The beauty of Islam as seen by others
MUSLIMS ARE GOOD FOLKS
American poet, critic and author Colonel Donald S. Rockwell writes: "The
simplicity of Islam, the powerful appeal and the compelling atmosphere of
its mosques, the earnestness of its faithful followers, the confidence
inspiring realization of millions throughout the world who answer the five
daily calls to prayer, these factors attracted me from the first.
But after I had determined to become a follower of Islam, I found many
deeper reasons for confirming my decision. The mellow concept of life --
fruit of the combined course of action and contemplation, the wise counsel,
the admonitions to charity and mercy of the Prophet, , .
The broad humanitarianism, the pioneer declaration of women's rights, these
and other factors of the teachings of the man of Makkah, were to me among
the first obvious evidence of a practical religion so tersely and so aptly
epitomized in the cryptic words of Prophet Muhammad, : 'Trust in God and tie
your camel.' He gave us a religious system of normal action, not blind faith
in the protection of an unseen force in spite of our own neglect, but
confidence that if we do all things rightly and to the best of our ability,
we may trust in what comes as the Will of God...
When I stood in the inspiring mosques of Istanbul, Damascus, Jerusalem,
Cairo, Algiers, Tangier, Fez and other cities, I was conscious of a powerful
reaction -- the potent uplift of Islam's simple appeal to the sense of
higher things, unaided by elaborate trappings, ornamentation, figures,
pictures, music and ceremonial ritual. The mosque is a place of quiet
contemplation and self-effacement in the greater reality of the true God.
The democracy of Islam has always appealed to me. Potentate and pauper have
the same rights on the floor of the mosque, on their knees in humble
worship. There are no rented pews or special reserved seats.
The Muslim accepts no man as mediator between himself and his God. He goes
direct to the invisible source of creation and life -- God -- without
reliance on a saving formula of repentance of sins and belief in the power
of a teacher to afford him salvation. The universal brotherhood of Islam,
regardless of race, politics, color or country, has been brought home to me
most keenly many times in my life, and this is another feature which drew me
towards the Faith."
The baseless claim that Islam converted the peoples it had 'conquered by
force' has also been refuted by prominent non-Muslims.
Mahatma Gandhi, for instance, writes in Young Indian, 1924:
"I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a
place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid
simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, , the scrupulous
regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers,
his intrepidity, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These and
not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble."
James A. Michener writes in the Reader's Digest, under the title Islam: The
Misunderstood Religion: "No other religion in history spread so rapidly as
Islam. The West has widely believed that this surge of religion was made
possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the
Quran is explicit in support of the freedom of conscience."
Laurence E. Browne writes in The Prospects of Islam: "Incidentally, these
well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian
writings about the Muslims, that wherever they went, they forced people to
accept Islam at the point of the sword."
De Lay O'Leany also writes in Islam at Crossroads, London, 1923, p. 8:
"History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims,
sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon
conquered races is one of the most fanatically absurd myths that historians
have ever repeated."
It is worth mentioning here that it is absolutely wrong to judge Islam by
the deteriorating condition of Muslims and the blatant corruption that
pervades the Muslim world. What Islam preaches is one thing, and what so
many Muslims nowadays practice is something else.
The only way whereby we do justice to Islam is to find out about its noble
teachings, which are clearly set out at length in the Holy Quran and the
Prophetic traditions. The famous popular singer, Cat Stevens, who later
embraced Islam once observed: "It will be wrong to judge Islam in the light
of the behavior of some bad Muslims who are always shown on the media.
It is like judging a car as a bad one if the driver is drunk and he bangs it
into a wall. Islam guides all human beings in daily life -- in its
spiritual, mental and physical dimensions. Nevertheless, we must find the
sources of these instructions -- the Quran and the example of the Prophet, .
Then we can see the idea of Islam."
What is generally said about Islam in the media and in many academic circles
can also give a wrong idea about it. As Maurice Bucaille put it: "The
totally erroneous statements made about Islam in the West are sometimes the
result of ignorance, and sometimes of systematic denigration.
The most serious of all the untruths told about it are, however, those
dealing with facts, for while mistaken opinions are excusable, the
presentation of facts running contrary to reality is not. It is disturbing
to read blatant untruths in eminently respectable works written by authors
who a priori are highly qualified."
[From: A Glimpse at the Beauty of Islam]
http://www.islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=119832