Excrepted from the book:

The Messenger of God: Muhammad by Fethullah Gulen

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“It is He who has sent among the unlettered a Messenger of their own, to recite to them His signs, to purify them, and to instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest error.” (62:2)

◦ God is mentioned in the third person…◦ Unlettered…◦ Among…◦ To recite to them His signs and to purify them…◦ Although they had been, before, in manifest error…

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Appeals to human heart and mind His call encompasses economics, finance,

administration, education, justice, and law. Even before his death, his call was accepted

from Iran to Egypt, Yemen to Caucasia Different cultures rushed to Islam: Persians,

Turanians, Chinese, Indians, Romans, Abyssinians, Arabs, Europeans…

Gambling, Alcohol, Adultery, Wars, Indecency

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Isaac Taylor, Robert Briffault, John Davenport, M. Pickhtall, P. Bayle, Lamartine

Abu Bakr, Umad, Uthman, Ali, Kahlid, Abu Hanifa, Bayazid Bistami, Muhyiddin Arabi

“Each Prophet before me built some part of this marvelous building, but there was a gap that needed to be closed. Every person passing by would say: ‘I wonder when this building will be completed’ The one who completes it is me. After me, there is no longer any defect in the structure.” (Bukhari)

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Teaching through action and then translating the action into words…

As a result, whatever he preached was accepted immediately…

He brought up his Companions so perfectly that almost none of them became heretics.

None of his progeny has ever become a heretic, which is a distinction unique to him. If there have been a few exceptions unknown to us and history, they do not negate the rule.

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First: “Surely the self command evil, unless my Master has mercy.” (12:53)

Second: Universality… Third: Ability to change its students…

◦ Tariq ibn Ziyad, former Berber slave “Be careful Tariq. Yesterday you were a slave…”

◦ Hansa, one of the finest poetesses “While we have the Qur’an, I cannot write poems.”

◦ Umar, second caliph.. “If a sheep falls from a bridge even on the river

Euphrates and dies, God will call me to account…”

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It is a mistake to reduce Islam to an ideology “Say: Work; and God will surely see your

work, and the Messenger and the believers.” (9:105)

Essentials of a happy social and economical life: “When you are involve in speculative transactions, occupied only with animal-breeding, content with agriculture, and abandon striving in the way of God to preach His religion, God will subject you to such a humiliation. He will not remove it until you return to your religion.” (Hadith-Abu Dawud)

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“Say: Are they equal- those who know and those who don’t know?” (39:9)

“A powerful believer is better and more lovable to God than weak one.” (Hadith)

A girl came to the Messenger and complained…

“Your Master has decreed that you shall not worship any but Him, and to be good to parents.” (17:34)

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The Messenger also forbade fornication. However, we do find one incident of fornication during his life time…

◦ By God this woman repented…

A community beyond the imagination of Thomas Moore and Plato…

◦ Ebu Hurayra and Abu Talha…

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