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Mary Worth This Isn't
by adam at 10:02 PM on February 03, 2006
I've been following the outrage over those Danish cartoons that depicted images of Mohammed, and I'm trying to decide what all of this means. I think the fact that the cartoons were published at all tells us what we already know about Northern Europe: that it's pretty much secular and that many think that religion is a silly thing to fight over. And unfortunately, what it tells about about the Muslim world are things that we already know, too. First, because most of the countries that are currently engaging in protests don't themselves have free presses, they're unable to understand that the Danish government wasn't involved in any way in the publication of these cartoons, nor does the government have the power to prevent them because (second) blasphemy isn't a crime in most European countries. Third, it reminds us that the moral hierarchy in some Muslim countries is different from that in the West: Islam's 'right' to be free from offense or ribbing takes precendence over free expression or, for some people, human life. Fourth, the Muslim world is filled (no less than anywhere else) with people who will attribute to an entire group the actions of the few; note the calls for boycotts of all European goods, or the loud denouncement of all Danes. Finally, in countries where no religion other than Islam enjoys legal protection, the population nonetheless feels justified in violently demanding that non-Muslim countries not only respect their beliefs but enshrine that respect in law - protection that no other religion enjoys.
The US State Department recently issued a wishy-washy press release that affirms the US' support for free expression while simultaneously siding with the protesters. This is a grave error. We should have sent a strong message that what the protesters are demanding is not something that the West does for Islam or anyone else. I hope that Denmark stands strong on this, and that the right to question or even insult the beliefs of others (and yes, this is a right) does not fail in the face of absolute intolerance of dissent.
comments (37)
I don't know what you are talking about. Link? The only Danish cartoon I know about is Tin Tin, and I doubt he be involved in anything to anger the Muslim world. Actually, I can imagine it - they seemed to get riled up pretty easy. I'm sure they think all those Danish Jews are behind this.
by mg at February 3, 2006 10:12 PM
Sorry, link to background info here.
by Adam at February 3, 2006 10:16 PM
I've haven't heard about this, either. Here, there was a cartoon that the BBC made depicting the Pope as a spoilt, senile yet energetic crazy old man. Toting AK's and the like. He is so old he's apparently transitioned into a new child, so all he cares about are his toys and avoiding baths. He paints using his own shit but is too past it to realise, his Cardinals watch and lap it up as they generally run the whole show, and get rich and fat doing it. All of this with the Pope having the voice of Ruby Wax.
Anyway, two million pounds of UK television license payers cash went on this, but it was banned before it could be aired. Catholics were burning their TV licenses outside of the BBC building and rightly demanding that they have some say in what their license money is spent on. The Beeb sold the rights to another country though...
... Italy bought it! But the Pope died and it was cancelled there too. Italy... *scratches head*
I hope the Danes stand fast too.
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 3, 2006 10:26 PM
Lost in all this hoo-ha is 2 things: 1 The toons depicted Mo (can I call you Mo?) as a violent pervert. Well, his religion HAS in fact incited lots of violence over the years, just as they all do. And when hHe was 53 he boned a 9 year old gal. 2 Isn't it weird that it's blasphemous to even DEPICTt the pProphet? We know what Jesus looks like, we know what the Buddha looks like but no pix of Mo? He's like Mo Omar, traipsing about free in Afghanistan BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS WHAT THE FUCK MR TALIBAN LOOKS LIKE!~
by anna at February 4, 2006 8:59 AM
And now protesters in Syria have set the Danish and *Norwegian* embassies on fire. Nice one, guys. So I guess now it's ok to say that all Arabs are the same, or what?
by Adam at February 4, 2006 8:03 PM
I've always thought the best way to show your religion isn't about violence is to blow up some embassies.
by mg at February 5, 2006 11:08 PM
For more info. and the actual cartoons is question look to the Wikipedia article.
by mg at February 5, 2006 11:15 PM
And my nominee for best unintentional use of irony, from this story:
"They want to know whether Muslims are extremists or not. Death to them and to their newspapers," he said.
by Adam at February 6, 2006 4:43 AM
Norway? What, are they lumping all us Scandinavians in together? We Swedes hate those dastardly Danes!
by anna at February 6, 2006 7:49 AM
As more and more hate and violence is directed toward the Danes (and Norwegians?!) because of a cartoon, I think all those people who said that the radical Muslims hate America because of our actions in the region, and not just because they are ignorant and hateful, to apologize. I'm waiting.
by mg at February 6, 2006 8:26 AM
British Muslims Ask: Why No Arrests? Is the headline of my paper today. Meh.
Pictures of Muslims sacking the embassy wielding effigies of burning heathens and banners reading: "Behead Those Who Insult Islam." British Muslims ask, "Why no arrests?" And well they should. Because non-Muslims in this country aren't asking it seems. I can almost hear the factories buzzing with tabloid reading white males declaring their hatred for all things Muslim, and mechanics discussing the best way to clean up this country while straing at Katie Price's tits. "Get rid of 'em all."
Bah! What's happened to the Danes? This is the same stock of people who'd come a hunting on my island, putting Britons to the torch, raping shmexy maidens and generally owning any opposition, or at least, those carrying pitch forks and sporting shit in their pants. You'd think they'd have some axes left over, a few Pagan warriors working at the embassy to smite the Muslim. Like the Spanish against the Almohads - kick some ass! A riot van, and some high-powered water pistols, if only for the fires.
But no... and now British Muslims ask, "Why no arrest?" Well... why no arrests? These banners, behead the infidel crap, that's worthy of life in prison. There's freedom of expression and then there's inciting hate... one of em you can be arrested for. The other you get simultaneously slapped and praised for. Maybe the KKK should now be free to run wild and free through America, burning everything as they go. And the vicious arm of the BNP here should be given free run of little Mecca. There must be a little Mecca. There's a little Italy.
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 6, 2006 8:53 AM
All I know is, I'm still hurting from that caricature of me in Doonesbury that time.
by Adam L. at February 6, 2006 9:56 AM
Good post, Adam.
by lockheed at February 6, 2006 1:12 PM
by Adam at February 6, 2006 3:21 PM
i dont see why people are upset. i could understand it if the muhammed cartoons showed him as having a small cock, but that didn't happen, so i think people just need to relax.
by evil at February 6, 2006 7:27 PM
John Simpson still works for the BBC? Heh heh. I remember watching him get shot on some blooper show, showing him when he worked as a war correspondent, it wasn't even funny. His reaction was piss poor.
Well damn, my paper didn't cover any Muslim march in London. Bah! I demand that those responsible for the lack of this news be beheaded and massacred!
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 6, 2006 8:53 PM
Little Mecca! Ha-ha. Look, fuck these people. We either deal with them now or later. Let's get it over with.
by anna at February 6, 2006 9:22 PM
You have a good point, MG. I had always thought Muslims who were really anti-American were upset about things the U.S. had done in the Middle East, or things that they heard the U.S. had done. But maybe it isn't specific to any country, like you said.
by jean at February 6, 2006 10:31 PM
The worst part of this is that most of the cartoons they are seeing and getting upset about were not even published in the Dannish newspaper. The original cartoons were published in September, and since then various radical Islamic groups have republished the Dannish cartoons with a bunch of other made up cartoons that were far more offensive than the originals. This was all a set up.
by mg at February 6, 2006 11:16 PM
I have always found that when a group raises hell about an issue that offends them, then that issue get far more greater attention than it would have if they had just remained silent. I am sure if those muslims had not made such a big hurrah (again) 90 % of the people who are now seeing the cartoon or searching for it, would never had an idea that it existed and now the entire world is seeing what they, the prosteters, didn't want anyone to see in the first place. Makes no sense in my books.
by Flo in the Caribbean at February 7, 2006 4:25 PM
An animated series in which a bunch of Islamic ragheads lose their collective rag over offending material would be quite cool. Sprinting into Playboy's office buildings with dynamite strapped to his chest after seeing his holy prophet portrayed in a couple of sex acts in a mag or two, raghead number one blows the whole place to dust.
The surviving ragheads then see offending material published by a local newspaper, portraying the raghead number one the suicide bomber's ridiculous actions at Playboy, while at the same time mocking the holy prophet. They decide against suicide bombing and instead send raghead number two to kill the journalists and cartoonists responsible, beheading them in their homes.
Raghead number two gets the death penalty for a couple counts of murder. The surviving ragheads then see that raghead number two's murder spree is being mocked by a website or two, along with a couple of funny images of Allah telling him to do it. Offended by this...
.... yes, and so on. Maybe five or six episodes, it'd be a riot. Or... there'd be a riot. Either way it'd be funny.
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 7, 2006 8:25 PM
I read somewhere that in response to the cartoon some wanted to do a cartoon series about the holocaust. Like, "ha ha, look at all the dead jews." Because, you know, portraying a prophet as a terrorist is totally equivalent to 6 million Jews tortured and killed.
At least they were just talking about doing a cartoon instead of blowing up a building.
by mg at February 8, 2006 12:04 AM
mg, I'd read that the point of the potential Holocaust cartoon was to test the West's belief in free speech-- that is, they're saying that they (we, whatever) are saying that this Danish cartoon thingo perfectly alright, because of free speech and all, but what would the reaction be if it's turned back our way?
by Adam L. at February 8, 2006 9:54 AM
This was on Sky yesterday... it's not that somebody's wanting to do it, it's a few Arab papers actually asking for the funniest cartoons ridiculing the holocaust. A competition, like on kids TV. Heh. There's a couple of toons printed in my paper today too. One shows a Jew with a George Bush parrot on his arm, poking G.W with a stick. Another shows the Pope being hassled by a Jew in the form of the devil. Another has Sharon whacking away at some dead Palestinian kids with a swastica hammer, and the last shows some Israeli soldier with swastica legs attacking protesters. None of them... are funny, but then, I can't read the captions. :(
by Ex Crimson Guard NCO at February 8, 2006 1:29 PM
Yeah funny stuff, that Holocaust. I think the Afghans have it right. They've taken to gunning down the protesters en masse. Though there might be more efficient ways of going about it. See: Holocaust.
by anna at February 9, 2006 7:40 AM
I find it odd that the established news media, the ones whose job depends on free speech, decided not to reprint any of the cartoons that they were reporting on. They didn't for fear that they would be retaliated against violently. Even though the cartoons were pretty tame.
by MrBlank at February 14, 2006 8:48 PM
It's like the American motto: It is more important to be feared than loved.
by anna at February 15, 2006 7:48 AM
I wanted to speak about Denmark as now there is a bad sitiuations between arabians and denmark and the problem simply that each one of the two sides does not understand the other.
Denmark people believe that they have the right to express their opinion freely about anything , but you should know that islam encourage us alot to express our opinion in anything freely but with one condition which is not to hurt any one feelings or laugh at his thoughts or religion so, islam believe in the freedom of expressing but without hurting anyone. And i know that you are astonishing why are the muslims so sad and the question that we love our prophet sooo much and love all the prophets so we should give this holy people their respect exactely as when any one loves his parents or friends, he would not allow anyone to speak badely about him.
I know that alot of non muslims think that the prophet of muslims (Mohamad) is a terrorist and his religion is terroristic but i swear by Allah(god) , he isnot a terrorist at all and Islam is the religion of love and mercy but the bad muslims deformed Islam with their terroristic doings as muslims who damaged the Denmark embassy and you should know that islam is ino from these terrorists and who use the violence by the name of Islam and god.
The life of Mohamad include alot of sides such as emotional, religious, social, military,etc so, i will write to you about the emotional side in his life and how he was a prophet of love and i want you to judge with your minds not by what you hear about him.
I will write to you every day some sitiuations from his life from the book ( Mohamad, prophet of love ) by Magdi Morgan, the email title will be ( The messenger) .
Finally, i beg you all to read what i will write as you will not lose anything but you will gain a new information.
Sorry, if there are wrongs in the writting as i translate this book by myself.
prophet of love ( 1 )
Firstly: the love of the man:
Mahamad loved the man and lived for him and with him, he loved the people, lived with their problems, Mohamad said what means:
( to walk with a brother in a need [ carrying out his need ] is better for me than secluding in my mosque this for a month ).
At this high degree, Mohamad raised the service of people and made it better than secluding for worshipping for a month.
One day, one of the believers came to him asking: ( prophet of Allah, which people are the most beloved to god, he answered : the most beloved people to Allah are the most useful to people ).
Mohamad said to his companions: ( there are people from the worshippers of Allah who are not prophets or martyrs are be exultated by the prophets and martyrs in the day of judgement for their position from Allah, their companions asked: told us who are they? He said: these are people loved each other with the spirit of Allah without any uterial connections between them or money exchanged between them, i swear by Allah, their faces are light and they are on light, they do not fear if people feard and do not be sad if people became sad ).
So, the lovers take the highest position in the kingdom of Allah and gain the happiness in the life and hereafter.
One day, while Mohamad was sitting between his companions, a funeral ( bier) of some one from jews passed in front of them so, Mohamad stand and still standing in silence and respect all time of the passing of the funeral so, his companions astonished from his act and said to him: prophet oa Allah, it is a funeral of jew so, Mohamad answered him in upset : is not it a soul? If you saw a funeral , get up .
You are right prophet of love, the soul is soul whatever it is its creed and for the dead his respect even it was a dog.
by reem at March 16, 2006 4:11 PM
I don't care what the Muslim holy book says. The true character of a religion is in the way its practiced, not in the way its written. It doesn't matter how much nice stuff the Quran says about Mohammed if in real life people are going crazy in his name. That question - of theology vs. practice - is one for Muslims to resolve internally. I have nothing to do with it.
by Adam at March 17, 2006 3:15 PM
yes, Adam , you are right but you should know that we did not love Mohamad because what is written in quran about him , we love him because he taught the people the love , mercy and peace . he changed the arabians who were worshipping just idols in that time into great servants to god, he changed their love to the violence and their injustice to the woman into peaceful men and good husbands to their wives, whatever i tell you, you can not imagine how he changed the people to the best, and this is said by non muslims like the writer who choosed the best 100 charactes in the world, he put Mohamad the first one in the book although the writer is non muslim and he said that he was a great man . i know that alot of muslims now are so bad because they do not follow Islam rightly but believe me it will come a day and the muslims will reback to the right religion and they will be the best as they were in the past
so , please just read what i will write about him, not to believe in him but just to know why we love him.
prophet of love ( 2 )
One of the unbelievers who was a neibour of Mohamad and he was always harming him, he was used to throw the rubbish and the wastes of the cattle in the entrance of the house of Mohamad every morning and Mohamad was facing this offence by forgiveness and pray for him to be a good man. And in one day the prophet came out from his house but he did not find any rubbish that he used to see it so, he asked about this man, they told him that he is sick so, the prophet left his interests and went to visit this unbeliever man to ask him if he wants something and pray for him to overcome his sickness so, when the man saw him in his house, he was amazed and said to Mohamad: ( after all my offences to you, you visit me in my sickness, asking me about my needs and pray for me, you are not an usual man and i witness that you are the messenger of Allah ) so, the manbelieved by the religion of love and unity.
The first people to be loved are the parents and kins so, Allah and his prophet recommend us alot by the parents and the kins. Allah says ;
( your lord has decreed that you worship none but him and that you be kind to parents whether one or both of them attain old age in the life, say not to them Off ( a word of contempt ) nor repel them but speak unto them a gracious word and lower unto them the wing of submission through mercy and say O my lord , have mercy on them as they brought me up when i was little )
one day, a man came to the prophet asking him : { who is the most deserved people with my companionship? }, the prophet answered :
your mother, the man said : then who?, the prophet said : your mother, the man said : then who?, the prophet said :your mother, the man said : then who? The prophet said : your father .
the mother first, he repeated [ your mother ] 3 times, the mother who conceive and tired and suckled then the father who works and spend money and brought up his children and both of them sacrifice with their times and money to make their children happy .
Mo' aweyah ibn ( the son of ) gahemah al-salamy tells: " i came to the prophet and said to him : prophet of Allah, i want to strive with you for the God and hereafter so, the prophrt asked me : Is your mother alive? I said : yes, the prophet said : back and do the good to her so, i came to him from his side then in front of him asking him again ( for strife) , he said to me : stay with your mother, the paradise is under her feets "
You are right prophet of Allah, the love of the parents and inclining on them forepart all love and proceed all duty even if it was srife for god and this is not strange as god forgives alot in his rights but he does not forgive in the rights of the parents, the rights of the man to another man is frontpart the rights of god in Islam.
One day, a man came to the prophet asking him : messenger of Allah, what is the right of the parents on their sons?, the prophed answered: they are your paradise and your hell.
Two small words have the essence, your love to your parents, and the way that you treat them with, indicate your place in paradise or in hell.
After the parents come the kins and who have uterial connection are worthy of love and amity, the prophet of love said:
Who was believe in Allah and the hereafter, connect his uterus (connect the people who have uterial connectionwith you )
by reem at March 18, 2006 2:30 PM
The love of the enemies:
When one of the unbelievers heard about Mohamad who proclaim with new religion threaten their gods ( idols ) with destruction , he carried his sward and went to Mohamad, went and the evil filled his eyes and the hatred filled his heart and the wish to get rid of Mohamad , the man began his meeting with Mohamad by all forms of violence and rouse and Mohamad is calm, safe, looking to the man with eyes filled with kindness and with smile filled with love, then he started to speak with the man the speech of faith , the speech of lighted mind and open heart and after short moments, the spiteful converted into meek lamb and this assailant converted into friendly lover and he falled on mohamad's hands and legs kissing them and the tears falling from his eyes in regret and sorrow and he said to Mohamad : " Mohamad, i swear by Allah, i came to you and there is nothing on the earth more be hated to me than you and iam leaving now and there is nothing on the earth more be loved to me than you "
What did Mohamad do with this man? And what did he do with heart and feelings? It is easy, it is love and nothing except love.
In Makkah, and during the perambulation of Mohamad around the Ka'abah, a man called Fodalah ibn omir wanted to kill him so, when he came closer to him, the prophet felt with him and looked to him with a smile saying " Are you Fodalah ?, he said : yes, fodalah messenger of Allah, the prophet said : what were you saying to yourself ? he said : nothing, i was mention Allah so, the prophet laughed with forgiveness and told Fodalah : Ask the forgiveness from Allah, then he put his hand on fodalah's chest so, his heart calm and said : i swear by Allah, when he raised his hand from my chest, i felt that there is nothing created by Allah is more be loved to me than him .
" There was another man jumped towards the prophet during his sleeping to kill him and raised his sward to cut the head of Mohamad but the sward falled from his hand and at this time, the companinos of Mohamad felt with this man so, they rushed to him and catched him , they wanted to kill him but the prophet prevented them from doing this and asked them to let him free.
This was the treatement of Mohamad to his enemies , he faced thier hatred with love , Allah says: ( Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel {evil} with what is better . when lo! he between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend. )
in a battle with jews, a woman had been captured, she was Safeyah ibn hoyay ibn Akhtab, the daughterof the leader of jewes, he belongs to the prophet Haron, the brother of Moses, this woman had degnity and power , his husband Kenanah ibn el rabe'a was killed in the battle, and according to the customes of the war at this time, the bondmaid must be to one of the soliders of muslims but the kind Mohamad felt with her and realized her feelings and pains to convert from the daughter of the leader of jewes and a wife to a leader into bondmaid for one of the soliders so, he wanted to maintain her place and degnity so, he set her free and married her ( ofcourse with her acceptance ) and converted her in a moment from a slave to a wife for the prophet. this marriage made the companions feel with fear because how Mohamad make sure that she will not decieve him or kill him to revenge for her husband and her family but the love of Mohamad to his jew wife and his continous care to her ,made her love him and believe in him and with his message.
in the last sickness of the prophet, she was standing beside him and the sadness filled her heart and the tears filled her eyes saying : " i wished prophet of Allah that what is in you become in me " and after his death she was ready for the defence for his message.
how the leathal hatred converted into deep love ?! how could she forget her judaism and racism? how could she forget the disagreement between muslims and jewes ? not that only, but she helped the muslims with all her power , with her money and effort even after Mohamad's death. we can not find except one answer, it is Mohamad and the heart of mohamad.
to be continued
by reem at March 21, 2006 4:46 AM
Don't you ever stop? This is an old thread buried below the front page. No one is listening and no one cares. You are posting these long, incoherent rants for ... what? To convince me that Islam is a religion of love and peace? Don't bother trying to convince me - convince your brothers.
by Adam at March 21, 2006 8:44 AM
And now that I think about it, your previous posts were nonsense. Islam clearly does not believe in respect for all religions. In Afghanistan they destroyed two ancient statues of the Buddha - does this show respect for religion? In Iran until very recently they persecuted the Zoroastrians until they were almost gone. Does this show respect? When Islam arrived in India 80,000 Hindus and Buddhists were killed. Where is the respect there? Even for Jews and Christians, who are supposedly protected, people were treated as dhimmi. Non-Muslims had to pay extra taxes and were harrassed into converting. Islam is not now, nor has it ever been, a peaceful religion. What are you talking about?
by Adam at March 21, 2006 8:49 AM
although christianity and judaism are great religions, proclaim with love, mercy, respect the others and prohibit killing, stealing, adultery, christians and jewes do not follow the right christianity or judaism for example, the europeans who invaded America and killed the red indians who were the origional natives, is that the right christianity? the crossers who invaded alot of arabian countries and killed alot of people by savage ways for their personal benefits, is that the right christianity? the americans who deformed Quran in Guantanamo, is that the right christianity? the americans who tormented the iraq people badly in Abo Gareeb prison, is that the right christianity? americans who bombed the japanese in Nagazaki and Heroshima, is that the right christianity?, Mary always weared respectiful clothes also the nun in the churches while your women approximately wear nothing, is that the right christianity? the disloyality of husbands to their wives, is that the right christianity? Israeli people who killed many many of phalastineans even the children and destroyed their houses, is that the right judaism?
and although all this, you will not find a muslim blame christianity or Judaism but blame the bad christians and jewes, so why are you here blame Islam and do not blame the bad muslims? even here in Egypt, muslims and christians live together in love and peace and you will not find a christian say bad word about muslims because they know us well but you will never know.
also, you should know that iam a member in christian group called : Brave hearts of the world, i post messages about Quran and Muhamad and in every time, alot of members make recommendation for my message so, i do not care if you hear me or not, and by the way, the conference that was set in Denmark by the cooperation between dannish and muslims, Amr khaled, Ali el jafry and tarek sweedan spoke about Muhamad and Islam, you can not imagine how the dannish who were there loved this delegation and one of the dannish called Kristina said : forgive us , we were not know and Polotikn newspapers ( iam not sure from the spelling ) in 12 of March 2006 said : " we respected the muslims, Muhamad is a great man, we knew about the muslims :
(The leniecy, peacful living, the youth are the hope, the exchanged respect, the human variation, Muhamd is a great man, the government must do something, the solution is the debate then the debate).
so, you are not the only dannish on the earth, you should know that God punished both of us, punished the muslims by the bad muslims who deformed Islam reputation and punished christians with the bad muslims who use violence and terrorism so, when you follow the right christianity, come and blame us.
by reem at March 22, 2006 3:53 PM
Your attacks on Christianity and Judaism are meaningless. They are simply an attempt to deflect my original criticism. What's wrong with the state of Islam has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with what's wrong with anyone else. At any rate, there are many people in the West who don't belong to any religion at all, and by automatically equating what women in the West do with Christianity you're revealing how little you understand. Our culture is different from yours, but you apply the same terrible standards on us that you would apply to yourselves. Your respect is only for yourself and thus false.
Also, I have no idea who those people are that you're talking about. I've never heard of them. And I'm not Danish, I simply feel that in the battle between religious insanity and free speech, free speech should win out. This includes the right to say that other people's religions are silly, or stupid, or both. Mohammed was not a great man. He was a lunatic and a paedophile, a violent man who wiped out ancient cultures throughout the Middle East. The fact that Islamic civilization accomplished any of the great things that it did was in spite of Mohammed, not because of him.
by Adam at March 22, 2006 5:45 PM
read this article from non muslim:
Mohammed The Prophet
By Prof. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, Head of the Department of Philosophy,
Government College for Women University of Mysore, Mandya-571401 (Karnatika).
Re-printed from "Islam and Modern age", Hydrabad, March 1978.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the desert of Arabia was Mohammad born, according to Muslim historians, on April 20, 571. The name means highly praised. He is to me the greatest mind among all the sons of Arabia. He means so much more than all the poets and kings that preceded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand.
When he appeared Arabia was a desert -- a nothing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad -- a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents -- Asia, Africa and Europe.
When I thought of writing on Mohammad the prophet, I was a bit hesitant because it was to write about a religion I do not profess and it is a delicate matter to do so for there are many persons professing various religions and belonging to diverse school of thought and denominations even in same religion. Though it is sometimes, claimed that religion is entirely personal yet it can not be gain-said that it has a tendency to envelop the whole universe seen as well unseen. It somehow permeates something or other our hearts, our souls, our minds their conscious as well as subconscious and unconscious levels too. The problem assumes overwhelming importance when there is a deep conviction that our past, present and future all hang by the soft delicate, tender silked cord. If we further happen to be highly sensitive, the center of gravity is very likely to be always in a state of extreme tension. Looked at from this point of view, the less said about other religion the better. Let our religions be deeply hidden and embedded in the resistance of our innermost hearts fortified by unbroken seals on our lips.
But there is another aspect of this problem. Man lives in society. Our lives are bound with the lives of others willingly or unwillingly, directly or indirectly. We eat the food grown in the same soil, drink water, from the same the same spring and breathe the same air. Even while staunchly holding our own views, it would be helpful, if we try to adjust ourselves to our surroundings, if we also know to some extent, how the mind our neighbor moves and what the main springs of his actions are. From this angle of vision it is highly desirable that one should try to know all religions of the world, in the proper sprit, to promote mutual understanding and better appreciation of our neighborhood, immediate and remote.
Further, our thoughts are not scattered as appear to be on the surface. They have got themselves crystallized around a few nuclei in the form of great world religions and living faiths that guide and motivate the lives of millions that inhabit this earth of ours. It is our duty, in one sense if we have the ideal of ever becoming a citizen of the world before us, to make a little attempt to know the great religions and system of philosophy that have ruled mankind.
In spite of these preliminary remarks, the ground in these field of religion, where there is often a conflict between intellect and emotion is so slippery that one is constantly reminded of fools that rush in where angels fear to tread. It is also not so complex from another point of view. The subject of my writing is about the tenets of a religion which is historic and its prophet who is also a historic personality. Even a hostile critic like Sir William Muir speaking about the holy Quran says that. "There is probably in the world no other book which has remained twelve centuries with so pure text." I may also add Prophet Mohammad is also a historic personality, every event of whose life has been most carefully recorded and even the minutest details preserved intact for the posterity. His life and works are not wrapped in mystery.
My work today is further lightened because those days are fast disappearing when Islam was highly misrepresented by some of its critics for reasons political and otherwise. Prof. Bevan writes in Cambridge Medieval History, "Those account of Mohammad and Islam which were published in Europe before the beginning of 19th century are now to be regarded as literary curiosities." My problem is to write this monograph is easier because we are now generally not fed on this kind of history and much time need be spent on pointing out our misrepresentation of Islam.
The theory of Islam and Sword for instance is not heard now frequently in any quarter worth the name. The principle of Islam that there is no compulsion in religion is well known. Gibbon, a historian of world repute says, "A pernicious tenet has been imputed to Mohammadans, the duty of extirpating all the religions by sword." This charge based on ignorance and bigotry, says the eminent historian, is refuted by Quran, by history of Musalman conquerors and by their public and legal toleration of Christian worship. The great success of Mohammad's life had been effected by sheer moral force, without a stroke of sword.
But in pure self-defense, after repeated efforts of conciliation had utterly failed, circumstances dragged him into the battlefield. But the prophet of Islam changed the whole strategy of the battlefield. The total number of casualties in all the wars that took place during his lifetime when the whole Arabian Peninsula came under his banner, does not exceed a few hundreds in all. But even on the battlefield he taught the Arab barbarians to pray, to pray not individually, but in congregation to God the Almighty. During the dust and storm of warfare whenever the time for prayer came, and it comes five times a every day, the congregation prayer had not to be postponed even on the battlefield. A party had to be engaged in bowing their heads before God while other was engaged with the enemy. After finishing the prayers, the two parties had to exchange their positions. To the Arabs, who would fight for forty years on the slight provocation that a camel belonging to the guest of one tribe had strayed into the grazing land belonging to other tribe and both sides had fought till they lost 70,000 lives in all; threatening the extinction of both the tribes to such furious Arabs, the Prophet of Islam taught self-control and discipline to the extent of praying even on the battlefield. In an aged of barbarism, the Battlefield itself was humanized and strict instructions were issued not to cheat, not to break trust, not to mutilate, not to kill a child or woman or an old man, not to hew down date palm nor burn it, not to cut a fruit tree, not to molest any person engaged in worship. His own treatment with his bitterest enemies is the noblest example for his followers. At the conquest of Mecca, he stood at the zenith of his power. The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted and boycotted him even when he had taken refuge in a place more than 200 miles away, that city now lay at his feet. By the laws of war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord to them? Mohammad's heart flowed with affection and he declared, "This day, there is no REPROOF against you and you are all free." "This day" he proclaimed, "I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man."
This was one of the chief objects why he permitted war in self defense, that is to unite human beings. And when once this object was achieved, even his worst enemies were pardoned. Even those who killed his beloved uncle, Hamazah, mangled his body, ripped it open, even chewed a piece of his liver.
The principles of universal brotherhood and doctrine of the equality of mankind which he proclaimed represents one very great contribution of Mohammad to the social uplift of humanity. All great religions have preached the same doctrine but the prophet of Islam had put this theory into actual practice and its value will be fully recognized, perhaps centuries hence, when international consciousness being awakened, racial prejudices may disappear and greater brotherhood of humanity come into existence.
Miss. Sarojini Naidu speaking about this aspect of Islam says, "It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for in the mosque, when the minaret is sounded and the worshipers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and the king kneel side by side and proclaim, God alone is great." The great poetess of India continues, "I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes a man instinctively a brother. When you meet an Egyptian, an Algerian and Indian and a Turk in London, it matters not that Egypt is the motherland of one and India is the motherland of another."
Mahatma Gandhi, in his inimitable style, says "Some one has said that Europeans in South Africa dread the advent Islam -- Islam that civilized Spain, Islam that took the torch light to Morocco and preached to the world the Gospel of brotherhood. The Europeans of South Africa dread the Advent of Islam. They may claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it, if brotherhood is a sin. If it is equality of colored races then their dread is well founded."
Every year, during the Haj, the world witnesses the wonderful spectacle of this international Exhibition of Islam in leveling all distinctions of race, color and rank. Not only the Europeans, the African, the Arabian, the Persian, the Indians, the Chinese all meet together in Medina as members of one divine family, but they are clad in one dress every person in two simple pieces of white seamless cloth, one piece round the loin the other piece over the shoulders, bare head without pomp or ceremony, repeating "Here am I O God; at thy command; thou art one and alone; Here am I." Thus there remains nothing to differentiate the high from the low and every pilgrim carries home the impression of the international significance of Islam.
In the opinion of Prof. Hurgronje "the league of nations founded by prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity of human brotherhood on such Universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." In the words of same Professor "the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done the realization of the idea of the League of Nations."
The prophet of Islam brought the reign of democracy in its best form. The Caliph Caliph Ali and the son in-law of the prophet, the Caliph Mansur, Abbas, the son of Caliph Mamun and many other caliphs and kings had to appear before the judge as ordinary men in Islamic courts. Even today we all know how the black Negroes were treated by the civilized white races. Consider the state of BILAL, a Negro Slave, in the days of the prophet of Islam nearly 14 centuries ago. The office of calling Muslims to prayer was considered to be of status in the early days of Islam and it was offered to this Negro slave. After the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet ordered him to call for prayer and the Negro slave, with his black color and his thick lips, stood over the roof of the holy mosque at Mecca called the Ka'ba the most historic and the holiest mosque in the Islamic world, when some proud Arabs painfully cried loud, "Oh, this black Negro Slave, woe be to him. He stands on the roof of holy Ka'ba to call for prayer." At that moment, the prophet announced to the world, this verse of the holy QURAN for the first time.
"O mankind, surely we have created you, families and tribes, so you may know one another.
Surely, the most honorable of you with God is MOST RIGHTEOUS AMONG you.
Surely, God is Knowing, Aware."
And these words of the holy Quran created such a mighty transformation that the Caliph of Islam, the purest of Arabs by birth, offered their daughter in marriage to this Negro Slave, and whenever, the second Caliph of Islam, known to history as Umar the great, the commander of faithful, saw this Negro slave, he immediately stood in reverence and welcomed him by "Here come our master; Here come our lord." What a tremendous change was brought by Quran in the Arabs, the proudest people at that time on the earth. This is the reason why Goethe, the greatest of German poets, speaking about the Holy Quran declared that, "This book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence." This is also the reason why George Bernard Shaw says, "If any religion has a chance or ruling over England, say, Europe, within the next 100 years, it is Islam".
It is this same democratic spirit of Islam that emancipated women from the bondage of man. Sir Charles Edward Archibald Hamilton says "Islam teaches the inherent sinlessness of man. It teaches that man and woman and woman have come from the same essence, posses the same soul and have been equipped with equal capabilities for intellectual, spiritual and moral attainments."
The Arabs had a very strong tradition that one who can smite with the spear and can wield the sword would inherit. But Islam came as the defender of the weaker sex and entitled women to share the inheritance of their parents. It gave women, centuries ago right of owning property, yet it was only 12 centuries later , in 1881, that England, supposed to be the cradle of democracy adopted this institution of Islam and the act was called "the married woman act", but centuries earlier, the Prophet of Islam had proclaimed that "Woman are twin halves of men. The rights of women are sacred. See that women maintained rights granted to them."
Islam is not directly concerned with political and economic systems, but indirectly and in so far as political and economic affairs influence man's conduct, it does lay down some very important principles to govern economic life. According to Prof. Massignon, it maintains the balance between exaggerated opposites and has always in view the building of character which is the basis of civilization. This is secured by its law of inheritance, by an organized system of charity known as Zakat, and by regarding as illegal all anti-social practices in the economic field like monopoly, usury, securing of predetermined unearned income and increments, cornering markets, creating monopolies, creating an artificial scarcity of any commodity in order to force the prices to rise. Gambling is illegal. Contribution to schools, to places of worship, hospitals, digging of wells, opening of orphanages are highest acts of virtue. Orphanages have sprung for the first time, it is said, under the teaching of the prophet of Islam. The world owes its orphanages to this prophet born an orphan. "Good all this" says Carlyle about Mohammad. "The natural voice of humanity, of pity and equity, dwelling in the heart of this wild son of nature, speaks."
A historian once said a great man should be judged by three tests: Was he found to be of true metel by his contemporaries ? Was he great enough to raise above the standards of his age ? Did he leave anything as permanent legacy to the world at large ? This list may be further extended but all these three tests of greatness are eminently satisfied to the highest degree in case of prophet Mohammad. Some illustrations of the last two have already been mentioned.
The first is: Was the Prophet of Islam found to be of true metel by his contemporaries?
Historical records show that all the contemporaries of Mohammad both friends foes, acknowledged the sterling qualities, the spotless honesty, the noble virtues, the absolute sincerity and every trustworthiness of the apostle of Islam in all walks of life and in every sphere of human activity. Even the Jews and those who did not believe in his message, adopted him as the arbiter in their personal disputes by virtue of his perfect impartiality. Even those who did not believe in his message were forced to say "O Mohammad, we do not call you a liar, but we deny him who has given you a book and inspired you with a message." They thought he was one possessed. They tried violence to cure him. But the best of them saw that a new light had dawned on him and they hastened him to seek the enlightenment. It is a notable feature in the history of prophet of Islam that his nearest relation, his beloved cousin and his bosom friends, who know him most intimately, were not thoroughly imbued with the truth of his mission and were convinced of the genuineness of his divine inspiration. If these men and women, noble, intelligent, educated and intimately acquainted with his private life had perceived the slightest signs of deception, fraud, earthliness, or lack of faith in him, Mohammad's moral hope of regeneration, spiritual awakening, and social reform would all have been foredoomed to a failure and whole edifice would have crumbled to pieces in a moment. On the contrary, we find that devotion of his followers was such that he was voluntarily acknowledged as dictator of their lives. They braved for him persecutions and danger; they trusted, obeyed and honored him even in the most excruciating torture and severest mental agony caused by excommunication even unto death. Would this have been so, had they noticed the slightest backsliding in their master?
Read the history of the early converts to Islam, and every heart would melt at the sight of the brutal treatment of innocent Muslim men and women.
Sumayya, an innocent women, is cruelly torn into pieces with spears. An example is made of "Yassir whose legs are tied to two camels and the beast were are driven in opposite directions", Khabbab bin Arth is made lie down on the bed of burning coal with the brutal legs of their merciless tyrant on his breast so that he may not move and this makes even the fat beneath his skin melt. "Khabban bin Adi is put to death in a cruel manner by mutilation and cutting off his flesh piece-meal." In the midst of his tortures, being asked weather he did not wish Mohammad in his place while he was in his house with his family, the sufferer cried out that he was gladly prepared to sacrifice himself his family and children and why was it that these sons and daughters of Islam not only surrendered to their prophet their allegiance but also made a gift of their hearts and souls to their master? Is not the intense faith and conviction on part of immediate followers of Mohammad, the noblest testimony to his sincerity and to his utter self-absorption in his appointed task?
And these men were not of low station or inferior mental caliber. Around him in quite early days, gathered what was best and noblest in Mecca, its flower and cream, men of position, rank, wealth and culture, and from his own kith and kin, those who knew all about his life. All the first four Caliphs, with their towering personalities, were converts of this period.
The Encyclopedia Brittanica says that "Mohammad is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities".
But the success was not the result of mere accident. It was not a hit of fortune. It was a recognition of fact that he was found to be true metal by his contemporaries. It was the result of his admirable and all compelling personality.
The personality of Mohammad! It is most difficult to get into the truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes. There is Mohammad the Prophet, there is Mohammad the General; Mohammad the King; Mohammad the Warrior; Mohammad the Businessman; Mohammad the Preacher; Mohammad the Philosopher; Mohammad the Statesman; Mohammad the Orator; Mohammad the reformer; Mohammad the Refuge of orphans; Mohammad the Protector of slaves; Mohammad the Emancipator of women; Mohammad the Law-giver; Mohammad the Judge; Mohammad the Saint.
And in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like, a hero..
Orphanhood is extreme of helplessness and his life upon this earth began with it; Kingship is the height of the material power and it ended with it. From an orphan boy to a persecuted refugee and then to an overlord, spiritual as well as temporal, of a whole nation and Arbiter of its destinies, with all its trials and temptations, with all its vicissitudes and changes, its lights and shades, its up and downs, its terror and splendor, he has stood the fire of the world and came out unscathed to serve as a model in every face of life. His achievements are not limited to one aspect of life, but cover the whole field of human conditions.
If for instance, greatness consist in the purification of a nation, steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute moral darkness, that dynamic personality who has transformed, refined and uplifted an entire nation, sunk low as the Arabs were, and made them the torch-bearer of civilization and learning, has every claim to greatness. If greatness lies in unifying the discordant elements of society by ties of brotherhood and charity, the prophet of the desert has got every title to this distinction. If greatness consists in reforming those warped in degrading and blind superstition and pernicious practices of every kind, the prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrational fear from the hearts of millions. If it lies in displaying high morals, Mohammad has been admitted by friend and foe as Al Amin, or the faithful. If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from helpless orphan and an humble creature to be the ruler of Arabia, the equal to Chosroes and Caesars, one who founded great empire that has survived all these 14 centuries. If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the prophet's name even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world.
He had not studied philosophy in the school of Athens of Rome, Persia, India, or China. Yet, He could proclaim the highest truths of eternal value to mankind. Illiterate himself, he could yet speak with an eloquence and fervor which moved men to tears, to tears of ecstasy. Born an orphan blessed with no worldly goods, he was loved by all. He had studied at no military academy; yet he could organize his forces against tremendous odds and gained victories through the moral forces which he marshaled. Gifted men with genius for preaching are rare. Descartes included the perfect preacher among the rarest kind in the world. Hitler in his Mein Kamp has expressed a similar view. He says "A great theorist is seldom a great leader. An Agitator is more likely to posses these qualities. He will always be a great leader. For leadership means ability to move masses of men. The talents to produce ideas has nothing in common with capacity for leadership." "But", he says, "The Union of theorists, organizer and leader in one man, is the rarest phenomenon on this earth; Therein consists greatness."
In the person of the Prophet of Islam the world has seen this rarest phenomenon walking on the earth, walking in flesh and blood.
And more wonderful still is what the reverend Bosworth Smith remarks, "Head of the state as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was pope without the pope's claims, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without an standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by a right divine It was Mohammad, for he had all the power without instruments and without its support. He cared not for dressing of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life."
After the fall of Mecca, more than one million square miles of land lay at his feet, Lord of Arabia, he mended his own shoes and coarse woolen garments, milked the goats, swept the hearth, kindled the fire and attended the other menial offices of the family. The entire town of Medina where he lived grew wealthy in the later days of his life. Everywhere there was gold and silver in plenty and yet in those days of prosperity many weeks would elapse without a fire being kindled in the hearth of the king of Arabia, His food being dates and water. His family would go hungry many nights successively because they could not get anything to eat in the evening. He slept on no soften bed but on a palm mat, after a long busy day to spend most of his night in prayer, often bursting with tears before his creator to grant him strength to discharge his duties. As the reports go, his voice would get choked with weeping and it would appear as if a cooking pot was on fire and boiling had commenced. On the very day of his death his only assets were few coins a part of which went to satisfy a debt and rest was given to a needy person who came to his house for charity. The clothes in which he breathed his last had many patches. The house from where light had spread to the world was in darkness because there was no oil in the lamp.
Circumstances changed, but the prophet of God did not. In victory or in defeat, in power or in adversity, in affluence or in indigence, he is the same man, disclosed the same character. Like all the ways and laws of God, Prophets of God are unchangeable.
An honest man, as the saying goes, is the noblest work of God, Mohammad was more than honest. He was human to the marrow of his bones. Human sympathy, human love was the music of his soul. To serve man, to elevate man, to purify man, to educate man, in a word to humanize man-this was the object of his mission, the be-all and end all of his life. In thought, in word, in action he had the good of humanity as his sole inspiration, his sole guiding principle.
He was most unostentatious and selfless to the core. What were the titles he assumed? Only true servant of God and His Messenger. Servant first, and then a messenger. A Messenger and prophet like many other prophets in every part of the world, some known to you, many not known you. If one does not believe in any of these truths one ceases to be a Muslim. It is an article of faith.
"Looking at the circumstances of the time and unbounded reverence of his followers" says a western writer "the most miraculous thing about Mohammad is, that he never claimed the power of working miracles." Miracles were performed but not to propagate his faith and were attributed entirely to God and his inscrutable ways. He would plainly say that he was a man like others. He had no treasures of earth or heaven. Nor did he claim to know the secrets of that lie in womb of future. All this was in an age when miracles were supposed to be ordinary occurrences, at the back and call of the commonest saint, when the whole atmosphere was surcharged with supernaturalism in Arabia and outside Arabia.
He turned the attention of his followers towards the study of nature and its laws, to understand them and appreciate the Glory of God. The Quran says,
"God did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in play. He did not create them all but with the truth. But most men do not know."
The world is not illusion, nor without purpose. It has been created with the truth. The number of verses inviting close observation of nature are several times more than those that relate to prayer, fasting, pilgrimage etc. all put together. The Muslim under its influence began to observe nature closely and this give birth to the scientific spirit of the observation and experiment which was unknown to the Greeks. While the Muslim Botanist Ibn Baitar wrote on Botany after collecting plants from all parts of the world, described by Myer in his Gesch. der Botanikaa-s, a monument of industry, while Al Byruni traveled for forty years to collect mineralogical specimens, and Muslim Astronomers made some observations extending even over twelve years. Aristotle wrote on Physics without performing a single experiment, wrote on natural history, carelessly stating without taking the trouble to ascertain the most verifiable fact that men have more teeth than animal. Galen, the greatest authority on classical anatomy informed that the lower jaw consists of two bones, a statement which is accepted unchallenged for centuries till Abdul Lateef takes the trouble to examine a human skeleton. After enumerating several such instances, Robert Priffault concludes in his well known book The making of humanity, "The debt of our science to the Arabs does not consist in starting discovers or revolutionary theories. Science owes a great more to Arabs culture; it owes is existence." The same writer says "The Greeks systematized, generalized and theorized but patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed and prolonged observation, experimental inquiry, were altogether alien to Greek temperament. What we call science arose in Europe as result of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of Mathematics in form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and these methods, concludes the same author, were introduced into the European world by Arabs."
It is the same practical character of the teaching of Prophet Mohammad that gave birth to the scientific spirit, that has also sanctified the daily labors and the so called mundane affairs. The Quran says that God has created man to worship him but the word worship has a connotation of its own. Gods worship is not confined to prayer alone, but every act that is done with the purpose of winning approval of God and is for the benefit of the humanity comes under its purview. Islam sanctifies life and all its pursuits provided they are performed with honesty, justice and pure intents. It obliterates the age-long distinction between the sacred and profane. The Quran says if you eat clean things and thank God for it, it is an act of worship. It is saying of the prophet of Islam that Morsel of food that one places in the mouth of his wife is an act of virtue to be rewarded by God. Another tradition of the Prophet says "He who is satisfying the desire of his heart will be rewarded by God provided the methods adopted are permissible." A person was listening to him exclaimed 'O Prophet of God, he is answering the calls of passions, is only satisfying the craving of his heart. Forthwith came the reply, "Had he adopted an awful method for the satisfaction of his urge, he would have been punished; then why should he not be rewarded for following the right course."
This new conception of religion that it should also devote itself to the betterment of this life rather than concern itself exclusively with super mundane affairs, has led to a new orientation of moral values. Its abiding influence on the common relations of mankind in the affairs of every day life, its deep power over the masses, its regulation of their conception of rights and duty, its suitability and adaptability to the ignorant savage and the wise philosopher are characteristic features of the teaching of the Prophet of Islam.
But it should be most carefully born in mind this stress on good actions is not the sacrifice correctness of faith. While there are various school of thought, one praising faith at the expense of deeds, another exhausting various acts to the detriment of correct belief, Islam is based on correct faith and righteous actions. Means are important as the end and ends are as important as the means. It is an organic Unity. Together they live and thrive. Separate them and both decay and die. In Islam faith can not be divorced from the action. Right knowledge should be transferred into right action to produce the right results. How often the words came in Quran -- Those who believe and do good thing, they alone shall enter paradise. Again and again, not less than fifty times these words are repeated as if too much stress can not be laid on them. Contemplation is encouraged but mere contemplation is not the goal. Those who believe and do nothing can not exist in Islam. These who believe and do wrong are inconceivable. Divine law is the law of effort and not of ideals. It chalks out for the men the path of eternal progress from knowledge to action and from action to satisfaction.
But what is the correct faith from which right action spontaneously proceeds resulting in complete satisfaction. Here the central doctrine of Islam is the Unity of God. There is no God but God is the pivot from which hangs the whole teaching and practice of Islam. He is unique not only as regards his divine being but also as regards his divine attributes.
As regards the attributes of God, Islam adopts here as in other things too, the law of golden mean. It avoids on the one hand, the view of God which divests the divine being of every attribute and rejects, on the other, the view which likens him to things material. The Quran says, On the one hand, there is nothing which is like him, on the other , it affirms that he is Seeing, Hearing, Knowing. He is the King who is without a stain of fault or deficiency, the mighty ship of His power floats upon the ocean of justice and equity. He is the Beneficent, the Merciful. He is the Guardian over all. Islam does not stop with this positive statement. It adds further which is its most special characteristic, the negative aspects of problem. There is also no one else who is guardian over everything. He is the meander of every breakage, and no one else is the meander of any breakage. He is the restorer of every loss and no one else is the restorer of any loss what-so-over. There is no God but one God, above any need, the maker of bodies, creator of souls, the Lord of the day of judgment, and in short, in the words of Quran, to him belong all excellent qualities.
Regarding the position of man in relation to the Universe, the Quran says:
"God has made subservient to you whatever is on the earth or in universe. You are destined to rule over the Universe."
But in relation to God, the Quran says:
"O man God has bestowed on you excellent faculties and has created life and death to put you to test in order to see whose actions are good and who has deviated from the right path."
In spite of free will which he enjoys, to some extent, every man is born under certain circumstances and continues to live under certain circumstances beyond his control. With regard to this God says, according to Islam, it is my will to create any man under condition that seem best to me. cosmic plans finite mortals can not fully comprehend. But I will certainly test you in prosperity as well in adversity, in health as well as in sickness, in heights as well as in depths. My ways of testing differ from man to man, from hour to hour. In adversity do not despair and do resort to unlawful means. It is but a passing phase. In prosperity do not forget God. God-gifts are given only as trusts. You are always on trial, every moment on test. In this sphere of life there is not to reason why, there is but to do and die. If you live in accordance with God; and if you die, die in the path of God. You may call it fatalism. but this type of fatalism is a condition of vigorous increasing effort, keeping you ever on the alert. Do not consider this temporal life on earth as the end of human existence. There is a life after death and it is eternal. Life after death is only a connection link, a door that opens up hidden reality of life. Every action in life however insignificant, produces a lasting effect. It is correctly recorded somehow. Some of the ways of God are known to you, but many of his ways are hidden from you. What is hidden in you and from you in this world will be unrolled and laid open before you in the next. the virtuous will enjoy the blessing of God which the eye has not seen, nor has the ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of men to conceive of they will march onward reaching higher and higher stages of evolution. Those who have wasted opportunity in this life shall under the inevitable law, which makes every man taste of what he has done, be subjugated to a course of treatment of the spiritual diseases which they have brought about with their own hands. Beware, it is terrible ordeal. Bodily pain is torture, you can bear somehow. Spiritual pain is hell, you will find it almost unbearable. Fight in this life itself the tendencies of the spirit prone to evil, tempting to lead you into iniquities ways. Reach the next stage when the self-accusing sprit in your conscience is awakened and the soul is anxious to attain moral excellence and revolt against disobedience. This will lead you to the final stage of the soul at rest, contented with God, finding its happiness and delight in him alone. The soul no more stumbles. The stage of struggle passes away. Truth is victorious and falsehood lays down its arms. All complexes will then be resolved. Your house will not be divided against itself. Your personality will get integrated round the central core of submission to the will of God and complete surrender to his divine purpose. All hidden energies will then be released. The soul then will have peace. God will then address you:
"O thou soul that art at rest, and restest fully contented with thy Lord return to thy Lord. He pleased with thee and thou pleased with him; So enter among my servants and enter into my paradise."
This is the final goal for man; to become, on the, one hand, the master of the universe and on the other, to see that his soul finds rest in his Lord, that not only his Lord will be pleased with him but that he is also pleased with his Lord. Contentment, complete contentment, satisfaction, complete satisfaction, peace, complete peace. The love of God is his food at this stage and he drinks deep at the fountain of life. Sorrow and defeat do not overwhelm him and success does not find him in vain and exulting.
The western nations are only trying to become the master of the Universe. But their souls have not found peace and rest.
Thomas Carlyle, struck by this philosophy of life writes "and then also Islam-that we must submit to God; that our whole strength lies in resigned submission to Him, whatsoever he does to us, the thing he sends to us, even if death and worse than death, shall be good, shall be best; we resign ourselves to God." The same author continues "If this be Islam, says Goethe, do we not all live in Islam?" Carlyle himself answers this question of Goethe and says "Yes, all of us that have any moral life, we all live so. This is yet the highest wisdom that heaven has revealed to our earth."
Azmat N. Khan
Sponsored by the MSA
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/prophet/lifeofprophet.html
by reem at March 23, 2006 12:25 PM
by the way, you understand me wrong, it is imossible for me to attack christianity or judaism as to be a muslim, you should believe in all the previous religions and holy books, what i tried to say that although christianity or judaism are great religions, they are not followed rightly by christians or jewes.
Adam, i really do not blame you about what you think about Islam , i have an american friend called Jared criswell told me that he studied in the school that muslims are thirsty to blood and they are terrorists like you say but when he lived for a while in Sudan and knew the muslims well, he told me : muslims can not be thirsty to blood, so i hope you can travel one day to Egypt or any other arabian countries to see by yourself and i promise you if you deside one day to visit Egypt, just tell me and i will be your tour guide here.
finally, i hope our descusions do not lead us to be enemies because we have an arabian slogan said :
the difference in the opinion, does not corrupt a case for the amity.
by reem at March 23, 2006 12:36 PM