Purification of the Heart, part 1: Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Part 1 :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNfQxnRoPHo

Part 2 :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO92b1nKLIA

Part 3 :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcC6rbpF2VQ

and so on up to Part 48. Better still get his Cd's Zaytuna Institute, and contribute in a small way to its development, Insyaallah.

Yvonne Ridley......

Yvonne Ridley (born 1959, Stanley, County Durham, England) is a British journalist, war correspondent and Respect Party politician best known for her capture by the Taliban and subsequent conversion to Islam after release and her outspoken opposition to Zionism and the perceived propaganda of the Western media. Ridley currently works for Press TV, the Iranian-based English language news channel.







"Lo! verily unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. He knoweth your condition. And (He knoweth) the Day when they are returned unto Him so that He may inform them of what they did. Allah is Knower of all things."
Surah Al Nur ,'Light', 24 : 64

'War On Terror ' Thru Muslim's Eyes

The present world hegemony thru the viewpoints of Muslims.
A February 2010 presentation....still relevant from the perspective of lessons and viewpoints unlearned by the West.

One wonder whether how many generals in the drawing board of Pentagon or State Department view this, or whether Obama's Administration still harbour all those 'Rumsfeld cloned Neo-cons'?.

Noam Chomsky: US / Israeli Crimes Against Palestine

"..We have no solution for you Arabs. You can live like dogs on hills and rocks, and if you want to leave , you can leave..."
A one state solution for Israel
General Moshe Dayan


"USA continue to violate international law because we can get away with it.... We are free to commit genocide even. If we are a big enough bully and we have an obedient population, we can do practically anything"
Noam Chomsky

Palestine is still The Issue...John Pilger

This John Pilger presentation was done in 2002 but is worth revisiting...

[Health Hazard reminder for Muslims only: if you have history of stroke, hypertension
or diabetes, please remember to take your medications before viewing]





Menachem Begin, Ariel Sharon, Bush, Blair...what do they share in common?
....Blood on their hands. Millions of innocent lives and unsurmontable human suffering. They should be collectively indicted at The Hague for 'war crimes against humanity'.
President Saddam Hussien might even win a Nobel prize for Peace in comparision with these characters! At least Iraqis had electricity and clean water during his time, and they were not at each other's throats!

What did John Pilger thought of Ohbaamaah!




Yes ! Obama was a deep disappointment for everyone, not just Americans.

The Martyrs Smile : Robert Fisk

This Robert Fisk documentary must have been conceived in the mid 90's but 15 years on I think the message and lesson of this documentary has yet to be learned and accepted ie the lack and non recognition of justice to a people whom the world has conveniently forgotten in the name of Western 'political correctness' in not having the courage and moral fibre in calling a 'spade a spade'.

Our world is still reeling from this inability of ours to be entirely honest with ourselves,The West despite all it's rhetorics and 'moral' goodness, is least of all interested in justice








Part 2 : Click Here


Part 3 : Click Here

Part 4 : Click Here


Part 5 : Click Here

Part 6 : Click Here


It is delusional and somewhat naive if we were to say the Western world's apathy in dealing with the injustice that had transpired in Bosnia, Chechnya, Khasmhir, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Gaza had no relation with 911.

The million dollar question is how many more 911 has to take place before America and the West wake up and own up to their responsibility of what had happened? That fact is standing out like a sore thumb, only the West cannot see it.
We know not all the deaths were due to American taxpayers bullets, or bombed from F16 or coming from American drones but American complicity in the running or rather the non-running of the United Nation and the Security Council are well documented and contributing to the problem in a big way and this is frankly sickening.

Why are some 15 millions or so Zionists able to hold some 7 billion people to ransom over what had happened some 75 years ago ?
Why is the world so paralysed to act rightly with a sense of justice ?

Back to my previous question of why we cannot be calling 'a spade a spade' ?

You are still not convinced!

Let us fast forward from 1990 back to 2009 and listen to some of the wisdom of Robert Fisk yet again:



..and surprisingly,the Khasmiri equation in the Afghanistan story,






As Robert Fisk put it succinctly, we come back a whole circle to two important elements:
Justice and freedom from occupation.....

"During my lifetime, America has been constantly waging war against much of humanity: impoverished people mostly, in stricken places."
John Pilger,
Australian award winning jounalist
"

Khutabah Series...Shaykh Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick

Bio of Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick
Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick is a historian, social activist and religious leader of African and Native American descent. He has travelled to over 58 countries doing research and delivering lectures to various communities. His qualification in Islamic Studies comes from a BA from the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia and his history background is shaped by an MA and PhD from the History Department of the University of Toronto, Canada.






"...Say I believe in Allah and then be UPRIGHT ."
Pearls & Gem from Prophet Muhammad [ pbuh ]

Interesting Observation..a food for thought.

....on Ulama' : " They have not even entered the discourse..."




Off hand, if I recall correctly, we have a local example of a valiant effort to raise the level of Islamic discourse to a higher plane, and that went awry before it come to fruition due to small mindedness amongst some UIA based scholars themselves with a big help from similarly small minded politician-bureacrat who runs it.

....Institute of Islamic Thought and Culture [ ISTAC ] under Prof Sayyid Muhammad Naquib Al Attas some 15 years back was a centre of excellence, respected in its field the world over. Prof Naquib realised this discordance at intake level,as pointed out by Shaykh Hakim, very early and he tried to correct this. Most of ISTAC earlier post grad and doctoral students came from diverse background, some like Dr Wan Muhammad [ now a full professor ]was a molecular biologist. Dr Zaini for example,did physics with major in astronomy. like many others, both embarked on their doctoral thesis in theology and coming back to serve the Institute as lecturers.Given time, these new brand of home grown 'ulama', familiar with the Quran and hadith as well not alien to molecules and cosmology of the universe or market economy and the vagaries and shortfall of derivatives and futures, would nurture and mature, and takeover and insyaallah similarly nurture new group of younger people to develop likewise. That is intellectual development in an institution staking a claim to be an Institute of Islamic Thought. That is what it take to be an ulama' in the 21st century! It takes time and hard work, ilm, ilm and ilm.

But alas, thanks to the short sighted view of the previous chancellor of UIA, fuelled by other mediocre scholars [with some hasad on their mind, huwallahualam ] ISTAC was 'raped' midway,it's senior staff disbanded and sent all over the place. It's headship given to an 'ustaz' who to start with had no clue whatsoever what 'post graduate centre' of excellence and learning was all about. Now, ten years later, after the dust of demolition has settled, and despite some late remedial measures, the initial damage to the very philosophy of excellence expounded by ISTAC founding fathers, had effected its way permanently. ISTAC is now just just a glorified extension of another mediocre 'under-graduate factory' primarily meant to churn out 'parrots', not scholars! , not a centre of excellence on it's own anymore....university politics ...politics of mediocrity as often seen in Malaysia's other universities.[ Bolehland of Malaysia where anything goes...semua boleh! Where the sparrows think they are eagles... ]

I remembered, being an ardent fan of Prof Naquib's monthly discourse at ISTAC years back,feeling agitated at the 'demolition job' done to the institution. As a responsible private citizen I personally wrote to two [ not just one] subsequent PM's appealing on this issue of 'importance of ilmu' but in their realm of things perhaps,'ilmu and the nature of ulama'' was probably not high on the political agenda ,it did not bring in votes. My letters , I assumed ,were only fit for the dust bins.Not even a polite feedback from assistants [ 'surat anda sedang diberi perhatian olih pihak yang berkenaan' or something to that effect ], nor response forthcoming from both Dr M and subsequently Pak Lah.

Nonetheless, if I am questioned later in my next life, I can say I have done my part.
Insyaallah.


Dr Nik Isahak Wan Abdullah

" Sparrows can never hope to fly like eagles.... It is not in the 'fitrah' of sparrows to fly like eagles.....they can try, but will probably take another fifty years of trying, and still fail!"

The worst enemies of Islam are from within...Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, a full blooded American youth way back in 1978, 'reverted' to Islam at age 17. His life journey has taken him to UAE and West Africa learning the religion over 10 years in his formative period. Currently the 'Rick Martin' of American Islamic scene, very much sought after within the lecture circuit,executive director of Zaytuna Institute,an organization set up by him for daawah propagation and dissemination of Islamic material. If we peruse the internet however,he is not short of detractors too!

The Wahabis hates him.More so due to his 'sufic' leaning, if I am allowed to guess rather than actual 'scholarship'. The more radical are critical of him, of being pro American. He is American and white too. Some 'centrists' have also joined the bandwagon, probably doing so out of 'hasad', if they are frankly honest with themselves.Dissenters harp on minor issues of Quranic interpretation and this and that,not the least Hamza's background steeped in sufism .

But this is typical of our current Muslim world: we have a vibrant propensity for going into 'self destruct' mode. This fact, in this years and age of Islam bashing from all and sundry, should encourage all of us to some really serious self introspection.....

Islam is a universal message to the universal men from Allah.It transcend time and period. It is not the religion just fit for a sixth century ignorant,desert Arab tribe. Neither is it European, Turk or Malay. It is for billions on this planet earth who come in all shades of gray, white,yellow and black.From Adam to end of time. Within these spectrum of rainbow some degree of variation of interpretation are allowed. That my friends is the mercy of Allah.
Huwallahualam

Dr Nik Isahak Wan Abdullah

...............................

A Time for Introspection
"The worst enemies of Islam are from within", writes American convert scholar of Islam, Hamza Yusuf.
This article first appeared in Q-News, Europe's largest Muslim magazine.

On September 11th our lives changed forever. We witnessed an act of aggression that in many ways does not have a parallel in past or present times. There are several elements that make this act unique, from the use of civilian planes as weapons of mass destruction to the attack on the most widely recognized skyscrapers in the world. Nor have we ever witnessed the terrible indictment of Islam as having a part to play in such a heinous crime.

Muslims were seen rejoicing in some parts of the world in a display of what can only be called shamaatatul 'aadai', which is rejoicing at the calamities of ones’ enemies. This is something explicitly prohibited in Islam and was never practiced by the Prophet of Mercy, upon him be prayers and peace. We have seen images since of American flags burning to further arouse the wrath of a nation filled with grief, confusion and anger. Again, Islam prohibits the burning of flags according to the explicit verse, “Do not curse [the idols] of those who call on other than Allah, thus causing them to curse Allah out of animosity [toward you] and without knowledge.” This verse prohibits even the cursing of false gods because of the consequences. We have also seen image after image of Muslims with beards and turbans, who by all outward means look religious and pious - but are they really?

Unfortunately, the West does not know what every Muslim scholar knows; that the worst enemies of Islam are from within. The worst of these are the khawaarij who delude others by the deeply dyed religious exterior that they project. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said about them, “When you see them pray you will consider your own prayers insignificant. They recite the Quran but it does not exceed the limits of their throat.” In other words, they don’t understand the true meanings. The outward religious appearance and character of the khawaarij deluded thousands in the past, and continues to delude people today. The Muslims should be aware that despite the khawaarij adherence to certain aspects of Islam, they are extremists of the worst type.

Our Prophet said, peace be upon him, “Beware of extremism in your religion.” Islam is the middle way between excess and neglect. Zealots are a plague upon religion. These extremists come in two types. The first is a reactionary extremist who falls far right of a center-point. Reactionary extremists do not want any pluralism; they view the world in melodramatic, black and white, good and evil terms. They are good and anyone who opposes them is evil. From among the Muslims these are people who ‘excommunicate’ any Muslim who fails to share their interpretations of the Quran. They use takfir [denouncing a Muslim as an unbeliever] and character assassination as a tool for marginalizing any criticism directed at them. They are used often by the Western media in order to scare simple people and cause them to believe that Muslims are insane. Unfortunately, our communities provide them with much fuel to fire their incendiary flames.

The second group are radical extremists, who while they are almost identical with the former group, differ in that they will use violence to further their cause. They are actually worse than the first. They believe like every nefarious secret society before them that ‘the end justifies the means.’ They see any act as acceptable if it will further their ‘cause.’ This is blatantly anti-Islamic for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Islam’s means must reflect its noble ends. Any means that does not embody the core truths and ethics of Islam is not from Islam and thus denounced as aberration. Secondly, Islam is not a secret society of conspirators who no one knows what they are planning. Islam declares openly its aims and objectives and these are recognized by good people everywhere as pure and congruent with their own wisdom and traditions. In the case of many of these extremists even the non-Muslims recognize that no religion of any weight could sanction the taking of innocent lives. The Quran says that the Torah and the Gospel have guidance and light and that the Quran came to fulfill these prior dispensations. Good Christians and Jews who believe in God and live ethically upright lives have no frame of reference for such acts, so how could these acts be from Islam, which confirms what has come before it?

Thirdly, they are invariably people who have never taken a true spiritual path to God and nor have they studied the humanities. I can almost guarantee that you will not find a scholar of poetry among the whole vile lot of these people. They have no true knowledge of Arabian culture, which is centered in the idea of futuwwa; a word akin to the western word chivalry. The terrorists posing as journalists who killed Ahmad Shah Masud [Afghan Northern Alliance leader] were cowards of the worst type. Killing themselves was not bravery but stupidity, but killing one’s enemy in such a way is the worst form of treachery and the Arabs have many poems denouncing such type of people.

Our real situation is this: we Muslims have lost theologically sound understanding of our teaching. Islam has been hijacked by a discourse of anger and the rhetoric of rage. We have allowed for too long our mimbars [pulpits] to become bully pulpits in which people with often recognizable psychopathology use anger - a very powerful emotion - to rile Muslims up, only to leave them feeling bitter and spiteful towards people who in the most part are completely unaware of the conditions in the Muslim world, or the oppressive assaults of some Western countries on Muslim peoples. We have lost our bearings because we have lost our theology. We have almost no theologians in the entire Muslim world. The study of kalaam, once the hallmark of our intellectual tradition, has been reduced to memorizing 144 lines of al-Jawhara and a good commentary to study it, at best.

The reality is we are an Umma [worldwide Muslim community] that no longer realizes that Allah is the power behind all power; that it is Allah who subjugates one people to another; that He gives dominion to whom He pleases and He takes it away from whom He pleases. Our understanding of tawhid [oneness of God] has fallen into such disarray that we can no longer introspect when afflictions befall us and then wonder in amazement at why the Americans seem incapable of introspection. Indeed, I personally attended a memorial service in San Francisco with over 30,000 people and the Reverend Amos Brown said in no uncertain terms that America must ask herself what she has done either wittingly or unwittingly to incur the wrath and hate of people around the world. Muslims on the other hand, generally prefer to attack the West as the sole reason for their problems when the truth is we are bankrupt as a religious community and our spiritual bankruptcy has led to our inability to even deliver the message of Islam to Westerners in a time when they were giving us platforms to do so.

It is ironic that the Western media while producing many vile programs on Islam has also produced and aired material of the highest quality with a high level of accuracy only to be vilified by Muslims because it was not good enough. Where is our media? Where are our spokespeople? Where are our scholars? Where are our literary figures? The truth is we don’t have any - and so instead of looking inward and asking painful questions such as why we don’t have such things and such people, we take the simple way out by attacking people whom Allah tells us will do mean things, say bad things and plot against us. And always when we are warned we are told to be patient, to work for the good, to trust in Allah, to return to Allah, to implement our deen [religion].

Conspiracy or not, we are to blame for the terrible backlash against Muslims. The simple reason is that when a crazy Christian does something terrible, everyone in the West knows it is the actions of a mad man because they have some knowledge of the core beliefs and ethics of Christianity. When a mad Muslim does something evil or foolish they assume it is from the religion of Islam, not because they hate us but because they have never been told by a Muslim what the teachings of Islam are all about


..................................



Well my friends, if you are still not convince, let us listen to him giving a khutabah in 2008's Aidil Adha :






Well my friends, in 2010, we need more ulama' who are as vocal and media savvy as Hamza Yusuf Hanson to 'sell' the religion to the world. Islam has long been the pearls and gem hidden in the closet. This is it's century!

If we have 10 ulama in Europe of the calibre like Tariq Ramadan who is definitely coherent and speaks fluent Arabic,English and French and 10 like Hamza in the USA, we have got it made. We have to build bridges and not be experts at demolition work.
Too much energy spent quarrelling on issues of 'branches and leaves'. It is about time our ulama' look at the big picture

We ,1.5 billion Muslims need not apologise for being right. We just need the right people to 'sell' the Qur'an. The Qur'an will by itself works it's miracle.
Insyaallah....

Dr Nik


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prof Sayyid Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas in Conversation..

January, 2010

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf interviews Professor Sayyid Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas.

Syed Muhammad al Naquib bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Muhsin al Attas (born September 5, 1931) is a prominent contemporary Muslim philosopher and thinker from Malaysia. He is one of the few contemporary scholars who is thoroughly rooted in the traditional Islamic sciences and who is equally competent in theology, philosophy, metaphysics, history, and literature. He is considered to be the pioneer in proposing the idea of Islamization of knowledge.










"....In Malaysia, our politicians and bureaucrats think as usual ,professors and thinkers of Prof Naquib's calibre do grow on rubber trees or sprout out of palm trees in abundance.... ISTAC took many years and brains and minds to conceptualise, but it took one arrogant, self serving, pea-brained person only a stroke of the pen to tear it down! Our land, this is common place, where forms transcends substance,where sparrows think they are eagles! "

"A universal crisis of 'adab', when the meek and the depraved lead, when democracy of the 'deaf dumb and blind' overrule 'the mesyuarah' 0f the wise and the sage, when 'heedlessness' overwhelms 'taqwa', when political correctness is more important than 'adil' or justice"

Dr Nik Isahak Wan Abdullah

Why I came to Islam... Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

" Every soul must taste of death, and We try you with evil and with good, for ordeal. And unto Us ye will be returned. "
Surah Al Anbiya, The Prophets, 21 : 35

A Common Word between Us and You...

" A Common Word between Us and You ",
The letter is signed by 138 prominent Muslim personalities from a large number of countries from several continents. These include academics, politicians, writers and muftis. Nearly half of the signatories are university academics or scholars. According to the letter’s website, its author was HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Prince Ghazi, a prominent scholar himself, is the current Head of The Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan.


“A Common Word between Us and You” is a follow up to a smaller letter, sent in 2006, in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s lecture at the University of Regensburg on 12th September 2006. This lecture, on the subject of faith and reason, had focused mainly on Christianity and what Pope Benedict called the tendency in the modern world to “exclude the question of God” from reason. Islam features in a part of the lecture. The Pope quoted a Byzantine Emperor’s strong criticism of Muhammad’s teachings. Pope Benedict clarified that this was not his own personal opinion, describing the quotation as being of a “startling brusqueness, a brusqueness which leaves us astounded.”

Throughout the world, however, many people thought the Pope’s use of the quote insensitive. A very strong sense of injustice was expressed by many Muslims in response to the speech. One month later, 38 Islamic scholars, representing all branches of Islam, replied to Pope Benedict in “An Open Letter to the Pope,” dated 13th October 2006. One year later, 138 Islamic personalities co signed an open letter entitled “A Common Word between Us and You.” The letter aimed to promote inter faith dialogue.











In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

A Common Word between Us and You

(Summary and Abridgement)

Muslims and Christians together make up well over half of the world’s population. Without peace and justice between these two religious communities, there can be no meaningful peace in the world. The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians.

The basis for this peace and understanding already exists. It is part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God, and love of the neighbour. These principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity. The Unity of God, the necessity of love for Him, and the necessity of love of the neighbour is thus the common ground between Islam and Christianity. The following are only a few examples:

Of God’s Unity, God says in the Holy Qur’an: Say: He is God, the One! / God, the Self-Sufficient Besought of all! (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2). Of the necessity of love for God, God says in the Holy Qur’an: So invoke the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with a complete devotion (Al-Muzzammil, 73:8). Of the necessity of love for the neighbour, the Prophet Muhammad r said: “None of you has faith until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.”

In the New Testament, Jesus Christ u said: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. / And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. / And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

In the Holy Qur’an, God Most High enjoins Muslims to issue the following call to Christians (and Jews—the People of the Scripture):

Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him). (Aal ‘Imran 3:64)

The words: we shall ascribe no partner unto Him relate to the Unity of God, and the words: worship none but God, relate to being totally devoted to God. Hence they all relate to the First and Greatest Commandment. According to one of the oldest and most authoritative commentaries on the Holy Qur’an the words: that none of us shall take others for lords beside God, mean ‘that none of us should obey the other in disobedience to what God has commanded’. This relates to the Second Commandment because justice and freedom of religion are a crucial part of love of the neighbour.

Thus in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we as Muslims invite Christians to come together with us on the basis of what is common to us, which is also what is most essential to our faith and practice: the Two Commandments of love.


.......+++++++++++...............++++++++++.....


Full Text:



In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,

And may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad



A COMMON WORD BETWEEN US AND YOU

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful,

Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and fair exhortation, and contend with them in the fairest way. Lo! thy Lord is Best Aware of him who strayeth from His way, and He is Best Aware of those who go aright.

(The Holy Qur’an, Al-Nahl, 16:125)



(I) LOVE OF GOD



LOVE OF GOD IN ISLAM

The Testimonies of Faith

The central creed of Islam consists of the two testimonies of faith or Shahadahsi, which state that: There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God. These Two Testimonies are the sine qua non of Islam. He or she who testifies to them is a Muslim; he or she who denies them is not a Muslim. Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad r said: The best remembrance is: ‘There is no god but God’….ii


The Best that All the Prophets have Said

Expanding on the best remembrance, the Prophet Muhammad r also said: The best that I have said—myself, and the prophets that came before me—is: ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’iii. The phrases which follow the First Testimony of faith are all from the Holy Qur’an; each describe a mode of love of God, and devotion to Him.

The words: He Alone, remind Muslims that their heartsiv must be devoted to God Alone, since God says in the Holy Qur’an: God hath not assigned unto any man two hearts within his body (Al-Ahzab, 33:4). God is Absolute and therefore devotion to Him must be totally sincere.

The words: He hath no associate, remind Muslims that they must love God uniquely, without rivals within their souls, since God says in the Holy Qur’an: Yet there are men who take rivals unto God: they love them as they should love God. But those of faith are more intense in their love for God …. (Al-Baqarah, 2:165). Indeed, [T]heir flesh and their hearts soften unto the remembrance of God …. (Al-Zumar, 39:23).

The words: His is the sovereignty, remind Muslims that their minds or their understandings must be totally devoted to God, for the sovereignty is precisely everything in creation or existence and everything that the mind can know. And all is in God’s Hand, since God says in the Holy Qur’an: Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the sovereignty, and, He is Able to do all things (Al-Mulk, 67:1).

The words: His is the praise remind Muslims that they must be grateful to God and trust Him with all their sentiments and emotions. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

And if thou wert to ask them: Who created the heavens and the earth, and constrained the sun and the moon (to their appointed work)? they would say: God. How then are they turned away ? / God maketh the provision wide for whom He will of His servants, and straiteneth it for whom (He will). Lo! God is Aware of all things. / And if thou wert to ask them: Who causeth water to come down from the sky, and therewith reviveth the earth after its death ? they verily would say: God. Say: Praise be to God! But most of them have no sense. (Al-‘Ankabut, 29:61-63)v

For all these bounties and more, human beings must always be truly grateful:

God is He Who created the heavens and the earth, and causeth water to descend from the sky, thereby producing fruits as food for you, and maketh the ships to be of service unto you, that they may run upon the sea at His command, and hath made of service unto you the rivers; / And maketh the sun and the moon, constant in their courses, to be of service unto you, and hath made of service unto you the night and the day./ And He giveth you of all ye ask of Him, and if ye would count the graces of God ye cannot reckon them. Lo! man is verily a wrong-doer, an ingrate. (Ibrahim, 14:32-34)vi

Indeed, the Fatihah—which is the greatest chapter in the Holy Qur’anvii—starts with praise to God:

In the Name of God, the Infinitely Good, the All-Merciful. /

Praise be to God, the Lord of the worlds. /

The Infinitely Good, the All-Merciful. /

Owner of the Day of Judgement. /

Thee we worship, and Thee we ask for help. /

Guide us upon the straight path. /

The path of those on whom is Thy Grace, not those who deserve anger nor those who are astray. (Al-Fatihah, 1:1-7)

The Fatihah, recited at least seventeen times daily by Muslims in the canonical prayers, reminds us of the praise and gratitude due to God for His Attributes of Infinite Goodness and All-Mercifulness, not merely for His Goodness and Mercy to us in this life but ultimately, on the Day of Judgementviii when it matters the most and when we hope to be forgiven for our sins. It thus ends with prayers for grace and guidance, so that we might attain—through what begins with praise and gratitude— salvation and love, for God says in the Holy Qur’an: Lo! those who believe and do good works, the Infinitely Good will appoint for them love. (Maryam, 19:96)

The words: and He hath power over all things, remind Muslims that they must be mindful of God’s Omnipotence and thus fear Godix. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

… [A]nd fear God, and know that God is with the God-fearing. / Spend your wealth for the cause of God, and be not cast by your own hands to ruin; and do good. Lo! God loveth the virtuous. / …. (Al-Baqarah, 2:194-5)…

[A]nd fear God, and know that God is severe in punishment. (Al-Baqarah, 2:196)

Through fear of God, the actions, might and strength of Muslims should be totally devoted to God. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

…[A]nd know that God is with those who fear Him. (Al-Tawbah, 9:36) ….

O ye who believe! What aileth you that when it is said unto you: Go forth in the way of God, ye are bowed down to the ground with heaviness. Take ye pleasure in the life of the world rather than in the Hereafter ? The comfort of the life of the world is but little in the Hereafter. / If ye go not forth He will afflict you with a painful doom, and will choose instead of you a folk other than you. Ye cannot harm Him at all. God is Able to do all things. (Al-Tawbah, 9:38-39)

c

The words: His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things, when taken all together, remind Muslims that just as everything in creation glorifies God, everything that is in their souls must be devoted to God:

All that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth glorifieth God; His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things. (Al-Taghabun, 64:1)

For indeed, all that is in people’s souls is known, and accountable, to God:

He knoweth all that is in the heavens and the earth, and He knoweth what ye conceal and what ye publish. And God is Aware of what is in the breasts (of men). (Al-Taghabun, 64:4)

As we can see from all the passages quoted above, souls are depicted in the Holy Qur’an as having three main faculties: the mind or the intelligence, which is made for comprehending the truth; the will which is made for freedom of choice, and sentiment which is made for loving the good and the beautifulx. Put in another way, we could say that man’s soul knows through understanding the truth, through willing the good, and through virtuous emotions and feeling love for God. Continuing in the same chapter of the Holy Qur’an (as that quoted above), God orders people to fear Him as much as possible, and to listen (and thus to understand the truth); to obey (and thus to will the good), and to spend (and thus to exercise love and virtue), which, He says, is better for our souls. By engaging everything in our souls—the faculties of knowledge, will, and love—we may come to be purified and attain ultimate success:

So fear God as best ye can, and listen, and obey, and spend; that is better for your souls. And those who are saved from the pettiness of their own souls, such are the successful. (Al-Taghabun, 64:16)

c

In summary then, when the entire phrase He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things is added to the testimony of faith—There is no god but God—it reminds Muslims that their hearts, their individual souls and all the faculties and powers of their souls (or simply their entire hearts and souls) must be totally devoted and attached to God. Thus God says to the Prophet Muhammad r in the Holy Qur’an:

Say: Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for God, Lord of the Worlds. / He hath no partner. This am I commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him). / Say: Shall I seek another than God for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another’s load…. (Al-An’am, 6:162-164)

These verses epitomize the Prophet Muhammad’s r complete and utter devotion to God. Thus in the Holy Qur’an God enjoins Muslims who truly love God to follow this examplexi, in order in turn to be lovedxii by God:

Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love God, follow me; God will love you and forgive you your sins. God is Forgiving, Merciful. (Aal ‘Imran, 3:31)

Love of God in Islam is thus part of complete and total devotion to God; it is not a mere fleeting, partial emotion. As seen above, God commands in the Holy Qur’an: Say: Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for God, Lord of the Worlds. / He hath no partner. The call to be totally devoted and attached to God heart and soul, far from being a call for a mere emotion or for a mood, is in fact an injunction requiring all-embracing, constant and active love of God. It demands a love in which the innermost spiritual heart and the whole of the soul—with its intelligence, will and feeling—participate through devotion.

c

None Comes with Anything Better

We have seen how the blessed phrase: There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things—which is the best that all the prophets have said—makes explicit what is implicit in the best remembrance (There is no god but God) by showing what it requires and entails, by way of devotion. It remains to be said that this blessed formula is also in itself a sacred invocation—a kind of extension of the First Testimony of faith (There is no god but God)—the ritual repetition of which can bring about, through God’s grace, some of the devotional attitudes it demands, namely, loving and being devoted to God with all one’s heart, all one’s soul, all one’s mind, all one’s will or strength, and all one’s sentiment. Hence the Prophet Muhammad r commended this remembrance by saying:

He who says: ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’ one hundred times in a day, it is for them equal to setting ten slaves free, and one hundred good deeds are written for them and one hundred bad deeds are effaced, and it is for them a protection from the devil for that day until the evening. And none offers anything better than that, save one who does more than that.xiii

In other words, the blessed remembrance, There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things, not only requires and implies that Muslims must be totally devoted to God and love Him with their whole hearts and their whole souls and all that is in them, but provides a way, like its beginning (the testimony of faith)—through its frequent repetitionxiv—for them to realize this love with everything they are.
God says in one of the very first revelations in the Holy Qur’an: So invoke the Name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him with a complete devotion (Al-Muzzammil, 73:8). ^



LOVE OF GOD AS THE FIRST AND GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN THE BIBLE

The Shema in the Book of Deuteronomy (6:4-5), a centrepiece of the Old Testament and of Jewish liturgy, says: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! / You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.xv

Likewise, in the New Testament, when Jesus Christ, the Messiah u, is asked about the Greatest Commandment, he answers u:

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. / Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, / “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” / Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ / This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ / On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40)

And also:

Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” / Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. / And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. / And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

The commandment to love God fully is thus the First and Greatest Commandment of the Bible. Indeed, it is to be found in a number of other places throughout the Bible including: Deuteronomy 4:29, 10:12, 11:13 (also part of the Shema), 13:3, 26:16, 30:2, 30:6, 30:10; Joshua 22:5; Mark 12:32-33 and Luke 10:27-28.

However, in various places throughout the Bible, it occurs in slightly different forms and versions. For instance, in Matthew 22:37 (You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind), the Greek word for “heart” is kardia, the word for “soul” is psyche, and the word for “mind” is dianoia. In the version from Mark 12:30 (And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength) the word “strength” is added to the aforementioned three, translating the Greek word ischus.
The words of the lawyer in Luke 10:27 (which are confirmed by Jesus Christ u in Luke 10:28) contain the same four terms as Mark 12:30. The words of the scribe in Mark 12:32 (which are approved of by Jesus Christ u in Mark 12:34) contain the three terms kardia (“heart”), dianoia (“mind”), and ischus (“strength”).
In the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! / You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength). In Hebrew the word for “heart” is lev, the word for “soul” is nefesh, and the word for “strength” is me’od.
In Joshua 22:5, the Israelites are commanded by Joshua u to love God and be devoted to Him as follows:

“But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Joshua 22:5)

What all these versions thus have in common—despite the language differences between the Hebrew Old Testament, the original words of Jesus Christ u in Aramaic, and the actual transmitted Greek of the New Testament—is the command to love God fully with one’s heart and soul and to be fully devoted to Him. This is the First and Greatest Commandment for human beings. ¯

In the light of what we have seen to be necessarily implied and evoked by the Prophet Muhammad’s r blessed saying: ‘The best that I have said—myself, and the prophets that came before me—is: ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’ xvi, we can now perhaps understand the words ‘The best that I have said—myself, and the prophets that came before me’ as equating the blessed formula ‘There is no god but God, He Alone, He hath no associate, His is the sovereignty and His is the praise and He hath power over all things’ precisely with the ‘First and Greatest Commandment’ to love God, with all one’s heart and soul, as found in various places in the Bible. That is to say, in other words, that the Prophet Muhammad r was perhaps, through inspiration, restating and alluding to the Bible’s First Commandment. God knows best, but certainly we have seen their effective similarity in meaning. Moreover, we also do know (as can be seen in the endnotes), that both formulas have another remarkable parallel: the way they arise in a number of slightly differing versions and forms in different contexts, all of which, nevertheless, emphasize the primacy of total love and devotion to God xvii.



(II) LOVE OF THE NEIGHBOUR

LOVE OF THE NEIGHBOUR IN ISLAM

There are numerous injunctions in Islam about the necessity and paramount importance of love for—and mercy towards—the neighbour. Love of the neighbour is an essential and integral part of faith in God and love of God because in Islam without love of the neighbour there is no true faith in God and no righteousness. The Prophet Muhammad r said: “None of you has faith until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.”xviiiAnd: “None of you has faith until you love for your neighbour what you love for yourself.”xix

However, empathy and sympathy for the neighbour—and even formal prayers— are not enough. They must be accompanied by generosity and self-sacrifice. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

It is not righteousness that ye turn your facesxx to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in God and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the prophets; and giveth wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the pious. (Al-Baqarah 2:177)

And also:

Ye will not attain unto righteousness until ye expend of that which ye love. And whatsoever ye expend, God is Aware thereof. (Aal ‘Imran, 3:92)

Without giving the neighbour what we ourselves love, we do not truly love God or the neighbour. ^



LOVE OF THE NEIGHBOUR IN THE BIBLE

We have already cited the words of the Messiah, Jesus Christ u, about the paramount importance, second only to the love of God, of the love of the neighbour:

This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ / On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:38-40)



And:



And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)

It remains only to be noted that this commandment is also to be found in the Old Testament:

You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbour, and not bear sin because of him. / You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:17-18)

Thus the Second Commandment, like the First Commandment, demands generosity and self-sacrifice, and On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. ¯



(III) COME TO A COMMON WORD BETWEEN US AND YOU

A Common Word

Whilst Islam and Christianity are obviously different religions—and whilst there is no minimising some of their formal differences—it is clear that the Two Greatest Commandments are an area of common ground and a link between the Qur’an, the Torah and the New Testament. What prefaces the Two Commandments in the Torah and the New Testament, and what they arise out of, is the Unity of God—that there is only one God. For the Shema in the Torah, starts: (Deuteronomy 6:4) Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Likewise, Jesus u said: (Mark 12:29) “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one”. Likewise, God says in the Holy Qur’an: Say: He, God, is One. / God, the Self-Sufficient Besought of all. (Al-Ikhlas, 112:1-2). Thus the Unity of God, love of Him, and love of the neighbour form a common ground upon which Islam and Christianity (and Judaism) are founded.
This could not be otherwise since Jesus u said: (Matthew 22:40)“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Moreover, God confirms in the Holy Qur’an that the Prophet Muhammad r brought nothing fundamentally or essentially new: Naught is said to thee (Muhammad) but what already was said to the messengers before thee (Fussilat 41:43). And: Say (Muhammad): I am no new thing among the messengers (of God), nor know I what will be done with me or with you. I do but follow that which is Revealed to me, and I am but a plain warner (Al-Ahqaf, 46:9). Thus also God in the Holy Qur’an confirms that the same eternal truths of the Unity of God, of the necessity for total love and devotion to God (and thus shunning false gods), and of the necessity for love of fellow human beings (and thus justice), underlie all true religion:

And verily We have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Worship God and shun false gods. Then some of them (there were) whom God guided, and some of them (there were) upon whom error had just hold. Do but travel in the land and see the nature of the consequence for the deniers! (Al-Nahl, 16:36)

We verily sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and revealed with them the Scripture and the Balance, that mankind may stand forth in justice…. (Al-Hadid, 57:25)




Come to a Common Word!

In the Holy Qur’an, God Most High tells Muslims to issue the following call to Christians (and Jews—the People of the Scripture):

Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to a common word between us and you: that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him). (Aal ‘Imran 3:64)

Clearly, the blessed words: we shall ascribe no partner unto Him relate to the Unity of God. Clearly also, worshipping none but God, relates to being totally devoted to God and hence to the First and Greatest Commandment. According to one of the oldest and most authoritative commentaries (tafsir) on the Holy Qur’an—the Jami’ Al-Bayan fi Ta’wil Al-Qur’an of Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Jarir Al-Tabari (d. 310 A.H. / 923 C.E.)—that none of us shall take others for lords beside God, means ‘that none of us should obey in disobedience to what God has commanded, nor glorify them by prostrating to them in the same way as they prostrate to God’. In other words, that Muslims, Christians and Jews should be free to each follow what God commanded them, and not have ‘to prostrate before kings and the like’xxi; for God says elsewhere in the Holy Qur’an: Let there be no compulsion in religion…. (Al-Baqarah, 2:256). This clearly relates to the Second Commandment and to love of the neighbour of which justicexxii and freedom of religion are a crucial part. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

God forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo! God loveth the just dealers. (Al-Mumtahinah, 60:8)

We thus as Muslims invite Christians to remember Jesus’s u words in the Gospel (Mark 12:29-31):

… the LORD our God, the LORD is one. / And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. / And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

As Muslims, we say to Christians that we are not against them and that Islam is not against them—so long as they do not wage war against Muslims on account of their religion, oppress them and drive them out of their homes, (in accordance with the verse of the Holy Qur’an [Al-Mumtahinah, 60:8] quoted above). Moreover, God says in the Holy Qur’an:

They are not all alike. Of the People of the Scripture there is a staunch community who recite the revelations of God in the night season, falling prostrate (before Him). / They believe in God and the Last Day, and enjoin right conduct and forbid indecency, and vie one with another in good works. These are of the righteous. / And whatever good they do, nothing will be rejected of them. God is Aware of those who ward off (evil). (Aal-‘Imran, 3:113-115)

Is Christianity necessarily against Muslims? In the Gospel Jesus Christ u says:

He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. (Matthew 12:30)

For he who is not against us is on our side. (Mark 9:40)

… for he who is not against us is on our side. (Luke 9:50)

According to the Blessed Theophylact’sxxiii Explanation of the New Testament, these statements are not contradictions because the first statement (in the actual Greek text of the New Testament) refers to demons, whereas the second and third statements refer to people who recognised Jesus, but were not Christians. Muslims recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah, not in the same way Christians do (but Christians themselves anyway have never all agreed with each other on Jesus Christ’s u nature), but in the following way: …. the Messiah Jesus son of Mary is a Messenger of God and His Word which he cast unto Mary and a Spirit from Him.... (Al-Nisa’, 4:171). We therefore invite Christians to consider Muslims not against and thus with them, in accordance with Jesus Christ’s u words here.

Finally, as Muslims, and in obedience to the Holy Qur’an, we ask Christians to come together with us on the common essentials of our two religions … that we shall worship none but God, and that we shall ascribe no partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords beside God … (Aal ‘Imran, 3:64).
Let this common ground be the basis of all future interfaith dialogue between us, for our common ground is that on which hangs all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:40). God says in the Holy Qur’an:

Say (O Muslims): We believe in God and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered. / And if they believe in the like of that which ye believe, then are they rightly guided. But if they turn away, then are they in schism, and God will suffice thee against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower. (Al-Baqarah, 2:136-137)



Between Us and You

Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders. Christianity and Islam are the largest and second largest religions in the world and in history. Christians and Muslims reportedly make up over a third and over a fifth of humanity respectively. Together they make up more than 55% of the world’s population, making the relationship between these two religious communities the most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the world. If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants. Thus our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake.
And to those who nevertheless relish conflict and destruction for their own sake or reckon that ultimately they stand to gain through them, we say that our very eternal souls are all also at stake if we fail to sincerely make every effort to make peace and come together in harmony. God says in the Holy Qur’an: Lo! God enjoineth justice and kindness, and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed (Al Nahl, 16:90). Jesus Christ u said: Blessed are the peacemakers ….(Matthew 5:9), and also: For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? (Matthew 16:26).

So let our differences not cause hatred and strife between us. Let us vie with each other only in righteousness and good works. Let us respect each other, be fair, just and kind to another and live in sincere peace, harmony and mutual goodwill. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which God hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a law and a way. Had God willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto God ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ. (Al-Ma’idah, 5:48)



Wal-Salaamu ‘Alaykum,
Pax Vobiscum.



© 2007 C.E., 1428 A.H.,
The Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan.
See: www.acommonword.org or: www.acommonword.com

Shaykh Hamza Yusuf in Conversation...

Hamza Yusuf, an American, converted to Islam at age 17. Currently a high profile Muslim scholar in the US. Co-signatory to the now famous letter " A Common Word between us and you ", addressed to the Pope and people of the Christian faith.

This interview by BBC in HARDTALK was in 2001 but I find the subject discussed still has it's relevance since unfortunately lessons had obviously being ignored and not yet being learned by the West.











The lesson that has not been learned as pointed out by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was that The West had, and still is perceived, as having wantonly disregarded the long, collective Muslims's pain, deep hurt and suffering over the collective Western injustice and self imposed paralysis in Bosnia, Somalia, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq, Chechnya,and Afghanistan.Until they realize and do so this world would remained as polarized as ever. The Crusade goes on....

Shaykh Hamza had in 2001 vocalised correctly the collective 'Muslim psyche' but obviously this had fallen on deaf ears. Not surprisingly, as most of us in the Muslim world did not think highly of Bush and his poodle Blair. But Obama is too paralysed and weak to change the status quo.

Taking on 1.5 billion Muslims is certainly not a positive option, Mr President!
America cannot win a war with Islam. I repeat again, Sir, that America cannot possibly win a war with Islam! History has proved that.

Despite the superficial and glaringly skewed world media blitz that you guys are doing us a favour....who are you guys kidding? Who are you kidding

Yet the script for 2011 can be read off-hand by all and sundry:

There will be no semblance of peace in Somalia. If any that look promising crops up, Ethiopia will be there with CIA covert funding to spoil it.

Iran looked most likely to be bombed, if not invaded.My God, that would be 'mother of all mistakes'. A prelude to permanent mayhem.

Sudan will be definitely be divided for OIL.How would you guys like if say Saudi for that matter support and finance a covert 'Black' revolution in your country for decades and then get UN to declare and organise a partition in 2015?

These are the perceptions on the ground....Realities may be different.But how can the rest of the world have a 'greener' perception of America when we all know it is fuelled and remote-controlled by the Great Military Industrial Complex.


Dr Nik Howk




"Already have We urged unto hell many of the jinn and humankind, having hearts wherewith they understand not, and having eyes wherewith they see not, and having ears wherewith they hear not. These are as the cattle - nay, but they are worse! These are the neglectful."
Surah Al Araf , 7 : 179

Does God Not Exist ?....A Debate.

Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindleth fire, and when it sheddeth its light around him Allah taketh away their light and leaveth them in darkness, where they cannot see, Deaf, dumb and blind; and they return not.
Surah Al Baqarah, 'The heifer', 2 : 17-18


I shall turn away from My revelations those who magnify themselves wrongfully in the earth, and if they see each token believe it not, and if they see the way of righteousness choose it nor for (their) way, and if they see the way of error choose if for (their) way. That is because they deny Our revelations and are used to disregard them.
Surah Al Araf, 'The high ground', 7 : 146



The Originator of the heavens and the earth! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. And those who have no knowledge say: Why doth not Allah speak unto us, or some sign come unto us? Even thus, as they now speak, spake those (who were) before them. Their hearts are all alike. We have made clear the revelations for people who are sure.
Surah Al Baqarah, 'The heifer', 2 : 117-118



Have not those who disbelieve known that the heavens and the earth were of one piece, then We parted them, and we made every living thing of water? Will they not then believe?
Surah Al Anbiya, 'The Prophets', 21 : 30



Is he who goeth groping on his face more rightly guided, or he who walketh upright on a straight road?
Surah Al Mulk, 'The Dominion', 67 : 22


What I cannot see, feel nor measure, does not exist...
The 'consumate' 21th century 'materialist-secularist'

Conversation on Islam : Shaykh Muhammad S. Adly.....Going back to the Blueprint

INNOVATIONS IN RELIGION [ Bidaah ]....



Shaykh Muhammad S. Adly

Born in Egypt 1949.
Holds two Ijazah Degrees from Egypt & Saudi Arabia.
Taught in the Holy Mosque in Macca, SA
Migrated to the United States in 1975.
Held the position of Imam at the following Places:
Islamic Mission Of America , Brooklyn , NY. 1975
Masjid Al-Muslimiin , Brooklyn, NY. 1976 - 1977
Principal for Madrastul Ikhuah , Brooklyn, NY. 1978
Dar Al-Arqum , Brooklyn , NY. 1979
Representative of Muslim World League NY. 1977 - 1980
Chaplain & Consultant at SCDC Columbia, SC 1982
Director of the Islamic Center Of Columbia. (1981 - Present)
Guide For Hajj group 1995 - Present

Author of Twenty (20) Books On Islaam
Member of AMJA (American Muslim Jurists Association)
Executive Member of NAIF (North American Imam's Federation
Manager of AdlyOnline.com






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

...Adam

Al-Araf
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Alif. Lam. Mim. Sad. (1) (It is) a Scripture that is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) - so let there be no heaviness in thy heart therefrom - that thou mayst warn thereby, and (it is) a Reminder unto believers. (2) (Saying): Follow that which is sent down unto you from your Lord, and follow no protecting friends beside Him. Little do ye recollect! (3) How many a township have We destroyed! As a raid by night, or while they slept at noon, Our terror came unto them. (4) No plea had they, when Our terror came unto them, save that they said: Lo! We were wrong-doers. (5) Then verily We shall question those unto whom (Our message) hath been sent, and verily We shall question the messengers. (6) Then verily We shall narrate unto them (the event) with knowledge, for verily We were not absent (when it came to pass). (7) The weighing on that day is the true (weighing). As for those whose scale is heavy, they are the successful. (8) And as for those whose scale is light: those are they who lose their souls because they disbelived Our revelations. (9) And We have given you (mankind) power in the earth, and appointed for you therein livelihood. Little give ye thanks! (10) And We created you, then fashioned you, then told the angels: Fall ye prostrate before Adam! And they fell prostrate, all save Iblis, who was not of those who make prostration. (11) He said: What hindered thee that thou didst not fall prostrate when I bade thee? (Iblis) said: I am better than him. Thou createdst me of fire while him Thou didst create of mud. (12) He said: Then go down hence! It is not for thee to show pride here, so go forth! Lo! thou art of those degraded. (13) He said: Reprieve me till the day when they are raised (from the dead). (14) He said: Lo! thou art of those reprieved. (15) He said: Now, because Thou hast sent me astray, verily I shall lurk in ambush for them on Thy Right Path. (16) Then I shall come upon them from before them and from behind them and from their right hands and from their left hands, and Thou wilt not find most of them beholden (unto Thee). (17) He said: Go forth from hence, degraded, banished. As for such of them as follow thee, surely I will fill hell with all of you. (18) And (unto man): O Adam! Dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden and eat from whence ye will, but come not nigh this tree lest ye become wrong-doers. (19) Then Satan whispered to them that he might manifest unto them that which was hidden from them of their shame, and he said: Your Lord forbade you from this tree only lest ye should become angels or become of the immortals. (20) And he swore unto them (saying): Lo! I am a sincere adviser unto you. (21) Thus did he lead them on with guile. And when they tasted of the tree their shame was manifest to them and they began to hide (by heaping) on themselves some of the leaves of the Garden. And their Lord called them, (saying): Did I not forbid you from that tree and tell you: Lo! Satan is an open enemy to you? (22) They said: Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, surely we are of the lost! (23) He said: Go down (from hence), one of you a foe unto the other. There will be for you on earth a habitation and provision for a while. (24) He said: There shall ye live, and there shall ye die, and thence shall ye be brought forth. (25) O Children of Adam! We have revealed unto you raiment to conceal your shame, and splendid vesture, but the raiment of restraint from evil, that is best. This is of the revelations of Allah, that they may remember. (26)

O Children of Adam! Let not Satan seduce you as he caused your (first) parents to go forth from the Garden and tore off from them their robe (of innocence) that he might manifest their shame to them. Lo! he seeth you, he and his tribe, from whence ye see him not. Lo! We have made the devils protecting friends for those who believe not. (27)


Surah Al A'raf ,' The High Ground', 7 : 1-27
The Noble Qur'an
Translated by Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthal

http://www.quranexplorer.com/

..The Message...

'Oh mankind, indeed your god is only one, that is Allah, and all of you come from one
family. The best amongst you are those who have piety'

Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]

Why I came to Islam .....Joshua Evans

Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. (27) O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. (28) Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? (29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. (34) It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (35) And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path. (36)

Surah Maryam, 19 : 27-36

Why I came to Islam......Dr Jerald Dirks

Part 1




Part 2






............... .............

A Christian rebuttal:






"O People of the Scripture ! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah , Jesus son of Mary , was only a messenger of Allah , and His word which He conveyed unto Mary and a spirit from Him .So believe in Allah and His messengers , and say not " Three--Cease !{it is } better for you !--Allah is only one God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son..His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth . And Allah is sufficient as Defender ."
Surah An Nisa, 4 : 171
The Noble Quran
Translated by Pickthal
http;//www.quranexplorer.com/


Maryam
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Kaf. Ha. Ya. A'in. Sad. (1) A mention of the mercy of thy Lord unto His servant Zachariah. (2) When he cried unto his Lord a cry in secret, (3) Saying: My Lord! Lo! the bones of me wax feeble and my head is shining with grey hair, and I have never been unblest in prayer to Thee, my Lord. (4) Lo! I fear my kinsfolk after me, since my wife is barren. Oh, give me from Thy presence a successor (5) Who shall inherit of me and inherit (also) of the house of Jacob. And make him, my Lord, acceptable (unto Thee). (6) (It was said unto him): O Zachariah! Lo! We bring thee tidings of a son whose name is John; we have given the same name to none before (him). (7) He said: My Lord! How can I have a son when my wife is barren and I have reached infirm old age? (8) He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me, even as I created thee before, when thou wast naught. (9) He said: My Lord! Appoint for me some token. He said: Thy token is that thou, with no bodily defect, shalt not speak unto mankind three nights. (10) Then he came forth unto his people from the sanctuary, and signified to them: Glorify your Lord at break of day and fall of night. (11) (And it was said unto his son): O John! Hold fast the Scripture. And we gave him wisdom when a child, (12) And compassion from Our presence, and purity; and he was devout, (13) And dutiful toward his parents. And he was not arrogant, rebellious. (14) Peace on him the day he was born, and the day he dieth and the day he shall be raised alive! (15) And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she had withdrawn from her people to a chamber looking East, (16) And had chosen seclusion from them. Then We sent unto her Our Spirit and it assumed for her the likeness of a perfect man. (17) She said: Lo! I seek refuge in the Beneficent One from thee, if thou art God-fearing. (18) He said: I am only a messenger of thy Lord, that I may bestow on thee a faultless son. (19) She said: How can I have a son when no mortal hath touched me, neither have I been unchaste? (20) He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord saith: It is easy for Me. And (it will be) that We may make of him a Revelation for mankind and a mercy from Us, and it is a thing ordained. (21) And she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place. (22) And the pangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm-tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died ere this and had become a thing of naught, forgotten! (23) Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not! Thy Lord hath placed a rivulet beneath thee, (24) And shake the trunk of the palm-tree toward thee, thou wilt cause ripe dates to fall upon thee. (25) So eat and drink and be consoled. And if thou meetest any mortal, say: Lo! I have vowed a fast unto the Beneficent, and may not speak this day to any mortal. (26) Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. (27) O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. (28) Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? (29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. (34) It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (35) And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path. (36) The sects among them differ: but woe unto the disbelievers from the meeting of an awful Day. (37) How well they hear and see and hear them on the Day they come unto Us! yet the evil-doers are to-day in error manifest. (38)
Surah Maryam, 19 : 1-38
The Noble Qur'an


Al-Ikhlas
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Say: He is Allah, the One! (1) Allah, the eternally Besought of all! (2) He begetteth not nor was begotten. (3) And there is none comparable unto Him. (4)
Surah Al Ikhlas, 112 : 1-4
The Noble Qur'an



Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.
Surah Al Baqarah, 2 : 255

Why I came to Islam.....Shaykh Hussain Yee

Say: Lo! As for me, my Lord hath guided me unto a straight path, a right religion, the community of Abraham, the upright, who was no idolater. (161) Say: Lo! my worship and my sacrifice and my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the Worlds. (162) He hath no partner. This am I commanded, and I am first of those who surrender (unto Him). (163) Say: Shall I seek another than Allah for Lord, when He is Lord of all things? Each soul earneth only on its own account, nor doth any laden bear another's load. Then unto your Lord is your return and He will tell you that wherein ye differed. (164) He it is Who hath placed you as viceroys of the earth and hath exalted some of you in rank above others, that He may try you by (the test of) that which He hath given you. Lo! Thy Lord is swift in prosecution, and Lo! He verily is Forgiving, Merciful. (165)
Surah Al Anaam , 'The Cattle' , 6 ; 161-165
The Noble Qur'an
Translated by Pickthal

http://www.quranexplorer.com/

...A divine challenge..

Say: Verily, though mankind and the jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another.
Al Isra' , 17:88

...A prayer...

And when I sicken, then He healeth me, And Who causeth me to die, then giveth me life (again), And Who, I ardently hope, will forgive me my sin on the Day of Judgment. My Lord! Vouchsafe me wisdom and unite me to the righteous. And give unto me a good report in later generations. And place me among the inheritors of the Garden of Delight, And forgive my father. Lo! he is of those who err. And abase me not on the day when they are raised, The day when wealth and sons avail not (any man) Save him who bringeth unto Allah a whole heart. .......

Al Shuara , 26 : 80-89

Had we sent down unto thee (Muhammad) (actual) writing upon parchment, so that they could feel it with their hands, those who disbelieve would have said: This is naught else than mere magic. They say: Why hath not an angel been sent down unto him? If We sent down an angel, then the matter would be judged; no further time would be allowed them for reflection

Surah Al Anaam, 'The Cattle', 6 : 7-8

History....

History and the 8 o'clock news are written by the victors...

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

.....Hajj..[ A Poem by Nasir Khusrow ]

The pilgrims returned with reverence. They were thankful to the Merciful God.
On their way to Mecca from Arafat, They repeatedly said "Labbaika" with great respect.

While tired of experiencing the hardships of the desert, they rejoiced that they are saved from the torture and the fire.

They have performed the Hajj and completed the Umra. Now, they safely return to their homelands.

I took time to go and welcome them back, Although men of my class did not normally do this. But among the crowd of this caravan, I had a dear and very sincere friend.

I asked him how he accomplished? This very difficult and fearful trip!

I informed him that since he had departed and left me alone All I could feel was regretfulness and sadness.

Now, I am happy that you performed the Hajj, And you are the only Hajj in our homeland.

Now, tell me, how was your performance? How did you respect that holy territory?

When you were about to remove your clothes and wear the Ihram What was your "intention" during those exciting moments?

Did you absolutely avoid all the things that must be avoided And whatever is inferior to Almighty Allah?

He replied NO!

I asked him: If he said "labbaika" With full knowledge and great respect? If he heard the command of Allah? Or, if he obeyed as Ibrahim did?

He replied NO!

I asked him: While he was in Arafat, While he stood so close to Almighty God, Did he have a chance to know Him? Was he not eager to learn a bit of the knowledge?

He replied NO!

I asked him: When he entered the Kaaba As the family of "Kahf and Raquim" had done, Did he deny his self-centeredness? Did he fear the punishment of the hereafter?

He replied NO!

I asked him: When he shot the idols, Did he think of them as evil? Did he then avoid wrong deeds?

He replied NO!

I asked him: When he offered the sacrifice, To feed a hungry person or an orphan, Did he first think of Allah? And, did he then kill his selfishness?

He replied NO!

I asked him: When he stood in Ibrahim's position, Did he rely absolutely on God? Sincerely and with strong faith?

He said NO!

I asked him: While he cirumambulated, When he made the Tawaf of Kaaba, Was he reminded of all the angels, Who constantly circumambulate this world?

He said No!

I asked him: During his Sa'y, While he was running between Safa and Marwa. Was he sanctified and purified?

He said NO!

I asked him: Now that he had returned from Mecca, And felt home-sick for the Kaaba Did he bury his "self" there? Was he impatient to go back?

He said NO!

"Of whatever you have asked me so far, I have understood nothing!!!"

I said: Oh friend, you have not performed the Hajj! And, you have not obeyed God!

You went to Mecca and visited the Kaaba! You spent your money to buy the hardships of the desert!

If you do decide to go to Hajj again, Try to perform it as I have instructed you!


''''''''''''''''''''''''''''


Nasir Khusraw was born in 1004 AD, in Qubadiyan (Kobadiyan in Balkh a province of Afghanistan), then Greater Khorasan. He was well versed in all the branches of natural science, in medicine, mathematics, astronomy and astrology, in Greek philosophy and the writings of al-Kindi, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina; and the interpretation of the Qur'an. He had studied Arabic, Turkish, Greek, the vernacular languages of India and Sindh, and perhaps even Hebrew; he had visited Multan and Lahore, and the splendid Ghaznavid court under Sultan Mahmud, Firdousi's patron. Later on he chose Merv for his residence, and was the owner of a house and garden there.

Until A.H. 437 (1046 AD), he worked as financial secretary and revenue collector for the Seljuk sultan Toghrul Beg, or rather of his brother Jaghir Beg, the emir of Khorasan, who had conquered Merv in 1037. About this time, inspired by a heavenly voice in a dream, he abjured all the luxuries of life, and resolved upon a pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina, hoping to find there the solution to his spiritual crisis.



During the seven years of his 19,000-kilometre journey (1046-1052), Nasir visited Mecca four times, and performed all the rites and observances of a zealous pilgrim; but he was far more attracted by Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and the residence of the Fatimid caliph-imam Ma'ad al-Mustansir Billah, the Imam of the Ismaili Shi'a Muslims, which was just then waging a deadly war against the Abbasid caliph.

....all we ask....

[Just small things, not much ..By Sam Hamod]
....For Our Brothers and Sisters In Palestine, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia

We want very little
a sip of fresh water,
a small piece of bread,
perhaps an olive again,
if the trees have not been smashed,
a door my key will fit,
so I can go home,
quiet,
so there are no more drones,
and when you come by,
in your heavily laden uniforms,
every now and then,
a smile,
and from Allah,
a bit of sunshine,
even some rain,
just small things,
not much,
a bit of fresh air,
without the smell of gunfire,
rockets or phosphorous,
just a sky clear of jets and rockets,
so that we may see
a sun that wanders off late in the afternoon
and a moon that whispers,
we shall sleep now,
praying,
tomorrow will be a better day-

Prophet Isa ibnu Maryam in The Quran [ aka Jesus Christ ]

They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He createth what He will. And Allah is Able to do all things. (17) The Jews and Christians say: We are sons of Allah and His loved ones. Say: Why then doth He chastise you for your sins? Nay, ye are but mortals of His creating. He forgiveth whom He will, and chastiseth whom He will. Allah's is the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, and unto Him is the journeying. (18]
Surah Al Maida , The Table Spread ,5 : 17-18


And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him in the Torah, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah - a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil). (46) Let the People of the Gospel judge by that which Allah hath revealed therein. Whoso judgeth not by that which Allah hath revealed: such are evil-livers. (47) And unto thee have We revealed the Scripture with the truth, confirming whatever Scripture was before it, and a watcher over it. So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires away from the truth which hath come unto thee. For each We have appointed a divine law and a traced-out way. Had Allah willed He could have made you one community. But that He may try you by that which He hath given you (He hath made you as ye are). So vie one with another in good works. Unto Allah ye will all return, and He will then inform you of that wherein ye differ. (48) So judge between them by that which Allah hath revealed, and follow not their desires, but beware of them lest they seduce thee from some part of that which Allah hath revealed unto thee. And if they turn away, then know that Allah's Will is to smite them for some sin of theirs. Lo! many of mankind are evil-livers. (49) Is it a judgment of the time of (pagan) ignorance that they are seeking? Who is better than Allah for judgment to a people who have certainty (in their belief)? (50) O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. (51)
Surah Al Maida , The Table Spread , 5 ; 46-51



The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And they both used to eat (earthly) food. See how We make the revelations clear for them, and see how they are turned away! (75) Say: Serve ye in place of Allah that which possesseth for you neither hurt nor use? Allah it is Who is the Hearer, the Knower. (76) Say: O People of the Scripture! Stress not in your religion other than the truth, and follow not the vain desires of folk who erred of old and led many astray, and erred from a plain road. (77) Those of the Children of Israel who went astray were cursed by the tongue of David, and of Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they rebelled and used to transgress. (78) They restrained not one another from the wickedness they did. Verily evil was that they used to do! (79)
Al Maida , The table Spread, 5 : 75-79


When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than evident magic; (110) And when I inspired the disciples, (saying): Believe in Me and in My messenger, they said: We believe. Bear witness that we have surrendered (unto Thee). (111) When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Is thy Lord able to send down for us a table spread with food from heaven? He said: Observe your duty to Allah, if ye are true believers. (112) (They said:) We wish to eat thereof, that we may satisfy our hearts and know that thou hast spoken truth to us, and that thereof we may be witnesses. (113) Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, Lord of us! Send down for us a table spread with food from heaven, that it may be a feast for us, for the first of us and for the last of us, and a sign from Thee. Give us sustenance, for Thou art the Best of Sustainers. (114) Allah said: Lo! I send it down for you. And whoso disbelieveth of you afterward, him surely will I punish with a punishment wherewith I have not punished any of (My) creatures. (115) And when Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? he saith: Be glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If I had ever said it, then Thou wouldst have known it. Thou knowest what is in my mind, and I know not what is in Thy Mind. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower of Things Hidden? (116) I spake unto them only that which Thou commandedst me, (saying): Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I was a witness of them while I dwelt among them, and when Thou tookest me Thou wast the Watcher over them. Thou art Witness over all things. (117) If Thou punish them, lo! they are Thy slaves, and if Thou forgive them (lo! they are Thy slaves). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, the Wise. (118) Allah saith: This is a day in which their truthfulness profiteth the truthful, for theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they are secure for ever, Allah taking pleasure in them and they in Him. That is the great triumph. (119) Unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is therein, and He is Able to do all things. (120)
Surah Al Maida , The Table Spread , 5 : 110-120



Then she brought him to her own folk, carrying him. They said: O Mary! Thou hast come with an amazing thing. (27) O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. (28) Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is in the cradle, a young boy? (29) He spake: Lo! I am the slave of Allah. He hath given me the Scripture and hath appointed me a Prophet, (30) And hath made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and hath enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, (31) And (hath made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. (32) Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! (33) Such was Jesus, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt. (34) It befitteth not (the Majesty of) Allah that He should take unto Himself a son. Glory be to Him! When He decreeth a thing, He saith unto it only: Be! and it is. (35) And lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So serve Him. That is the right path. (36)
Surah Maryam, 19 : 27-36


And say: Praise be to Allah, Who hath not taken unto Himself a son, and Who hath no partner in the Sovereignty, nor hath He any protecting friend through dependence. And magnify Him with all magnificence.
Surah Al Isra' , 17 : 111


On the day when We shall gather the righteous unto the Beneficent, a goodly company. (85) And drive the guilty unto Hell, a weary herd, (86) They will have no power of intercession, save him who hath made a covenant with his Lord. (87) And they say: The Beneficent hath taken unto Himself a son. (88) Assuredly ye utter a disastrous thing (89) Whereby almost the heavens are torn, and the earth is split asunder and the mountains fall in ruins, (90) That ye ascribe unto the Beneficent a son, (91) When it is not meet for (the Majesty of) the Beneficent that He should choose a son. (92) There is none in the heavens and the earth but cometh unto the Beneficent as a slave. (93)
Surah Maryam, 19 ; 86-93


Allah hath not chosen any son, nor is there any God along with Him; else would each God have assuredly championed that which he created, and some of them would assuredly have overcome others. Glorified be Allah above all that they allege. (91) Knower of the Invisible and the Visible! and Exalted be He over all that they ascribe as partners (unto Him)! (92)
Surah Al Mukminun , 23 : 91-92


In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Blessed is He Who hath revealed unto His slave the Criterion (of right and wrong), that he may be a warner to the people. (1) He unto Whom belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, He hath chosen no son nor hath He any partner in the Sovereignty. He hath created everything and hath meted out for it a measure. (2) Yet they choose beside Him other gods who create naught but are themselves created, and possess not hurt nor profit for themselves, and possess not death nor life, nor power to raise the dead. (3)
Surah Al Furqan , 25 : 1-3


And when We exacted a covenant from the prophets, and from thee (O Muhammad) and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Mary. We took from them a solemn covenant; (7)That He may ask the loyal of their loyalty. And He hath prepared a painful doom for the unfaithful. (8)
Surah Al Ahzab , 33 ; 7-8


He hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that which We inspire in thee (Muhammad), and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying: Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. Dreadful for the idolaters is that unto which thou callest them. Allah chooseth for Himself whom He will, and guideth unto Himself him who turneth (toward Him). (13)And they were not divided until after the knowledge came unto them, through rivalry among themselves; and had it not been for a Word that had already gone forth from thy Lord for an appointed term, it surely had been judged between them. And those who were made to inherit the Scripture after them are verily in hopeless doubt concerning it.
Surah Al Shura , 42 : 13-14


And when the son of Mary is quoted as an example, behold! the folk laugh out, (57) And say: Are our gods better, or is he? They raise not the objection save for argument. Nay! but they are a contentious folk. (58) He is nothing but a slave on whom We bestowed favour, and We made him a pattern for the Children of Israel. (59) And had We willed We could have set among you angels to be viceroys in the earth. (60) And lo! verily there is knowledge of the Hour. So doubt ye not concerning it, but follow Me. This is the right path. (61) And let not Satan turn you aside. Lo! he is an open enemy for you. (62)When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me. (63) Lo! Allah, He is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him. This is a right path. (64) But the factions among them differed. Then woe unto those who do wrong from the doom of a painful day. (65)
Surah Al Zukruf , 43 : 57-65



And (He will give you) another blessing which ye love: help from Allah and present victory. Give good tidings (O Muhammad) to believers. (13) O ye who believe! Be Allah's helpers, even as Jesus son of Mary said unto the disciples: Who are my helpers for Allah? They said: We are Allah's helpers. And a party of the Children of Israel believed, while a party disbelieved. Then We strengthened those who believed against their foe, and they became the uppermost. [14]
Surah As Saff , 61 : 12-13


Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms; (163) And messengers We have mentioned unto thee before and messengers We have not mentioned unto thee; and Allah spake directly unto Moses; (164) Messengers of good cheer and of warning, in order that mankind might have no argument against Allah after the messengers. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise. (165) But Allah (Himself) testifieth concerning that which He hath revealed unto thee; in His knowledge hath He revealed it; and the Angels also testify. And Allah is sufficient Witness. (166) Lo! those who disbelieve and hinder (others) from the way of Allah, they verily have wandered far astray. (167) Lo! those who disbelieve and deal in wrong, Allah will never forgive them, neither will He guide them unto a road, (168) Except the road of hell, wherein they will abide for ever. And that is ever easy for Allah. (169) O mankind! The messenger hath come unto you with the Truth from your Lord. Therefor believe; (it is) better for you. But if ye disbelieve, still, lo! unto Allah belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and the earth. Allah is ever Knower, Wise. (170) O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (it is) better for you! - Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is sufficient as Defender. (171) The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will the favoured angels. Whoso scorneth His service and is proud, all such will He assemble unto Him; (172) Then, as for those who believed and did good works, unto them will He pay their wages in full, adding unto them of His bounty; and as for those who were scornful and proud, them will He punish with a painful doom. And they will not find for them, against Allah, any protecting friend or helper. (173) O mankind! Now hath a proof from your Lord come unto you, and We have sent down unto you a clear light; (174) As for those who believe in Allah, and hold fast unto Him, them He will cause to enter into His mercy and grace, and will guide them unto Him by a straight road. (175]
Surah An Nisa , 4 : 163-175


And We verily sent Noah and Abraham and placed the prophethood and the scripture among their seed, and among them there is he who goeth right, but many of them are evil-livers. (26) Then We caused Our messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. But monasticism they invented - We ordained it not for them - only seeking Allah's pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance. So We give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are evil-livers. (27) O ye who believe! Be mindful of your duty to Allah and put faith in His messenger. He will give you twofold of His mercy and will appoint for you a light wherein ye shall walk, and will forgive you. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful; (28)
Surah Al Hadid , 57 : 26-28


And when Jesus son of Mary said: O Children of Israel! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah unto you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a messenger who cometh after me, whose name is the Praised One. Yet when he hath come unto them with clear proofs, they say: This is mere magic. (6)And who doeth greater wrong than he who inventeth a lie against Allah when he is summoned unto Al-Islam? And Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk. (7)
Surah As Saff , 61 : 6-7


That my friends was Prophet Isa ibnu Maryam, peace be upon him, a major prophet in Islam.
His message was peace and total submission to one god, Allah.
Without 'monasticism and definitely minus 'trinity'.

"Do not exaggerate in your religion nor utter aught concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (it is) better for you! - Allah is only One God. Far is it removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son."

Isa ibnu Maryam is just a messeger of Allah, a 'bridge' that 'bring good tidings of a messenger who cometh after him, whose name is the the Praised One',al Mustaffa, Muhammad ibnu Aminah [..and son of Abdullah ].


Love him, adore him. Respect him and follow him, but he 'was' certainly not God
"The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not "Three" - Cease! (it is) better for you! - Allah is only One God."!


Dr Nik Howk
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/