us, how a book (the Quran)
that was written thousands of years ago remains unchanged as of today
(there are different translations but no different versions) . Also
how a book that was written years ago managed to explain scientific
situations that was only discovered by man kind only a couple of year
ago. Or how the Quran has managed to explains how babies develop in
the womb? How would anyone thousands of years ago know this and in
such detail? Especially since scientist discovered the explanation of
these situations less that 100 years ago?? How can we explain those
wonders of the book? Also how can I deny the holy book when it has
been so clear in explaining advanced technology, how the day turns
into the night, the creation of human beings by water (as we know
scientifically to be known that we came from cells) layers of heaven
(which we describe now in scientific terms as the atmospheric
levels?). Furthermore, the beginning of the universe and the movement
of tectonic plates (there are numerous other examples of the science
behind the Quran).

What also has touched me is that Islam believes in
ALL THE PROPHETS - JESUS MOSES DAVID ABRAHAM AND MOHAMMAD (pbuh) they
all coexist in he Quran, the Quran also tells us that we must respect
ALL religions. Mami and Papi, I can not explain how many times I have
made my self clear to you of what I believed in, I could not have
given myself away anymore! Every time I spoke hours and hours on end
about Islam, and how I knew so much.

Also I began of interacting more with Muslim friends; I felt that
they would be able to give me a clear explanation of Islam.

Also
Islam played a major part in self respect, and it helped my
appreciate my self more, and realize that I should stay away from
harmful situation such as drinking, smoking, going out with people
that only meant trouble. I told you what my friends were like, they
were heading the wrong direction, and I did not want to be in that
direction and believing in Islam made it easier for me to walk away
from the powers of shayten and do better.

Also Islam was and has been
the reason for my success in school. I have placed my mind in my
studies instead of going out all the time as my old friends did, and
trust me you would not like me to be like them, because if I had been
than you would have every single reason to think I was a bad person,
that I was irresponsible and that I was a disgrace to the family.
After almost one year of studying Islam I had no doubt in my mind
that it was not the right religion.

I was prepared to become a Sunni
Muslim. In early June 2006 I attended the mosque in Westbury NY to
ask further questions about Islam and after speaking to a sister and
the imam of the mosque I knew that it was time to make the right
decision. I did shahada around 2 weeks later which is the Islamic
creed; it means to testify or to bear witness in Arabic, the
declaration of the belief. I stated in front of 80- 100 Muslims "ash
hadu anla ilaha illallah, wa ash hadu anla Mohammad roosul Allah"
which translates to "I believe in one and only God and Mohammad is
his messenger" It was such a beautiful experience. I had been
accepted into the Islam. I was welcomed by every single Muslim at the
mosque with open arms, I felt too special, it felt so right, I knew I
had made the best decision in my life, and it was something that was
going to bring positive sides of me. It is so hard to explain the
rush, and the emotional and faith satisfaction that I had at that
moment, but I knew there was something wrong, that I was not able to
celebrate my happiness with the people in my life that I loved the
most, the meant to most to me, and that was you and papi. The moment
was wonderful but not complete. I really wish you could have been as
proud of me as I was for myself.

It hurt so much to think and feel that my biggest challenge would be to openly tell you about me and
Islam, about me and my faith, about me and my happiness. I know that
you both want the best for me, you want me to be happy and you want
me to be responsible, and you want me to be independent and make the
RIGHT decisions. I have done the right decision, and I made it all
by myself, and I read about Islam all by myself, I discovered Islam
in me all by myself, IT WAS ME who made every decision from the point
were I began in the Islamic interest to the point where I am now.

I can't lie to you and tell you I had no influences because how else
would I have been influenced by wanting to know more about Islam?
Well from observing other people. How do we know as humans whether
eating a chocolate cake taste good or not? We taste it, we try others
to compare and then we make a final decision and if we like it we
continue to eat if we don't then we disregard it.

Mami and Papi, I know I might seem weak sometimes in certain
situations, and I know I display signs of vulnerability , but
converting into Islam was decided by me, its hard and it hurts to
think that all this studying, research of Islam and me converting has
been credited to someone else, but at the end of the day the only one
that knows the truth is God and it is to him that I will be standing
in front of on the day of Judgment, and it is him that knows
everything.

I believe in Islam, I believe in God, the only difference between
Christianity and Islam that I don't believe in is that Jesus is the
son of God BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT HE WAS A MESSENGER OF GOD. It is
stated in the Quran that all the prophets were messengers of God,
they all came to spread the news and religion of God, but that they
all came in their own time, and that Mohammad (pbuh) was the last
messenger of God.

I know my word is hard to believe after the incidents these past two
days, but there is nothing more that I can do to prove to both of you
when it comes to the decisions that I made about Islam.

And most importantly I want you both to understand that it is
virtually impossible to explain ALL of my reasoning behind my belief
in Islam, this email is not even 1/100th of it all, I have spent
hours and hours and hours speaking to others about my feeling towards
Islam, and I wish and pray to Allah that one day I will be able to
express everything I feel about Islam with both of you.

I still remain to be the daughter that you had almost 21 years ago, it has
not changed the way I feel about you, you still are the most
important people in my life, I love you both more than anything, I
just have a different belief and its one which will bring you no
shame, it will not physically hurt you, and I will not patronize our
relationship.

I love you both very much and I only pray for the best,
Carolina Amirah DeFonseca