INTRODUCTION

Islam and Christianity, the world's two largest Divine religions, have many beliefs in common, such as God's absolute existence, His eternal existence, His creation of the universe from nothing, and His control of all matter through His infinite might. Muslims and Christians oppose the same intellectual errors; struggle against atheism, racism, fascism, and moral degeneration; and use very similar methods to communicate the message of God's existence. Their common aim is to help all people know God so that they can build a world full of justice, one in which they can live in peace and tolerance. They act out of fear, respect, and love for God; follow the path of His messengers, and abide by His revelation.

There is also great harmony in terms of moral values. A human model that thinks only of its own interests, is without love, ruthless, selfish, self-interested and lacking in honesty is the exact opposite of the religious moral values espoused by Muslims and Christians alike. Christians also long for a world governed by love, honesty, compassion, devotion, justice, humility, and fraternity, and endeavor to bring such a world about. They also strive against the behavior forbidden by our Lord, such as prostitution, homosexuality, drug abuse, violence, and exploitation.

Both Christians and Muslims harbor a deep love of and respect for Prophet Jesus (pbuh), God's chosen messenger who was introduced to us in the Qur'an and made superior to the worlds: He [Jesus] is, "of high esteem in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near" (Surah Al 'Imran: 45). He is a most valuable servant, one honored by God with various miracles and superior moral values.

This book concentrates on the false belief in the trinity, which does not form part of true Christianity (defined as the message revealed to Prophet Jesus [pbuh]) and which only emerged long after he had been raised to God's presence. We shall examine, in the light of both Christian sources and the Qur'an, the monotheistic belief on which true Christianity is based, and analyze how belief in the trinity, based on the concept of the son of God (God is surely beyond that!), came into being.

However, before doing so, we wish to declare that we consider that both our Lord and Prophet Jesus (pbuh) are free of all of the expressions we shall be using to describe this belief in the trinity. In addition, throughout the book, several changes have been made to Biblical passages: the word Father has been replaced by God-Lord, and Son by Prophet-messenger. Wherever the name Jesus (pbuh), the Prophet of God, appears, the word "Prophet" has been appended as a mark of respect.

Another important matter that needs to be emphasized is that Muslims, who believe in all of the prophets and books sent by God, respect the beliefs and values of both Christians and Jews. The Qur'an considers Judaism's Torah and the Psalms as well as Christianity's New Testament to be divine books, and regards Jews and Christians as People of the Book. The Qur'an describes Muslims as "those who believe in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down before you." (Surat al-Baqara: 4)

Say: "We believe in God and what has been sent down to us; what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jaco, and the Tribes; what Moses and Jesus were given; and what all of the Prophets were given by their Lord. We do not differentiate between any of them. We are Muslims submitted to Him." (Surat al-Baqara: 136)

The phrase "what was sent down before you" is a reference to the Pages of Prophet Abraham (pbuh), the Torah of Prophet Moses (pbuh), the Book of Psalms of Prophet David (pbuh), and the Gospels of Prophet Jesus (pbuh). God's revelation to Prophet Abraham (pbuh) no longer exists. The other texts have come down to us, but only in corrupted forms, for they contain statements and interpretations that are far removed from God's true religion. Nonetheless, sections compatible with the Qur'an regarding faith in God and His prophets; the love, fear, and respect of God; proper moral values and the like have survived to the present day. (God knows best.) God revealed these books as guides to the humanity: "He has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what was there before it. And He sent down the Torah and the Gospel previously, as guidance for humanity" Quran (Surah Al 'Imran: 3-4). In another verse, God says of the Torah:

We sent down the Torah containing guidance and light, and the Prophets who had submitted themselves gave judgment by it for the Jews – as did their scholars and their rabbis – by what they had been allowed to preserve of God's Book to which they were witnesses.Quran (Surat Al-Ma'ida: 44)

The Qur'an also reveals that some Jewish religious figures "distort words from their proper meanings" (Surat al-Ma'ida: 41) and write the Book with their own hands and then say: 'This is from God' to sell it for a paltry price" (Surat al-Baqara: 79). In other words, they have corrupted God's revelation to Prophet Moses (pbuh). Christians, on the other hand, have fallen into a grave error: the trinity (Surat an-Nisa': 171).

In the Qur'an, God provides a great deal of important information about the theological or moral errors of some members of People of the Book. This does not mean, however, that all of them have gone astray, as the following verses state:

They are not all the same. There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite God's Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the righteous. You will not be denied the reward for any good thing you do. God knows those who guard against evil. Quran(Surah Al 'Imran: 113-15)

Among the People of the Book are some who believe in God, what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and who are humble before God. They do not sell God's Signs for a paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And God is swift at reckoning.Quran (Surah Al 'Imran: 199)

Exemplary Muslims live their lives according to the Qur'an, for it determines their value judgments, moral characteristics, and perspectives on life and other people. The same thing applies to their attitude toward the People of the Book, for they always approach them on a basis of tolerance, justice, and love. Thus, Muslims regard them not as the opposition, but as devoted believers in God. Anything else would be a violation of the Qur'an, since many of them have a sincere belief in God and may therefore hope for salvation. All of the reminders presented in this book have been written with that in mind and with the intention of fulfilling God's order to "command what is good and avoid what is evil." Our goal is to show the erroneous nature of belief in the trinity and to help Christians see the truth, so that they will realize this error and abandon all beliefs that are incompatible with faith in the one God.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 9:19 PM  0 Comments

In the treatise Sha’bul Imam, Imam Bahiqi (Radi

Allah Anho), reports a Hadith from Sayyiduna Jabir (Radi

Allah Anho) in which Sayyiduna Rasool Ullah ( ) has

stated:

“When Almighty Allah created Sayyiduna Nabi Adam

(Alehis salam)and his progeny, the Angels remarked.

“O Almighty Allah ! You have created such beings

that eat and drink, cohabit and travel. Make the world a

place for their dwelling and let us be the inmates of the

Hereafter.”

The Most Revered Almighty Allah Replied:

I shall not make him who has been fashioned by My

Power, and in whom I have bequeathed the spirit and

then Commanded, “Be!” and he became.

Form this Hadith, one important fact emerges. While

the creation of man was effected through a gradual and

systematic process, namely, the stage of dust, which was

then shaped into a human form, and finally, the

bequeathing of the soul in him. Looking at it from another

angle, first the stage of sperm, then a speck of blood which

changed to a piece of meat, then the formation of limbs,

which then took human shape, and finally, the soul been

bequeathed.

Angels, on the other hand, are created by the Supreme

Command “Be” and they become, or they come into

existence.

Sayyiduna Rasool Ullah ( ) has stated:

Angels are created from light. The Jinn’s from fire

containing smoke, and Sayyiduna Nabi

Adam ( Alehis salam ) from that already mentioned to

you.

(Namely black, white and red sand according to

Sayyiduna Ibne- Sa’ad (Radi Allah Anho) who narrates

from Sayyiduna Abu-Zar (Radi Allah Anho), who narrates

from Sayyiduna Rasool Ullah (s ). Imam Ahmed bin

Hambal (Radi Allah Anho), and Imam Muslim (Radi Allah

Anho), narrate from Ummul-Mo’mineen Sayyadah Ayesha

Siddiqah (Radi Allah Unha ).

Sayyiduna Imam Abdur-Raz’zaq (Radi Allah

Anho ), (Ustaaz of Imam Bukhari) in his Musannaf narrates

another Hadith Shareef from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah

( Radi Allah Anho ), in which Sayyiduna Rasool Ullah

( s) is reported to have stated:

O Jabir! Most certainly Almighty Allah Created the

Noor (Light) of your Nabi( Prophet Muhammad) (s) before anything else. Then,

when He decided to create the world, He divided the

Noor (Light) of your Nabi into four portions. From the

first portion, He created the Qalam of destiny, from the

second, the Lohe-Mahfooz, from the third, the Divine

portions. From the first portion, He created those

Angels who are the bearers of the Arsh,

from the second, the Divine Chair and from the third,

the rest of the Angels.

Allama Faasi (Radi Allah Anho), in his book

“Mutaali-ul-Musarrat” under the discussion of Dala’il has

recorded the following Hadith from Imam Ash’ari (Radi

Allah Anho), who narrates,

Verily, the Almighty Allah is an Incomparable Light,

the soul of Sayyiduna Rasool Ullah (s ) is the

splendid glow of that light. Almighty Allah first

created my Noor (light) and from this Noor He created

everything else.

Sayyiduna Abu Sheikh (Radi Allah Anho), narrates

the following Hadith from Sayyiduna Akramah (Radi Allah

Anho), who reports that Sayyiduna Rasool Ullah ( ) has

stated:

Most certainly, Angels are created from the Divine

Noor (light) of Almighty Allah.

It is also narrated by Sayyiduna Yazeed bin Romaan

(Radi Allah Anho), that he received the following

information:

Indeed the Angels are created from Divinely Blessed

light.

I (Imam Ahmed Raza) say that a commentary of Imam

Badruddin Mahmood Ai’nee (Radi Allah Anho), of a

similar Hadith is found in his book Umdatul Qaari Sharah

Sahi-ul-Bukhari (Radi Allah Anho), carrying an interesting

observation of Sayyiduna Ali (Radi Allah Anho) where in

he mentions:

There is an Angel named Rooh, who has seventy

thousand heads, Each head has seventy thousand

faces, and face contains seventy thousand mouths.

Each mouth is made up of seventy thousand

tongues and each tongue is blessed with seventy

thousand tongues and each tongue is blessed

with seventy thousand languages.

“By means of these languages, this Angel is constantly

reciting the Tasbeeh of Almighty Allah From each

Tasbeeh, one Angel is being Created. This angel soars

into the Heavens with the rest of the three Angels until

the Day of Judgment”.

(i.e. the number of different languages in which the

Angels Glorify Almighty Allah will be

1680700000000000000000000) All Praise is due to

Almighty Allah Who is Infinite and so are His

Attributes and Glory!

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 7:08 AM  0 Comments

Dr. `Umar Al-Ashqar

Chapter: From the Ways of Satan in Leading Humans Astray
The World of the Jinn and Devils
© 1998 al-Basheer Publications and Translations

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 5:33 AM  1 Comments

Banned from the Bible DVD

BUY THIS DVD AT
http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=73144

• Biblical scholars speculate on the reasons behind their exclusion.
• Examine major works of Christian theology that did not make it into the Scriptures.
• See how these works have been discovered--and where they have been used.

For many of the faithful, the idea smacks of heresy. But the Bible we know is just one of many versions that surely circulated in the early days of Christianity, and there are several fully-fledged books left out of the "final draft."

BANNED FROM THE BIBLE travels back to the blistering sands of the Holy Land, into the onion-domed chapels of Eastern Orthodox churches and the pages of the Koran on the trail of the chapters that were left out of the ultimate version of the Scriptures. Learn of "The Life of Adam and Eve," a detailed account of the creation story written before Jesus was born that is included in the Koran. The incestuous account of "The Book of Jubilees" was included in the Orthodox Old Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls. "The Book of Enoch" was an ancient bestseller, telling the story of the man said in Genesis to have walked with God and been assumed directly into heaven.

These eight ancient works offer a fresh perspective on the figures at the foundation of faith.

This DVD is one of the many titles in our DVD Library and is created in the DVD+R format. This disc does not feature menu pages or special features like standard DVDs, simply the high quality programming you've come to expect from us.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 11:35 PM  0 Comments

Bismillah ir rahman ir rahim

Surah 2. Al-Baqara (The Cow)

40. O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me as I fulfil My Covenant with you, and fear none but Me.

41. And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and be not the first to reject Faith therein, nor sell My Signs for a small price; and fear Me, and Me alone.

42. And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is).

43. And be steadfast in prayer; practise regular charity; and bow down your heads with those who bow down (in worship).

44. Do ye enjoin right conduct on the people, and forget (To practise it) yourselves, and yet ye study the Scripture? Will ye not understand?

45. Nay, seek ((Allah)'s) help with patient perseverance and prayer: It is indeed hard, except to those who bring a lowly spirit,-

46. Who bear in mind the certainty that they are to meet their Lord, and that they are to return to Him.

47. Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other (for My Message).

48. Then guard yourselves against a day when one soul shall not avail another nor shall intercession be accepted for her, nor shall compensation be taken from her, nor shall anyone be helped (from outside).

49. And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord.

50. And remember We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's people within your very sight.

51. And remember We appointed forty nights for Moses, and in his absence ye took the calf (for worship), and ye did grievous wrong.

52. Even then We did forgive you; there was a chance for you to be grateful.

53. And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (Between right and wrong): There was a chance for you to be guided aright.

54. And remember Moses said to his people: "O my people! Ye have indeed wronged yourselves by your worship of the calf: So turn (in repentance) to your Maker, and slay yourselves (the wrong-doers); that will be better for you in the sight of your Maker." Then He turned towards you (in forgiveness): For He is Oft- Returning, Most Merciful.

55. And remember ye said: "O Moses! We shall never believe in thee until we see Allah manifestly," but ye were dazed with thunder and lighting even as ye looked on.

56. Then We raised you up after your death: Ye had the chance to be grateful.

57. And We gave you the shade of clouds and sent down to you Manna and quails, saying: "Eat of the good things We have provided for you:" (But they rebelled); to us they did no harm, but they harmed their own souls.

58. And remember We said: "Enter this town, and eat of the plenty therein as ye wish; but enter the gate with humility, in posture and in words, and We shall forgive you your faults and increase (the portion of) those who do good."

59. But the transgressors changed the word from that which had been given them; so We sent on the transgressors a plague from heaven, for that they infringed (Our command) repeatedly.

60. And remember Moses prayed for water for his people; We said: "Strike the rock with thy staff." Then gushed forth therefrom twelve springs. Each group knew its own place for water. So eat and drink of the sustenance provided by Allah, and do no evil nor mischief on the (face of the) earth.

61. And remember ye said: "O Moses! we cannot endure one kind of food (always); so beseech thy Lord for us to produce for us of what the earth groweth, -its pot-herbs, and cucumbers, Its garlic, lentils, and onions." He said: "Will ye exchange the better for the worse? Go ye down to any town, and ye shall find what ye want!" They were covered with humiliation and misery; they drew on themselves the wrath of Allah. This because they went on rejecting the Signs of Allah and slaying His Messengers without just cause. This because they rebelled and went on transgressing.

62. Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

63. And remember We took your covenant and We raised above you (The towering height) of Mount (Sinai) : (Saying): "Hold firmly to what We have given you and bring (ever) to remembrance what is therein: Perchance ye may fear Allah."

64. But ye turned back thereafter: Had it not been for the Grace and Mercy of Allah to you, ye had surely been among the lost.

65. And well ye knew those amongst you who transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: We said to them: "Be ye apes, despised and rejected."

66. So We made it an example to their own time and to their posterity, and a lesson to those who fear Allah.

67. And remember Moses said to his people: "(Allah) commands that ye sacrifice a heifer." They said: "Makest thou a laughing-stock of us?" He said: "(Allah) save me from being an ignorant (fool)!"

68. They said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what (heifer) it is!" He said; "He says: The heifer should be neither too old nor too young, but of middling age. Now do what ye are commanded!"

69. They said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us Her colour." He said: "He says: A fawn-coloured heifer, pure and rich in tone, the admiration of beholders!"

70. They said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what she is: To us are all heifers alike: We wish indeed for guidance, if Allah wills."

71. He said: "He says: A heifer not trained to till the soil or water the fields; sound and without blemish." They said: "Now hast thou brought the truth." Then they offered her in sacrifice, but not with good-will.

72. Remember ye slew a man and fell into a dispute among yourselves as to the crime: But Allah was to bring forth what ye did hide.

73. So We said: "Strike the (body) with a piece of the (heifer)." Thus Allah bringeth the dead to life and showeth you His Signs: Perchance ye may understand.

74. Thenceforth were your hearts hardened: They became like a rock and even worse in hardness. For among rocks there are some from which rivers gush forth; others there are which when split asunder send forth water; and others which sink for fear of Allah. And Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.

75. Can ye (o ye men of Faith) entertain the hope that they will believe in you?- Seeing that a party of them heard the Word of Allah, and perverted it knowingly after they understood it.

76. Behold! when they meet the men of Faith, they say: "We believe": But when they meet each other in private, they say: "Shall you tell them what Allah hath revealed to you, that they may engage you in argument about it before your Lord?"- Do ye not understand (their aim)?

77. Know they not that Allah knoweth what they conceal and what they reveal?

78. And there are among them illiterates, who know not the Book, but (see therein their own) desires, and they do nothing but conjecture.

79. Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say:"This is from Allah," to traffic with it for miserable price!- Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby.

80. And they say: "The Fire shall not touch us but for a few numbered days:" Say: "Have ye taken a promise from Allah, for He never breaks His promise? or is it that ye say of Allah what ye do not know?"

81. Nay, those who seek gain in evil, and are girt round by their sins,- they are companions of the Fire: Therein shall they abide (For ever).

82. But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein shall they abide (For ever).

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 10:39 PM  0 Comments

From the desert Rabe’a( a woman Sufi saint) proceeded to a hermitage

where she served God for a while. Then she

determined to perform the pilgrimage, and set her face

towards the desert. She bound her bundle on an donkey. In

the heart of the desert the donkey died.

“Let us carry your load,” the men in the party said.

“You go on,” she replied. “I have not come putting

my trust in you.”

So the men departed, and Rabe’a (r) remained alone.

“O God,” she cried, lifting her head, “do kings so

treat a woman who is a stranger and powerless? Thou

hast invited me unto Thy house, then in the midst of

the way Thou hast suffered my donkey to die, leaving me

alone in the desert.”

Hardly had she completed this orison when her donkey

stirred and rose up. Rabe’a(r) placed her load on its back,

and continued on her way. (The narrator of this story

reports that some while afterwards he saw that little

donkey being sold in the market.) She travelled on

through the desert for some days, then she halted.

“O God,” she cried, “my heart is weary. Whither am

I going? I a lump of clay, and Thy house a stone! I need

Thee here.”

God spoke unmediated in her heart.

“Rabe’a, thou art faring in the life-blood of eighteen

thousand worlds. Hast thou not seen how Moses(p)

prayed for the vision of Me? And I cast a few motes of

revelation upon the mountain, and the mountain shivered

into forty pieces. Be content here with My name!”

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 9:40 PM  0 Comments

CHAPTER TWO

BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS

The first thing that we find in Islam in this connection is that it
lays down some rights for man as a human being. In other words it
means that every man whether he belongs to this country or that,
whether he is a believer or unbeliever, whether he lives in some forest
or is found in some desert, whatever be the case, he has some basic
human rights simply because he is a human being, which should be
recognized by every Muslim. In fact it will be his duty to fulfil these
obligations.

1. The Right to Life

The first and the foremost basic right is the right to live and
respect human life. The Holy Quran lays down:

Whosoever kills a human being without (any reason like) man
slaughter, or corruption on earth, it is as though he had killed
all mankind ... (5:32)

As far as the question of taking life in retaliation for murder or the
question of punishment for spreading corruption on this earth is con-
cerned, it can be decided only by a proper and competent court of
law. If there is any war with any nation or country, it can be decided
only by a properly established government. In any case, no human
being has any right by himself to take human life in retaliation or for
causing mischief on this earth. Therefore it is incumbent on every
human being that under no circumstances should he be guilty of
taking a human life. If anyone has murdered a human being, it is as if
he has slain the entire human race. These instructions have been
repeated in the Holy Quran in another place saying:

Do not kill a soul which Allah has made sacred except through the due
process of law ... (6:151)

Here also homicide has been distinguished from destruction of
life carried out in pursuit of justice. Only a proper and competent
court will be able to decide whether or not an individual has forfeited
his right to life by disregarding the right to life and peace of other
human beings. The Prophet, may God's blessings be on him, has
declared homicide as the greatest sin only next to polytheism. The
Tradition of the Prophet reads: "The greatest sins are to associate
something with God and to kill human beings." In all these verses of
the Quran and the Traditions of the Prophet the word 'soul' (nafs) has
been used in general terms without any distinction or particularization
which might have lent itself to the elucidation that the persons belong-
ing to one's nation, the citizens of one's country, the people of a
particular race or religion should not be killed. The injunction applies
to all human beings and the destruction of human life in itself has
been prohibited.

'The Right to Life' has been given to man only by Islam. You
will observe that the people who talk about human rights if they have
ever mentioned them in their Constitutions or Declarations, then it is
clearly implied in them that these rights are applicable only to their
citizens or they have been framed for the white race alone. This can
clearly be gleaned by the fact that human beings were hunted down
like animals in Australia and the land was cleared of the aborigines for
the white man. Similarly the aboriginal population of America was
systematically destroyed and the Red Indians who somehow survived
this genocide were confined to specified areas called Reservations.
They also penetrated into Africa and hunted down human beings like
wild animals. All these instances go to prove that they have no respect
for human life as such and if they have, it is only on the basis of their
nationality, colour or race. Contrary to this, Islam recognizes this right
for all human beings. If a man belongs to a primitive or savage tribe,
even then Islam regards him as a human being.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 7:30 AM  0 Comments

Chapter One

HUMAN RIGHTS, THE WEST AND ISLAM

Before I discuss the human rights in Islam I would like to explain
a few points about two major approaches to the question of
human rights: the Western and Islamic. This will enable us to
study the issue in its proper perspective and avoid some of the confusion which normally befogs such a discussion.

The Western Approach:

The people in the West have the habit of attributing every good
thing to themselves and try to prove that it is because of them that the
world got this blessing, otherwise the world was steeped in ignorance
and completely unaware of all these benefits. Now let us look at the
question of human rights. It is very loudly and vociferously claimed
that the world got the concept of basic human rights from the Magna
Carta of Britain; though the Magna Carta itself came into existence six
hundred years after the advent of Islam. But the truth of the matter is
that until the seventeenth century no one even knew that the Magna
Carta contained the principles of Trial by Jury; Habeas Corpus, and
the Control of Parliament on the Right of Taxation. If the people who
had drafted the Magna Carta were living today they would have been
greatly surprised if they were told that their document also contained
all these ideals and principles. They had no such intention, nor were
they conscious of all these concepts which are now being attributed to
them.

As far as my knowledge goes the Westerners had no concept of
human rights and civic rights before the seventeenth century. Even
after the seventeenth century the philosophers and the thinkers on
jurisprudence though presented these ideas, the practical proof and
demonstration of these concepts can only be found at the end of the
eighteenth century in the proclamations and constitutions of America
and France. After this there appeared a reference to the basic human
rights in the constitutions of different countries. But more often the
rights which were given on paper were not actually given to the people
in real life.

In the middle of the present century, the United Nations,
which can now be more aptly and truly described as the Divided
Nations, made a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and passed a
resolution against genocide and framed regulations to check it. But as
you all know there is not a single resolution or regulation of the
United Nations which can be enforced. They are just an expression of
a pious hope. They have no sanctions behind them, no force, physical
or moral to enforce them. Despite all the high-sounding ambitious
resolutions of the United Nations, human rights have been violated
and trampled upon at different places, and the United Nations has
been a helpless spectator. She is not in a position to exercise an
effective check on the violation of human rights. Even the heinous
crime of genocide is being perpetrated despite all proclamations of the
United Nations. Right in the neighboring country of Pakistan,
genocide of the Muslims has been taking place for the last twenty-
eight years, but the United Nations does not have the power and
strength to take any steps against India. No action has even been taken
against any country guilty of this most serious and revolting crime.

The Islamic Approach:

The second point which I would like to clarify at the very outset
is that when we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that
these rights have been granted by God; they have not been granted by
any king or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the
kings or the legislative assemblies, can also be withdrawn in the same
manner in which they are conferred. The same is the case with the
rights accepted and recognized by the dictators. They can confer them
when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can
openly violate them when they like. But since in Islam human rights
have been conferred by God, no legislative assembly in the world, or
any government on earth has the right or authority to make any
amendment or change in the rights conferred by God. No one has the
right to abrogate them or withdraw them. Nor are they the basic
human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and
exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are
they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind
them.

The charter and the proclamations and the resolutions of the
United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by
God; because the former is not applicable to anybody while the latter
is applicable to every believer. They are a part and parcel of the
Islamic Faith. Every Muslim or administrators who claim themselves
to be Muslims will have to accept, recognize and enforce them. If they
fail to enforce them, and start denying the rights that have been
guaranteed by God or make amendments and changes in them, or
practically violate them while paying lip-service to them, the verdict
of the Holy Quran for such governments is clear and unequivocal:

"Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are the disbelievers."
(Kafirun). 5:44

The following verse also proclaims: "They are the wrong-doers (zalimun)" (5:45),
while a third verse in the same chapter says: "They are the evil-livers (fasiqun)" (5:47).

In other words this means that if the temporal authorities regard their
own words and decisions to be right and those given by God as wrong
they are disbelievers. If on the other hand they regard God's commands
as right but wittingly reject them and enforce their own decisions
against God's, then they are the mischief-makers and the wrong-doers.
Fasiq, the law-breaker,is the one who disregards the bond of allegiance,
and zalim is he who works against the truth. Thus all those temporal
authorities who claim to be Muslims and yet violate the rights
sanctioned by God belong to one of these two categories, either they
are the disbelievers or are the wrong-doers and mischief-makers.
The rights which have been sanctioned by God are permanent,
perpetual and eternal. They are not subject to any
alterations or modifications, and there is no scope for any change or
abrogation.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 2:34 AM  0 Comments

SOURCE:http://www.mostmerciful.com/index.html

Verse No. 4
"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one."
I John 5:7.
Perceived by the "man of extraordinary faith": This verse endorses the 'Doctrine of Trinity'.

Study No. 4
The text quoted above does appear in the older editions of the Kings James Version, but has been omitted in the recent editions of the Revised Version. It does not appear in the New American Standard Bible, the New English Bible, the New Revised Standard Version (Catholic Edition), the Revised English Bible, the New International Version and many other revised versions because the quoted passage does not appear in the older Greek manuscripts.

Renowned historian Edward Gibbon calls the addition a "Pious Fraud" in his famous history book 'Decline and Fall of Roman Empire'.

Peak's commentary on the subject reads; "The famous interpolation after "three witnesses" is not printed even in RSV., and rightly. It cites the heavenly testimony of the Father, the logos, and the Holy Spirit, but is never used in the early trinitarian controversies. No respectable Greek MS contains it. Appearing first in a late 4th-cent. Latin text, it entered the Vulgate and finally the NT of Erasmus.

Study Supportive Passage:
Notwithstanding the above rejections, here is the next verse, number 8, as it is found in Kings James Version;

"And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one."

Are these three witnesses "co-equal"? Can blood be substituted with water? Can water be regarded as the same in any respect with the Spirit? Just as the spirit, the blood and the water are three separate entities, so are the first three witnesses, namely; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 10:27 AM  0 Comments

The Fuel of Hell-Fire

People:
“Those who has disbelieved – their wealth and their children will never benefit them anything with Allah. And those are the ones who are the fuel of Hellfire.”
[ali'-Imran, 3: 10]

Jinn:
“And there are among us Muslims (in submission to Allah) and others who deviate from justice. And whoever accepts Islam has sought out the right path. As for those who deviate, they will be firewood for the Hellfire.”
[al-Jinn, 72: 14-15]

Stones:
“But if you cannot – and of a surety you cannot – then fear the fire whose fuel is men and stones, which is prepared for those who reject faith.”
[al Baqarah, 2: 24]

“O you who believe, save yourselves and your families from a fire whose fuel is men and stones, over which are appointed angels, stern and severe, who do not disobey Allah in what He orders them and who do precisely what they are commanded.”
[al-Tahreem, 66: 6]

False Gods
“Verily, you (unbelievers) and what you worship besides Allah are fuel for Hellfire, You will surely come to it. If those had (truly) been gods, they would not have come to it. But all will abide therein eternally.”
[al-Anbiya, 21: 98-99]

“And the Fierce Fire will be brought out before those straying in evil, and it will be said to them, ‘Where are those you worshipped besides Allah? Can they help you or help themselves?’ Then they will be thrown into it (the Hellfire) on their faces – they and those straying in evil and the soldiers of Iblees, all together.”
[ash Shu'ara, 26: 91-95]

The Intensity of its Fire

Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) narrated: “When Allah’s Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said,
‘Your ordinary fire is one of the 70 potions of the Hellfire,’ someone commented, ‘O Messenger of Allah, would it (ordinary fire) not be sufficient (to burn the wrongdoers)?’ At that, Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said, ‘The Hellfire has 69 more portions than ordinary (worldly) fire, and all of them are as hot as this (worldly fire).’”
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

“Verily, Allah has cursed the disbelievers and prepared for them a Blazing Fire. Dwelling therein forever, and they will find no protector or helper.”
[al-Ahzab, 33: 64-65]

“But he who is given his record behind his back will soon cry for destruction, and he will enter a blazing Fire.”
[al Inshiqaq, 84: 10-12]

“No, they deny the Hour (of the judgment to come), but We have prepared a blazing fire for such as deny the Hour. When it sees them from a far off place, they will hear its fury and its raging sigh. And when they are cast, bound, in chains, into constricted place therein, they will plead therein for destruction. Do not plead today for a single destruction; plead for destruction oft-repeated.”
[al-Furqan, 25: 11-14]

“The companions of the left hand – what are the companions of the left hand? (They will be) in the midst of a fierce blast (of fire) and in boiling water.”
[al Waqi'ah, 56: 41-42]

“But, he whose scales are light his home will be a pit. And what will make you understand what that is? (It is ) a fire, blazing fiercely.”
[al Qari’ah, 101: 8-11]

“Soon will I cast him into Saqar (the Hellfire). And what will explain to you what Saqar is? It permits nothing to endure, and it leaves nothing alone, darkening and changing the color of man.”
[al Muddaththir, 74: 26-29]

“Their abode will be Hell. Every time it abates. We will increase for them the blaze (the fierceness) of the fire.”
[al Isra, 17: 97]

“Those are the ones, who have exchanged the Hereafter for the gains of this worldly life. The punishment will not be lightened for them, and they will not be aided.”
[al Baqarah, 2: 86]

“So taste, (the result of your deeds), for We will not increase you except in punishment.”
[an Naba, 78: 30]

Anas (radiAllahu anhu) reported that the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said:
“The most favored man among the dwellers of the Earth will be brought from among the people of the Fire on the Day of Resurrection. He will be dyed in the Fire but once, and then it will be said to him, ‘O son of Adam, have you ever seen good at all? Has any pleasure ever come to you?’ He will say, ‘No, by Allah, O Lord.’ Then the most miserable people in the world will be brought from the people of Paradise and will be dyed with the dye of Paradise. It will be said to him, ‘O son of Adam, have you ever seen any misery, and has any hardship ever come to you? ‘ He will say, ‘No, by Allah, O my Lord. No misery ever came to me, nor did I see any hardship.’”
[Muslim]

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 10:15 AM  0 Comments

Mothers of the Believers: Lives of the Wives of Prophet Muhammad

BY Imam Suhaib Webb

Description

Mothers of the Believers is a ground breaking series exploring the lives of the wives of Prophet Muhammad (s). It seeks to enlighten the hearts, minds and souls of the Muslim youth in the West. It is through the wonderful examples of the Mothers of the Believers that we can achieve a correct and balanced understanding when approaching issues such as building the Islamic family, social life, working, parenting and raising children.

Awakening supplies a range of interesting and challenging audio products covering a variety of Islamic subjects.

Contents

Cd 1: Introduction

• Why this series?
• Objectives
• Lamps through the ages (Women Scholars in Islamic history)

Cd 2: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

• Birth and early life
• Early marriages
• A great business women
• Marriage to the Beloved (sa)

Cd 3: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

• Behind every good man is?
• The first to accept Islam
• Early days in Mecca
• Dawah Challenges
• The death of our mother (ra)
• Virtues and impact

Cd 4: Sawda bint Zam’a

• Background and early life
• Migration for Allah
• A new Muslimah with no husband
• A community responds
• Life with the Prophet
• The death of our mother

Cd 5: A’isha bint Abu Bakr

• Background and early life
• The making of a noble daughter
• Marriage to the Prophet (sa)
• Responses to the critics of this marriage
• The model of the Muslim home

Cd 6: A’isha bint Abu Bakr

• The great fabrication Al-Ifk
• The death of the Prophet
• Life under the Caliphs
• The great trial
• Her virtues
• The death of our mother

Cd 7: Hafsa bint ‘Umar

• Background and early life
• First marriage
• Umar (sa) seeks a good man
• Hafsa with the Prophet
• The guardian of the Qur’an
• The death of our mother

Cd 8: Hind bint Abi Umayya (Um Salamah)

• Background and early life
• What saves a young couple?
• Tests are inevitable
• Alas duaa and only duaa
• Marriage to the beloved
• Life after the Prophet
• The death of our mother

Cd 9: Zainab bint Jahsh

• Background and early life
• Older siblings have huge a responsibility
• First marriage
• Marriage to the Prophet
• Life with the Prophet
• The death of our mother

Cd 10: Juwayriya bint al-Haarith & Um Habiba bint Abi Sufyaan

Juwayriya

• Background and early life
• First marriage
• Marriage to the Prophet
• Life with the Prophet
• Life under the Caliphs
• The death of our mother

Um Habiba

• Background and early life
• First marriage
• Tested through a disobedient husband
• The reward of sabar
• Life with the Prophet
• The death or our mother

CD 11: Safiyah bint Huyy & Maimoonah bint al-Haarith and conclusion

Safiyah

• Background and early life
• A strange incident
• Marriage to the Prophet
• Life after the Prophet
• A great test for the Ummah

Maimoonah

• Background and early life
• Marriage to the Prophet
• Our mother’s gift to the Ummah
• The death of our mother

Conclusion

From darkness to light.

About the Author

Imam Suhaib Webb was born in 1972 and raised in the State of Oklahoma, USA. During his teens he became a Hip Hop DJ and made many records with different artists and bands. During this period of his life, he was a member of a gang and turned his back on religion. Imam Suhaib Webb accepted Islam at the age of twenty. He graduated with honors in Education from the Central Oklahoma University and has studied Arabic and Islamic sciences under many notable scholars. He is currently a lecturer at the Islamic American University (IAU) in Santa Clara, California

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 11:43 PM  0 Comments

After reading the Quran from cover to cover a few times, it becomes overwhelmingly evident that the central theme of the Quran is the One-ness (Tawhid) of God.

This important realization leads to the following: in this journey called life, humankind's worst danger, its true "public enemy number one" if you like, is idolatry.

Our puny minds are conditioned to believe that the worst atrocity a human being can commit is murder. Amazingly, precedent exists in the Quran where even murder is forgiven by God - see the story of Moses. This is not to say that every murderer will go scot free. Far from it. But the point is that, in the right circumstances, ever murder is forgivable. However, contrast this with the one crime that God says in the Quran that is not forgivable (if maintained). Yup - you guessed it - idolatry - public enemy number one.

It is, therefore, inherently important to CLEARLY define mankind's worst enemy. God commands us not to put our opinion over that of God's.

Here are some verses that clearly demonstrate that idolaters are much much more than those that worship stones, wood, metal and paper. Idols can easily be humans, objects, etc. Idolaters can clearly be from among those that profess to worship God alone.

"Have you seen the one whose god is his own ego? Will you be his advocate?" (25:43)

Your own ego can be your god!

"Have you noted those who claim that they believe in what was revealed to you, and in what was revealed before you, then uphold the unjust laws of their idols? They were commanded to reject such laws. Indeed, it is the devil's wish to lead them far astray." (4:60)

Stones don't make up laws, people do!.

"GOD will say, "O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, `Make me and my mother idols beside GOD?' " He will say, "Be You glorified. I could not utter what was not right. Had I said it, You already would have known it. You know my thoughts, and I do not know Your thoughts. You know all the secrets." (5:116)

The classic example. God's messenger, Jesus, clearly set up as an idol.

"You have come back to us as individuals, just as we created you the first time, and you have left behind what we provided for you. We do not see with you the intercessors that you idolized and claimed that they will help you. All ties among you have been severed; the idols you set up have abandoned you." (6:94)

The idolization of intercessors is useless. These are the depths our religion has fallen into.

"Yet, they set up beside GOD idols from among the jinns, though He is the One who created them. They even attribute to Him sons and daughters, without any knowledge. Be He glorified. He is the Most High, far above their claims." (6:100)

Jinns( genie) have been set up as idols.

"Is it not a fact that they are idolizing idols who create nothing, and are themselves created?" (7:191)

"The idols you invoke besides GOD are creatures like you. Go ahead and call upon them; let them respond to you, if you are right." (7:194)

Idols are creatures.

"On the day when we summon them all, we will say to those who worshiped idols, "We have summoned you, together with your idols." We will have them confront each other, and their idols will say to them, "We had no idea that you idolized us." (10:28)

Idols will speak to the idolaters - talking beings!

"These are the ones who lose their souls, and the idols they had fabricated will disown them." (11:21)

Not lifeless objects. "Idols" take action.

"Say, "Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?" Say, "GOD." Say, "Why then do you set up besides Him masters who do not possess any power to benefit or harm even themselves?" Say, "Is the blind the same as the seer? Is darkness the same as the light?" Have they found idols besides GOD who created creations similar to His creations, to the point of not distinguishing the two creations? Say, "GOD is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme." (13:16)

People who profess to worship God can actually be following idols!

"And when those who committed idol worship see their idols, they will say, "Our Lord, these are the idols we had set up beside You." The idols will then confront them and say, "You are liars." (16:86)

Idols will confront idolaters.

"Even the idols that they implore are seeking the ways and means towards their Lord. They pray for His mercy, and fear His retribution. Surely, the retribution of your Lord is dreadful." (17:57)

Perhaps the most compelling verse in this argument. "Idols" are not just rock and metal - they are seeking God too, just like the rest of us.

"You and the idols you worship besides GOD will be fuel for Hell; this is your inevitable destiny." (21:98)

Rocks or people?

"On the day (of judgment) when we gather all the people, we will ask the idol-worshipers, 'Where are your idols whom you set up beside God?' Then, their only answer will be, 'By God our Lord, we were not idol-worshipers.' Note how they lied even to themselves, and note that the idols they had set up will abandon them." (6:22-24)

Most people unaware they are doing this!.

"On the day when He summons them, together with the idols they had set up beside GOD, He will say, "Have you misled these servants of Mine, or did they go astray on their own?" They will say, "Be You glorified, it was not right for us to set up any lords beside You. But You allowed them to enjoy, together with their parents. Consequently, they disregarded the message and thus became wicked people." (25:17-18)

Conclusive enough?

"The day will come when He(Allah) calls upon them, saying, "Where are those idols you had set up beside Me?" Those who incurred the judgment will say, "Our Lord, these are the ones we misled; we misled them only because we ourselves had gone astray. We now devote ourselves totally to You. They were not really worshiping us." (28:62-63)

The evidence mounts.

The foregoing verses are a sample. I hope they demonstrate the point clearly enough, inshaAllah. I urge you to study the Quran to discover this yourself.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 2:26 PM  0 Comments

THE SOUL'S JOURNEY AFTER DEATH

abridgement of ibn al-Qayyim's(R) Kitaab al-Ruh

Soul's Journey After Death...1

FROM ONE WORLD TO ANOTHER!

'Why, but when the soul reaches the throat of the dying and at that moment you are watching - and We are nearer to him than you, but you do not see Us." (Quran al-Waaqi'ah 83-85)

When someone dies, the Angel of Death comes to take his soul, no matter where he is. The dying person sees him, hears him, and speaks to him, but not with his eyes, his ears, or his tongue. How then? I do not know exactly. All I do know is that when he begins to move to another world, he sees, hears, and speaks, by some means which, we, the living, do not perceive. Many instances of this have been recorded:

Ibn Abi'd-Dunya mentions that on the day 'Umar b. 'Abdul 'Aziz died, he said to those with him, 'Sit with me.' When they sat down next to him, he said, 'I am the one You commanded and I failed you. You forbade me and I rebelled.' He said this three times. Then he said, 'But there is no god but Allah.' Then he lifted his head and stared. They said, 'You are looking very intently, Amir al-Mu'minin.' He replied, 'I see a presence which is neither man nor jinn.' Then he died.

Fadala b. Dinar said, 'I was with Muhammad b. Wasi' when he was very near to death. He began to say, "Welcome to my Lord's angels! There is no strength nor power except by Allah!" I smelled the sweetest fragrance that I had ever smelled. Then his eyes glazed over and he died.'

Why do I need to look so far into the past, to the days of the first Muslims? I myself was present at the moment of someone's death in our own time. I was with my grandmother when she was dying. It was at the time of the Dawn Prayer. She was in pain and gasping for breath, moaning from the intensity of the pain but in spite of that, she kept repeating with great joy, 'Allah! Death is sweet!' and saying the shahaada over and over for several minutes. Then it was all over. This is where our job, those of us who are still alive, begins.

After the soul is taken, if it is a pure soul and has relatives in the Next World who are people of the Garden, they come to meet the soul with yearning and great joy. They ask it about the condition of those who are still alive in this world.

The angels then bear the soul from one heaven to the next until it comes into the presence of Allah, glory be to Him and may He be exalted! Then it returns and sees the washing of the body, its shrouding, and the funeral procession. It says either, "Take me forward! Take me forward!" or 'Where are you taking me?' The people there cannot hear this.

When the corpse has been placed in the grave, the soul inserts itself between the body and the shroud so that the questioning can take place. Then the soul hears the receding footfall of the last of the people who followed the funeral and the earth is levelled over him. The earth, however, does not prevent the angels from reaching him. Even if a stone had been hollowed out for him and he had been placed into it and the opening sealed over with lead, it still would not stop the angels from reaching him. These dense substances cannot prevent the passage of souls. They do not even stop the Jinn. Allah - glory be to Him! - made stone and earth the same for the angels as air is for birds.

The Grave expands and stretches for the soul, and as a result for the body as well. The body is in a grave of the narrowest dimensions and yet it expands, because of the soul, as far as the eye can see.

For details and confirmation of what I have said I will quote a sound hadith of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said,

'When the believer is about to depart from this world and go forward into the Next World, angels with faces as bright as the sun descend from the heavens and sit around him in throngs stretching as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits at his head and says, "Good soul, come out to forgiveness and pleasure from Allah!" Then his soul emerges like a drop of water flows from a water-skin and the angel takes hold of it. When he has grasped it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the twinkling ofan eye. They take it and place it in a perfumed shroud and a fragrance issues from it like the sweetest scent of musk found on the face on the earth.

'Then they bear it upwards and whenever they take it past a company of angels, they ask, "Who is this good soul?" and the angels with the soul reply, "So-and-so the son of so-and-so," using the best names by which people used to call him in this world. They bring him to the lowest heaven and ask for the gate to be opened for him. It is opened for him and angels who are near Allah from each of the heavens accompany him to the subsequent heaven until he reaches to the heaven where Allah the Great is. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says, 'Register the book of My slave in Illiyyun and take him back to earth. I created them from it and I return them to it and I will bring them forth from it again."

'His soul is then returned to his body and two angels come to him. They make him sit up and say to him, "Who is your Lord?" He replies, "My Lord is Allah." They ask him, "What is your religion?" He replies, "My religion is Islam." They ask him, "Who is this man who was sent among you?" He replies, "The Messenger of Allah." They ask him, "How did you come to know these things?" He replies, "I read the Book of Allah, believed it, and declared it to be true." Then a Voice from on high declares, "My slave has spoken the truth, so spread out carpets from the Garden for him and open a gate of the Garden for him!" Then some of its fragrance and perfume comes to him, his grave is expanded for him as far as the eye can see, and a man with beautiful garments and a fragrant scent comes to him and says, "Rejoice in what delights you for this is the day which you were promised." He asks, "Who are you? Yours is a face which presages good." He replies, "I am your good actions." Then he says, "O Lord, let the Last Hour come soon so that I may rejoin my family and my property!"

When an unbeliever is about to depart from this world and go forward into the Next World, angels with black faces descend from the heavens carrying rough hair-cloth and sit around him in throngs stretching as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits at his head and says, "Foul soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allah.' Then his soul divides up in his body and it is dragged out like a skewer is pulled out of wet wool. Then the angel takes hold of it. When he has grasped it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the twinkling of an eye. They take it and wrap it in the rough hair-cloth and a stench comes out of it like the worst stench of a corpse on the face of the earth.

'Then they take it up and whenever they take it past a company of angels, they ask, "Who is this foul soul?" and the angels with the soul reply, "So-and-so the son of so-and-so," using the worst names by which people used to call him in this world. They bring him to the lowest heaven and ask for the gate to be opened for him. It does not get opened.'

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then recited, 'The gates of heaven will not be opened to them nor will they enter the Garden until the camel passes through the eye of the needle.' (al-A'araaf 40)

'Then Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, will say, "Register his book in Sijjin in the lowest earth." Then his soul is flung down.'

The Prophet then recited, 'Whoever associates anything with Allah, it is as though he has fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far away.' (al-Hajj 31)

'Then his soul is returned to his body and two angels come and say to him, "Who is your Lord?" He replies, "Alas, alas, I do not know!" Then a voice calls from on high, "My slave has lied, so spread out carpets from the Fire for him and open a gate of the Fire for him!" Then a hot blast from it comes to him, his grave is made so narrow for him that his ribs are pressed together, and a man with a hideous face and clothing and a foul odor comes to him and says, "Grieve on account of what has brought you disgrace for this is the day which you were promised:" He asks, "Who are you? Yours is a face which presages evil." He replies, "I am your bad actions." Then he says, "0 Lord, do not let the Last Hour come!"

Allah the Exalted says in His Mighty Book regarding the words used by the two angels who question the dead person in the grave, 'Allah confirms those who believe with the firm word, in the life of this world and in the Next World. Allah leads astray the wrongdoers, and Allah does whatever He will.' (Ibrahim 27)

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 6:06 AM  0 Comments

In the Qur'an, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago at a time when the science of astronomy was still primitive, the expansion of the universe was described in the following terms:

And it is We Who have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We Who are steadily expanding it. (Qur'an, 51:47)

The word "heaven," as stated in the verse above, is used in various places in the Qur'an. It is referring to space and the wider universe. Here again, the word is used with this meaning, stating that the universe "expands." The Arabic word "moosiaaoona" in the term "inna lamoosiaaoona," translated into English as "it is We Who are steadily expanding it", comes from the verb "evsea," meaning "to expand." The prefix "la" emphasizes the following name or title and adds a sense of "to a great extent." This expression therefore means "We expand the sky or the universe to a great extent." This is the very conclusion that science has reached today.

Until the dawn of the 20^th century, the only view prevailing in the world of science was that "the universe has a constant nature and it has existed since infinite time." However, modern research, observations, and calculations carried out by means of modern technology have revealed that the universe in fact had a beginning and that it constantly "expands."

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the Russian physicist Alexander Friedmann and the Belgian cosmologist Georges Lemaitre theoretically calculated that the universe is in constant motion and that it is expanding.

From the moment of the Big Bang, the universe has been constantly expanding at a great speed. Scientists compare the expanding universe to the surface of a balloon that is inflated.

This notion was confirmed by the use of observational data in 1929. While observing the sky with a telescope, Edwin Hubble, the American astronomer, discovered that the stars and galaxies were constantly moving away from each other. This discovery is regarded as one of the greatest in the history of astronomy. During these observations, Hubble established that the stars emit a light that turns redder according to their distance. That is because according to the known laws of physics, light heading towards a point of observation turns violet, and light moving away from that point assumes a more reddish hue. During his observations, Hubble noted a tendency towards the colour red in the light emitted by stars. In short, the stars were moving further and further away, all the time. The stars and galaxies were not only moving away from us, but also from each other. A universe where everything constantly moves away from everything else implied a constantly expanding universe. The observations carried out in the following years verified that the universe is constantly expanding.

In order to gain a clearer understanding of this, let us imagine the universe to be the surface of a balloon being inflated. In the same way that the more the balloon is inflated, the further away the points on its surface move from one another, celestial bodies also move away from one another as the universe expands. This was theoretically discovered by Albert Einstein, regarded as one of the greatest scientists of the 20^th century. However, in order to avoid violating the "static universe model" that was generally accepted at that time, Einstein laid that discovery aside. He would later describe this as the greatest blunder of his life.

This fact was explained in the Qur'an in a time when telescopes and similar technological advancements were not even close to being invented. This is because the Qur'an is the Word of Allah: the Creator and Ruler of the entire universe.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 12:04 PM  0 Comments

SOURCE:http://www.mostmerciful.com/index.html

Verse No. 3

Jesus said; "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit," (Matthew 28:19).

Perceived by the "man of extraordinary faith": This verse endorses the 'Doctrine of Trinity'.

Study No. 3
Peake's Commentary on the Bible, published in 1919, is regarded by many scholars to be the standard book of reference for the Bible study. Commenting on the above quoted verse, it records; "This mission is described in the language of the church and most commentators doubt that the trinitarian formula was original at this point in Mt.'s Gospel, since the NT elsewhere does not know of such a formula and describes baptism as being performed in the name of the Lord Jesus (e.g. Ac. 2:38, 8:16, etc.)."

Tom Harpur, author of several bestsellers and a former professor of New Testament, writes in his book 'For Christ's Sake'; "All but the most conservative of scholars agree that at least the latter part of this command was inserted later. The formula occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and we know from the only evidence available (the rest of the New Testament) that the earliest Church did not baptise people using these words - baptism was "into" or "in" the name of Jesus alone."

The quoted verse (irrespective of it being authentic or otherwise), does not indicate that the three names mentioned are "co-equal" in their status and were also "co-eternal" in the time frame. Unless these two important qualifications are acknowledged, the verse fails to endorse the fundamental belief and principle of the 'Doctrine of Trinity'.

Any one who joins Islam also recites two names ; "Allah" and "Muhammad", while admitting the ordained Islamic "Confession of Faith". But the later is regarded as the "servant" and "messenger" of Allah.

If the Father and His Son were both in "existence" from the Day One, and no one was, a micro second before or after, and, no one was "greater or lesser" in status, then why one is called the Father and the other His begotten Son?

Study Supportive Passage:
"And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;...'" (Acts 2:38).

It is most unlikely that apostle Peter could have disobeyed the specific command of his master for baptizing in the "three names" and instead baptized these people in "one" name.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 11:46 AM  0 Comments

By Michelle Roberts BBC News, Health reporter in Lyon

Melanie Boivin's daughter has a genetic condition

A Canadian mother has frozen her eggs for use by her seven-year-old daughter, who cannot have children naturally.

Should the girl opt to use the eggs and gain regulatory approval, she would effectively have a baby that was her half-brother or sister.

Critics said the work, presented at a fertility conference in Lyon, was deeply concerning.

But the doctors from the McGill Reproductive Center, Montreal, called the donation an act of motherly love.

Would I look at the child as my grandchild or as my own? Melanie Boivin

Also, the girl and any future partner would have a choice as to whether to use the eggs or not, they said.

The girl, Flavie Boivin, cannot have children naturally because of a chromosomal condition called Turner's syndrome.

Desperate to help, mum Melanie, who is 35 and a lawyer, investigated whether she could donate her own eggs.

After much research, she came across Professor Seang Lin Tan's team at McGill who run an egg freezing program for cancer patients and those who want to delay childbearing.

Melanie said she discussed the decision with her partner and Flavie's father, Martin Cote, also 35 and a financial analyst.

Emotional impact

"We were concerned about the ethical questions - would I look at the child as my grandchild or as my own? We were also concerned about the financial impact, the physical impact on me and the emotional impact on the family."

After a year they decided to go ahead.

Could it possibly get more bewildering than this? Josephine Quintavalle Comment on Reproductive Ethics

"What made us sure was the fact that I was there to help my daughter. If I could do anything in my power to help her I had to do it and because of my age I had to do it now.

"I told myself if she had needed another organ like a kidney I would volunteer without any hesitation and it is the same kind of thought process for this."

Melanie said her daughter would be the real mother as she would be caring for the child.

"I do not want to oblige her to use the eggs; I want to give her the option."

Professor Tan said they had asked for the advice of an independent ethics committee.

"The ethic committee agreed to it because the mother giving to a daughter is out of love and it is up to the daughter and partner in future years to decide whether to use the eggs or not.

"And ethical considerations change with time. Who knows what the ethics will be in 20 years from now."

Identity problems

Professor Tan said this was the first case of mother-to-daughter egg donation. There have been cases of donation from sister to sister.

Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, expressed sympathy with the family, but could not support storing the mother's eggs.

She said: "The psychological welfare of the baby itself has to be the principal concern.

"Such a baby would be a sibling of the birth mother at the same time as the direct genetic offspring of the grandmother donor.

"In psychiatry we are hearing more and more of children suffering from identity problems, and specifically a condition called 'genealogical bewilderment'. Could it possibly get more bewildering than this?

"We have to stop thinking of women only in terms of their reproductive potential.

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 1:00 PM  0 Comments

Ma‘ruf-e Karkhi’s mother and father were both

Christians. When they sent him to school, his master

said to him, “Say, God is the third of three.”

“No,” answered Ma‘ruf( a Sufi saint). “On the contrary, He is

God, the One.”

The teacher beat him, but to no avail. One day the

schoolmaster beat him severely, and Ma‘ruf(r) ran away

and could not be found.

“If only he would come back,” his mother and father

said. “Whichever religion he wished to follow, we

would agree with him.”

Ma‘ruf (r)came to Ali ibn Musa al-Reza(As) and accepted

Islam at his hands. Some time passed. Then one day he

made his way home and knocked at the door of his

father’s house.

“Who is there?” they asked.

“Ma‘ruf(r),” he replied.

“What faith have you adopted?”

“The religion of Mohammad ( Islam), the Messenger of

God.”

His mother and father immediately became

Muslims.

When Ma‘ruf(r) died, so great was the fame of his humanity

and humility that men of all religions, Jews,

Christians and Muslims alike, claimed him as one of

them.

His servant reported that Ma‘ruf (r)had said,

“Whoever is able to lift my bier from the ground, I am

of that people.”

The Christians were unable. The Jews were likewise

unable to lift it. Then the Muslims came and lifted it.

They prayed over him, and in that very place they committed

him to the ground.

Sari (Ma‘ruf’s disciple ) reported the following.

After Ma‘ruf (r)died I saw him in a dream. He was

standing beneath the Throne with his eyes wide open,

like one stupefied and distraught. A cry came from

God to the angels.

“Who is this?”

“Lord God, Thou knowest best,” the angels

answered.

“It is Ma‘ruf,” came the Command. “He has become

dazzled and stupefied by reason of Our love. Only by

seeing Us will he come to his senses. Only by meeting

Us will he rediscover himself.”

# posted by abdul raheem syed ( Sufi786) : 10:12 AM  0 Comments