Who is Allah?

 

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word “Allah.”  For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews.  This is totally false, since “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for “God” - and there is only One God.  Let there be no doubt - Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus - peace be upon them all.  However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God.  For example, Muslims - like Jews - reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation.  This, however, does not mean that each of these three religions worships a different God - because, as we have already said, there is only One True God.  Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be “Abrahamic Faiths”, and all of them are also classified as “monotheistic.”  However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas.

First of all, it is important to note that “Allah” is the same word that Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use for God.  If you pick up an Arabic Bible, you will see the word “Allah” being used where “God” is used in English.  This is because “Allah” is a word in the Arabic language equivalent to the English word “God” with a capital “G”.  Additionally, the word “Allah” cannot be made plural, a fact which goes hand-in-hand with the Islamic concept of God.

It is interesting to note that the Aramaic word “El”, which is the word for God in the language that Jesus spoke, is certainly more similar in sound to the word “Allah” than the English word “God.”  This also holds true for the various Hebrew words for God, which are “El” and “Elah”, and the plural or glorified form “Elohim.”  The reason for these similarities is that Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all Semitic languages with common origins.  It should also be noted that in translating the Bible into English, the Hebrew word “El” is translated variously as “God”, “god” and “angel”!  This imprecise language allows different translators, based on their preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own views.  The Arabic word “Allah” presents no such difficulty or ambiguity, since it is only used for Almighty God alone.  Additionally, in English, the only difference between “god”, meaning a false god, and “God”, meaning the One True God, is the capital “G”.  Due to the above mentioned facts, a more accurate translation of the word “Allah” into English might be “The One -and-Only God” or “The One True God.”

More importantly, it should also be noted that the Arabic word “Allah” contains a deep religious message due to its root meaning and origin.  This is because it stems from the Arabic verb ta’allaha (or alaha), which means “to be worshipped.”  Thus in Arabic, the word “Allah” means “The One who deserves all worship.”  This, in a nutshell, is the Pure Monotheistic message of Islam.

Suffice it to say that just because someone claims to be a “monotheistic” Jew, Christian or Muslim, that does not keep them from falling into corrupt beliefs and idolatrous practices.  Many people, including some Muslims, claim belief in “One God” even though they’ve fallen into acts of idolatry.  Certainly, many Protestants accuse Roman Catholics of idolatrous practices in regards to the saints and the Virgin Mary.  Likewise, the Greek Orthodox Church is considered “idolatrous” by many other Christians because in much of their worship they use icons.  However, if you ask a Roman Catholic or a Greek Orthodox person if God is “One”, they will invariably answer: “Yes!.”  This claim, however, does not stop them from being “creature worshipping” idolaters.  The same goes for Hindus, who just consider their gods to be “manifestations” or “incarnations” of the One Supreme God.

Before concluding… there are some people out there, who are obviously not on the side of truth, that want to get people to believe that “Allah” is just some Arabian “god”[1], and that Islam is completely “other” - meaning that it has no common roots with the other Abrahamic religions (i.e. Christianity and Judaism).  To say that Muslims worship a different “God” because they say “Allah” is just as illogical as saying that French people worship another God because they use the word “Dieu”, that Spanish-speaking people worship a different God because they say “Dios” or that the Jews worshipp a different God because they sometimes call Him “Yahweh.”  Certainly, reasoning like this is quite ridiculous!  It should also be mentioned, that claiming that any one language uses the only the correct word for God is tantamount to denying the universality of God’s message to mankind, which was to all nations, tribes and people through various prophets who spoke different languages.

We would like to ask our readers about the motives of these people?  The reason is that the Ultimate Truth of Islam stands on solid ground and its unshakeable belief in the Unity of God is above reproach.  Due to this, Christians can’t criticize its doctrines directly, but instead fabricate things about Islam that aren’t true so that people lose the desire to learn more.  If Islam were presented in the proper way to the world, it surely might make many people reconsider and re-evaluate their own beliefs.  It is quite likely that when they find out that there is a universal religion in the world that teaches people to worship and love God, while also practicing Pure Monotheism, would at least feel that they should re-examine the basis for their own beliefs and doctrines.

 islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]Such as the claim propagated by Robert Morey in his work, The Moon-god Allaah in the Archeology of the Middle East. For a discussion of this work, please see the following links:

(http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Sources/Allah/moongod.html)

Why Pork is Forbidden in Islam : Obeying the laws of God

Islam is a holistic way of life, taking into account physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being, each a separate but overlapping part of the structure of a human being.  God created us with a purpose; to worship Him, (Quran 51:56) but He did not abandon us to a world of instability and insecurity.  He gave us a book of guidance, the Quran, and the example of Prophets and Messengers to explain that trusting in God was the way for us to achieve success in this life and in the hereafter.

.  A Muslim spends his or her life endeavouring to please God by worshipping Him and obeying His laws, or rules.  One of those rules is that the eating pork, or pork products is forbidden.

At first, one might wonder what harm could come from pork, a product eaten in many parts of the world, and the fact that pork contains parasites and diseases harmful to man may spring to mind as a justifiable reason for abstaining.  However, when analysing why Muslims are forbidden to eat pork, this becomes a secondary reason.  Muslims simply do not eat pork or pork products because God has prohibited it.

“He has forbidden you only dead animals, and blood, and the swine, and that which is slaughtered as a sacrifice for other than God.” (Quran 2:173)

Sometimes we may never know or understand why God has ordained some things and prohibited others.  In the case of pork, no specific reason for the prohibition is given except in Quran 6: 145 when God says, in reference to the flesh of swine (pig), “for that surely is impure”.  A Muslim submits to God’s commands willingly, without needing to know the reason behind the divine rule.  Moreover, God has expressly stated that a believer hears the words of his Lord and obeys them.

“‘We hear and we obey.’  And such are the successful (who will live forever in Paradise).” (Quran 24:51)

“When God and His Messenger have decreed a matter, they (the believers) should not have any option in their decision.  And whoever disobeys God and His Messenger; he has indeed strayed into a plain error.” (Quran 33:36)

A believer understands that God is the Most Wise and the Most Just; therefore, His rules are designed to benefit us in our daily needs, be they physical, emotional, or spiritual.  The Creator knows the best way for His creation to live in this world and prepare for the next.  It is not permissible for a Muslim to consume pork under any circumstances except in cases of dire necessity, such as, if a person’s life depends on eating it.  In cases of dire necessity, prohibited things are permitted.

God allows us to enjoy all the good lawful things and forbids us to partake of those things that may be harmful to our beliefs, health, well being, or morals.[1a]  Consequently, Muslims are acutely aware of the dangers of eating things that are forbidden and therefore make concerted efforts to seek out permissible food, even if it involves extra effort or expense.

If a believer consumes pork unknowingly or by mistake, there is no sin of him or her.  God does not punish anyone for lack of knowledge, nor for unintentional mistakes or forgetfulness.  However if a believer is certain, or thinks that any pork, or pork products may be in his food, drinks  or medicines then it is not permissible for him or her to consume it.  If he has doubts then he must make an effort to inquire about the ingredients or ask for details.[2a]  Nowadays knowledge about ingredients and the manufacturing process is readily available and the prohibition applies whether there is a small amount of pork or pork products, or a large amount.

The scholars of Islam differ over the issue of whether or not changing the form of the impurity (in this case pork products) lifts the prohibition.  The Islamic Organisation for Medical Sciences is of the opinion that changing the form (for example, food, and medicine additives) so that it becomes something different, does lift the prohibition.  However, there is no doubt and no difference of opinion that it is forbidden to consume meat derived from the pig, including ham and bacon.

The recent outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and North America led some countries to slaughter pigs en masse however there is ample scientific evidence to suggest that pigs harbour parasites that are harmful to humans and the pig has long been considered the ideal breeding ground for influenza.

As the Creator of humankind and all that exists, God knows what is good for us, and He has sent guidance enabling us to make wise decisions.  Just as a computer would not work properly if it were incorrectly programmed, a human being is not able to function if he is not nourished correctly.  Islam is a holistic religion that recognises the interconnectedness of spiritual, emotional, and physical health.  What a person eats and drinks has a direct bearing on their overall health and well-being.

Virologists have long been aware that the pig is an ideal breeding ground for influenza, so it is no surprise that the latest threat, swine flu, originated in pigs.  Microbiologist and immunology expert, Dr Graham Burgess[1]  says, “Viruses that would normally grow in the chicken can potentially grow in the pig and ones that grow in humans will potentially grow in pigs.  So we consider the pig a great mixing pot for viruses and this is where it can play a real role in generating new viruses".

The pig is known to harbour parasites as well as bacteria and viruses.  Cysticercosis is an infection caused by the pork tapeworm, Taenia solium.  Infection occurs when the tapeworm larvae enter the body and form cysticerci (cysts).  When cysticerci are found in the brain, the condition is called neurocysticercosis.  This tapeworm in pigs is found worldwide but is most problematic in poor and developing countries were pigs are allowed to roam freely and often eat human faeces.  This infection can occur even in modern developed countries but the CDC reports that it is very rare in Muslim countries where eating pork is forbidden.[2]

Trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, is caused by eating raw or undercooked meat of animals infected with the larvae of a species of worm called Trichinella.  Infection occurs most commonly in certain wild carnivorous (meat-eating) animals but it may also occur in domestic pigs.  The CDC warns that if a human eats meat containing infective Trichinella cysts, the acid in the stomach dissolves the hard covering of the cyst and releases the worms.

The worms pass into the small intestine and, in 1-2 days, become mature.  After mating, adult females lay eggs.  These eggs develop into immature worms, travel through the arteries, and are transported to muscles.  Within the muscles, the worms curl into a ball and encyst (become enclosed in a capsule).  This infection occurs when these encysted worms are consumed in meat.  The number of cases of trichinellosis throughout the world has steadily decreased due to an awareness of the dangers of eating raw and undercooked pork products and legislation prohibiting feeding raw meat garbage to pigs.[3]

Pigs are omnivores, which means they consume both plants and animals.  Pigs will scavenge and eat any type of food, including dead insects, worms, tree bark, rotting carcasses, garbage, and even other pigs.  Pigs have very few sweat glands so therefore they are unable to completely rid their bodies of toxins.  New evidence indicates that farming practices are leading directly to the spread of human bacterial infections.

Pigs often live in the small spaces and fetid conditions that exist in many modern factory farms and studies are revealing that pigs frequently harbour antibiotic resistant staph bacteria.  This drug resistant bacterium is now entering our food supply and recent investigations in the United States of America indicate that 49% of pigs and 45% of pig workers now harbour these bacteria responsible for killing more then 18,000 people in the US every year.[4]

“He has forbidden you only dead animals, and blood, and the flesh of swine...” (Quran 2:173)

“For that surely is impure” (Quran 6:145)

Muslims refrain from eating pork and pork products because God has forbidden it.  However a little investigation into the anatomy and lifestyle of the pig reveals that it is certainly an unclean animal.  Those interested in consuming healthy, natural, and pure foods would do well to abstain from pork and pork products.

- islamreligion.com

Footnotes:

[1a]At Tabarani (classified as authentic by Sheikh  al Albanee).

[2a]Scholars of the Standing Committee for issuing Fatwas (Islamic rulings) Saudi Arabia.

[1]James Cook University, Queensland Australia.  (http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/04/27/2554021.htm)

[2](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/cysticercosis/factsht_cysticercosis.htm)

[3](http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trichinosis/factsht_trichinosis.htm)

[4](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=sick-farms-infected-food) &

(http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-drug-resistant-mrsa-in-pigs)

The human being was created weak

 God says: "God would make the burden light for you, for the human being was created weak." (Quran 4:28)

In a state of weakness we were first created, and in a state of weakness we end our lives.  During the intervening years, we face one state of weakness after another, in both body and spirit. 

Our bodies suffer from sickness.  Even those of us who are blessed with robust health must ultimately succumb to the weakness of old age.  Our spirits are plagued with heedlessness.  Our minds can be touched with insanity.  We can see how weakness surrounds our existence from all sides.  Our own incapacity causes us to appreciate the greatness and the might of our Creator all the more. 

There is one form of weakness that we cannot hope to conceal.  It makes our deficiency and dependency all too obvious.  It is sickness – that state of being that strikes a person’s body and brings it down.  It takes its toll on the spirit as well, cutting down its arrogance and excessive pride.  All a person’s imagined power is knocked right off its foundations, causing a person to return to his original state of being, that state that is so much denied and pushed out of mind by our hubris and pride, and by our false notion of our own strength.  Sickness makes us get a taste of our weak origins all over again. 

Sickness is debilitating.  It exhausts the body.  Yet, for some people, it is a source of strength, fortifying their faith in God, restoring them to the natural relationship that they should have with their Lord.  Sickness is a wakeup call for some people, dispelling vanity and false desire from the heart, pushing aside vain passions and lusts. 

Sickness causes their hearts to become penitent, hastening to seek forgiveness.  They rush to the door of God’s mercy, that door which forever remains open, but which we are so prone to lose sight of during our years of health and prosperity.  Sickness can make those who used to shun that door most haughtily become the most ardent petitioners at its steps. 

It is no shame for a worshipper to expose his weakness at times of illness and submit himself humbly to God, beseeching God for his needs.  This is something that God loves from His servants. 

What is shameful is for that same person - who had so humbly petitioned his Lord at his time of weakness and need - to then shrug aside all of that humility once he is restored to health and deny the blessings of God.  It is a shame for him to return to his former haughtiness as if sickness had never touched him and as if he had never supplicated to his Lord for relief.  Such a person is indeed shameful and despicable. 

God says: "And when affliction touches a person, he calls on Us, whether lying on his side or sitting or standing; but when We remove his affliction from him, he passes on as though he had never called on Us on account of an affliction that touched him; thus that which they do is made fair-seeming to the extravagant." (Quran 10:12)

Few are those who recall at times of strength that there have been and will be times of weakness, times of incapacity.  A few short hours of prosperity is all that it takes to make us forget.  It takes just a bit of wealth to make us haughty. 

When misfortune falls, it is so fast that a person becomes desperate and dismayed, suddenly returning to earnest supplication and impatient for a return to prosperity.  Then, when God answers his prayer, he just as quickly turns his back and returns to his former state of heedlessness and disregard. 

Some people advocate false ideas, and push those ideas with such force that we cannot doubt the strength of their convictions for the falsehoods that they espouse.  Often, it is revealed how flimsy their convictions really are, how much they were based on personal desire and self-deception. 

We see this when that person is stricken with a fearful illness, his heart turns hard to those false ideas and seeks to return to its pure, natural state of faith in God and belief in His message.  All his false arguments and sophistries fall straight away. 

History attests to this fact.  There are many examples of people who were not mere followers of false ideologies, but leading proponents of those ideas, philosophers and intellectuals.  Their intelligence and sophistication had misguided them and cast them into confusion.  However, being touched by a frightful illness dispelled from their minds the vagaries of falsehood, and turned their hearts to God and to His mercy. 

Guidance in affliction is better than misguidance in prosperity. - islamreligion.com

An Enemy becomes a Friend

 

In the sixth year after the hijrah (the migration to Medina), the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, decided to expand the scope of his mission.  He sent eight letters to rulers in the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding areas inviting them to Islam.  One of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.

Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Haneefi was one of the most powerful Arab rulers in the pre-Islamic era.  This is not surprising since he was a chieftain of the Banu Hanifah and one of the rulers of al-Yamamah whose word no one dared to challenge or disobey.

When Thumamah received the Prophet’s letter, he was consumed by anger and rejected it.  He refused to listen to the invitation of Truth and goodness.  More than that, he felt a strong desire to go and kill the Prophet and bury his mission with him.

Thumamah waited and waited for a convenient time to carry out his design against the Prophet until eventually forgetfulness caused him to lose interest.  One of his uncles, however, reminded him of his plan, praising what he intended to do.

In the pursuit of his evil design against the Prophet, Thumamah met and killed a group of the Prophet’s companions.  The Prophet thereupon declared him a wanted man who could lawfully be killed on sight.

Not long afterwards, Thumamah decided to perform umrah (the lesser pilgrimage).  He wanted to perform Tawaf (circumambulation) around the Kaabah and sacrifice to the idols there (The people of Mecca, before becoming Muslims, placed hundreds of idols in the Kaaba).  So he left al-Yamamah for Mecca.  As he was passing near Medina, an incident took place which he had not anticipated.

Groups of Muslims were patrolling the districts of Medina and outlying areas on the lookout for any strangers or anyone intent on causing trouble.  One of these groups came upon Thumamah and apprehended him, but they did not know who he was.  They took him to Medina and tied him to one of the columns in the mosque.  They waited for the Prophet himself to question the man and decide what should be done with him.

Just as he was about to enter the mosque, the Prophet saw Thumamah, so he asked his companions,

“Do you know whom you have taken?”

“No, messenger of God,” they replied.

“This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Haneefi,” he said.  “You have done well in capturing him.”

The Prophet then returned home to his family and said,

“Get what food you can and send it to Thumamah ibn Uthal.”

He then ordered his camel to be milked in order to provide him with milk.  All this was done before he met Thumamah or had spoken to him.”

The Prophet then approached Thumamah hoping to encourage him to become a Muslim.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”  he asked.

“If you want to kill in reprisal,” Thumamah replied, “you can have someone of noble blood to kill.  If, out of your bounty, you want to forgive, I shall be grateful.  If you want money as ransom, I shall give you whatever amount you ask.”

The Prophet then left him for two days, but still personally sent him food and drink and milk from his camel.  The Prophet then went back to him and asked,

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

Thumamah repeated what he had said a couple of days beforehand.  The Prophet then left and came back to him the following day.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

He asked again, and Thumamah repeated what he had said the previous day once more.  Then the Prophet turned to his companions and said,

“Set him free.”

Thumamah left the mosque of the Prophet and rode out on the trail to Mecca until he came to a palm grove on the outskirts of Medina near al-Baqee (a place of luxuriant vegetation which later became a cemetery for many of the Prophet’s companions).  He watered his camel and took a complete bath there.  Then he made his way back to the Prophet’s mosque.  There, he stood before a congregation of Muslims and said:

“I bear witness that there is no true god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His messenger.”

He then went to the Prophet and said:

“O Muhammad, by God, there was never on this earth a face more detestable than yours.  Now, yours is the dearest face of all to me.  I have killed some of your men,” he continued, “I am at your mercy.  What will you have done to me?”

“There is now no blame on you, Thumamah,” replied the Prophet.  “Becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new beginning.”

-islamreligion.com

What is a Mosque?

 

A mosque is the building in which Muslims worship God.  Throughout Islamic history, the mosque was the centre of the community and towns formed around this pivotal building.  Nowadays, especially in Muslim countries mosques are found on nearly every street corner, making it a simple matter for Muslims to attend the five daily prayers.  In the West mosques are integral parts of Islamic centers that also contain teaching and community facilities.   

Mosques come in all shapes and sizes; they differ from region to region based on the density of the Muslim population in a certain area. Muslims in the past and even today have made use of local artisans and architects to create beautiful, magnificent mosques.  

There are however, certain features that are common to all mosques.  Every mosque has a mihrab, a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca; the direction towards which Muslims pray.  Most mosques have a minbar (or pulpit) from which an Islamic scholar is able to deliver a sermon or speech.

Other common features include, minarets, tall towers used to call the congregation to prayer.  Minarets are highly visible and are closely identified with mosques.  Normally there is a large rectangular or square prayer area.  It often takes the form of a flat roof supported by columns or a system of horizontal beams supported by architraves.  In other common mosque designs, the roof consists of a single large dome on pendentives.[1]  There are usually separate prayer areas, with separate entrances for both men and women.

Mosques have developed significantly over the past 1400 years.  Many have courtyards containing decorative pools and fountains, which originally supplied water for ablution before prayer.  Nowadays however,  more private bathroom and toilet facilities are provided.  Originally simple structures with earthen floors, now, mosque floors are usually covered with plush carpet.  They are more often than not decorated with straight lines of geometric designs that ensure Muslims stand in straight rows to perform their five daily prayers.

There are never any images of life or statues in mosques, for in Islam it is forbidden that such things are kept or displayed. .  At times, the interior walls of the mosque are decorated with verses from the Quran in Arabic calligraphy, or with intricate geometric designs.  The patterns are made from a variety of materials including mosaics, stucco, stone, ceramics, and wood.  The more classical designs are referred to as arabesque, and they take the form of a radial grid in which circle and star shapes are prominent.  Designs can be both two, and three-dimensional.

More often than not, even in arid desert countries mosques are cool, serene havens.  When a person enters a mosque he or she would have left the hustle and bustle of the material world and retreated into a calm shelter or sanctuary.  Mosques are houses of worship. Men are expected to pray all five daily obligatory prayers in a mosque, in congregation.  Although women are welcome to pray in the mosque it is more praiseworthy for them to pray in their homes. Nonetheless, Muslims are permitted to pray anywhere, excluding filthy or impure places such as toilets or in graveyards.Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said, “The entire earth was made a masjid for me”[2].  Masjid is the Arabic word for mosque.  However, while the term mosque has come to mean a building specifically for prayer the word masjid has retained several layers of meaning.

In the very literal sense, masjid means place of prostration.  The Arabic word comes from the root “sa-ja-da” meaning to prostrate.  When a Muslim’s forehead touches the ground, he or she is close to God.  Prayer establishes the connection between the believer and his Lord and prostration symbolises complete submission. 

Many people have incorrectly stated that the word mosque is not a translation of the word masjid.  They claim that the word mosque comes from the word mosquito and attribute it to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of 15th century Spain.  However, the words mosque and mosquito are totally unrelated.

The word “mosque” was introduced into the English language in the late 14th or early 15th century from the French.  It comes from the French word mosquée from the old French word mousquaie.  The French, in turn, derived the word from the Italian word moschea from moscheta.  The Italians got it either directly from the Arabic word masjid or from the old Spanish mesquita.[3]

Thus we can see that the translation of the Arabic word Masjid, into English becomes mosque.  A mosque is a house of prayer, and a place of prostration.  It is a building designed and built specifically for the worship of Allah.  It is where Muslims stand shoulder to shoulder, united in their love for God and their desire to please Him.

- islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]Pendentives are an Islamic contribution to architecture that allow the placing of a circular dome over a square room or an elliptical dome over a rectangular room.

[2]Saheeh Al-Bukhari.  Me is taken to mean - my nation.

[3]The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition; © 2000 Houghton Mifflin Company.

Online Etymology Dictionary, http://www.etymonline.com/m8etym.htm

“Who Will Save You from Me Now?”

 

There was a small community in an isolated area.  Weak and defenseless, the people of this community lived in fear and anxiety, because they were being relentlessly attacked by a gang of bandits.

We can scarcely imagine their fear.  It is the fear of a helpless person in the face of a strong and merciless abuser.  These bandits knew only the law of the jungle.  Like lions, they recognized no code of ethics besides their own hunger and lust.  Anyone they could subdue was fair game.

Though the community lived in the desert, before the arrival of the gang, they enjoyed peace and security and managed to prosper.  Now they were being stripped of their lives, their liberty, and their honor.  In desperation, they appealed to the authorities to come save them.

The head of state decided to take it upon himself to lead his forces into the area and punish the ones who were spreading terror and violating the lives and security of his people.  News of this mobilization spread quickly and soon the bandits knew that the authorities were coming after them in force.  They were compelled to flee the area and seek refuge in the surrounding mountains.  They hid among the highest peaks they could find, hoping to save themselves.  They knew that they could very well meet their fate in the very place they were fleeing to, but they hoped to at least be able to scope out the forces that were being sent against them.

The forces arrived under the command of the head of state to find that the bandits had abandoned the area and taken up positions on a nearby mountain to survey the situation from a safe vantage point.

As soon as the forces arrived, a thunderstorm struck, flooding the valleys near the mountain.  The head of state was soaked through.  After the storm passed, he went off to find a place to remove his clothes and allow them to air out.  He found a tree, took off his outer garments, and hung them on a branch to dry.  He sat beneath the tree to rest from the tiring journey.  Fatigue defeated him and he soon drifted off to sleep.

One of the bandits was watching this with interest, and said to himself: “This is an excellent opportunity to subdue the leader while he is sleeping.  Then no one will stand in our way.”

Exercising the utmost stealth, he climbed down from the mountain and snuck across to where the leader was sleeping.

As he approached the tree, he noticed the leader’s sword beside him.  He looked left and right to make sure that no one else was around.  Then, with his skill as a thief, he quickly snatched up the sword and then pointed it in the leaders face.

The bandit sneered and exclaimed: “Who will save you from me now?”

The leader woke up at these words to see the bandit standing, threateningly above his head, sword in hand.  He realized immediately that the glowering bandit had disarmed him and was threatening to kill him.  Imagine what you would do in such a situation.

The leader kept his composure, straightened himself up where he was sitting, and regarded his assailant calmly.  After listening patiently to the bandit’s threats, he answered his assailant’s question, and said: “God will save me.”

The bandit felt a shudder go through his body and down his arm.  He dropped the sword.  As swiftly as it fell, the leader snatched it up and came upon the bandit with it, repeating the same question that the bandit had asked him moments before: “Who will save you from me now?”

Imagine that you found yourself in this leader’s position.  What would you do with the bandit? Would your state of mind give you any chance to think before acting? Would anyone blame you if you struck the thief down in self defense?

However, this leader had a strong, magnanimous heart, a heart that knew neither rancor nor vengefulness.  He regarded vindictiveness to be a sign of weakness.  Imagine that the leader not only pardoned the bandit, but offered him the opportunity to join with his forces in their campaign.  Moreover, he promised him that if he took the offer, he would receive all of the entitlements and rewards that the other soldiers would get.

We would suspect the bandit to eagerly take up this offer, at least as an act of deception.  However, the bandit did the unthinkable.  He refused, and the ruffian did so with all the coarseness and impertinence that he could muster.

The leader said to him: “Then go.  You know the way.”

The bandit began to hasten away, but then stopped and said: “I will not fight against you, nor will I ever join with any group who fights you.”  This, in and of itself, was an acceptable enough outcome.

When the bandit returned to the rest of his gang, they could see that he was elated to have survived the encounter.  He said to them: “I have come to you from a leader like no other.”  He then related to them everything that had happened and how fortunate he was to still be alive.”

It remains for us to reveal the identity of this leader.  He was the same person who is often maligned and depicted in a most ignoble light.

Yes, he was none other than Muhammad, the Prophet of God. - islamreligion.com

What Does the Quran Teach

 

There is a profound question that each and every one of us reflects on at some point during our lives:

"Why am I here, what is my purpose?"

The Quran puts forward a simple but powerful argument with regards to our origins:

"Were they created without any agent? Were they the creators?" (Quran 52:35)

The Quran engages its audience by inviting us to ponder some rational, logical questions which we can use to arrive at a conclusion about our origins.  The first question that the Quran poses to us is: were we created by nothing? Can something really come from nothing?   This is impossible, as we know from our own personal experiences of life as well as the laws of the universe that we couldn’t have come out of nothing, because out of nothing, nothing comes!

This leads us to the next possibility that the Quran proposes: did we create ourselves? Can something create itself?  This is a self-contradiction, because for you to create yourself you would have to already exist, and you can't exist and not exist at same time.  This would be like saying that your mother gave birth to herself!

Since something cannot come from nothing, and self-creation is absurd, this leaves one final possibility: we have a creator.  This is the best explanation not only for our origins but also the universe and everything in it, because it is intuitive and also agrees with reality: whatever begins to exist has a cause or a creator.

This cause or creator must itself be uncaused due to the absurdity of a never-ending chain of causes.  To illustrate this better, if the cause of the universe had a cause and that cause had a cause and so on and so forth forever, then there wouldn’t be a universe to talk about.  For example, imagine if you were told that you couldn’t read this book until you handed it to someone else, and then this other person would also have to give it to someone else, and this went on forever, then would anyone ever read this book? The answer is no.  If we apply this principle to the universe then we would have to conclude that the cause behind it is uncaused out of rational necessity.  The Quran confirms the uncreatedness of the creator:

"He begot no one nor was He begotten." (Quran 112:3)

Now, having a creator is one thing, but how do we know we have a purpose? Everything in this universe has a purpose.  Even simple things like a chair, a bowl and even the book you are holding in your hands serves a purpose.  Wouldn't it be sad if we didn't too have a purpose? If we reflect and look at the world around us, we can easily come to the conclusion that we must have a purpose.  Think about the vastness of our universe with all its billions of galaxies and trillions of planets.  The Qur'an tells us that God did not create all this for no reason:

"We did not create the heavens and the earth and everything between them playfully." (Quran 21:16)

The sun gives us warmth, the clouds give us rain and the trees and animals give us food.  Since a lot of the systems that God has put in place in our universe are to ensure our survival and wellbeing then God must have a purpose in mind for us, too.  This is what the Quran tells us:

"It is God who created the heavens and earth, who has sent down water from the sky and with it brought forth produce to nourish you; He has made ships useful to you, sailing the sea by His command, and the rivers too; He has made the sun and the moon useful to you, steady on their paths; He has made the night and day useful to you and given you some of everything you asked Him for.  If you tried to count God’s favours you could never calculate them" (Quran 14:32–34)

So that nagging question comes up again, what is our purpose?  Again the Qur'an has the answer:

"I created jinn (Quran spirits) and mankind only to worship Me" (Quran 51:56)

Now, what do you understand about 'worship'? Most will say prayer.  This is correct, however in the Qur'an, worship is much more comprehensive than just praying.  It includes all acts of obedience that are pleasing to our Creator.  Even exercise and eating can be an act of worship if our intention is to stay healthy as we can’t stand up and pray if we are ill!

Why perform worship? It's important to understand that our Creator does not need our worship.  In fact the Qur'an tells us this; it is us who are in need of worship.  We as human beings are more than just flesh and bone, we have a spiritual side that also needs nourishing.  Many people are wealthy materially speaking but unhappy with their lives because they neglect their spiritual wellbeing.  In order for us to experience true peace both our bodies and souls need to be in tune with our Creator:

"Truly it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find peace." (Quran 13:28)

So by converting every aspect of our lives into pleasing our Creator, then we will be in a state of constant remembrance of God and our hearts will be at peace.  This is a revolutionary way of thinking but practically, if someone were to do this, a lot of their actions wouldn’t change; however their thought process behind their actions would and they would find the inner peace so needed in today’s society!

So, the question arises - what is the best way to worship God? Let's think about mobile phones.  Mobile phones are obviously not as sophisticated as human beings, but we share many things in common.  We both have a life span, we both require energy to function correctly, and we can both be damaged if we are not taken care of properly.  When mobile phones develop a problem, the first thing most people do is to refer to the instruction manual for the mobile phone.  Why? Because it has been made to show us the best way of using it and we rightly listen to the experts! The creator of the phone knows the best way to use that phone and they have imparted their knowledge to us in the form of instruction manuals.  Similarly then, the Quran is like an instruction manual for humanity as it is from the one who made us.  God, our Creator, knows us better than we know ourselves and this is why His knowledge, His guidance for how we should live will always surpass any human invented philosophies and ways of life. - islamreligion.com