1. No category

1
preface.
Rants on Islam is an anthology of my answers to questions that have
arisen over the years, except from one of them which is an interview of
Tariq Ramadan. In this collection, I have tried to simplify the crux of
Islam, and dissociate it from all false labels that have been etched on it.
This collection is dedicated to everybody that has been unlawfully,
unjustly and wrongly killed in the name of Islam, most especially the
recent incident of the 147 Kenyan Christians.
More than anyone, Muslims, are the ones that bear the brunt of the
senseless acts of a few of us. And for fear of a misunderstanding of Islam,
and what it stands for, it becomes necessary that we publish works of this
sort, and we oblige debates and conversations that will further enlighten
the Muslims and the world at large.
I started this work with the interview of Tariq Ramadan on Al Jazeera's
Talk To Al Jazeera. I titled the dialogue ON THE TRUE ISLAMIC
CALIPHATE. Tariq Ramadan is a Professor of Contemporary Islamic
Studies at the Oxford University (Oriental Institute, St Antony‟s College)
2
and also teaches at the Oxford Faculty of Theology. He is a Visiting
Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, (Qatar) and the University of
Malaysia Perlis; Senior Research Fellow at Doshisha University (Kyoto,
Japan) and Director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and
Ethics (CILE) (Doha, Qatar).
You can read more about him here http://tariqramadan.com/english/biography/,
and you can watch the entire interview here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J4J8tsRkFLM.
The next rant was one I wrote after the Charlie Hebdo attack. It's titled
ON CHARLIE HEBDO, ISLAM, PACIFISM, AND „WWMHD?‟ There, I
brought to light the fact that if Muhammad (pbuh) was alive today, and
had witnessed what the Hebdo Magazine have tried to do to his image, he
wouldn't have called on an attack on them, instead, he would have prayed
that God guide them.
The next rant is titled ON ISLAM BEING A RELIGION OF PEACE.
Muslims and critics alike have over the years been of the assumption that
when Islam said it is a religion of peace, what it means is that, when one
becomes a Muslim, one just automatically acquires some sort of angelic
status, and one becomes peaceful. This is not only myopic, it is wrong. In
this rant, I tried to explain what Islam means when it says it is a religion
of Peace.
3
And of course, the question of what the Islamic Religion entails with
respect to faith and its articles was addressed in the rant titled ON
PRIDE AND THE PILLARS OF ISLAM.
In the rant ON FORNICATION, ISLAM AND CIVILITY, the gentleness
and style of the prophet was examined, so that the world can see what
kind of man the prophet is Islam was. After having read the rant, one can
comfortably say that the Prophet won't have approved of the actions of
ISIS, Ash-shabab, Al-qaeda or any of their affiliates.
ON PRAYERS, US AND GOD examine what a Muslim's attitude should
be to prayers, and indeed that of all spiritually conscious beings. The
patience that must be endured, and the hope that must be held on to.
And the last rant focus ON SOULS, JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER
MATTERS. In it, I tried to make Muslims see that we are not, and in fact,
cannot be Judges in our own or other people's religious cause. That
matters on whether one is pious or not can only be duly ascertained by
God, and that no man should assume such status.
In conclusion, I pray and hope that this collection helps start a
reformation of some sort within the minds of Muslims, and an
understanding of Islam within the minds of non-Muslims. That's
basically what I hope for. Reformation, and Understanding. I pray you
find it resourceful. Amin. Salam!
4
1
‎ ON
‎
THE TRUE ISLAMIC CALIPHATE.
I: Thank you so much for talking to al jazeera. Let's start with the concept
of a caliphate. In terms of mainstream Muslim thought for the last
fourteen hundred years and Islamic Law, what is a caliphate suppose to
be?
R: Look, this is an important question, because the concept of caliphate is
very much rooted in the Islamic tradition. It has to do with a specific way
of dealing with power that the Muslims are going to have a leader and
this organization is going to be the Caliphate.
It happened just after the Prophet (pbuh) passed away and then this is
the idea.
I: So is he suppose to be a Pope, the Caliph?
R: No, not at all. It has nothing to do with religious representation, it has
to do with political power. And political power in Islam is perceived as
having religious legitimacy, but it's not a pope, it's not religious structure,
it's a political structure.
5
I: It's not Theocracy?
R: It's not a Theocracy.
I: So the caliph is not like a priest who has unchallenged powers, I mean,
is it a civilian state? Sounds like what you are describing.
R: That's exactly the point. The point is we have a religious authority, but
anything which has to do with politics in Islam should be decided by the
people. So the one who is going to be leading should be chosen by the
people who are followers.
So it's something that we today know as the democratic process. From
the very beginning in the Islamic tradition, is a majority process, where
the majority of the people are choosing the one who is leading.
And there is, in the scriptural sources, in the hadith a reference to
caliphate as a reference. The point that we have to make here is that we
know the principle, we don't know the model. The model could be
historical, it could change. Depending on history, depending on specific
situation. So the principle of having a leader should remain, the way it's
going to be done should be thought throughout history depending on the
situation.
I: But it's interesting, you said that he is supposed to be chosen by the
people, so he is accountable to the people?
6
R: Of course, and the first...
I: He can be removed by the people?
R: Exactly, and the first who said this came just after the Prophet (pbuh);
Abu Bakar Sadiq, who said 'if I'm right support me, but if I'm wrong,
correct me.' correct me means today what we call the Public Opinion. The
citizens should be there to support or to remove. So there is nothing like
Dictatorship or Theocracy.
I: So how did we get from those principles you are talking to me about in
Muslim sources, Muslim texts for hundreds of years to now a group
unilaterally declaring this is the Caliph, everyone come give you ba-iya or
oath of allegiance to him. Beheading of journalists, minorities fleeing, I
mean, it sounds very different from the principles you are talking about.
R: Yes, and this is why
I: Is that a caliphate?
R: It's not. It's not. And why it is not a caliphate? It's just people playing
with politics and referring to religious sources. And this is why Muslims
scholars, Muslim intellectuals, we have to be quite clear about this. We
have to speak the truth, and to be quite clear about the fact that if they
are not representing what are the Islamic principles, many of the
dictators of today are not representing the Islam either, they have
7
nothing to do with our principles, because our principles are clear, the
one who is leading should be chosen by the people who are followers or
citizens. So many countries who are dealing with the west, they are not as
bad as daish today, but they are bad.
I: Daish being ISIL, just to clarify for our viewers.
R: Exactly, so this is one point. The point for me is to say that we need to
come to the point that we have a diversity of interpretations. One of the
main problems amongst Muslims is interpretations. And interpretations
means that you have to look at the over-all message of Islam, not to take
one verse, or one prophetic tradition, and to say
I: Out of context
R: Right. And this is what they are doing. They are distorting the whole
message, so we have to respond to this by saying, there is a diversity of
interpretations, but there are interpretations that are anti-Islamic, and
what you are doing killing innocent people, implementing the so called
Sharia, or the so called Islamic State in the way you are doing it, this is
against EVERYTHING which is coming from Islam, what you are doing is
wrong, and we should be courageous enough to say this to all the leaders
that are betraying Islam today.
And you know why I'm saying this? Many of the so called leaders of today
that we are talking to are in fact doing wrong and some times justifying
this kind of reactions by people saying you are wrong and we are right.
8
I: Where is does the yearning for a Caliphate or an Islamic State come
from? People ask don't we have that in Saudi Arabia, or Iran, or the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and so on and so forth. What is missing, is
there a feeling amongst Muslims that something is missing in their
political order?
R: Something is missing, and you need to understand that among the
people and even among the you know, powers, Islam now is a brand, it's
just a slogan. You will get legitimacy if you can qualify what you are doing
as Islamic. An Islamic State, Islamic so, Islamic music, Islamic, and then
the people are completely driven by emotions and not by critical
thinking, so this is the way you get your legitimacy, or justification.
I: Right, but one assumes that people will eventually see through that and
they see that something is missing, what is it in the Muslim's psyche that
is driving people to say there is wrong or missing in the political order?
R: Because it's clearly wrong, when you don't have freedom, when you
don't have, you know where everything is driven by corruption or corrupt
regimes, of course there is something which is missing. Where in your
daily lives, you don't feel that you are respected as a human being, that
the basic rights that you should get, are not respected; there is something
wrong.
There is no way in Islam to have anything which is close to Islam if we
don't have an open civil society.
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Meaning what? That I should express myself, I can be heard, I can say
what I have to say, and this freedom of expression is rooted in the Islamic
Tradition, and when you are asking what is missing, all these is missing.
I: Is there not also a feeling that perhaps cultural invasion, is that part of
the equation?
R: Yes.
I: Perhaps, people are feeling that their values are being undermined by
globalism, or westernization or modernism.
R: It's true, but at the same time we have to be very cautious with this
victim mentality that we are nurturing by saying this. It's true.
Colonial power, the west, the power of the west. You know, we had
political colonization, we had and we still have economic colonization,
and we still have cultural colonization; they are true. But to keep on
repeating this, as if everything is coming from outside, that we have to
blame the west for our own failures, the main problems of Muslims are
coming from the Muslims. From the Muslim majority countries.
And then when we start being critical, saying we are going to speak out
against all the dictators, we are going to speak out, some scholars, you
know, some of the scholars, who responded to daish today, and speaking
to the so called Islamic State, and saying this is wrong in Islam, they are
10
the same scholars that are supporting dictators, except you are lecturing
these people...
11
2
ON CHARLIE HEBDO, ISLAM, PACIFISM, AND ‘WWMHD?’
I know this post that I‟m about to write might be unpopular to some
Muslims, but I think I owe those in true search on where to stand on a
day like this, this simple truth I‟m about to write.
So the main question is „what would Muhammad have done?‟ right? Well,
the truth is that, in the face of all the libelous cartoons Charlie Hebdo
published, the Prophet of Islam, if alive, would have done NOTHING!
And I am not making this up.
If you think that the Charlie Hebdo Magazine did anything close to what
the non-Muslim Arabians did to the prophet back in the day, then you
have definitely not read enough about the life of the Prophet.
Do you know they mobilized kids to stone him to death, and he had to
run for this life? The kids even broke his front tooth. And you know what
he told the Angels when they wanted to avenge him? he said „perhaps,
some of their progeny will accept Islam‟. He laid his hands of mercy upon
them. And that place, Taif, is predominantly a Muslim territory today.
You know what the prophet did when his disciples were being killed and
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he was being harassed and called „Insane‟? he calmed his disciples, and
they left for Abyssinia, now Ethopia. After which they left for Yathrib,
now Madinah.
Let me make you understand the atrocities that were being committed
against them before they fled.
Sumayah, a woman, was the first human that was murdered by the
Arabians because she became a Muslim. They tortured her, and when
they got tired, they stabbed her private part with a hot spear.
Bilal, a black man, was cooked several times under the desert sun. They
would wear an iron armor on him sometimes, and other times, they‟d
place his back on the hot sand, and place a rock on his chest. And yet, he
refused to deny Islam.
And the common practise was to tie the limbs of the Muslims to two
separate horses, and then make the horses stretch them till they die.
Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was alive
at this time. There were several attempts by assassins to take his life. In
fact, while they fled to Madinah, some assassins and bounty hunters still
followed him, and the Prophet and his Companion, Abu Bakr, had to hide
in a cave.
So again, if Muhammad was alive, he would flee a place that did not like
him to a better haven, where he would continue to preach his message of
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peace. Or you think these Arabians weren‟t calling him names, and
drawing offensive „cartoons‟ of him? Did he tell anyone of his
companions to fight back at any point of these atrocities? No!
I transcribed a lecture mid last year on my website, and it is titled „What
Is Victory?‟ You guys should take time to read it –
http://princeadewaleoreshade.com/victory/
I‟m about to summarize an incident that was well covered in the
transcript. At a point, when Muhammad was negotiating with the
Arabians for a chance to just make pilgrimage, the Prophet, with the aid
of his disciples wrote a Treaty. It‟s famously known as the Treaty of
Hudaybiyyah.
In it, they laid out terms, and as much as all the terms were varied, and
the Prophet had to concede to those of the Arabians, one of the terms was
that, they said that the part where he was referred to as a „messenger of
God‟ must be erased.
That to them, he is not, and that this Treaty is „between Muhammad the
son of Abdullah‟, and them. You know what the Prophet did, he ordered
that the „messenger of God‟ be erased, and that their position be upheld.
Ali, his scribe declined to erase those words, so the Prophet asked where
the words were written, and then, with his own hands, he erased the
„messenger of God‟. With his own hands. Note that.
And this Treaty, by Allah, was what led the path to the victory of Islam
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over Makkah, and the entire Arab world.
So what is Charlie Hebdo Magazine doing again? They are treating the
Prophet as a mere man, just like the Arabians did over fourteen hundred
years ago. And as much as we choose to be Ali, we must note that Ali did
not reach for their throats, he only backed out, out of respect. He couldn‟t
bring himself to erasing such a profound truth.
You see, again, I implore everyone reading this to please and please read
the essay in the link above to understand what victory should be to we
Muslims. Violence never win wars. It has never! Every blood spilt will
water the trees for more rebels. And this is not only true to the Muslims
causing mayhem everywhere around the world, it is true, also, to the
countries spending billions of dollars to „fight terrorism‟.
Fighting terror will not end terror. In fact, the war on terror has brought
more terror. It has increased the demands for weapons, and the
companies dealing in the production of weapons have grown obese over
the years.
What win wars? Communication! That‟s what the Prophet did after
signing the Treaty. He reached out to the People of Arabia. Enlightening
those that have to know. And that will mean that one has to first know
what to be taught.
Terrorists, Extremists, Fundamentalists, or whatever term you wish to
call them act on what they know. Killing those that you think teach them
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what they know will not end their Orientation. The message will not just
disappear in their minds. No! Death will not make them forget. You know
what death of a loved one does, it aggravates. And in as much as the
Prophet once said that „the strong one is not one who wins the other in a
fight, but the one who is able to suppress his anger‟, these folks will not
take to the advise. They don‟t even know or believe these sayings of the
Prophet.
Those fighting the war on terrorism have over the decades spent zillions
of dollars and human resources, and the only change we‟ve seen is that
these „terrorists‟ have gotten more sophisticated. You know why? Because
violence ends nothing. We should have learnt this from the wealth of war
histories at our disposal as humans, but those selfish and greedy folks
making money off weapon sales won‟t let these wars end.
If people are taught the true message, and this does not apply to Muslims
alone, but to everybody, institution or nation that wants to fight a war,
their plans will be foiled without it even beginning.
For example, if the Palestinian freedom advocates will send delegates to
reach out to the People of Israel, and make them know the truth about
what Britain, America and the Zionists did to get them that land they call
theirs, the people will reject any anti-Palestine politician, and if their
work gets really successful, the Israelites might even vote in a Palestinian
to lead them. And this is not far fetched. Judaist Jews want Palestinians
governing over the territories now known as Israel. The Palestinians were
the ones governing when the Jews were being prosecuted in Europe, and
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they were the ones that made Palestine home to the Jews, until Zionists
hijacked the whole situation with the help of America. Like I wrote, these
Judaists might even elect a Palestinian, after all, no one wants to sit on a
pot of boiling blood. You can read another essay on my website that
addressed this history. It‟s titled – How the State of Israel Ethnically
Cleansed Palestine.
Back to my rant on what Muhammad would have done if he was alive;
like I wrote above, he would have continued with his message of peace.
And he would continue to pray for those that do not want to listen to him.
He would pray for them, and their generations to come.
So if you ask me what my take is in the light of this oppression melted out
on those seemingly innocent satirists at Charlie Hebdo Magazine, I‟d say
„be the Prophet!‟ Hide in a Cave. Run from Kids with Stones.
If you ask me again, I‟d say „be his Disciples!‟ Stand away. Let the sun
bake you while the stone burns you. Take the hot spear in your private
part. Let the horses stretch you to death. And if you cannot take all of
these, Go on exile! Do anything but start a Massacre in the name of the
Prophet.
And if people ask why you fled, tell them it‟s what the Prophet would
have done. If you are asked why you won‟t take up arms to fight in
defense of the Prophet‟s name, tell them the Prophet erased his. Tell
them that what gave the Prophet and Islam the Key to Makkah wasn‟t
Violence, it was Communication. It was a Treaty. It was reaching out to
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the People.
This is what end wars! Not violence! One becomes Victorious when one
has successfully changed what‟s in the „Other‟s‟ mind, not when one
eliminate the „Other‟. The Other cannot be eliminated. Seeds will become
Shrubs and Shrubs will become Trees, and Trees will be Shade to more
Violence.
These histories are there for everyone to read, and this is the true Islam.
Salam!
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3
ON ISLAM BEING A RELIGION OF PEACE.
I.
What we mean when we say Islam is a religion of Peace is not that the
moment you accept Islam, you suddenly become Peaceful. No, that‟s not
what we mean. Neither do we mean that if you were born into a Muslim
family, culture, tradition or state, you suddenly become Peaceful. Again,
that‟s not what Islam says.
You see, the notion of Islam as Peace, to put it mildly, is a Promise. A
promise based on Trust, or more precisely a Covenant. And once you
follow its tenets, not when you construe it to fit into your political or
social whims and caprices; you will become at Peace, and not just with
yourself, but with everything around you.
And this, in fact, should be the basis of every serious religion. For when
you are not at peace with yourself, you won‟t be at peace with everything
around you. And that means that I am going to be in danger. For you
won‟t be at peace with me; an innocent neighbor, or anyone at all.
II.
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The „MU‟ before the consonants „SLM‟ in „MUSLIM‟, from the initial
noun „ISLAM‟ or „SALAM‟ which means „PEACE‟, signifies the one that is
on the path of peace. The one striving for that path. The one seeking for it
more than 17 times in a day during his or her Prayers while reciting
Ihdina Siratal Mustaqeem (Guide me to the right path) in Suratul Fatiah.
It doesn‟t signify the one that has reached it, even though they are
expected to have reached it. We must continue to work towards it every
day, for our peace of mind is not only tied to it, our happiness and love is
also tied to it.
III.
So to me, the way to stop conflicts amongst Muslims is to seek the
missing standard of ethics, and teach it to the lads lacking in that field in
the most respectable and diplomatic way imaginable.
IV.
This does not however put those that have attained this peace, or that are
closer to attaining this peace on a moral high ground, where they can
decide to condemn those at the bottom of the pyramid. As seen in recent
times with those that „Tekfir‟.
For it might be that those at the bottom of the pyramid even have better
zeal and desire in their hearts to attain that feat but have been bereft of it
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because of their environmental, educational, social or psychological
incapacity.
The picture in fact should not be one of an up-down vertical hierarchy,
but one of a side-by-side horizontal foresightedness. One in which
everyone is equal, and only God knows the most peaceful and pious.
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4
ON PRIDE AND THE PILLARS OF ISLAM.
I will do this quickly; Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him, is recorded to have said in an authentic hadith that, he who
has an atom of pride in his heart shall not enter paradise.
He is also recorded to have said that he has come to teach moral
uprightness. All that written, it is wrong to assume that by just mere
obedience to the five pillars of Islam, one will make paradise. But it is
difficult to see one that abides by the five pillars of Islam being an
immoral being.
I think I can't be quick with this anymore. Let me explain further The five pillars of Islam is not just the pronunciation of belief,
performing the five daily prayers, fasting during ramadan, giving alms
(Zakat), and going for Pilgrimage (Hajj).
Let's take the pronunciation of belief (shaadah) for instance; what does it
mean? It is not just to believe that God is one and only. It involves belief
in six other things. That God is one, and alone. That one believes in all his
prophets, and this includes Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Noah, Adam et al,
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it also includes belief in all divine books, which includes the
unadulterated Gospel of Jesus, which is called the Injeel, that of Moses
too, which is called the Torah, and that of Muhammad, which is called
the Quran. And before I continue, let me elaborate on this; what does it
mean to believe in these books? Is it just to believe that they are divine?
No! It is to believe in the virtues they preach, and the abstinence from the
vices they warn against. So in relation to your post and my above
assertion, mere pronunciation does not end with words, it's a deeper
phenomenon.
Now, let's move on. One has to believe in all the Angels, and this includes
Angel Gabriel (Jubril), Angel Michael (Mikail) et al. Belief in Judgment
day is also one of the articles of faith, and so does belief in destiny; that
God knows everything, and that He knows all that is to come, and that
everything has been written, and the pen has been lifted.
So you see how deep the first pillars of Islam already goes? Can one
believe in all these and still do immoral things? Does doing immoral
things affect one's faith? Not necessarily, if one repents by seeking
forgiveness, and doesn't go near the vice again. And Allah is oft-forgiving,
the most merciful.
So like the hadith I first stated, if one with an iota of pride won't enter
paradise, Muslim or not, how much more those filled with other vices in
their hearts?
Just before I end this, I shouldn't forget to mention a fact that some
23
Muslims might not agree with; and that is that IT IS ABSOLUTELY
ALLAH'S CONCERN WHO HE ALLOWS TO ENTER PARADISE. Get
busy being a Muslim, and doing good, and let Allah do His part. But He
has promised not to cause our actions to be in vain, and He judges all
actions according to intention(s). So as much as some Muslims will say
non-Muslims won't enter paradise, I think it's a thing for Allah to decide.
You see, that reminds me, Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him, once said that no man will enter paradise solely by his
good deeds. That our good deeds can't reach Allah's recommended
threshold of good. His disciples asked him, 'even you?' and he said, 'yes,
even me'. And the Prophet (phuh), is one of the very few that has been
assured of paradise even before his death, and while he was living, it was
already revealed that all his sins have been forgiven.
The ones he has done, the ones he is doing, and the ones he will do. And
yet, he said even he hasn't done enough good deeds to reach Allah's
recommended scale of good. How much more, or better put, less, we
Muslims that don't even know the width or weight of our sins?
So you see, that I am a Muslim, and I do all the good deeds shouldn't get
me proud, or assured of paradise. Only Allah has the formula, but that
doesn't mean we should drop everything altogether, no! What it means is
that we should always strive for guidance. And it is not befitting for any
Muslim to believe that he has reached the peak, and so starts forcing
others to his path, no, and this is what we see with Boko Haram, ISIS et
al. The assumption that they are the 'Muslims enough'. That self
24
righteousness that is tainted with all the shades of pride that there ever
was. That, is not Islam. That even goes against the freedom of religion
preached in the Quran, see verse 256 of Chapter 2 of the Quran, and the
entire Chapter 109 of the Quran on this.
You see, when Islam said it is a religion of peace, what it means is not
that when you become a Muslim you suddenly become peaceful, no,
that's not what it means, by any stretch. In fact, Islam cannot boast that
all Muslims are peaceful. But what Islam can boast of is that if you abide
by its true tenets every day of your life, you will attain peace. And if
everyone on earth is in this search, or if you may, crave for peace, you will
agree with me that the world will be a better place.
This is why Allah has recommended that we recite suratul fatiah during
every stand we make in our prayers every day, that's 17 times in total.
And in it is the line, 'oh Allah, guide us to the right path', if by just being a
Muslim is the end, we won't be enjoined to utter that line continuously 17
times a day. The Chapter continues with 'the path of those who earn your
favors, and not the path of those who earn your anger'. I guess that's self
explanatory.
So again, a mere utterance of belief doesn't get one into paradise. It's a
life time endeavor of hope, perseverance and virtues.
Let me also mention that we Muslims believe that the religion of Moses,
and Jesus was Islam. And in fact, the religion of those before them was
Islam. But let me focus on Moses on Judaism, and Jesus on Christianity.
25
You see, Moses predicted the coming of the Messiah, and the Jews are
still waiting for him. Jesus came, he is the Messiah, the Jews didn't
believe in him, they supposedly nailed him, and before he went, he also
predicted the coming of someone to complete the faith. Gospel of
Barnabas says that the name 'Muhammad' was mentioned. Don't forget
that Aramaic, which is what Jesus spoke, and Arabic are sister languages.
But the word Muhammad has in present day Gospel theology been
interpreted to mean 'the holy spirit'. I should be quick to note that the
Christians then waited for this Muhammad, and when he came, they
were one of the series of firsts to accept Islam. See the story of the King of
Abyssinia (present day Ethopia for that). I should also note that some
Judaists believed in Jesus, while most didn't and still don't believe in
Jesus; and some followed through to believe in Muhammad's message.
This is why the characters in these three religions are constant. It is
constant because we are one and the same.
In fact, Allah said in the Quran, that He is the God of Musa (Moses), Issa
(Jesus) Yaqub (Jacob) Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail (Isaac), Muhammad et
al. What does this mean? We all serve one God. Let me rest my pen here.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all. Amin. Salam!
PS: If I may recap the last part, what this means is that contrary to
popular belief, we Muslim are more christians than the Jews are. In fact,
the Jews don't have an iota of Christianity in them. Judaism came before
Jesus, and they didn't believe in Jesus or his Gospel.
26
They even called Mary a prostitute. And they still believe that till date.
They don't believe in the miraculous insemination of Christ, but Muslims
believe this, we believe it so much, that whoever doesn't believe in it can't
be called a Muslim, as you read above that 'belief in all the prophets, and
their stories is one of the articles of faith.
In fact, the Quran recorded that Jesus spoke at birth, when the Judaists
were accusing Mary of prostitution. He spoke to defend Mary (Maryam).
And we believe this totally.
It is sad that Zionists are trying to split the Muslims and the Christians. It
is also sad that Zionists are trying to split the Judaists and the Muslims.
And it is sad that all of the Abrahamic faiths are in despair about what
the future hold. This is probably the umpteenth time that I have tried to
end this, and this time, I will. Cheers!
Read the link I will be posting below, and aside that, to think that it is the
'holy spirit' that is the 'comforter', on the face of it just seems wrong.
Does that mean the holy spirit wasn't around while Jesus was around?
Wasn't it ministering and manifesting in the lives of the Jesus and his
disciples already?
Here - http://www.answering-christianity.com/prediction.htm
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5
ON FORNICATION, ISLAM AND CIVILITY.
I.
Abu Umamah in an authentic hadith, reported by Ahmad said that „a
young man came into Muhammad (PBUH) and said :
“O Messenger of Allah, please permit me to do fornication”
The companions were shocked to hear his statement, some murmured
and got angry, some even told him “shut up, you!”.
But The Prophet (pbuh) kept calm and said “let him come nearer (to
me)”.
And The Prophet (pbuh) told him “please sit down”. And the young man
sat.
The Prophet (pbuh) then said: “would you like someone to do fornication
with your own mother?”
The young man replied : “No, by Allah.”
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The Prophet (pbuh): “and so does other people. No one likes their
mother to do fornication with other people. Now, would you like to do
fornication with your own daughter?”
The young man : “No, by Allah.”
The Prophet (pbuh) : “and so does other people. No one likes their
daughter to do fornication with other people. Now, would you like to do
fornication with your own father‟s sister?”
The young man : “No, by Allah.”
The Prophet (pbuh): “and so does other people. No one likes their
father‟s sister to do fornication with other people. Now, would you like to
do fornication with your own mother‟s sister?”
The young man : “No, by Allah.”
The Prophet (pbuh) : “and so does other people. No one likes their
mother‟s sister to do fornication with other people.”
The Prophet (pbuh) then put his hands unto the young man‟s head, and
said “O Allah, please forgive his sins, clean his heart and guard his
chastity”.
Since then, as the narrator told, this young man never even looked to
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something that‟s forbidden.
II.
I couldn‟t help but notice the „please‟ said by the guy that was requesting
to do fornication. That please tells a lot. It tells of how virtuous
fornication can seem. And how participating in it can seem harmless
especially when the two parties are consenting adults.
I salute his courage, and humility, in coming out to ask such a question.
Why he didn‟t just do it, and subsequently resort to seeking for
forgiveness; to me, that is remarkably profound.
III.
The other „please‟ I couldn‟t help but notice was that of The Prophet
(peace be upon him). You see, Prophets should have that moral high
ground to castigate and or rebuke such requests, right? But he didn‟t.
He more or less begged him to come and sit by him, so that they can have
a conversation on the matter. He didn‟t just send attacks on him, and
assume that the lad was of Satan, or didn‟t possess a sound soul. He
requested for a conversation.
IV.
And as soon as he sat, The Prophet put to practise the now famous quote
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of „don‟t raise your voice, improve your argument‟. And after having had
the conversation with him, he prayed for him. And all was well.
V.
That prayer though. It got me. Very intelligent, if you ask me. He first
asked that the lad be forgiven of all his sins.
After that, He asked that his heart be cleaned, because, even if one‟s sins
have all been forgiven, that doesn‟t mean one‟s heart has been cleaned.
He then asked that God should guard the lad‟s chastity. May the Peace
and Blessings of Allah be upon the Prophet, His Companions, and
everybody that follows in their steps till the day of Judgment. Amin.
VI.
This, again, is why we keep telling the world that Islam, and The Prophet
of Islam are civil. From the beginning to the end of that account, what
one sees is a gentle, compassionate and understanding man answering
the honest question of a troubled mind. Salam!
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6
ON PRAYERS, US AND GOD.
When you ask God for favors
And this time he doesn‟t grant it;
Replace your heart with memories
Of those times He granted your prayers
With just murmurs from your lips.
Remember those times
And be glad
That He is doing the best for you
For He knows everything.
What is
What was
And what is to be
Bask in the memories
And trust in Him
For all He does
Is for your good
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Your good
And your good alone.
And this has, for years, been my source of happiness, and lack of worries,
because I know He‟s always got my back.
When misfortunes come, I seek within, to see the lessons I‟m being
taught. My thoughts query for lessons, not the existence of God; for I
know he is here for me, and will always be.
We forget too often how complex our being is. The kind of operations our
systems work out daily on per seconds basis. If the body had to send
emails to us for every task, we won‟t be able to keep up. ALL of us will die
in the womb. ALL!
We usually take that for granted. We don‟t see those as miracles or
granted prayers.
The more we seek to be grateful, and realize that He is always with us,
closer to us than our jugular veins; the happier we will become. Even
death doesn‟t escape his knowledge.
A leaf just fell off a tree in China, and He knows about it, even that leaf in
Mexico. Believe! He loves you. Salam!
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7
ON SOULS, JUDGMENT DAY AND OTHER MATTERS.
I.
To we folks of the Abrahamic faiths, there‟s something we must be
mindful of, and that is the existence of our actions as it relates to the soul.
You see, most of us, me included, have forgotten of the existence of our
soul, and our actions. We are more or less into the existence and beauty
of the body. No thanks to modern ethics.
We would starve, exercise and do all sorts to keep our body in shape, but
we won‟t do what it takes to keep our souls fit and in shape.
And even though we believe that our deeds will take a form of existence
on the day of Judgment when our souls rise, we do not care how our
souls or deeds will look like.
II.
Now let‟s take out some minutes. Let‟s think about how our souls look.
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Let‟s create a mental picture. Do we think our souls and deeds, if they
were transformed to humans, will be as beautiful as we are? May God
grant us the humility to be sincere to our own selves.
III.
People like to say this existence of ours is a short one, and so we should
do whatever we wish to do, and quickly too. I believe this firmly, and
perhaps, extremely so. I believe our existence here on Earth is too short,
shorter than a blink of an eye, and we must endeavor to do a lot of good
to be one of the happy ones on the day of Judgment.
Islamic Theology has taught us that at the beginning when Adam was
created, all the souls that would be on Earth were summoned, and we all
had a covenant to serve God. That‟s not what intrigues me, what intrigues
me is that we as humans don‟t have memory of that occurrence.
The covenant exercise must have taken a while, and yet we have no
memory of it. It seems to me that this existence of ours too, by the time
it‟s Judgment day, it won‟t seem just like a blink of an eye, or a blur, but
it will seem like it never existed. And yet, our fate then will be based on
our actions now!
For just as we do not have memory of the hitherto covenant, and the
memory of this earthly existence which has spanned millions of years
before we came to join it; the probability that we will recall a fifty to
hundred years of existence is VERY slim.
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IV.
So my point is, we shouldn‟t let this present existence of ours delude us. I
wish getting people to do the right thing is as easy as just writing this. I
wish. The holy books have written way more than this but the people are
still the way they are. This should serve as a Reminder though. First to
me, and to every believing heart.
V.
And we must also remember that Judgment Day is not a Day. At least,
not a day that‟s measured by the dawn, sun and dusk as we measure days
here.
For all we care, Judgment Day might just be a long day of another
existence where we will all be alive from its Beginning. One where we
won‟t be born, but just be risen. Judgment Day will definitely not be your
usual twenty-four hours.
Maybe we will even be able to trade, and make a living, who knows.
VI.
Paradise and Hell are the true unending ones. Our existence in either of
these destinations might be one where we are angels or counselors to
another universe.
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VII.
All in all, we are infinite, timeless and death is not the end. Death is not
the beginning either. It‟s just a paragraph in a chapter of a voluminous
book. Salam!
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