Fall 2006 1

Fall • 2 0 0 6$4.00

“In the latter days, the sun shal l r ise from the west” • Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him)

14 The Heart ofthe Matter:

Qur'anic Insights to aHealthy Heart.

26 CRCResponse:What is the

Punishment forApostacy in Islam.

136 The HolyQur'an on Family

Relationships

A guidance for mankind...A guidance for mankind...

2 MuslimSunrise

www.alislam.org

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a religious organization,international in its scope, with branches in over 178 countries inAfrica, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, and Europe.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was established in 1889 by HadhratMirza Ghulam Ahmadas (1835-1908) in Qadian, a small and remote village inthe Punjabi province of India. He claimed to be the expected reformer of thelatter days, the Awaited One of the world community of religions (The Mahdiand Messiah). The Movement he started is an embodiment of the benevolentmessage of Islam – peace, universal brotherhood, and submission to theWill of God – in its pristine purity. Hadhrat Ahmadas proclaimed Islam as thereligion of man: “The religion of the people of the right path” (98:6).TheAhmadiyya Muslim Community was created under divine guidance withthe objective to rejuvenate Islamic moral and spiritual values. It encouragesinterfaith dialogue, diligently defends Islam and tries to correctmisunderstandings about Islam in the West. It advocates peace, tolerance,love and understanding among followers of different faiths. It firmly believesin and acts upon the Qur’anic teaching: “There is no compulsion in religion”(2:257). It strongly rejects violence and terrorism in any form and for anyreason.

After the passing of its founder, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community hasbeen headed by his elected successors. The present Head of the Community,Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, was elected in 2003. His official title isKhalifatul Masih V or Fifth Successor of the Promised Messiah..

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

EditorFalahud Din Shams

Editorial BoardImam Mubasher AhmadHasan HakeemDr. Shanaz ButtAmjad Mahmood Khan, Esq.Naveed Malik

StaffHasan Hakeem, Design/LayoutFateh Shams, Circulation

Editor's Notes:The Muslim Sunrise is published by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community,USA, 15000 Good Hope Road, Silver Spring, MD 20905, Phone301.879.0110, Fax 301.879.0115, under the auspices of Dr. AhsanullahZafar, Ameer and National President. The views and opinions expressedby individual contributers in this publication do not necessarily reflectthe views of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, USA.

The Muslim Sunrise welcomes letters to the editor, questions and submissions.Email: MuslimSunrise@Ahmadiyya.us.

Library of Congress Call Number BP195.A5 M8

Mailing Address: The Muslim Sunrise, 2 S 510 Route 53, Glen Ellyn,IL 60137, Phone: (630) 790-4100, ext. 206, Fax: (630) 793-4100.

Muslims follow the name of God’s prophets with the prayer Alaehis salaamor ‘may peace be upon him,’ and for the Holy Prophet MuhammadSallallaho alaehi wasallam or ‘may peace and blessings of God be uponhim.’ Companions of prophets and righteous personalities who havepassed away are saluted by Radhi-Allaho anho or ‘may Allah be pleasedwith him.” While such salutations have been abbreviated in the text forreadability (as, sa & ra respectively), we encourage all Muslims to offerthese prayers as if set out in full.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908)

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Fall 2 0 0 6 - V o l u m e 8 6 I s s u e 3

In This Issue

Features

7 Holy Qur'an: Preserved in Substance,Sequence & SpiritChronological exposition on the revelation andpreservation of the Qur'an.

13 The Heart of the Matter:Qur'anic Insights to a Healthy HeartA reflection on Qur'anic guidance on physical andspiritual health.

35 The Holy Qur'an & Family RelationshipsQur'anic guidance on fostering a happy andpeaceful family unit.

38 The Orthography of the Holy Qur'anAn illustrated look at the evolution of Qur'anicscript.

45 Muhammad in the Bible - Part IIConclusion to the address on prophecies ofProphet Muhammad in Judaeo-Christian scriptures.

50 Signs of Allah in the Holy Qur'an - Part IFirst of a two-part article on the multifariousproofs bestowed upon mankind by God.

Departments

4 Passage from the Holy Qur'an

6 Editorial

17 From the ArchivesExcerpts from Congressman John T. Wood's his-torical address in 1952.

20 Questions and Answers

News, Views and Reviews21 Press PublicationsLetters written to American newspapers on Islam.

23 Central Response CommitteeAddressing the Controversy over the Punishmentfor Apostacy in Islam.

26 Book ReviewReview of Bernard Lewis's, What Went Wrong: TheClash Between Islam and Modernity in the MiddleEast.

28 The Muslim Sunrise InterviewReverend Diana Facemyer, Pastor of St. ThomasChurch, Glen Ellyn, IL.

32 Khalifatul Masih on the Holy ProphetSynopsis of the Friday Sermon: A Guiding Light forHumanity.

43 Poetry CornerAn original poem in praise of the Holy Qur'an.

54 Trivial MattersA crossword puzzle along with a new Sudokupuzzle, and the solution to past issue's crosswordpuzzle.

56 Perspectives - The 'S' WordA commentary on the secularization of Americansociety.

58 Perspectives - Katrina: One Year LaterReflection of a disaster relief worker's experiencein New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

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From the Holy Qur'an

This is, indeed, a noble Qur’an.In a well-preserved Book,

Which none shall touch except those who are purified.It is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds.

56:78-81

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Promised MessiahHoly Qur’an: The Universal Book

The Book that would have beenrevealed at the beginning of creationcould not, according to reason, be aperfect Book. It would be like a teacherwho teaches children the alphabet. Itis obvious that for such elementaryinstruction, no great ability is needed.When human experience increasedand man fell into many errors, detailedinstruction became necessaryespecially when the darkness of errorbecame widespread and human soulsbecame involved in diverse types ofintellectual and practical misguidance.At that time a superior and perfectteaching was needed and that came inthe Holy Qur’an. In the beginninginstruction of a high grade was notneeded for human souls were simpleand no darkness or misguidance hadsettled on them. Superior teaching wasneeded in the book which appeared atthe time of extreme misguidance andcame for the reform of the peoplewhose false doctrines had becomeconfirmed and whose evil conduct hadbecome a habit. [Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat,Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 23, p. 70, footnote]

It is true that man was bestowed arevealed Book in the beginning of creation,but that Book was not the Vedas. Toattribute the current Vedas to God Almighty,is to offer an insult to the Holy Being. If itis asked why was only one revealed Bookgiven to mankind in the beginning and whywas not each people given a separate book,the answer is that in the beginningmankind’s number was small and they didnot amount even to a people, and one Bookwas sufficient for them. When mankindspread over the earth and the dwellers ofeach region of the earth became a people,and on account of long distances onepeople ceased to be in touch with another,Divine wisdom demanded that at such timethere should be separate Messengers andrevealed Books for different peoples, andso it came about.

When mankind increased in numbers stillmore and communications wereestablished, and means of communication

became available, and it became known thatdifferent parts of the earth were inhabitedby man, and God Almighty determined thatthey should all be made one people, andshould be gathered together after theirdispersal, God sent one Book for allregions. In this Book it was commandedthat as it reached different parts of theworld, it should be accepted and believedin. That Book is the Holy Qur’an which hasbeen revealed to establish a relationshipbetween different regions.

The books that were revealed before theQur’an were confined to one people each.Books and Messengers appeared amongthe Syrians, Persians, Indians, Chinese,Egyptians and Romans and they were eachconfined to one people and were notconcerned with the others. Last of all camethe Holy Qur’an which is a universal Bookand is not for any one people, but for allpeoples. It came for a people who werehenceforth to become one. Now meanshave become available which are bestowinga unity upon different peoples. Mutualintercourse which is at the root of

converting mankind into one peoplehas become so easy that a journeythat used to take years can now beaccomplished within a few days, andsuch facilities have become availablefor communication that news thattook a year to travel from one farcountry to another can now betransmitted within an hour.

So great a revolution is inprogress, and the river of culture isflowing in such manner, that itappears obvious that God Almightyhas determined that all the peopleswho are scattered in the earth shouldbe made into one people and thatthose who had been separated overthousands of years might now cometogether. This is intimated in the HolyQur’an and the Holy Qur’an aloneclaims that it has come for all thepeoples of the world, as it is said:Proclaim to the people:

“I am Allah’s Messenger to youall”. (Al-Araf, 7:159)

Again it is said: “I have sent thee as amercy for all the peoples.” (Al-Anbia,21:108)

And it is said: “We have sent thee sothat thou shouldst be a Warner for allpeoples”.(Al-Furqan, 25:2)

I declare with all the emphasis at mycommand, that no revealed Book made thisclaim before the Holy Qur’an. Eachconfined its message to its own people.Even the Prophet who was deified by theChristians affirmed: “I have not been sentbut to the lost sheep of Israel.”

The conditions of the world also beartestimony that the claim of the Holy Qur’anof a universal message was timely for atthe time of the advent of the Holy Prophet(peace and blessings of Allah be on him),the door of general propagation of the truthhad been opened. [Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat,Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 23, pp. 74-77]

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908)

6 MuslimSunrise

Editorial

T hroughouthistory, theteach ingsof severalprophets ofGod were

preserved in the form ofbooks. Examples of thesebooks are the Vedas as aHindu script, the Torah as thebooks of Mosesas and theGospels representing theteachings of Jesusas.

Use of the pen to preserve Divineguidance was applied in a unique manner,however, in the case of the Holy Qur’an.It is the only book that was recorded inwriting as it was being revealed. Thus, itwas not left to the followers of the religionto compile it in writing a few hundred yearslater. Even the first few verses revealed aspart of the Holy Qur’an point to the useof the pen as it is a special blessing givento the human beings.

“Read thou in the name of thy LordWho created, Created man from a clot ofblood. Read and thy Lord is MostGenerous Who taught man by the pen,taught him what he knew not.” (96:2-4)

The Holy Qur’an is a book of guidancefor everyday life. It has standards ofmorality as well as a code of behavior formen, women, children, parents, believers,non-believers, single, married,sophisticated as well as simple humanbeings. It is appropriate to say that it hassolutions to all the difficulties, problemsand complications in human life. All of itsteachings are in line with nature. Thus, it

has no conflict with the physical scienceswhatsoever.

The Holy Qur’an is the only book thatmentions other books of guidance andother prophets, many of them by name. Itverifies that One True God sent them allas guidance for a particular time periodand to a particular people.

The time had come to bring all peoplestogether and to compile a perfect book forguiding the human race as one people.This last book uses the doors of reasonand fine intellectual points, resulting inspiritual blessings, which can beconsidered miracles of effect. It does notclassify human beings based on theircolor, gender, race, tribe, ascendancy orgeographical area of origin. It classifiesthem based on their righteousness,rejecting all other standards to judgesuperiority of one person over another.

The Holy Qur’an praises previousprophets such as Adamas, Noahas,Abrahamas, Mosesas, and Jesusas. Thus, itis the only book with an inclusive

approach to guiding the human race.Previous books just ignored otherreligions or prophets and therefore,limited themselves to smaller spheres.

In its own words, the Holy Qur’an is amessage for those who are devotedworshippers, is a reminder for therighteous, the certain truth, consummatewisdom, exposition of everything, lightupon light, healing for that which is in thebreasts, a decisive discourse, with lastingcommandment, manifest proof for peopleand a guidance and a mercy for a peoplewho have faith.

In this issue, you will find discussionof how the Holy Qur’an was preservedfrom the very beginning as well as areflection of some of its teachings. Wehope it will give readers an insight thatwill inspire them to look further and studythe last guidance for mankind, as we allseek solutions for a better future for thehuman race.

The Holy Qur’an is the only book that men-tions other books of guidance and otherprophets, many of them by name. It veri-fies that One True God sent them all asguidance for a particular time period andto a particular people.

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By Naveed Malik

Islam teaches that sincethe time of Prophet Adamas,God has sent Divine guidanceto various – and indeed all –nations around the worldthrough prophets chosenfrom among their respectivecommunities. Thus, we read:

“…And there is no people to whom aWarner has not been sent.” (Qur’an 35:25)

Then, when the time was right, God sentone final Divine scripture for all of mankind.As such, the Qur’an reads:

“…This is a Book which We have revealedto thee that thou mayest bring mankindout of the depths of darkness into light, bythe command of their Lord, to the path ofthe Mighty, the Praiseworthy.” (14:2)

The Book was revealed to ProphetMuhammadsa in his native tongue of Arabic.This scripture was entitled “Qur’an,”meaning that which is read, recited orrehearsed often. The Qur’an is the sacredscripture of Islam and is comprised of 114suras (chapters), which contain 6,347 ayaat(verses), in all.

In accordance with a Divine promise, theQur’an has remained unchanged since itsrevelation 1,400 years ago. Moreover, itsmeaning remains preserved through theexample and teachings of ProphetMuhammadsa, Divinely appointed reformers(Mujaddideen) raised at the head of eachcentury since his passing, and in this age,through the writings of the PromisedMessiah, Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas.

Revelation of the Qur’anIn the year 610 C.E., while Muhammadsa

was meditating in the Cave of Hira, whichlies on the outskirts of Mecca, the angelGabriel came to him with the revelation:

“Recite thou in the name of thy Lord Whocreated; Created man from a clot of blood.Recite! And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous;Who taught by the pen, taught man whathe knew not.” (96:2-6)

With these words, the 40-year-oldMuhammadsa was called to Prophethood andhis Divine mission: To re-establish the unityof God and convey His final law to all ofhumanity. From 610 up until his death in 632,the Founder of Islam continued to receiveQur’anic revelation from God through theangel Gabriel.

The Blessing of Illiteracy:Qur’an Committed to MemoryDescribing seventh century Arabia, Sir

Muhammad Zafrulla Khanra, a scholar ofIslam, who served as President of the UnitedNations 17th General Assembly, commented:

“There was little literacy in Mecca, andonly limited – though steadily increasing– literacy in Medina. The Prophet himselfwas not literate (29:49). Paper and otherfacilities for preserving a record with whichwe are familiar today were normally notavailable in the Central Arabia of the earlyseventh century.” (The Qur’an, p. xiii)

Consequently, oral tradition was of greatimportance to the Arabs, who had excellentmemories. When the Qur’an was revealedto Prophet Muhammadsa, it was permanentlyimpressed upon his memory. We read in

Holy Qur’anPreserved in

Substance, Sequenceand Spirit

8 MuslimSunrise

Karen Armstrong’s A History of God:

“As each new segment was revealed,Muhammad, who could neither read norwrite, recited it aloud, the Muslims learnedit by heart and those few who were literatewrote it down.” (p. 140)

Several hundred Muslims had memorizedthe whole of the Qur’an during theProphet’s lifetime, and today, millions knowthe whole of the Qur’an by heart. Indeedthe Prophet himself made it a source ofblessings, saying:

“The best among you are those who learnthe Qur’an and teach it to others.”(Bukhari)

The Perfect Order Revelations that law-bearing prophets,

such as Mosesas and Muhammadsa, receivedfrom God can be divided into two simplecategories: (a) scriptural revelation and (b)everything else (e.g., Divine guidance,answers to prayers, etc.). The angels thatbrought God’s word to law-bearing prophetsalso informed them which revelations wereto be included in their scripture.

Hence, the angel Gabriel would informProphet Muhammadsa when Qur’anic verseswere being revealed and also where theyshould be placed in the Qur’an. Thus,Islamic belief holds that God Himself notonly revealed the Qur’an but also organizedthe arrangement of its verses and suras. Itshould be mentioned that the verses of theQur’an were arranged in an order differentfrom the sequence in which they wererevealed. To this end, Mirza BasheeruddinMahmood Ahmadra, second successor ofthe Promised Messiah, writes:

The question then arises why thearrangement adopted in thecompilation of the Qur’an wasdifferent from the order in which itsverses were revealed. The answer isthat when the Qur’an was beingrevealed, the teachings anddoctrines contained in it were entirelynovel and unfamiliar to Arabs. Theirminds had to be familiarized andimpregnated with the background ofIslamic doctrines and teachings soas to prepare them for the receptionof the details of those teachings anddoctrines. As the number of Muslimsincreased and Islam began to spread,

the details of the Islamic Law andteachings also began to be revealed.

The order in which the Qur’an wasrevealed was, therefore, best suitedto the needs of the times in which itwas revealed, but once the revelationwas complete…it became necessaryto present its teachings and doctrinesto Muslims and non-Muslims from afresh angle. To meet this need, theHoly Prophet went on givingdirections under divine guidanceregarding the permanentarrangement of the Qur’an for use in

the future. (Introduction to the Studyof the Holy Qur’an, p. 370)

Thus, the revelation of the Qur’an wascompleted, as was its transcription, andmany followers memorized the whole of it inthe order dictated by Prophet Muhammadsa

during his lifetime.

Preserved in Substance,Sequence and Spirit

One of the earliest revelations Godvouchsafed to Prophet Muhammadsa was:

“Verily, We Ourselves have sent downthis Exhortation, and most surely We willbe its Guardian.” (15:10)

Muslims believe that this was a grandprophecy, the like of which had never beenmade before, nor has ever been made since.God declared in no uncertain terms that theQur’an would receive His Guardianship, andso, for all time, remain preserved in everyway. This far-reaching prophecy can befurther appreciated in that it was revealedto an unlettered prophet in a land where,prior to the advent of Islam, the populacewas illiterate, to whom pursuit of knowledge,books and libraries had little or no place insociety.

Yet, more than 1,200 years after itsrevelation, Sir William Muir (1819-1905), aworld-renowned Orientalist, best known forhis scholarly work on Islam and ProphetMuhammadsa, affirmed this prophecy,concluding:

“We may, upon the strongestpresumption, affirm that every verse in theQur’an is the genuine and unalteredcomposition of Muhammad himself.” (TheLife of Mahomet, p. xxviii)

This preservation was made possible dueto the numerous safeguards implemented byProphet Muhammadsa. In addition to havingevery verse transcribed and arrangedduring his lifetime, he personally taught andsupervised the memorization of the entireHoly Qur’an to four of his followers, whobecame the principal instructors of theQur’an to others. They were:

1. ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud2. Salim Maula Abi Hudhaifa3. Mu’adh bin Jabal4. Ubayy ibn Ka’b

Several hundredMuslims had

memorized thewhole of the

Qur’an during theProphet’s lifetime,

and today,millions know the

whole of theQur’an by heart.

Indeed theProphet himselfmade it a source

of blessings,saying:

“The best amongyou are thosewho learn the

Qur’an and teachit to others.”

(Bukhari)

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To this end, Prophet Muhammadsa isreported to have said:

“Those of you who wish to learn theQur’an should learn it from ‘Abdullah binMas’ud, Salim Maula Abi Hudhaifa,Mu’adh bin Jabal or Ubayy ibn Ka’b.”(Muslim)

But God’s guardianship was notrelegated to words alone. Accordingly, SirZafrulla Khanra notes:

“The safeguarding of the Exhortationcomprises several aspects, the mostimportant being the preservation of theintegrity of the text of the revelation. Anequally vital aspect of the safeguardingof the Exhortation is that the languagein which it is contained should continuein vigorous currency and should neverfall into disuse. It would not be enoughfor the text to be preserved intact if themeans of access to it were renderedinadequate or obscure.” (p. xiii)

Whereas the languages of previousprophets and scriptures fell into generaldisuse and were virtually lost – such asold Hebrew and Aramaic, the languagesof Prophets Mosesas and Jesusas

respectively – Arabic has not onlysurvived, it has thrived. Today, Arabic isspoken, read and/or written by more thanone billion Muslims all over the world –that means that more than one in every sixpeople in the world is proficient in Arabic.

Still, while the language remains aliveand words all the same, it is the spirit, ormeaning of the Qur’an, that is perhaps themost remarkable form of its preservation.Paradoxically, i t is also the mostcontroversial aspect of the Qur’an.Reading the same text, some hate-mongering clerics justify acts of terrorismin the name of Islam, while other leaders,like Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Head of theAhmadiyya Muslim Community, condemnall acts of terrorism as un-Islamic, abidingby the credo of “Love for all, hatred fornone.”

This is nothing new, however. The Biblehas long been used to justify great actsof charity and love by one reader andmisused to justify genocide and slaveryby another.

The true meaning of the Qur’an,however, has remained clear since itsrevelation, to those who earnestly seek tolearn it. The sunnah (practice) of ProphetMuhammadsa was the very implementationof Qur’anic teachings, his hadith(sayings) a living commentary. After hispassing, divinely guided reformers,dubbed Mujaddideen, appeared at thehead of every century to removesuperstitions and misunderstandings fromIslam. Today, it is the Ahmadiyya MuslimCommunity, established by Mirza GhulamAhmadas, the Promised Messiah, whichendeavors to spread the true message ofIslam and Qur’anic teachings to the world.

Concerning the true spirit of the Qur’an,God Almighty Himself pronounces:

“None shall touch it except those whoare purified.” (56:80)

This means that those who attain purityof heart can grasp the deeper meaning ofthe Qur’an through God Himself, Who isthe ultimate Guardian and Teacher of theQur’an.

Answering ObjectionsI. Abrogation

Incredibly, 1,400 years after therevelation of the Qur’an, there is still noserious scholarly criticism regarding theauthority of the verses of the Qur’an. Fewdare to challenge that even a single verseof the Qur’an was not dictated by ProphetMuhammadsa himself.

However, as with anything, there are afew crit ics that seek out everyopportunity to disprove the authenticityof the Qur’an (sadly, some from within theMuslim world). In their haste, they oftenmisrepresent the following verse of theQur’an itself as ‘proof’ of abrogation:

“Whatever message We abrogate orcause to be forgotten, We bring one betterthan that or the like thereof. Knowestthou not that Allah has the power to doall that He wills?” (2:107)

The abrogation referred to above is ofmessages and commands contained in pre-Islamic scriptures, not Qur’anic verses.The preceding and following verses, andthus the context, of the verse deals withthe People of the Book, who were jealousof the fact that the new revelation (Qur’an)displaced their own. In actuality, onlycertain messages and commands fromprior scriptures were abrogated, whichpertained only to a certain time, conditionor people. The eternal truths contained inprior scriptures remained intact and arestill found in the Qur’an today.

Another widely-acceptedinterpretation of this verse addresses thespirit of the Qur’an in the latter days. Weread:

“A period is destined to come in the lifeof Islam when, though the letter of theQur’an would still be intact, its spiritwould be forgotten and lost by Muslims.When such a time comes, God willarrange to resuscitate the Qur’anicteachings, that is, bring back “the likethereof” by raising a special Reformer

Incredibly, 1,400 years after the revelation of the Qur’an, there is still no serious scholarlycriticism regarding the authority of the verses of the Qur’an. Few dare to challenge that

even a single verse of the Qur’an was not dictated by Prophet Muhammadsa himself.

10 MuslimSunrise

from among Muslims.” (Holy Qur’an: FiveVolume Commentary, p. 164)

One who claimed to be that Reformerwas Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, Founder ofthe worldwide Ahmadiyya MuslimCommunity. His teachings, firmly rootedin the Qur’an, strongly reject falsehood,fornication, adultery, trespasses of theeye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty,dishonesty, mischief and rebellion; tacticsthat were – and sadly, still are – prevalentamong so many ‘leaders’ in the Muslimworld, employed only to further their ownpersonal or polit ical interests. ThePromised Messiah’s voice of reasoncarried with it the lost spirit of the Qur’an,which is now firmly re-established amongthe adherents of the worldwideAhmadiyya Muslim Community, to thebenefit of all.

II. TranscriptionOne notable author on – though not

exactly a scholar of – Islam, Reza Aslan,has also recently made a misstatementregarding the compilation of the Qur’anin his book, No god but God, which weare compelled to set right. Mr. Aslanasserts that during the Prophet’s life,

“Only the most important recitations– those dealing with legal issues – wereever written down, primarily on bits ofbone, scraps of leather, and the ribs ofpalm leaves.” (p. 126)

Mr. Aslan provides no reference orcitation for this statement. He apparentlyfailed to carefully review the traditions asthey reveal that, in fact, all Qur’anicrevelations were recorded during thelifetime of the Prophet. MirzaBasheeruddin Mahmood Ahmadra writes:

“As soon as a revelation was receivedby the Holy Prophet, it was recorded inwriting from his dictation. A number of

persons are known to have been employedby the Holy Prophet for this purpose. Ofthese, the names of the following fifteenhave been mentioned in the traditions(Fath al-Bari, Vol. 9, p. 19):

1 Zaid bin Thabit2 Ubayy ibn Ka’b3 ‘Abdullah bin Sa’d bin Abi Sarh4 Zubair bin al-Awwam5 Khalid bin Sa’id bin al-As6 Aban bin Sa’id bin al-As7 Hanzala bin al-Rabi al-Asadi8 Mu’aiqib bin Abi Fatima9 ‘Abdullah bin Aqram al-Zuhri10 Shurahbil bin Hasana11 Abdullah bin Rawaha12 Abu Bakr13 Umar14 Uthman15 Ali

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Whenever the Holy Prophet received arevelation, he would send for one of thesepersons and dictate to him the text of therevelation he had received.” (pp. 355-6)

In further support of a faithfultranscription, famed historian TheodorNoldeke (1836-1930), who won the prizeof the French Academie des Inscriptionset Belles-Lettres for his history of theQur’an, writes:

“The efforts of European scholars toprove the existence of laterinterpolations in the Qur’an have failed.”(Enc. Brit. 9th Edition – “Qur’an”)

III. CompilationThere are some who would argue that the

Qur’an was not compiled into one volumeuntil the third Khilafat – that of Uthmanra.Reza Aslan readily adopts this mistaken view,arguing, rather crudely, that Uthmanra

endeavored to do what “Muhammad hadnever bothered doing: to create a single,codified, uniform text of the Qur’an” (Nogod but God, p. 126).

Toby Lester, in his article, “What is theQur’an?”, writes:

“Uthman convened an editorial committeeof sorts that carefully gathered the variouspieces of scripture that had been memorizedor written down by Muhammad’scompanions. The result was a standardwritten version of the Koran.”

Authentic historical records, however,bear witness to an earlier compilation of theQur’an. It has already been established thatall Qur’anic revelations were transcribedduring the life of Prophet Muhammadsa,under his personal direction.

It is also recorded in history that soonafter the death of Prophet Muhammadsa,Musailima marched on Medina with anarmy of 100,000 soldiers. Abu Bakrra,Khalifatun Nabi I, first successor of theProphet, sent an army of just 13,000soldiers, headed by Khalid bin Walidra, todefend against the attack. In the battle,which was won by the Muslims, 500Muslims who knew the whole Qur’an byheart were martyred. This led Umarra, whowould become the second successor ofProphet Muhammadsa, to suggest to AbuBakrra the gathering of the Qur’an into onevolume (Mus'haf). This was carried outunder the direct supervision of AbuBakrra, greatest of all companions and firstsuccessor of the Prophet, and Zaid binThabitra, the first and foremost transcriberof the Qur’an from the Prophet himself.

IV. ArrangementKaren Armstrong narrates that Uthmanra

and his committee were responsible for thearrangement of the Qur’anic chapters. Shewrites:

“The editors put the longest suras at thebeginning and the shortest at the end.” (AHistory of God, p. 140)

If what Ms. Armstrong asserts is correct,why is al-Shu’ara, the second longest suraat 228 verses, the 26th chapter of the Qur’an?Why is al-Fatihah, one of the shortestsuras at just seven verses, the first chapterof the Qur’an? It is obvious, then, thatsheer length was not the organizingprinciple of Qur’anic chapters. Neitherwere the ‘editors,’ as Ms. Armstrong dubsthem, responsible for their arrangement.Addressing both the compilation andarrangement of the Qur’an, KhalifatulMasih II writes:

“It is sometimes asserted that thearrangement of the Chapters of the Qur’anis the work of Uthman. This is not correct.It is well known that the Holy Prophet usedto recite the whole of the Qur’an inRamadhan and some of his Companionsalso did so.” (Introduction to the Study ofthe Holy Qur’an, p. 368)

It was mentioned earlier that ProphetMuhammadsa had firmly established theorder for the entire Qur’an in his lifetime.Mr. Lester levies a similar charge againstthe Qur’an’s order, writing:

“The book’s organizing principle isneither chronological nor thematic – forthe most part the suras are arranged frombeginning to end in descending order oflength.”

Addressing this assertion, MirzaBasheeruddin Mahmood Ahmadra

continues:

“The strongest evidence, however, insupport of the [Divine] arrangementadopted in the compilation of the Qur’anis the evidence of the subject-matter itself.A study of the Qur’an reveals that thesubject-matter of each Chapter is connectedwith the subject-matter of the preceding andthe following Chapters. If the currentarrangement was adopted by Uthmanmerely with reference to the length of eachChapter, how is it that the arrangementreveals a continuity of topics and subjectmatter? (Ibid., p. 369)

The author illustrates this principle usingthe first two chapters of the Qur’an, Al-Fatihah – revealed at Mecca – and Al-Baqarah – revealed years later at Medina.In Sura Al-Fatihah, there is a prayer, “Guide

Yet, more than 1,200 years after its revelation, Sir William Muir (1819-1905), a world-renowned Orientalist, best known for his scholarlywork on Islam and Prophet Muhammadsa, affirmed this prophecy,concluding: “We may, upon the strongest presumption, affirm thatevery verse in the Qur’an is the genuine and unaltered compositionof Muhammad himself.”(The Life of Mahomet, p. xxviii)

12 MuslimSunrise

us on the right path,” (1:6) and in the veryfirst verses of Sura Al-Baqarah, there is ananswer to it: “This is a perfect Book, there isno doubt in it. It is a guidance for therighteous” (2:3). This is just the first ofnumerous clear links between chapters ofthe Qur’an.

Every chapter of both the one- and five-volume Qur’an with Commentary –published by the Ahmadiyya MuslimCommunity – begins with a discussion ofits subject matter. An unbiased reader cancome to no other conclusion than thechapters of the Qur’an are clearlyinterrelated.

The Qur’an TodayPious Muslims look to the Qur’an as

their primary source of guidance from God.Islam, however, requires its followers tobelieve in all the books of God; indeed, itis one of the fundamental articles of faith(i.e., belief in the revealed Books of Allah).If a person denies the truth of the Scrollsof Abrahamas (87:20), the Torah of Mosesas

(3:4), the Psalms of Davidas (4:164) or theGospel of Jesusas (5:47), s/he can hardlybe considered a follower of Islamicteachings.

However, of all the Divine scripturessent to humanity, including thosementioned above, it is only the Qur’anwhich has remained preserved insubstance, sequence, spirit, and in itsoriginal language. It is only the Qur’anthat even claims to be for all of humanity.This necessitates that a seeker of truth, inan ever-shrinking world, should learn whatthe Qur’an has to say.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Communityhas taken great pains to faithfully translatethe Qur’an into more than 100 languages,and provides these translations free ofcharge, with supportive commentary,online at www.alislam.org. Only by firststudying the Qur’an will the sincerelyinterested American be able to trulyanswer the question of the day: “Whatdoes Islam teach?”

Naveed Malik is enrolled in the Masterin Public Policy program at HarvardUniversity’s John F. Kennedy School ofGovernment. He resides in Cambridge,Massachusetts.

CitationsAhmad, Mirza BasheeruddinMahmood. Introduction to the Studyof the Holy Qur’an.Ahmad, Mirza BasheeruddinMahmood. Holy Qur’an: Five VolumeCommentary.Ahmad, Mirza Ghulam. RoohaniKhaza’in.Armstrong, Karen. A History of God.

Aslan, Reza. No god but God.Imam Bukhari, Bukhari Book ofHadith.Imam Muslim, Muslim Book of Hadith.Khan, Sir Muhammad Zafrulla. TheQur’an.Lester, Toby. “What is the Qur’an?”Atlantic Monthly, 1999.Muir, Sir William. Life of Mohammad,4 vols., London, 1858-61.Noldeke, Theodor. EncyclopediaBritannica, 9th Edition, “Qur’an”.

Islam, however, requires itsfollowers to believe in all the books

of God; indeed, it is one of thefundamental articles of faith (i.e.,

belief in the revealed Books ofAllah). If a person denies the truthof the Scrolls of Abrahamas (87:20),

the Torah of Mosesas (3:4), thePsalms of Davidas (4:164) or the

Gospel of Jesusas (5:47), s/he canhardly be considered a follower of

Islamic teachings.

Fall 2006 13

By Jalaluddin A. Malik

This article takes neither a strictly scientificnor a strictly philosophical approach, butone which combines both scientific factsand philosophical reasoning to expoundupon the beauty and simplicity of theQur’an, and, of course, its truth.

The Holy Qur’an is a book which is full ofbeautiful moral and spiritual guidance. Thisis a claim made not only by the billions whohave opened their eyes to read what iscontained within, but is also a claim madeby the very Author of the book Himself: “aguidance for the righteous” (2:3)1. Theguidance contained within even one versecan suffice to accelerate a person’sprogression in the realm of personal as wellas collective (or communal) understandingand advancement. Whether it is a verse

instructing the individual to “observe prayerat the declining and paling of the sun on tothe darkness of the night,” (17:79) or acollective teaching such as instructing thebelievers to “pass by with dignity” (25:73)when approaching that which is vain, theverses come alive to teach humans how toexcel in many ways. It is worth noting thatmany instructions can be seen to apply toboth the individual and the community, asis clearly seen by these two teachings. Being replete with wisdom to the highestlevel, it is not surprising that this bookwould also contain education in the medicalfield. It is quite a well established fact thatthe teachings of the Holy Qur’an arebrimming with many medical verities whichhave only recently been understood (andto a most superficial level at that). For

instance, embryology is a subject which isquite beautifully taught in many verses ofthe Holy Qur’an. In Sura Al-Hajj, we read:

“O people, if you are in doubt concerningthe Resurrection, then consider that Wehave indeed created you from dust, thenfrom a sperm drop, then from clotted blood,then from a lump of flesh, partly formed andpartly unformed, in order that We make Ourpower manifest to you. And We cause whatWe will to remain in the wombs for anappointed term; then We bring you forth asbabes; then We rear you that you mayattain to your age of full strength…” (22:6).

In Sura Al-Mu’minun, we read:

“Then We fashioned the sperm into a clot;then We fashioned the clot into a shapelesslump; then We fashioned bones out of thisshapeless lump; Then We clothed the boneswith flesh; Then We developed it intoanother creation. So blessed be Allah, theBest of creators” (23:15).

These are but two examples of knowledgewhich science is struggling to keep pacewith. In fact, it is well known that manydifferent theories of even the formation ofthe embryo itself have been rampant. Wefind that it was not long ago that eminentscientists of their day stated that thecomplete human being was contained withinthe male sperm in a miniaturized version (thehomonculus); whereas the teachings of anilliterate desert dweller, 1400 years ago, notonly taught the correct understanding ofthe formation of the embryo (from “agushing fluid, which issues forth frombetween the loins and the breast-bones,”Ch. 86:7-8), but also taught intricate detailsof the evolution of that “new creation” to aclump of cells, and on to a being with eyes,ears, limbs, and so on. In the evolution of this lump of flesh mustalso develop the heart. The heart is a veryintriguing and beautiful organ. It not onlycarries on the critical task of pumping bloodthroughout the body, but throughouthistory has long been associated with manytales of love and understanding. What is itthat affords this organ such a strong placein the minds of people? Why not the spleenor liver, or even the kidneys? Perhaps it isbecause it pumps that essential fluid to allparts of our body, a function not only

Qur’anicInsights toa HealthyHeart

The Heart of the Matter:

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essential for our survival, but a function thatserves to illustrate how the heart permeatesinto every part of our body and nourishesand cleanses each and every cell. And aslove is that which sits at the center of one’sbeing and serves to nourish and cleanseone’s soul, the further one is from this sourceof nourishment, the further one is from life.It would not be surprising, then, to find thatthe Holy Qur’an, a book which claims tocontain the words of God, the Most High,teaches and educates one as to the natureof the heart.

It is upon reading just a single verse fromthis beautiful book that I noticed one suchbeautiful teaching about the heart; a lessonfor the body and the soul. We read inChapter Al-An’am:

“So, whomsoever Allah wishes to guide, Heexpands his bosom (heart) for theacceptance of Islam; and as to him whomHe wishes to let go astray, He makes hisbosom (heart) narrow and close, as thoughhe were mounting up into the skies. Thusdoes Allah inflict punishment on those whodo not believe” (6:126).

When the verse is read cursorily, one mayconclude that as God Himself expands thebosom (heart), what need is there for aperson to believe, for if God does not wishto guide someone, then He will not opentheir heart (and therefore it would be God’sresponsibility for one’s belief or disbelief).However, this approach, which has beentaken by many a critic of the Qur’an, fails torecognize the beautiful style employed bythe Qur’an in explaining a principle (just asthe royal ‘We’ in many languages and HolyBooks has been misunderstood by manyunfortunate people throughout time asmeaning more than one entity). It is wellknown by most scholars of the Holy Qur’anthat as the Qur’an states that God Almightyis the ultimate Cause of all causes, and asHe is the One Who gave us the choice toaccept or reject a teaching, then it simplyfollows that He is the “Cause” of our belief

(or the opening of our hearts). However,since people are given the choice, theresponsibility rests with the individual.Therefore, if we reject a good teaching, thenthe rejection of that which is good willnaturally lead to bad, and so disbelief andturning away from good teachings will leadto detrimental results.

Open Your HeartTherefore, when reading this verse, a simpleyet very important teaching comes to lightin maintaining a healthy heart: if you wishto be guided to that which is good, thenyou must first open your heart to submit toa good teaching. The relationship betweensubmitting to an instruction andunderstanding its benefit are very closelyrelated, and one can lead to the other (i.e.first submitting to an instruction can laterlead to the understanding of its benefit, ascan the understanding of its benefit leadone to submit to it). For instance, when adoctor prescribes a medicine for a patient,

the patient does not always fully realize thesignificance of taking that medicine and howit will affect the ailment. Patients rarelyunderstand the complexity behind a singleprescription; the biochemistry behind themechanism of action in that medicine, howthe medicine interacts with particular cellsin the body and causes or blocks certainreactions, the binding of that compound onspecial receptors, etc. At best, the patientwill have a superficial understanding thatthe medicine should help in curing theailment. However, the patient still submitsto the will of the doctor and takes themedicine, trusting that the doctor hasprescribed the medicine in the hope that heor she will be relieved of suffering causedby the ailment. In the same way, it isexplained in this verse that to receiveguidance, one must open one’s heart tosubmit. What is it that we are being taughtto submit to?

“So, whomsoever Allahwishes to guide, Heexpands his bosom(heart) for theacceptance of Islam; andas to him whom Hewishes to let go astray,He makes his bosom(heart) narrow and close,as though he weremounting up into theskies. Thus does Allahinflict punishment onthose who do notbelieve” (6:126).

What then is meant when it is said that we must first open ourhearts to submit to a good teaching? It simply means that weshould be “open-minded” and submit to those teachings even ifwe do not completely understand all the benefits of thoseteachings, and then we will be guided aright and reap the benefitsof acting upon them.

Fall 2006 15

Upward SpiralGood Leads to Further Good

The words used by the Qur’an areyashrah sadrahu lil-Islam, “he opens hisheart for (the acceptance of) Islam.” Thus,we are taught to open our hearts not just forthe physical heart, but also the spiritualheart. In addition to the great number ofteachings leading to the physical well-beingof people, there is an abundance ofteachings for moral and spiritualadvancement. When people act upon thisdivine guidance, they are also led to goodmoral and spiritual health, which will leadone to appreciate and want to follow thisguidance even further; this cycle goes onto continuously lift one to higher and higherstages of being. Love being at the center ofthis intriguing relationship, one is furtherled to an increase of love for the One Whohas provided this guidance. In return, onealso sees an increase in the manifestationof love from that Guide towards the one whotries to follow that guidance.

What then is meant when it is said thatwe must first open our hearts to submit to agood teaching? It simply means that weshould be “open-minded” and submit tothose teachings even if we do notcompletely understand all the benefits ofthose teachings, and then we will be guidedaright and reap the benefits of acting uponthem. However, what happens if one doesnot do that? Some people object by pointingout that since every aspect of the benefit ofa teaching is not known with full certainty,then if a person refuses to follow thatteaching or guidance, then he or she willnot be to blame for not following theguidance. In other words, since God isultimately the One Who guides, and theydo not know all the reasons (or benefits) ofa particular teaching, then why should theybe punished? Should not God have shownnot only the path, but the reasons why theyshould also tread on it? The truth is,although every aspect of the benefit of aparticular teaching may not be known, manyaspects are apparent and there are otherfactors that can lead one to conclude thatsomething is beneficial (the source of aparticular instruction being one of the majorfactors in determining the worth of aninstruction). As such, one would still beresponsible for the consequences ofaccepting or rejecting that guidance. In other

words, even if direct evidence is not knownat the time, since there is alwayscircumstantial evidence of some sort toindicate if a teaching is beneficial or harmful,then one cannot say that he or she had noidea of its benefit. Even though the patientmay not know every aspect of the benefit ofthe doctor’s prescription, it would beunwise, and most likely detrimental, for thepatient to refuse the doctor’s advice.Knowing that the doctor has greaterknowledge about medicine, and having hadthe experience that other prescriptions haveworked well in the past, the patient is welladvised to accept the doctor’s advice andcomply with their instructions. If this is notdone, then one may end up causing one’sown ruin and poor health. Simply objectingthat one was hesitant to follow the doctor’sadvice because one was not sure of theoutcome will lead nowhere, except to illdirected blame.

Downward SpiralBad Leads to Further Bad

To this end, the verse goes further topoint out “and as to him whom He wishesto let go astray, He makes his bosom narrowand close, as though he were mounting upinto the skies.” This verse shows that whengood guidance is not accepted andsubmitted to, then the consequences canonly be bad. Just as proper diet and exerciselead to a healthy heart, not maintaining aproper diet and exercise will lead to anunhealthy heart. What is quite remarkablehere is that the words also point to thephysical state of the heart and effect on aperson, “his bosom becomes narrow andclose.” This is exactly what happens whenone suffers from the effects of an unhealthyheart. Patients with angina pectoris (chestpain or discomfort due to coronary heartdisease) are quite aware of the feelings of atight chest and constriction due to the poorcondition of their heart. What furtheraggravates this tightness is if one was to

do any exercise, “as if he were climbing asteep height.” It is further interesting to notethat among the diagnostic tests to determineif a person has a poor heart condition, oneof the first tests done is an exercise or stresstest. A patient’s heart is monitored whileundergoing “stress” such as walking,usually on a treadmill, and the gradient ofthe slope is slowly increased, as if thepatient were climbing a height. At any pointduring the test, if the patient feels out ofbreath and experiences tightness in thechest, it is taken to be an indicator of adiseased heart. What science is only nowdiscovering, the Holy Qur’an had alreadydescribed with remarkable clarity over 1,400years ago. Once again, when understood to ap-ply to the spiritual heart, one can appreci-ate that disregarding divine values andguidance always lead to moral and spiri-tual regression. For instance, religionteaches humility and modesty; whenpeople disregard these teachings they areled to immorality and spiritual decline. Iremember speaking with an older Ameri-can gentleman once, who noted thebeauty of Islamic teachings with regardsto modesty of dress, which the West ag-gressively criticizes. He observed in hisown lifetime the decline of modesty ofdress, something which I had even no-ticed to a lesser degree in my own shortlife. He would recall how ladies “back inthe day,” would only ever wear skirts ifthey reached all the way down to theankles; the sleeves of their shirts went totheir wrists and they wore gloves to covertheir hands. It was an expression of mod-esty for a dignified lady to cover herselfproperly, including her head. Slowly, how-ever, the gloves were lost and the skirtsrose a slight amount to where the lowerleg could be seen. This was consideredrisqué, but as it was only a “small” step, itwas tolerated to some degree. As time pro-gressed and society “advanced,” shirts

Once again, when understood to apply to the spiritualheart, one can appreciate that disregarding divine

values and guidance always lead to moral and spiri-tual regression. For instance, religion teaches humil-ity and modesty; when people disregard these teach-ings they are led to immorality and spiritual decline.

16 MuslimSunrise

inched closer and closer to the body andskirts rose to reveal more of the humanform. A point came where even I noted thegradual decline in the modesty of dress inmy own lifetime, with the appearance andacceptance of the miniskirt and tank topshirts, which reveal the full figure of a lady.I recall how this was considered quite dar-ing for its time, but as time has progressedto the present age, we can see how theseforms of dress are commonplace, to thepoint where a long, loose dress and looseshirt are considered back-wards and outdated! Menare not altogether free fromthis decline in modesty,which is incumbent uponthem also. The gradualtightening of the pants andshirt to show off their ap-pearance is something to befound commonly amongmany men.

One can easily see howrejecting teachings of thefaith can lead to a decline inmoral standards (a negative,downward spiral), whether they occurslowly over ages or as rapidly as we haveseen with clothing right here in the U.S.,. Asimmodest dress does not improve thequality of one’s life or work, it can be seenhow this only leads to negative results, andshould therefore be avoided. For instance,a lady doctor would not know more if shewore skintight clothes or a shirt baring hermidriff, nor would a computer analyst knowmore by wearing immodest dress.Conversely, a woman who was to cover herhead would have no less knowledge nor beany less skillful in a good profession thanone who doesn’t. More attention tends toget paid to looks than to actual skill or ability.Modesty of dress is taught by all faiths andimmodesty usually only serves to boostone’s ego and oftentimes leads to immodestbehavior. In opposition to this, modesty ofdress leads to beneficial results and shouldtherefore be adopted. The efficacy of the instructions ofHadhrat Khalifatul Masih IVra, FourthSuccessor of the Promised Messiah, to thewomen of the Ahmadiyya MuslimCommunity not to become loose in their useof veils can easily be seen, for once a thingis loosened, it is much easier for it to comeoff. It is the same with respect to the heart,as atherosclerosis is a process that takestime. Poor eating habits and lack of exercise

lead to a slow decay of the arteries due tothe accumulation of atherosclerotic plaque,which over time leads to a clogging of theheart’s arteries (and in fact other organs ofthe body). The effects on the heart and brainare more pronounced, and one is slowly ledto a life of poor general health. Normal tasksbecome taxing to the body, to the point thatone’s general state of affairs becomesslowed and one cannot do as much as onecould have done, had they kept good health.In contrast. if the same person submits to a

proper diet and exercise, the effects ofatherosclerosis would be markedly reducedand the same person could engage in a muchgreater amount of activity and have a muchbetter state of health overall. The teachingsof the same faith with respect to moral andspiritual advancement can be seen to followthe same patterns as demonstrated above,and so, the neglect of the moral and spiritualguidance of Islam would understandablylead to moral and spiritual decay.

The Suffering Heart“So, whomsoever Allah wishes to guide, Heexpands his bosom (heart) for theacceptance of Islam; and as to him whomHe wishes to let go astray, He makes hisbosom (heart) narrow and close, as thoughhe were mounting up into the skies. Thusdoes Allah inflict punishment on those whodo not believe.” (6:126)

Thus, a firm reminder is added at the end ofthe verse to warn people of the infliction ofpunishment on those who do not believe,and to be ready to submit to the teachingsof the faith, for the teachings of religion canonly bring about life. If people do not do so,by their own actions they become the causeof inflicting punishment upon themselves,

as we have noted what happens to the heartboth physically and spiritually when oneignores the teachings of God. One mustremember that the true teachings of faithare meant to bring about life and lead one tohigher understanding. The experience ofthousands of saintly figures throughouthistory bears great testimony to this fact,and should lead all seekers of truth to studyfurther and ponder the deeply insightfulnature of the words of God. The knowledgeand understanding that can be gleanedfrom just this one verse of the Holy Qur’anshould be enough to convince even ahardened critic of the Qur’an that this is atrue book, worthy of further study.

Light Upon LightFrom the earth, a star seems to be no more

than a small glimmering dot, with barelyenough light to guide even a single step indarkness. However, as one ascends beyondthe clouds and travels closer to thatshimmering little glow, one becomes furtheraware of the glory and majesty that this tinylight contains. As one is drawn closer to itsbeauty, one realizes what was once seen asbarely enough light to guide a man’s step,provides enough light and warmth to givelife to the whole of another world, and theinsignificance of one’s own being becomesapparent. When one follows the guidanceof religion, then one is truly led to goodhealth, both physically and spiritually, andis led from “all kinds of darkness into light”(2:258)1 because “Light has come into theworld” (John 3:19)2. It is in this sense thatwhen one allows oneself to be led by God’steachings and lives truthfully, then one has“eternal life” (John 3:15-16)2 and becomes aliving sign of the strength and power of thatlight, and becomes a friend of one’s Beloved(2:258)1

Jalaluddin A. Malik has a Master’sdegree in International Relations and isa Medical Service Corps officer in theU.S. Army. He resides in Hattiesburg,Mississippi.

(Endnotes)1 The Holy Qur’an, Arabic Text andEnglish Translation, Islam InternationalPublications Limited, Islamabad, Tilford,Surrey, UK, 1997.2 The Holy Bible, New InternationalVersion, International Bible Society,Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, 1984.

Fall 2006 17

Excerpts from an Address byCongressman John T. Wood

We owe sincere thanks to theHonorable John T. Wood of Idahofor his permission to reproduceexcerpts from an address deliveredto the House of Representatives onFebruary 25, 1952.CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol.98, No. 28. -- Editor

Mr. Speaker, we arewitnessing todaythroughout the world anunprecedented upsurgeof national self-

expression by the weaker and smaller nationsnever before manifested as the recordedhistories of all civilizations will testify.

If we prostitute our national prestige andpander to the predatory ambitions ofnations seeking to sanctify their aggressionby the pious use of power, we shall alsoreap the penalty which finally rewardstraitors to their trust. That is the irrevocablelaw of retributive justice. There is escape

neither for nations nor individuals.The Moslems scratch their soil and they

find it rich beyond measure with God-givennatural resources. They regard these naturalresources as their national heritage. Theyfeel that they are entitled to something morethan the horse, the goat, and sometimes thegun their alien oppressors permit them asthe substitute for their God-given rights.

In the fulfillment of their historic missionthey cannot understand why it is consideredwrong to revolt against the foreignoppression which enslaves them andexploits their natural resources. In the well-known words of the illustrious ColonelLawrence of Arabia, “there is a revolt inthe desert.” Alas, he omitted the nub,“against oppression.”

The time has long since passed intohistory when such unfair standards canprevail anywhere in the world. These recentvictims of political and economic servitudeto alien oppressors now seek theirinalienable God-given rights and theirrightful place in the family of the peace-loving nations.

The peoples of the Near East, MiddleEast, and the Far East are Moslems, withfew exceptions. This also applies to North

Africa. “Islam” is the “official” name forthe religious belief practiced by Moslems.There are approximately 400,000,000Moslems in the areas I have just mentioned,including the Philippines. They are all ourfriends.

The world’s 400,000,000 Moslems are adeeply religious people. Moslems observetheir religion more seriously than do mostnominal Christians. Few Christians getdown on their knees three times daily fordevout prayer. The word “Islam” itself maybe literally interpreted, “Thy will be done.”Moslems are capable of the most intensereligio-patriotic fervor. Witness Islambecoming the greatest empire in worldhistory within the first hundred years afterthe death of the founder of their faith in theSeventh Century A. D. Islam is today agreater spiritual force than ever.

The Soviet Union did not dare to attemptan invasion of the Near East recently, whenthe time seemed so opportune, because theSoviet Union had never been able toorganize effective branches of theCommunist Party in Moslem areas. WhereIslam flourishes the soil is not fertile foratheism. In the presence of Islam,communism retreats.

From the ArchivesDemocracy’s First Line of Defense: Islam

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The communizing efforts of the SovietUnion’s agents in Moslem areas had neverreached the point where internal revolt andthe creation of puppet satellite governmentswere at all possible. Communizing efforts ofthe Soviet Union have apparently beenoutstandingly successful only in Christiancountries, with the exception of China, andthat sell-out was plotted by those who callthemselves Christians, “but who are not.”Where Islam thrives, atheism dies. Islam isthe invincible, yet invisible, foe ofcommunism.

Why have thecommunizing efforts of theSoviet Union succeededamongst Poles,Czechoslovaks, Hungarians,and Bulgarians, yet failedamong the Moslems? Theanswer can be stated in oneword, “Islam.” The believersin Islam stand like a wall ofstone against the onrushingflood of that Communist-bredatheism which is sweepingover the world and alreadyhas under its rule almost one-half the world’s populationand one-half the total landarea of this world.

The leaders of theCommunist-bred atheistcreeping-conquest of theworld get a shiver down theirspines at the thought ofcollaboration, between the400,000,000 Christians in thefree world and the 400,000,000Moslems, to resist theirseemingly certain victory foratheism. Collaboration by the400,000,000 Christians of thefree world and the 400,000,000Moslems could very wellmean disintegration and defeat forCommunism’s program for their dominationof the world.

The Communist-bred forces of atheismcould never survive a real coalition betweenthe two great religious groups of the worldtoday. The combined resistance of the800,000,000 deeply religions peoples of theChristian and Moslem worlds will certainlytriumph over the assault of the 800,000,000Communist-bred atheists against thatbastion of the inalienable right of theindividual to freely worship God accordingto one’s own conscience, withoutinterference.

The believers in Islam do not fear deathin battle for a righteous cause. Death in

battle is reputed to transport a believer inIslam immediately into the realm of theblessed. In spite of propaganda to thecontrary Americans must learn that throughthe ages Moslems have earned thereputation of being completely reliable andabsolutely faithful allies in peace as well asin war. Islam teaches Moslems to behospitable to strangers, and they practicethis inspired attitude toward all. Islam, liketrue Christianity, is a living manifestation ofa valid “brotherhood of man,” in action.

There exists a superlative degree ofreligious harmony among all Moslems. To agreater extent than generally realized,Moslems arc engaged in pastoral pursuits.Whether by choice or necessity, Moslemshave remained close to “Mother Earth.” Intheir soil they see their security, theirsalvation, and their survival. Their land istheir hope.

Likewise, a little-known fact to Americansis the historic truth that the ancientancestors of the Moslems of today, as weknow them, were world leaders inarchitecture, astronomy, geography,mathematics, medicine, poetry, and otherleading branches of the sciences and arts at

the time when Europeans were still living inmud hovels like the barbarians they were.The system of numerals in use todaythroughout the civilized world is acontribution to world culture and progressfor which we must acknowledge gratitudeto the ancient ancestors of modernMoslems. The land they inhabited was thecradle of our modern civilization.

The 400,000,000 Moslems inhabit thebroad stretch of territory extending acrossNorth Africa, the Near East, the Middle East,

and the Far East fromMorocco on the Atlantic tothe Philippines in the Pacific.Exclusive of these areas,about 75,000,000 of the400,000,000 Moslems areintegrated populations in theSoviet Union, Red China, theBalkans and other areasbehind the “Iron Curtain.”The 400,000,000 Moslemsinhabit every strategic areaalong the extremely extended“under-belly” of the SovietUnion.

The Soviet Union hasresorted to every conceivablestrategy to attract into theirorbit the 400,000,000 Moslemsalong their entire “under-belly.” What is taking placeat this very hour in Egypt, Iran,Burma, Indo-China, Tunisia,Algeria, Morocco, and theMalay Straits is the result ofagitation in these countries byagents of the Soviet Union.The Soviet Union is fanningthe flame of nationalism inthese countries to createrevolutions which will resultin the creation of numerousadditional Communistgovernments.

The Soviet Union seeks to deprive theChristian world of the friendship of thisgreat reservoir of manpower, the enormousreserves of natural resources, and thestrategic areas lying along the SovietUnion’s “under-belly.” They are not exactlyfools. This Nation will live to rue the day wepermit Soviet Union strategy to convert thebelievers in Islam from loyal friends intobitter enemies of Christendom. When thatbecomes an accomplished fact this Nationwill drop into the lap of the Soviet Unionlike a ripe plum. It will be too late to call outthe fire engines after the house has burneddown. Our common sense should tell usthat, should it not?

Likewise, a little-knownfact to Americans is thehistoric truth that the

ancient ancestors of theMoslems of today, as weknow them, were worldleaders in architecture,astronomy, geography,

mathematics, medicine,poetry, and other leadingbranches of the sciencesand arts at the time whenEuropeans were still living

in mud hovels like thebarbarians they were.

Fall 2006 19

The believers in Islam have as yet not lentthemselves to sovietization. The inherentlydeep and genuine religious fervor of thefollowers of the Prophet has so far precludedany possibility of the acceptance by them ofCommunist-bred atheism. They have so farresisted contamination of their political, social,and economic systems with the virus ofCommunist-incubated atheism with a fortitudeworthy of “spiritual Spartans.” Islam remainsimmune to atheism.

Islam has truly set an example which theChristian nations of Europe, and the Northand South American continents would dowell to follow. “He who knows not the way isa dangerous guide.” Let us abandon theinsidious leadership of United Nations, thatinternational incubator for Communist-bred

atheism, and follow the example of believersin Islam. Islam and Christianity have commonaims.

Believers in Islam will never willinglyconsent to the surrender of their inspiring andcompelling faith in God to gain the doubtfulbenefits accruing to the millions who haveaccepted the spiritual sovereignty of theCommunist-bred atheists. The preponderantmajority of those who have alreadysurrendered, unfortunately for Christendom,have been Christians, not Moslems. Take noteof that fact please, if you will. Where“ignorance is bliss,” in my humble opinion,it is not “jolly to be wise.” To the contrary, itis very necessary to be “wise” to what is

going on in the world if humanity is tosurvive as a society composed of free men.

It is not difficult to understand theconfusion which exists today in the mindsof Moslems everywhere. These devoutaspirants for their liberty and freedom nowobserve us turning against them, evenusing United Nations as a bludgeon tobeat them into submission. They now seethis Nation making common cause withtheir oppressors and exploiters, within andwithout United Nations and its numerousagencies, using words with mortal effectinstead of bullets.

The present hour finds the Moslemsentering upon a Twentieth Century Islamicrenaissance. The great spiritual forcesnow reawakened and released will make a

great contribution to theprogress of mankind.The Islamic world isturning to the Christianworld for cooperationand collaboration. Theyare seeking thefriendship andcollaboration of theWest. They truly trustthat it will not be undulydenied. The West willprove itself unworthy ofits part in the sacredtrusteeship of mankind’sspiritual mission if ittreats this appeal withindifference. Or worsestill to becomeaccomplices of theoppressors of the Islamicworld.

If as a result of falsepride or ignorance we turn away from theiroutstretched hand we shall live to regretthe folly of that act. They may need usnow, and we may be able to help them.The time may come when we may needthem, and they may be able then to helpus. Reciprocity is a basis for humanrelationships which has been practiced fartoo little in this world of ours. Reciprocityas the basis for our internationalrelationships has been merely a mirage.

Christian and Moslem collaboration canstop communism dead in its tracks. Onlythen will it deteriorate, disintegrate, anddisappear. There is no other defenseagainst the aggression of Communist-bred

atheism. It will grow, and grow, and growunless Christian and Moslem collaborationimmunizes man’s mentality against thismalignant disease which now threatenscivilization’s survival.

The Father in heaven of Islamand Christianity is a good God.The forces of righteousnesscan always count upon Hishelp if they help Him in caring

for His children here below. The two greatreligious groups of the world, collaboratingin the service of God, will not lack for Divineassistance. God will aid in preserving aclimate on this earth which will not precludenor prohibit worship of Him by those whorecognize and accept His spiritualsovereignty.

The Christian churches must invite, notmerely await, the collaboration of Islam inthis program. The Christian churches mustgo more than halfway in creating thisconference. The Christian churches wereguilty of errors of omission through theages even though they were not guilty oferrors of commission. It is their Christianduty to give sympathy and considerationfor a conference to plan a program for suchcollaboration. It calls for top priority by all.

In their all-pervading belief in God theMoslems will join their Christian brothers ata round table to sift the ashes of civilizationin the attempt to find a spark of spiritualdynamism. The power of belief mustvanquish unbelief. Those now in the serviceof God must resist the anti-Christ.

If Islam and Christianity do not win, thefate of mankind is sealed. The human race isdoomed to face a fate more miserable thanmy vocabulary can do ample justice.

I cannot speak for Islam. I wish I had thatprivilege. But I can say a few words for theChristian churches and Christianity. TheChristian churches must be made tounderstand that they have been made theinnocent victims of a Communist-bredatheist CONSPIRACY to destroy them.

When the debris of Communist-bredatheism has finally been swept into oblivionby the collaboration of Islam andChristianity, world-peace may come to theGod-loving peoples of the human race. Thisreward justifies our struggle.

The Muslim Sunrise, Vol. 31. Issue4, Winter 1952.

The Father in heaven of Islam andChristianity is a good God. The forces of

righteousness can always count uponHis help if they help Him in caring forHis children here below. The two great

religious groups of the world,collaborating in the service of God, willnot lack for Divine assistance. God willaid in preserving a climate on this earth

which will not preclude nor prohibitworship of Him by those who recognize

and accept His spiritual sovereignty.

20 MuslimSunrise

Is Hell everlasting inIslam?

No. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community– unlike most other sects of Islam andChristianity – firmly believes that Hell is atemporary abode. God has created hell, inHis eternal wisdom as ar Raheem or TheMerciful, as a sort of hospital for the soul.Those spiritual ailments we are unable tocure in this world are made apparent to us inthe next, and God, exhibiting His endlessattribute of Divine mercy, gives us yetanother, albeit painful, opportunity tocleanse ourselves, and be admitted toHeaven, which is everlasting.

Do Muslims believein the Bible?

One of Islam’s fundamental articles offaith is Belief in God’s revealed Books. Ifone denies the truth of any revealed Bookof God, they cannot be a Muslim. Godspecifically mentions the Injeel or Gospelof Jesusas as a revealed Book, in whichMuslims believe to this day. Thus, we read:

“And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to followin their footsteps, fulfilling that which wasrevealed before him in the Torah; and Wegave him the Gospel which containedguidance and light, fulfilling that whichwas revealed before him in the Torah; anda guidance and an admonition for the God-fearing.” (Qur'an 5:47)

However, the Gospel of Jesusas was directrevelation from God to his prophet, whereasthe Bible is a book written by Paul andothers, which Muslims can use as arelatively accurate historical document atbest. The Gospel of Jesusas, like all otherrevealed Books prior to the Qur’an, was notproperly preserved as is now lost. However,by the Grace of God, the eternal truths frompre-Islamic scriptures are forever preservedin the Qur’an.

TheMuslimSunriseQ&A

1

Do Muslims believe inthe Immaculate Con-

ception and VirginBirth?

First, Islam does not ascribe to the notionthat humans are born sinful. Rather, allbabies, regardless of race, color or creed,are born Muslims – meaning they are in astate of submission to the will of God,following only the laws of nature. Thus, notonly was Maryra born sinless, so were allother humans.

Second, the Qur’an affirms the virgin birthof Prophet Jesusas (3:60). This, however,does not in and of itself entitle him to a shareof Divinity. Moreover, Islam teaches thereis harmony between religion and science.While mankind may not have the capacityto fully explain the miraculous virgin birth,we are compelled to share two illuminatingpoints:

1. Jesusas was neither the only prophetborn without a parent(s), nor was he onlychild born of a virgin. The Bible and Qur’anboth suggest that Adamas had neither mothernor father, yet he is assigned no share ofDivinity. Moreover, numerous cases are onrecord of children having been born withoutfathers (Enc. Brit. under “Virgin Birth” and“Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine”published by W.B. Saunders & Co.,London).

2. There is a scientific explanation of self-fertilization of eggs that is proven in loweranimal species that can, perhaps, also explainthe virgin birth of humans, entitledParthenogenesis. Allah knows best.

What is more importantin Islam: The Qur’an orProphet Muhammadsa?

This is a classic case of comparing applesand oranges. Whereas the first is a book,the latter is a person. In Islam, both are theapex in their respective categories, meaningthey are the best book and person evercreated, as God designated both for all ofmankind, whereas previous books andprophets were just for certain people.Moreover, the two are inextricably linked.To illustrate this point, when people askedAyeshara, wife of Prophet Muhammadsa,about him, she replied,

“He was the Qur’an personified.”

As Muslims, we are very thankful toAllah, for both.

Did Islam spread bythe sword in its early

years?

During the Prophet’s life, the battlesfought by Muslims were against much largerforces seeking to destroy Islam, and thus,were defensive in nature. After the Prophet’spassing, as Muslims emigrated from Arabiato many neighboring nations, and as theoppressed people of these places learnedof the beneficent and just rule of Islam, theybegged the Muslim empire to set them freefrom their despotic rulers. When all peacefultalks failed, and tyrants of such nationsrefused to yield their ways, Muslimleadership saw to it that justice wasestablished in these nations. They did not,however, at any time compel the inhabitantsof these places to accept Islam, adhering tothe clear Qur’anic principle, “There is nocompulsion in religion” (2:257).

Once appointed caretakers of these lands,their churches, synagogues and templesreceived protection, as well as the peoplethemselves. To finance the cost of theadministration, Muslim leadership levied apoll tax on the non-Muslims whom theyserved, entitled Jizya. This, along with amplehistorical evidence recording Christians andJews ascending to high positions in thepublic and private sectors of early Islamicsocieties, supports that Islam did not spreadby the sword in its early years.

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Do you have aquestion on Islam?On religion?On God?

Email us yourquestions today, to:MuslimSunrise@

Ahmadiyya.us

Fall 2006 21

Muslim Sunrise contributors have beenactively engaged in responding to theAmerican press on articles of religiousimportance. Some samples of their recentpublished responses are below:

Letter to the Editor, Harper’sMagazine (April 2006), May 3, 2006

Letter to the Editor, Hartford(Connecticut) Courtant, May 4, 2006

Letter to the Editor, Wall StreetJournal (March 6), March 8, 2006

To the editor and readers: Regarding the Mar 06 Andrew Higgins

article “Blame it on Voltaire: Muslims AskFrench to Cancel 1741 Play”:

As a Muslim, I am both hurt and dismayed

at the current Danish cartoon controversyand other related feuds. On the one hand, Ican only shake my head in painful disbeliefthat journalists and others are really tryingto protect such “yellow” sensationalism asfreedom of speech. On the other hand, myheart, once again, is breaking to see theignorant Muslims of the world fall in to thetrap of such obvious mischief-making.

Any Muslims even remotely familiar with

the forbearing, patient and loving exampleof the Prophet Muhammad (peace be onhim) should know that he returned such lowabuse with kindness and prayer. Althoughmany instances are recorded in which hisfollowers were fully ready, willing and ableto decapitate those who disrespected him(even to his face), he forbid that even a hairon their heads be harmed. The ProphetMuhammadsa put his complete trust in Godto either bring his detractors to the truth orto destroy their evil machinations.

As to the so-called freedom of speechproponents in France and elsewhere, it’s aduplicitous for them to pretend that revivingsuch an inflammatory play (Voltaire’s“Fanaticism”) is a matter of “Enlightenment”or that drawing despicable pictures ofbeloved religious figures is a worthy freedomof speech battle to fight.

The truth is that the French, like the restof Europe, are currently wrestling with theirvery own souls, tortured with a painful imageand memory of religion. They have endured

the corruption, political wrangling, andinquisitions of their own churches for thepast several centuries, and have,consequently, given up on the idea ofreligion and even God. Instead of searchingfor the true essence of religion and theirrelationship to the Creator, they have electedto rail against everything sacred in the nameof “free speech.” This is not only juvenile,but is also indicative of the truedegeneration of Europe’s morality andmindset.

Instead of picking at each other likechildren, maybe the so-called “enlightened”of Europe and the fanatical, so-calledMuslims should both follow the advice ofCandide in Voltaire’s 1759 classic and“cultivate their own gardens.” This is thesame sentiment of the Qur’anic teaching thatcommands believers to leave disbelieversand detractors to be dealt with by God asHe sees fit and focus on their own gooddeeds.

Let us cultivate our gardens.

Ronald “Abdul Rahim” Hubbs Jr.Torrance, California

Letter to the Editor, Harper’sMagazine (April 2006), May 3, 2006

Dear Sir/Madam:

Mr. Lewis Lapham, in his column entitled“Mute Button” (April 2006), referring to theProphet Muhammad (sa) “as terrorist” hasunfortunately misunderstood the import ofthe verse, “We shall strike terror into thehearts of those that have disbelievedbecause they associate partners with Allah(Qur’an, 3: 151).”

The above Qur’anic passage refers tothe Battle of Uhud near Medina, where theMeccan idolaters waged war on newlyminted Muslims who had fled for safety toMedina due to severe persecution in Meccaat the hands of the Meccans. It was not anoffensive battle started by Muslims – a pointeven many hostile scholars of Islam agreeon.

The “We” in the verse refers to God andthe placing of ”terror in hearts” of theMeccan idolaters to their cowardice incombat when they decided to retreat terror-stricken despite inflicting some significantloss upon the vastly outnumbered Muslims.

The Meccan idolaters were not as braverelative to the Muslims who believed in aone true God, His unlimited powers, and inlife after death. When the going got tough,the Meccan idolaters were ultimatelyunwilling to sacrifice themselves in combatdespite being instigators, sincepsychologically as idolaters they did nothave complete devotion to any one being.Moreover, the Meccan idolaters had littleperseverance, as they went from one god toanother - and perseverance is an essentialcomponent of bravery. The wars of theProphet were all defensive, and there is nota single instance of the Prophet or hiscompanions forcibly trying to convertpeople to Islam.

Dr. Tahir IjazSan Diego, California

Letter to the Editor, Hartford(Connecticut) Courtant, May 4, 2006“Crises Aren’t About Religion”

I applaud the efforts of Elie Wiesel inchampioning the rights of victims of massviolence around the world, most recently inSudan (May 1, “Wiesel Talks of SudanIndifference”). However, I take exceptionto his comment that, “All the crises in theworld today have Islam as a component.”First, it is unfair to make a minority ofextremists claiming to belong to a religion,whether of Islam or another, asrepresentative of the moderate majority.Second, Islam as taught by its holy bookthe Qur’an and its founder the ProphetMuhammad (sa) never sanctionedhumanitarian abuse. Third, most of thecrises in the world today are either unrelatedto religion or are the result of its misuse forpolitical gain. For example, just over 10years ago, more than 7,000 men and boyswere killed within five days in the town ofSrebrenica, Bosnia. The perpetrators wereChristians, many of whom legitimized themassacre as a crusade to cleanse Europe oftheir Muslim neighbors. It would be wrongto ascribe the brutal mass murder toChristianity or all Christians, just as it iswrong to implicate the misdeeds of a fewrenegade Muslims to Islam and its majority.

Dr. Sohail Husain, MDHamden, Conncticut

News, Views and Reviews: Press Publications

22 MuslimSunrise

Inland Valley Daily BulletinMay 21, 2006

“True Meaning of Word ‘Jihad’is Misunderstood”

Imam Shamshad A. Nasir

The true meaning of jihad is generallymisunderstood, as this word becomes partof our vernacular. The scripture of Islam,the Holy Qur’an, makes it obligatory forMuslims to do jihad. It would be wrong toassume that bloodshed of the innocent, andcreating disorder, is in any way jihad.

Jihad is an Arabic word meaning to strive,to achieve a grand objective. What grandobjective, one might ask? It is the objectiveof benefiting oneself and the rest ofhumanity.

It is a general perception in the West thatIslam promotes terrorism. The fact is thatsuch actions are totally opposite to whatthe word “Islam” means. Islam means peaceand state of constant submission to the willof God.

There are a couple of reasons why thereis such a misconception about Islam. Onesuch reason is the behavior of certain radical

Muslims, and the other reason is the biasby some in the West against Islam and theignorance of many throughout the world.

The dreadful picture of Islam that ispresented in the West by some, and theconcept of jihad that is practiced by somein the Islamic world today, have no basis inthe Holy Qur’an, and no example of suchpractice is found in the life of the Prophet ofIslam.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (may

peace and blessings of God be upon him)was the Prince of Peace. Time and time again,he demonstrated utmost graciousnesstoward his bloodthirsty sworn enemies. Onemust wonder about the apparentcontradiction in the teachings of Islam andthe action of some radical Muslims. So, whatis the truth about jihad? I will attempt toexplain the type of striving permitted inIslam.

In Chapter 25 verse 53 of the Holy Qur’an,God says, “and strive by means of it (theQur’an) a great striving.” Muslims areobligated to do jihad by introducing,through kind words and loving actions, thebeautiful teachings of Islam to the wholeworld.

Another form of striving God makesobligatory for Muslims is self-purification.One needs to constantly strive to cleanseoneself of negative tendencies andinfluences. The Holy Qur’an, in Chapter 22verse 79 states, “And strive in the cause ofGod as it behooves you to strive for it ...”And in Chapter 29 verse 7 states, “Andwhoso strives, strives only for his own soul;verily, God is Independent of all Hiscreatures.”

Another form of jihad, which Muslims aredirected to do, is the striving of self-defense.In Chapter 2 verse 191, God says, “And fight

in the way of God against those who fightagainst you, but do not transgress.” Areligious war can only take place againstthose who indulge in religious persecutionagainst Muslims and those who coerceMuslims into a different faith.

In the context of the above stated Islamicteachings, to accuse Islam of encouragingwarfare is false, unjust and tantamount toinflaming religious bigotry. Whatever ishappening in the world today is nothing but

political jostling. One needs to separatepolitics from religion and deal with politicalsituations with fairness and justice. Thepresent situation needs to be understoodwith these points.

What type of jihad did the Prophet ofIslam do? He spent 13 years in the city ofMecca after declaring to be the messengerof God. When he called people toward God,the opponents of Islam turned against him.They created a whole lot of obstacles forhim and made plans to kill him.

Muslims were persecuted, beaten up,tortured, dragged on the burning sand,stomped on their chests, thrown on burningcharcoal, socially boycotted. The enemiesof Islam did not stop and give up afterMuslims migrated to Medina. No, they cameafter them to annihilate them. It was onlythen that the Prophet of Islam and hiscompanions did indulge in self-defense.

There is freedom of religion in the Westernhemisphere. The Western countries allowMuslims to practice, preach and teach theirfaith. This is exactly in accordance with theQuranic teachings. Unfortunately, in theIslamic countries today religious freedom islimited and certainly not like the Westerncountries. Under such circumstances,waging a war in the name of Islam againstWestern countries is completely prohibited.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim worldwidecommunity rejects the radical view of jihad.They have categorically declared that thereis no room for shedding blood in the name ofreligion. These days the attack on Islam isthrough the use of pen. The appropriateresponse to these written and verbal attackson Islam needs to be responded by pen andcogent arguments.

Where we advise the radical Muslims torefrain from the extremist behavior thatdefames Islam, we also suggest the authoritiesdealing with them to always practice fair andjust policies and not to usurp the rights ofMuslims, which ends up provoking them.

It is wrong to indulge in violent strugglesagainst any country where complete religiousfreedom is afforded to the Muslims andpractice, preaching and teaching of Islam isallowed. The spiritual leader of theAhmadiyya Muslim community, MirzaMasroor Ahmad, has demanded from AhmadiMuslims residing in 181 countries to reformthemselves, and improve the standard ofworship of God. Thus, we invite all to thisjihad, and truly this is the only jihad there is.

Imam Shamshad A. Nasir is Imam ofBaitul Hameed Mosque in Chino,California.

Fall 2006 23

Editor’s Note:

In March 2006, news from Afghanistangenerated major worldwide controversy. AbdulRahman, an Afghani man who had convertedfrom Islam to Christianity, was arrested by localpolice and set to be tried for apostasy – acrime punishable by death under Shariah lawas applied in Afghanistan. Rahman waseventually released from prison and ultimatelygranted political asylum in Italy, but not beforehis case brought to the forefront of Westernmedia debate the issue of apostasy in Islam.What follows is an editorial exchange on theissue printed in the Michigan newspaper,Kalamazoo Gazette. Ayesha Mangla is a MuslimSunrise contributor.

Death for apostasy or b lasphemy in Is lam?

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's Central Response Committee

Replace ‘death for apostasy’ rule with Qur’an’strue teachings:

Kalamazoo Gazette: May 1, 2006

By Ayesha Mangla

W olfgang Lugauer, in his recent letter, “ModerateMuslims should speak up,” rightly questionshow Islam, a religion that professes to teachpeace and tolerance, could also condone theconcept of death for any man deciding to leave it.

Death for apostasy or blasphemy has been occurring inAfghanistan for a long time. It has surfaced in the news now becausea Christian was threatened to be put to death. Those “moderate”Muslims should come forward and speak out against this barbaricShariah code, which is against the teachings of the Qur’an, whichclearly states that “there is no compulsion in religion” [2:256].

24 MuslimSunrise

Kalamazoo Gazette: June 9, 2006

Apostasy Viewpoint’s opinion differs frommainstream Islam

By Nadia KazmiI read Ayesha Mangla’s Viewpoint in the May 1st Kalamazoo

Gazette on the topic of apostasy in Islam. The writer should mentionthat she belongs to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam, which is followedby fewer than 15 percent of the world’s Muslims. To pass opinionsas Islamic and then later in the article write that Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmed claimed to be the divinely guided mahdi ismisleading. Ahmadiyya is a minor sect of Islam and it is nowherenear mainstream Islam.

Mangla makes it a point that such rulings are based on hadithsor sayings of the prophet and seems to reject it solely based on thefact that, if a hadith contradicts a verse, it is not applicable. WhenGod says in the Qur’an, “There is no compulsion in religion,”scholars of Sunni Islam agree that this means there is no compulsionon non-Muslims to convert to Islam, but once you are a Muslimyou accept all rules and regulations of that religion and cannotfollow your whims and desires.

Mangla later on argues that Shariah code is un-Islamic. I hopeshe realizes that an “un-Islamic Shariah code” is an oxymoron. Ihave no qualms in saying that some countries like Pakistan applyIslamic rulings in their courts haphazardly and the result is a so-called Shariah court that has little to do with Islam. To malign Shariahlaw as un-Islamic based on her little understanding of mainstreamIslam is wrong. If the Ahmadiyya sect does not believe in Shariahlaw, then say so, but do not expect most mainstream Muslims toagree with you.

Now there is no doubt that the statute on apostasy in Islam ishighly controversial and different scholars from different schoolsof thought have different opinions. First, most schools of thoughtagree that to be able to declare death for an apostate, there must bean Islamic state. Second, an apostate is only considered for trial inan Islamic Shariah court if the said person openly declares that hehas left Islam and is instigating seeds of confusion among Muslimsin that state. Third, the said person is given three days to reconsiderhis or her stance and is counseled about any misunderstandingsabout Islam. So in essence, all these conditions have to be met inorder for a person to be considered for this rule and that, too, ishighly debatable.

When the Afghan court was calling for the death of the person,it was wrong in doing so because Afghanistan is not ruled accordingto correct Shariah laws and we don’t know for sure what exactlyhappened and, unfortunately, there are people out there who arekeen to issue fatwas at their own whims and wishes and, at thesame time, there are people in the Muslim world who apostate onpurpose to seek political asylum in western countries. Also, ifapostasy was such a big issue in the Shariah law, why don’t we seea lot more ex-Muslims in the Muslim world being prosecuted bythat law? It is not like the Muslim world is devoid of atheists, orMuslims who do not practice their religion.

In this time and age, there is no true Islamic state in the Muslim

The main source of Islamic law is the Qur’an, the word of God.The teachings of the Qur’an are interpreted and demonstrated byHoly Prophet Muhammadsa. Thus, the Qur’an, Hadith, which arethe recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammadsa, and Sunnah, hisrecorded actions, become the three sources from which Islamic lawis derived. The Sunnah and Hadith are used to clarify matters thatare in the Qur’an. If they contradict the teachings of the Qur’an,then the word of the Qur’an gets precedence. Any other sourceconflicting with the Qur’an is rejected because of the very factthat it was written many years after the demise of ProphetMuhammadsa. The Qur’an, however, has remained unchangedsince its inception.

Although the Qur’an does prescribe the death penalty formurderers, it does not do so for apostasy. On the contrary, itsays, “Surely those who believe, then disbelieve, then againbelieve, then disbelieve and then increase in disbelief, Allah willnever forgive them nor will He guide them to the right way”[4:138]. The Qur’an also states, “On account of this Weprescribed for the Children of Israel that whosoever killed aperson – unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorderin the land – it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whososaved a life, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind”[5:33].

In contrast, the Shariah law condemns the apostate to death.There is a striking similarity between this barbaric provisionwith the Biblical statement, “Anyone who blasphemes the nameof the Lord, must be put to death. The entire assembly muststone him. Whether an alien or native-born, when he blasphemesthe Name, he must be put to death” [Leviticus 24:16].

In essence, the Shariah code is a violation of human rights,decency and civilized behavior. It is inherently prejudicial towomen, non-Muslims, and freethinkers and that its laws andtheir execution go against the spirit, ideals, and teachings ofIslam brought by our beloved Prophet Muhammadsa and theHoly Qur’an.

Although claimed to be derived from the Qur’an, there isnothing “divine” about this Shariah code. It is based solely onthe misguided legal opinions of medieval Muslims regarding the“sayings” and “actions” of Prophet Muhammadsa. Exposing theun-Islamic nature of the Shariah code should be the duty ofevery “moderate” Muslim, and would be the first step to abolishthe violation of human rights in the name of Islam. TheAhmadiyya Muslim Community has always been in the forefrontof condemning such idiocy for more than 100 years.

The ignorance of the Muslim masses, and the vested interestof the Mullah leading them, is sustaining this absurd, outdated,and un-Islamic Shariah code. The Muslim community inAfghanistan and beyond can replace this with the true teachingsof the Qur’an and the conduct of Prophet Muhammadsa byaccepting their correct interpretation put forth by Hazrat MirzaGhulam Ahmadas who claimed to be divinely guided in accordancewith the prophecy of Prophet Muhammadsa that the Messiahand Mahdi (the Guided One) would bring back the true teachingsof Islam and restore its famed glory.

If you have more questions and want to learn more about trueIslam, you may log on to www.alislam.org and click on “askIslam.”

Fall 2006 25

world, thus those rulings cannot be applied. We can furtherunderstand how this law came about if we look at when exactly inthe history of Islam this law came about. The prophet Muhammad,peace and blessings upon him, imposed these laws at a time of warwhen people were knowingly accepting Islam only to later leave iton purpose, hence, instilling confusion amongst the general massesof the early Islamic state. This is equivalent to modern-day treasonin the military, which is still punishable by death in many nations.

The writer, Nadia Kazmi, resides in Flint, Michigan.

Kalamazoo Gazette: June 22, 2006

Qur’an’s teaching, guidance is for all Islamiccommunities

By Ayesha ManglaI would like to thank Nadia Kazmi for reading my Viewpoint with

interest, providing her comments in her June 9th Viewpoint,“Apostasy Viewpoint’s opinion differs from mainstream Islam,” andgiving me a chance to explain a few points. However, her notingthat I belong to a minority group is irrelevant in this case becausethe references I gave are from the Qur’an, which is the same for all.

Also, being a minority sect of Islam (15 percent, or more than 200million out of the worldwide Muslim population of 1.6 billion) doesnot make Ahmadiyyat wrong. It is divinely guided by the ImamMahdi (the Guided One) and the Promised Messiah as prophesiedby the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The“mainstream Muslims” are still awaiting this Mahdi and PromisedMessiah to appear. The first Messiah’s followers were in a minorityin the beginning as well; Jesus Christ had only 12 disciples whenhe was put on the cross. It took three centuries for his followers toflourish.

God Almighty guarantees the safety of the Qur’an when he says,“Surely, We Ourselves have sent down this Exhortation, and We will,most certainly, safeguard it (15:10).” This means that the text of theQur’an will always be preserved intact. There is no such guarantee forhadith, the sayings of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h), because they werecollected and recorded years after his demise, and some may havebeen passed down incorrectly. Thus if a hadith contradicts the Qur’an,it must be rejected. The bulk of hadith do not contradict the Qur’an.Regarding apostasy, there is only one hadith that is extremelycontroversial, with inherent contradictions, and comes from a relativelyobscure source.

According to Kazmi, “there is no compulsion in religion (2:257)”only applies to non-Muslims who do not even believe in the Qur’an,while Muslims are exempt from it even though they believe in the truthof the Qur’an. What an absurd and irrational interpretation of thisQur’anic verse! I am grateful to her for specifying that this belief isheld by scholars of Sunni Islam only.

Freedom of conversion is the confirmation of “no compulsion inreligion.” It cannot be a one-way freedom – the freedom to enter Islam,but not to leave it. The Qur’anic verse that I quoted in my original May1 article, “Surely those who believe, then disbelieve, then again believe,then disbelieve and then increase in disbelief...” (4:138) provides thatfreedom. A dead person would not have that freedom. It puts norestriction on a Muslim’s freedom to leave Islam.

Kazmi’s logic is self-defeating. A leading scholar, Ghulam AhmadParvez, referring to this Maududian (Sunni) commentary on thisQur’anic verse, said “Maududi’s Islam is a mouse-trap: the mousecan get into it, but cannot escape.” Even if we accept Kazmi’s premisethat this verse only applies to non-Muslims, then a person wholeaves Islam would again come under the application of this verse!

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes in the Islamic Shariahbrought only by the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammadsa and notthe one brought by the medieval jurists. Shariah code promulgatedby the “mainstream Muslims” of today is un-Islamic because someof its laws are against the teachings of the Qur’an. There are 10 directreferences to recantation in the Qur’an: one in the Meccan chapter ofAI-Nahl and the remaining nine in the Medinite chapters. In none ofthese verses is there the slightest hint of capital punishment forthose who apostate. Also, numerous instances of blatant apostasyat the time of Prophet Mohammadsa were completely ignored by him;the only apostates executed were the ones guilty of murder orcomplicity in murder.

Kazmi does not give any reference from the Qur’an to support herviews that death for apostasy is legal in “mainstream Islam,” yetshe objects to an Ahmadi Muslim proving it un-Islamic withreferences from the Qur’an. We call it un-Islamic precisely due to ourdeep and honest study of the tolerance and respect for the freedomsof conscience, faith and practice of religion demonstrated by theHoly Prophet of Islam, peace be on him.

Although he knew that Abdullah bin Obeye bin Sulool was aleader of the Munafiqun (hypocrites), Prophet Muhammadsa did notallow anyone to kill him, despite numerous demands from his followers.God had told him that he would not forgive such hypocrites even ifthe Prophet Muhammadsa prayed 70 times for their forgiveness.Nonetheless, Prophet Muhammadsa said he would pray more than 70times for them, and upon Abdullah’s death he went to his funeral andprayed at his grave. This was the treatment and freedom of religiongiven by Prophet Muhammadsa to people who were his deadlyenemies.

Kazmi’s statement that the converting person “is given three daysto reconsider his or her stance and is counseled about anymisunderstandings about Islam” is derogatory to the true spirit ofIslam. One should not have to accept Islam under duress. This givescredence to allegations that Islam was spread through force, whereasthe truth is exactly the opposite. Islam spread in Indonesia, Malaysia,China and India, areas comprising the largest Muslim populations,without a conquering army, whereas vast regions under the rule ofthe Ottoman Empire never converted.

Kazmi’s own admittance that “there is no true Islamic state in theMuslim world” even after the passage of 1,400 years, should be awake-up call for “mainstream Muslims” to realize that Islam hasreached a low point in history. In fact, the Prophet Muhammadsa evensaid that “there would be a time when the religious scholars of Islamwould be the worst creatures on Earth, mosques would seem to becrowded but devoid of true knowledge, the faith will ascend toPleiades at which time a man from Persia will bring it back andrestore the famed glory of Islam.” Given the current state of Islam,it seems that time has arrived.

Ayesha Mangla resides in Portage, Michigan and often writesabout Islam.

26 MuslimSunrise

News, Views & Reviews: Book ReviewWhat Went Wrong?: The ClashBetween Islam and Modernity inthe Middle East (Oxford UniversityPress, 2003)

By Amjad Mahmood Khan, Esq.

Considered by many to be a seminal workin the burgeoning body of post-9/11literature concerning Islam, BernardLewis’s What Went Wrong? (OxfordUniversity Press, 2003) aims to historicizethe Muslim Middle East as a way to explainthe present world situation. Terse andinsightful, the book ultimately fails todeliver a nuanced analysis of a topic ofvital significance.

Lewis’s thesis is essentially two-fold.First, the Islamic Civilization in the MiddleEast, while once expansive and dominant,imploded once it became squarely pittedagainst Western Christendom.Accordingly, as Lewis puts it: “[T]he worldof Islam had become poor, weak, andignorant” (p.151). Second, the reformistswithin the Islamic Civilization of theMiddle East – what Lewis calls“modernizers” (p.165) – failed to bringvaluable reforms to Islam within theNineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Theresult is what we see today: a powerfuland organized militant manifestation ofIslam that is angry, disillusioned, ignorant,and dangerous.

In proving his thesis, Lewis frequentlyfalls flat in his analysis. First, Lewisstruggles to define terms with precision.He repeatedly refers to the “Islamicworld” while his point of analysis is theMuslim Middle East. In so doing, hemisleads the reader into thinking that hiscontentions apply broadly to Islam.Glaringly absent from his analysis is anydiscussion of the Muslims of the Indiansubcontinent (over 400 million inBangladesh, India, and Pakistan) orIndonesia (some 230 million). By failingto account for these nations, Lewisnecessarily overlooks the existence ofmoderate Muslim movements or“modernizers” in these nations.

Second, Lewis ignores the complexityof the intra-religious milieu during the time

of the Ottoman conquests. Muslims thenwere a disparate lot. There were MoroccanBerbers in Spain and Turkic raiders inIndia. The Ottomans made alliances withProtestants in the present-day Balkanseven as they allied with Christians in otherparts of Europe. Muslim powers foughtamong themselves in the Middle East justas Christian powers fought among

themselves in Europe.Third, Lewis fails to acknowledge the

intellectual synergy between Muslims inthe Middle East and Christians in theWest. He asserts repeatedly that Muslimsin the Middle East refused to adoptWestern science, culture, and innovationand points out how the West studiedArabic, while the Muslim Middle Eastrefused to even study Western social andpolitical thought (p.138-39). This, ofcourse, is inaccurate. For example, Arabscholars in the Eighth and Ninth Centuriesintroduced Aristotle, in Arabic translation,to the Islamic world. Indeed, the famedTwelfth Century Spanish-Arabphilosopher Averroes studied andcommented on Aristotle, and Muslims atthe time studied Aristotelian ideas onpoetics, politics, and physics.

Fourth, Lewis mischaracterizes theMuslim Middle East as being inimical towomen’s rights. “The emancipation ofwomen is Westernization,” he writes,“which is a betrayal of true Islamicvalues” (p.73). This is not so. For example,a powerful women’s movement in Iranbegan in 1850. One of the main argumentsIranian Muslim women advanced was thatthat gender equality was purely Islamic,but religious literature was misread andmisappropriated by misogynist interest-oriented males. In 1996, over two-hundredwomen ran for the 270-seat parliament inIran, and fourteen won. By 1997, fourwomen registered to run for thepresidency, and five months later thenpresident-elect Muhammad Khatamiappointed a female vice president – animmunologist from Tehran. The“emancipation of women,” as Lewisdescribes it, is not a Western concept.Women have certainly struggled, oftensuccessfully, to create political space inthe Muslim Middle East.

Fifth, Lewis erroneously implies that theMuslim Middle East resisted Westernindustrialization and capitalism (p.47).Several factors in the Middle East place astrain on foreign investment. First is thecosts of preserving a functioning militaryin the Middle East.

For example, Arabscholars in the Eighthand Ninth Centuries

introduced Aristotle, inArabic translation, to theIslamic world. Indeed,

the famed TwelfthCentury Spanish-Arabphilosopher Averroes

studied and commentedon Aristotle, and

Muslims at the timestudied Aristotelian

ideas on poetics, politics,and physics.

Fall 2006 27

Whatever one might say about the currentPalestinian-Israeli conflict , MiddleEastern countries have had to invest indefense over other areas of growth.Second, it is difficult for industrializationto keep pace with the huge populationgrowth in the Middle East. Third, at leastin the last fifty years, there have beenefforts by the Middle East to create self-growth. For example, the light textileindustry in Turkey has had some success.And Iran has certainly endeavored toopen up trade with the West, includingthe U.S. Ironically it is the West that hasresisted trade with Iran.

Sixth, Lewis downplays the Europeancolonization of the Muslim Middle East.“The Anglo-French interlude wascomparatively brief and ended a halfcentury ago,” Lewis writes, “[T]he changefor the worse began long before theirarrival and continued unabated after theirdeparture. . . the attempt to transfer guiltto America remains unconvincing” (p.153).But the French ruled Algeria from 1830 to1962. The British were in South Asia from1757 to 1922. The British formally ruledEgypt from 1882-1922. The British did notleave the Persian Gulf until 1962. At whatpoint can one accuse the Muslim MiddleEast of shunning “the infidel” when it wasitself ruled by “the infidel” for so long?

Seventh, Lewis wrongly discounts themoderate impulse within the Muslim MiddleEast. He writes: “Muslims developed nosecularist movement of their own” (p.103).Not so. In Iran, the National Front of the1940s and 1950s was quite secular. MustefaKamal, the famous World War I war herowhose movement spawned the foundingTurkey in 1923, preached a secular view ofIslam. After World War II, Turkey had nosultanate or caliphate, which the Ottomanshad instituted for nearly 600 years. Eventoday people refer to “Kamalism” as anideology opposed to the Ottomans. One ofthe main founders of the Ba’ath Party in Iraq,Michel Aflak, a Christian, borrowed thephilosophy of French historian and scholarErnest Renan to justify the use of Islam forsecular and political ends.

In reading Lewis’s work, it is clear that acareful appraisal of moderate Muslimmovements is lacking in Westernscholarship studying Islam. Undoubtedly amilitant, perverse terrorist movement existsin the world that draws its political andeconomic capital from Islamic theology anddogma. Scholars like Lewis see this as a

product of Islam slowly disintegrating andimploding in response to Westernhegemony.

But this is a decidedly bleak and unfairoutlook of Islam. Moderate Islam is not anew and weak phenomenon. There hasalways been struggle between militants andmoderates within Islam. What is woefullyinadequate today is effective support fromthe West for Muslim minorities in Muslimcountries. Because the West has for so longignored the “other” within Islam, what hasgone wrong is the unchecked ascendancyof militant Islamist movements. Lewis doesnot set-up for us a plausible, practical outletby which moderate Islam may bestrengthened. Indeed, by ignoring the

complexity of the Muslim Middle East, he issimply incapable of finding hope inmoderate Islam. In the final analysis, this ishis book’s greatest failing.

Amjad Mahmood Khan earned his JDat Harvard University Law School and isa practicing attorney in Los Angeles,California. His review is based on alecture he delivered at ClaremontMcKenna College on May 4, 2005.

Bibliography:Juan Cole, “Review of Bernard Lewis’sWhat Went Wrong?,” Global Dialogue,January 27, 2003.

In reading Lewis’s work, it is clear that acareful appraisal of moderate Muslim move-ments is lacking in Western scholarshipstudying Islam. Undoubtedly a militant, per-verse ter rorist movement exists in theworld that draws its political and economiccapital from Islamic theology and dogma.Scholars like Lewis see this as a product ofIslam slowly disintegrating and implodingin response to Western hegemony.

Bernard Lewis’s What Went Wrong?

28 MuslimSunrise

Please tell our readers a little about yourself.My name is Diana Facemyer. I have been a member of United

Methodist clergy for thirty-four years. I was born and raised inNew York City. I am the middle daughter of three, born to workingclass parents. No clergy in the family that we know of, except me. Iwent to school at University of Buffalo for my undergraduate degree.I was a philosophy major; and from there I went to seminary atNorthwestern University.

What inspired you to join the clergy?This is not a very inspiring truth, but the truth is that as a young

child I was captivated by worship, just captivated by worship.When I was a child, I worshipped at a very large church in NewYork City. It was a very formal traditional church, and was repletewith clergy, choirs, robes, processions, processional crosses andthe Bible bearers. It looked like a Cecil B. Demille production! I wascaptivated! I remember as an early child, I used to sneak out ofSunday school and go up the balcony of the sanctuary where I

Rev. Diana Mason Facemyer, Pastor,St. Thomas United Methodist Church

Glen Ellyn, Illinois

The Muslim Sunrise Interview

used to love worship. I believe the truth is that from the youngestage I knew that the worship of God was very important to peoplebecause all of that elegant stuff was required to bring peopletogether for worship on Sunday morning. I knew as a little childthat my heart belonged to God and someday I wanted to be part ofthat. There are pastors that you will talk to that would say that itwas in their mid-life that they experienced the call of God andchanged careers, and went in. But for me it was the call of my heartas a young child. At the time the United Methodist Church was notordaining women, so I didn’t know where that call would be leadingme; but I think from my earliest remembrance I knew that my lifewould be spent somehow related to worship in the Church.

Did you encounter any resistance before youwere ordained in the church?

Well, actually, in the United Methodist Church it was forbiddenuntil 1956 for women to become ordained; so I was one of the firsts.When I was ordained in 1972, it was fairly early on in the process.There was a good deal of resistance both at the local church levelto receive women pastors and at the denominational level whereBishops and District Superintendent had the responsibility ofappointing pastors once they were ordained. They knew there wouldbe resistance on the part of congregations and so there wasresistance all around. And the resistance was both ecclesiasticaland Biblical. There are traditions, Biblical traditions in our faith thatneed to be responded to receive the appointment of clergy women.O, yes, there was resistance.

How does the Methodist Church differ from otherChristian denominations?

The United Methodist Church began as a movement within theAnglican Church. John Wesley (1703-71) the founder of theMethodist Church was really ordained and died an Anglican clergyperson. His movement called “Methodism” eventually in thiscountry separated from the Anglican Church in England and becameits own denomination, in large part because of the style of themovement that was associated with it. John Wesley as an Anglicanpriest eventually was forbidden to preach in Anglican Churches inGreat Britain because his movement was so oriented towards thepoor and those that lived on the fringes of religion and society. Hismovement had a lot to do with the joining of piety and the practiceof social justice. In that regard his movement separated over timefrom the Anglican tradition. It has so much of social impetus alongwith the Gospel.

Why is it called “Methodist”?Because John and his brother formed a society while they were

going through their training, and their approach to spiritualdisciplines was very “methodical.” So, while they were in school,the name “Methodist” was attached to this group of young menthat were studying to go into the clergy because of the verydisciplined methodical lifestyle that they led, and it just stayedwith it.

What are some of the major differences betweenUnited Methodists and other Christians such

asCatholics

Fall 2006 29

The first thing that Idefinitely want to say is thatwe have whole lot more incommon with other Christiandenominations than we havenot in common. But I wouldthink that some majordifferences have to deal withexactly that Wesley enjoiningpiety and social justicepractice. The Methodists feelvery strongly that to be aChristian is to live Christianlife, and to live a Christian lifeis to be active in the world.And secondly, and I thinkvery importantly, thecommunion table of theMethodist Church is open. Itis not a close communion.You do not have to be aUnited Methodist to be atcommunion table here. You have to be onlycloser in your understanding of God andyour relationship to Jesus Christ. In theMethodist Church that table where wecelebrate Holy Communion is understoodto be the Lord’s Table, and not thedenominational table. I think you find it tobe different in other denominations. Theyreally do think it is denominational table andif you are unable to espouse theirdenominational theological line, you are notreally welcome to the table.

For Muslims and others whomay not have such a tradition,can you please explain what is

meant by “communion” and“communion table”?

It is a sacramental memorial of the lastnight that Jesus spent with his discipleswhen they were together, we believe,celebrating the Passover meal as was theJewish custom. And he at that meal, inpreparation for his finally leaving them,transformed that meal into a sacramentalmeal suggesting that from this point forwardas they gathered to share the wine and breakthe bread it would be in remembrance of him.So he took the traditional Jewish elementsof the bread and the wine of the Passover, asymbol of freedom that always stood for theJewish people, and transformed that into thefreedom of new life in his body and blood

for the Christians. In the Catholic Church asyou know they believe that in the prayerthat consecrates the communion elementson a particular day, somehow mysteriouslythat bread and wine become the body andblood of Christ. In the Methodist Church itstands for as a symbol.

So, according to Christiantradition, Jesusas used to drink

wine?Absolutely!

Wasn’t it prohibited in the OldTestament?

No. There is an interesting Proverb thattalks about being “imbiber” – those whodrink too much wine; but certainly Jesusand his disciples drank wine. His first miraclerecorded in Scriptures is his changing waterinto wine at a wedding.

What’s your opinion about thepresent day controversy

created by The Da Vinci Code?It is a really good novel. It is intriguing, it

is engaging, and in no way, shape or form isit Scripture! I think the novel is a great read,and it’s being mixed up with religion. It’snot. For generations there have beenongoing movements that rise and fall inChristian scholarly societies wonderingabout the relationship between Jesus and

Mary Magdalene for sure. Butit has always only beenspeculations and possibilities.Then it falls as quickly as itrises and hundred years laterit comes back in a new form.So it is an ancient intrigue; butis not historical and certainlynot Biblical.

Does not the disciple-ship of Mary

Magdalene and herclose relationship

with Jesusas help thefeminine leadership

in the Church?That argument intrigues

me. Let me say a few things.Three things I would say:Interestingly, the incarnationhappened through a woman –

God’s coming into the world in a form of theWORD. It was Mary, a woman, who gavebirth to the WORD of God in the world. Itwas the women at the tomb who first heardthe testimony of the angels about theresurrection and was told to go and tell themen. In the Holy Book there are very clearreferences to the fact that women traveledwith the disciples, they were the financialbackers of the movement, and they no doubtcooked the Last Supper, the meals. Theytook care of their clothes. Women havealways been part of the life the Church. Youdon’t need Mary Magdalene as a person tosay just because of Jesus’s relationship withher, women have importance in the Church.The truth is that when one looks at the lifeof Jesus, he always had a verycompassionate overview of dealing withwomen as with men. So, I don’t think youneed Mary Magdalene to stick out as oneperson around whom to tell that story.Women were important part of Jesus’s story– from birth to death and beyond.

The point made is that all thedisciples chosen by Jesusas are

portrayed to be men, and nowoman reached that stature. If

Mary Magdalene was one of hisdisciples, the position ofwomen in the Church is

30 MuslimSunrise

changed. That’s why it is saidthat the male disciples of Jesusas

intentionally tried to degradeMary Magdalene’s spiritual

stature. Isn’t that a fact?I think there may be something to that on

a general basis, because certainly in thebeginning when the disciples were at workaround the world spreading Jesus’s story,there were many women whowere associated to those earlydays. And of course, Jesus’sown mother was apparently apart of Jesus’s movement –from the beginning, right toPentecost and beyond. I thinkwhen the Church becameinstitutionalized withConstantine, men started toexclude women. There was, forinstance, in the Apostles daysan Order called the Order ofWidows and the Order ofDeaconesses that women werevery much a part of. But again,after the Church was no longera persecuted movement, butbecame the religion of State,then the men slowly but surelystarted to de-emphasize therole of women, and women started to movemore into the periphery and the shadows ofthe things and not center-stage.

Is it correct to say that somethree hundred years after

Jesusas, during the era of theRoman king Constantine, that

Christian scholars were broughttogether to decide the officialreligion of the State? Those

men then selected a few of theGospels that suited the politi-cal-religious establishment ofthat time and rejected other

Gospels? That is right. It is a canonization process.The Jewish Scriptures went through acanonization process, the council of Jamnia,I think, finally settled which of the scriptureswould be collected and authorized as theauthoritative Scriptures of the HebrewBible. And so it was, also, that later on theauthoritative Scriptures of the Christian

Bible were [selected] similarly by a council.In the process, books do get eliminated thatdon’t meet the standard of the canon.

Then how can the Church saythat the books (or Gospels)

discarded by men of aparticular era, who might well

be under political pressure of a

Roman king, had no element oftruth in them?

I don’t know if they don’t have anyelement of truth. What I know is the twenty-six books that we currently have as the partof the Protestant Bible, different from theCatholic Bible, are among those that didincorporate the standard of canon. Therewas so much material about Jesus and hislife and letters from various leaders of theearly Church that were circulated amongpeople of that movement in that day, surelynot all of them had contained solely thewisdom of God and not the wisdom of men.By what standard were those twenty-sixbooks specifically chosen, I am not scholarlyenough to know for certain. But I do knowthat in the process there were movementsafoot that tried to get other portions ofScriptures to be and in an attempt to purifythe theology of the Church some werelabeled as heretical and some were labeledas pure. That the process itself was not pure,I think we can agree on it.

How many Books are missingin the Methodist Bible as com-pared with the Catholic Bible?

Maybe sixteen.

When there is more than oneversion of the Bible, and sixteen

Books missing in one Bible,evidently human editing has

taken place incompilation of these

Bibles. Then, how do youexplain that the Bible is

the Word of God? I think the people in the UnitedMethodist tradition do notconsider themselves, by andlarge, as Biblical literalists. But letme explain that. We try very hardnot to worship the words ofScripture, but to worship the OneTruth that that the words of theScripture disclose. In the processof thousands of years of puttingfirst what was oral tradition, theninto the language, having thatlanguage transcribed by imperfecthuman-beings down through thecenturies, as different cultures

and languages brought their interpretationsto it, I am sure it is not pristinely the same.Once it was written down, the spirit of thewill and purpose of God is purely there.That’s why we consider it the word of God.We don’t consider it the WORDS of God;we consider it the TRUTH of God, thepurpose of God, the will of God astransmitted to a very imperfect humanprocedure from generation to generation.

Having a Mosque across thestreet from your Church, do you

feel any difference in yourcongregation’s perception of

Islam and Muslims?Certainly! There is no doubt about it. You

need somebody face to face to fall in lovewith that face. Then you become interestedin whom they are. And you can’t help that.I think you can only dislike or hate a faceyou cannot see. The face has the image ofGod implanted on it. So, when you look atyour neighbors, you wonder about yourneighbors. And until you can see the face

Fall 2006 31

of the neighbor, you are not interested. Ihunch that this Church and thatcongregation would have recognized Godin each other face had not 9/11 happened.But since it did, it brought us together faster.

What prompted you to invite theAhmadiyya Congregation to

your Church after the tragedy of9/11?

Instead of being fearful, we chose toknow each other. We held a meeting thatvery Saturday and decided to meet ourneighbor, to invite them. And the responsewe had imagined was that only a handful ofgood people might come; that we hoped.To have the enormous outpour of responsethat we did, was – people still get tears whiletalking about it today.

What are the areas you think inwhich Christians and Muslims

can work together?Every issue that is an issue of justice and

goodness for God’s people are areas whereChristians and Muslims can work together– whether it is homelessness or hunger, orjobs. Right now, we are taking baby steps,

as we are working at blood-drives togetherand when we are working on paths together.But I see the future as wide open. And wemust do this. This is something we mustdo. Now that we see God’s face in each other,we must be about God’s work together.

What are the steps that theChurch and the Mosque can

take together?We must continue fellowship. Fellowship

is the basis of it all – to know each other, likeeach other and respect each other. And that’sthe foundation for everything we intend todo together. But I am hopeful that ourmission work together will expand, and itwill become a model of interfaith mission.So much mission work is eitherdenominationally centered, or one specificreligious family centered, but INTERFAITHMISSION WORK is still a new idea forpeople. I hope we can become models of it.

With your closing remarks inthis interview, as a Christianleader, would you like to ad-

dress the Muslims?I want to say a word about the recent

history at St. Thomas. I want to say that wereceived a special blessing when you cameto celebrate our groundbreaking event. Itwas of course your presence, but let me beclear. It was also your words. We will alwaysremember that you called all land holy land!We will always remember you reminding usthat we were all Children of Abraham. Wewill always be blessed by the images yougave us that helped solidify who we are andwhy we feel so passionately about ourrelationship with you. And I would like otherfolks to know that there is a joy in this kindof shared relationship. There are blessingsthat cannot be named. There is respect andgoodness that comes from these kinds ofrelationships that I would wish every faithcommunity that I know of.

Thank you so much for yourtime. It was a tremendouspleasure to sit with you.

Rev. Diana Facemyer and her congregationopened their church to the AhmadiyyaMuslim Community for Friday prayerservices during the construction of theAhmadiyya mosque located across thestreet from the Methodist Church.

Rev. Diana Facemyer is a regular participant in interfaith dialgoues hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

32 MuslimSunrise

Summary of the Friday Sermon

delivered by Hadhrat Mirza Masroor

Ahmad, Head of the worldwide

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, on

March 10th, 2006. "aba" is an

abbreviation for the prayer ayyuda

hullah binasrihil aziz (May Allah

strengthen his hand).

I n his Friday sermon, Khalifa-tul Masih V (Fifth Successorof the Promised Messiah)presented the lofty principlesof tolerance as personifiedby the Holy ProphetMuhammadsa fourteenhundred years ago, which

remain a guiding light for us in this dayand age.

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaba

started his sermon with the ironic non-Muslim objection that the Holy Prophetsa,God forbid, had brought a religion thatoffered nothing more than harshness andkilling; and that there is no concept ofreligious tolerance or freedom in Islam.This misperception has been allegedacross the general Muslim population andis wrongfully promoted as beingembedded within the Muslim psyche.

Ahmadaba reiterated, as he had severaltimes before, the unfortunatecircumstances in which factions ofradical Muslims have aided thesemisperceptions with their repeatedviolations of the Islamic code of conduct.These Muslims fail to realize how theyhave misrepresented the teachings of ourbeloved master, the Holy ProphetMuhammadsa.

Contrary to this behavior, the Islamicteachings promoted in the Holy Qur’anrepeatedly emphasize the rights of non-Muslims, justice, freedom in matters ofreligion etc. Fighting is permitted only

A guiding light for humanity

...the Islamic teachings promoted in the HolyQur’an repeatedly emphasize the rights of non-Muslims, justice, freedom in matters of religionetc. Fighting is permitted only at specific timeswith restricted conditions.

Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V (Fifth Successor ofthe Promised Messiah) delivers a weekly sermon on Friday, which isbroadcast throughout the world on Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA).

The Friday Sermon

Fall 2006 33

at specific times with restrictedconditions. In the time of the HolyProphet, the Pagan Meccans created ahostile environment and declared warupon the weak and fledgling Muslimcommunity. Only after thirteen longyears of patiently enduring persecutionand horrific atrocities, were they grantedpermission in the Holy Qur'an. Todaythe actions of the ‘Jihadi’ organizationshave encouraged deceitful attacks onhumanity’s most supreme benefactor,who rarely missed an opportunity to easehis enemy’s burden, even in times of war.

The Holy Prophet Muhammadsa

personified compassion in all aspects ofhis life. He was exemplary in promotingfreedom of conscience. Hedemonstrated the greatest display ofcompassion when he marchedtriumphantly back into Mecca andgranted general amnesty and freedomof religion to all; thus, fulfilling theQuranic injunction that there should beno compulsion in religion (2:257).

Ahmadaba recalled the extremeoppression endured by the Holy Prophetfor the thirteen years he lived in Meccafollowing his claim to prophethood. Hewas pelted with stones when hepreached at Ta’if. He witnessed thecruelties perpetrated against his mostdevoted followers, until at last, they wereforced to seek refuge in the city ofMedina. This migration (hijra) was thenfollowed by invasion attempts by thepagans of Mecca. However, in the faceof all of this hostility, the Holy Prophetadhered to the loftiest principles of moralconduct and courtesy – even in battle.

It is commonly said that all is fair inwar. However, during the Battle of Badr,the Muslims had encamped by a water-spring as a strategic point. A few pagansfrom the tribe of Quraish came by toget some water, but some Muslims wouldnot allow it. The Holy Prophet restrainedhis Companions and allowed his enemiesunconditional access to the water. Thiswas simply the Holy Prophet’s habit ofupholding high human values, althoughhe was fully cognizant of the fact thatthese were bloodthirsty enemies who

The Holy Prophet Muhammad personifiedcompassion in all aspects of his life. He wasexemplary in promoting freedom of conscience.He demonstrated the greatest display ofcompassion when he marched triumphantlyback into Mecca and granted general amnestyand freedom of religion to all; thus, fulfilling theQuranic injunction that there should be nocompulsion in religion (2:257).

had crossed the desert to destroy himand his fledgling community.

Ahmadaba then related the incident ofIkrima, the son of Abu Jahl, who wasnotoriously known as Islam’s mostvicious enemy. After the Holy Prophet’svictory of Mecca, Ikrima expected tobe executed for his numerous crimesagainst innocent Muslims. He fledtowards Yemen, however his wifebegged mercy for him from the HolyProphetsa. The Holy Prophet concededand forgave Ikrima. Ikrima’s wife

tracked him down and convinced him toreturn to the Holy Prophet. When Ikrimacame in the presence of the HolyProphetsa the Prophet stood up as a markof respect for him in his capacity as theleader of the enemy. Ikrima, still indisbelief that he was forgiven, wantedconfirmation of his clemency, and thathis pardon was on the grounds that hestayed firm in his own faith. When theHoly Prophet confirmed this to be true,Ikrima was so immensely moved, thathe embraced Islam. This is how Islam

...the Jihadi organizations should seekguidance from the Prophet’s example inthat actions should not be takenwithout the permission of the country’sgovernment.

34 MuslimSunrise

was spread - with love and civility; whilemaintaining religious freedom andfreedom of conscience.

Ahmadaba explained the freedom theHoly Prophetsa afforded slaves. TheHoly Prophet disliked slavery and aftermarrying his wife Hadhrat Khadijara, hewas presented with her wealth andslaves. The Holy Prophet made it clearto her that he would free all the slaves.She responded that he could do what heliked and indeed the Prophet freed allthe slaves.

One of these slaves, named Zaidra,refused to accept his freedom andstayed on with the Prophet. When Zaid’slong lost family - who turned out to bevery wealthy - tracked him down inMecca and came to get him, Zaid’s lovefor the Holy Prophetsa would not allowhim to return home to his real family.Thereafter, the Holy Prophet adoptedhim as his own son.

In another event, the Prophetaffectionately asked a Jewish slave onhis deathbed to believe in Islam. TheHoly Prophet’s compassion for peopleand saving their souls was blind to theirstatus, creed, or color.

The rule of the Holy Prophetsa ensuredthe protection of his subjects’ feelings.Ahmadaba cited the incident of a Muslimand Jew who quarrelled over whoseprophet was granted greater excellence,and the Muslim slapped the Jew in anger.When the matter was taken to theProphet he decided in the Jew’s favorand admonished the Muslim not to give

him preference over other prophets.In other incidents, the Prophet stood

up as a mark of respect as a Jewishfuneral procession passed by; and at thevictory of Khyber he ordered the returnof some discovered Torah manuscriptsto the Jews despite their earlier attitude.

The Holy Prophet drafted a pactbetween the Jews and the Muslims ofMedina. It granted constituents of faithsthe right to religious freedom and to livein mutual kindness, free fromoppression. Any disagreements would bebrought to the Holy Prophet for decisionand each decision would be made inaccordance with the respective party’sreligious law. As the Holy Prophetsa wasthe Commander-in-Chief, it was statedthat no one would go to war without hispermission. Ahmadaba stated that the'Jihadi' organizations should seekguidance from the Prophet’s example inthat actions should not be taken withoutthe permission of the country’sgovernment.

The pact stated that if any people

fought against the Jews or the Muslims,they would help each other, and ifMedina were attacked, everyone wouldunite in its defense, and that the Jewswould not enter into any pact with theQuraish of Mecca.

Ahmadaba also related the incidentwhen the Holy Prophet offered a visitingChristian delegation from Najran hisown mosque in Medina to perform theirworship. The Prophet made it incumbentupon the Muslims to protect Christianchurches and property, as well their rightto worship.

Ahmadaba reiterated the supremeexample of compassion and forgivenessas set forth by the Holy Prophetsa afterthe victory of Mecca and invoked athousand salutations and blessings uponhim. The sermon was concluded with aprayer that may God enable us to actaccording to this teaching.

Ahmadaba also related the incidentwhen the Holy Prophet offered avisiting Christian delegation fromNajran his own mosque in Medina toperform their worship. The Prophetmade it incumbent upon the Muslimsto protect Christian churches andproperty, as well their right toworship.

Article reprinted with permissionalislam.org. Edited by the MuslimSunrise staff.

The Holy ProphetMuhammad: A guiding

light for humanity

Fall 2006 35

Dr. Aziza Rahman, Ph.D

Family relationships playan enormous role in ourlives. They affect us rightfrom the moment of ourbirth to the time we leavethis world and even afterthat in the way we are

remembered. Our relationships with ourparents, siblings and spouses can deeplyinfluence the way we think, the way weinteract with others and the way we viewourselves and the world. That is why thefamily, which consists of a domestic groupof people typically affiliated by birth ormarriage, is such a central institution andhas survived in one form or another fromearliest times.

Even more crucial, the family forms thebasis of society, and the health of societydepends on the strength of the family unit.Little wonder, then, that Islam, the mostcomprehensive religion in the world, hasprovided guidelines for this importantaspect of our lives. It gives us rules andcommands which pertain not only toindividual behavior, but also to societalbehavior. No matter how materially andtechnologically advanced it is, no societyor culture can avoid breakdown of socialand moral values if it ignores its spiritual,ethical and moral well-being.

Unfortunately, we are in the midst of

The HolyQur’an and

FamilyRelationships

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Article 16(3) of the Universal Declaration ofHumans Rights states: “The family is the natural

and fundamental group unit of society and isentitled to protection by society and the State.”Government-funded programs to prevent childabuse, use of drugs, unwanted pregnancies do

not work because they do not treat the source ofthe problem: the breakdown of family life.

36 MuslimSunrise

such a crisis in the present society wherethe sanctity of the family unit is seriouslythreatened. Broken marriages, divorce,adultery, domestic violence, child abuseand escalating crime all result from thisproblem. It seems that neithergovernments nor social leaders can comeup with any lasting solution, even thoughArticle 16(3) of the Universal Declarationof Humans Rights states: “The family isthe natural and fundamental group unit ofsociety and is entitled to protection bysociety and the State.” Government-funded programs to prevent child abuse,use of drugs, unwanted pregnancies donot work because they do not treat thesource of the problem: the breakdown offamily life.

There is, however, a differentalternative, one that works. Islam haspositive solutions, found in the HolyQur’an and traditions from the life of theHoly Prophet Muhammad (peace andblessings of Allah be on him), that provideprotection and security for the family unit.These guidelines promote a healthy, moraland secure environment where childrencan be raised, the natural desires of menand women are safeguarded and wherevirtues like love, kindness and mercy canbe fostered. Many family values have beeneroded by today’s fast pace of life andunending desire for material achievement.Family members are drifting apart, each inthe pursuit of their own desires. Theoutcome is that people are too busy tomake the time or effort to develop andnurture the relationships that are so vitalto family life, resulting in lack ofconsideration for other’s feelings andselfishness.

Islam’s first and foremost rule is thatwe cannot forget that we are all membersof the same family, are created by the sameCreator and that one of our duties to Himis to treat each other with love, kindnessand respect. The Holy Qur’an reminds usof this reality when it says:

“O ye people! Fear your Lord Whocreated you from a single soul and of itskind created its mate, and from themtwain spread many men and women, andfear Him particularly respecting the tiesof kinship. Verily, Allah watches overyou.” (4:2)

Islam emphasizes accountability to Godin all areas of our lives. In other words, weare answerable to God even in the way we

treat our family and relatives.Unfortunately, this vital point is for themost part missing in today’s society.

Marriage is the first step to starting afamily and its significance has beenrepeatedly stressed by the Holy Qur’anand the example of the Holy Prophet. TheHoly Qur’an enjoins the best relationshipbetween a husband and wife and requireseach to have due consideration for theneeds and desires of the other. It alsodirects that they should behaveaffectionately towards each other. TheQur’an says: “He it is Who created youfrom a single soul and made there fromits mate, that he might find comfort inher” (7:90). It further defines marriagewith: “Of His signs is that He createdmates for you of your own kind that youmay find peace of mind through them, andHe has put love and tenderness betweenyou. In that are signs for a people whoreflect” (30:22).

The Holy Prophet promoted goodmarital relations by his own example andsaid “the best of you is he who treats hiswife the best, and I am the best of you inthis regard” (Tirmirdhi). The welfare ofwomen was of great concern to him andhe constantly advised his followers totreat their wives with kindness.

Islam views marriage as an equalpartnership between two people, by whichthey please God through mutualcooperation, trust , respect andfaithfulness. The Qur'an sums up theirrelationship with these words: “They area garment for you and you are a garmentfor them…” (2:88). Thus, just like clothing,a husband and wife should protect eachother, cover up each others faults andbeautify each other, instead of criticizingevery little weakness.

To promote further harmony in thepartnership, Allah defines the role of eachpartner and assigns responsibilities toeach spouse concerning the other. TheHoly Qur’an says that man is made“guardian” over woman, and assigns himthe financial responsibility for her welfare.In return, his wife should be obedient,guard her husband’s secrets and be hissupport. The husband is directed to bethe breadwinner, while his wife has theprimary responsibility for raising childrenand maintaining the home. Theseguidelines help to avoid conflict betweenspouses over money, children and

household duties, especially when bothwork outside the home.

Islam even provides guidance for mateselection. The Holy Prophet advised:“some people marry for beauty, some forrank, some for wealth and some for piety;but you should marry a good and piousperson.” When two people who have thesame beliefs and ideals get married, themarriage is more likely to succeed. Islampromotes modesty and chastity asimportant virtues and does not permit freeand unrestrained mixing of the sexes.Therefore, marriages are usually arrangedby parents with the full consent andinvolvement of the boy and girl, keepingthe above injunction in mind. The Muslimpractice of segregation of the sexes afterthe age of puberty keeps Muslim societyfree from many of the ills found in Westernsociety, such as extramarital affairs,teenage pregnancies, sexually transmitteddiseases and broken homes.

Islamic teachings also deal with theparent-child relationship in detail. This isprobably the most complex of all humanrelationships and it can make or break afamily. It is a relationship that goes full circle;when the children are young, it is the parentsthat are in charge, but when they grow old,the situation may reverse with childrenhaving to take charge. However, Islamexpects children to maintain an attitude oflove and affection, respect and kindness totheir parents, even when they get to an oldand difficult age, and to give them priorityover all other things except God. The HolyQur’an contains a very comprehensiveverse on this topic, which firstly tells us:“Thy Lord has commanded that ye worshipnone but Him, and that ye show kindnessto parents.” Then, when the behavior ofone or both of the parents becomesextremely trying and sometimes offensivein old age, the verse continues: “If one orboth of them attain old age with thee, neversay to them as much as ugh nor reproachthem, but always address them with kindlyspeech (17:24). Then it says: “Lower to themthe wing of humility out of tenderness….”In other words, we must never forget whatwe owe to them for bringing us into thisworld and taking care of us. Finally, we aretold to pray for them: “[A]nd say, ‘My Lord,have mercy on them even as they nourishedme when I was a little child’.”(17:25)

Muslim families very often exist asextended families with grandparents veryinvolved with their children andgrandchildren, to the benefit of all. The HolyQur’an repeatedly admonishes Muslims to

Fall 2006 37

be good to their parents and is exceptionalin its appreciation of the role of mother:

“And We have enjoined on man to begood to his parents – his mother bearshim in weakness upon weakness, and hisweaning takes two years – and said,‘Give thanks to Me and thy parents. UntoMe is the final return” (31:15).

This verse was reinforced by thefounder of Islam, Muhammadsa when hedeclared that “Paradise lies under the feetof mothers.” Although it is a smallsentence, it elevates the status of mothersto an unprecedented height and speaksvolumes about the importance of mothers.It gives mothers the vital responsibilityof making their homes into a ‘heaven onearth’ by creating a loving, warm andnurturing atmosphere for all the family,while at the same time acknowledging andappreciating the complexity and value ofthis task by rewarding them with theultimate prize of Paradise. Withoutquestion a mother’s full time presence inthe home and complete attention tochildren adds greatly to a family’s well-being and stability. However, contrary topopular belief, Islam does not prevent awoman from pursuing a career outside thehome as long as she gives priority to herfamily.

The Qur’an also commands parents totreat their children with love andunderstanding and to raise them in such away that they grow up with feelings ofdignity and self-respect. The future ofsociety depends on the children of today,

so it is imperative that they are broughtwith good moral values.

The Holy Qur’an warns: “slay notyour children for fear of poverty – it isWe who provide for you and for them…”(6:152). Children are a gift from God andHe provides for them, but it is up toparents to take care of their spiritual andmoral upbringing.

The Qur’an identifies some of thesevalues when it describes the advicegiven by Prophet Luqmanas to his son:

“O my dear son, observe Prayer andenjoin good and forbid evil and endurepatiently whatever may befall thee.Surely, this is of those matters whichrequire high resolve; And turn not thycheek away from men in scorn, nor walkin the earth haughtily; Surely, Allahloves not the arrogant boaster; Andwalk thou at a moderate pace, andlower thy voice; verily, the most hatefulof voices is the braying of the ass”(31:18-20).

The Holy Prophet said: “Respectyour children and cultivate in them thebest of manners” (Ibn Majah). He alsoadvised: “Do not curse a child for whenyou curse, angels add: ‘Let it be liketha t , ’ and l i ke tha t i t becomes . . .Address a ch i ld po l i t e ly andcourteously, for a child is a greatmimic. If you address it rudely, it willreturn the compliment in kind. Do notl i e to a ch i ld nor be peev i sh orarrogant wi th i t . I t wi l l cer ta inlyimitate you.” Nowadays children areincreasingly exposed to immorality,

v io lence and profan i ty th roughtelevision, movies and the internet. Theresult is that they are imitating thesebehaviors instead of learning valuessuch as good manners, humility andhonesty, which does not bode well forthe future of society.

Whi le the Holy Qur’an of fe rspractical guidance for each aspect of lifeand emphasizes that we are accountablefor all our actions to Allah Almighty, ita l so p rov ides us wi th p rayers tofacilitate each action and reach our goalof pleasing Him. One such prayerpertaining to family life is:

“Our Lord, grant us of our wives andchildren the delight of our eyes, and makeus a model for the righteous” (25:75).

If everyone followed the teachings ofthe Holy Qur’an concern ing thetreatment of family members, we wouldhave a society based on equality, loveand righteousness. The social, moraland spiritual principles prescribed bythe Holy Qur’an ensure strong andlasting relationships between all familymembers and give consideration to therights and privileges of others. Thebeautiful doctrines of Islam are notconfined to Muslims alone, but areuniversal and are applicable to thepresent and future for all mankind.

Dr. Aziza Rehman has a doctorate inBiochemistry from the University ofLondon. She resides in Orange Park Acres,California.

The Qur’an also commands parents to treat their children with loveand understanding and to raise them in such a way that they grow

up with feelings of dignity and self-respect.

38 MuslimSunrise

By Naeem Ahmad Rathore

An exclusive feature of the Holy Qur’anis that it is the first of all revealed scripturespreserved in the form of a codex, or a ‘bookbetween two covers’ unlike rolled scrolls orother forms of collected texts. Qur’an isderived from the Arabic root Qara’a whichdenotes to read, to read a written thing, torecite, with or without a script, proclaim,transmit, convey (a message). The Qur’anis a verbal noun and means reading,recitation, also a book that is meant to beread, recited, rehearsed etc. Al Qur’an isapplied only to the revelation vouchsafedto the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace andblessings of Allah be upon him.

The most significant of the manydistinguishing attributes of the Holy Qur’anamong religious scriptures is its availabilityin the same exact form, words andarrangement as it was sent down more than1400 years ago to the Holy Prophet

Muhammadsa. It was in the form of directspeech of Allah, and not an experience orinspiration verbalized by the Holy Prophet.This continued textual purity is in fact anenduring miracle that was claimed and wasprophesied to be so by the Holy Qur’anitself:

“Verily, We our self have sent down thisExhortation, and most surely We will be itsGuardian.” (15:10)

Chapter and VerseThe Qur’anic nomenclature for a chapter isSura, and for a single verse, Aya (pl. ayaat).There are 114 suras of the Holy Qur’an, thelongest being Al Baqarah, chapter two,with 287 ayaat, and the shortest being AlKauthar, chapter 108, with four ayaat. Allchapters begin with Bismillah hirrahmannirraheem (In the Name of Allah, theGracious, the Merciful) except Tauba,chapter nine [considered a continuation of

the preceding chapter]. The relativeposition of each sura in the Holy Qur’an ispart of a divine arrangement. The HolyQur’an was revealed to the Holy ProphetMuhammadsa over a period of 23 years,starting with the first five verses of Sura AlAlaq, chapter 96, and ending with, accordingto some scholars, part of verse five ofchapter five:“This day have I perfected your religionfor you and completed My favor upon youand have chosen for you Islam as religion.”

Textual SafeguardsThe first and continued method ofsafeguarding the textual integrity of the HolyQur’an is in its being committed to memory;firstly in the person of the Prophet of Islamhimself, and later on, to be learnt, committedto memory and rehearsed by the Huffaz(sing. Hafiz), those who make it one of thepurposes of their lives to safeguard the HolyQur’an. All the early companions of Prophet

The Orthography of the Holy Qur’anThe most significant of the many distinguishing attributes of the HolyQur’an among religious scriptures is its availability in the same exactform, words and arrangement as it was sent down more than 1400years ago to the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.

Fall 2006 39

Muhammadsa, including Hadhrat AbuBakrra, Umarra, Uthmanra, Alira, Az Zubbairra,Abdullah bin Masoudra and many othersmemorized and rehearsed the Holy Qur’anas it was coming down. These ranks swelledto many hundreds after the migration andestablishing of the faith in Medina.

There is ample evidence showing that theHoly Prophet had several Katibeen-wahyor amanuensis [one who is employed to takedictation or to copy manuscript] for therevelation, starting from the earliest Meccanperiod. The incident of the conversion ofthe Second Khalifa, Hadhrat Umarra, duringthe Holy Prophet’s sojourn in Mecca, givescredence to the fact that the writing of therevealed text was being done concurrently.It is related that Hadhrat Umarra visited thehouse of his sister, who along with herhusband, Saeed bin Zaidra, had alreadyaccepted the faith. When he found themlearning Sura Ta Ha, (chapter 20) of the HolyQur’an from Khabab bin Arratra, he becameviolently angry with her and her husband.When about to strike down his brother-in-law, his sister came between them and afterseeing her bloodied face, he becameremorseful. He then asked to hear what theyhad been reciting, but was told to washhimself before being read the sheets onwhich the revealed Qur’an had been written.Assuredly, these sheets were copies of adictated-to portion of the Holy Qur’an. Afterhearing these brief verses, Umarra, who wasprior to that moment a bitter enemy of thefaith, broke down in tears and acceptedIslam.

After the migration, more scribes wereadded to the Meccan contingent; the mostprominent being Zaid bin Thabitra. Thefollowing Hadith illustrates this point.

“Al Baraa’ relates, ‘There was revealed“Not equal are those who sit” (4:96), sothe Prophet said: “Call Zaid for me and lethim bring the board, the ink pot and thescapula bone.” Then he said: “Write: Notequal are those…”.” (Bukhari VI 512, 116,118)

From the very first wahy or sending downof revelation, the exact place of therevea led por t ion in the f ina larrangement of the Holy Qur’an wasalso revealed to the Holy Prophet.Hadhrat Uthmanra is reported to havesaid that “during the later days the HolyProphet used to, when something wasrevealed to him, call someone fromamong those who used to write for himand say: ‘Place these ayaat in the sura

in which this and this is mentioned’ andwhen (only) one aya was revealed tohim, he said: ‘Place this aya in the surain which this and this is mentioned’.”

There are several ahadi th thatindicate the systematic writing down ofthe Holy Qur’an during the lifetime ofthe Holy Prophet. There are instructionsrelating to touching the book only in astate of ritual purity of wudu; not totake it on a journey lest it falls into thehands of the enemy (Malik and Muslim),also there are reported instances whenthe Holy Qur’an written on parchmentshee t s were g iven to v i s i t ingdelegations of new Muslims.

Recording of the Holy Qur’anThere was no indigenous paper makingin Arabia at that time and the HolyQur’an was written on whatever wasavai lable , including bi ts of paper,parchment, stone tablets, scraps ofleather, scapula or shoulder bladebones, palm risp, and sometimes cloth.The writing instrument was generally ascapula bone point, or shaped tree twig,and the ink was an emulsion of blacksoot and water. It has also been reportedthat the writing materials were kept inthe house of the Holy Prophe tMuhammadsa himself.

At the end of the Holy Prophet’sworldly life, several hundred Huffaz,inc lud ing many of the ea r l i es tcompanions, who had learnt it directlyfrom the Holy Prophet and who hadlistened to their recitations, correctingas required, had memorized the entireQur’an. The written Qur’an or Mus’hafwas available only in several separatepieces of different type of media .Hadhrat Abu Bakrra, on becoming theFirst Khalifa, embarked upon the taskof wr i t ing ou t one s tandardauthenticated copy of the Holy Qur’an,and to assist , he selected Zaid binThabitra. During this long and arduousprocess, Zaidra would not include an ayaunless he had two separa teauthentications from the oral traditionas well as two confirmations from thewrit ten-as-dictated text . For everys ing le aya , the re were mul t ip leconfirmations of authenticity in bothforms noted above. In fact, there wasjust one aya, the last aya of Sura Tauba,which was very well known to all, andwas also found in personal Mus’haf ofseveral companions, but for which there

was on ly one wr i t t en-as -d ic ta tedconfirmation, found in the dictated copyof Hadhrat Abu Khuzaimara. Still, therewas never any doubt as to i t sauthenticity or that of any of the ayaatincluded in the Qur’an.

This complete Mus’haf was compiledwith each sura written on separatesheets of paper, but there was no orderto the suras. However, the internal orderof the Holy Qur’an and the place of eachsura in the whole as instructed byProphet Muhammadsa were well knownto the Muslims. It was written in theHeery script, and is known as the Ummor the source. This Mus’haf remainedwith Hadhrat Abu Bakrra, and later withHadhrat Umar ra during the la t ter ’sKhilafat and was then deposited withHafsara, daughter of Hadhrat Umarra.

Mus’haf-i-UthmaniDuring the Khilafat of Hadhrat Uthmanra

(644-656 CE), Islam spread far in the Eastand in the West with tremendous speed.Teachers of the Holy Qur ’an withdifferent accents and reading modeswere all around, and their differingmodes and accents were spreading allover. Several companions along withHadhrat Uthmanra himself were afraidthat differences might occur that mayaffect the security and sanctity of theHoly Qur’an. Hadhrat Uthmanra felt theneed for a uniform reading mode of theHoly Qur’an so that any possibility ofdifferences would be eliminated. He,therefore, asked Zaid bin Thabitra tohead a committee of three others, all ofwhom were early companions belongingto the Tribe of Quraish, to make perfectcopies of the authenticated copy. Lateron, other companions also helped, thetotal reaching 12. These copies had theadded facility of each sura being underits own heading. Also, all suras werearranged in their proper order as divinelyinstructed. These Masa’hif were sent tovarious places in the Muslim world, withone copy kept in Medina. The originalremained with Hadhrat Hafsara.

The Early ScriptThe script of all Masahif mentioned

above were compr i sed on ly ofconsonants . There were no vowelpoints, or diacritical marks, and noNuqatt or points denoting differentpronunc ia t ion of s imi la r look ing

40 MuslimSunrise

consonants, like ba (, ta,* tha + ya Ilooked alike, as did jeem , ha - and kha.. The script was rudimentary in theextreme and was basically straight linesof varying lengths, drawn horizontallyand vertically. A rendering of the much-publicized image of the Mus’haf-I-Uthmani, which is reported to be inTashkent, Uzbekistan, is reproducedhere:

The next great development in the writingof the Holy Qur’an was the Tashkeel or theaddition of vowel marks. Most authoritiesagree that this work was started by Abu al-Aswad al-Doaly, a Tabiee during the Khilafatof the Fourth Rightly Guided Khalifa,Hadhrat Alira, and it was completed duringthe reign of Hadhrat Mauwiya bin AbuSufyanra (657-680 CE). The original vowelswere in the form of dots denoting syntacticalmarks: The fatha ( ) was denoted by adot above the letter, the kasra ( ) by

a dot below the letter and a damma ( )by a dot in front of it.

The next step for the ease of readingwas Tanqeet or points denoting differentconsonants. This work was done by Nasrbin Asem and Hayy bin Ya’amor during thereign of Abd al-Malik bin Marwan (685 -705CE).

A complete system of diacritical markswas invented by Al Khalil bin Ahmad al-

Faraheedy (d. 786 CE). This system, with signsfor fatha ( ), kasra ( ), and damma, and marks denoting long vowels, etc, is whatis in use to this day.

Here is a page from a modern printing of theHoly Qur’an by Dar-ul-Ma’rafah in Jordan thatgraphically depicts the development of Qur’anicorthography.

Divisions of the TextThe Mus’haf of Hadhrat Uthmanra, whileplacing the suras in their proper place and order,did not mark any other divisions of the text.During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet, therewere seven divisions or Manazil for a completereading to be concluded in seven days. Aus binHudhaifara reports that several companions toldhim that they used to read the Holy Qur’an inseven manazil, the first comprised of the firstthree suras, the second of the next five suras,the third of the next seven suras, the fourth ofthe next nine suras, the fifth of the next 11 suras,the sixth of the next 13 suras and the seventh ofthe mufassal or from Sura Qaf to the end.

The present day division of the HolyQur’an into 30 parts or Juzz’ is not according tothe context or underlying meaning of the text,but only for the reading convenience duringthe nights of Ramadan, and for the education ofchildren. For the ease of reading a set portionregularly, further divisions of the Juzz’ are made

Fall 2006 41

in Ruba’ or one quarter, Nisf or one half andthulth or three fourth of each part.

The division of suras into Ruku’ orsections is, however, done according to theunits of meaningful context. This divisionwas completed under the auspices of alHajjaj bin Yusuf, the governor of Iraq duringthe reign of Abd Al-Malik bin Marwan (685-705 CE). The ruku’ is denoted as the letter‘ain 9 with three sets of numbers: The topfigure represents the position of the ruku’in the sura. The middle figure is the count ofayaat in the ruku’, while the bottom figure isthe position of the ruku’ in the juzz’. Eachsura contains at least one ruku’.

Two explanations have been reportedfor adopting the ruku’: First, that eachsection denotes a nominal reading of theHoly Qur’an during a raka’ of salat (prayer).The other being that the Ulema (religiousleadership) have marked out 540 ruku sothat during Ramadan a reading of the HolyQur’an may be completed by the 27th night,by reading 20 ruku daily.

Punctuation MarkingsThe most important markings in the text ofthe Holy Qur’an are the added signs forpunctuation, or grammatical stops,continuations and pauses. For non Arabic-speaking people, these signs are imperativefor a correct reading, as stopping, orcontinuing at any given point, without anunderstanding of the text may completelychange the meaning. The Masahif printed inthe Middle East and North Africa generallyhave much less grammatical reading signs thanthose printed in other parts of the Muslimworld. A listing of the more common marks isas follows:

• ‘O’ or a small circle – An abbreviationof waqfe tam or complete stopdenotes the end of an aya. It isalways correct stop here. The onlyexception is that during Hadr or fastspeed recitation, especially duringTaraweeh prayers [offered nightlyduring Ramadhan], one may connectto the next aya.

• A small mim E – Denotes a waqfelazim or compulsory stop. Themeanings will drastically change ifyou continue.

• The word la D’ – Requirescontinued reading as a stop maychange the meaning.

• A small jeem , – Means waqfe jaiz,meaning it is permissible to stop here.

• A small ta 7 – For waqfe mutliq,meaning one may stop here. The signmeans that the sentence is completehowever the argument is continuing.

• A small za 2 or sad 5 – Denote waqfemujawazz and waqfe murakhassrespectively. Each indicating a lesserdegree of permissible stops, only torelieve shortness of breath or otheremergency. After such a stop re-reading from an earlier stop isrequired.

• A small Qaf B – For qeela ala al-waqf, meaning it is said to stop here.

• The word salay ID5 – Means it isbetter to keep reading to the nextsentence.

• A small sin or the word sakta 3C*G– Denote a short, momentary pausewithout a break in breathing.

• The word qiff AB or waqf ABH –Denote a longer sakta.

• The abbreviation maa E9 – Denotestwo equally permissible readings,observing either the first or thesecond stops.

• There are other markings for Wafeghufran, where it is meritorious tostop, etc.

• The other significant marks are thesigns for performing prostrationsduring recitations. There are 15 suchplaces in the Holy Qur’an.

Reproduction of the Mus’hafOver the centuries, the Holy Qur’an has beenwritten by hand in many scripts, regionalstyles, on all kinds of media, in illuminated goldlettering and with elaborate trimmings.According to some, a part of the message ofthe Holy Qur’an is in the shape and connectionof its letters that form words or kalimat. Awhole new discipline of calligraphy was bornout of the desire to present the word of God inthe best possible manner. Indeed, the writingof the Holy Qur’an by hand is considered agreat virtue and the earnings or hadiyah fromthe sale or exchange of a Mus’haf was amongthe most pure and desirable recompense forone’s livelihood.

A large number of these manuscripts areavailable for view in museums of nearly everylarge city of the world. A simple search on theInternet will find innumerable links to websitesthat display great calligraphic masterpieces forvisual pleasure and research.

The first printing of the Holy Qur’an usingmovable type was completed in Hamburg in1694. Later it was also printed in Russia (1828)Persia (1833) and Istanbul (1877). Until veryrecently, Qur’anic printing was done by off-set printing of hand written texts. A largenumber of Arabic fonts have been developedand these days all printing is done using thesefonts.

The modern Masahif are printed for the easeof the reader for a correct recitation in mind.There are extended marks denoting theelongated vowels with the degree ofelongation. The letter alif ‘ is given specialmarks in all its different sound patterns. Itusually has a hamza ! if it is to be sounded, asmall rectangle or an ‘x’ if it is not to bevocalized.

Many Masahif printed in Arab-speakingcountries are color-coded for helping inTajweed or the art of correct recitation. Theseinclude the length of the vowels, thenasalization of tanween, the assimilatedconsonants, the emphatic pronunciation ofcertain other consonants, and theunpronounced contracted and invertedletters. An introductory page from a Mus’hafprinted in this style by Dar-ul-Ma’rafah inJordan is reproduced on the next page.

ConclusionAll praise is due to Allah, Most Gracious,Ever Merciful, that His promise has beenfulfilled and His Last Word, His Qur’an is asavailable to us as it was to the companionsof the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings ofAllah be upon him.

It is only by His Grace that, as the circleof faith grew and more people becameMuslims who were not versed in Arabic, themethod of the writing the Holy Scriptevolved to facilitate its reading in theoriginal, so that the living context willalways be within reach.

Naeem Ahmad Rahtore serves as theSecretary of Education and PR for theLong Island chapter of the AhmadiyyaMuslim Community, USA. He resides inWestbury, New York.

Selected BibliographyIntroduction to the Study of Holy Qur’an, MirzaBasheeruddin Mahmud Ahmadra

The Noble Qur’an ‘Rattalil Qurana Tarteela’,published by Dar-ul-Ma’rafah, Amman, JordanIntroduction to Qur’anic Script,Syed Barkat AhmadConcordance of the Qur’an, Fouad Abdul BaqiThe Holy Qur’an published by the NoorFoundation.Ulum al Qur’an, Ahmad von Denffer

42 MuslimSunrise

Many Masahif printed in Arab-speaking countries are color-coded forhelping in Tajweed or the art of correct recitation. These include thelength of the vowels, the nasalization of tanween, the assimilatedconsonants, the emphatic pronunciation of certain other consonants,and the unpronounced contracted and inverted letters.

Fall 2006 43

Book of MankindBy Micah Tair

From the very tip of a pen there dripped unto a blank page an entire universeWhich blotted ink of dark matter and light

Staining all that was to be written with Power and Grace.For every trillionth part of ink, wee oceans – galaxies.

And upon just one of its seas,Upon just one of its waves, there floated a speck of dust.

And upon the insignificant particle of dustThere was Mankind – minute.

And within Mankind there was a heart.And upon the heart there came

Flames roaring down from above.Roaring from the celestial Pleiades.

Soaring between dimensionsWith purpose they fell upon the microbial heart of Mankind like comets

Showering the medium in meteoric metaphor,Thundering upon the surface of Mankind – Our Beloved Mankind.And the thundering echoed deep into the heart and fathoms down

Through thousands of corridorsTo where the spirit of Mankind sat listening from its spacious room.

From off in a distance it felt and heard the faint boomsOf destiny looming above and growing louder.

Responding in kind restless spirit paced and palpitatedInside a cell whose membrane was loosing density.Furthermore, spirit was entranced by age-old fire

Gabriel kindled inside protected womb – burning since the birth of man.Gazing into that furnace,

Mankind began raging a fierce love.As the Earth’s core pushes up magma through its mantel,

So did spirit of Mankind push up.Up, up and away from the dust into clay formations.

Called upward by the thundering instinctively it rose.And from above, the Greater Love began to trickle through the cracks

And seep like lava down to the moment

44 MuslimSunrise

When the two blazes met and consumed each other.Thirst quenching flames.Flames for the yearning.

Third degree burning with a white glow of a new fire.A new fire summited Mankind on a mountaintop – well lit.

And plummeted the heart into a Gracious and Glorious abyss.Inside a cave – well lit – a small clot formed.

And with recitation upon the lipsAll of Mankind felt the entire weight of the ink pen dip

And drip across the heavens to illustrate the illustrious Book.Took the life of all Mankind to perfect.

Mighty Star with wings spreading into both worldsTranscribed for the most humble of hearts

A text to raise and destroy nations.A text to perfect to next level our stations –

To journey through the middle path of our creation.The book’s binding is Unity,

(A hard or soft cover depending on the reader.)Sprinkled with the aroma of omnipotent sage, each page is heaven scented.

As those pages turn, fanning the flames of age-old fires,Within the sphere of the insignificant particle,

Rebirths go round to birds who are highly flammable.Those truly possessing the Phoenix’s constitution.

We submit at sunriseThe Opening Rose blooms first for all unerringly led to the garden.

We submit at sunriseThat when Mankind ends, we begin again –

Reading and reciting that which is most inviting to angels.Reading and reciting – highlighting with the tips of our pens –

What we knew not.

Micah Tair has a BA in Liberal Arts and is currently working on a nonfiction bookdealing with Islamic dietary traditions. He resides in Oak Park, Illinois.

Fall 2006 45

Transcription of an address given in a series of lectures in Londonby the late Imam JD Shams. Part I presented in The Muslim Sunrise,Summer 2006 issue.

The Battle of BadrAfter Davidas, in 714 B.C., Isaiahas predicted concerning Arabia

in these words:

“In the forest of Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye traveling companiesof Dedanim. The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water tohim that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him they fled.For they fled from the Swords, from the drawn sword, and from thebent bow and from the grievousness of war. For thus hath the Lordsaid unto me, within a year, according to the years of an hireling,and all the glory of Kedar shall fail.” (Isaiah 21, 13-16)

Kedar, a son of Ishmaelas (Gen 25:13), refers here to the Quraish,one of the most powerful of the Arab tribes, whose leaders werekilled in the Battle of Badr in which 313 Muslims, a great number ofwhom were refugees who had fled from Mecca from the drawnsword and the grievousness of war, fought 1,000 of the Quraishand achieved victory over them.

Among these 1,000, were the leaders and important personalitiesof the Quraish, most of whom were killed in this battle. The HolyProphet of Islam, as recorded in Bokhari, after hearing their names,said:

“Mecca is offering us her liver; i.e., the best of her sons.”

This battle took place exactly one year after the flight from Mecca,to which the prophecy also points. Thus was fulfilled the prophecyof Isaiahas the prophet:

“Within a year according to the years of a hireling, and all theglory of Kedar shall fail.”

Concerning this prophecy, we read in the Qur’an:

“And they (the unbelievers) say, ‘Will this promise be fulfilled,if you are truthful? Say, you have the appointment for a day fromwhich you cannot hold back any while, nor can you bring it on.”(Ch. 34: 30-31)

In prophetic language often a day stands for a year. See Clark’scommentary on Daniel 12:11.

We read further in the Qur’an: “Maybe part of that which youhasten on, (i.e. punishment) will come to you after I am gone.” i.e.“After my flight”. Thus we see that Isaiah’s prophecy coincidesprecisely with that of the Holy Qur’an, it was fulfilled a year afterthe flight of the Holy Prophet from Mecca.

A Spiritual Change in ArabiaIsaiahas gives further information about the spiritual changes whichtook place in Arabia. He says:

“Sing unto Lord a new song, and his praise unto the end of theearth, ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein, the islesand the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and the cities

in theBible

Muhammad

“For had you believedin Moses ye would

have believed in me,for he wrote of me; butif ye believe not in hiswritings how will ye

believe in my words?”(John 5:46-47)

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By the late Imam, J.D. ShamsPart II

46 MuslimSunrise

thereof (i.e. the cities of the desert) lift up their voices, the villagesthat Kedar inhabit” (i.e., Arabia), “Let the inhabitants of therock sing (i.e., inhabitants of the secure cities) let them shout fromthe top of the mountains, let them give glory unto the Lord anddeclare his praise in the islands. The Lord shall go forth as mightyman, He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war, he shall cry, yea,he shall roar, he shall prevail against enemies. I will bring theblind by a way that they knew not, I will let them in paths that theyhave not known; I will make darkness light, before them, andcrooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and notforsake them. They shall be turned back, and they shall be greatlyashamed that truth in graven images, that say to the molten images,‘You are our God’.” (Isaiah 42:10-17)

In these verses we have a remarkable description of the Arabswho worshipped graven images as their God, of how spirituallyblind they were, how they stumbled in the darkness; but who, afterthe coming of the new song, i.e., the Qur’an, were guided to theright path; the darkness turned into light, and crooked things weremade straight. In short the whole peninsula, villages, mountainsand wilderness, echoed with the believers’ cries in praise of God.The call from the lofty minarets was heard throughout the East:God is the greatest; Allah alone is worthy to be worshipped, andMuhammadsa is His Messenger.”

In the Hajj (pilgrimage), peoples of various countries flockedevery year to where the Kedar lived, and they shouted from the topof the mountains of Mecca the Adhan (call to prayer) and Talbiyya(i.e., “We are ready, O our Lord, there is no associate with Thee, andall praise and grace belong to Thee.”).

More about the ProphetLeaving the prophecies of some other prophets who followed

Isaiahas, I come to 626 B.C. in which Habakkuk disclosed some newpoints and particulars about the Holy prophet of Islam, three ofwhich I like to mention here:

1. “God came from Teman and the Holy one from Mount Paran.His glory covered the Heavens and the earth was full of his praise.”(3:3)

I have already mentioned that Paran is the place where Ishmaelas

and his descendants lived, and the name is used for Arabia. Inverse 3:7 Habakkuk says:

“I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction.”

The commentators of the Bible write that Cushan is Arabia. TheArabians dwelt in tents, so they were called “Semites”. Therefore,this prophecy is obviously concerned with Arabia, of which theheavens and all the land were filled with the praise of God, and Hisglory, in consequence of the appearance of the Holy Prophet ofIslam upon whom too, according to the Qur’an, God and his angelsin Heaven gave their blessings; and the believers on earthperpetually called the divine blessings on him.

Wollaston writes:

“The mission of Islam was inexolerable. Jew, Pagan and Christianwere alike set aside; the religion of the future was to be the worshipof one God.”

“There is no god but God, and Muhammadsa is His Prophet”had become a factor in the world history. The key of paradise was,

to use the prophet’s own striking words, “to testify that there is nogod but the Lord alone, with Him there is no partner.” (1/2 hourwith Mohammed, p.65)

2. “Before him went the pestilence and burning coals went forthat his feet.”

In the Arabic translation, instead of ‘Burning coals’ we have ‘thefever.’ Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, writes in hiscommentary:

“The authorized version has unfortunately rendered all the verbsin this section in the past tense, thus obscuring the sense of thepoem. They all refer to a scene really future, but brought by thegrasp of Faith, into the immediate present.”

He says, about this phrase:

“Better, before him shall go the plague and burning pestilenceshall go forth where he sets his feet.”

This happened exactly as foretold. When the Holy Prophet cameto Medina, which was weltering under its pestilence and many ofhis fellow refugee were prostrate with the fever. Sir William Muirwrites:

“On which Mohammedsa, looking upwards, prayed, O Lord! MakeMedina dear unto us, even as Mecca, or even dearer. Bless itsproduce and banish far from it the pestilence.”

In the margin, he adds:

“So prevalent was the fever, that at one time Mahometsa wasalmost the only person at prayers able to stand up.” (Life ofMahomet p. 65)

This pestilence was removed from Medina, the burning feverfled away by the prayers of the Holy Prophet, as is also mentionedin Bukhari in the chapter, Interpretation of Dreams. Abdullahra, sonof Omarra, relates that the Holy Prophet of Islam whilst in Medinasaw in a vision that a jet black woman with disordered hair went outin Medina and stood in Jahfa, and he interpreted it to mean that thepestilence of Medina had been removed to Jahfa. Thus the predictionof Habakkuk was verbally fulfilled in the time of the Holy Prophet ofIslam.

3. “Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked bydiscovering the foundation unto the neck. Thou didst strikethrough with his stave the head of the villages.” (3:13-14)

Ellicott says later:

“Thou dost pierce with his (thine anointed people’s) spears thehead of his (the enemy’s princes) when they came out as a whirlwindto scatter me, their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.”(3:13-14)

Christian commentators who try to apply this prophecy to JesusChristas are disturbed over these two points. They cannot find anysatisfactory answers; instead treat them very obscure clauses. Butwe find a literal fulfillment of these points in the Holy Prophet.

Fall 2006 47

The last point is the uttermost efforts made by the chieftains ofMecca who went to the Battle of Badr like a whirlwind with theintention of extirpating Islam. The prayer of the Holy Prophet atthis time reflects the true picture of the danger.

Wollaston writes:

“Mohamedsa was fully alive to the importance of the struggleupon which he had entered-immediately before the battle, heimplored the assistance of the God whose cause he was supporting:O’ Lord! I beseech Thee; forget not Thy promise of assistance andof victory. O Lord, if this little band be vanquished, idolatry willprevail and the pure worship of Thee ceases from off the Earth.”(1/2 Hour with Mohamed, p. 51)

Now the first clause that “thou woundedst the head out of thehouse of the wicked by discovering the foundation unto the neck”is very interesting. The various authors in their commentaries onthe Bible write:

“The obscurity of this verse is diminished if we rememberthat Pharaoh is being spoken of as (to use our own commonphrase) ‘the head of his house.’ This head, says the prophet,Jehovah struck entirely away at the disaster of the Red Sea.”

I have already quoted above from the Lord Bishop Ellicott’scommentary, ‘that all the verbs in this section refer to a futurescene.’ Therefore it is futile to say that the verse refers toPharaoh’s destruction in the Red Sea. This prophecy had itstrue fulfillment when Abu Jahl, the head of the Quraish, receiveda blow of the scimitar in the thigh which brought him to theground; his head was later cut off by Abdullah son of Masood.Dermangham tells us how.

“Abdullah ben Masood found Abu Jahl in a dying state. Heput his foot on his chest already to deal with him the deathblow, but the old man asked: ‘To whom is the victory?’ ‘To Godand His Prophet.’ The dying man lifted himself up painfully,and with a terrible look, a mingling of sadness, rage and pride,he grasped Abdullah’s beard and said: ‘Little herdsman thatyou are! You are about to kill me. But you aspire a trifle toohigh. I am the noblest man that it shall be given you to put todeath. And I have already been vanquished by a mere peasant.’Abdullah cut off his head and brought it to the Prophet. ‘Thereis no God but Allah,’ said he prostrating himself, ‘This man wasthe Pharaoh of our nation and he has been punished’.” (P.189)

In another tradition quoted in Al-Siratul Halabiyya, AbdullahIbn Masood said: “When I struck him with my saber, it did notstrike well. Then Abu Jahl spat in my face and said: ‘Take thoumy sword and cut off my head from the foundations of my neck!’And I did so.” Edward William Lane, after mentioning themeaning of Arsh (i.e., a vein in the base of the neck), writes:“…and when it is said Arsh Falan, it means he struck him in thebase of the neck.”

It is related in a tradition respecting the slaying of Abu-Jahl,that he said to Ibn Masood: “Take thou my sword and cut withit my head from my Arsh (vein in the base of the neck).” (Lane’sArabic-English Lexicon)

In this prophecy, Abu Jahl is named the head of the wicked,as Pharaoh was by his own confession when he said, “The Lordis righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (Exodus 9:27).

And as Pharaoh incited the people to pursue the Israelites whenthey fled from Egypt, likewise, “Abu Jahl was the person whomounted the roof and sounded the alarm” (Life of Mohamed byIrving. P. 109). In this way the prophecy is connected withPharaoh, but not the Pharaoh of Mosesas, but the Pharaoh of theProphetsa, whom Mosesas described as one ‘like unto him’.

A Prophet after JesusNow I come to the time of Jesus Christas. In his time, we find

that all the Jews believed in the coming of three prophets: Eliasas,Messiah and That Prophet (John 1:21). Jesusas was the Messiahand he regarded John the Baptist as Elias (Matt. 11:15). Thenwhere is “that prophet” who was to come after the Messiah?The Rev. Sadler writes:

“That prophet seems to refer to the one foretold by God inDeut. 18:18. It seems that the Jews did not universallyunderstand this prophecy of the Messiah.” (The St. John’sGospel with Notes by Sadler)

We have already examined the prophecy of Deuteronomy18:18. We found that the prophet mentioned in it cannot be theMessiah. It is the Holy Prophet of Islam who was to come afterthe Messiah. Thus did Jesusas point out in the parable of theVineyard that after him “shall come the Lord of Vineyard, and hewill destroy those wicked husbandmen, and will let out thevineyard unto other husbandmen which shall render him thefruits in their seasons.” “Jesusas said unto them: ‘Did you neverread in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, thesame was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lordand it is marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, I say unto you, theKingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall begiven to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And he thatfalleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces, but on whosoeverit shall fall, it will grind him to powder’.” (Matt. 21:40-41)

Moreover, Peter’s saying, recorded in Acts 3:22, leaves noroom for doubt that after Jesusas “shall come the prophet like ofMosesas, about whom all the prophets have prophesied”.Therefore, undoubtedly, the Holy Prophet of Islam was theprophet foretold, who appeared after Jesusas, from thedescendants of Ishmael about whom it was said: “His hand shallbe against every man, and every man’s against him” (Gen 16:12).And who was rejected by the builders and cast out into thewilderness in the hope that he should not be heir with Isaac(Gen. 21:10); but at last in the person of the Holy Prophet ofIslam was made the corner stone of the building of religion andcivilization of the world. The wicked husbandmen who dwelt inthe outskirts of Medina were miserably punished; thepersecutors were deprived of the kingdom of heaven and thekingdom of earth.

The Spirit of TruthAvoiding the dispute between Muslims and Christians about

the word “Comforter” or “Paraclete,” I take the verse (John 16:12-14) in which Jesus says: I have yet many things to say unto you,but you cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit ofTruth is come he will guide you to all truth, for he shall notspeak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall hespeak, and he will show you or declare things to come. He shallglorify me, for he shall receive of mine, and shall show or declareit unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore,

48 MuslimSunrise

said I that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”This “Spirit of Truth” cannot be the Holy Ghost as Christian

commentators claim.Firstly, because the Holy Ghost was in the world in the time of

Jesus. John the Baptist witnessed the spirit like a dove descendingupon Jesusas; he said that Jesusas “Shall baptize you with the HolyGhost” (Mark 1”8-10). Luke tells us about a man in Jerusalem namedSimeon, that the Holy Ghost was upon him, and had revealed to himthat he would see Christ before his death (Luke 2:25). But the spiritof truth mentioned in the verse under discussion was to come afterJesusas.

Secondly, the Holy Ghost did not reveal to the disciple newthings which they should not bear in Jesus’sas lifetime. On thecontrary, they gave up the burden of the Law, and made manyconcessions to the people in the matter of religion, and droppedmany restrictions on eating and drinking.

Thirdly, The Holy Ghost did not reveal to them more of the truththan Jesusas did.

Fourthly, the disciples spoke themselves and never claimed thatGod spoke to them.

Fifthly, the disciples did not make prophecies by revelation ofGod about the future.

The true fulfillment of this prophecy was the Holy Prophet ofIslam.

Firstly, he came after Jesusas and brought a perfectcomprehensive Law containing the new ordinances andcommandments, which Jesus’sas disciples were not able to bear—such as the ordinances of fighting, and five daily prayers, and acomplete code of eating and drinking, and for all social affairs.

Secondly, he was given all the truth, (i.e., the Qur’an) aboutwhich God says: “In the Qur’an are all the right books” (98:3),meaning, the right teachings, ordinances, directions and all itemsnecessary for the guidance of man, whether they were revealedbefore or not, are all to be found in the Qur’an.

Thirdly, he did not speak from himself, but what he receivedfrom Allah. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

“Nor speaks he of his own inclination. It is but a revelationwhich is revealed to him.” (53:34)

“And whenever our clear communications are recited to them,those who do not hope of our meeting say: ‘Bring Qur’an otherthan this, or change it.’ Say, ‘It does not beseem me to that I shouldchange it of myself; I follow naught but what is revealed to me’.”(10:15)

Fourthly, he glorified Jesusas by revealing Jesus’sas trueposition to the world; exonerated him and his mother fromthe stigmas placed on them in the past. He cleared him ofbeing ‘cursed of God’, as the Jews and Christians believedalike, on the ground that he died on the cross. The Qur’anrefuses this idea based on surmise and declares that the Jews“did not kill him assuredly, but on the contrary he died hisnatural death, and God exalted him in his presence. (4:158)

Fifthly, he forecast by the revelation of God about thefuture so abundantly, that it is useless to attempt to find hisparallel among the other prophets. There are, for instance,prophecies in the Qur’an and traditions in respect of ourown time. These have been fulfilled precisely. If God please,I will give an account of them on some other occasion.

In short, the true object of this prophecy is none otherthan the Holy Prophet of Islam.

Prophecies applied to JesusBefore I conclude my subject, I would like to mention three

prophecies applied to Jesusas from Matthew’s Gospel:

1. Matthew says:

“Joseph (with Mary and Jesus) lived in Egypt until theDeath of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spokenof the Lord by the prophets, saying: ‘Out of Egypt have Icalled my Son’.”

The real words of the prophet in the Old Testament are:“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called myson out of Egypt.” (Hosea 11:1)

Now it is clear as sun from the original words of theprophets that they refer to the Exodus of Israel from Egypt,about whom God said, “Israel is my son, even my first-born”(Exodus 4:22).

2. When Herod slew all the children of Bethlehem, fromtwo years old and under, then was fulfilled that which wasspoken by Jeremiahas the prophet, saying: “In Rama was therea voice heard lamenting and weeping, and great mourning:Rachel weeping for children, and would not be comforted,because they are not” (Matt. 2:17-19). But in the OldTestament Jeremiahas continues: “Thus saith the Lord, refrainthy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thywork shall be rewarded, saith the Lord, that thy children shallcome again from the land of the enemy, and there is hope inthine end, saith the Lord, that thy children shall come againto their border” (Jeremiah 31:16-17).

These are the words. Evidently the prophet speaks thesewords to the children of Israel as they are carried away intocaptivity into Babylon. The prophet forecasts that they willbe released and will come back to their own homes.

3. Josephas came back with Jesusas and Maryra from Egyptand dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled,which was spoken by the prophets; he shall be calledNazarene (Matt. 2:23). But these words are not to be found inany prophet’s books.

ConclusionIn conclusion, I would like to say that these prophecies

about the coming of the Holy Prophet of Islam, clearer thanthose about Prophet Jesusas, were one of the many reasonswhich led unprejudiced Christians to accept Islam. They knewthat the rejection of a prophet who appears in accordancewith prophecies is, as Jesusas said, the rejection of theprophets who prophesied about him. After learning the truthof the Holy Prophet of Islam, they feared not the oppositionof their relatives and countrymen and boldly became Muslimsdeclaring: There is none worthy of worship bedsides Allah,and Muhammadas is His Messenger.

They were convinced of Islam through a sword. Not asword of steel, though, but the unbreakable sword of reasonand argument. By the same sword, Christians of this age willaccept Islam, and the One, True God will be worshipped in allthe world. Amen!

Fall 2006 49

"The straight path and the principal means which is full of thelights of certainty, and is the perfect guide for our spiritual wel-fare and our intellectual progress, is the Holy Qur'an which ischarged with the settlement of all the religious contests of the

world. It contains a large quantity of the water of life for us andcomprises many rare and priceless jewels which are hidden in itand are being displayed every day. It is an excellent touchstonewhereby we can distinguish between truth and falsehood. It is

the one bright lamp which shows the way of truth."

- Promised Messiah Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas

Ruhani Khazain, London, 1984, Vol. 3, pp. 524-525

50 MuslimSunrise

Part IBy Imam Mubasher Ahmad

What is a Sign of Allah?

A “Sign” is a practical operation or a

verbal expression of God’s will intended tolead men to a Divine purpose, to establish arelationship between God and His people.In the Holy Qur’an, a “Sign” (Ayah; pl.Ayaat) has several connotations. Mostcommonly, an Ayah is understood to be acommunication from God. All the verses(complete lines) of the Qur’an are called“Signs” (Ayaat) because every one of themconstitutes a sign of guidance and wisdomfor mankind to stay close to God: And thusdo We make clear the Signs, that they maybe admonished and that they may returnto Us (Qur’an 7:175).

A “Sign” of God, in the real sense of theword, means a wonder and miracle, aspectacular event that appears from God tolead men to know Him. For example, ProphetMosesas performed wonders and signs inthe land of Egypt and in the wilderness. Alogical and convincing argument is alsoknown as a “Sign” (Ayah). In addition, theQur’an uses the term “Signs” for all naturalphenomena. A careful study of natural thingsand their functions tends to give strongindication that there is a creator andsustainer of all that exists Who is All-Wiseand Benevolent. Sometimes, a prophet/messenger of God also shows a Sign as awarning. Such a Sign becomes a pendingjudgment on disbelief. The Qur’an declares:And We send no Signs but to warn (17:60).God also shows His Signs against Hisenemies, the sinners, as punishment for theirrejection of truth. For instance, ProphetNoah’sas flood was one of such Signs (54:16).The greatest of all the Signs is to becomeone with God, to “see” Him by attaining theutmost nearness to Him. This Sign wasbestowed in its full glory upon the HolyProphet Muhammadsa: Surely, he saw thegreatest of the Signs of his Lord (53:19).

Signs and Symbolism: Certain signs mentioned in the Qur’an aresymbolic. For example, the quickening of theearth after its death is a symbolic sign forthe revival of peoples who are morally and

Signs of Allah in the Holy Qur'anThe likeness of the present life is only as water

which we send down from the clouds, then minglewith it the produce of the earth, of which men andcattle eat till, when the earth receives its ornate-

ness and looks beautiful and its owners think theyhave power over it, there comes to it Our com-

mandment by night or by day and We render it afield that is mown down, as if nothing had existedthere the day before. Thus We expound the Signs

for a people who reflect (10:25).

Has not the time arrived for those who believe thattheir hearts should be humbled at the remem-

brance of Allah and at the truth which has comedown to them, and that they should not become

like those who were given the Book before them,but their hearts were hardened, and many of themare wicked? Know that Allah is now quickening

the earth after its death. We have made the Signsmanifest to you, that you understand (57:18).

Fall 2006 51

spiritually dead: Has not thetime arrived for those whobelieve that their heartsshould be humbled at theremembrance of Allah and atthe truth which has comedown to them, and that theyshould not become like thosewho were given the Bookbefore them, but their heartswere hardened, and many ofthem are wicked? Know thatAllah is now quickening theearth after its death. We havemade the Signs manifest toyou, that you understand(57:18).

The worldly l ife istemporary and illusionary;materialism is discouraged bythe Qur’an: The likeness ofthe present life is only aswater which we send downfrom the clouds, then minglewith it the produce of theearth, of which men andcattle eat till, when the earthreceives its ornateness andlooks beautiful and itsowners think they havepower over it, there comes toit Our commandment bynight or by day and Werender it a field that is mowndown, as if nothing hadexisted there the day before.Thus We expound the Signsfor a people who reflect(10:25).

Variety of Signs:

The Holy Qur’an alsomentions a variety of othersignificant signs in differentconnotations. For example:“The Station of Abraham” (3:97); the“Ark” or a “contented heart” given toIsraelites (2:248); a person (ProphetEzekielas) who saw in a vision that he sleptfor 100 years (2:260); the Sign of a “she-camel” that Prophet Salehas gave to histribe Thamud (7:74); “Mary and her sonJesus” (23:51, 5:76); “the table of food”given to Jesus (5:114); “spoils of war”(48:21); “adornments of Allah” including“good and pure provisions” (7:33); He itis Who shows you His Signs, and sendsdown provision for you from heaven; but

none pays heed save he who turns to Him(40:14); economical differences (39:53);“clothes” to cover human shame, and theraiment of righteousness being the bestdress (7:27) – all these are called “Signsof Allah” in the Holy Qur’an.

Signs are shown throughProphets and Messengers of

God: God shows Signs in favor of prophets

and their followers as a proof that they

are truthful and that He is ontheir side. Prophetic Signshave two revelatoryelements: First , theannouncement of a revealedprophecy for a future eventand, second, the symbolismof that event. When a Signtakes place, overcoming allimpediments, the authority ofthe prophet showing theSign is attested that he is fromGod. Never did We send aMessenger or a Prophetbefore you, but when hesought to attain what heaimed at, Satan putobstacles in the way what hesought after. But Allahremoves the obstacles thatare placed by Satan. ThenAllah firmly establishes Hissigns. And Allah is All-Knowing, Wise (22:53).

Objective of theSigns:

The objective is to

establish the truth, toprovide guidance, salvationand righteousness tomankind through Gnosis ofthe Divine, the One God. Weread in the Qur’an: He is Whosends down clear Signs toHis servant that He maybring you out of darknessinto the light. And verily,Allah is Compassionate andMerciful to you (57:10).Referring to ProphetMuhammadsa, the Qur’ansays: He is “a Messengerwho recites unto you theclear Signs of Allah that hemay bring those who believeand do good deeds out of

every kind of darkness into light (65:12).He it is Who has raised among theunlettered people a Messenger fromamong themselves who recites unto themHis Signs, and purifies them, and teachesthem the Book and the wisdom, althoughthey had been, before, in manifestmisguidance (62:3, 3:165). These are theSigns of Allah, We rehearse them to youwhile they comprise the truth; and Allahwills not any wrong to His creatures(3:109).

Referring to Prophet Muhammadsa, theQur’an says: He is “a Messenger who

recites unto you the clear Signs of Allahthat he may bring those who believe and

do good deeds out of every kind ofdarkness into light (65:12). He it is Whohas raised among the unlettered people aMessenger from among themselves whorecites unto them His Signs, and purifiesthem, and teaches them the Book and thewisdom, although they had been, before,

in manifest misguidance (62:3, 3:165).

52 MuslimSunrise

The verses of the Qur’an areSigns of Allah:

These are Signs (ayaat — verses) of theclear Book (12:2, 26:3, 28:3). These areSigns of the Book that are full of wisdom(10:2). These are the Signs of the Book,and that which has been revealed to youfrom your Lord is the truth, but most menbelieve not (13:2). These are Signs of theBook and of the illuminating Qur’an(15:2, 27:2). And remember what is recitedin your houses of the Signs of Allah andof wisdom. Verily Allah is the Knower ofsubtleties, All- Aware (33:35). And letthem not turn you away from the Signsof Allah, after they have been sent downto you; and call mankind to your Lord,and be not of those who attributepartners to Him (28:88). The chapters (Suras) of the Qur’an andthe entire Qur’an are also referred to ascomprising of manifest “Signs”: This is aSura which We have revealed and whichWe have made obligatory; and we haverevealed therein clear Signs, that youmay take heed (24:2). Thus We have sentit (the Qur’an) down as manifest Signs.Surely Allah guides whom He wills(22:17). This is a Book which We haverevealed to you, full of blessings, thatthey may reflect over its Signs, and thatthose gifted with understanding may takeheed. (38:30); A Book, the Signs of whichhave been expounded in detail ineloquent language for a people who haveknowledge (41:4, 41:45). And in likemanner We sent down the Book to you,so those whom We have given trueknowledge of the Book believe in it (theQur’an), and there are some (of theseMeccans) who believe in it, and none butthe ungrateful deny our Signs. Nay, it iscollection of clear Signs in the hearts ofthose who are given knowledge. Andnone but the wrong-doers deny Our Signs.And they say, “why are not Signs sentdown to him from his Lord?” Say, TheSigns are with Allah, and certainly I ama clear Warner (29:48, 50,51). Some of the Signs are open tointerpretations: “He it is Who has sent down to you theBook; in it are Signs that are decisive in

meaning? They are the basis of the Book.There are others that are susceptible ofdifferent interpretations. But those inwhose hearts is perversity pursue suchthereof as are susceptible of differentinterpretations, seeking discord andseeking wrong interpretation of it. Andnone knows its right interpretationexcept Allah and those who are firmlygrounded in knowledge. They say, ‘Webelieve in it; the whole (of the Qur’an) isfrom our Lord.’ And none heed exceptthose gifted with understanding” (3:8). All the Prophets and Messengersrehearsed the Signs, by the leave of God,to their contemporaries:

The Prophets and Messengers weremade distinct from others by giving themSigns for the guidance of their people.And never did your Lord destroy thetownships, till He had raised up in theirmother-town a Messenger reciting untothem Our Signs. And never did Wedestroy the townships unless the folksthereof were evil-doers (28:60). And,indeed, We sent Messengers before you(Muhammad), and We gave them wivesand children. And it is not possible fora Messenger to bring a Sign save by thecommand of Allah. For every term thereis a Divine decree (13:39). And We didsend Messengers before you; of them aresome whom We have mentioned to you,and of them there are some whom Wehave not mentioned to you; and it is notpossible for any Messenger to bring aSign except by the leave of Allah. Butwhen Allah’s decree came, the matterwas decided with truth, and then thereperished those who uttered falsehood(40:79). And He shows you His Signs;which one of the Signs of Allah will youdeny? (40:82). ‘O company of Jinn andmen! Did not the Messengers come toyou from among yourselves who relatedyou mine Signs and who warned you themeeting of this your day?’ (6:131).Prophet Noahas reminded his people oftheir duty through the Signs of Allah(10:72). Prophet Mosesas was given greatSigns to perform: And We did sendMoses, with Our Signs and manifestauthority (40:24). Prophets after Mosescontinued to show Signs of Allah: Webrought forth generations (after Moses),and life became prolonged for them.And you were not a dweller in Median,reciting unto them Our Signs, but Wekept sending Messengers to men (28:46).

Ask the children of Israel how manyclear Signs We gave them. But whosochanges the gift of Allah after it hascome to him, surely, then, Allah is severein punishing (2:212).

Bartering the Signs of Allah: “Selling” or “bartering” the Signs of

Allah is another significant phrase usedin the Holy Qur’an: O children of Israel!Remember My favor that I bestowedupon you, and fulfill your covenant withMe, I will fulfill My covenant with you,and Me alone should you fear. Andbelieve in what I have sent down whichfulfils that which is with you, and be notthe first to disbelieve therein, andbarter not My Signs for a paltry price,and take protection in Me alone (2:41,5:45). Bartering of God’s Signs withsomething lesser in value means todiscard the covenant made with God and,instead, give precedence to worldly lifeand material objectives that have no realvalue. And barter not the covenant ofAllah for a paltry price. Surely, thatwhich is with Allah is better for you ifyou only knew (16:96). The Qur’an hasvery strong words for those who indulgein such a losing business: Those whoconceal that which Allah has sent downof the Book (that is, the Signs) and takein exchange for that a paltry price, theyfill their bellies with nothing but fire.Allah will not speak to them on the Dayof Resurrection, nor will He purify them.And for them is a grievous punishment.It is they who have taken error inexchange of guidance and punishmentfor forgiveness. How great is theirendurance of Fire. That is becauseAllah has sent down the Book with thetruth; and surely, they who disagreeconcerning the Book are gone far inenmity (2:175-177).

Abrogation of some of the

Signs: Based on certain statements in the

Holy Qur’an, the issue of “abrogation”of some revealed verses is discussed byscholars and commentators of theQur’an. Whatever Sign We abrogate orcause to be forgotten, We bring onebetter than that or the like thereof(2:107). Misunderstanding the meaningof this verse, erroneous opinion wasformed as if some of the verses of theQur’an were revealed to cancel out some

Fall 2006 53

other verses of the Qur’an. But theupholders of this opinion could notagree among themselves how manyverses of the Qur’an are “abrogated.”Some commentators claimed that up tofive hundred verses were abrogated,but then there were others who thoughtthat only five verses of the Qur’an wereabrogated. Furthermore, it was not clearwhether the abrogated verses were stillkept as an integral part of the text ofthe Qur’an or they were completelydeleted from the text. If these verseswere not taken out of the Qur’an, thenwhat was the need to keep them in thetext? A careful study of the Qur’an,howeve r, makes i t c l ea r t ha t t he“replacement” or “abrogation” of theSigns is not in reference to the revealedve r se s o f t he Qur ’an i t s e l f . Thereference is to the revealed messagesgiven to previous Prophets of God.

Some previous revelations had becomeeither antiquated or forgotten. The newcommunications sent down to ProphetMuhammad sa r ep l aced t hem. TheQur’an superseded the instructionsg iven th rough some o f t he pas tProphets. Taking the word “Ayah” inthe s ense o f a l ega l code , t he“abrogation of Signs” would mean thatin certain matters, the Law of Islam isdifferent from some of the previouslyrevea l ed r e l i g ious i n s t ruc t i ons .Obviously, in such a case the followersof the previous scriptures would notl ike th i s change , and they woulderroneously regard it as an evidenceof the Qur’an being a forgery. Andwhen we bring one Sign (Ayah) inplace of another – and Allah knowsbest what He reveals? They say, ‘Youare but a fabricator.’ Nay, most ofthem know not (16:102). The previous

Scriptures were meant for specificpeople and for a limited time. Theve r se s o f t he Qur ’an gavecomprehensive and global instructionsto mankind for all times to come. Thisis a Book whose verses have beenmade unchangeable and then theyhave been expounded in detail. It isfrom One Wise, and All-Aware (11:2).

Abrogation of some of the Signs may

also mean that i f the disbel ieversexpress the i r repentance dur ing acourse of given time, a “warning ofpunishment” promised to the rejectersof the truth is averted or replaced by aSign of mercy and forgiveness fromGod.

Part 2

Winter issue of theMuslim Sunrise.

And barter not the covenant of Allah fora paltry price. Surely, that which is withAllah is better for you if you only knew

(16:96)

54 MuslimSunrise

Trivial Matters

Fall 2006 55

Sudoku PuzzleFill in the blanksquares so that eachrow, each column andeach 3-by-3 blockcontain all of thedigits 1 thru 9.

If you use logic youcan solve the puzzlewithout guesswork.

Solutions in nextissue.

56 MuslimSunrise

Today, everyone iscareful about using the word“sin.” Politicians talk about

issues concerning morality, such ashomosexuality and the causes ofabortion. They all refer to these issuesas ‘against our tradition,’ ‘against ourvalues,’ ‘against our religious beliefs,’thus always avoiding the “S” word. Ithink it’s a simple enough word; only threeletters, one vowel. Maybe it’s becausepeople have forgotten what this termmeans. We have got enough of it aroundso I don’t know why we would have aproblem referring to it. I think it has todo with our being super conscious aboutthe words we use which have a religiousconnotation. Otherwise, I fail tounderstand why a righteous personwould object to the use of the “S” word.(A sinner’s objection I can understand.)

When we park on the wrong side ofthe street or speed on the highways, weknow there are consequences. It isbecause we are breaking the lawsestablished by the government. Theymay be local, state or federal, butnonetheless, someone is going to makeus pay for it. We know it is wrong andwe do it intentionally and then justifythe reasons for our behavior. There areentire books compiled on the variousexcuses people have used when caughtspeeding. We’ve also thought out howwe’re going to beat the ticket and whichlawyer will help us do that. This, ofcourse, is after trying to talk the officerout of issuing the ticket in the first place.

Sin is nothing more than the breakingof the laws established by God insteadof those drafted by humans. It shouldbe simple enough to understand. Whenwe break the laws of the land, we commita “crime.” Similarly, when weintentionally break the laws of God, wecommit a “sin.” Now you can interrelatethe words ‘criminal’ and ‘sinful.’ Theonly thing left to discuss now is whatconstitutes a sin in the eyes of God andhow He is going to make us pay for it.His mercy doesn’t work when wechallenge His laws blatantly and openly.

The laws of God are defined in various

religions and preachers make sure thatfollowers are reminded of them constantly.The fact is that without the religion, thereis no concept of morality. Speaking thetruth, not stealing, respecting yourparents and other such values alloriginated from the teachings of theworld’s religions. Most of the laws of theland stem from principles rooted in theprevalent religion of the land. We evenknow how to make people obey lawsagainst theft or perjury. We just call it a“crime” when these laws are broken,avoiding use of the “S” word. The fact isthat most of the time, when breaking thelaw of the land, we are also breaking the

law of God. Like as we may, thepunishment for the latter cannot beignored. Truthful people like Jesusas,Mosesas and the Holy ProphetMuhammadsa all testified to it. They hadno problem using the “S” word anddiscussing the court hearing associatedwith it.

God has declared that there will be ahearing on our violations of His laws.Some refer to it as the ‘Day of Judgment,’the ‘Hour,’ or the ‘Day of Reckoning.’Regardless of its name, it is going to takeplace. The futility of trying to talkourselves out of it is what we don’t wantto think about. So we would rather notdiscuss it altogether. It is rather difficultto avoid, however, when God is thewitness and it is well-established that wewere taught the laws through thousandsof prophets that came warning us. Lyingwould not help because it is the All-Knowing God Who is the Judge. This hasto be the optimal courtroom; the lawyersare missing. Come to think of it, without

Sin is nothing more thanthe breaking of the laws

established by God insteadof those drafted by

humans.

The “S”Word

P e r s p e c t i v e s : A c o l u m n b y F a l a h S h a m s

Fall 2006 57

God has declared thatthere will be a hearing

on our violations ofHis laws.

Some refer to it as the ‘Dayof Judgment,’ the ‘Hour,’ or

the ‘Day of Reckoning.’Regardless of its name, it is

going to take place.

that kind of Day of Judgment, theconcept of having laws seems meaningless.

Even a hundred years ago, right here inAmerica, people talked about sin. Thepoliticians, the news reporters and thegeneral public used the word openly. Theywere not ashamed to refer to something asa sin if it was against the laws of God asdescribed in their faith. Now, we live in asociety where if anyone even refers to sinin a statement, news reporters treat it as ifit were a statement of ‘fundamentalism’ by‘right wing ultra conservatives;’ one theyhad better not give meaningful coverage.It’s sort of like when they get a statementfrom a terrorist; they know the publicshould know about it but they take carenot to give it so much coverage that itbecomes noteworthy.

One of the reasons for avoiding the word‘sin’ has to do with how the behavior ofsociety has changed. A few decades ago,there was no open dating in this country.Chaperons were assigned for courtship ofyoung people before they decided to getmarried. A person committing sin wasopenly disliked by, and disgraced insociety. The church played an importantpart in ensuring that decent people werenot confused with the violators of the lawsof God.

Things have changed. On Mondaymorning, in offices and factories alike, youhear people discussing what they did over

the weekend and, without using the “S”word, how many times they violated thelaws of God. They call it the ‘truth,’ becausewhy should they hide it, even if whatthey’ve done is something wrong. Is it notbetter to tell the truth about sin, rather thanto lie about it, and thus compounding it?Well, I call that the “Boldness of Sin.”When people start talking about sinfulactivities openly, it starts to sound likenormal behavior, and then they don’t wantto call it sin anymore. The concept of hidingthe sins of others and not spreading thenews relates to the same concept. Ipurposely did not use the religiousterminology ‘backbiting’ because then I willhave to start explaining the use of anotherterm. It is not a good idea to extend thisdiscussion. You see, I have attention-spanissues.

Whether we use the “S” word or not, weare still accountable. God still sends Hiscurse upon the liars. The adulterers are stillgoing to be called upon for theirpunishment. The backbiting and otherindecent behavior is still going to bequestioned. The court date is definite.Sometimes we think of time in our ownterms of measurement, but it maybe soonerthan we think. It seems like it wasyesterday; I was going to school anddemanding things from my parents.Everything got turned around somewheredown the line, but a lot of time has passed

according to the way we measure it. Thebest thing is to find out what we shouldavoid because it is against the laws of Godso we can be on guard. Christians canwatch “The Ten Commandments” andMuslims can study the commandments inthe Holy Qur’an, which are about sevenhundred in number.

Allah has given us an easier way. Don’tbe afraid of the burden of learning all thecommandments. We have been given asimple formula to follow, until the time whenwe have gained the proper knowledge.Allah says in Surah Luqman, “Follow thepath that leads towards Me.” Very simply,it means that when it is time for prayer andyour friend is calling you to play around,gossip or watch TV, take the path that willget you closer to God. It is certainly notthe path that leads to the television set.Incidentally, that’s the same path that ispolitically incorrect to describe using the“S” word.

Sin is something we should talk about.Avoiding sin is the first step in our upwardclimb to the towering heights of spiritualitythat we are all capable of achieving. It’slike we have to clean up before we can putthe dry-cleaned clothes on and spray thecologne. It would be a shame if we don’ttry to utilize the capability God bestowedin our souls.

I think it would be a sin.

58 MuslimSunrise

By Zahid Mian

A s the 2006 Hurricane seasonstarts, it’s worth lookingback at the devastationcaused by Katrina last yearand the response by citizens

across the country. I had the good fortuneto serve as a volunteer with HumanityFirst and was able to witness first handthe enormous scale of destruction in NewOrleans. I still can’t comprehend theenormity of it all, and I hope I never haveto witness such a scene again. Thepictures and videos shown on televisionoffered li t t le justice to the actualdestruction. Even the stories of evacueesheard on various nightly programscouldn’t properly convey the true pain andsuffering those folks had suffered.

We all saw the devastation in theaftermath of Katrina; people wadingthrough chest high waters; familiesstranded on rooftops as though they wereon an island; officials trying to rescuepeople who were drowning in their ownhouses. At times it was difficult tocomprehend the sheer destruction and thelack of help from official agencies. Nowonder so many people volunteered theirtime to help these victims. I, too, wascaught up in the emotion and offered mytime, but i t wasn’t until I saw thedestruction in person that I realized justhow bad the storm was. I saw trailers andlarge SUVs flipped upside down, houseswith flood marks as high as 10 feet, entireneighborhoods in which it seemed thatsomeone had intentionally destroyed eachhouse; churches and office buildingscompletely destroyed. But nothing couldhave prepared me for the emotional andpsychological damage inflicted upon thevictims when I first saw them in the make-shift shelter in Gonzalez, LA. Severalhundred evacuees were forced to live in asingle hall . Their condition wasdeplorable, but predictable: they were allstuck there, the good and the bad, underthe same conditions for several weeks,which eventually led to fights and evencriminal activities. One couldn’t help butfeel sorry for them, especially the kids, thehandicapped and the elderly.

Throughout our stay in the area, thevolunteers engaged with the evacuees to

Perspec t i vesKatrina: One Year Later

I had the good fortune to serve as a volunteerwith Humanity First and was able to witnessfirst hand the enormous scale of destructionin New Orleans. I still can’t comprehend theenormity of it all, and I hope I never have towitness such a scene again. The pictures andvideos shown on television offered littlejustice to the actual destruction.

Fall 2006 59

learn more about them and their plight.We met many legitimate and humbledfolks, but there was the occasional criminaland opportunist looking for a quick “hit.”We did what we could for them, often timesdriving them to the local DMV, hospital,FEMA office, bus station, etc., and they

were always grateful for our help. We alsogot a chance to work with local churchesand they too were happy to work with us.However, by the end of my 10-day stay,even I grew tired of the same oldpredictable activities. I can only imaginehow they felt, having been isolated in thatdamp, musty shelter for so long. On theflight back to Boston, I couldn’t overcomethe pity I had for them and continued topray for the return of normalcy in theirlies, whatever that may have been.

What I had seen in New Orleans wastruly cataclysmic, so it wasn’t surprisingto hear politicians and church leadersdeclare this event as a punishment fromGod. The mayor of New Orleans, RayNagin, famously remarked: “God is madat America … [for] being in Iraq underfalse pretenses … [and is] upset at blackAmerica also … We are not taking careof ourselves. We are not taking care ofour women, and we are not taking careof our chi ldren when you have a

community where 70 percent of itschildren are being born to one parent.”

Mr. Nagin was not a lone in hisjudgment. Christians, like Pastor FredPhelps and Reverend Bill Shanks, alongwith Muslims across the Middle Eastagreed that Katrina was a result of God’s

wrath upon His sinful creation. Evensome of the victims of the disaster feltthat they were being punished for theirsins. Of course, main stream mediaimmediately labeled such thoughts assheer lunacy, but the question is wellworth pondering.

In the Holy Qur’an, God addresses theissue of Divine Punishment thusly:

“And if Allah were to punish men fortheir wrongdoing, He would not leavetherein a living creature, but He givesthem respite till an appointed term, andwhen their term is come, they cannotremain behind a single hour, nor canthey go ahead of it.” (16:62)

Through this verse it’s clear that Goddoes not punish people for their sinsunless it’s absolutely necessary or whenthe sinners have shown no remorse.Once their appointed time has come,punishment will follow. So was Katrina a

form of Divine Punishment? That answerres ts wi th God alone, but what’sinteresting is that most of those whocalled this a punishment from God didn’talter their lifestyles at all. Even beforethe area could begin the massive cleanupefforts shared by volunteers across thecountry, residents began to go back tocasinos. In fact, casino operations in thearea were seen as pivotal for economicrecovery. Some victims who receivedfederal a id to the tune of $2,000inevitably wasted it on frivolous items,including tattoos, alcohol and casinos.Above all, organizing the festival ofMardi Gras (French for “Fat Tuesday”),the “holy” day associated with Lent, butwhich has come to symbolize wickednessand debauchery, became an urgentpriority for officials in New Orleans. Thesame mayor who had associated Katrinawith God’s punishment , suddenlyfavored Mardi Gras because, no doubt,it was going to bring in close to $1 billionto the local economy. If this was indeeddivine punishment, these people didn’tdo much to ask for His mercy.

My volunteering experience in NewOrleans reminded me of a verse inChapter Al-Imran, verse 111, where Allahmentions the role of Muslims: “You arethe best people raised for the good ofmankind; you enjoin good and forbidevil and believe in Allah. And if thePeople of the Book had believed, itwould have, surely, been better for them.Some of them are believers, but most ofthem are transgressors.”

This beautiful verse instructs Muslimsthat their role is to serve mankind in away that benefits the human race. Inaddition, it offers the People of the Book(Jews and Chris t ians) a chance toreexamine their own lives. If Muslimswere to adopt this attitude in earnest andthe People of the Book could believe inthe good teachings of Islam (especiallyin regards to prohibition of arrogance,interest, alcohol and gambling), thehuman race would indeed be thebeneficiary. This is my hope and prayer– that may we Americans, from allbackgrounds, find humility in our goodworks and may we be guided towards allthings good. Amen.

The Muslim Sunrise is published by theAhmadiyya Muslim Community, USA2S 510 Rte. 53 Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

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