Real Happiness and Inner Peace

 

Real happiness and peace can be found in submitting to the commands of the Creator and the Sustainer of this world.  God has said in the Quran:

"Truly, in remembering God do hearts find rest." (Quran 13:28)

On the other hand, the one who turns away from the Quran will have a life of hardship in this world.  God has said:

"But whoever turns away from the Quran,[1]  he will have a hard life, and We will raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment." (Quran 20:124)

This may explain why some people commit suicide while they enjoy the material comfort money can buy.  For example, look at Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), formerly a famous pop singer who used to earn sometimes more than $150,000 a night.  After he converted to Islam, he found true happiness and peace, which he had not found in material success.[2]

- islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]i.e. neither believes in the Quran nor acts on its orders.

[2]The present mailing address of Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), in case you would like to ask him about his feelings after he converted to Islam, is: 2 Digswell Street, London N7 8JX, United Kingdom.

An Unmet Challenge

 

The Evidence

Initially, the Meccan unbelievers said Muhammad is the author of the Quran.  God responded to them:

"Or do they say, ‘He himself has composed this [message]’?  No, but they are not willing to believe!  But then, [if they deem it the work of a mere mortal,] let them produce another discourse like it - if what they say be true!  [Or do they deny the existence of God implicitly by denying the fact of His revelation?]  Have they themselves been created without anything - or were they, perchance, their own creators?" (Quran 52:33-35)

First, God challenged them to produce ten chapters like the Quran:

"Or they may say, ‘He forged it,’ Say, ‘Bring ye then ten suras forged, like unto it, and call (to your aid) whomsoever you can, other than God! - If you speak the truth!’  If then they answer not your (call), know you that this revelation is sent down with the knowledge of God, and that there is no god but He!  Will you then submit (to Islam)?" (Quran 11:13-14)

But, when they were unable to meet the challenge of ten chapters, God reduced it to a single chapter:

"And if you are in doubt about what We have sent down on Our slave, then produce a surah thereof and call upon your witnesses other than God, if you should be truthful.  But if you do not – and you will never be able to – then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the unbelievers." (Quran 2:23-24)

Finally, God foretold their eternal failure to meet the divine challenge:

"Say: ‘If all mankind and all jinn[1]  would come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like even though they were to exert all their strength in aiding one another!’" (Quran 17:88)

The Prophet of Islam said:

"Every Prophet was given ‘signs’ because of which people believed in him.  Indeed, I have been given the Divine Revelation that God has revealed to me.  So, I hope to have the most followers of all the prophets on the Day of Resurrection." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

The physical miracles performed by the prophets were time-specific, valid only for those who witnessed them, whereas the like of the continuing miracle of our Prophet, the Noble Quran, was not granted to any other prophet.  Its linguistic superiority, style, clarity of message, strength of argument, quality of rhetoric, and the human inability to match even its shortest chapter till the end of time grant it an exquisite uniqueness.  Those who witnessed the revelation and those who came after, all can drink from its fountain of wisdom.  That is why the Prophet of Mercy hoped he will have the most followers of all the prophets, and prophesized that he would at a time when Muslims were few, but then they began to embrace Islam in floods.  Thus, this prophecy came true.

Explanation of Quran’s Inimitability

State of the Prophet Muhammad

He was an ordinary human being.

He was illiterate.  He could neither read nor write.

He was more than forty years old when he received the first revelation.  Until then he was not known to be an orator, poet, or a man of letters; he was just a merchant.  He did not compose a single poem or deliver even one sermon before he was chosen to be a prophet.

He brought a book attributing it to God, and all Arabs of his time were in agreement it was inimitable.

The Challenge of the Quran

The Quran puts a challenge out to anyone who opposes the Prophet. The challenge is to produce a chapter (surah) similar to it, even if it were to be a cooperative effort.  A person may summon all the help he can from the physical and spiritual realms.

Why this Challenge?

First, Arabs were poets.  Poetry was their supreme ornament and their most representative form of discourse.  Arabic poetry was rooted in the oral; it was a voice before it acquired an alphabet.  Poets could compose intricate poems spontaneously and commit thousands of lines to memory.  Arabs had a complex system of evaluating a poet and the poetry to meet rigid standards.  Annual competition selected the ‘idols’ of poetry, and they were engraved in gold and hung inside the Kaaba, alongside their idols of worship.  The most skilled served as judges.  Poets could ignite wars and bring truce between warring tribes.  They described women, wine, and war like no one else.

Second, the opponents of the Prophet Muhammad were strongly determined to quash his mission in any way possible.  God gave them a non-violent approach to disprove Muhammad.

Inability to Meet the Challenge and its Consequences

History is a witness that the pre-Islamic Arabs could not produce a single chapter to meet the challenge of the Quran.[2]  Instead of meeting the challenge, they chose violence and waged war against him.  They, of all people, had the ability and the motive to meet the Quranic challenge, but could not do so.  Had they done so, the Quran would have proven false, and the man who brought it would have been exposed as a false prophet.  The fact that the ancient Arabs did not and could not meet this challenge is proof of Quran’s inimitability.  Their example is of a thirsty man next to a well, the only reason he dies of thirst is if he was unable to reach the water!

Furthermore, the inability of previous Arabs to meet the challenge of the Quran implies later Arabs are less competent to meet the challenge, due to their lack the mastery of classical Arabic that the previous, ‘classical’ Arabs had.  According to linguists of the Arabic language, the Arabs before and during the time of the Prophet, in exclusion to subsequent generations, had the most complete mastery of the Arabic language, its rules, meters, and rhymes.  Later Arabs did not match the mastery of classical Arabs.[3]

Lastly, the challenge is for Arabs and non-Arabs alike.  If the Arabs cannot meet the challenge, the non-speakers of Arabic cannot claim to meet the challenge either.  Hence, the inimitability of the Quran is established for non-Arabs as well.

What if someone were to say: ‘perhaps the challenge of the Quran was met by someone in the time of the Prophet, but the pages of history did not preserve it.’?

Since the beginning, people have reported important events to their succeeding generations, especially in that which captures attention or what people are looking out for.  The Quranic challenge was well spread and well known, and had someone met it, it would have been impossible for it not to have reached us.  If it has been lost in the annals of history, then, for the sake of argument, it is also possible that there was more than one Moses, more than one Jesus, and more than one Muhammad; perhaps many scriptures were also revealed to these imaginary prophets, and it is possible the world knows nothing about it!  Just like these suppositions are unfounded historically, it is also unreasonable to imagine that the Quranic challenge was met without it reaching us.[4]

Second, had they met the challenge, the Arabs would have discredited the Prophet.  It would have been their biggest propaganda tool against him.  Nothing like this happened, instead, they chose war.

The fact that no effort of the non-Muslim has succeeded in ‘producing a verse’ like a verse of the Quran means that either no-one has taken the Quran seriously enough to make the effort, or that they made the effort, but were not successful.  This shows the inimitability of the Quran, a unique and everlasting message.  The uniqueness of the Quran combined with the divine message it brings to mankind is a sure indication of the truth of Islam. In the face of this, every person is faced with one of the two choices.  He either openly accepts the Quran is God’s Word .  In doing so he must also accept that Muhammad was sent by God and was His Messenger.  Or else he secretly knows the Quran is true, but he chooses in his heart to refuse it.  If the seeker is honest in his seeking, he need but explore this question of its inimitability to nurture the inner certainty that he has really found the final truth in the religion it predicates.

- islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]Invisible beings with parallel existence to humans.

[2]The fact is attested to by non-Muslim Orientalists.

‘That the best of Arab writers has never succeeded in producing anything equal in merit to the Quran itself is not surprising…’ (E H Palmer (Tr.), The Quran, 1900, Part I, Oxford at Clarendon Press, p. lv).

‘…and no man in fifteen hundred years has ever played on that deep-toned instrument with such power, such boldness, and such range of emotional effect as Mohammad did…As a literary monument the Quran thus stands by itself, a production unique to the Arabic literature, having neither forerunners nor successors in its own idiom…’.’ (H A R Gibb, Islam - A Historical Survey, 1980, Oxford University Press, p. 28).

and Christian Arabs:

‘Many Christian Arabs speak of its style with warm admiration, and most Arabists acknowledge its excellence. When it is read aloud or recited it has an almost hypnotic effect that makes the listener indifferent to its sometimes strange syntax and its sometimes, to us, repellent content. It is this quality it possesses of silencing criticism by the sweet music of its language that has given birth to the dogma of its inimitability; indeed it may be affirmed that within the literature of the Arabs, wide and fecund as it is both in poetry and in elevated prose, there is nothing to compare with it.’ (Alfred Guillaume, Islam, 1990 (Reprinted), Penguin Books, pp. 73-74)

[3]Rummani (d. 386 AH), a classical scholar, writes: ‘So if someone were to say: "You rely in your argumentation on the failure of the Bedouin Arabs, without taking into account the post-classical Arabs; yet, according to you, the Quran is a miracle for all. One can find in the post-classical Arabs excellence in their speech", the following can be said in reply, "The Bedouin had developed and had full command of the complete grammatical structure of Arabic but among the post-classical Arabs there are none who can use the full structure of the language. The Bedouin Arabs were more powerful in their use of the full language. Since they failed in the imitation of the Quran, so the post-classical Arabs must fail to an even greater extent."‘ (Textual Sources for the Study of Islam, tr. and ed. by Andrew Rippin and Jan Knappart)

[4]The argument was made by al-Khattabi (d.388 AH).

News of the Past

 

One of the strongest evidences of Prophet Muhammad’s truth is his knowledge of the Unseen world: his accurate knowledge of previous nations and future prophecies.  No matter how intelligent, a man cannot authoritatively speak of the past based upon mere intelligence.  The information has to be learned.  Muhammad was a human being, who did not live in the midst of the nations he spoke of, did not inherit any knowledge of their civilization, or learn it from a teacher.  God says:

"That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal to you, [O Muhammad].  And you were not with them when they cast their pens as to which of them should be responsible for Mary.  Nor were you with them when they disputed." (Quran 3:44)

"That is from the news of the unseen which We reveal, [O Muhammad], to you.  And you were not with them when they put together their plan while they conspired." (Quran 12:102)

Consider the verses:

"And We gave Moses the Scripture, after We had destroyed the former generations, as enlightenment for the people and guidance and mercy that they might be reminded.  And you, [O Muhammad], were not on the western side [of the mount] when We revealed to Moses the command, and you were not among the witnesses [to that] but We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration.  And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message].  And you were not at the side of the mount when We called [Moses] but [were sent] as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no Warner had come before you that they might be reminded.  And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, ‘Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?’" (Quran 28:43-47)

These events in the story of Moses were related by Muhammad.  Either he witnessed them and was present there, or learned it from those who knew.  In either case, he would not be God’s prophet.  The only other possibility, rather an inescapable conclusion, is that Muhammad was taught by God Himself.

A few facts must be considered to recognize the full strength of the argument.  Muhammad did not learn from any religious scholar, there were no Jewish or Christian scholars in Mecca at the time, and he did not know any language other than Arabic.  In addition to the previous, he could neither read nor write.  No Meccan, Jew, or Christian ever claimed to be Muhammad’s teacher.  Had Muhammad learned from any source, his own companions who believed in him would have exposed him.

"Say, ‘If God had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it.  Then will you not reason?’" (Quran 10:16)

Despite their strong opposition, the unbelievers could not attribute his knowledge of the past and present to any source.  The failure of his contemporaries is sufficient proof against all later skeptics.

The Correction of Jewish and Christian Misunderstandings

Below are two examples of the Quran correcting what had undergone change in Jewish and Christian beliefs:

(1)  The Jews claim Abraham to be a Jew, the father of the Jewish nation, whereas the Christians consider him to be their father as well, as the Roman Catholic Church calls Abraham "our father in Faith" in the Eucharistic prayer called Roman Canon recited during Mass.  God responds to them in the Quran:

"O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him?  Then will you not reason?" (Quran 3:65)

(2)  The Quran forcefully denies the crucifixion of Jesus, an event of immense proportions to both religions:

"And [We cursed them] for their breaking of the covenant and their disbelief in the signs of God and their killing of the prophets without right and their saying, ‘Our hearts are wrapped’ [i.e., sealed against reception].  Rather, God has sealed them because of their disbelief, so they believe not, except for a few.  And [We cursed them] for their disbelief and their saying against Mary a great slander, And [for] their saying, ‘Indeed, we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, the messenger of God.’  And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but [another] was made to resemble him to them.  And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it.  They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption.  And they did not kill him, for certain." (Quran 4:155-157)

This Quranic denial raises some fundamental questions.

First, if Islamic doctrine were borrowed from Judaism and Christianity, why did it deny crucifixion?  After all, both religions agree it took place!  For the Jews, it was Jesus the imposter who was crucified, but for Christians, it was the Son of God.  The Prophet Muhammad could have easily agreed to the crucifixion of Jesus, this giving more credit to his message.  If Islam were a false religion, an imitation of Judaism or Christianity, or if Muhammad was not true in his claim, Islam would not take an uncompromising stand on this issue and declare both religions to be outright wrong in this matter, as there is nothing as such to gain by its denial.

Second, if Islam had borrowed the myth of crucifixion from these two religions, it would have eliminated a point of major contention with them, but Islam brought the truth and could not vindicate a myth just to appease them.  It is quite possible the Jews were responsible for crucifying Jesus, for their historical transgressions against the prophets of God has been documented in the bible and the Quran alike.  But in regards to Jesus, the Quran states forcefully:

"And they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him."

How is it possible, then, to say that the Muhammad produced the Quran by information learnt from Jewish or Christian scholars when he brought ideologies uprooting their doctrine?

Third, the denial of crucifixion by itself negates other Christian beliefs:

(i)   Jesus’ atonement for sin’s of man.

(ii)  Burden of original sin carried by all men.

(iii) Deconstructs the myth of the cross and its veneration.

(iv) The last supper and the Eucharist.

Thus we see that the stories the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, told of nations of past were not mere folklore, nor were they learnt from Jewish or Christian learned men.  Rather, they were revealed to him from above the seven heavens by the God of creation. -islamreligion.com

Peace and Security: Peace with God

 

The Relationship between Islam and “Peace” (Salaam)

Perhaps the best way to begin a discussion of the relationship between Islam and peace and security is to deal with a statement that is heard often these days: “Islam means peace.”  If the one making this statement means that the actual meaning of the word “Islam” is “peace,” then this is definitely wrong.  It is true that the word Islam and the Arabic word for peace (salaam) both come from the same root.  This demonstrates that there is going to be a relationship between the two.  It is vitally important to understand what that relationship is and how that relationship occurs.

The word “Islam” is the verbal noun of the verb aslama.  This verb is defined as, “He resigned or submitted himself.”  When used with respect to God, it means, “He became submissive to God.”[1]  Thus, Islam is about an individual recognizing who his Lord is and recognizing that his attitude toward his Lord and Creator should be one of submission and worship.

This understanding of what the word Islam means is vital for understanding the relationship between Islam and peace.  Islam, the submission to God, is what leads to true peace.  True peace—both internally and externally—can only be the result of the correct implementation of Islam.  Of course, what is meant here is not simply peace as in “an absence of a state of war.”  Peace means much more than that.  One can be free of war yet still suffer from anxiety or despair and lack peace.  Here, it is referring to a complete sense of peace.  Islam brings about a complete tranquility and peace of mind that is the result of realizing that one is believing and acting in accord with the guidance of one’s Creator.  This internal peace can then spread to the family, the community, the society and the world as a whole.[2]  It is a special form of tranquility that can only be produced by the proper belief in God.  Hence, God says:

“Indeed, there has come to you from God a Light and a clear Book wherewith God guides all those who seek His Good Pleasure to ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness by His Will unto light and guides them to a Straight Way” (Quran 5:15-16)

In fact, God is calling humans to the abode of eternal peace:

“God calls to the home of peace (Paradise) and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path” (Quran 10:25)

For those who follow this path, their ultimate reward will be the abode of peace:

“For them will be the home of peace (Paradise) with their Lord” (Quran 6:127)

In sum, it is not correct to say, “Islam means peace,” but certainly true peace comes only via Islam.

How Islam Brings About Peace

True and complete peace can only be had when the individuals themselves achieve internal peace.  This results from Islam or the true submission to God alone.  This is the only way of life consistent with the nature of human beings.  In fact, this is what can be called the “true life.”  Thus, God says:

“O you who believe!  Answer God (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he calls you to that which will give you life…” (Quran 8:24)

Knowing God is what can bring about true contentment in the soul.  If the individual does not know his Creator, his soul will always be yearning for something that is missing in his life.  He will always be agitated and confused.  If and when he seeks things other than God—even things which he believes is his “god”—he will eventually end up in despair when he realizes that all of the things that he seeks after are not the one Being that his heart is yearning for.

Ibn Taimiyyah wrote:

You must know that a human’s[3]  need for God¾ that he worship Him and not associate any partner with Him¾ is a need concerning which there is no comparison that one can make an analogy to.  In some matters, it resembles the need of the body for food and drink.  However, there are many differences between the two.

The reality of a human being is in his heart and soul.  These cannot be prosperous except through [their relation] with God, concerning whom there is no other god.  There is[, for example,] no tranquility in this world except in His remembrance.  Verily, man is proceeding toward his Lord and he shall meet Him.  He must definitely meet Him.  There is no true goodness for him except in meeting Him.[4]  If the human experiences any pleasure or happiness other than in God, that joy and happiness will not endure.  It will move from one nature to another or from one person to another.  The person will enjoy it at one time or only some of the time.  In fact, sometimes the thing he enjoys and gets pleasure from does not bring him pleasure or enjoyment.  Sometimes it even hurts him when it comes to him.  And he is even more harmed by that.  But his God is definitely always with him under every circumstance and at all times.  Wherever he is, He is with him [by His knowledge and aid]…

If someone worships anything other than God¾ even if he loves it and attains some love in this world and some form of pleasure from that¾ [that false worship] will destroy the person in a way greater than the harmful displeasure that comes to a person who ate poison…

You must know that if anyone loves something other than for the sake of God, then that beloved thing will definitely be a cause of harm and punishment… If somebody loves something other than for the sake of God, that thing will harm him whether it is with him or he is without it…[5]

All of the wealth and the goods of this world will not be able to bring the human such true internal contentment.  Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said:

“True richness is not via much property and belongings but true richness is in self-contentment.”[6]

Another hadith states:

“True richness is the richness of the heart.  True poverty is the poverty of the heart.”[7]

Once an individual is at peace with himself and free of any internal agitations, he can then enter into truly peaceful relations with others.  He will have no reason to feel resentment towards the rest of the world—those whom he may blame for his lack of internal peace.  In fact, since his goal is that of the Hereafter, he has no reason even to feel envy or rage towards others concerning what they have received in this world—while envy and rage strike at the very root of peaceful relations towards others.

- islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]E. W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon (Cambridge, England: The Islamic Texts Society, 1984), vol.1, p. 1413.

[2]On this point, one can read Sayyed Qutb, Islam and Universal Peace (Indianapolis, IN: American Trust Publications, 1977), passim.

[3]The word ibn Taimiya used was abd (servant or slave); however, its inference is every human being.

[4]This is because the soul, by its ingrained nature, yearns for its meeting with its Creator.

[5]Ibn Taimiya, Majmoo, vol. 1, pp. 24-29.

[6]Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

[7]Recorded by ibn Hibbaan. According to al-Albaani, it is authentic. See al-Albaani, Saheeh al-Jaami al-Sagheer, #7816.

The Prophecies of the Quran

 

The Quran contains many prophecies that have been fulfilled, but in this discussion, we will limit ourselves to only five.[1]  The first two prophecies are noteworthy: unlike any other world scripture, the Quran prophesizes its own preservation under divine care, and we will demonstrate how it actually occurred.

The Protection of the Quran from Corruption

The Quran makes a claim no other religious text makes, that God Himself will keep its text safe from alteration.  God says:

"Behold, it is We Ourselves who have gradually revealed this reminder, and, behold, it is We who shall truly guard it [from all corruption]." (Quran 15:9)

The Ease of Memorizing the Quran

God has made the Quran easy to memorize:

"And in truth We have made the Quran easy to remember; who, then, is willing to take it to heart?" (Quran 54:17)

The ease with which Quran is memorized is inimitable.  There is not a single scripture or religious text in the world that is as easy to memorize; even non-Arabs and children commit it to memory easily.  The entire Quran is memorized by almost every Islamic scholar and hundreds of thousands of ordinary Muslims, generation after generation.  Almost every Muslim has some portion of the Quran memorized to read in his prayers.

The Twofold Prophecy

Before the rise of Islam, the Romans and the Persians were two competing superpowers.  Romans were led by Heraclius (610–641 CE), a Christian Emperor, whereas the Persians were Zoroastrians led by Khosrow Parviz (reigned 590–628 CE), under whom the empire achieved its greatest expansion.

In 614, the Persians conquered Syria and Palestine, taking Jerusalem, destroying the Holy Sepulcher and the ‘True Cross’ carried to Ctesiphon.  Then, in 619, they occupied Egypt and Libya.  Heraclius met them at Thracian Heraclea (617 or 619), but they sought to capture him, and he rode madly back to Constantinople, hotly pursued.[2]

The Muslims were grieved by the Roman defeat as they felt spiritually closer to Christian Rome than Zoroastrian Persia, but the Meccans were naturally buoyed up by the victory of pagan Persia.  To Meccans, the Roman humiliation was a sinister omen of the defeat of the Muslims at pagan hands.  At the time God’s prophecy comforted the faithful:

"The Romans have been defeated - in a land close by; but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious- within ten years.  With God is the Decision, in the past and in the future: on that Day shall the believers rejoice with the help of God.  He helps whom He will, and He is the Mighty, the Most-Merciful." (Quran 30:2-5)

The Quran made a prophecy of two victories:

(i)   The future Roman victory within ten years over Persians, something unimaginable at the time

(ii)  The joy of the faithful on a victory over the pagans

Both of these prophecies actually occured.

In 622, Heraclius left Constantinople as prayers rose from its many sanctuaries for victory over the Persian Zoroastrians and the reconquest of Jerusalem.  He devoted the next two years to campaigns in Armenia.  In 627, he met the Persians near Nineveh.  There, he killed three Persian generals in single combat, killed the Persian commander, and scattered the Persian host.  A month later, Heraclius entered Dastagird with its stupendous treasure.  Khosrow was overthrown by his son, who made peace with Heraclius.  Returning to Constantinople in triumph, Heraclius was hailed as a hero.[3]

Also, in the year 624 AH, Muslims defeated the Meccans in the first and decisive Battle at Badr.

In the words of an Indian scholar:

"…a single line of prophecy was related to four nations and the fate of two great empires.  All this proves the Holy Quran to be the Book of God."[4]

The Prophecy of Pagan Defeat

The Quran predicted the defeat of unbelievers in Mecca while Prophet Muhammad and his followers were still being persecuted by them:

"Or do they (the Meccan disbelievers) say: ‘We are a great multitude, and we shall be victorious?’  Their multitude will be defeated, , and they shall turn their backs [in flight]!" (Quran 54:45)

The prophecy was revealed in Mecca, but was fulfilled at the Battle of Badr, two years after the Prophet’s migration to the city of Medina.

The Fate of Specific Individuals

Waleed ibn Mugheera was a staunch enemy who openly ridiculed the Quran:

"Then said he: "This is nothing but magic, derived from of old; this is nothing but the word of a mortal!" (Quran 74:24-25)

The Quran prophesized he will never accept Islam:

"Soon will I cast him into Hell-Fire!  And what will explain to thee what Hell-Fire is?  It leaves naught nor doesit spare aught." (Quran 74:26-28)

Waleed died in a state of disbelief as prophesized by the Quran.

Also, concerning Abu Lahab, a fiery opponent of Islam, the Quran foretold he will die opposing the religion of God:

"May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, and [indeed] he has perished.  His wealth and gains will not profit him.  He will be plunged in flaming Fire." (Quran 111:1-3)

Specifically, three prophecies were made about Abu Lahab:

(i)   The conspiracies of Abu Lahab against the Prophet would not succeed.

(ii)  His wealth and children would not benefit him.

(iii) He would die opposing God’s religion and enter the Fire.

Abu Lahab also died in a state of disbelief as prophesized by the Quran.  Had Waleed or Abu Lahab accepted Islam even outwardly, they would have disproved its prophecies and thus its heavenly source!

In addition, Abu Lahab had four sons, two of whom died at a young age during his lifetime.  The other two sons and a daughter embraced Islam and frustrated his hopes!  Finally, he died of a plague; people would not touch his body out of fear of contamination and dumped mud and stones on him where he died to make it his grave.

A key foundation to believing that a scripture is actually a revelation of God is internal truth, whether it be in regards to occurrences in the past, to come in the future, or in contemporary ages.  As one can see, there are many prophecies mentioned in that which is to come, some of which were fulfilled in the Prophet’s lifetime, or have been fulfilled since his death, while others are yet to appear.

- islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]For more Quranic prophecies please see ‘Mercy For the Worlds,’ by Qazi Suliman Mansoorpuri, vol.3, p. 248 - 313.

[2]"Heraclius."  Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.

(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9040092)

[3]"Heraclius."  Encyclopædia Britannica from Encyclopædia Britannica Premium Service.

(http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9040092)

[4]‘Mercy For the Worlds,’ by Qazi Suliman Mansoorpuri, vol.3, p. 312.

The Family in Islam : Marriage

 

Bajau marriage - Sabah, Malaysia

Marriage

“And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell with them in serenity and tranquility.  And He has put love and compassion between your hearts.  Truly in that are signs for those who reflect.” (Quran 30:21)

Marriage is the most ancient of human social institutions.  Marriage came into existence with the creation of the first man and woman: Adam and Eve.  All the Prophets since then were sent as examples for their communities, and every Prophet, from the first to the last, upheld the institution of marriage as the divinely-sanctioned expression of heterosexual companionship.[1]  Even today, it is still considered more right and proper that couples introduce each other as: “my wife” or “my husband” rather than: “my lover” or “my partner”.  For it is through marriage that men and woman legally fulfill their carnal desires, their instincts for love, neediness, companionship, intimacy, and so on.

“…They (your wives, O men) are a garment for you and you (men) are a garment for them...” (Quran 2:187)

Over the course of time, some groups have come to hold extreme beliefs about the opposite sex and sexuality.  Women, in particular, were considered evil by many religious men, and so contact with them had to be kept to a minimum.  Thus, monasticism, with its lifetime of abstention and celibacy, was invented by those who wanted what they reckoned to be a pious alternative to marriage and a life more godly.

“Then, We sent after them, Our Messengers, and We sent Jesus son of Mary, and gave him the Gospel.  And We ordained in the hearts of those who followed him, compassion and mercy.  But the Monasticism which they invented for themselves; We did not prescribe for them, but (they sought it) only to please God therewith, but that they did not observe it with the right observance.  So We gave those among them who believed, their (due) reward, but many of them are rebellious sinners.” (Quran 57:27)

The only family that monks would know (Christian, Buddhist, or otherwise) would be their fellow monks at the monastery or temple.  In the case of Christianity, not only men, but also women, could attain the pious ranks by becoming nuns, or “brides of Christ”.  This unnatural situation has often led to a great number of social vices, such as child abuse, homosexuality and illegitimate sexual relations actually occurring among the cloistered – all of which are considered actual criminal sins.  Those Muslim heretics who have followed the non-Islamic practice of abstention and hermitage, or who have at least claimed to have taken an even more pious path to God than the Prophets themselves, have similarly succumbed to these same vices and to an equally scandalous degree.

The Prophet Muhammad in his own lifetime made clear his feelings at the suggestion that marriage could be an obstacle to drawing closer to God.  Once, a man vowed to the Prophet that he would have nothing to do with women, that is, to never marry.  The Prophet responded by sternly declaring:

“By God!  I am the most God-fearing amongst you!  Yet… I marry!  Whoever turns away from my sunnah (inspired way) is not from me (i.e. not a true believer).”

“Say (to the people O Muhammad): ‘If you love God then follow me, God will (then) love you and forgive you of your sins.  And God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (Quran 3:31)

In reality, far from viewing marriage as bad for one’s faith, Muslims hold marriage to be an integral part of their religious devotion.  As mentioned before, the Prophet Muhammad explicitly stated that marriage is half of the Religion (of Islam).  In other words, perhaps half of all Islamic virtues, such as fidelity, chastity, charity, generosity, tolerance, gentleness, striving, patience, love, empathy, compassion, caring, learning, teaching, reliability, courage, mercy, forbearance, forgiveness, etc., find their natural expression through married life.  Hence, in Islam, God-consciousness and good character are supposed to be the principle criteria that a spouse looks for in his or her prospective marriage partner.  The Prophet Muhammad said:

“A woman is married for (one of) four reasons: her wealth, her status, her beauty and her religious devotion.  So marry the religious woman, else you be a loser.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Undoubtedly, the social malaise and decay that is prevalent in many parts of the non-Islamic world also finds expression in some parts of the Muslim world as well.  Nevertheless, promiscuity, fornication and adultery are still roundly condemned throughout Islamic societies and have yet to be decriminalized to the level of merely “fooling around”, “playing the field” or other such trivial pursuits.  Indeed, Muslims still recognize and acknowledge the great destructiveness that pre-marital and extra-marital relationships have on communities.  In fact the Quran makes clear that the mere accusation of impropriety carries very severe consequences in this life and the next.

“And those who accuse chaste women, and do not produce four witnesses (to unequivocally prove their accusation), flog them with eighty stripes, and reject their testimony forever; for they are truly wicked sinners.” (Quran 24:4)

“Verily, those who slander chaste women, innocent, unsuspecting, believing women: they are cursed in this world and the next.  And for them will be a great torment.” (Quran 24:23)

Ironically, while it is unmarried women who perhaps suffer most from the consequences of promiscuous relationships, some of the more radical voices of the feminist movement have called for the abolition of the institution of marriage.  Sheila Cronin of the movement, NOW, speaking from the blinkered perspective of a fringe feminist whose society is reeling from the failure of the traditional western marriage to grant women security, protection from sexually transmitted diseases, and many other problems and abuses, opined: “Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women’s movement must concentrate on attacking this institution.  Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage.”

Marriage in Islam, however, or rather, marriage according to Islam, is in and of itself a vehicle for securing freedom for women.  No greater example of the perfect Islamic marriage exists than that of the Prophet Muhammad, who told his followers: “The best of you are those who best treat their women.  And I am the best of people to my women.”[2]  The Prophet’s beloved wife, A’isha, attested to the freedom her husband’s treatment afforded her when she said:

“He always joined in the housework and would at times mend his clothes, repair his shoes and sweep the floor.  He would milk, tether and feed his animals and do household chores.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

“Indeed in the Messenger of God you have an excellent example to follow for whoever hopes in God and the Last Day and remembers God much.” (Quran 33:21)

- islamreligion.com

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Footnotes:

[1]Whether or not those Prophets were themselves married: Jesus, for example, ascended to heaven as an unmarried man.  However, Muslims believe that he will return to earth before the End of Time in a second coming wherein he will reign supreme, a husband and father like any other family man.  Thus, the recent controversy regarding the De Vinci Code fictional claims that Jesus married and had children is not blasphemous in the fact that it suggests that a Messiah could be a family man, merely premature.

[2]Narrated in Al-Tirmidhi.