Was America founded as a Judeo-Christian Nation? TheDeenshow

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re addressing jibreelk 1/4

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Another Tired Missionary Argument Against Islam Collapses

Yet another Christian polemicist is peddling the “Muhammad was not assured salvation” claim despite there being a plethora of material disproving their claim. Previously his colleague was admonished for such erroneous claim; unfortunately his colleague did not fill him in and thus he is looking rather red-faced indeed.

Sadly, this Christian polemicist has not been privy to the source material which proves Muhammad was guaranteed Paradise (i.e. assured of salvation). However, in an act of responsibility and altruism we will guide him into the right direction by showing him proof Muhammad was assured of salvation and then we will clear up some of his misdirected ideas within his article.

Proof Muhammad was Certain of Salvation and Paradise

It is difficult to believe people are still peddling questions regarding Muhammad’s salvation, ponder upon this Quranic verse:

Surah 9:72

Allâh has promised to the believers -men and women, - Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of 'Adn (Eden Paradise). But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allâh. That is the supreme success.

Now Muhammed is a believing man, thus according to the Quran he is to be in Paradise thus showing his salvation is certain. Those who are unsaved are not going to Paradise, only the saved enter Paradise (like Jesus and Muhammad).

Muhammad Declares he Will be in Paradise

Here is the most explicit reference I could get hold of regarding Muhammad:

Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 34:
Narrated Sahl bin Sa'd:
The Prophet said, "I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this," putting his index and middle fingers together.

Thus Muhammad is CONFIRMING he will be IN Paradise (and those looking after orphans will be very close to him in Paradise). Anybody of a reasonable disposition will acknowledge this points to Muhammad being GUARANTEED Paradise and SALVATION!


Here is another quick one:

“No one will enter Paradise except a Muslim” ((Reported by al-Bukhaari, 6047).

Muhammad is a Muslim therefore Paradise is guaranteed for him. However knowing Shamoun’s fertile imagination and obstinacy he will claim Muhammad to be a non-Muslim in order to maintain his bizarre claim



We have already seen Muhammad is going to Paradise and therefore is guaranteed salvation. But let us cut through some of the now obsolete points Sam Shamoun has been making in the interest of thoroughness and in the hope Sam will drop his invalid claims.

Cutting Through Sam Shamoun’s Dubious Rhetoric


In typical zealous style our Sam Shamoun begins his outrageous claim which is symptomatic of his misunderstanding of basic Islamic principles and practices; within his title he proclaims:

“Praying for Muhammad’s Peace and Security”

A quick interjection to correct him; Muslims don’t pray for Muhammad’s “security” we simply ask God to send His Peace and Blessings upon the Prophet. The more times we do this the more goodness God showers upon the Prophet. Would you not do this for a Prophet you love? I actually do this for Prophet Jesus too as I love him as well. By Shamoun’s warped understanding this means we are praying for the “security” of Jesus.

I think Sam can see the erroneous nature of his claim. Unsurprisingly the rest of his lengthy article is a dire attempt in propping this already refuted claim.

Does this mean we can end the article and toddle off to the gym and avoid inflicting further refutation upon Shamoun’s outrageous material?

Not so fast Sam, stay right where you are!

There are a few other points of contention which I want to bring to your attention. I will get the most embarrassing one out of the way.

PROOF: Sam you have NEVER read the WHOLE Bible

Shamoun wrote this:

In the first place, there is not a single Biblical verse or Quranic citation which exhorts believers to pray for the peace and salvation of any of God’s true prophets and apostles after their respective deaths; Muhammad is utterly unique in this respect

Firstly Sam, we have already taught you that Muslims do not pray for Muhammad’s “salvation” so you can go back and expunge such fanciful claims. However it gets more interesting as our Sam Shamoun appears to have never read the Bible. God is speaking to Abram (Abraham) in this verse:

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you." (Genesis 12:3 NIV)

Now, that is undisputable. It clearly encourages people to pray for blessings on Abraham. This is all too similar to what Muslims do to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Indeed Muslims would be considered uncouth not to say peace be upon Abraham after mentioning his name. Muslims do this prayer for ALL prophets when mentioned.

Thus two points are proven here:

1. Muslims are blessed by God according to Genesis 12:3 as we Muslims ask God to bless Abraham with peace (alayhissalam)

2. Sam Shamoun is unfamiliar with the Bible

Sam may be hiding behind the sofa right now, hold on Sam is American so I guess he will use the word “couch” as opposed to “sofa”. Nevertheless he is finding it rather embarrassing.
Before the embarrassment can subside, Sam let’s get the appended claim out of the way:
“Muhammad is utterly unique in this respect.”

I’m sure you have realised Muhammad is not alone in this respect as Genesis 12:3 encouraged people to send blessings upon Abraham just like Muslims do for the last Prophet, Muhammad.

Sam, before we move on please join us in this supplication:

O Lord of all that exists, please send your peace and blessings on Abraham, Jesus and Muhammad and upon all the other Prophets. Ameen.


Sam Shamoun also states:

If Muhammad who is the founder of Islam needed and continues to need individuals to pray for his salvation

It is getting a little repetitive, Sam. I’m sure having read up to this point in the article a man of comprehension will realise Muslims are not praying for “salvation” as Muhammad had salvation guaranteed. May I remind you he told us he will be in Heaven, that sounds like guaranteed salvation, thus he does not require anybody to pray for his salvation. Muhammad has already attained salvation he will be in the same place as Abraham and the other Prophets.

Worry about your own salvation, Sam. Prophets are more than fine when it comes to salvation.


I think we have had our fill of Shamoun’s wild and spurious claims for today

God willing Sam will realise the error in his ways.

I know I have been having some fun with Sam Shamoun throughout the course of this article but it is all for effect in order to help him and others see the truth. God willing it will be of use to people of a sincere disposition.

May Allah send His peace and blessings upon all his Prophets. Ameen.



Appendix 1:
Sam Shamoun latest outright lie of Muslims being” black stone lickers it is refuted here:
http://thefactsaboutislam.blogspot.com/search/label/Black%20Stone


Appendix 2:

Interesting article by Jonathon Dupree which could further the truth-seeker’s understanding, God willing:
http://thegrandverbalizer19.blogspot.com/2010/06/what-was-religion-of-abraham.html


Appendix 3:

Here is a typical Muslim prayer asking for further blessings upon the Prophet they love:

Translation (2) O Allah, Lord of this lasting call and this beneficial prayer, confer blessings upon Muhammad and become pleased with me so that You are never displeased with me thereafter.

Here’s one in which ABRAHAM is mentioned:
Translation (4) O Allah, confer blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, and bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and shower Your mercy upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, in the manner You conferred blessings, blessed and showered mercy upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Verily, You are the Praiseworthy, the Majestic.

Here’s one asking for blessings for ALL believers (obviously that includes Jesus and Abraham, right?):
Translation (3) O Allah, confer blessings upon Muhammad, Your bondsman and Your messenger and confer blessings upon the believing men and women, and the Muslim men and women.
http://www.inter-islam.org/DuroodSalaam/Salat-Salam.html

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Final verses of suratul Khaf by Shaik Essam Tawfik

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The Rights of Parents by Shaikh Essam Tawfik

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Is Hubal The Same As Allah?

Is Hubal The Same As Allah?

Due to the length of the article I did not post except the link.  So please press on the the title to go to the article.  A missionary by the name Sam Shamoun with the help of a certain Keith are claiming that Allah is Hubal and vice versa, trying to conclude not just the obvious but also that Allah is Satan.  Please keep posted for my video replies to them where I will expose their ignorance, their selective citation, and lack of rationality.  I have been engaged in a discussion with Sam Shamoun for 3 months, and all he can do is say that my rebuttals to him are illogical and irrational.  What do I do?  I will allow you the audience, be it Muslim, Christian, Jew or Atheist to be the judge.  Talk is cheap, so let's get to work.
Here is the account where the 4 videos entitled Addressing Jibreelk can be found.

www.youtube.com/keithtruth

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Fact: The Prophet's Father was Abdullah

An Ignorant, Malicious and False Claim has been made against the Parentage of the Prophet Muhammad
An erroneous allegation (by an Islamophobe) has been which claims Muhammad’s father is unknown as his mother had an affair with “somebody” after the death of her husband (Abdullah), the claimant also alleges Muhammed was born four years after the death of Abdullah.

In an act of responsibility it would be wise to state this article is not written due to dispute concerning the parentage of the Prophet Muhammed. It is agreed upon by historians, genealogists and theologians alike that the parents of Muhammad were Amina and Abdullah. It is consensus amongst all authorities, there has never been dispute, controversy or any complexity related to this subject amongst authorities

Then, Why Produce an Article proving the Parentage of Muhammad?
It is a pre-emptive article to make ensure false claims do not gain credence on the internet, after all, the internet is a place where malicious and misinformed claims flourish if good people sit on their hands.

ALL scholarly authority agree upon Amina and Abdullah being the parents of Muhammad, thus a claim on the contrary would be inaccurate and odd, to say the least. So this article proving the parentage of Muhammad is simply written in order to prevent false information being spread by Islamophobes on the internet

NOTE: Abdullah can be written as “Abd’Allah” and Amina can be written as Aminah


Authority tells us Abdullah (Abd’Allah) was the Father of Muhammad

The quickest way to show the Islamophobe’s claim to be false is to prove Muhammad’s father was Abdullah

Let us look at scholarly authority, Ibn Kathir confirms Muhammad’s father to be Abdullah

Ibn Kathir states “he (Muhammad) was the son of Abd’Allah who was in turn the son of his father Abd’al Muttalib” [1]

So Ibn Kathir, a classical expert in the life of Muhammad, states Muhammad’s father was Abdullah

What do the Genealogies tell us?
To further point to expertise and the unanimous agreement amongst scholars concerning Muhammad being the son of Abdullah and Amina we can look to the genealogies.

Ibn Hisham and al Tabari both confirm Muhammad as the “son of Abdullah” whilst giving a list of his genealogy [2] [3]

The genealogy in A Chronology of Islamic History confirms Abdullah as the father of Muhammad and Amina as Muhammad’s mother. [4]

Other Biographers Confirm Abdullah and Amina to be the Parents of Muhammad

Al Mubarakpuri mentions the accepted fact of Abdullah being “the father of Muhammad”. [5]

Karen Armstrong names Muhammad’s father as Abdullah [6] [7]

Quite simply there has never been a dispute related to the parentage of Muhammad in scholarly circles as all the authorities have always been in agreement on Abdullah being the father of Muhammad. This clearly illustrates the Islamophobe claiming otherwise is wrong, badly wrong.

Did Abdullah Marry Amina? Yes.
Al Mubarakpuri confirms this by telling us the grandfather of Muhammad (Abdul Muttalib) chose Aminah, daughter of Wahb bin Abd Manaf bin Zuhra bin Kilab as a wife for his son, Abdullah. [8]

He goes further and informs us “they were married in Makkah, and soon after Abdullah was sent by his father” on a trade journey to either Madina or Syria (two versions) [8]

Another biographer, Yahiya Emerick, informs us of Amina telling of signs of pregnancy after Abdullah left for the trade journey. [9]

Abdullah Passed Away Whilst on a Trade Journey

On the way back from this trade journey, Muhammad’s father passed away [10]. Karen Armstrong writes “Muhammad’s father Abdullah died before Muhammad was born”.
“Most historians state his (Abdullah’s) death was two months before the birth of Muhammad. Some others state his death was two or more months after the Prophet’s birth” [10]

Muhammad also told us his father was Abdullah (Abd’Allah)

Muhammad told us who his father was Abdullah (Abd’Allah) whilst giving his genealogy to us:

“I am Muhammad son of Abd’Allah bin Abd’Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abd’Manaf…"(he went on to give mention to his forefathers all the way up to and including bin Nizar) [11]

In the same narration Muhammad tells us: “I was the product of true marriage, not fornication, right down from Adam to my father and mother”. [12]

Ibn Kathir lists other supporting narrations saying the same thing [13]

So what we have here is Muhammad confirming his parentage; i.e. his father is Abdullah and he was a product of true marriage thus any claims of him being born four years after the death of his father (Abdullah) are erroneous (false) and any claims of his mother (Amina) having an affair which bore Muhammed is shown to be erroneous too.


All Muhammad’s contemporaries considered him to be the son of Abdullah

Muhammad’s mother passed away whilst he was a young boy and he then “lived with his grandfather Abdul Muttalib” [14]. Thus everybody saw Abd al Muttalib as Muhammad’s grandfather and therefore considered Abdullah as the father of Muhammad as Abdullah was the son of Abdul Muttalib.

After the passing on of his grandfather; “Muhammad went to live with his uncle Abu Talib” [15]. Abu Talib was the brother of Abdullah. Once again, this shows us the community and the family of Muhammad considered Muhammad to be the son of Abdullah.
Muhammad’s Enemies Confirm Abdullah to be his Father
Whilst agreeing the contract/treaty of Hudaibiyah the Prophet initially wanted his name signed as “Muhammad, the messenger of Allah” but his enemies disagreed and wanted him to use his own name and the name of his father and thus the treaty was signed with the name “Muhammad, the son of Abdullah” [16]. Thus showing even the enemies of Muhammad considered Abdullah to be the father of Muhammad.

I merely mention these extra points to further illustrate there was no disagreement concerning the parentage of Muhammad, everybody knew his mother to be Aminah and his father to be Abdullah.
Looking at the False Claim
Having presented all the incontrovertible evidence we can look at the false claim made by ONE dubious missionary/Islamophobe. Before doing so it is worth noting this “missionary” has a history of falsehood and is infamous for making up his own Biblical verses, such is his lack of regard for accuracy and honesty!

The Islamophobe wants us to believe Muhammad’s father is not Abdullah

We have already seen Abdullah being confirmed as the father of Muhammad by authorities such as al Mubarakpuri, Ibn Hisham and Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir states “he (Muhammad) was the son of Abd’Allah who was in turn the son of his father Abd’ al Muttalib”.

So the missionary/Islamophobe is simply making stuff up.

The Islamophobe claims Muhammad was born four years after the death of Abdullah

Well, we have already stated:

"Most historians state his (Abdullah’s) death was two months before the birth of Muhammad (p). Some others state his death was two or more months after the Prophet’s birth." [10]

So the missionary is making stuff up. NOBODY believes he was born four years after the death of his father, Abdullah.

The Islamophobe claims Muhammad was born due to an affair on the part of Aminah

It is depressing to note this “man” (the Islamophobe) would make such a claim against a lady’s honour without any regard for truth or decency. Such is this “man’s” nature

As we have seen every authority recognises Abdullah (the husband of Amina) to be the father of Muhammad and thus proves Amina is free from wrong doing. However, the defence of Amina also comes through Al Kalbi who studied Muhammad’s maternal ancestors (including Amina). Al Kalbi confirms Amina did not have an affair

Al Kalbi who investigated the maternal genealogy of Muhammad (including Amina) found no fornication in any one of them:

Muhammad bin Sa’d said, Hisham bin Muhammad al Kalbi informed us from his father who said “ I wrote out some 500 maternal ancestors for the Prophet(p) and found fornication in NOT one of them nor anything related to “the evil ways) of the Jahaliyya” [17]

So the Islamophobe is making claims without any investigation. If he had looked into matters before making his malicious and ignorant claims he would have noted Muhammad’s confirmation of being from a “true marriage” [12] as well as the other evidence presented such as the findings from Al Kalbi’s investigations

I would advise this Islamophobe to stop in his attempts to malign the good name of past personalities. Wrongly accusing a lady of adultery is not a matter to be taken lightly; this Islamophobe should rethink his ways and incorporate integrity into his raison d’être

The Islamophobe’s Strange Mind
The Islamophobe makes other bizarre and unsupported claims.

This Islamophobe also claims Muhammad made a story up about a woman being pregnant for four years and delivering the child in the fourth year which was born with teeth and hair!

The Islamophobe goes further and claims Muhammad made this story up because he was born four years after the death of Abdullah. The Islamophobe suggests Muhammad made the story up to convince people he was not the offspring of an affair.

These pronouncements are quite clearly the product of a debauched mind.

Muhammad was not born four years after the death of his father (Abdullah); this is quite clearly shown above. We do not need to repeat ourselves as we have already dealt with such an erroneous claim
Muhammad’s father has been shown to be Abdullah, thus Amina had no affair and Muhammad was not the offspring of an affair.As for the story about a child being in a woman’s womb for four years, scholars confirm it to be a fabrication (i.e. a false or made up story). This story was made up by somebody AFTER the Prophet Muhammad passed away, so Muhammad did not make this story up. Somebody needs to pass this information on to the ignorant Islamophobe.
Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said:
“Studying Sacred Knowledge is a prayer”
May Allah's peace and blesseing be upon Muhammad and all the other Prophets

Contact: yahyasnow@hotmail.com

Appendix 1

This Islamophobe is caught lying and making up his own biblical verse:http://yahyasnow.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/code-of-quran-prove-christ/

It now appears the Islamophobe was copying Zakaria Butrus:http://www.rasoulallah.net/v2/document.aspx?lang=en&doc=2174








References

[1] Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Kathir, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Ltd, 1998, Volume 1, pg 131

[2] Ibn Hisham 1/1-2

[3]`Tarikh al Tabari 2/239-271

[4] A Chronology of Islamic History, Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd, 1998, pg 10-12

[5] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 68

[6] Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong, Phoenix Press 2001 pg3

[7] Muhammad: Prophet for our Time, Karen Armstrong, Harper Press, 2006 pg 35-36

[8] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 69-70

[9] Muhammad, Yahiya Emerick, Alpha Books, 2002, pg 21-22

[10] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 70

[11] Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Kathir, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Ltd, 1998, Volume 1, pg 135

[12] Ibid

[13] Ibid pg 135-136

[14] Muhammad: Prophet for our Time, Karen Armstrong, Harper Press, 2006 pg 36

[15] Ibid

[16] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 404

[17] Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Kathir, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Ltd, 1998, Volume 1, pg 136

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Is The Bible More Violent Than The Quran?

Disclaimer: Muslims do not hold the Quran to be violent as the following article tries to hint.  As humans everything has a place, and we know that, therefore when people quote jurisprudence of war, which exists in any country, any religion, any human social institution, they quote it out of context to show that Islam is a faith of violence, which is far from it.  As anyone knows that Islam has it's root in peace, and it's higher intent and purpose of its sharya is to achieve peace.  The same people who call the Quran violent or the Bible for that matter, or any other scriptures are the same people who pay taxes and support war activities under the banner of freedom to the world.  We need to be careful and examine all the facts and not take things at face value.  The following article does not represent the views or islamdunk or its affiliates, it is only meant to show those missionaries who call the Quran violent, that they have not read their scriptures properly, and that they should be careful with what is in their own back yard. 

Is The Bible More Violent Than The Quran?

AFP/Getty Images

Pages of the Gutenberg Bible in Colmar, France. Religious historian Philip Jenkins says scriptures from the Bible are more violent than those from the Quran.

Published: March 18, 2010

by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

As the hijackers boarded the airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, they had a lot on their minds. And if they were following instructions, one of those things was the Quran.

In preparation for the suicide attack, their handlers had told them to meditate on two chapters of the Quran in which God tells Muslims to "cast terror into the hearts of unbelievers."

"Slay the idolaters wherever ye find them, arrest them, besiege them, and lie in ambush everywhere for them," Allah instructs the Prophet Muhammad (Quran, 9:5). He continues: "Prophet! Make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites! ... Hell shall be their home, an evil fate."

When Osama bin Laden declared war on the West in 1996, he cited the Quran's command to "strike off" the heads of unbelievers. More recently, U.S. Army Maj. Nidal Hasan lectured his colleagues about jihad, or "holy war," and the Quran's exhortation to fight unbelievers and bring them low. Hasan is accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, last year.

Given this violent legacy, religion historian Philip Jenkins decided to compare the brutality quotient of the Quran and the Bible.

Defense Vs. Total Annihilation

"Much to my surprise, the Islamic scriptures in the Quran were actually far less bloody and less violent than those in the Bible," Jenkins says.

Jenkins is a professor at Penn State University and author of two books dealing with the issue: the recently published Jesus Wars, and Dark Passages , which has not been published but is already drawing controversy.

Violence in the Quran, he and others say, is largely a defense against attack.

"By the standards of the time, which is the 7th century A.D., the laws of war that are laid down by the Quran are actually reasonably humane," he says. "Then we turn to the Bible, and we actually find something that is for many people a real surprise. There is a specific kind of warfare laid down in the Bible which we can only call genocide."

It is called herem, and it means total annihilation. Consider the Book of 1 Samuel, when God instructs King Saul to attack the Amalekites: "And utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them," God says through the prophet Samuel. "But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey."

When Saul failed to do that, God took away his kingdom.

"In other words," Jenkins says, "Saul has committed a dreadful sin by failing to complete genocide. And that passage echoes through Christian history. It is often used, for example, in American stories of the confrontation with Indians — not just is it legitimate to kill Indians, but you are violating God's law if you do not."

Jenkins notes that the history of Christianity is strewn with herem. During the Crusades in the Middle Ages, the Catholic popes declared the Muslims Amalekites. In the great religious wars in the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries, Protestants and Catholics each believed the other side were the Amalekites and should be utterly destroyed.

'Holy Amnesia'

But Jenkins says, even though the Bible is violent, Christianity and Judaism today are not for the most part.

"What happens in all religions as they grow and mature and expand, they go through a process of forgetting of the original violence, and I call this a process of holy amnesia," Jenkins says.

They make the violence symbolic: Wiping out the enemy becomes wiping out one's own sins. Jenkins says that until recently, Islam had the same sort of holy amnesia, and many Muslims interpreted jihad, for example, as an internal struggle, not physical warfare.

Andrew Bostom calls this analysis "preposterous." Bostom, editor of The Legacy of Jihad, says there's a major difference between the Bible, which describes the destruction of an enemy at a point in time, and the Quran, which urges an ongoing struggle to defeat unbelievers.

"It's an aggressive doctrine," he says. "The idea is to impose Islamic law on the globe."

Take suicide attacks, he says — a tactic that Muslim radicals have used to great effect in the U.S., Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East. It's true that suicide from depression is forbidden in Islam — but Bostom says the Quran and the Hadith, or the sayings of Muhammad, do allow self-destruction for religious reasons.

"The notion of jihad martyrdom is extolled in the Quran, Quran verse 9:1-11. And then in the Hadith, it's even more explicit. This is the highest form of jihad — to kill and to be killed in acts of jihad."

'Out Of Context'

That may be the popular notion of jihad, says Waleed El-Ansary, but it's the wrong one. El-Ansary, who teaches Islamic studies at the University of South Carolina, says the Quran explicitly condemns religious aggression and the killing of civilians. And it makes the distinction between jihad — legal warfare with the proper rules of engagement — and irjaf, or terrorism.

"All of those types of incidences — [Sept. 11], Maj. Nidal Hasan and so forth — those are all examples of irjaf, not jihad," he says. According to the Quran, he says, those who practice irjaf "are going to hell."

So what's going on here? After all, we all have images of Muslim radicals flying planes into buildings, shooting up soldiers at Fort Hood, trying to detonate a bomb on an airplane on Christmas Day. How to reconcile a peaceful Quran with these violent acts?

El-Ansary says that in the past 30 years, there's been a perfect storm that has created a violent strain of Islam. The first is political: frustration at Western intervention in the Muslim world. The second is intellectual: the rise of Wahhabi Islam, a more fundamentalist interpretation of Islam subscribed to by Osama bin Laden. El-Ansary says fundamentalists have distorted Islam for political purposes.

"Basically what they do is they take verses out of context and then use that to justify these egregious actions," he says.

El-Ansary says we are seeing more religious violence from Muslims now because the Islamic world is far more religious than is the West. Still, Jenkins says Judeo-Christian cultures shouldn't be smug. The Bible has plenty of violence.

"The scriptures are still there, dormant, but not dead," he says, "and they can be resurrected at any time. Witness the white supremacists who cite the murderous Phineas when calling for racial purity, or an anti-abortion activist when shooting a doctor who performs abortions.

In the end, the scholars can agree on one thing: The DNA of early Judaism, Christianity and Islam code for a lot of violence. Whether they can evolve out of it is another thing altogether. [Copyright 2010 National Public Radio]

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Sam Shamoun called me a grown up terrorist

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Desires can be fatal

Desires can be fatal
Shaheen Ahmad

I never knew there was anything called the celiac disease until I was diagnosed with it about nine years ago. Apparently the same wheat which I had been having as a staple food all my life, had suddenly become an enemy for my intestines and even a little amount was enough to trigger an allergic reaction, destroying the surface of the intestines in such a way that no food nutrients could be absorbed in the blood. The only solution was to avoid wheat for the rest of my life. It seemed an impossible thing in the beginning but gradually I learned to be content and grateful that I could still eat so many things which did not contain wheat. In fact after the initial period of adjustment I began to love the feeling that Allah had chosen me for this test and so I became more and more attached to Him when I realized that through this experience Allah was teaching me to become grateful and to ponder on His numerous blessings that previously I was taking for granted.

It went well for a while but then nothing in life remains constant on its own. To be consistent in our efforts we need to have a lot of discipline and self control. I was lacking in both these qualities so I could not stop myself when I would be visiting other people and was offered snacks containing wheat. When I tried to resist and explained the disease, I was told not be too strict with myself and a little pleasure could not be so harmful…. And so I would accept the treat and later on feel guilty. But then after a few days when I would see an irresistible chocolate cake lying in the fridge, I would fall in the traps of my desire again… The strange thing was that I would never get any side effects, any pain or symptoms… and so I felt that maybe it was ok to have a little break now and then.

Anyway it went on for so many years but recently I noticed that the pain in my back and knees was getting worse. I tried home remedies but the weakness and lethargy which had been my companions for a long time, were also getting intense. This led me to believe that I had to get myself examined by a doctor. And so I went to the hospital a couple of days ago hoping to get some multivitamins or calcium supplement. But the doctor instead of looking at my knees or back, simply asked me one question: “have you been taking wheat?” I told him the truth to which he exclaimed “how could you do this to yourself?” Didn’t you know that even a little amount is enough to destroy you?” I was shocked… and felt like someone had awakened me from a long slumber… Feeling like a fool, I offered my excuse: “but I was not having any symptoms so I thought it would be ok…” He looked at me with anger mixed with pity: “but didn’t anyone tell you that it might be working inside you without having any outward effect? Don’t you know the accumulated effect of wheat can cause cancer in your intestines?

So what could be done now? I began to feel a deep regret to realize that I had wasted all the opportunities of good health and energy only for the sake of a little pleasure… But then my thoughts turned to the hereafter and I realized with absolute clarity how we fool ourselves, when we do “little” sins and we think that it is ok… We continue with our bad habits for years and years because apparently we don’t see any “symptom” of their destruction. But it doesn’t mean that the soul is not being affected. This is the real test that we should believe Allah if He tells us that such and such thing is harmful for us even if we are not facing any immediate consequences.

The regret of this world is only temporary and the good and bad of this life will end one day… but what will we do in the hereafter if we don’t save ourselves from the regret of that day. How true was the quotation I once read:

We all have to suffer one pain or the other… either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret

May Allah open our eyes now, when we still have time to make a fresh start… Ameen

Wassalam,
Al Huda Institute, Canada

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Message to Sam Shamou/Be a Man

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The Black Stone: Clearing up Misdirected Ideas

What is the Black Stone?
The Black Stone (called الحجر الأسود al-Hajaru-l-Aswad in Arabic) is a Muslim relic, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. Many geologists and historians believe it to be a tektite or a meteorite.It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient sacred stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia [4]

Clearing Misconceptions/Falsehoods
Do Muslims Lick a Black Stone?
A Christian Missionary is trolling internet forums and comment sections and declaring Muslims to be “black stone lickers”
This is obviously a lie, a malicious one at that. There is no injunction from the Quran, Hadith literature or work of Fiqh which commands Muslims to lick any black stone. Quite simply this Christian missionary is using his fertile imagination and making things up.


Muslims do Kiss (not lick) al-Hajaru-l-Aswad (Black Stone) During Hajj

The black stone (al-Hajaru-l-Aswad) is located at the outer corner of the Kaba (cube-shaped building in Mecca) and serves the function of being an indicator of where circumambulation (Tawaf) of the Kaba commences and ends. Muslims, during the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj), perform Tawaf around the Kaba seven times as a rite of Hajj.

This stone is kissed prior to commencing Tawaf (circumambulation) and each time one rounds the Kaba it is recommended the black stone is kissed (if possible). [1]

Why do Muslims Kiss the Black Stone?

It was a practice of Muhammad (pbuh) and Muslims do it in order to emulate the last Prophet of God (Muhammad, pbuh).

Do Muslims Worship the Black Stone (al-Hajaru-l-Aswad)?

No.
Muslims do not worship this stone. Kissing does not constitute worship. In fact Umar, the second Khalifah and companion of the Prophet Muhammed (p), made this perfectly clear when he said:

Umar came near the Black Stone and kissed it and said "NO DOUBT, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A STONE AND CAN NEITHER BENEFIT ANYONE NOR HARM ANYONE. Had I not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you." [2]

This clearly shows us the back stone is not meant to be worshipped by Muslims. In fact this would negate a person’s iman (belief/faith), i.e. if a Muslim did worship the stone then he/she would be considered non-Muslim as only Allah has the right to be worshipped.

A Malicious Attack on the Black Stone: “It is looks like a Vagina”
Some Islamophobes have begun a baseless attack on the appearance of the black stone in order to insult Muslims.

How a stone looks like a vagina to them is beyond me. There is a silver frame around the black stone. This silver frame is a modern addition and does not constitute the black stone but with the addition of the silver frame the structure does look doughnut shaped. The claim of vagina-resemblance is simply a product of their debauched and malicious minds.

As Muslims (God’s chosen people) we are accustomed to people looking to insult us; a sad sign of the times.
Was the Black Stone Worshipped by Arab Pagans Prior to Islam?
I am not sure if it was, the Arab Pagans did have 360 idols which they housed at the Kaba and the Prophet destroyed ALL their idols. [3]

However, even if some of them did worship it we must recognise Islam came to abolish such practices. Therefore it has no bearing on Islam.
The black stone was originally given to Abraham who built the Kaba used the black stone as a corner stone for the Kaba. Abraham and Ishmael taught the early Meccan Arabs monotheism; after the passing on of Abraham and Ishmael the Meccan Arabs, with time, regressed into pagan practices such as idol worship and they ended up having a pantheon of gods despite the original message of Abraham and Ishmael which taught the early Arabs to worship Allah alone (monotheism) [3].

Prophet Muhammed (p) was sent to bring these Arabs back to the teachings of Abraham and outlaw polytheistic and pagan practices (i.e. purify the teachings of Abraham from the polytheistic practices which were innovated into the teachings with time) [3]. Thus any history of the black stone being worshipped by pagan Arabs has no bearing on Islam whatsoever.

References
[1] Reliance of the Traveller, Ahmad ibn Naqib al Misri, edited and translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller, Amana Publications, 1994 (J5.2,J5.14)

[2] Sahih BUKHARI: Volume 2, Book 26, Number 667

[3] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 26-28

[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Stone

Appendix 1

Here is a good video from Iqraproductions educating people about al hajr ul aswad (black stone) clearing up some misconceptions related to the black stone as well as explaining the history behind it:

What is the Black Stone?

Do Muslims Worship the Black Stone?

Was it considered to be the genitalia of a pagan goddess by the pagans of Mecca?

Why do Muslims kiss the Black Stone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmqPNj3FHX8

Appendix 2
What is the Kaba? Muslims do not worship the Kaba (explained by Dr Zakir Naik):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK5Jb8gRIlk&feature=related

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re:Call to show: Jesus or Muhammad with Sam Shamoun & David Wood

Sam Shamoun cannot post my comments and links to my videos and calls me a coward.
Who is the coward? You be the judge.

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The Night Journey

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Calling to Allah lecture in English and Urdu

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Muslims: Beware of a New Missionary Lie

New Christian Missionary Ploy to Convert Muslims: CODE OF QURAN PROVES JESUS IS GOD? (Video Below)
A newly found canard, it appears a Christian missionary (InvestigateIslam) has delved into desperation yet again and come up with a totally dishonest “mathematical” argument to prove Jesus to be the son of god through the Quran.
This missionary claims somebody named Bahira wrote the Quran ( this claim is refuted in appendix 1 by IslamResponses), the missionary then proceeds to claim that Bahira put a secret code into the Quran which proves Christianity. Bizarre, let's know more.

He uses abjad numerals for coding. He looks at Alif-Laam-Raa (ALR) and adds the abjad values of the three letters up to 231. (L=30, A=1, R=200). He then brings this Arabic expression of his Trinitarian faith:

الاب والابن اله واحد (Translated: the father and the son are one god)


The Christian missionary then claims this Arabic expression of his Christian faith adds up to 231 via Abjad numerals and then tries to make a link between the Quran and his Christian belief. HOWEVER, his Arabic expression only adds up to 179 (not 231 as he claimed) so he is not exactly being the most factual/honest. It gets worse.

He then claims Alif-Laam-Raa (ALR) is included in these 5 Surahs 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

The missionary is wrong again as ALR is not in Surah 13.

He then multiplies 231 with 5 and gets 1155.
He then brings this Arabic sentence:

وَالْكَلِمَةُ صَارَ جَسَدًا وَحَلَّ بَيْنَنَا، وَرَأَيْنَا مَجْدَهُ، لِوَحِيدٍ مِنَ الآبا
He also claims this new Arabic sentence equals 1155 in Abjad numerals. It does if you miss the last laam (L) in the fourth word, ie if you deliberately mis-spell the word. It now gets even more interesing.

He immediately proceeds to claim this to be from the Gospel of John 1:14 (LIE).

It is untrue when he claims it to be John 1:14 as this is John 1:14 in Arabic:

وَالْكَلِمَةُ صَارَ جَسَدًا وَحَلَّ بَيْنَنَا، وَرَأَيْنَا مَجْدَهُ، مَجْدًا كَمَا لِوَحِيدٍ مِنَ الآبِ، مَمْلُوءًا نِعْمَةً وَحَقًّا
You can clearly see the missionary is LYING as he missed a whole phrase (last 3 words out) and two middle words after majdah. Thus the missionary deliberately made edits and cuts to his Bible in order to hit the number 1155 to impress Muslims. However, despite ALL the word omission he still removes the second L (laam) from wahalla (fourth word) in order to make it fit his wacky code of 1155.

Sad, the man distorted and changed his own book in an attempt to impress and convert Muslims, along the way his knowledge and mathematics was found wanting. Is this what passes for preaching nowadays?
MUSLIMS, PLEASE TRIPLE CHECK ANYTHING YOU HEAR FROM A CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY, IF YOU ARE NOT SURE ABOUT ANYTHING ASK A SCHOLAR AT YOUR LOCAL ISLAMIC CENTRE/MASJID

Appendix 1

The Bahira claim is Silly and Intellectually Dishonest:

Did a man named Bahira write the Quran? No (for now, Insha’Allah, IslamResponses comment on my channel will be sufficient information to show the ridiculous nature of such a claim):

Buheira (Bahira) the monk was an old man when he met Prophet Muhammad(P) and the prophet was very young .
so why did the prophet wait till he become 40 years old?
the revelation of the Qur'ân continued for 23 years after the death of Buhira who met the prophet once. the Prophet(P) was receiving the revelation in different places and even while he was among his Companions. Also, he was answering direct questions raised later by the Jews in Madinah.

The Video of this event:



Appendix 2:Abjad Calculator:
http://www.scaryinter.net/adib/

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Introduction to Dawah

Shaikh Essam Tawfik and brother Jibreelk

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A letter from Romania

Now that we’ve been working for the Islamic community in Greece, I’ve been thinking about other Muslim communities in Europe a lot lately, especially the forgotten ones like in the Balkan countries. For some reason, I keep coming back to Romania and just today, I stumbled across an article about the Muslim community of Romania!
I was touched by this article below and how similar it is to the situation in Greece.

Source: The Balkan Chronicle

There are many countries in the world where Islam springs to mind when they are mentoned, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Morrocco are just a few. There are many other lands Islam reached that many from amongst the Ummah may not be aware of, such as Western China, Greece, Southern Italy, Hungary and maybe even Austria. Romania is also one such land that many may not be aware lived under Islamic rule for 800 years. Many may not even know where Romania is, it is only 275 miles from Turkey.
In Europe Romania is infamous for Transylvania – home of Count Dracula. Whilt this character has assumed a position archetypal vampire in populer Western culture; the character is based upon Prince of Wallachia. Vlad III, who came to be known as the impaler. Historically, Vlad Dracula became infamous for his resistance against the Uthmani Khilafah and for the cruel punishments he inflicted upon his enemies.
Vlad Dracula was sent in 1475 with an army of Hungarian and Serbian soldiers to recapture Bosnia from the Uthmani Khilafah. Whilst the Uthmani Khilafah lost this initial battle, the Uthmani’s entered Wallachia in 1476 under the command of Mehmed II to recapture the lost lands. During the war, Vlad was killed and, according to some sources, his head was sent to Constantinople to discourage the other rebellions.
According to most sources in Romania, Islam first emerged when the Sufi leader Sari Saltik came to the region during the Byzantine epoch. The Islamic presence in Northern Dobruja was expanded by Uthmani Khilafah who oversaw successive immigration. In Wallachia and Moldavia, the two Danubian Principalities, the era of Uthmani’s did not accompany growth in the number of Muslims, whose presence there remained small. Also the battles between the Uthmani’s and Habsburg Empire led to many Muslim to move to the Islamic heatlands.
Romania emerged in 1859 as a union of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia. Northern Dobruja became part of Romania following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878. However during the the communist regime, Romanian Muslims were subject to a number of harsh measures, especially supervision by the state. The Ummah in Romania managed to hold on to the deen and were able after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 to begin the open dawah to Islam.
Islam in Romania is followed by only 0.3 percent of population, this equates to around 60,000 people, but has more than 800 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Uthmani Khilafah for almost five centuries (ca. 1420-1878). In present-day Romania, most adherents to Islam belong to the Tatar and Turkish ethnic communities.
The vast majority of Romanians are Sunnis who adhere to the Hanafi madhab.
97% of Romanian Muslims are residents of the two counties forming Northern Dobruja: eighty-five percent live in Constanţa County, and twelve percent in Tulcea County. The rest mainly inhabit urban centers such as Bucharest, Brăila, Călăraşi, Galaţi, Giurgiu, and Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
In all, Romania has as many as eighty mosques, or, according to records kept by the Romanian Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, seventy-seven. The city of Constanţa, with its Carol I Mosque and the location of the Muftiyat, is the center of Romanian Islam; Mangalia, near Constanţa, is the site of a monumental mosque, built in 1525. The two mosques are state-recognised historical monuments, as are the ones in Hârşova, Amzacea, Babadag and Tulcea. There are also 108 Islamic cemeteries in Romania.
After the Romanian Revolution in 1989, when Romania left the Eastern Communist camp native Romanians had the chance to discover Islam and taste its fruits. Today as many as 3,000 Muslim are converts to Islam and the number is growing day by day. Being converts they faced the particular problem in a society, in that society was not prepared to accept them. Most groups in Romania show little will to support Muslims generally. For these reasons the Ummah in Romania were forced to create an organisation capable of defending and maintaining the needs of the Ummah in Romania. The Alliance of Romanian Muslim was set up in order to protect and defend the Ummah and Islam in Romania.
http://www.balkanchronicle.com/images/stories/special_interes/Mangalia-Mosque-Romania.jpg
When Islam came to Europe the continent was living in the dark ages. Eastern Europe was steeped in superstition, magic and sorcery. Islam came and brought a new rational belief that took the region from its misery and gave their lives purpose. Whilst in mainland Europe the challenge is to defend the deen, in Romania and many parts of Eastern Europe once again the people need liberation from capitalism and nationalism and it is here the Muslim of Romania are at the forefront carrying on the work the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم started and the Uthmani Khilafah expanded. Whilst the Ummah face the same issues globally, the Ummah from Romania stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ummah all over the world and await the day Allah sends his blessings.

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EX CEO of HP talks about Islam

Also see at:
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/speeches/fiorina/minnesota01.html


Ex-CEO of HP, Carly Fiorina considered one of the most powerful women in business during her tenure at Lucent and Hewlett-Packard, talks about a civilization of old.

"As business leaders, as we are faced with questions of life and death rather than how much our stock is worth, the significance of our business contribution to the world may be increased. And that is a good thing.


I’ll end by telling a story.


There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.


It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from ocean to ocean, and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds and ethnic origins.


One of its languages became the universal language of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands. Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities, and its military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had never been known. The reach of this civilization’s commerce extended from Latin America to China, and everywhere in between.


And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention. Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors examined the human body, and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers looked into the heavens, named the stars, and paved the way for space travel and exploration.


Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance and magic. Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in fear to think of such things.


When other nations were afraid of ideas, this civilization thrived on them, and kept them alive. When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive, and passed it on to others.


While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the civilization I’m talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800 to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the Magnificent.


Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of tolerance and civic leadership.


And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed the full capabilities of a very diverse population–that included Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.


This kind of enlightened leadership — leadership that nurtured culture, sustainability, diversity and courage — led to 800 years of invention and prosperity.


In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of greatness. More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership– bold acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership."

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NON-Muslims Get in FREE and can become part of the Family at Journey of ...

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John Stewart blasts fox news for anti muslim attitude

Note please be advised that some language is not appropriate even though it is beeped out
Viewer discretion is advised

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Wish You Weren't Here
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

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What would you do Muslim HQ

It is very interesting to see this as a study, and what is more interesting is to see that some people have actually stood up for the Muslim woman. It shows that human morals and values transcend cultures, and ideologies, and that fairness runs in the veins of humanity. That however can be corrupted by ideologies which preach intolerance and which portray others as inhumane and uncivilized.

Note: Unfortunately our sister in this video hugs the man at the end. It is very sad that today we have to recur to the help of others to defend us, to raise awareness about the discrimination and unfair treatment of Muslims not only in America but all over the world. Our weaknesses make us compromise our faith, and such emotions lead to actions which sometimes at the moment can be against Allah's commandments. We ask Allah swt to forgive our sister and all the Muslims in the world.

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Recharge your battery episode 1

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The Quran Challenge | MuslimMatters.org

The Quran Challenge | MuslimMatters.org

In keeping with the current season of sports tournaments or ‘challenges’, I would like to tell you about a challenge far greater than any World Cup, a challenge whose prize is worth more than any piece of silverware. Allow me to introduce you to….The Quran Challenge.

The challenge is to complete reading the Quran in a language you understand by Ramadan. Now how can that possibly be more challenging than toiling against Germany in the footie or Roger Federer at SW19?! All this challenge entails is opening a book and reading it!

But before you write me off, just ask yourself this – Have YOU ever done this? And if you haven’t, then try to analyse why. Perhaps your life is too busy to fit in any reading time, or perhaps it wasn’t something which you felt to be so important. Maybe you thought it was the ‘convert’ thing to do, and being a born Muslim, you don’t have to read the Quran in your own language?

Whatever the reason may be, let me share with you a true story which happened to me whist at university. I usually try not to talk about my past mistakes so openly, unless of course there is a profound lesson to be learnt….

It was at university when I underwent the process of being exposed to Islam in its true beauty, and hence I consider myself as a ‘born-again Muslim’. To all the brothers and sisters who work tirelessly in ‘Islam Awareness Week’ and other such acts ofda’wah, they certainly do work, and whilst guidance is from Allah (swt), I hate to think where I would be today had it not been for the positive effect of these efforts, alhumdulillah.

When I cast my mind back to the time at which I began taking religion seriously, a few things happened which were catalysts for me to develop a zeal for learning more about this beautiful religion. Let me tell you about one such moment.

Whilst in the third year of my studies, I was asked to get involved in the annual ‘Islam Awareness Week’. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, Islam Awareness Week, or IAW, is an event held at most British and American universities aimed at portraying the true message of Islam through da’wah stalls, lectures and exhibitions.

I was allocated to man the da’wah stalls. I remember being very excited and I couldn’t wait to unleash all myda’wah trump cards, such as the scientific miracles of the Quran, the miraculous nature of the Arabic in the Quran and of course the fact that it has never changed. After all those late nights of watching the countless lectures of Dr Zakir Naik, I was ready to get stuck in!

Alhumdulillah, people came to the stalls, and many of them left with something to think about. Perhaps I even had a hint of satisfaction in my heart after defeating them in the ‘battle of words’. But there was one individual, who came to the stalls, that left me speechless and finally brought me down to planet earth.

This individual was a well dressed and softly spoken student. He told me that his father was a member of the clergy, although he didn’t count himself as being particularly religious. He came and asked me about the Quran, and why Muslims believed it to be the word of God. Out I came with my pre-rehearsed ‘spiel’, with a bit of Ahmed Deedat-style Bible-bashing to add some masaala to my arguments. Just before I had the opportunity to experience the feeling of contempt, he dropped a huge bombshell on me:

Paul: So you must be fluent in Arabic, then?

Me: Well, I can read Arabic fluently, but I can’t speak it.

Paul: Errr…so when you read the Quran, do you understand what you are reading?

Me: *pause* I don’t actually, but we do have an interpretation of the meaning of the Qur’an (picks up an English translation of the Quran, and hands it to Paul).

Paul: So have you read the Quran in English?

Me: *long pause* Honestly……I have read bits, but not cover to cover…….

Paul: Dont you think you should do that before telling me how amazing it is? And how can you tell me to read a book that you haven’t read yourself?

And there it was. He walked away, with me having some serious questions of my own to answer. First of all, was I doing the da’wah stall purely for the sake of Allah, or was it because I wanted to get one over my opponent? I was shown the importance of keeping one’s intention pure throughout an act of worship.

Secondly, here I was giving out free English translations of the Quran, and raving on about a book which I had never read with understanding, cover to cover. How could I possibly call myself a true Muslim if I hadn’t even read the ‘manual’ which Muslims claim is so amazing? Why should I expect a non-Muslim to read the Qur’an when I hadn’t done so myself?

I suspect that there are many people who are in a similar situation to this, but perhaps that bombshell hasn’t hit them yet. On consideration, it is amazing how many Muslims can talk about embryology and the Quran, the water-cycle and the Quran, the challenge the Quran places upon mankind, yet these same Muslims have never actually read the verses addressing these issues in a language they understand.

Without doubt, the gold standard is to embark upon the path of learning Arabic, and something which all of us (including myself) must do. Imagine praying your salah in the Haram, understanding every word which Sheikh Maahir or Sheikh Juhainy recites, such that it brings tears to your eyes….priceless.

In the interim period, however, we MUST read the Quran in our native languages if we haven’t done so already. We need to know our book, not only for the sake of da’wah, but for the sake of our Hereafter.

I hope this has encouraged everyone reading this short piece to blow the dust off their Quran, and start reading it cover to cover. If you are serious about doing this, then I ask you to make a commitment to complete the Qur’an in your native language before Ramadan sets in. This certainly would be the perfect prelude to what, insha’Allah, will be a month full of worship for you. Express your commitment by signing up to the challenge. You will find other brothers and sisters to give you the motivation you need, along with reminders from some students of knowledge about the benefits of reading the Quran in a language you understand.

So…if you have never done this, then take up the challenge now!

Guest post written by Ali Sameer Mallick.

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