Questions and Answers on

[ahmad]

Part One:

Questions and Answers on
Islamic Doctrine

Translated by
Munzer A. Absi with contributionm from
Ahmad Sheik Bangura

Chapter 1:

Belief in Almighty God

Question 01: So long as the three principal religions have emanated
from God, why should differences appear as to the essence of God among
their adherents? Why should a Christian or a Jew be required to
abandon his religion and adopt Islam?

Answer 01: There is no doubt that the three religions acknowledge one
source, God. They all agree as to the uniquness, the absolute
omniscience and omnipresence of God, to the exclusion of any parallel
power to be worshipped. All agree as to attributing to God all
perfection and excluding all defects and blemishes. Whatever
differences may appear is sporadic extraneous, accretious developing
over the ages from distortions interpolated by members of both Judaism
and Christianity. Herein came differences as to the essence of God.
The difference, therefore, is between Islam, which God entrusted His
prophet with, and other religions which have been distorted and
adulterated. The difference is not between authentic religions,
rather, it is between a true religion and others that have been
invalidated and turned away. The latter category has been manipulated
by vicious hands which misdirected them.

When we call upon a Jew or Christian to discard his/her religion and
adopt Islam, we are in reality asking him/her to revert to the true
religion which has been preached by all prophets. Should an impartial
thinker consider Islam in relation to other religions, he/she is bound
to acknowledge the radical difference between both categories. He/she
is likely to find in the former the truth and monotheism, while the
latter would reveal innovations and polytheism. Moreover, Islam
advocates justice and tolerance, while the others imply racism and
discrimination. In the one there are moral commitment and decency; in
the other, disintegration and corruption.

Question 02: What is the penultimate reason behind the creation of
man? Does God need man's worship?

Answer 02: Man has been created in order to worship God: "And I (God)
created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship me
(alone)" (Holy Qur'an: 51: 56). The Primary incumbency on man is to
know God through His oneness, and thence to worship Him truly.
Secondly, man is required to act his role as God's vicegerent on
earth, so as to enjoy bliss both here and hereafter. Indeed, his/her
need to acknowledge the supremacy of God exceeds his/her need and
drink: "O mankind! It is you who stand in need of God. But God is
rich, worthy of all praise" (Holy Qur'an: 35: 15).

God is above the need for man's worship. He does not benefit from
man's devotion, nor would He be adversely affected by man's
blasphemy. From beginning to end the story of man's existence on
earth, no matter how many are its incidents, is an ordeal, a test,
whether for him/her as an individual or for all humanity. Man's
performance in this test determines either his praise and reward or
reproof and punishment.

Question 03: You Muslims claim that you worship One God, while in
actual fact you resemble the Christians who say "In the name of the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," for you say "In the name of God,
the Mercifu; the Compaasionate." How would you account for this
resemblence?

Answer 03: In the Christian creed, God is the Creator. The Son is
Jesus the Deliverer. And the Holy Spirit is His life or one of His
creations chosen by Him as a messenger and/or prophet imparting God's
inspiration or cosmic order to whoever He wishes. Whatever the
mission carried out by the Holy Spirit, the Christians believe in the
above powers as three entities, three aspects, three qualities. They
say: "Oneness in Trinity and Trinity in Oneness." They are all
phenomena of one God, etc. Therefore, the One God, they claim,
consists of three separate categories, which they call the Trinity.
As a matter of fact, God, as they take Him, is not one but three. In
the Qur'an God says: "Surely, disbelievers are those who said: 'God is
the third of the three (in aTrinity)'." (Holy Qur'an: 5: 73). The
verse means that God the Creator is the third in relation to the Son
and the Holy Spirit.

As for the Muslim dictum "In the name of God, the Mercifu, the
Compaasionate," it means three names of God which exceed ninety nine,
all denoting one Entity. A name is not separate from the named. The
Being named and described is not to be conceived except by His names
and qualities, unlike the case of the Christian Entities, for they are
three dimentional, but separate, the Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit.

Question 04: How can you claim that your God is Mercifu and
Compasionate, while He created evil in the world, expressed in
illnesses, volcanoes, toxics, earthquakes, hatred, etc.?

Answer 04: The answer to this question is threefold:
1. God almighty is a universal God, the God of all creation. This is
obvious in the following verse: "And your God is One (God), there is
none who has the right to be worshipped but He, the Most Gracious, the
Most Merciful..." (Holy Qur'an: 2: 163).

2. Undoubtedly, God's mercy is comprehensive. It encompasses all
creatures under its canopy. The evidence is clear: "...And My Mercy
embraces all things..." (Holy Qur'an: 7: 156). Such a spacious
clemency expresses itself in bestowing upon His creation so much
bliss: material sustenance, the gifts of sight and hearing. Indeed,
such blesisngs are countless.

3. Whatever adversities may befall man in this world, like pain,
illness, poison, earthquakes, volcanoes, etc., are not exclusively
evils. They are mixed blessings. For some who are harassed by such
evils they are a punishment for their disobedience or heresy, while
for some others they are a reminder, a nudge, to awaken them from
their slumber. They also indicate the absolute power of God, His
ability to deal with His creation, the sphere of His dominion, in the
ways He deems just and wise. All that God decrees emanates from His
compassion, wisdom and justice.

Question 05: Does God allow prostration to any power or creature other
than Himself? If the answer is negative how can we account for the
prostration of Jospeh's brothers and parents before him?

Answer 05: Initialy, it is to be maintained that there are two kinds
of prostration:
1. Expressive of worship and favour-seeking, which is permissible only
to God. If it is practised to appease some other power, this is
polytheism.

2. Indicative of man's desire to glorify an absolute power, in which
case the action of prostration is not polytheistic. Kneeling down and/
or prostration before human beings as a way of showing respect or
greeting was quite acceptable in earlier creeds. But it has been
abrogated in Islam. Joseph's brothers did not worship him. They bent
down before him in a expression of esteem and reverence. Such a
posture was permissible in their creed, but abolished and abrogated in
Islam. Abdullah ibn Abi Awfa was reported to have said that on coming
from Sham (currently greater Syria) Mu'az ibn Jabal knelt down before
the prophet (pbuh) whereupon the prophet enquired what the man meant.
In explanation, Mu'az said that in Sham he had seen people bending
down before their bishops and patriarchs, so he thought it would be
fit to do so in front of the prophet. In response the prophet denied
this by saying: "Muslims may not bow down to anybody except God...".

It was obvious that Mu'az's postutre before the prophet implies
reverence, a sentiment he noted in the case of the faithful, but in no
way does it denote worship, which is exclusive to God. When the
prophet knew that Mu'az's posture did not denote worship, he still
exhorted him not to perform such an action. Consequently, abrogation
was applied to kneeling down and prostration in glorification of human
grandeur.

It is true that Joseph's father and brother prostrated before him, and
equally true that God almighty enjoined the angels to prostrate before
Adam, but in neither case did the posture imply worship, rather it
meant a gesture of honour and recognition of merit.

Chapter 2:

Belief in Prophets and Missions

Question 06: What is the indisputable evidence that the teachings of
Muhammad have all come from God?

Answer 06: There are numerous irrefutable evidences indicating that
such teachings originated from God almighty. Here are some:
1. All that has been enjoined, and denied, can be found highly
propitious and useful to all mankind, everywhere and at any time.
They are commensurate with the sound mind and the chaste insight.
Examples are commandments on solidifying family ties, preserving
superior moral qualities, avoiding usury and all misdemeanors. All
that the prophet (pbuh) has been told in inspiration has been proved
valid. Such material falls in two categories:

A. Pertaining to the past. These are corroborated by former books as
well as authenticated evidence confirmed by science and modern
discoveries, e.g. finindgs in geology as the era of the deluge, in
archeology as the relics from the epochs of Thamud and the Pharaos.

B. Pertaining to the future. Certain incidents were predicted by the
prophet, e.g. the fire which blasted Medina in 654 hijra, the good
offices performed by Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib in reconcilating
between two major factions of Muslims, the gathering of the Jews in
Palestine today, the emergence of nudist women who earn their living
in immodest ways, and the spread of ususry, corruption, murder, etc.

C. Evidences derived from the prophet's own life and morals, a study
of both of which can only cofirms that such actions can never emerge
except from one who is both true and honest. Whoever considers God's
support of His prophet (pbuh), the victory over his enemies, and the
spread of his religion, must come to the conclusion that this prophet
was sustained by God and that all he preached had come from the
Almighty.

D. Some contemporary scientific discoveries support the prophet's
tenets, e.g. stages of the life of the embryo, the way in which milk
comes into being in the mammals, the existence of the aquarian barrier
between two adjecent seas, the fact that the Dead Sea is the
nethermost place on earth, etc.

E. The miracles performed by him: these were simultaneously witnessed
by both his followers and antagonists, e.g. the fissure of the moon
surface, the springing of water from his fingers, the healing of the
sick, etc. His greatest miracle remains the glorious Qur'an that has
proved the authenticity of its contents over the ages.

Question 07: Who is the prophet?

Answer 07: He is a man chosen by almighty God, inspired by Him, and
enjoined to proclaim the call to the people he was sent to.

Question 08: How can prophet Muhammad (pbuh) be the imam (leader) of
all the prophets when he is the last messenger?

Answer 08: Preference is God's own prerogative. It is exclusive to
such and not to others, in accordance with His emmiscience and
wisdom. Preference has no relation with precedence or antecedence in
time. Moses and Jesus are are among the latter batch of prophets,
still they are the best among all those who preceded them except Noah
and Abraham (peace be uponh them). Furthermore, prophet Muhammad's
religion, in terms of creeds and the morals, conforms to those
preached by the previous prophets. As for the rules of these
religions, the prophet (pbuh), by commandments from almighty God,
nullified some, modified others; altered some, and augmented others.
Accordingly, his call has become more comprehensive, more perfect,
hence has dominion over precedences. The one in charge of such a call
deserves being an imam to those who preceded him. Those were made to
pledge to the be faithful to him and support him, almighty God says:
"And (remember) when God took the covenant of the prophets, saying:
'Take whatever I gave you from the book and hikmah (understanding of
the laws of God), and afterwards there will come to you a messenger
(Muhammad) confirming what is with you; you must, then, believe in him
and help him.' God said: 'Do you agree (to it) and will you take up
my covenant (which I conclude with you)?' They said: 'We agree.' He
said: 'Then bear witness; and I am with you among the witnesses (for
this)'." (Holy Qur'an: 3: 81).

Such favours prove that he is the best.

Question 09: What evidence proves that Jesus was not a God, but only a
messenger from God?

Answer 09: Jesus Christ (pbuh), following both the Gospels and the
Qur'an, was born of the virgin Mary, who was just like any other human
being. It is common knowledge that whoever is born cannot be
deified. Jesus Christ was a human being who used to eat and drink
just like anybody else. He was susceptible to hunger, grief and/or
merriment. He experienced all the paraphernalia pertaining to human
life. His miraculous creation from no father is no stranger than that
of Adam, a being who was both fatherless and motherless. This is an
evidence of God's omnipotence. Jesus Christ was no more than a
servant to, and messenger of God, who revealed the scripture in order
to promulgate it and carry out His call. On the day of judgement
Jesus Christ is not to be judged because of those who deified him in
exclusion of God or thought of him as parallel. In the Qur'an we have
a mentioning of this, where in the hereafter God will ask Jesus if he
had asked his followers to deify him, whereby Jesus will answer God by
saying: "If you punish them, they are your slaves, and if you forgive
them, verily, you, only you, are the all-Mighty, the all-Wise" (Holy
Qur'an: 5: 118). Here is one more reply to the one who seeks an
evidence as to the deification of Jesus Christ, while he has none of
the qualities of God. Whatever miracles he performed emanated from
God, just as He supported other prophets.

Question 10: In what way was Jesus Christ a Muslim, as well as all the
other prophets?

Answer 10: There is no doubt that all prophets (peace be upon them),
beginning with Adam and ending in Muhammad, preached one religion-the
worship of God alone and disregarding all other powers. This is
something advocated by Islam. God says: "Truly, the true religion
with God is Islam" (Holy Qur'an: 3: 19). About Abraham (pbuh), God
says: "Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but was a true
Muslim (hanif: monotheist-a worshipper one God alone) and he was not a
mushrik-a polytheist" (Holy Qur'an: 3: 67). On the question of the
disciples of Jesus, God says: "And when I (God) inspired al-hawariun
(the disciples of Jesus) to believe in Me and My Messenger, they said:
'We believe. And bear witness that we are Muslims'." (Holy Qur'an: 5:
111). Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) confirmed this in his saying: "Prophets
are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion
is one."

Question 11: If people have managed to distort the message of Christ,
is not this sufficient evidence that he failed in his mission? If he
was great, how could God allow his call to peter out into failure?

Answer 11: Christ (pbuh) cannot be said to have failed in his
mission. God supported him with astounding miracle and convincing
arguments. Whatever distortion has befallen the scripture preached by
Christ, it must have happened after his ascention to heaven. Failure
and disintegration are the works of the followes who fell a prey to
whims and caprice. In this connection God says:
[And (remember) when God will say (on the day of reurrection): 'O
Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say unto men: 'worship me and my mother
as two gods besides God?' He will say: 'Glory is to You! It is not
for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing,
You would surely, have know it. You know what is in my inner-self
though I do not know what is in Yours; truly You, only You, are the
All-Knower of all that is hidden (and seen). Never did I say to them
aught except what You (God) did command me to say: worship God my Lord
and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst
them, but when you took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You
are a Witness to all things'."] (Holy Qur'an: 5: 116-117)

Question 12: Seeing that God's message to humanity is one and the
same, why was it partitioned among more than one prophet and not
revealed in one package?

Answer 12: The message entrusted to all prophets is one and the same.
It finds expression in a call for the worship of the one God and the
avoidance of false dieties, God says: "And verily, we have sent among
every ummah (community/nation) a messenger (proclaiming): 'Worship God
(alone), and avoid taghut (all false deities)'." (Holy Qur'an: 16:
36). God almighty also said: "And We did not send any messenger
before you (Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): 'None has the
right to be worshipped but I (God), so worship Me (alone and none
else)'." (Holy Qur'an: 21: 25). As for the multiplicity of the
prophets, it has been caused by various motives:

1. So that people in any age may not have the pretext as to have been
ignorant of God's commandments. God says: "Messengers as bearers of
good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no
plea against God after the (coming of) messengers." (Holy Qur'an: 4:
165).

2. Specifying individual laws for each nation which shall conform to
its nature and circumstances. God says: "...To each among you, We have
prescribed a law and a clear way..." (Holy Qur'an: 5: 48).

3. The differences among languages and their multiplicity, required
entrusting more than one prophet/messenger, each speaks the language
of a certain nation. This is obvious in the Almighty's words: "And We
sent not a messenger except with the language of his people in order
that he make (the message) clear for them" (Holy Qur'an: 14: 4).

Question 13: Is the Muslim entitled to blend his/her faith with other
faiths or creeds?

Answer 13: In no way should a Mulslim adopt other creeds or principles
which conflict with the fundamentals underlying the Islamic doctrine.
Monotheism runs counter to polytheism, nor does sunna (prophet's words
and deeds) agrees with innovations. Likewise, the love of God is
incompatiable with the love of some other power, etc.

Question 14: Why were the first batch of prophets sent to certain
geographical areas and not others? How can we judge those areas which
received no prophets? Why were they left without the word of God?

Answer 14: Judging by the accounts given by the prophet's hadiths
(sayings) God sent to various folks 124,000 prophets, while God's
messengers numbered 314. Such a large number of prophets and
messengers prove that not one nation or area went without one (or
some). In this regard God almighty says: "...And there never was a
nation but a warner had passed among them" (Holy Qur'an: 35: 24). And
again, He also says: "And verily, we have sent among every ummah
(community/nation) a messenger (proclaiming): 'Worship God (alone),
and avoid taghut (all false deities)'." (Holy Qur'an: 16: 36).

Question 15: Why should Muhammad (pbuh) be considered the last prophet
while Jesus Christ will reappear?

Answer 15: Muhammad (pbuh) is actually the last of all prophets,
according to what he siad. The descent of Jesus Christ (pbuh) from
heaven is not a new mission. It is a return whose aim is to reinforce
Islam and its shari'a (Islamic laws and rules) our propeht called for,
and the last celestial techings. This is clear in his words: "The
coming of Jesus is imminent. He will come as a just ruler, destroy
the cross, and nullify the poll tax. There would be so much money
that no one would accept charity." In another long hadith, he says:
"...He (Jesus Christ) will call peope to Islam and God would abolish all
religions leaving Islam alone."

It is quite obvious from the above evidences that whatever Jesus
Christ preaches is nothing but Islam and the law of Muhammad (peace be
upon them both). He will even pray behind a Muslim. The prophet
says: "How will you be when the son of Mary (Jesus Christ) descends
among you, while you are praying behind an imam (a prayer leader) from
among you?"

Muslim scholars referred to the return of Jesus Christ (pbuh) at the
end of time. They mentioned that his return will be especially
significant to:
1. Empashize the facts of Islam as preached by prophet Muhammad
(pbuh);

2. Reply to the claims of the Jews and the Christians as to his death,
crucifixion.;

3. His return indicates the approach of the end of his life and his
his burial.

4. The prophet's report about Jesus Christ must be the truth, because
it is something that had been revealed to him from God.

Question 16: How can you claim that Jesus did not die while his death
is actually mentioned in Surrat Al-Imraan (Chapter 3 of the Holy
Qur'an)?

Answer 16: No verse in the Qur'an relates the death of Jesus Christ
(pbuh). The term used in the chapter 'wafaat' does not refer to death
as much as it refers to departure from earthly existence. His
appointed time on earth had elapsed. Accordingly, God says: "And
(remember ) when God said: 'O Jesus! I will take you and raise you to
Myself and clear you of those who disbelieve...'." (Holy Qur'an: 3:
55). This can be paraphrased thus: I have teken you body and soul.
The term wafaat can also be used to indicate sleep. God says: "It is
He who takes your sould by night (when you are asleep), and has
knowledge of all that you have done by day..." (Holy Qur'an: 6: 60).

Contrary to what the Chrstians claim, the Qur'an confirms that Jesus
Christ (pbuh) was not killed. God raised him up to Himself: "...For
Surely, they killed him (Jesus) not. But God raised him up (with his
body and soul) unto Himself..." (Holy Qur'an: 4: 157-158). The truth of
the matter is that Jesus was ascended alive and will come back alive.

Question 17: How can you prove that Jesus Christ was not crucified?

Answer 17: This question can be answered from different angles:
1. There are many ambiguities surrounding the issue of Christ's
crucifixion in the canonical Gospels. How was the Crucifixion carried
out? For how long did Jesus hung on the cross? What are the precise
dates? Who carried the cross? What was his prayer while he was on
the cross? How do you explain his cry of despair? Who were the
witnesses? What happened after the crucifixion? There is no
consensus on these questions. So much of the crucifixion story is
based on mere conjecture.

2. The issue of crucifixion is based on the belief in the original sin
and redemption by blood. This issue contradicts common sense, and it
is irreconcilable with God's justice and mercy. How can the innocents
be held accountable for the actions of the guilty?

3. Finally, the Qur'an has unambiguously refuted the Bible's
crucifixion story. God says: "...They killed him not, nor crucified
him, but the resemblance of Jesus was put over another man, and those
who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no knowledge, they
follow nothing but conjecture. For surely, they killed him (Jesus)
not. But God raised him up (with his body and soul) unto Himself.
And God is ever all-powerful, all wise" (Holy Qur'an: 4: 157-158).

Chapter 3:

Belief in the Divine Scriptures

Question 18: You always say that the Old and New Testaments contain
fabrications. Why then do you sometimes use them as references when
it is convenient for you?

Answer 18: I would like to clarify that Muslims believe that books
were revealed by God to His prophets; and among these are the Torah,
the Gospels, David's Psalms, and the Qur'an and accounts of prophet
Abraham's life. Their belief in these reveations is a fundamental
aspect of islamic teachings. Therefore, the Muslims believe that,
generally speaking, the Torah and the Gospels are divinely revealed.
But people who follow these revelations have introduced fabrications
in them. God has revealed this fact to us in the Qur'an. Therefore
not all of the Bible is fabricated. And not all that Jews and
Christians claim to be true of the Bible is wholly from God. As a
result Islamic scholars have articulated a sound position regarding
these books which can be summerized as follows:
1. Whatever is in acordance with the Qur'an, we believe in and quote
for the benefit of those who follow these scriptures.

2. Whatever contradicts the Qur'an, we reject, knowing that it is a
fabrication. We do not quote it, and do not believe in it.

3. We maintain silence over what neither agrees nor contradicts
Qur'anic teachings. This is due to our fear of refuting what may be
well true or accepting what might be false.

The latter attitude is imposed by the teachings of the prophet (pbuh),
who said: "Do not give credence to what the people of the Book (Jews
and Christians); and do not refute it outright." Therefore, when we
quote te Bible, we are in fact quoting what finds support in the
qur'an, and not arbitrarily.

Question 19: Why do you believe that the divine reveltions were not
preserved in the same way that you claim the Qur'an was?

Answer 19: God made the preservation of earlier scriptures the
responsibilities of the followers of these books. God says: "...For to
them was entrusted the protection of God's books, and they were
witnesses thereto" (Holy Qur'an: 5: 44). But they were negligent of
this; distorted the books with their interpolations and the reversal
of some facts. This is not a total loss, because God intended another
scripture whose teachings and principles will serve the good of man
and under all conditions.

God did not give the responsibility of protecting the Qur'an to man.
He pledged to protect it Himself, knowing that this was the last
revelation to mankind. This is the absolute necessity that it be
preserved intact. God says: "Verily, it is We Who have sent down the
dhikr (the Qur'an) and surely, we will guard it (from
corruption)" (Holy Qur'an: 15: 9). Due to this divine pledge, the
Qur'an has been preserved. It is impossible for anyone to do to the
Qur'an what was done to previous scriptures.

Question 20: To what extent, do you think, are the present Gospels
authentic?

Answer 20: The present Gospels, as attested by Christian scholars,
were written by historians. They are therefore not totally
authentic. Parts of these books are authentic, others are
fabricated. The falsehood in them supercedes the truth, espacially in
those parts which deify Jesus Christ (pbuh) and make him the son of
God. The Muslim accepts what is in accord with the Islamic teachings
and rejects what contrdicts them. He is silent over aspects that are
not clearly in agreement or disagreement with Islamic teachings.

Question 21: How can you tell a true religion from a false one?

Answer 21: All the religions that God revealed through His prophets
are true. Any discernible corruption in these religions is a result
of human interpolation. People had been entrusted with the
preservation of these religions, but failed to fully care for this
trust. We can mention here a few criteria that can help distinguish a
true religion from a false one.

1. Examine the core contents of the religion both in terms of the
foundational texts and how they have been transmitted from generation
to generaion. See if there is internal consistency in the texts. Do
the prescriptions of the religion uplift man or oppress him?

2. Examine the methods of transmission in terms of their reliability
and the claims of transmision.
3. Look into the life of the founder of the religion (the prophet), if
applicable.

4. Look into the lives of the disciples of the prophet.

5. Is the religion monotheistic or ploytheistic?

6. Are the religion's teachings in clear contradiction with known
facts about the world?

Question 22: Can Muslisms read scriptures, other tha the Qur'an?
Explain with regards to the prophet's position on this question?

Answer 22: The prophet (pbuh) once showed displeasure when he saw Umar
ibn al-Khattab reading the Bible. Umar asked the prophet: "Sometimes
we hear fine words from the Jews, can we write some of these words?"
The prophet replied: "Are you confused about your religion, just as
the Jews and the Christians are about theirs? I have brought you a
crystal clear teaching. Had Moses been alive, no doubt he would have
been my follower." In the beginnig of the prophet's mission he
disallowed his disciples from meddling with Torah for fear of
confusing it with the Qur'an, which was being revealed. The Qur'an
having, been completely revealed, the prophet told his disciples to
teach about the Jews. The prophet says: "Do not believ the people of
the Book or disbelieve them, but say 'We believ in God and that which
has been sent down to us (Holy Qur'an: 2: 136)'." The study of
different sacred texts can only strengthen a Muslim's faith. What is
true in these faiths has been confirmed by the Qur'an; and falsehood
in them had likewise been made manifest in the Qur'an.

Question 23: Where in the Bible was the prophet's name mentioned?

Answer 23: In John 14: 16. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall
give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for
ever" (John: 14: 16).

Parclete means "Muhammad" or "Ahmad." The statement that the
"Parclete will remain with us forever points to the eternal validity
of Muhammad's religion, book and way of life. God vowed to protect
and preserve them. This is what is meant by "He will remain with you
forever."
Question 24: Why did God reveal the Qur'an in Arabic, rather than in
another language? What is the wisdom behind this choice?

Answer 24: It was God's choice to reveal Qur'an in Arabic, just as it
was his choice to reveal previous scriptures in other languages. God
does as He pleases. No one has the right to question His will; He can
question the actions of His creatures. The wisdom behind the choice
of Arabic to be the vehicle in which the Qur'an was revealed can be
summed up in the follwoing points:
1. The prophet through whom the Qur'an was revealed was an Arab, and
Arabic was his language. How could God have revealed to him a
scripture in a foreign tongue?

2. The past people to whom the prophet was sent were Arabs. Had the
book been revealed in other than their language, that would have given
them a pretext to reject it. They would have accused him of absurd
innovations and would have refused to heed his call.

3. Arabic os best equipped to articulate the nuance of the revelatin.

Chapter 4:

Questions on Sects and Schools of Thoughts

Question 25: If only those who follow Muhammad will be admitted into
paradise, what about the generations who lived before his advent?

Answer 25: Those who lived before the prophet's mission fall into two
groups:
A. Those who worshipped God, the One, and kept his laws as revealed
through a succession prophets. They will be rewarded or punishe
according to their own deeds. Ultimately, they will enter paradise.

B. Those to whom a divine scripture was not revealed. They will be
tested by God on the day of reckoning. Those who, then, manifest
obedience to God will enter paradise, and those who manifest
disobedience will enter hell.

Question 26: What are the differences and similarities netween Sinnism
and Shi'ism? Are there other sects that are considered belonging to
the fold of Islam?

Answer 26: Both Sunnis and Shi'as believe in God, His angels, His
scriptures, His prophets, the day of judgement, fate, and the pillars
of Islam, generally speaking.

Sunnis and Shi'as differ in some respects which include:
1. The Shi'as believe in the inerrancy and infalliablity of the imams
coming from the prophet's family.

2. Their belief that imams are divinely inspired, but to a lesser
degree than prophets.

3. Their practice of tactical dissimulation in their dealings with
their adversaries, whereby they believe that they are allowed to hide
their beliefs.

4. The practice of mut'a, or temporary marriages. From a sunni
perspective such marriages constitute adultry. There are many hadiths
condemn this practice.

Undoubtedly, many other sects claim to belong to the fold of Islam.
The mainstream Islamic population considers such sects in relation to
their closeness to, or distance from, the teachings of mainstream
Islam.

Judaism and Christianity are not accepted as viable religions after
the advent of Islam. Islam has superseded them God says: "And
whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted
of him, and in the hereafter he will be one of the losers" (Holy
Qur'an: 3: 85).

Question 27: Since Muslims have been allowed to build a mosque in
Rome, why should not Christians be permitted to build churches in
Arabia? Also, why are non-Muslims banned from entering Mecca and/or
Medina, while Muslims have access to the Vatican?

Answer 27: Rome is just like any other place in the world. There is
no particular sacredness attached to it. Building a mosque in Rome,
therefore, should not be considered unusual. The prophet of Islam
specifically proscribed the existence of two faiths in the Arabian
penninsula. Hence, there are no churches in the penninsula. The
Arabian penninsula is the bedrock of Islam, its nursery and the home
of its sacred sites.

We can compare the Vatican and Mecca only to a certain extent. In the
Qur'an, God explicitly conferred sacredness to Mecca. The Vaticsn
enjoys no such status even from a biblical point of view. In fact
only the Cathoic denomination in Christendom attaches a special
importance to the Vatican. Moreover, every country in the world has
visa and entry regulations. Only those fulfilling such conditions are
admitted. The only condition for entry to Mecca is to verify the
Oneness of God and the belief in the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh).

Question 28: If Islam is viable for all times and places, why is that
Muslims are the world's most backward people today?

Answer 28: It is a fact that Islam is valid for all times and places.
Islamic civilization flourished for many centuries, especially at a
time when the rest of the world was steeped in ignorance and
backwardness. The west learnt a great deal and benefitted from the
Islamic culture. The west built upon this past at the time Muslims
became materialistic and lost their spiritual and civilizational
focus. The backwardness of contemporary Muslims is the fault of
Muslims not of Islam. Their backwardness is due to their deviation
from Islamic teachings. However, Muslims still have the potential and
the ability to achieve civilizational greatness. They have the
elements of strength and progress. God gave us teachings to follow,
and granted us geographical, natural and human resources. If we build
upon these assets, we can enter into new renaissance, provided that we
adhere to the teachings of Islam. Indeed the future belongs to the
God-conscious. Islam's future is bright. And It is a known fact that
the achievement of a given system can only be sustained if the right
people continue to work for it.

Question 29: Muslims claim to love Jesus, honour him, and believe in
his message. Why then do they prefer Muhammad to him? Jesus is after
all not only a messenger, but also the son of God.

Answer 29: There are two parts to this question:
A. We, as Muslims, truly believe that Jesus, son of Mary, is one of
the prophets belonging to the eleveated category of ulu al'azm
prophets (possessors of steadfastness). Muslims love him, honour him
and do believe in his message. However, Muslims consider him to be a
servant to God and not a son of Him.

B. It is up to God to establish hierarchy among his messengers based
on His divine wisdom. He made prophet Muhammad (pbuh) special in
certain repects. He is the seal of the prophets. His message
completes and abrogates all that came before him. He was also known
as God's intimate. Also, he was sent to all of the creation.

Question 30: Some Christian missionaries claim that Islam is not a
rvealed religion. It is a distorted derivative version of Judaism and
Christianity. Please comment.

Answer 30: What these missionaries are claiming is simply a misleading
conjecture. While the prophet was preaching the new faith, the Jews
and the Christians were, at the same time, practising their own
religions. The new faith clearly contradicted Judaism and
Christianity in very fundamental issues. Islam contradicted such
beliefs held by Christians and Jews such as: ascribing human qualities
to God (Jews witness that Uzair is the son of God). Their claim that
Jesus was an illigitimate child and that they killed him. They also
ascribed major sins to the prophets. They also claimed themselves to
be the chosen people of God, His children and His beloved. The
Christians claimed that Jesus is the son of God; that God is one
person in a trinity and their belief in Jesus's crucifixion and
death. They also believe in the original sin an the Jesus's atonement
from the sins of mankind. The prophet' teachings strongly refuted
such beliefs. And in their stead he taught radical monotheism, God's
transcendence, and that He neither had a spouse, nor an offspring.

Islam also taught that all prophets were free from committing major
sins. Also, the blessed Virgin Mary was not an adultress, and her
son, Jesus, was God's servant and messenger. He was neither crucified
nor killed. The doctrine of trinity is false. The atonement for sins
is also false. Jews are not a chosen people, rather all humans are
God's creation and equal in His sight except for those who manifest
faith and God-consciousness.

Islam also brought many new rules which contradict with those of
Judaism and Christianity. How then can one hold that Islam is a
distorted copy of Judaism and/or Christinaity?

Question 31: Christians are civilized and rational. They therefore
look critically at their scriptures. Muslims, on the other hand,
avoid such practice. Do not you think that this shows regressive
thinking and lack of rational thought?

Answer 31: This question calls for a multifaced answer:
1. The claim that Christians are civilized and rationa is counter-
factual. How can a progressive man believe in superstitions,
obscurist dogmas? How can we account for the moral decay through
which their societies are passing?

2. It is not a civilized theory, nor it is progressive to criticize
God.

3. The Christian's criticism of their scriptures is due to the fact
that these books have been distorted and changed. They have been
added to and removed from. As a result some of these teachings
clearly contradict reason, the facts and the common sense. The
critical approach towards these scriptures is therefore only normal.
Nonetheless, such criticismdid not clarify the issues as much as it
obscured them and made many people lose faith in God.

4. The Qur'an and the prophet's tradition are both divinely revealed.
They are authentic. They do not abuse human reason, or contradict the
facts of science. No critical approach in this case is, therefore,
useful or warranted. No matter how educated a man is, he/she is still
a created being. Human criticism of God is therefore an irrational
proportion.

Man has to receive all that is authentically revealed by God with
humility and submissiveness. Man needs to practice the revelation and
live his life accordingly. Following such an attitude is not putting
contraints on the mind, rather, it frees the mind to explore reality
within what is humanly possible.

Question 32: Where do Jews and Christians stand today? Do you,
Muslims, consider them believers or non-believers?

Answer 32: This question calls for a two-faced answer:
1. Their religious doctrines include a degradation of God's ststus, as
well as what amounts to insulting Him. These doctrines imply
attributing partners to God, and ascribing to Him human biological
qualities such as having an offspring, procreating, getting tired,
oblivion, weeping and regretting. God's prophets are also degraded by
imputing to them major moral defects. All the above in addition to
other contradictory and fabricated issues exist in their books. To
Muslims, whoever holds such beliefs is a disbeliever without doubt.

2. Sincet the commandment of Muhammad's prophetic mission, it has
become incumbent upon all human beings to believe in his message.
Anyone who has heard the call of Muhammad to embrace Islam and refute
it is a disbeliever and will dwell in hell.

Question 33: Is Islam ready to accord to Christians in Mulsim
countries the kind of freedom that Muslims enjoy in Christians
countries? Can Christians enter mosques? Can they freely express
their religious views? And can they freely proselytize?

Answer 33: Islam has historically granted to Christians living in
Musim countries far more rights in than the rights Muslims have
enjoyed in Christian countries. These rights and freedoms include:
1. The Christians' right to retain their faith and pay some tax
(jizya) in return for their protection.

2. They are granted security in terms of their lives, their properties
and their religious institutions.

3. Islam forbade alcohol for Muslims, but allowed it for non-Muslims.
This ruling also applies for the consumption of pork.

4. A dimension of this tolerance is Islam's prescription of moderation
and sound reason in their dialogue with Christians and Jews. God
says: "And argue not with the people of the scripture (Jews and
Christians) unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words
and in good manner)" (Holy Qur'an: 29: 46).

5. We call Jews and Christians living in Muslim dominions as ahl al-
dhimmah (the protected people). The full designation is dhimatu al-
Lah was 'ahdihi wa ri'ayatihi (people under the protection, covenant
and care of God). Muslims are forbidden from harming them. Instead
they are urged to maintain good relationship with them. The prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) taught: "Whoever verbally insults a dhimmi (a jew or a
Christian living in a Mulsim country) will be flogged in the hereafter
with whips from hellfire."

Can you say, then, that Muslims in Chritians countries enjoy the same
privillages as accorded to Christians in Muslim countries? Even
today, Muslim girls living in the west are being deprived of their
right to wear their Muslim clothes at school.

As regarding admission of Christians and Jews in mosques, see answer
to question 120.

Finally, Muslims, convinced as they are of the false nature of Jewish
and Christian teachings, how can they be expected to allow the spread
of such techings in Muslim communities?

Question 34: It was said that God created all human beings equal, in
rights and responsibilities. Why there is then disparity in the
religious rights of Muslims, on the one hand, and Jews and Chriastians
on the other?

Answer 34: It is said:
1. Absolute equality between human beings is logically and practically
groundless. Human beings are not equal. Islam simply advocates
justice. God says: "Verily God enjoins justice and the doing of
good..." (Holy Qur'an: 16: 90).

2. Undoubtedly a Mulsim cannot be equal to a non-Muslim, because God
is pleased with those who have embraced the truth of Islam, not
withstanding the prohibition of forced conversion to Islam. Muslims
enjoy equal status in the sight of God: "The believers are nothing but
brothers (in Islamic religion)..." (Holy Qur'an: 49: 10). Anyone who
rejects this teaching cannot be deemed equal to those who embrace
it.

God decrees the following: "Is he who walks prone (without seeing) on
his face, more rightly guided, or he who (sees and) walks uprighly on
the straight way (Islamic monotheism)?" (Holy Qur'an: 67: 22). Based
on these divine revelations, it becomes inonceivable to equal Muslims
and non-Muslims: "Shall We then treat the Muslims like the mujrimun
(criminals, disbelievers)? What is the matter with you? How judge
you? (Holy Qur'an: 68: 35-36).

Question 35 (A): If one of the spouses embraces Islam while the other
remains Christian, is their marriage still islamically valid?

Answer 35 (A): If God guides the husband to Islam, then it is his
duty to invite his family to Islam. If it is the wife who embraces
Islam, while the husband remains Christian, she should invite her
husband to Islam with wisdom and beautiful exhortations. Should he
still refuse to become Muslim, then she is obligated to sever their
marital relationship. A husband is practically the leader in any
family, and it is unacceptable for a believer to be subjected to the
leadership of a non-Muslim.

Question 35 (B): When the man is Muslim and the woman is a Christian,
can the wife take the children to church?

Answer 35 (B): As stated above, the newly converted Muslim husband
should invite his Christian spouse to the path of Islam. Should he
fail to persuade her, he must not allow their children to practice any
religion beside Islam.

Question 36: Why is it prohibited for non-Muslims to be buried in
Muslim symmetries?

Answer 36: In Islamic understanding death is simply a transition from
one life to another. Out of respect and honour, Muslims upon their
departure from this life should be assigned a special place of
burial. Being dead, man can no longer take care of himself. It is
therefore incumbent upon the living to look after his comfort and
needs. It is expected of Muslims to visit the departed in the
symmetries and make supplications on their behalf and ask God for
their forgiveness. When Muslims are buried with non-Muslims, the
sanctity of the dead is compromised. Islam proscribes the making of
supplications on behalf of those who have ascribed partners to God.

Question 37: God says "Let there be no compulsion in religion". How
can we reconcile this teaching and the principle of killing Islam's
apostates?

Answer 37: No one should be compelled to become Muslim, as the
statement above instructs. If one after knowing about the true
religion of Islam, chooses any other path, one is accountable to God
with regards to one's choice in life. However, once any one freely
makes a choice to become a Muslim, this choice becomes a perpetual
commitment to Islam and the community of Muslims. Betrayal of that
commitment is treasonable and calls for the death penalty. Islam is
not only a religion in the conventional sense, it is also a
community. One who seeks membership in a new community, such as a
nation, is obligated to protect the interests of that community or
nation. Failure to do so, is an act of treason.

Whoever freely enters Islam becomes obligated to abide by the legal
statutes of Islam, one of which regards apostasy. This stern measure
is designed to discourage opportunistic adventurism that places
security of the Muslim community in peril. This measure, thus,
protects the interests of Islam and the security of the Muslim
community.

Question 38: Does God reward one who believes in Him without
necessarily following any particular religion? If there is indeed
such a reward what then would be the importance of following a
particular prophet? If this is not the case, does it mean that it is
mandatory to follow one religion such as a monotheistic creed?

Answer 38: It is not possible for one to believe in God and worship
Him as He would like to be worshipped without following a prophet.
Consequently, there is no recompense for any one who does not follow
the religion, which God has chosen for His people, and revealed to
them, through a prophet. Faith in God is acceptable only if its
object is God and God alone, and if it is based on authentic teachings
of a prophet. All prophets preached Islam which is monotheism,
observing of God's laws, and assenting to the revelation which God
sent through them.

Question 39: Some person says "He is Christian, but he believes in
total submission to God". Will this save him from God's wrath?

Answer: 39: True and total submission to God implies obeying all the
commandments of almighty God and observing all His prohibitions, and
believing the prophet and the teachings that he brought. God sent His
prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to all mankind and has shut all accesses to
Him, leaving only one open: Islam as taught by the prophet Muhammad
(pbuh). The submission of the person mentioned above is neither
genuine nor complete. If it were genuine, he would have been one of
the followers of prophet Muhammad (pbuh). And that would have
sufficed for his salvation.

Question 40: We Christians have many denominations, and so do you
Muslims. You have Shi'as, Druzes, Isma'iliyyas. Why all these sects,
and what are the differences between them?

Answer 40: Sectarian divisions occurred in Islam as they occurred in
previous religious communities. The prophet (pbuh) had predicted this
phenomenon by stating that his community will split up, but only one
sect will be on the right path, that is the people of the prophet's
way, the orthodox community (ahl al-sunnah wal jama'a). They will
remain true to the path of the prophet and his companions. As for the
other sects, which developed in the Islamic world, they have,
generally speaking, deviated from the truth. The reasons for this

1. Ignorance about the religion, whims and ethnocentrism.
2. Conspiracy against its people.

Our stance towards these sects depends on how much they have deviated
from the truth. Accordingly, we place some of these sects, such the
Druze and Isma'ilis, beyond the pale of Islam.

Question 41: Why do you believe that you are the people of truth,
while the rest are pagans and have strayed away from the truth?

Answer 41: The case is not a matter of mere claims of superiority, as
much as it is an issue of sound common sense, and conclusive proofs
which confirm the absolute truth in Islam's claims, which call for
pure monotheism.

Jews for example believe in Yahweh, to whom they attribute qualities
that are denigrate God's majesty. They say for example that He has a
son named Uzair, ["And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of
God'."] (Holy Qur'an: 9: 30). How can we attribute a son to Him when
non of His creation resembles Him? They also ascribed miserliness to
Him, God says: "The Jews say 'God's hand is tied up' (i.e. He does not
give and spend of His bounty" (Holy Qur'an: 5: 64). They also
attributed to Him qualities that are incmopatiable with His majesty,
perfection, and power.

Then came the Christians and claimed likewise, that Jesus Christ
(pbuh) is the son of God. They also attributed divinity to Jesus and
his mother. God says in the Qur'an:
[And (remember) when God will say (on the day of reurrection): "O
Jesus, son of Mary! Did you say unto men: 'worship me and my mother
as two gods besides God?' He will say: 'Glory is to You! It is not
for me to say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing,
You would surely, have known it. You know what is in my inner-self
though I do not know what is in Yours; truly You, only You, are the
All-Knower of all that is hidden (and seen). Never did I say to them
aught except what You (God) did command me to say: worship God my Lord
and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt amongst
them, but when you took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You
are a Witness to all things'."] (Holy Qur'an: 5: 116-117).

Then Islam came with pure monotheism. God says:
"Say 'He is God, (the) One. God is self-sufficnet. He begets not,
nor was He begotten. And there is none co-equal or comaprable unto
Him'." (Holy Qur'an: 112: 1-4).

He also says:
"There is nothing like Him; and He is the All-Hearer, the All-
seer" (Holy Qur'an: 42: 11).

The religious wars erupted in Europe as a result of the unresolved
doctrinal controversies surrounding the person of Jesus. In Islam
there are no controversies as to who God is, His names, His essence,
and His attributes. The Qur'an's call remains ever relevent: "Surely,
in disbelief are they who say that 'God is the Messiah, son of Maryam
(Mary)'." (Holy Qur'an: 5: 17).

Our refutation of Christian teachings in this regard are not based on
personal whim or malice. We are simply stating God's judgement on the
matter. Whoever ascribes partners to God has rejected faith. God
says:
"And verily, this is my straight path, so follow it, and follow not
(other) paths, for they will separate you away from His path. This he
has ordained for you that you may become the pious" (Holy Qur'an:6:
153).

Question 42: What is Islam's position with regards to nationalism?

Answer 42: It is natural to love one's country and people, as long as
it does not lead to unjust dealings with other nations and peoples. A
Muslim is also expected to show compassion and concern for people
outside his country.

Nationalism, according to the contemporary proponents implies a kind
of identity based on nationhood without reference to religious
considerations. This understanding is clearly false. Nationalism,
tribalism and regionalism had great influence on the lives of the
people. When Islam came it refined these concepts and set rules and
regulations to them, these include: no blind allegiance to
nationality, race, country, and skin colour. Loyalty is first and
foremost to God, and to His prophet and the community of believers
wherever they may be. Love to one's country must now be defined by
the supreme allegiance to God's religion.

Question 43: Is the one dies defending his country considered a
martyr?

Answer 43: Intention is a vital issue here. Whoever is killed while
defending his country with the intention of upholding the truth as
revealed by God is a martyr. Whoever dies defending his country with
the intention of safeguarding his honour and wealth is a martyr.
However, if one dies while fighting to gain personal wealth and fame
is not a martyr. One has to be a Muslim and be driven by Muslim
ideals to be a candidate for martyrdom. The prophet says: "Whoever
fights so that God's word remain supreme is indeed striving on the
path of God."

PART TWO

Questions and Answers on
Islamic Jurisprudence:
Wisdom & Purposes

Translated by
Ahmad H. Al-Hout

Chapter 1:

Islamic Jurisprudence: Wisdom and Purposes

Question 44: What is the meaning of Islam?

Answer 44: Islam is total surrendering to almighty God's command and
obeying Him in all of His legislation and rules whose basis is the
well-known five pillars: The two words, prayer, zakat, fasting and
pilgrimage.

The perfect form of Islam is achieved when the Muslim's life is
completely involved in Islam. almighty God said: "[Our sibghah
(religion) is] the Sibghah (religion) of God (Islam) and which Sibghah
(religion) can be better than God's? And he is the All-Hearer, the All-
Knower. (Holy Qur'an: 2: 138) and 'Say (O Muhammad) Verily, my prayer,
my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for God, the Lord of all
that exists'.") (Holy Qur'an: 6:162).

Question 45: What does faith mean?

Answer 45: Faith is the absolute belief in God, whose location is the
heart. It is associated with the saying of the tongue and the
observation of the senses. The basis of this faith is the belief in
God, His angels, books, messengers, the doom's day, fate (both good
and evil) are all from almighty God. Therefore, the saying of the
tongue indicates this absolute belief in those fundamentals and
rules. The perfect action can best be testified by the implementation
of Islam in the private and public life.

Question 46: What is the meaning of "perfect worship"?

Answer 46: This means "to worship God as if you were seeing Him; as
you cannot see Him, He sees you", as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) related.
It is a high degree of emotional feeling to the Muslim when dealing
with God as if he were seeing Him before his own eyes in terms of
ability, greatness, authority and power, mercy, assistance and
generosity. One who feels these divine qualities and other ones in
all his conditions, will be whole-heartedly sincere and good in all
his acts, behavior, manners, and will not be affected by his
materialistic and personal interests and benefits. When Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was asked by `Uqbah bin Nafi' about the perfect
manners, he said, "O `Uqbah, visit those who refrained from visiting
you, be kind to whoever deprived you, and do not harm those who have
harmed you." This kind of honesty makes the self of the Muslim pure,
immaculate privately and publicly, whether one is alone or with
others, in times of prevention and bounty, in loyalty, and in integrity
-indeed, in all matters, small and big, it is a self that believes in
God and attached to Him while looking at him all the time. If man's
eye may sleep sometimes, it believes, nevertheless that God's eye does
not sleep and continues to see him, that is perfect worship (ihsan).

Question 47: When did man known faith for the first time? Did people
in ancient times believe in almighty God, or were they unbelievers, as
anthropologists claim?

Answer 47: Belief in God is deeply rooted in the human nature. It is
intrinsic in people. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Every child is
born intrinsically believing in God, but his parents make him a Jew, a
Christian or a Magi," i.e. every newborn is born with spontaneous
belief in almighty God and surrendering to him. Islam has its own
concept about the beginning of creation and human evolution. The gist
is that almighty God created Adam from earth and soul was then blown
into him. Next Eve was created from Adam. Then marriage began and
people multiplied and populated the earth.

Adam was the first believer. He recognized God's power and
greatness. Therefore, when he sinned, he soon regretted and asked God
to pardon him: he prostrated before Him implored for reconciliation
and forgiveness. Almighty God said; "They said 'Our Lord! We have
wronged ourselves. If you forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your
Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers"(Holy Qur'an: 7: 23).
Almighty God has already said to them: "And We said; 'O Adam! Dwell
you and your wife in paradise, and eat both of you freely with
pleasure and delight, of things therein as wherever you will, but come
not near this tree or you both will be of thewrong-doers.' Then Satan
made them slip therefrom (paradise), and got them out from that in
which they were. We said: O get you down, all, with enmity between
yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment
for a time." Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his Lord
pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, he is the One Who
forgives, the Most Merciful."

It is clear from the holy verses that Adam was a true believer in
God. He lived in Paradise with his spouse, then he sinned because of
the insinuations of Satan. But Adam soon repented, and God accepted
his repentance. This incident indicates that faith occurred before
disobedience, unbelieving and polytheism took place. Prophet Muhammad
confirmed this fact by saying: "God created people to be intrinsically
believing, but they were deceived by the devils." This means that
devils ornamented polytheism for people and they deviated from the
right path.

Question 48: Since no one has able to see God, and since no dead
person was resurrected to tell us what happened to him after death,
how could we believe in any religion?

Answer 48: This question is based on the material world, where sense
becomes the reference to determine the facts of the universe.
Fundamentally, this basis is a void one. In this life we believe in
many things without being able to see them or feel them tangibly. We
do not know for example the essence of the soul, its secrets, and
where does it inhabit our bodies? So far this field has been immune
to scientists and scientific laboratories, fine radiology and
microscopes, which biologists and doctors use. We absolutely believe
in the presence of the soul although we do not see it. We also
believe in the existence of many other things like magnetism, electric
current, air and many other things, which we do not touch physically.

All religions are based on miracles, which God performs on the hands
of the prophets. Ordinary human beings cannot perform these
miracles. Only prophets could carry out these actions in order to
confirm the fact that they are true emissaries of God. All prophets
were sent to people and performed miracles in front of them, so that
they believed them. These are well-known historical facts.

Prophet Moses (pbuh) performed miracles: his club was transformed into
a snake, the sea was split into two parts through a hit with his club,
and the bursting of the water from the rock in the form of twelve
springs good for drinking.

Prophet Jesus (pbuh) healed the blind and the leprous, and gave life
to the dead through God's will.

Prophet Muhammad also had many miracles including the splitting apart
of the moon, the gushing of water from his hands and the night journey
from Mecca to Jerusalem and his ascension though the heaven. But the
most enduring and challenging miracle revealed through him is the
Qur'an.

Belief in almighty God and in the unseen is therefore an intuitive
matter, without which life cannot be right; without which the human
self does not feel fully contented. People's lives, both today and
land in the past, testify this if only they are truthful about their
thoughts, feelings, and ideas.

Question 49: Do people inherit the religion of Islam from their
parents?

Answer 49: It has already been stated above that people are born to be
intrinsically God believing, i.e. Muslims. Islam regards a child
before puberty to be subordinate to his father in terms of religion
and belief. Coming of age, he/she becomes responsible and will be
held accountable for his/her deeds. This requires him/her to embrace
the religion of Islam as a result of conviction, thinking and choice.
However, if the child dies before puberty age (15 years) he/she will
be considered as one of the escapees from Hell even though his parents
are non-believers. This is a prerequisite of the justice of God who
says: "... and no burdens shall bear the burden of another" (Holy
Qur'an: 6: 164).

Question 50: Is Islam to be imposed on people or do people have to
embrace it willingly?

Answer 50: Islam is the religion of God, He knows human self better
than human beings themselves. He also knows what is good and what is
bad for them. It is to the best interest and righteousness to man of
mankind if they follow the right path revealed by God out of
conviction, choice, love and desire, so that they could be salvaged.
Almighty God made this clear in the holy book: "There is no compulsion
in religion. Verily, the right Path has become distinct from the wrong
path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut (false deities) and believes in
God, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never
break. And God is All-Hearer, All-Knower" (Holy Qur'an: 2: 256). It
has never occurred in history that Muslims compelled anyone to embrace
Islam even when they were at the height of their power.

Question 51: Is it possible that the whole system of this universe has
occurred by coincidence?

Answer 51: This can never be the case at all. In fact, no rational
person could ever envisage that this world has come into existence
without a wise capable and knowing creator. With the least
contemplation, a rational person can recognize the invalidity of
coincidence in this case. When a person looks at a beautiful building
that is architecturally organized, wonderful and firm, foe example, he
intuitively believes that someone must have built, organized and
planned its plan and designed its foundations, lounges and balconies.
When we look at the watch on our wrists, we cannot believe that its
first maker found it by coincidence in that shape. So how could we
believe that the creation of man to have come by coincidence? And how
could this universe which runs according to an absolute accurate
system (in terms of night and day, stars, planets and galaxies) how
could it have come by pure coincidence? The idea of coincidence is
something obsolete and has become outside the rational circle in the
world of science and knowledge, and the world of reason and cause.

Question 52: If a person embraces Islam for mere secular benefits,
like marriage, can he/she be still be regarded as true Muslim?

Answer 52: Islam is the religion of almighty God. It should be
embraced exclusively for His sake. God says: "Surely the religion is
for God only" (Holy Qur'an: 39:3). Almighty God does not accept
anyone who converts for a particular interest while implying
infidelity, his Islam. Prophet Muhammad reported that deeds will be
judged by God according to people's intentions:

"Deeds are rated according to the intentions of the people who carry
them out. Each person is to be rewarded according to his/her
intention. Anyone who migrates for the sake of God and His prophet,
his migration will be to them then, and anyone who migrates for
worldly interests, or a woman he wants to marry, his migration will be
to what he has migrated to."

There are, however, some people who embrace Islam for mere personal
interests; but after a while, they become committed and truthful in
their intention of faith. God will forgive this group of people and
grant them salvation.

Muslims are required to deal with anyone who proclaims Islam publicly
according to his/her actions and/or deeds. Only God can tell about
people's hearts and motivations. The word Muslims scholars most use
in such likely contexts is: "We have to judge the apparent and only
God judges the actual." If this fake Muslim continues to be elusive,
then he/she is deceiving the community and God will count him/her
among the hypocrites. If the true character of this "hypocrite" is
revealed to the community, then he/she will be held responsible and
the divine rules of apostasy will apply upon him/her.

Question 53: Is person's intention sufficient for him/her to be a
Muslim or does he/she have to say the two testimonies: that there is
no deity but God and that Muhammad is His messenger?

Answer 53: Intention is not sufficient. The two testimonies must be
proclaimed, as announcing them is what distinguishes a Muslim from a
non-Muslim. It is the proof of honesty and of being convinced of
Islam, because it is difficult to know that person is a Muslim if he/
she does not claim so? How could a Muslim perform his duties towards
other Muslims if he does not know them and they do not know him?
However, there are cases when intention becomes sufficient, especially
if this person is afraid of being killed in case he/she announces
Islam in a fanatic non-Muslim environment. In this case, he/she may
practice Islam secretly and say the two testimonies privately until he/
she could move to a safer environment and could perform their rituals
in public.

Question 54: Is it possible for a convert to say the two testimonies
in a language other than Arabic if he/she does not know this language?

Answer 54: Yes, it is possible to say the two testimonies in any
language. Arabic is not required at this stage. However, once the
convert is able to say the two testimonies in Arabic, it is advisable
that he/she does so, in which case other Muslims could be more
acquainted with him/her. If he cannot do that, it is not obligatory.

Question 55: Is it obligatory for a sister wanting to embrace Islam to
be dictated the two testimonies by a Muslim female or should only a
Muslim male achieve this?

Answer 55: Islam is the religion of God, it is an open invitation for
everybody to join in. Anyone who says the two testimonies out of
truthful intention has entered the gate of Islam. A convert does not
have to be dictated how to become a Muslim if he/she knows how to.
But in the likely case he/she does not know what to do, instructions
become indispensable for mere educational purposes.

A convert is never required to have witnesses testifying his/her
Islam. Embracing Islam starts with saying the two testimonies, which
are followed by manner and conduct: all rites, like prayer, and
fasting must be performed. These acts of worship when are performed
well become enough witness for someone's faith.

When need is required that someone proves his/her Islamic faith, like
the cases and matters related to law and religious courts, then
witnesses are rendered necessary in this case.

Question 56: What is the meaning of polytheism? And why does Islam
reject it?

Answer 56: Polytheism means worshipping something else with God
whether this thing is animate like a prophet, a messenger, a leader, a
wealthy man, or a prominent person; or inanimate, like a stone, a
planet and the like. Islam rejects polytheism altogether. It is
regarded as the antithesis of faith, as there are different reasons
that prove this, the most important of which are:
1. Anyone who really knows God, through His most beautiful Names,
Qualities, Acts and Virtues, will despise having a peer to God.

2. Polytheism does not go with the true nature that God gave to man.
A God-believing person feels contented, safe and psychologically
settled, while a polytheist experiences an uneasy kind of life. His/
her feelings are mostly distracted, and psychology unsettled. The
least social study will show the great differences between the Islamic
societies and other ones, the reason being the dogmas that direct each
of these societies.

3. Polytheism contradicts reason. Rightful minds do not place the
creator and created on equal grounds. The same applies to learned and
ignorant persons, and the able and disable. When contemplating the
world around us, we realize it inevitable that there exists a great,
all-knowing and able creator of this universe, and all that it
includes, according to a very accurate and meticulous system. Normal
minds absolutely believe that this creator must be single and all
alone, because if there were more than one deity, conflict and
difference would have emerged. If there had been more than one deity,
things would have gone wrong, and one of them would have dominated the
other.

Question 57: What are the qualities of spirit?

Answer 57: Spirit is God's most ambiguous and invisible secret. Only
Him knows and realizes its everlasting truth and essence. Almighty
God relates: "And they ask you (O Muhammad, concerning the spirit;
say: 'the spirit is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only
with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a
little'." (Holy Qur'an: 17: 85).

Contemporary scientists have attempted tom make some research on the
truth of this secret. They have held conferences for the same
purpose. But their conclusion was that the spirit is an unknown
secret which mankind has not known its truth yet.

One of the conferences is the one which was held in New York in 1959,
when six scientists from different parts of the world met at a round
table in an attempt to understand something about the origin and
evolution of life on the surface of this earth. The Russian scientist
Alexander Obarin, a biochemist in he Soviet Academy of Sciences, and
greatly interested in the evolution of life, was among the
participants. The end of the conference was no better than its
beginning. It did not lead to any findings, but confirmed the fact
that the secret of life is unknown, and that there is no hope that
science will reach one day.

We believe in the existence of the spirit because of its outstanding
effects in a tangible world, which is replete with life and living
creatures. The difference between the life of human beings and that
of animals is that the life of the animal is instinctive and confined
to the world of concrete material of food, drink and desire, while the
life of man is distinguished to be above that, as it belongs to a
world of values, manners, ideals, virtues and noble feelings, and the
life of science, thought, and search for the secrets of the universe
and benefiting from them. If human beings try to do without these
values, they regresses into the world of animals. This fact is
typically portrayed in the Qur'an, God says: "while those who
disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat as cattle eat; and the Fire will
be their abode" and "And surely, We have created many of the jinn and
mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and
they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith
they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray;
those! They are the heedless ones." (Holy Qur'an: 7:179)

Question 58: What is the relationship between life, death and the
hereafter?

Answer 58: Almighty God is the one who created both life and death to
see who is better in terms of deeds. This is the core of the matter
"to see who is better in deeds" (Holy Qur'an: 67: 2). God has created
this universe and showed the wonders of His capability so that His
creatures could really know Him, give Him His due, and observe the
system that He designed for them and live according to His decree.
The entire universe is bound to show true submission due to God's
supreme power. This worldly life is the experimental setting, God
wanted to see on it the obedient and the disobedient, the deviant and
the straight, the just and the oppressive, the lost and the guided,
the believer and the infidel. This is why God gave man wisdom and
freedom, and granted him the authority and ability to choose between
good and evil, guidance and aberration. He sent messengers and
supported them with miracles in order to warn people and inform them
that they should play the role of His vicegerent on earth, and
implement His law accordingly.

God has provided man, through His prophets/messengers, with a complete
system for life that goes well with his/her mind and nature.

Almighty God has announced to all people that this worldly life is an
arena, or a wrestling ring. Reward or punishment is to be delayed to
the hereafter, to which all people will go. This worldly life is
limited and narrow, and cannot be sufficient for obtaining rights
according to God's criteria. This life is, therefore, a place for
work. Death is only a bridge across which human beings move to the
eternal life so that each could obtain his/her rights in accordance
with fair judgment, which saves nothing, however it is small or big.
God said: "So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a
small ant) shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight
of an atom (or a small ant) shall see it." (Holy Qur'an: 100: 7-8). A
poet expressed his view about the meaning of life by saying: "Death is
but a journey from this perishing abode to the eternal one."

Question 59: Will the other non-human creatures be resurrected beside
man?

Answer 59: On the Doom's Day almighty God will resurrect all living
creatures and then will rule justly among them all. He will obtain
the right of the oppressed from the oppressor, even the animals. Then
He dignifies his honest worshippers by allowing them into Paradise and
granting them eternal stay in it. He will punish the infidels and
polytheists by forcing them into Hell and granting them eternal stay
in it.

What indicates the resurrection of animals on the doom's day is the
prophet's saying: "(On the doom's day) everybody will get his/her due,
even the hornless goat will be redressed from the one with horns."

Question 60: Is man by nature sinful?

Answer 60: God created man and granted him an intrinsic nature of
belief in the true religion. He provided him with a potential to do
good or evil, right or wrong. He gave him talents and abilities,
which enable him to do all of that completely at his own free will.
God then sent messengers for man's guidance, to follow the straight
path, and warn people of the grave consequences in case they strayed
off. With this perception, test and examination become fair, and man
eventually may either succeed this test or fail it; hence, gain reward
or punishment. If man had been born to be good and infallible only,
how does he/she deserve reward then? On the other hand, if people
were created to be evil only, how could they deserve punishment for
something they themselves did not choose to do?

Question 61: If man dies as a non-Muslim, will he/she eternally stay
in paradise or hell?

Answer: 61: God's true religion is Islam; all previous religions were
no more than preparations for this final and eternal religion, Islam.
Before the advent of Islam, religions were limited to a certain time
and place, and they were deemed to prepare people for the acceptance
of the final divine religion embodied in the message of the last and
seal of prophets, Muhammad (pbuh). God almighty says: "And whosoever
seeks a religion other than Islam it will never be accepted of him,
and in the hereafter he will be one of the losers" (Holy Qur'an: 3:
85).

Question 62: What does make man eligible to enter Paradise?

Answer 62: Paradise, in the concept of Islam, is a delightful abode
prepared for the believers to enter in the Hereafter. Every true
Muslim that dies will ultimately enter paradise. This means that if a
Muslim commits sins but who repents before his death, will be granted
forgiveness by almighty God. God said: "And He it is who accepts
repentance from His slaves, and forgives sins, and He knows that you
do" (Holy Qur'an: 42: 25). If, however, a sinful Muslim dies before
repenting, it will be up to God, whether He punishes or forgives him/
her. Prophet Muhammad reported that no single Muslim would eternally
stay in hell, so long as he/she has the slightest amount of faith in
his/her heart. The un-committed Muslims in this case will have to be
tortured in Hell for a period God knows; then they come out to enter
Heaven so that it could be their everlasting abode if God wills.
Muslims believe that people would be admitted into paradise not
because of their good deeds as much as the mercy of almighty God.

It is reported that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "None of you will
enter Paradise owing to his good deeds". They asked: "Not even you,
Messenger of God?" He said: "Not even me, unless God has bestowed
mercy and blessing upon me." However, the prophet confirmed the fact
that God does not neglect the good deeds of anyone-the ultimate goal
being to encourage Muslims to keep in touch with God, to resort to Him
and plead Him. This helps to improve the conduct of Muslims in both
their private and public lives.

Question 63: Is the reciting of the Holy Qur'an without understanding
its meanings considered to be a kind of worship?

Answer 63: Reciting the Qur'an is indeed some kind of worship.
However, there is a big difference between the one who recites it
passively, and/or the one who deeply contemplates its meaning while
reciting it. God rewards both types, but on varying level. The happy
life in the shadows of the Noble Qur'an is difficult to achieve,
except for one who contemplates ponder it when he reads or listens to
it. The Holy Qur'an, has a great influences on man's life and can
easily change the course of people's history. It did have its great
influence on the prophet's companions when it was being revealed upon
the prophet.

Question 64: What is the wisdom behind each of Islam's five pillars?

Answer 64: The pillars of Islam are five in number, they are:
1. The testimony that there is no deity except God and that Muhammad
is His messenger,
2. Performing prayer,
3. Paying zakat,
4. Fasting the month of Ramadhan, and
5. Performing greater pilgrimage to Mecca for the one who can afford
it.

It is on these foundations that Islam is built. The question cited
above is too wide to handle in a limited period of time. Besides, it
requires a comprehensive knowledge of this religion, its fundamentals
and branches. This, however, does not prevent us from mentioning some
part of the wisdom of these fundamentals and branches in accordance
with God's will and help.

There is no deity except God and Muhammad is His messenger: This is
the testimony of truth and the foundation of Islamic faith, as there
is no deity except God to be worshipped, to be surrendered to and
resorted to in all times especially in crisis. This is the
monotheistic creed, which guarantees tranquility and safety that is
homogeneous to human nature. If there were two deities in heaven and
earth, they would have been corrupted, and one of would have dominated
the other. Muhammad is the messenger of God. He is the guide to God,
and the conveyor of His system and rules of life according to which
God runs life. The prophet is the one who guides people to their God
and acquaints them with the methods of virtuous and happy life.

Through this testimony the sources of slavery to God and the
revelation from Him are unified. Beyond it, no man lives a lost or
uneasy life. Through this testimony, man becomes able to know where
he is going and to whom to surrender. With the testimony man cannot
be confused as to the path he is leading in his life. It is drawn
clearly as it was shown by the messenger who received revelation from
God in the form of a complete and integrated system, which is lenient
and easy in terms of perception and conduct, and as a method of public
and private life.

Performance of prayer: It is the link between man and God. It implies
submission to God and surrendering to Him. It is man's address to the
creator, supplication and request to Him for guidance in this world,
which is the footstep to the hereafter. It is expressive of man's
willingness to follow God's commands and avoid what He prohibits.
Prayer is the food for spirit, it plants in the human soul emotions,
love for purity, and order. A performance of prayer five times a day
refreshes the feelings and purifies the soul every now and then. No
sooner than man surrenders to life and its worldly affairs, which
distract his/her spirit and overwhelm his/her mind and thought, than
prayer is called for. When the prayer is called for, the Muslim
promptly stands up to prepare himself/herself for the prayer (by
cleaning up and/or making ablution). Then men (it is preferable that
women perform their prayers at home) move to the mosque to stand in
one respectable row addressing the Lord through reading supplications,
invocations, and recitation of the Qur'anic verses. The Muslim's
attention in this context is revived and enlivened, his/her heart and
conscience are awakened; and all are to be reflected on his/her
personal qualities, manners and dealings with the society surrounding
him/her, starting with the family and ending up with the society.

There is a huge difference between the life of a committed Muslim and
a non-committed one in terms of hygiene, psychology, personality,
society, and even private and public life.

Paying Zakat: Paying zakat in Islam is the basis of social solidarity
in the Muslim community. It is the guarantor of the rights of the
poor, set to them by God in order to sustain communication and mutual
mercy among the various classes of society; and to nourish the
feelings of love and cooperation among them. It is also meant to put
an end to the incentives of grudge and vanity amongst the believers.
Zakat is a symbol of an integrated economic structure in Islam, and a
clear indication of the fact that this religion is not merely emotions
inside the human self; rather a comprehensive system of life; in
addition to being a dogma strong and alive in the human self. Islam
is a religion that lives up to people's demands and concerns, and
tries to solve whatever problems Muslims face. As such, it paves the
way to respectable and virtuous life; eventually makes everybody
happy. By this, zakat is deemed to achieves security and stability to
the community.

Fasting the month of Ramadhan: Fasting is abstaining from food, drink,
and sexual desire for the from dawn to sunset in accordance with
almighty God commandment. There is strength in fasting for both man
self and will so that it goes above the captivity of necessities and
desire and rises to transcendental horizons, and it implies control
and order which should be familiar to Muslims in their lives. Thus he
does not become negligent or careless.

Fasting makes Muslims accustomed to fasting at a specific time, to
abstain from food and drink and at the same time to break their fast
at a specific time. When the month of Ramadhan ends, the Muslims
become God's guests on the occasion of the Feast and he is prohibited
from fasting that day after fasting was obligatory the day before. It
is order, obedience, and noble education of the magnanimous selves.

Fasting in Islam is deemed to remind the rich and healthy of the
concerns of the poor, the sick and the weak. When a wealthy person
feels hungry, he/she will mostly remember the needy who might always
be hungry. This will make the rich sympathize with them and takes
interest in their affairs. Thus, a fasting person may conclude from
his fast great spiritual, psychological and social lessons.

Pilgrimage to Mecca: Pilgrimage is also one of the great pillars of
worship in Islam. It encourages Muslims to sacrifice their money, and
comfort for the sake of God, in order to go above the material, and
aspire to the world of values and ideals.

Pilgrimage is a strong link in the structure of Islamic system, which
is used to bring up the Muslim society on values, like acquaintance,
cooperation and consultation. Let us look at the educational array in
this community: Islam legislated congregational prayer, which calls
Muslims on a street level to meet five times a day, where they get
acquainted with the concerns, pains and situations of each other.
Islam legislated a meeting on the village or town level in the form of
the Friday prayer, so that a preaching scholar from among them would
remind, advice and guide them to the best of their interest. The
Friday preacher treats the problems, which may have happened on a
week's term from a conscious Islamic educational perspective so that
people leave the mosque after having known and taken a dose of
guidance, and knowledge by which they make their way to the future.

Still, Islam legislated a larger meeting on the level of the whole
Islamic world every year, i.e. the day of the Greater Pilgrimage to
Holy Mecca, that blessed meeting when people are required to abandon
their local customs, conventions, dress and languages, and perform
universal rituals of the state of consecration, standing in `Arafat,
circumambulating the Holy Kaabah, strolling between Safa and Marwa,
and uttering devotional calls, standing around the Kaabah in heir
prayers seeing one another, and calling altogether most of their time:
"Here I am, O my Great God, answering Your call. I am indeed here to
do Your bidding. You have no partner. Here I am to do Your bidding.
Indeed, praise, bounty, grace and sovereignty are Yours. You have no
partner."

The Islamic world meets in pilgrimage to benefit, and show the power
and greatness of Islam in the form of one aim, one power and one
unity. They exchange opinion and consultation pertaining to their
urgent local and international concerns and problems and conclude
useful lessons, wisdom and experience, which lighten their path in
life and help them to achieve their purpose and great tasks.
Pilgrimage, thus becomes sacrifice, cooperation, consultation,
acquaintance with others, order, education, a symbol of unity and
power, and many benefits from which each Muslim takes a specific
part.

This is a quick reply and an expressive glimpse of wisdom and secrets
of the pillars of Islam. What is more important is the taste of
sweetness of slavery to almighty God through the scientific
implementation of those pillars, while observing Islam sincerely and
honestly, oneself and one's strong keenness to follow the method of
the prophet and imitating the guiding prophet (pbuh) in all rules and
situations. From the altar of slavery, the lights of guidance rise
and the darkness of life vanishes. Almighty God said:
"Is he who was dead (without Faith by ignorance and disbelief) and We
gave him life (by knowledge and Faith) and set on him a light (of
Belief) whereby he can walk amongst men-like him who is in the
darkness (of disbelief, polytheism and hypocrisy) from which he can
never come out?" (Holy Qur'an: 6:122)

Question 65: Can a Muslim consider his failure in life as a kind of
test by almighty God?

Answer 65: Failure in one's life may have different reasons:
1. Failure to understand the rules of life and failure to recognize
the law of causality and its effects on the results. Islam demands
action and taking one's way in life to search for rules, earning one's
living, and desiring God's graces. Anyone who does not act and does
not acquire anything but surrender to despair and gloom, and wait for
the goodness and Godspeed to come to him effortlessly must be
violating the command of almighty God and the teachings of Islam. God
says: "... so walk in the path thereof and eat of His provision. And to
Him will be the Resurrection" (Holy Qur'an: 67:15)

2. The reason for one's failure in life might be due to a punishment
by God for his evil acts and intentions. Success in life is a
blessing from God that might be denied to certain people. For
instance, one who does not cooperate with people, help those in
adversity, give a hand to the weak, relieve those having difficulties,
and does not meet the needs of the paupers, such a person, if he/she
has a problem or suffers from some difficult circumstances and God
does not save him from his/her agony and gloom, he has to know that
reward is the same as the act, and prophet Muhammad says: "Anyone who
helps one in difficulty, God will help him in this life and in the
hereafter, and almighty God said: "As for him who gives (in charity)
and keeps his duty to God and fears Him, And believes in al-Husna, We
will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). But who is
greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient. And belies Al-Husna,
We will make smooth for him the path for evil." (Holy Qur'an: 92:5-10)
and said also: "But the evil plot encompasses only him who makes
it." (Holy Qur'an: 35:43)

3. The visitation could be from God to his slaves in order to test
their patience and faith. Surely, there might not be any lack of
understanding of the divine rules which run life, and man might not be
remiss in his/her action, and he/she might not have an evil intention
towards others, yet he/she finds obstacles in the path of his life. In
this way, the visitation is from God to probe the extent of the faith
of the one inflicted, the extent of his strong belief and his
adherence to principles. Almighty God said: "...and we shall make a
trial of you with evil and with good. And to us you will be
returned" (Holy Qur'an: 21:35). When a true believer inflicted he/she
is patient, satisfied, contented, not feeling sorry for what he misses
from the joys of life because his hopes will be much concentrated on
the God's reward in the hereafter. Prophet Muhammad says: "The case
of the believer is fascinating, all of his situations are good for
him; if he is granted provision he thanks God, which is good for him;
and if he is inflicted with adversity, he is patient, and that is good
for him too. That is not meant for anyone but the believer."

Question 66: If there is no celibacy in Islam, why do the Sufi groups
exist?

Answer 66: Truly, in Islam, there is no celibacy, that is, to abstain
from marriage and prevent oneself from legal desires and pleasures.
Islam has replaced this term with what goes along with its rules, as
Prophet Muhammad said: "Jihad (holy war) is the celibacy of Islam."
Some people understood the meaning of celibacy to be abstaining from
life and having a passive stance towards it. Islam considers jihad in
the path of God to spread the religion of God and defend the truth
that God has revealed as celibacy of Muslims. It is the Islamic
positivety versus negativity of others.

It is a fact that many Sufi groups exist in the Islamic world. These
groups originally emerged as a reaction against the kind of luxurious
life certain Islamic societies were enjoying. This motivated them to
adopt the call for asceticism and reduce the interest in life at the
expense of the hereafter and the necessity to keep away from all that
drives the attention from almighty God. None of these groups did
really call for celibacy; if they had done, their action would
undoubtedly be sinful. Islam renders enjoying good things legal; it
prohibits abominations and calls for marriage. It even made marriage
and reproduction desirable so that the nation would increase in
number, and goodness increases alongside it. Those are taken-for-
granted matters, which all people know and do not need a proof or
evidence for. This is how the story of Sufism began, and in the
course of time and as a result of ignorance in religion and having
little or no contacts with scholars, deviation and extremism spread
among many of these groups. By the time they became, however, at
complete distance from the guidance of Islam, its orthodox teachings
and rules. In order to achieve all goodness Muslims should commit
themselves to the guidance of the Noble Qur'an, the path of the
prophetic traditions, as they contain all that makes one do without
the thought and understanding of people.

Question 67: How can you interpret the contradiction between a
Muslim's acts (like prayer, fasting, pilgrimage) and his/her daily
behavior and manner, especially when dealing with people?

Answer 67: It goes without saying that Islam should guide the Muslim
in both his/her private and public life. The purpose of prayer is to
proscribe adultery and evil, as almighty God said: "Verily, the prayer
prevents from great sins of every kind, and every kind of evil wicked
deed" (Holy Qur'an: 29:45). This should be the norm, but, often, we
do not find the proper effect of prayer and the other forms of worship
on a good number of people. It seems that a great deal of them are
not sincere and in their worship and do not take their prayers
seriously. They lack the education and enlightenment that help them
perform their rituals perfectly. It is only when these people take
their religious affairs more carefully, honestly, and faithfully that
their worshipping rituals will have its true effect on their lives;
consequently, end any likely contradiction between their worships and
daily interactions with the society.

Chapter 2:

Matterss of Physical and Moral Cleanness

Question 68: When is a person considered to be pure from the Islamic
point of view?

Answer 68: Purity in Islam has two meanings: moral and physical.
Moral purity is embodied in the belief in almighty God only and not
believing in another deity besides Him. It also involves belief in
God's messengers/prophets, in His books, in the hereafter and the
prerequisites of faith. What is also involved here is the cleanliness
of the heart from grudge, from vanity, from hypocrisy, from pride and
jealousy; and the acquisition of all virtues so that one may aspire
above any immoral act or sinful custom.

As to the physical purity (hygiene and cleanliness), this can be of
two kinds for man:
1. Purity or purification from major hadath (for men and women after a
sexual intercourse; for women, after the menstruation period) by
bathing. And purity from a minor hadath (after sleep and in case
something comes out from the human body, whether material or
immaterial) by ablution. All of that has a great deal of details, but
they have no place here to discuss.

2. Cleanliness from impurities: one should keep away from all forms of
impurities in terms of body, and clothes, and should remove any likely
traces of such things as blood, urine, excrescence, wine, etc. If
man's heart is clear from polytheism, and endowed with moral virtues;
and if man abstains from bad manners and cleans his body from
impurities and dirt, he/she will be completely pure in the view of
Islam.

Question 69: What is the relationship between the purity of the soul
and that of the body?

Answer 69: Islam insists on purity (which of course include
cleanliness and hygiene), as it accounts for half of the religion.
Almighty God said: "Truly, God loves those who turn unto Him in
repentance and loves those who purify themselves (by taking a bath and
cleaning and washing thoroughly their private parts, bodies, for their
prayers)" (Holy Qur'an 1: 222). Prophet Muhammad: "Cleanliness
constitutes half man's faith." He also said: "God is gracious and
loves graciousness, He is Pure and loves purity and."

Purity, as such is values and beauty. But cleanliness of the soul and
the heart from moral abominations is more important than the
cleanliness of the body from material dirt and impurities. Islam
insists on purity in general and the purity of the soul and the heart
in particular. Anyone whose heart is pure and clean, his/her
appearance is bound to be so, and vice-versa. This is the basis and
the principle upon which the Islamic values are based. If this
principle is missing in people's lives, they will never know
cleanliness, neither spiritually nor physically. The manifestations
of physical cleanliness, which non-Muslims seem to enjoy, are not more
than a deceptive appearance from afar. If one approaches any of them,
he/she would mostly likely sense a disgusting smell coming out of
them. This is not to mention purity of their soul and heart, which
has no place in those who do not really believe in God. The least
contemplation of the situation of the non-Islamic societies would give
us so much evidence and proof.

Question 70: When a person embraces Islam, is it obligatory upon him/
her to have a bath or shower?

Answer 70: Bathing or taking a shower for those who embrace Islam is a
divine requirement. It is required and strongly recommended both
physically and morally. What a beautiful beginning for one who
embraces this religion, after saying the testimony, with the intention
of starting a new period in his life based on physical and moral
cleanliness. Also, it could be possible that the one who has embraced
Islam has had a sexual intercourse with his wife. This, as such,
confirms bathing and it becomes obligatory, as it is seen by the
majority of scholars. The purpose of this bathing is the emphasis of
the cleanliness.

Question 71: When a person embraces Islam, will ablution suffice for a
bath, or is a bath obligatory?

Answer 71: Ablution does not exempt one who has embraced Islam from
having a bath.

Question 72: If a person wants to embrace Islam and does not find
water, what can he do?

Answer 72: Absence of water does not prevent one from embracing Islam.
He embraces Islam and says the testimony: "There is no deity by God,
and Muhammad is His Messenger", then he/she can bathe when water
becomes available.

Question 73: Is removing hair for one wanting to embrace Islam
obligatory? And is that a part of purity and/or cleanliness?

Answer 73: The question about hair here is a vague one, for it does
not specify which hair should be removed. However, if it refers to
the hair of the head, it is not required to be removed, as it is not
considered part of cleanliness to remove it. However, prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) related: "Any man who has long hair, should honor it",
i.e. keep it clean and tidy. As to the moustaches and the beard,
Islam shows their rule in the saying of the prophet: "Trim the
moustaches and leave the beards." So Muslims are required by this
hadith to cut the hair of the moustache so that the edge of the upper
lip could be seen; and to leave without shaving it, because it is an
emblem of Islam and a sign of manhood.

As to the hair of the armpit and pubic hair (round the private parts)
it is recommended to be removed whenever it gets long, but it should
not be left for more than forty days. This as well as other things,
like trimming the fingernails, is the natural signs according to which
God created people.

Question 74: Can a convert wear garments he/she used to put on before
his/her conversion while these clothes still have some of his/her
sweat on the same clothes?

Answer 74: Sweat is not considered to be an impurity. If these
clothes were known to have some impurity on them, like urine, it would
suffice to wash them before wearing them again.

Question 75: Is not it self-contradictory in Islam when it urges its
followers to be clean and to use water before prayer for cleanliness,
and then requires them to use earth when water is not available?

Answer 75: There is no contradiction whatsoever between Islam's
legislative system and any of its rules. As mentioned above, Purity
and/or cleanliness is a fundamental requirement in Islam. Using clean
earth (or sand) in Islam does not contradict hygiene. The whole
process can be summarized as follows: a Muslim can tap the earth with
one's hands without carrying anything, then rubbing the face with his
hands. It is a symbolic meaning of the moral cleanliness, which
should precede prayer when water is not available to be used in
ablution, or when one is unable to use water for some reason, like
illness. Observing almighty God's commands and obeying Him in every
matter is the deeper aim of washing one's face with earth, though it
is not regarded as a real cleaning material as much as a symbol of
worship and compliance with God's commands in the establishment of
prayer and getting ready for it.

Question 76: In matters related to bathing, why do Muslims waste large
amounts of water for bathing, while it might be possible to wash the
private parts only, like an apple falling from a bag, it is enough to
wash it in isolation of the other apples in the bag.

Answer 76: This sound to be a naïve question and far removed from
truth. It is not rational to compare the refined human being (with
all his/her qualities, feelings, emotions, texture, cells, nerves,
etc.) to a bag of apples! I do not think that it is feasible to
compare the sexual intercourse, in which the whole human being
interacts and from which the extraction of man's blood and genes
comes, to an apple falling from a bag. This operation may cause a
psychological change and form a new creature that has both its
development and intricate living world. Islam requires bathing,
because it is a rule of the all-knowing God, blessed by the Lord, the
Best of Creators.

Question 77: What is Islam's position regarding women's circumcision?
Isn't it a savage act and a loss of dignity and abuse of their sexual
rights?

Answer 77: Circumcision of women is legal if not desirable in Islam,
depending on the state of the woman and her environment. In some
countries with hot climate, woman circumcision might become a
necessity for a perfect conjugal life with her husband. What harm or
bestiality happens to the woman if she is circumcised? There is no
difference between the circumcision of a male and that of a female.
It is an extra piece of flesh in the body of a little child, which can
carefully be removed and for the sake f purity, beauty; which verify
the aspects of manhood in the circumcised little boy and the qualities
of womanhood in the little girl. We see no wrong with it, and there
is no loss whatsoever in dignity.

Question 78: Are Muslims allowed to eat from the food and/or
slaughtered animals of the People of the Scripture (Christians and
Jews)?

Answer 78: Muslims can at any time eat from the food and/or the
slaughtered animals of the people of the book. Almighty God says:
"The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the People of the
Scripture is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them" (Holy Qur'an:
5:5). This testifies the ease of Islam and its tolerance in dealing
with non-Muslims, so that they come closer to Muslim and cohabit with
them peacefully. This is the beginning of the way to understand Islam
closely through action and behavior, not through speech and pretension
only.

Chapter 3:

Matters Relating to Prayer

Question 79: Is it all right for a Muslim to say his/hers prayer in a
languages other than Arabic? Can he/she read surah al-fatiha (the
opening chapter of the Qur'an) and any other (short) surah in a
different language than Arabic? Also, is it obligatory to supplicate
and revere God in Arabic only?

Answer 79: Saying one's prayer cannot not be considered acceptable
unless it is read in Arabic. Every non-Arab Muslim should learn some
Arabic so that he/she could at least perform his obligatory religious
rituals. Arabic is the language of the Qur'an and Islam. However, it
is possible only temporarily to read the meaning of the surat al-
fatiha in another language (other than Arabic) until the person has
learnt to read it in Arabic. It should be emphasized at the same time
that learning to read Arabic is easy, especially the Noble Qur'an.
Almighty God says: "And We have indeed made the Qur'an easy to
understand and remember; then is there an one who will remember (or
receive admonition)?" (Holy Qur'an: 54: 17).

As to supplication and glorification in languages other than Arabic it
is lawful, though it is preferable to be performed in the language of
the Qur'an itself.

Question 80: What is the divine rule regarding a non-committed Muslim
who does not perform his/her prayer, not out of denial, but
negligence? Is he/she considered to be an infidel?

Answer 80: Prayer is one of the basic pillars of Islam, if not the
most important one. It comes second to the declaration of faith (the
two testimonies). It is the pillar, which distinguishes the Muslim
from the infidel. It is usually the last thing that Muslims maintain
from Islam. Any Muslim who abandons it becomes so close to
infidelity, if not considered an infidel indeed. Some scholars
believe that when a Muslim neglects prayer because of laziness, he/she
becomes an infidel. Others regard it as sinful and very close to
infidelity, so long as this lazy Muslim recognizes it and believes it
is obligation.

Question 81: Is the prayer performed when one is absent-minded or busy
about worldly affairs considered to be invalid?

Answer 81: Prayer is not considered invalid when one is absent-minded
or busy, but the worshipper will not obtain the reward of this
prayer. Full reward cannot be achieved except through humble and
content prayer.

Question 82: Does it suffice a Muslim to perform his/her prayer only
verbally? Are the physical movements (of bowing, prostrating, etc.)
integrated in the prayer itself?

Answer 82: Prayer is worshipping God, and it is made in a particular
manner which Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught us. Almighty God
instructed the prophet to perform it this manner through the
revelation of angel Gabriel. The prophet (pbuh) said: "Pray in the
manner you saw me doing." Following the prophet's tradition is an
Islamic obligation, whether we realize the purpose of some of his
deeds or not. However, when we do not fully comprehend the purpose
and surrender to God's commands, that is a kind of belief in the
unseen and a testimony to the belief in God-although we can never see
Him.

Question 83: Is it permissible for a Muslim to pray in a church if he/
she does not have time or could not find a more appropriate place?

Answer 83: Praying in a church is undesirable because it is a place
for non-Muslims. A Muslim can perform his/her prayer in any other
place on earth, so long as it is clean pure. The prophet says that
whole of the globe has been made a place for worshipping. A Muslims
who does not have enough time to pray while he is in a church for some
reason could go out and pray nearby the church, in the street, or in
any other clean place. However, prayer in a clean church for a Muslim
can still be valid though it may not be favourable.

Question 84: What is the divine rule concerning the convert's past
obligatory prayers, which he had missed before conversion? She he/she
perform them all?

Answer 84: Islam is a religion of tolerance. "It nullifies everything
before it," as related by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Accordingly, a
person who has embraced Islam is not required to compensate for any
Islamic obligations before embracing Islam.

Question 85: Is the prayer of someone who has converted but not yet
circumcised, acceptable?

Answer 85: The prayer of one who has embraced Islam and has not been
circumcised is acceptable if he insures that he cleans the
circumcision location properly, i.e. if he is sure that he has cleaned
the inner part of the piece to be cut in circumcision, and he has to
do circumcision as soon as possible, for it is one of the requirement
of Islam.

Chapter 4:

Matters Relating to Zakat

Question 86: If a Muslim struggles hard in order to achieve his own
wealth, why should he/she give a certain amount of this wealth in the
form of zakat? Is not all the money his/hers? Cannot God give the
poor money?

Answer 86: Islam has its own comprehensive educational system which
takes care of both the individual and the society at the same time.
It maintains balance in rights and duties, chastens and purifies the
soul from greed and miserliness, and makes man feel that he/she is an
integral part of the society. Islam preaches that there is no
complete happiness unless all are happy; a well known Muslim poet
says: "No clouds should ever rain on me or on my land/ Unless it rains
all over the place." Islam has established a society based on
cooperation, solidarity, reciprocal connection, mercy, love,
benevolence and altruism. A true Muslim's conscience suffers and gets
tormented if people around him are under distress or hardship. A
Muslim, who has been endowed, by God, with health and strength to
collect money, is supposed to give thanks to his Lord for His gifts.
The best way for a Muslim to give thanks is to help brethrens in Islam
who need help, to give the deprived and poor from what God has given
him. Love and intimacy as such would be established and maintained
between the poor and the rich. In this way, society would feel
better; and the spirit of cooperation and harmony would prevail among
the members of the same community. Besides, the one who is poor and
frugal might become rich one day, and vice versa; he who gives today
might be in need in the future. Every right has one duty against it,
and vice versa.

If we look at the modern advanced societies, we find them imposing
different systems of social security, collecting taxes, and trying all
the time to protect these systems by the force of law. Islam
legislated the system of zakat, which is fundamentally is a test, in
order to achieve solidarity for the sake of brotherhood, love, and
goodwill. However, the rebellion of some people against this system
obliges the Islamic state to take zakat from them by force so that the
right of the society continues to be maintained before the right of
individuals, so that happiness can prevail. Almighty God relates:
"Help you one another in al-Birr and al-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness
and piety); but do not help one another in sin and
transgression" (Holy Qur'an: 5: 2) and prophet Muhammad related: "He
is not a believer in me that who sleeps full at home while his
neighbor beside him is hungry and he knows about him."

It is in this way that Islam brought people up so that society could
be a civilized one. History has not witnessed a similar example.
Islam still has the aptitude to form such society based on these
values and high ideals if it has the enlightened and conscious
leadership and if people are enjoying an atmosphere of freedom and
dignity.

Question 87: Is it permissible for a convert to give zakat to non-
Muslim relatives for reconciliation so that they may embrace Islam?

Answer 87: Yes, it is possible to give zakat to relatives for
reconciliation so that they may embrace Islam. In fact they are
entitled to get such zakat. Almighty God says: "As-sadaqat (here it
means zakat) are only for the poor, and to the needy (but do no beg)
and those employed to collect (the funds), and to attract the hearts
of those who have been inclined (towards Islam)" (Holy Qur'an: 9:
60). Though non-Muslims, these people must be given from the money of
zakat so that they may, hopefully, embrace Islam. Many people have
embraced Islam out of their desire to get money, but later they became
interested in the religion and became good Muslims.

Question 88: Out of the eight ways of spending zakat comes "and those
who are in the path of God." Does this include sponsoring Islamic
promulgators and buying books for free distribution?

Answer 88: Zakat should go to those specified by almighty God in the
Qur'an. According to the majority of scholars, the type mentioned
above, in the path God, means jihad (holy war) against the enemies of
God. As to those who have devoted their time for Islamic call and
have nothing to earn their living from, they are entitled to the zakat
money. As to buying books and distributing them free, if the books
are useful to those who are going to receive them, especially in the
field of religion, and they were among those entitled to zakat money,
there is no objection to this. Generally speaking, distributing books
to the poor and to the needy, it is one of the most useful deeds which
bring the Muslim closer to God and it is the most important kind of
the ways to spread the Islamic call, but this should not come from the
zakat money. The charitable people should assign an amount of money
as alms for this kind of activity.
Chapter 5:

Matters Relating to Fasting

Question 89: Can not the fasting of Ramadhan be regarded as a kind of
starving, self-torment and physical infliction when Muslims deprive
themselves from food and drink for many hours every day and for a
duration of a month? Why do not they fast as others (Jews and
Christians) do?

Answer 89: Fasting in Islam-like every other ritual-invokes admiration
of this religion and of its educational method in life. Islam is not
a religion based on the satisfaction of emotions or benumbing of
feelings. Also, it is not a religion which follows the inclinations of
people or pleads them to meet around it like foam. It is a heavenly
religion which came to build up the good man who qualifies for
becoming of God's vicegerent on earth, multiply in number, and
establish both truth and justice. Great tasks like these require
strong will and patience on the burden of life and its oddities.
Nothing like fasting could sharpen the will. When a man feels hungry,
out of his/her own will, at a time when nothing could prevent him/her
from food; when man chooses to abstain from food and drink until a
specific time, his/her will becomes subordinate to the mind and
thought. As such a Muslim becomes able to abstain from things on the
occasion of abstaining and moves forward in the location of action,
and does and leave what he/she thinks right after thinking and
contemplation, away from emotions and quick excitement, and respond to
ideas and various obsessions. Fasting is also a kind of education of
the rich and the well-to-do to taste the meaning of need and the sting
of hunger which the poor always suffer from. When those feel as the
others do, cooperation, solidarity and mercy prevail among the
individuals of all society, but when fasting is merely superficial, as
the followers of some other religions do, this does not go with the
comprehensiveness of Islam and its distinction. This religion is
characterized by its own rules and distinction of thoughts from other
creeds so that what is good is known to be different from the bad.
Scum always goes in vain, and what avails the people stays in the
land.

Question 90: Islam is a religion of ease. What did God in his
Almighty enjoins such a difficult task as fasting on the Muslim,
especially those who live in hot areas?

Answer 90: There is no hardship in Islam and God does not charge man
to do more than he/she could. Any obligation in Islam that is too
difficult for man and may cause him too much difficulty will not
continue to be an obligation. On the one hand, anyone who cannot fast
may not do so provided that he/she compensate for not fasting by
feeding a needy person for each day he/she did not fast. On the other
hand, Islam is a heavenly religion with a great heavenly message which
intends to build a nation, establish a civilization, and take care of
society by defending its rights, and achieving a great role on the
international level. Such a religion should in the first place
prepare its followers to endure difficulties and hardships so that
they could be qualified to build nations and develop civilizations.
May God bless the soul of that who said: "If the souls are great the
bodies will be tired because of their will."

Desiring comfort and living in slackness, dullness and laziness are
the qualities of one who is impatient, the kind of people who are not
expected to be good to themselves or to others. Has ever a nation
risen in history and was important while it was sitting dull, neither
struggling nor getting tired or exhausted? Could such people know the
taste of real comfort, unless they were exhausted because of work?
Could people feel the pleasure of recovery without knowing the meaning
of disease? Could people know the taste of freedom without suffering
the agony of suppression?

By contemplating these great meanings, we realize that the obligation
of fasting is a heavenly educational one and the difficulty in it may
be intentional and deliberate, otherwise it would not achieve the
desired aim in the formation of the nation and its preparation for
grand tasks.

Question 91: How could a Muslim fast while living in a country where
the sun does not set most of the hours of the day, as in the
Scandinavian countries for instance?

Answer 91: Fasting is a kind of worship. It is a way of getting
accustomed to patience and developing a serious will; and a Muslim has
to be as strong as possible in terms of religion, will and body. The
Muslims of such cold countries as the Scandinavian, where the sun does
not set most of the hours of the day, should fast and be patient until
the sun sets even though the day is much longer than the night. If
someone, due to a certain defect or illness, feels unable to endure
fasting for such a long time, he/she can choose not to fast but must
make up for that when he/she becomes able to do so. Otherwise, if
there is no possibility that the Muslim would be able to fast, then he
has to compensate in terms of feeding a needy Muslim by providing him/
her with average food, which he often offers to his family, for lunch
or dinner for everyday he did not fast.

Chapter 6:

Matters Relating to Pilgrimage

Question 92: How does Islam command its followers to kiss a stone in
Makka with the aim of getting closer to God? Why should Muslims
circumambulate a stone building, or stand on a mount of stones and
rocks while, in the meantime, it ordains its followers to keep from
statues and idols which are made of stone. Is not that self-
contradictory?

Answer 92: The acts of pilgrimage, such as circumambulate the Holy
Kabah, kissing the stone, and standing on a mount of Arafaat are not
considered in any way to be a statue worship, which is strongly
prohibited in Islam. The case of worshipping idols implies intention
and a heart attached to these solid stones with the belief that these
statues have power and can affect man's life. Such beliefs are
regarded by Islam as a matter of mental setback, for how could an
inanimate object a living creature?

The whole rituals of pilgrimage represent complete obedience to God,
which God Himself requested from man. Whether one can realize the
secrets behind these rituals or not, a Muslim should follow the
commands of God so long as He commands us to do so. God is All-
Knowing and All-Wise, and He commands His slaves to do only what is
beneficial and good to them.

The pilgrimage rituals imply great educational intentions, which have
their effect on the life of the Islamic nation. They are the
landmarks around which Muslims from all over the world meet, stand and
move in the same direction. Circumambulating the Kaabah together in
the same direction while all are clad in white, and repeating the same
call is a real submission to God Will. All this reminds Muslims of
their emotional, intellectual and dogmatic unity and the unity of
their orientation towards great matters in life and the unity of their
path and destiny.

It also reminds them of equality in rights and duties; people are
equal, no one is unimportant or important, there is neither ruler nor
ruled, neither a prince nor a commoner, and no one is distinguished
from others in dress, circumambulating, standing or in any related
ritual. Great must be the effect of pilgrimage on the rich and the
famous when they are considered to be equal to the poor and the
needy. Their pride is bound to be lessened-something which makes them
feel the life of simplicity, deprivation and exhaustion; consequently
they would reconsider the nature of their social relationship with the
public.

Pilgrimage also has educational effects, when languages, colors and
localities of the Islamic world meet and live together for a few days
every year with the unity of feelings, language, behavior and
intentions.

Now, could any rational person think that the pilgrimage rituals and
acts are like the rituals of humbleness before an idol made of stone
which cannot cause any harm or good to itself or to others?.

Question 93: What is the idea behind circumambulating the Kaabah? Do
Muslim worship the this building?

Answer 93: Muslims worship God only and do not worship anything else
besides Him. Circumambulating the Holy Kaabah is not a ritual of
worshipping the stone building in itself. Rather, it is a symbol of
total submission to God's commands; around which the Muslims' words
and intentions unite, and on which their opinions unit. Despite all
the differences in their colours, languages, countries, all Muslims
meet around the Kaabah, which makes them feel their greatness,
strength and unity, as mentioned before. On the other hand, there is
a variety of worship thorough which the Muslims get closer to almighty
God, the physical reason behind which is not known for sure; rather
they are the emblem of yielding to That Great God Whom Muslims knew as
enjoying strength, greatness, mercy and perfection. Muslims love God
and believed in Him. One of the effects of that love is the haste a
Muslim shows to carry out His command without knowing its effects.
The obvious aim is their trust in God, and the desire to obtain the
reward both here and hereafter

The matter of worship whose desired effect in particular is not known
to Muslims is a kind of spiritual food them, so that their soul can be
balanced and their nature be settled, as man is made from body, mind
and spirit. The body is physical and has its material and concrete
food, and the mind is the container of science and knowledge and has
its food in Islam, as God opened before him the horizons of the
universe and life and urged him to research and probe the depths of
the universe and benefit from it. Also, God praised the mind and
appreciated it so much in order to give it a confidence, testimony,
and a value which helps him to achieve his tasks in life. As for the
spirit, it is that transparent unknown being whose nature and essence
has not been recognized yet. As to the spirit, God made its food from
worships, and particular supplications, which provide for this basic
element in man its growth, balance and coordination with the body and
mind so that man could become complete, good and straight.

Chapter 7:

Family and Women Affairs

Question 94: Why did Islam limit the number of wives to four? And why
does it confine man's sexual pleasure to marriage commitments, home
and tasks?

Answer 94: Islam limited the number of wives to four as the maximum
number for a variety of reasons. On the one hand nature and reality
have proved the righteousness of this rule, especially when we take
into account the rising percentage of women compared to that of men.
On the other hand men are more exposed than women to dangers and
mortality like wars and perilous jobs. If man's marriage is limited
to one woman only, a number of women will be deprived from the bliss
of marriage which is an instinctive demand in all human beings; which
provides shelter, intimacy and marital life for every member of the
family. When allowing man to marry more than one wife Islam does not
make the case obligatory, but rather something lawful. As a matter of
fact, Islam encourages marrying only one wife for those men who do not
have the ability to be fair amongst their wives. It proscribes its
male followers to marry more than one if they cannot fulfill marital
duties equally well among the wives. Almighty God says: "...then marry
(other women of your choice, two or three, or four; but if you fear
that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only
one..." (Holy Qur'an: 3: 3). However, the percentage of those who
marry more than one wife is limited, as most men limit themselves to
one wife. The percentage is lesser among those who marry three or
four women.

Islam prohibits intercourse between man and woman outside wedlock as
this cause harm on to both the individual and on society. It causes
many diseases, it leads to loss of lineage and it brings about the
destruction of the family, which is the nucleus of any society.

It remains to say in this context that it is difficult to find a man
or a woman in the western societies not having one or concubines.
This is something that often happens at the expense of the family and
its structure. It is strange how developed people would justify
having concubines but not wives!

Question 95: Why does Islam allow polygamy for men but not polyandry
for women? Where is justice here?

Answer 95: Only those who regard marriage as purely sexual
relationship propagate this point of view. They ask: "Why cannot a
woman have the same right as men, of marrying more than one man? The
answer can be as follows: if a woman marries more than one man, the
lineage will be lost, as the woman is responsible for pregnancy. If
land is not good for planting more than one kind of plant at the same
time, how could a woman be good for planting more than one kind of
semen at the same time? Science has proved that out of millions of
sperms, only one is able to fertilize the egg. If the relationship of
the woman is with one man within marriage, we know for sure that this
fertilization has come from her single husband, not anybody else, even
though the sperms are millions, but if the woman is married to more
than one man, how could we know whose sperm it was that fertilized the
egg of the woman; eventually, to whom should the child belong? And
which of these husbands will be responsible for this family? Is it
then justifiable that for the sake of equality with man in polygamy
the lineage of children will be lost?

Naturally speaking, the majority of women reach the age of menopause
early. The age of menopause ranges between 40 and 50. As to men,
their potency continues until very late, on the one hand, and some
women do not desire their husbands, which causes them sexual
frigidity, which is much more common in women than in men. Women have
their menstruation and confinement periods, and some of them have long
menstruation periods. This prevents men from having sexual
intercourse with them.

Question 96: Why is it not lawful for man to have sex with his wife
when she is having her menstrual period?

Answer 96: What is forbidden during the menstrual period is the
vaginal sexual intercourse only. All other forms of sexual pleasure
are lawful, as almighty God said:
"They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: that is an adha (a harmful
thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while
she is having her menses), therefore keep away from women during
menses and go not unto them till they are purified (from menses and
have taken a bath). And when they have purified themselves, then go
in unto them as God has ordained for you (go in unto them in any
manner as long as it is in their vagina). Truly God loves those who
turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves (by
taking a bath and cleaning, and washing thoroughly their private
parts, bodies, for their prayers) (Holy Qur'an: 1:222).

Almighty God commands men to keep away from women during their
menstrual period, that is, not to have vaginal sexual intercourse in
the vagina. intercourse in the vagina during menstruation has been
proved medically harmful. In fact it comprises every kind of harm, as
straight natures hate mixing with impurities. Judaism prohibited
cohabiting with the woman during her menstruation, eating with her,
and having sexual intercourse with her. Islam is a medial religion,
it allows men and women to enjoy each others in any way except sexual
intercourse.

Question 97: Does Islam encourage marriages arranged by the parents
without prior consent from the son or the daughter?

Answer 97: Islam does not encourage arranged marriages without the
consent of the son or the daughter, even though the guardian is the
father, which is clear in what Prophet Muhammad said:
"A widow is not married until she gives her consent, and a virgin is
not married until she gives her permission.' They asked, "O,
Messenger of God, how can she give her permission?" He said, "By
keeping silent." And in other words "A widow has more right than her
guardian to give her consent, and a virgin is asked and her permission
is her silence."

Khansa' Bint Huzam related that her father married her off when she
was a widow. She, therefore, came to the prophet (pbuh) to complain
about it. The prophet annulled her marriage. It was also related
that the a virgin maid came to the messenger of God and told him that
her father had married her off by force, and the prophet gave her the
choice to stay with her husband or to leave him."

It was related too that a girl came to the messenger of God and told
him: "My father married me off to his nephew for reputation;"
whereupon the prophet gave her the choice to stay with her husband or
to leave him. She said: "I have accepted what my father had done, but
I wanted to tell the women that a father does not have the right to do
so." These traditions and many others confirm that Islam does not
allow a father or a guardian to marry his daughter or sister off
except when she gives her full consent. And in the likely case she is
forced to marry out of her consent, she can file a case to the court
or to the authorities, which have the right to nullify the marriage.

Question 98: Why does not Islam allow a Muslim woman to marry a Jew or
a Christian at the time it allows the Muslim man to marry a Jewess or
a Christian woman? Also why does not Islam allow Muslim men to marry
other women than Jews or Christians (People of the Scripture)?

Answer 98: Islam allows Muslim men to marry Jewish or Christian
women. This is a clear indication of the extent to which it tolerates
and honours the followers of these two heavenly religions. It deals
with them in a special way which does not apply to the followers of
other religions, in terms of eating from their food and marrying women
from them. In all religions, the guardianship is in the hand of the
man. In this case if a Jew or a Christian man marries a Muslim woman,
he might deal arbitrarily with her and use his right to force her (and
their children if any) to abandon Islam. But for this, Islam might
have allowed equal treatment in marriage, like equal treatment in
food. Almighty God says:
"Made lawful to you this day are at-tayyibat [all kinds of halal
(lawful) food, which God had made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable
animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits). The food
(slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture
(Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them.
(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and
chaste women from those who were given the Scriptures (Jews and
Christians) before your time when you have given their due mahr
(bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of
marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not
committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girl-
friends. And whosoever disbelieves in Faith [i.e. in the Oneness of
God and in all the other Articles of Faith, i.e. His (God's) Angles,
His Holy Books, His Messengers, the Day of Resurrection and al-Qadar
(Divine Preordainments)], then fruitless is his work; and in the
hereafter he will be among the losers" (Holy Qur'an: 3:5)

Islam gives equal treatment to the chaste Christian or Jewish woman as
one as the Muslim women in terms of wage (dowry), prohibition of
unlawful sexual intercourse, or making them concubines: it allows them
to keep their religion while they are wives to Muslim men. As to
marriage of non-Muslim men to Muslim women, it is prohibited for
particular reasons:

1. Man has the authority and guardianship on his wife, in which likely
case he might affect her behavior, conduct, thought and beliefs.

2. In terms of equal treatment, Christianity and Judaism do not allow
the marriage of Christian or Jewish woman to marry a Muslim man.

3. In order to prevent the authority of non-Muslims over Muslims,
almighty God said: "And never will God grant to the disbeliveers a way
(to triumph) over the believers" (Holy Qur'an: 4: 141).

Question 99: Why can a Muslim divorce his wife any time likes, while a
woman is not allowed to do so except after long and inconvenient
procedures?

Answer 99: Islam does not allow man to divorce his wife arbitrarily
and unjustly. If he does so that means he has not maintained his
responsibility efficiently. Islam legislated several measures which a
man should adhere to before he can take the decision to divorce his
wife. These include:
1. advising her,
2. desertion her in bed,
3. beating her harmlessly,
4. arbitration, i.e. asking (any of her and/or his relations) for
intervention,
5. first divorce (revocable),
6. second divorce (revocable),
7. third (or final) divorce (irrevocable).

Almighty God said: "As to those women on whose part you see ill-
conduct, admonish them (first), (next), refuse to share their beds,
(and last) beat them (lightly, if it is useful)" (Holy Qur'an: 4:
34). After all of these stages, the irrevocable divorce can take
place, and there are several stages that the husband has to follow,
otherwise his divorce will be arbitrary and unfair to his wife. On
the other hand, there are several things to do, like:

1. man is usually less hasty or excited and has more self-control of
nerves and emotions than woman;

2. man has authority and guardianship at home which commands him to
spend on the wife and family.

3. man is the one who pays the marriage portion, whereas the woman
takes it.

Question 100: Why should a woman wait if her husband has been away
from her for a very long time until a judge can give a verdict of her
divorce?

Answer 100: It is not a matter of waiting as much as there should be
confirmation and proof of the complete absence of news about the
husband. Marriage is a real bondage and contract which implies
intimacy, mercy, stability and tranquility. Almighty God says:

"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among
yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between
you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people
who reflect" (Holy Qur'an: 30: 21).

It is known that whenever the contract has grand effects, it is more
difficult for the legislator to dissolve it and that depends on the
contractors themselves. If the absence of the husband allowed the
dissolution of the contract accordingly, there must be patience and
confirmation, as mentioned before, in dissolving this contract, so
that neither of the contractors would be done any harm because of
haste. This happens depending on the cause of absence and its
justifications. The judge should estimate such matters and try to
avoid harm to anyone as much as possible.

Question 101: Why should there be a guardian and two righteous
witnesses at the time of the marriage contract in Islam? Is it not
possible for a woman to have her complete freedom in this respect, and
not wait for someone to humiliate her in choosing and allow her to
marry? Since men have the right to marry whenever they like, why,
women are not granted the same status? And why her guardian's consent
is a prerequisite in this instance?

Answer 101: Part of the answer has already been given in (Answer 97).
Here is the rest of the answer. At the time of marriage, there should
a guardian (usually the father) and two righteous witnesses. Marriage
is different from unlawful adultery, and a woman is not allowed to
marry without the consent of her guardian; the guardian in turn is not
allowed to marry her off without taking her consent. The
responsibility here is mutual; it cannot be achieved except through
the consent of the two sides, both the guardian and the girl. This
signifies a respect for the woman and maintenance of her right. It
takes care of her and does not cause her any harm or humiliation. If
she happens to choose a suitable man and her guardian prevents her
from marrying him, or in the likely case she has no guardian, the
judge can be in charge of marrying her off in spite of the objection
of her guardian. In Islamic jurisprudence the judge is the guardian
of anyone who does not have a guardian, i.e. he can marry a woman off
if she has no guardians.

If a woman wants to marry a man and there is another one who is better
than him, the consent of the guardian and the witnesses will be
superfluous, and her freedom will not be limited. But if the husband
she has chosen is not an appropriate one (to the best of the
guardian's knowledge), her guardian can interfere. Preventing her
from such a marriage is deemed to her interest. Not all kinds of
freedom necessarily bring benefit to man, and every kind of limitation
is harmful to hime/her. Almighty God says: "...and it may be that you
dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which
is bad for you. God knows but you do not know" (Holy Qur'an: 2: 216).

Question 102: Is it lawful for a woman to divorce her husband if he is
infertile, ill or having a chronic disease? And is it lawful for a man
to divorce his wife if she is barren or has a chronic disease?

Answer 102: As mentioned above, divorce is in the hand of man not
woman because of reasons, most important of which is his right of
guardianship. However, Islam has made it lawful for woman to dissolve
the marriage contract (In Islamic jurisprudence-mukhaala'a), which
happens when a woman asks the judicial authorities to dissolve the
marriage contract, either because of the infertility of her husband or
because of some harm caused by the husband to her, as is the case when
the husband is chronically ill. This matter will be different if the
woman knows about her husband's situation before her marriage to him.

Question 103: Why is not lawful for girls in some Muslim countries to
choose any man she wants to marry?

Answer 103: Islam should not be judged through the practices of some
of its followers; people should be judged according to their
implementation of Islam. Islam does respect the will of the girl, as
mentioned above. However, the consent of the girl's guardian should
be achieved when she would like to marry and the marriage contract
will not be valid without it.

A woman is free to choose any man she wants to marry; she is also free
to reject any man she does not want to marry. This is alright as long
as her choice is right. As to the choice based on socialization
between man and woman or unlawful courtship, it is undoubtedly a
failing one. In this case, the guiding guardian, who takes in his
consideration the benefit of his daughter or ward, should interfere.
Prophet Muhammad said: "Any woman married off by an angry guardian,
her marriage is invalid."

If the guardian is fair, he should interfere, as his consent is
beneficial not only for the girl in this case, but also it goes beyond
that to include his family and clan. Islam stresses familial and
social relations. The fact that Islam is the religion of equality is
true and right, because it holds similar things as equal, it draws
distinctions between contradictions, antitheses and differences. If
it regards different things as equal it would be unfair and unjust.
Man and woman are the same in terms of humanity, in reward and in
punishment, in rights and in responsibility, and in many duties. The
same applies to the marital home, as almighty God said: "And they
(women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living expenses)
similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards obedience
and respect) to what is reasonable..." (Holy Qur'an: 2: 228). As man is
responsible for work and expenditure for his family, and is exposed to
more struggling in life, he was given an extra degree: "but men have a
degree (of responsibility) over them" (Holy Qur'an: 2: 228). Almighty
God also said: "Men are the protectors and maintainers of women,
because God has made one of them to excel the other, and because they
spend (to support them) from their means" (Holy Qur'an: 4: 34).

Suspicion comes from adopting corrupt criteria; difference in jobs
leads to differences in concepts. When a European woman wants to
work, earn her living, and spending money, as man does, undoubtedly
she will demand equality. Troubles emerge from asking a woman to do
what is not her duty. For this, and besides other reasons, Islam does
not regard man and woman as equal in a variety of respects, including
testimonies, inheritance, guardianship, custody, confinement after
divorce, and the areas of the private parts of the body which should
be covered, and the duty of expenditure, divorce, etc. It is a well
know fact that organic and functional build of woman is different from
that of the man. The French scientist Alex Carrel stated:
The difference between man and woman does not come from the particular
shape of their genitalia, or from the presence of womb in woman, or
from the method of education, as the difference is of a more important
nature than this. The differences come from formation of texture
itself, and from the fertilization of the body with specific chemical
materials which the ovary exudes. Ignoring those essential facts by
feminists led them to believe that both sexes should receive the same
kind of education, and that both sexes should be given the same
authorities and similar responsibilities. In fact, woman differs
considerably from man, as every cell of her body carries the nature of
her sex.

Question 104: Since Islam is the religion of equality, why it gives
man double what it gives to woman in matters of inheritance?

Answer 104: Islam gave man double what it gave to woman in inheritance
for several reasons:
1. Man's need for money is more than that of woman, because he is
charged of the financial burdens of life which are double the burdens
of woman. When he becomes adult, he is required to spend on himself
(marriage expenses for example), at the time girl continues to be
spent on by her guardian until she gets married. When she accepts to
marry a man, her future husband gives her the marriage portion. When
she gets married, her husband becomes in charge of spending on her.

2. Money is the nerve of life and proper management of finance is both
an individualistic and collective duty. Man is often better at
handling inherited money and better at managing and investing it.

3. Islam observed the possibility that the inheritors may share the
inherited money: men mostly participate in running the business of
their fathers, whom they inherited while women do not.

4. Giving man double the amount of the inheritance to woman man is not
always the case, as both man and woman may get the same amount in some
cases, as in the case of the brother of a mother, and the sister of a
mother, and the father and mother from their son, if the son has
inheriting descendents, and so on.

5. Inheritance is one of the forms of support, and men are much more
supportive to their dependants more than women.

Question 105: Why does not an infidel brother inherit his Muslim
brother, and vice versa?

Answer 105: Inheritance is an expression of loyalty, connection and
relation. If the inheritor is different from the testator in terms of
religion, there will not be guardianship or relation between them,
since the most important relation is that of Islam. Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) said: "Neither an infidel inherits a Muslim nor a Muslim
inherits an infidel." Prevention of inheritance is a prevention of
the forms of sympathy and relation, both of which might corrupt the
Muslim's faith. When Islam prevents inheritance between a Muslim and
an infidel, it affirms the rule "profit against loss" and vice versa,
which does not negate justice, but a kind of equal treatment.

Question 106: Why does Islam prohibit an heir from inheriting his
testator in case this latter was killed by his inheritor? In this
case what is the fault of the killer's children if they did not take
part in the murder?

Answer 106: Depriving the killer from inheriting his testator is a
kind of prevention of a greater evil, as there could be more murders
of testators. It is also a treatment of man according to the opposite
intention of the killer and punishing him in a similar kind. The
jurisprudential rule for this is: "Anyone who makes haste to get
something before it is the right time is punished by depriving him
from it." Depriving the killer from inheriting does not prevent his
children from inheritance, as long as they are not prevented by other
heirs because of other reasons of prevention, than killing.

Question 107: Why cannot a woman travel on her own, while man can?
Why should she always be escorted by a mahram (unmarriageable relative
man) if she wants to travel? Also, why she can not travel without her
guardian's consent?

Answer 107: A woman may travel without a mahram but only for short
distancees-less than a day and a night. In case she wanted to take
more than this, she is required to be accompanied by a mahram or by a
trusty group. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "A woman may not travel
for more than one day and night on her own without a mahram." Islam
disallows a woman from traveling on her own for a long distance for
the sake of her safety, protection, reputation and to preventing any
evil which might befall her. Of course she can always travel for any
distance with a good company or a group of people provided that her
safety is maintained and confirmed. Unless accompanied and/ or
escorted by amahram a woman may not even travel to perform her
pilgrimage, which is one of the greatest Islamic forms of worship.

Question 108: Why would a woman wait for the consent of her husband or
the companionship of one of her unmarriageable relatives if she wants
to perform pilgrimage, although pilgrimage is an obligatory duty for
women as well as for men who are allowed to travel without the consent
of their wives?

Answer 108: This question has already been answered (answer 107).
However, we can also say that God Himself out of mercy and compassion
with His people wanted to make life easier for them people. Some
scholars mentioned that one of the conditions for women to perform
pilgrimage is to be accompanied by a mahram. This is not a condition
of duty as much as a condition of performance. It is not a condition
for acceptance: if she performs pilgrimage without mahram the
pilgrimage is deemed to right and she would have fulfilled this
ritual. But God did not oblige her to do what she could not do and
she is rendered sinful if she dies without performing pilgrimage if
she does not find an accompanying mahram or a trustworthy company.

The consent of the husband for the wife to go with one of her
unmarriageable relatives to perform pilgrimage remains a controversial
matter among religious scholars.

Question 109: Could you comment on the prophetic tradition which says:
"The people who give the leadership to a woman would never be
successful."

Answer 109: This tradition has its own historical context. It was
stated by the prophet as a response to the political change in the
crumbling Persian Empire in the 6th century. In a failing attempt to
save their empire, the Persian crowned Khosrau's daughter, Buran, as
their leader. When the prophet learned about this incident, he (pbuh)
said: "The people who give the leadership to a woman would never be
successful."

Some scholars interpret this saying according to its historical
context only, that is when the prophet foretold the downfall and the
breaking-up of the Persian Empire-which is an historical fact.
However, there are scholars who take the words in a more general
sense. They say that the authority of the woman will always be
lacking because she might be exposed to difficult situations over
which she might have no control because of her nature and weaknesses.

Question 110: Why does not Islam allow women to take judicial
positions, i.e. become judges?

Answer 110: Depending on the prophetic hadith in question 109, most
scholars believe that women cannot become judges, because of the
discrepancy of their nature as dealing with legal problems requires
more reason than passion. However, Abu Hanifah, the well known leader
of an Islamic school, stated that women may become judges but only in
affairs where her testimony is indispensable and/or crucial. Ibn
Jareer at-Tabari and the Malikis have no objection to women's judicial
positions.

Question 111: What is meant by the prophetic statement regarding women
that they have "Women have their own deficiencies in both minds and
religion"?

Answer 111: It has been reported that the prophet (pbuh) once
addressed women by saying: "O womenfolk, give alms. I have seen that
the majority of the people in hell are women." The women asked: "O,
Messenger of God, why?" He said: "You keep swearing, and deny your
husbands, I have not seen people with incomplete minds and religions
who could affect the mind of the strict men like you. Then they
asked: "What is our lack of mind and religion, O, Messenger of God?"
He said: "Is not the testimony of woman half that of a man?" They
said: "Yes." He said: "That is the lack in her mind." He added: "Does
not she abstain from praying and fasting when she has her period?"
They said: "yes." He concluded: "That is their lack of religion." It
is obvious from the answer of the prophet that the lack of woman's
mind is in the matter of testimony, which needs control and
affirmation. Man is more affirmative and controlling in this respect
than woman. Also, he could afford to witness a crime more than a
woman could do, that is because of the nature of woman who could not
endure to do as a man can. A woman needs another woman's testimony to
confirm hers, as women are often busy with their children, and home,
which usually distracts her mind and thinking. The first part of the
tradition alludes to the cunning of women in some respect, that they
affect the strict man's mind. This is the most rhetorical description
of women, as the self-controlled man is sometimes led by their
intrigues. As such, one who is not self-controlled is more likely to
be led by others.

As to the lack in woman's religion, the prophet referred to that in
the sense that when she menstruates, she neither prays nor fasts,
which makes her more exposed to the devil's insinuations. If she
strengthens herself with supplication and giving alms, she will be
more protected from the devil, God willing.

It has medically been proved that when a woman is menstruating, or in
confinement she usually goes through an uncomfortable psychological
and physical situation. This is a part of the prophetic miracle, as
it shows us that woman is exposed to such emergent lack, which is not
a permanent lack in the nature of woman.
Question 112: Prophet Muhammad said: "Woman was created from a bending
rib." What does this mean and is it also applicable on men?

Answer 112: This tradition has been mentioned to take care of women
and not to prejudice them, as some might think. The original saying
stated by the prophet in this respect was: "I command you to take care
of women, as they were created from a rib, and if a rib bends, it does
at the top part of it. If you try to straighten it, it breaks, and if
you leave it, it will continue to be bending. Therefore, take care of
women." This can be taken to mean: accept my command of women and
behave accordingly. Take care of women and be kind when dealing with
them, because of their delicate nature.

Traditions say that Eve was created from one of Adam's ribs, i.e. she
came out of it as a palm tree comes out from a nucleus-something that
has been affirmed by other heavenly religions.

The meaning of "the most bending part of the rib is its top" could be
a reference to the most bending part of woman, which is her tongue.
The tradition connotes that the woman has a definite nature according
to which she was created; it is difficult to change natures and men
should cope with this fact. Anyone who tries to straighten a bending
rib will break it, and breaking means divorce and/or separation.

It is a fact that almighty God created Adam from earth and water
(clay) and created woman from his (Adam's) rib, and created the jinn
from fire.

Question 113: Is it lawful for woman to enter the domain of political
and parliamentary life? Is she allowed to vote to choose a certain
ruler?

Answer 113: Within the framework of the Islamic law, it is quite
possible for women to involve in political and/or parliamentary
lives. She is also free to vote for the political ruler of her
choice. Abdurrahman ibn `Awf consulted with women in their rooms when
he was charged of choosing `Uthman or Ali as the third caliphate the
death of Omar.

Question 114: Why does Islam consider the testimony of a woman half
that of a man? Are not men and women treated equally well in Islam?

Answer 114: The number of witnesses has nothing to do with respecting
the witness or humiliating him. This is due to the kind of testimony
and its requirements. In many legal cases, especially those
exclusively related to women, men's testimonies are invalid; only the
testimonies of women are to be accepted. This of course does not
degrade men. Also there are cases where the testimonies of both men
and women are accepted, because they have the same thing witnessed,
like the proof of seeing the moon of the month of Ramadhan. There are
also cases where the testimonies of men and women are accepted, but
because of the lack of interest of women in them, and the probability
of women's forgetfulness, the testimonies of two women are equaled to
one testimony of man. The aim here is to maintain right. The Holy
Qur'an says: "...so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can
remind her." (Holy Qur'an: 1: 282). This applies to financial
matters; as it is the concern of men to work in markets, attend the
contracts of financial negotiations, contrary to women who are not
usually concerned with financial contracts.

Question 115: Isn't it a savagery of Islam to order for the stoning of
the married adulterer and whip the unmarried one?

Answer 115: There is no savagery in stoning a married adulterer and
whipping an unmarried one, as their acts themselves are ones of
bestiality and savagery. Adultery is a transgression of God's right
and natural law. All heavenly religions and conventions have agreed
that adultery is heinous crime. Therefore, secular laws are not fair,
and Islam's incurring of such punishments, of the adulterer and
adulteress, is to curb man from committing such crime.

The stoning of an adulterer had existed in the creed of the Jews
before that of Islam in the books of the Old Testament (the creed of
the Jews and the Christians), but the followers of those two religions
changed that creed and the scriptures remained until the time of
prophet Muhammad (pbuh). When two Jewish adulterers were brought him,
he told them that their rule existed in their Torah, but they
concealed it from him. To this denial God revealed to His prophet the
following Qur'anic verse: "But how do they come to you for decision
while they have he Torah, in which is the (plain) Decision of God; yet
even after that, they turn away. For they are not (really)
believers" (Holy Qur'an: 5: 43). The punishment of the unmarried
adulterer according to the Jewish faith was to soil his/her face with
black color and to make him/her ride backwardly on an animal while it
is led through streets of the village, town or city.

Inflicting a painful punishment on the adulterer and adulteress is not
a savage matter, especially after discovering its destructive effects,
which threaten societies with perdition. AIDS, syphilis, leukorrhea,
to mention only few, are well know fatal diseases which are caused by
illegal practices of sex.

Question 116: Why does Islam restrict woman with niqab (hijab)l? Is
not that a form of humiliating woman in every way in life? Is not
faith in the heart? Is not it lawful for woman to enjoy the bliss of
eyesight?

Answer 116: Islam commanded woman to use the veil in order to protect
and maintain her from harm and aggression. She is like a jewel that
is to be wrapped up with the finest pieces of cloth, and placed in the
most protected location, far away from the hands of the corrupted
people. This explanation is testified by almighty God's words:
"O, Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters, and the women of the
believers to draw their cloaks. That will be better, that they should
be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And God
is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (Holy Qur'an: 33: 59).

This means the following:
1. Islam in its creed surrounds the woman with a halo of decency,
which goes with her nature of instinctive shyness-something that
exists in every heavenly religion. In Christianity, for example, a
nun is made to be dressed decently, a way which is different from
other women in her religion, whereas Islam made this rule apply to
every woman, as religion is meant to be for all and not specific to a
particular section, and this is the way in all of its rules.

2. It is true that faith lies in the heart, but man's action and
behaviour are supposed to testify to faith or belie. Commitment to
God's commands is a proof of the existence of faith, and violating
almighty God's commands is a proof of the absence of faith and its
weakness.

3. Islam does not prevent woman from enjoying any bliss, provided that
the bliss is lawful. Hence, Islam does not prohibit women from
enjoying lawful eyesight. Unlawful eyesight mostly lead to unlawful
things, and what might be deemed to be a joy becomes a killing arrow,
and a sigh in the heart. Islamic philosophy is based on the
injunction of preventing evil, for everything that leads to unlawful
things is unlawful.

Chapter 8:

Islamic Society and Human Relationships

Question 117: Why do Muslim countries apply Islamic law upon non-
Muslims when problems arise in Islamic society?

Answer 117: Islam does not enjoin the People of the Scripture to use
or follow the divine creed of Islam. The method of Islam is as
follows: if they resorted to Islamic methodology for arbitration, then
the Islamic rule should be applied in this case, almighty God says:

"So if they come to you (O Muhammad), either judge between them, or
turn away from them. If your turn away from them, they cannot hurt you
in the least. And if you judge, judge with justice between them.
Verily, God loves those who act justly" (Holy Qur'an: 5: 42)

In any other likely case, they could at any time follow their creeds,
so long as these creeds have a heavenly origin. Also, God says: "But
how do they come to you for decision while they have the Torah, in
which is the (plain) Decision of God; yet even after that, they turn
away. For they are not (really) believers" (Holy Qur'an: 5: 43).
This has already been mentioned in the matters related to creeds and
familial dealings and in case they are citizens in the Islamic
countries.

As regards civil and financial cases, all people living in Muslim
countries must commit themselves to observe the Islamic rules, as
these rule serve the opinion of the majority of the citizens. This
criteria, the rule of the majority, is applied everywhere in the
world, especially in the west. In the various dealings of the common
affairs (like traffic, health, education), Muslims themselves almost
always refer to civil laws. This also includes many other matters,
which have nothing to do with dogma, liberty of belief, familial
relationships (like marriage and other things so that they cannot
collide with the religion of the Islamic society). As it is decided,
contract is the law of the contractors; and anybody coming into the
Islamic country will beforehand sign his commitment to the divine laws
and manners; consequently, accept the rules of Islam to be applied, if
required. This is one form of proving sovereignty to the state,
something which is applicable almost everywhere in the world.
Constitutions of almost all world countries decree that in the likely
case any crime takes place on the land or within the territorial
boundaries of any country, then the law and rules of that particular
countries are the ones to be applied, without discriminating between
the nationalities of the people involved in the crime.

Question 118: Since it is claimed that Islam has undertaken the
question of liberating slaves and bondwomen, why do Muslims make of
men slaves and women bondwomen when they go to wars? Does not that
signify a contradiction in Islamic principles?

Answer 118: It is a fact that Islam has called for the liberation of
slaves. There are many proofs to attest for this:
1. Liberating a slave is a kind of atonement for some sins, like
indeliberate murder, and dhihar (divorce), oath breaking, corruption
of one's fast in Ramadhan by sexual intercourse and so on.

2. God promised a great reward for those who voluntary liberate any of
their slaves.

3. The right of the slave to liberate himself by buying himself from
his master;

4. A Muslim is encouraged to pay a portion of his zakat money to those
slaves willing to purchase themselves from their masters;

5. The Islamic rule of what is called "arrangement," which incurs the
liberation of the slave upon the death of his master, especially if
the master does not have the desire to liberate him during his
lifetime. So the choice of freeing oneself is open after the death of
the master. The master may say to his slave: "You are be free after
my death," whereupon the slave becomes free immediately after the
death of the master.

6. The Islamic rule regarding the women slaves in case they become
mother of children to their master upon a sexual intercourse they
might have with them. If the bondwoman conceives in this case, she
may neither be sold nor rented; soon after her master's death, she
becomes free.

When a war takes place between Muslims and others, and Muslims come
out victorious, if an agreement takes place between the Muslims and
their enemies regarding the captives, the Muslims are bound to keep
their word according to what they have pledged. If there is no such
agreement or reconciliation, then Muslims are free to opt for one of
the following choices:
1. Ransoming their captives with captives from the enemies, or money
is given instead.

2. Setting the captives free against nothing, out of kindness and
charity.

3. Killing them to relieve mankind from their evil, and killing only
the fighters from them.

4. Enslaving them as a kind of charity so that they could know Islam
closely with the hope that they might become Muslims themselves. It
is in the right of Islam to kill those who stood in the face of Islam
as fighters, but in most cases they are kept alive and enslaved. This
is some kind of showing the power of Islam and the humiliation of its
enemies. The caliph is the only one who could command enslaving up,
it is not left to individuals.

Question 119: Why, upon the birth of a baby, Muslims slaughter one
sheep for the girl but two for the boy?

Answer 119: Following the tradition of prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Muslims
slaughter one sheep for the newly-born girl but two for the newly-born
boy. The rationale behind the difference could be to stress the fact
that there are differences between man and woman in terms of physical
capability and the right of guardianship and responsibility. Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) said: "The baby-boy is ransomed by his slaughtered
animal." Since man fights in the path of God and carries the burden
of struggle and earning living, he is more exposed to dangers and
accidents than woman. Therefore, he is more required to be ransomed
with two slaughtered animals for the protection of his body and
optimism for his safety.

Question 120: Is it lawful for a non-Muslim to enter the Holy Mosque
in Mecca? If not, why?

Answer 120: It is not lawful for a non-Muslim to enter the Holy Mosque
in Mecca in accordance with what almighty God has said: "Verily, the
mushrikun (polytheists, pagans, idolatries, disbeliveers in the
Oneness of God, and in the Message of Muhammad) are Najasun (impure).
So let them not come near al-Masjidal-Haram (at Mecca) after this
year" (Holy Qur'an: 9: 28). As to other mosques, the reason for a non-
Muslim entering a mosque should be taken into account before admitting
him/her to do so. If it is for the sake of learning about Islam or
for any other reason which meets the needs of Muslims, then it is
lawful for non-Muslims to enter the mosque. Entering mosques for
touristic or sightseeing purposes is not lawful.

Question 121: According to the Qura'nic verse "So if you gain the
mastery over them in war, punish them severely in order to disperse
those who are behind them" (Holy Qur'an: 8: 57), we believe that Islam
spread by the sword. What is your explanation regarding this?

Answer 121: Islam did not spread by sword, and had it spread by sword
or by force, people would have apostatized at the first chance they
had, but the situation is just the opposite. Once those people
embraced Islam, they turned into proselytize Islam in terms of tongue,
money and sword. Holy fight in Islam is meant for overcoming the
barriers before the call for Islam to people. If it had been possible
to call to Islam without facing barriers or objection by force,
Muslims would not have used arms or force on the one hand. On the
other hand, many countries, especially in South East Asia and the
biggest part of Africa and those who embrace Islam in Europe today,
the spread of Islam was in those countries by peaceful call,
respectable Islamic dealing of Muslim traders, and Islamic missions in
those countries. The west used its colonial influence, societies,
preaching missions sometimes in the name of medical AIDS and,
sometimes in the name of schools and education. It used those means
to spread Christianity; hence, the intention was not completely pure
or for purely humanitarian reasons. It was for the sake of exploiting
those peoples and reverting them off their various creeds. Through
its stooges, the west executed all of its terrorist and aggressive
plans. The Christian west wanted to establish secular governments,
which had nothing to do with religions, on the basis that those
governments had nothing to do with Islam, which was considered by the
west as archenemy without justifications.

Question 122: Tobacco did not exist at the time of prophet Muhammad,
yet it is considered by many scholars today as unlawful. Why?

Answer 122: Some prohibits have been rendered unlawful by Qur'anc
texts, things like wine, eating flesh of dead meat, and pig's meat.
Some other prohibits were declared as unlawful because they were
included in a total divine rule, or a general principle rule, things
like impurities, and all that is harmful to the body or in wasting
money uselessly. All of these things have their right divine
evidence. The prophet related: "No harm should be done to oneself or
to others." This saying involves all kinds of harm one might cause
to oneself, his money, or to others. It has been proved that smoking
is harmful to the body. Islamic beliefs render everything good as
lawful and everything bad as unlawful.

If we examine all prohibits, we find that they lead to harm to others
because of what they cause. The creed produced general rules according
to which things are considered throughout history and place.
Analogical deduction In Islam is one of the sources of legislation
after the Noble Qur'an, prophetic tradition, and consensus of the
companions of the prophet, which is one of the forms of the recognized
independent reasoning, and approved by Muslims scholars, which is
itself the secret of the survival of Islam, as it meets the renewed
needs of Islam and judges their new acts of conduct. To this end, the
scholars rendered smoking as unlawful on the basis that it is harmful
to the health of the smoker, and a waste for his/her money. Smoking
is closer to the group of impurities than to that of purifies.
Almighty God said:
"he commands them for al-ma`rouf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that
Islam has ordained); and forbids them from al-munkar (i.e. disbelief,
polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he allows
them as lawful at-tayyibat (i.e. all good and lawful as regards
things, deeds, beliefs, person, foods), and prohibits them as unlawful
al-khab`ith (i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds,
beliefs, persons and foods), he releases them from their heavy burdens
(of God's Covenant with the children of Israel), and from the fetters
(bonding) that were upon them" (Holy Qur'an: 7: 157).

Question 123: Almost all banks do not observe the religious teachings
and they deal with interest. But dealing with the bank has almost
become a necessity. What harm is there if one deposit his/her money
in a bank, with and without interests?

Answer 123: Putting money in interest banks is lawful because of
necessity, and necessity is estimated according to its real
situation. Accordingly, putting money in interest banks in a country
which has monetary institutions, like Islamic banks and its
subsidiaries, not dealing in interest is unlawful. Putting one's
money in a bank is originally unlawful if one is not worried about the
safety of his money from theft or robbery. If one feels unsafe about
the money, there is no objection to putting it in an interest bank,
because of the jurisprudential rule which says: "Necessities render
prohibits as lawful."

Anyone who puts his money in an account because he is obliged to keep
it safe, can take interest on it, which is better than leaving it to
the banks dealing with interest, but he cannot spend the money in the
way he wants, as he does with his lawful money. He can give it to the
poor and needy people, as they are the only people who could use the
money. Any kind of money whose owner is unknown has the reward of
delivering it to the poor and needy, but does not have the reward of
alms, as alms is given from his completely lawful money.

If the Muslim is obliged to put his money in an interest bank without
taking the interest it is lawful too, and once he is able to do
without dealing with that bank, he has to withdraw his money.

Question 124: In Islam there is a saying, which goes like this:
"Wisdom is supposed to be the goal of every Muslim, he/she should seek
it wherever it is." Can a Muslim in this case follow and/or adopt
good western principles a lifestyle?

Answer 124: Muslins are always encouraged to follow what is good and
avoid what is bad.
However, when it comes to creed, worship, manners and many things,
which have to do with personal dealings, Islam recommended everything
good and prohibited everything evil. Almighty God said:

"Verily, God enjoins al-adl (i.e. justice and worshipping none but God
Alone-Islamic monotheism) and al-ihsan [i.e. to be patient in
performing your duties to God, totally for God's sake and in
accordance with the sunah (legal ways) of the Prophet (pbuh) in a
perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith and kin (i.e. all that God
has ordered you to give them e.g., wealth, visiting, looking after
them, or any other kind of help, and forbids al-fahisha (i.e. all evil
deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of parents, polytheism,
to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right),
and al-munkar (i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic law: polytheism
of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds), and al-baghy
(i.e. all kinds of oppressions). He admonishes you, that you may take
heed." (Holy Qur'an: 16: 90)

Islam urges Muslims to learn useful sciences and advanced system
especially in the domain of technology experimental sciences, and the
like. Accordingly, there is no harm for a Muslim to benefit from what
the west has used to advance itself, if what is used does not
contradict the fixed and determined Islamic fundamentals, which are
known as being good and useful to mankind.

There is, however, one thing that should be taken into consideration,
i.e. some things might be useful temporarily and accidentally. Such
things cannot be rendered as lawful though they might be useful
temporarily from one point of view. They could be subject to the
conventions, customs and tastes of some people. All of this cannot
render something lawful, as everything of those principles;
conventions and customs should go with the Islamic fundamentals, and
people should not differ as to whether people believe it is useful or
beneficial. Almighty God said:

"And no example or similitude do they bring (to oppose or to find
fault in you or in this Qur'an), but We reveal to you the truth
(against that similitude or example), and the better explanation
thereof" (Holy Qur'an: 25: 33)

Question 125: What is the purpose of prohibiting usury when both
partners (the usurer and the one paying interest) are completely
satisfied with the transaction?

Answer 125: The satisfaction of both contractors does not render
prohibited things lawful, as two adulterer and an adulteress accept to
commit adultery, and the agreement of buyer and seller of drugs does
not make such matters lawful.

Those who consider matters from a limited point of view want a quick
or private benefit, regardless of what disasters of destruction and
corruption of the Islamic nation such transactions may cause. Anyone,
whether it is a person or a country, who resort to borrow money with
interest must be in dire need for that money. What kind of humanity
is this that exploits the need and adversity of that man or nation?

When the interest loan is intended for production, and the borrower
loses, he shoulders the responsibility and is the only loser, which
could be disastrous to him. Had he been able to support himself he
would not have resorted to borrowing an interest loan. The two
partners should agree from the beginning on both profit and loss. If
they make a profit, the profit is mutual and the same applies to
loss. The one working will have lost his efforts and time and the
lender will lose his money. Almighty God announced war on the
borrower and lender dealing with interest. Almighty God says:

"And if you do not do it, then take a notice of war from God and His
Messenger but if your repent, you shall have your capital sums. Deal
not unjustly (by asking more than your capital sums), and you shall
not be dealt with unjustly (by receiving less than your capital sums).
And if the debtor is in a hard time (has no money), then grant him
time till is easy for him to replay..." (Holy Qur'an: 2: 278-80)

Question126: Since the Prophet (pbuh) referred to the acceptability of
entertaining oneself, are we allowed to play chess or cards for a mere
passing of time?

Answer 126: There are certain Islamic rules and regulations that
govern the use of different pleasure facilities and entertaining
oneself. These rules and regulations conclude any form of
entertainment that has been evidently forbidden may not be used for
entertaining oneself. Some scholars say they have grounds to believe
that chess was forbidden; therefore, Muslims should not play it.

Playing any other kind of game, which is good for health and/or mind,
is permissible, provided that there is no evidence of its
prohibition. However, playing lawful games should not distract us
from fulfilling our duties or indulge us in sinful deeds.

Muslim scholars agree that playing chess is forbidden if it is played
as a form of gambling, or if it causes one to neglect a duty like
performing prayer. It is also disallowed if it implies lying or cause
swearing and/or leads to any kind of harm. Yet, scholars have
different opinions: some of them prohibit paying chess altogether,
others say it is not recommended; others still, say it is allowed
provided that players do not swear, that Muslims should not play with
non-good Muslims in the streets, and that it should not be played very
often because it may waste the time of Muslims and make them heedless
of their religious obligations such as remembering God and
worshipping. However, scholars recommend that Muslims are better off
not playing such games because the prophet (pbuh) says: "Leave
doubtful things, and do things that are certain (to be allowed)."

[Stefan Müller]

"ahmad" <ald...@gmail.com> schrieb

[viel Kram gesnippt]

Question 127: Who cares?

Answer 127: No one really important!

Gruss
Stefan

[ahmad]

Stefan Müller أرسلت:

What is your purpose in life? What is the rationale behind our life?
Why do we live in this life? These questions frequently intrigue
people who try to find accurate answers.

People provide different answers to these questions. Some people
believe the purpose of life is to accumulate wealth. But one may
wonder: What is the purpose of life after one has collected colossal
amounts of money? What then? What will the purpose be once money is
gathered? If the purpose of life is to gain money, there will be no
purpose after becoming wealthy. And in fact, here lies the problem of
some disbelievers or misbelievers at some stage of their life, when
collecting money is the target of their life. When they have collected
the money they dreamt of, their life loses its purpose. They suffer
from the panic of nothingness and they live in tension and
restlessness.

Can Wealth Be an Aim?

We often hear of a millionaire committing suicide, sometimes, not the
millionaire himself but his wife, son, or daughter. The question that
poses itself is: Can wealth bring happiness to one's life? In most
cases the answer is NO. Is the purpose of collecting wealth a standing
purpose? As we know, the five-year old child does not look for wealth:
a toy for him is equal to a million dollars. The eighteen-year old
adolescent does not dream of wealth because he is busy with more
important things. The ninety-year old man does not care about money;
he is worried more about his health. This proves that wealth cannot be
a standing purpose in all the stages of the individual's life.

Wealth can do little to bring happiness to a disbeliever, because he/
she is not sure about his fate. A disbeliever does not know the
purpose of life. And if he has a purpose, this purpose is doomed to be
temporary or self destructive.

What is the use of wealth to a disbeliever if he feels scared of the
end and skeptical of everything. A disbeliever may gain a lot of
money, but will surely lose himself.

Worshipping Allah as an Aim

On the contrary, faith in Allah gives the believer the purpose of life
that he needs. In Islam, the purpose of life is to worship Allah. The
term "Worship" covers all acts of obedience to Allah.

The Islamic purpose of life is a standing purpose. The true Muslim
sticks to this purpose throughout all the stages of his life, whether
he is a child, adolescent, adult, or an old man.

Worshipping Allah makes life purposeful and meaningful, especially
within the framework of Islam. According to Islam this worldly life is
just a short stage of our life. Then there is the other life. The
boundary between the first and second life is the death stage, which
is a transitory stage to the second life. The type of life in the
second stage a person deserves depends on his deeds in the first life.
At the end of the death stage comes the day of judgment. On this day,
Allah rewards or punishes people according to their deeds in the first
life.

The First Life as an Examination

So, Islam looks at the first life as an examination of man. The death
stage is similar to a rest period after the test, i. e. after the
first life. The Day of Judgment is similar to the day of announcing
the results of the examinees. The second life is the time when each
examinee enjoys or suffers from the outcome of his behavior during the
test period.

In Islam, the line of life is clear, simple, and logical: the first
life, death, the Day of Judgment, and then the second life. With this
clear line of life, the Muslim has a clear purpose in life. The Muslim
knows he is created by Allah. Muslims know they are going to spend
some years in this first life, during which they have to obey God,
because God will question them and hold them responsible for their
public or private deeds, because Allah knows about all the deeds of
all people. The Muslim knows that his deeds in the first life will
determine the type of second life they will live in. The Muslim knows
that this first life is a very short one, one hundred years, more or
less, whereas the second life is an eternal one.

The Eternity of the Second Life

The concept of the eternity of the second life has a tremendous effect
on a Muslims during their first life, because Muslims believe that
their first life determines the shape of their second life. In
addition, this determines the shape of their second life and this
determination will be through the Judgment of Allah, the All just and
Almighty.

With this belief in the second life and the Day of Judgment, the
Muslim's life becomes purposeful and meaningful. Moreover, the
Muslim's standing purpose is to go to Paradise in the second life.

In other words, the Muslim's permanent purpose is to obey Allah, to
submit to Allah, to carry out His orders, and to keep in continues
contact with Him through prayers (five times a day), through fasting
(one month a year), through charity (as often as possible), and
through pilgrimage (once in one's life).

The Need for a Permanent Purpose

Disbelievers have purposes in their lives such as collecting money and
property, indulging in sex, eating, and dancing. But all these
purposes are transient and passing ones. All these purposes come and
go, go up and down. Money comes and goes. Health comes and goes.
Sexual activities cannot continue forever. All these lusts for money,
food and sex cannot answer the individual's questions: so what? Then
What?

However, Islam saves Muslims from the trouble of asking the question,
because Islam makes it clear, from the very beginning, that the
permanent purpose of the Muslim in this life is to obey Allah in order
to go to Paradise in the second life.

We should know that the only way for our salvation in this life and in
the hereafter is to know our Lord who created us, believe in Him, and
worship Him alone.

We should also know our Prophet whom Allah had sent to all mankind,
believe in Him and follow Him. We should, know the religion of truth
which our Lord has commanded us to believe in, and practice it ...

Those in search of truth

Who have an open mind and heart,

Islamic Education Foundation

Welcome You.

Objectives: -

To Convey the message of Islam

To Educate Muslims about Islam

To keep in close contact with new Muslims.

Activities:

Offering Courses and presenting lectures about Islam in several
languages.

Teaching Islam and Arabic.

Teaching new Muslims to receive the Holy Quran.

Helping Non- Muslims embrace Islam and complete the required procedures

[ahmad]

Stefan Müller أرسلت:

What is your purpose in life? What is the rationale behind our life?

[Franz Conradi]

"ahmad" <ald...@gmail.com> schrieb

> What is your purpose in life? What is the rationale behind our life?
> Why do we live in this life? These questions frequently intrigue
> people who try to find accurate answers.
>

> [additional stupid shit /del]

Please notice: This is a german law and social forum. It should not used by
zealots, talibans and similar idiots. Shut up and move your ass to
somewherelse. Thank you!

[Jochem Huhmann]

"ahmad" <ald...@gmail.com> writes:

> As we know, the five-year old child does not look for wealth: a toy
> for him is equal to a million dollars.

But if he or his parents have got no money at all, he won't get any
toys.

> The eighteen-year old adolescent does not dream of wealth because he
> is busy with more important things.

Yeah. Girls. And toys. Money helps with both. That's a problem, granted.

> The ninety-year old man does not care about money; he is worried more
> about his health.

Provided he has enough money to have payed his health insurance or to
pay a doctor. Most people in the world have neither. That's a problem.

> This proves that wealth cannot be a standing purpose in all the stages
> of the individual's life.

Right. In all stages of the individual's life the task at hand, whatever
it is, is the standing purpose.

> Wealth can do little to bring happiness to a disbeliever, because he/
> she is not sure about his fate. A disbeliever does not know the
> purpose of life. And if he has a purpose, this purpose is doomed to be
> temporary or self destructive.

Stop, please. How on earth you're getting now to "disbelievers"? I
thought you were talking about the distribution of wealth and power?
This is a real and pressing problem, you know?

> What is the use of wealth to a disbeliever if he feels scared of the
> end and skeptical of everything. A disbeliever may gain a lot of
> money, but will surely lose himself.

Well, there *are* people without anything like "self". Many of them.
They have never learned about that. They have learned that you are what
you can buy. Believe me, there are people who are content with money and
power and everything that money and power can buy. Give up the struggle
for money and power and gods and *then* you may find a way to the truth.

> Worshipping Allah as an Aim

Ah! OK. No, thanks. I neither believe in money nor in Allah. Or
whatever you may call him. I believe in you and me and everyone else.
Served me well, actually. People are more important than gods. And you
get much more feedback from them, really.

> On the contrary, faith in Allah gives the believer the purpose of life
> that he needs. In Islam, the purpose of life is to worship Allah. The
> term "Worship" covers all acts of obedience to Allah.

And this and everything else you're talking about is different to
believing in money and power *how* exactly? You want believers; they
want believers. We don't need believers. Go away, please. Yes, I know:
You will never read this, probably. Proves enough.

Of course you can believe in whatever you like, it's all the same to me.
What I care for is what you *do*. What are you doing? When you want to
judge people don't look at their lips, look at their hands.

Jochem

--
"A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no
longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

[Klaus Wagner]

You do´nt understand anything. Shut up!

[Andreas Eibach]

"Klaus Wagner" <k.wag...@t-online.de> wrote:
> You do´nt understand anything. Shut up!

LOL. Der Typ ist wie ein Anrufbeantworter, der immer wieder seinen Text
abspult. Prüft es mal nach :P
-Andreas