What would you call a religion whose beliefs, practices
and followers are being bashed and bad-mouthed in
practically every sphere of activity, in almost every
corner of the globe, yet it attracts ever-increasing
numbers of people?
A Paradox? A Miracle ? Or simply, The Truth: Islaam.
The fact that Islaam is the fastest growing religion in
the world today, is proof that our Creator has taken it
upon Himself to perfect the Truth that He sent all His
prophets and messengers with -- from Aadam [AS] to
Muhammad [SAW].
Studies conducted in the West show that the sheer number
of new Muslims is changing the demographic profile of
countries all over the world, and not all of them are born
into Muslim families. With some 6 million adherents in the
United States, Islam is said to be the nation’s
fastest-growing religion. One expert estimates that 25,000
people a year become Muslims in this country; some clerics
say they have seen conversion rates quadruple since Sept
11.
Ironically for a religion that is routinely bashed for
“subjugating” and “oppressing” its female followers, the
number of female reverts to Islaam outnumber the males
4:1!
The fact that more and more people are finding their way
to Islaam, notwithstanding the relentless propaganda,
deliberate misinformation and outright prejudice against
it, never ceases to amaze me.
How do these people navigate in the darkness to find the
light of Islaam in spite of all the obstacles in the way?
The answer is that our Creator has granted each one of us
a guiding light -- a pure, undefiled innate nature called
the fitrah. Unlike Christians who believe in the doctrine
of Original Sin and assert that each baby is born tainted
with the sin of Adam’s disobedience to God, Muslims
believe that every child is born into a state of purity
where it recognizes its Creator and is naturally
subservient to His laws.
In his book The Fundamentals of Islaamic Monotheism, Abu
Ameenah Bilaal Philips writes: Just as a child’s body
submits to the physical laws which Allaah has put in
nature, its soul also submits naturally to the fact that
Allaah is its Lord and Creator. But its parents try to
make it follow their own way and the child is not strong
enough in the early stages of its life to resist or oppose
its parents. The religion which the child follows at this
stage is one of custom and upbringing and Allaah does not
hold it to account for this religion.
When the child matures in youth and clear proofs of the
falsehood of its religion are brought to it, the adult
must now follow the religion of knowledge and reason. At
this point the devils try their best to encourage him to
stay as he is or to go further astray. Evils are made
pleasing to him and he must now live in the midst of a
struggle between his innate pure nature and his desires in
order to find the right road.
If he chooses to follow his innate nature, his fitrah,
Allaah will help him overcome his desires even though it
may take most of his life to escape, for many people enter
Islaam in their old age.
The Qur’aan also points to this phenomenon, where every
soul that has been created is asked Who their Lord is, and
they testify that it is none other than Allaah before they
are born into the world.
When your Lord drew forth from the loins of the children
of Aadam their descendants and made them testify
concerning themselves. Saying: Am I not your Lord? They
said: “Yes, we testify to it.” (This) in case you say on
the Day of Judgement, “We were unaware of this.” Or in
case you say: It was our ancestors who made partners (with
Allaah) and we are only their descendants…[Surah Al-A’raaf
7:172-173]
Explaining this verse, the Prophet [SAW] said: When Allaah
created Aadam [AS] , He took a covenant from him …then He
extracted from him all of his descendants who would be
born until the end of the world, generation after
generation and spread them out in front of Him in order to
take a covenant from them.
He spoke to them face to face saying: Am I not your Lord?
And they all replied: Yes, we testify to it.
Allaah then explained why He had all of mankind bear
witness that He was their Creator and the only true God
worthy of worship. He said: That was in case you (mankind)
should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Surely we were
unaware of all this. We had no idea that You were our
God.” [Silsilah al ahadeeth as Saheehah, Narrated by ibn
Abbaas, collected by Imaam Ahmad]
This is the reason why people who adopt Islaam are said to
revert instead of convert, because they are going back to
their original nature -- the one they were naturally
created with -- which is automatically aligned with the
Universe, its Creator and His Laws; as opposed to simply
exchanging one set of beliefs for another.
Reverts to Islaam testify that this inner inclination to
search for the Truth, to know and follow it is a major
factor in their adopting the faith. It is interesting to
see some of the reasons cited by reverts for adopting
Islaam:
Islaamic Monotheism
“The Christian sect of Athanasians insistently inculcates
the tenet that Christianity is based on a belief in three
gods (Trinity), that a slightest doubt as to this belief
will lead one to immediate perdition; and that a person
who wishes to attain salvation in this world and the next
should definitely hold a belief in the three gods: God,
the Son of God, and the Holy Ghost.
When I became a Muslim, I received a letter, which said:
“By becoming a Muslim you have damned yourself to
perdition. No one can save you. For you deny the divinity
of God.” The poor man [who wrote that letter] thought that
I no longer believed in God, not knowing that when Jesus
had begun to preach, he stated the unity of God and he
never claimed to be His son.
[Lord Headley al-Farooq; British diplomat, engineer]
An answer for every question:
“I would always search for causes and purposes for
everything. I would anticipate logical explanations for
them. On the other hand, the explanations provided by
priests and other Christian men of religion did not
satisfy me. Most of the time, instead of giving
satisfactory answers to my questions, they would dismiss
the matter with evasive prevarications such as, “We cannot
understand these things. They are divine secrets” and
“They are beyond the grasp of the human mind.”
Upon this I decided to study, on the one hand, Oriental
religions, and on the other hand, books written by famous
philosophers. The books written by these philosophers
always dealt with such subjects as protoplasms, atoms,
molecules, and particles, and did not even touch on
reflections such as “What becomes of the human soul?”
“Where does the soul go after death?” “How should we
discipline our souls in this world?”
The Islamic religion, on the other hand, treated the human
subject not only within the corporeal areas, but also
along the spiritual extensions. Therefore, I chose Islam
not because I had lost my way, or only because
Christianity had incurred my displeasure, or as a result
of sudden decision, but, on the contrary, after very
minutely studying it and becoming thoroughly convinced
about its greatness, singularity, solemnity and perfection
[Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb; American diplomat,
author]
Direct relationship with one’s Creator:
Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike
Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told
me, “You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one
God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate.”
What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one
has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose.
But Islam removes all these barriers.
[Yusuf Islaam, formerly Cat Stevens]
Universality:
Islam is a religion that belongs not only to the Arabs but
to the entire humanity. This universal quality presents a
sharp contrast with the Judaic religion, whose holy book
always refers to the God of Israel.
One more thing that I love in Islam is that this religion
recognizes all the prophets, makes no distinction between
them and treats the believers of other religions with
compassion.
[Mahmud Gunnar Ahmad, Swedish Muslim]
Absolute equality before God, extended brotherhood:
There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over
the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes
to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating
in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and
brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to
believe never could exist between the white and non-white.
America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one
religion that erases from its society the race problem.
Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met,
talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would
have been considered white - but the white attitude was
removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have
never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced
by all colors together, irrespective of their color.
You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on
this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has
forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns
previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous
conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my
firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to
face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new
experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always
kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility
that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent
search for truth.
During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I
have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass,
and slept on the same rug - while praying to the same God
- with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue,
whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was
the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of
the white Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt
among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and
Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers) - because
their belief in one God had removed the white from their
minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from
their attitude.
[Letter written from Makkah, by Malcolm X]
Purity of prayer:
If I were asked what impressed me most in the religion of
Islam, I would probably say the prayers, because prayers
in Christianity are used wholly in begging God (through
Jesus Christ) to grant worldly favours, whereas in Islam
they ar used to give praise and thanks to Almighty God for
all His blessings since He knows what is necessary for our
welfare and grants us what we need without our asking it.
[Cecilia Mahmuda Cannolly, Australian Muslim]
Women’s rights and status:
No doubt, influenced by the usual condemnation of Islam
from Christian pulpits on the subject, I picked on
polygamy. At last I thought I had something; obviously
Western monogamy was an improvement on this old system. I
talked of it to my Muslim friend. He illustrated with the
aid of newspaper articles how much true monogamy there was
in England, and convinced me that a limited polygamy was
the answer to the secret unions that are becoming so
distressingly common in the West. My own common sense
could see that, particularly after a war, when women of a
certain age group far outnumber men, a percentage of them
are destined to remain spinsters. Did God give them life
for that? I recollect that on the radio programme known as
`Dear Sir' an unmarried English girl had called for lawful
polygamy, saying she would prefer a shared married life
rather than the loneliness to which she seemed to be
destined. In Islam no one is forced into a polygamous
marriage, but in a perfect religion, the opportunity must
be there to meet those cases where it is necessary.
[Mavis B Jolly, UK]
Belief in the Qur’aan as Divine Revelation:
I read as much of the Qur’aan as I could. I was immersed
in it. As I read the verses in English, I repeated to
myself over and over again, this is what I have always
thought and believed. What kind of book was this? Before
long I was reading the book and crying, and reading and
crying... it was as if something had overtaken me... I
forgot what I was looking for in particular, however when
I came upon the verses in Surah Baqarah 122-141 regarding
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) I had found my answer.
I had been searching for Isma'il (as), son of Prophet
Ibrahim and his wife Hajarah, who had been missing from
the Hebrew brothers story. In those verses I found the
truth of religion... They say: Become Jews or Christians
if ye would be guided (to salvation). Say thou: Nay! (I
would rather) the religion of Abraham the True, and he
joined not gods with Allah. Say ye: We believe in Allah,
and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il,
Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and
Jesus, and that given to (all) the Prophets from their
Lord; We make no difference between one another of them:
and we submit to Allah." (2:135-136) As I continued to
read and cry, I became intent upon finding someone who
could connect me with others who believed in this book!
[K H Abdul Lateef, USA]
The personal example of the Prophet Muhammad [SAW]:
I accepted Islam because I admired the Prophet
Muhammad.[SAW]. I had quite a number of Muslim friends in
Zanzibar, who gave me Islamic books, which I read in
secrecy from my family. I became a Muslim despite the
remonstrances of my family and the oppressions of the
priests of Parsee religion, which had been my religion
until that time. I held fast to my religion and resisted
against all sorts of threats. Now I love Allaah and His
last Prophet Muhammad [SAW] more than my life
[Faruq B Karai, Zanzibar]
Islaam withstands scrutiny and encourages reasoning:
Instead of asking a follower to believe in its precepts
just ”because” or someone asks them to, Islaam encourages
people to think for themselves, reflect on the signs of
God in Creation and within their own selves. Little wonder
then that a sizable number of reverts are thinking people:
scientists, astronomers, philosophers, doctors.
As created beings who can neither grant life nor ward off
death, we owe it to ourselves and The One Who Created Us
to discover the Truth, to follow it and to facilitate
others to do the same.
Man's existence in this world and the creation of this entire universe are not mere accidents or products of a fortuitous nature. This universe, every single atom of it, manifests and leads us to the realization of a Loving, Merciful and All-powerful Creator. Without a Creator, nothing can exist. Every single soul knows that he is existing and that his existence is dependent upon a Creator he knows for sure that he cannot create himself. Therefore it is his duty to know his master, the Creator.
Mankind: Man is a unique creature. God gave man the ability to govern over all other creatures in this world. He is endowed with the faculty of reason which sets him apart from all other animals. Together with this faculty to discriminate and discern, man is given the freedom (free-will) to choose for himself a way of life worthy of his position or to fall lower than the lowest of all animals or creations. Man is born pure and sinless and is given the choice to do righteous deeds or indulge in sins.
Divine Guidance: The Creator, out of His abundant Love and Mercy for mankind has not left us in darkness to discover the right path by trial and error alone. Coupled with our intellectual capability to reason, our Creator bestowed upon us Divine Guidance that outlines the criterion for truth, knowledge, as well as the reality of our existence in this world and the Hereafter.
Revelations: From the beginning of mankind, our Creator sent Prophets to convey His revelation and to invite human beings to the path of true peace and obedience to the One True God. This is Islam. This message is conveyed towards successive generations of man through the different prophets, all inviting mankind to the same path. However all the earlier messages or revelations from God were distorted by people of later generations.
As a result of this distortion, pure Revelation from our Creator was adulterated and polluted with myths, superstitions, idol worship and irrational philosophical ideologies. The religion of God in a sense was lost in a plethora of religions. Human history is a testament of man's drift between light and darkness, but God out of His abundant love for mankind has not forsaken us.
Final Revelation: When mankind was in the depths of the Dark Ages, our Creator sent His final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to redeem humanity with the final revelation which represents the ultimate and permanent source of guidance for the whole world.
Criteria For Truth: The following criteria can best serve as a gauge to find out the authenticity of the last revelation (the Qur'aan) as the Word of God:
Rational Teachings:
Since our Creator bestowed reason and intellect upon us, it is our duty to use it to distinguish the truth from falsehood. True, undistorted revelation from God must be rational and can be reasoned out by all unbiased minds.
Perfection:
Since our Creator is all perfect, His revelation must be perfect and accurate, free from mistakes, omissions, interpolations and multiplicity of versions. It should be free from contradictions in its narration.
No Myths or Superstitions:
True revelation is free from myths or superstitions that degrade the dignity of our Creator or man himself.
Scientific:
Since our Creator is the Creator of all knowledge, true revelation is scientific and can withstand the challenge of science at all times.
Factual Prophecy:
Our Creator is the Knower of the past, present and future. Thus His prophecies in His revelation will be fulfilled as prophesied.
Inimitable By Man:
True revelation is infallible and cannot be imitated by man. God's true revelation is a Living miracle, an open book challenging all mankind to see and prove for themselves its authenticity or veracity[/align]
Comments
On 4 August 2010, AroonaDorough said:
http://www.islam-guide.com
http://www.beconvinced.com
http://www.plaintruth.org
http://english.islamway.com
http://www.todayislam.com
http://www.islamunveiled.org
http://islamicweb.com
http://www.discoverislam.com/
http://www.mp3quran.net/
On 7 July 2010, Josh said:
waw great job
On 17 May 2010, lunnas said:
me encanta very good
On 13 May 2010, SophlovesAj said:
hope everyone that wnt had a great time!! xoxo :-)
On 6 May 2010, AroonaDorough said:
Believe It or Not: You were Born Muslim!
What would you call a religion whose beliefs, practices
and followers are being bashed and bad-mouthed in
practically every sphere of activity, in almost every
corner of the globe, yet it attracts ever-increasing
numbers of people?
A Paradox? A Miracle ? Or simply, The Truth: Islaam.
The fact that Islaam is the fastest growing religion in
the world today, is proof that our Creator has taken it
upon Himself to perfect the Truth that He sent all His
prophets and messengers with -- from Aadam [AS] to
Muhammad [SAW].
Studies conducted in the West show that the sheer number
of new Muslims is changing the demographic profile of
countries all over the world, and not all of them are born
into Muslim families. With some 6 million adherents in the
United States, Islam is said to be the nation’s
fastest-growing religion. One expert estimates that 25,000
people a year become Muslims in this country; some clerics
say they have seen conversion rates quadruple since Sept
11.
Ironically for a religion that is routinely bashed for
“subjugating” and “oppressing” its female followers, the
number of female reverts to Islaam outnumber the males
4:1!
The fact that more and more people are finding their way
to Islaam, notwithstanding the relentless propaganda,
deliberate misinformation and outright prejudice against
it, never ceases to amaze me.
How do these people navigate in the darkness to find the
light of Islaam in spite of all the obstacles in the way?
The answer is that our Creator has granted each one of us
a guiding light -- a pure, undefiled innate nature called
the fitrah. Unlike Christians who believe in the doctrine
of Original Sin and assert that each baby is born tainted
with the sin of Adam’s disobedience to God, Muslims
believe that every child is born into a state of purity
where it recognizes its Creator and is naturally
subservient to His laws.
In his book The Fundamentals of Islaamic Monotheism, Abu
Ameenah Bilaal Philips writes: Just as a child’s body
submits to the physical laws which Allaah has put in
nature, its soul also submits naturally to the fact that
Allaah is its Lord and Creator. But its parents try to
make it follow their own way and the child is not strong
enough in the early stages of its life to resist or oppose
its parents. The religion which the child follows at this
stage is one of custom and upbringing and Allaah does not
hold it to account for this religion.
When the child matures in youth and clear proofs of the
falsehood of its religion are brought to it, the adult
must now follow the religion of knowledge and reason. At
this point the devils try their best to encourage him to
stay as he is or to go further astray. Evils are made
pleasing to him and he must now live in the midst of a
struggle between his innate pure nature and his desires in
order to find the right road.
If he chooses to follow his innate nature, his fitrah,
Allaah will help him overcome his desires even though it
may take most of his life to escape, for many people enter
Islaam in their old age.
The Qur’aan also points to this phenomenon, where every
soul that has been created is asked Who their Lord is, and
they testify that it is none other than Allaah before they
are born into the world.
When your Lord drew forth from the loins of the children
of Aadam their descendants and made them testify
concerning themselves. Saying: Am I not your Lord? They
said: “Yes, we testify to it.” (This) in case you say on
the Day of Judgement, “We were unaware of this.” Or in
case you say: It was our ancestors who made partners (with
Allaah) and we are only their descendants…[Surah Al-A’raaf
7:172-173]
Explaining this verse, the Prophet [SAW] said: When Allaah
created Aadam [AS] , He took a covenant from him …then He
extracted from him all of his descendants who would be
born until the end of the world, generation after
generation and spread them out in front of Him in order to
take a covenant from them.
He spoke to them face to face saying: Am I not your Lord?
And they all replied: Yes, we testify to it.
Allaah then explained why He had all of mankind bear
witness that He was their Creator and the only true God
worthy of worship. He said: That was in case you (mankind)
should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Surely we were
unaware of all this. We had no idea that You were our
God.” [Silsilah al ahadeeth as Saheehah, Narrated by ibn
Abbaas, collected by Imaam Ahmad]
This is the reason why people who adopt Islaam are said to
revert instead of convert, because they are going back to
their original nature -- the one they were naturally
created with -- which is automatically aligned with the
Universe, its Creator and His Laws; as opposed to simply
exchanging one set of beliefs for another.
Reverts to Islaam testify that this inner inclination to
search for the Truth, to know and follow it is a major
factor in their adopting the faith. It is interesting to
see some of the reasons cited by reverts for adopting
Islaam:
Islaamic Monotheism
“The Christian sect of Athanasians insistently inculcates
the tenet that Christianity is based on a belief in three
gods (Trinity), that a slightest doubt as to this belief
will lead one to immediate perdition; and that a person
who wishes to attain salvation in this world and the next
should definitely hold a belief in the three gods: God,
the Son of God, and the Holy Ghost.
When I became a Muslim, I received a letter, which said:
“By becoming a Muslim you have damned yourself to
perdition. No one can save you. For you deny the divinity
of God.” The poor man [who wrote that letter] thought that
I no longer believed in God, not knowing that when Jesus
had begun to preach, he stated the unity of God and he
never claimed to be His son.
[Lord Headley al-Farooq; British diplomat, engineer]
An answer for every question:
“I would always search for causes and purposes for
everything. I would anticipate logical explanations for
them. On the other hand, the explanations provided by
priests and other Christian men of religion did not
satisfy me. Most of the time, instead of giving
satisfactory answers to my questions, they would dismiss
the matter with evasive prevarications such as, “We cannot
understand these things. They are divine secrets” and
“They are beyond the grasp of the human mind.”
Upon this I decided to study, on the one hand, Oriental
religions, and on the other hand, books written by famous
philosophers. The books written by these philosophers
always dealt with such subjects as protoplasms, atoms,
molecules, and particles, and did not even touch on
reflections such as “What becomes of the human soul?”
“Where does the soul go after death?” “How should we
discipline our souls in this world?”
The Islamic religion, on the other hand, treated the human
subject not only within the corporeal areas, but also
along the spiritual extensions. Therefore, I chose Islam
not because I had lost my way, or only because
Christianity had incurred my displeasure, or as a result
of sudden decision, but, on the contrary, after very
minutely studying it and becoming thoroughly convinced
about its greatness, singularity, solemnity and perfection
[Muhammad Alexander Russell Webb; American diplomat,
author]
Direct relationship with one’s Creator:
Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike
Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told
me, “You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one
God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate.”
What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one
has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose.
But Islam removes all these barriers.
[Yusuf Islaam, formerly Cat Stevens]
Universality:
Islam is a religion that belongs not only to the Arabs but
to the entire humanity. This universal quality presents a
sharp contrast with the Judaic religion, whose holy book
always refers to the God of Israel.
One more thing that I love in Islam is that this religion
recognizes all the prophets, makes no distinction between
them and treats the believers of other religions with
compassion.
[Mahmud Gunnar Ahmad, Swedish Muslim]
Absolute equality before God, extended brotherhood:
There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over
the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes
to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating
in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and
brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to
believe never could exist between the white and non-white.
America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one
religion that erases from its society the race problem.
Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met,
talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would
have been considered white - but the white attitude was
removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have
never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced
by all colors together, irrespective of their color.
You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on
this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has
forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns
previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous
conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my
firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to
face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new
experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always
kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility
that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent
search for truth.
During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I
have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass,
and slept on the same rug - while praying to the same God
- with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue,
whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was
the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of
the white Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt
among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and
Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers) - because
their belief in one God had removed the white from their
minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from
their attitude.
[Letter written from Makkah, by Malcolm X]
Purity of prayer:
If I were asked what impressed me most in the religion of
Islam, I would probably say the prayers, because prayers
in Christianity are used wholly in begging God (through
Jesus Christ) to grant worldly favours, whereas in Islam
they ar used to give praise and thanks to Almighty God for
all His blessings since He knows what is necessary for our
welfare and grants us what we need without our asking it.
[Cecilia Mahmuda Cannolly, Australian Muslim]
Women’s rights and status:
No doubt, influenced by the usual condemnation of Islam
from Christian pulpits on the subject, I picked on
polygamy. At last I thought I had something; obviously
Western monogamy was an improvement on this old system. I
talked of it to my Muslim friend. He illustrated with the
aid of newspaper articles how much true monogamy there was
in England, and convinced me that a limited polygamy was
the answer to the secret unions that are becoming so
distressingly common in the West. My own common sense
could see that, particularly after a war, when women of a
certain age group far outnumber men, a percentage of them
are destined to remain spinsters. Did God give them life
for that? I recollect that on the radio programme known as
`Dear Sir' an unmarried English girl had called for lawful
polygamy, saying she would prefer a shared married life
rather than the loneliness to which she seemed to be
destined. In Islam no one is forced into a polygamous
marriage, but in a perfect religion, the opportunity must
be there to meet those cases where it is necessary.
[Mavis B Jolly, UK]
Belief in the Qur’aan as Divine Revelation:
I read as much of the Qur’aan as I could. I was immersed
in it. As I read the verses in English, I repeated to
myself over and over again, this is what I have always
thought and believed. What kind of book was this? Before
long I was reading the book and crying, and reading and
crying... it was as if something had overtaken me... I
forgot what I was looking for in particular, however when
I came upon the verses in Surah Baqarah 122-141 regarding
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) I had found my answer.
I had been searching for Isma'il (as), son of Prophet
Ibrahim and his wife Hajarah, who had been missing from
the Hebrew brothers story. In those verses I found the
truth of religion... They say: Become Jews or Christians
if ye would be guided (to salvation). Say thou: Nay! (I
would rather) the religion of Abraham the True, and he
joined not gods with Allah. Say ye: We believe in Allah,
and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il,
Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and
Jesus, and that given to (all) the Prophets from their
Lord; We make no difference between one another of them:
and we submit to Allah." (2:135-136) As I continued to
read and cry, I became intent upon finding someone who
could connect me with others who believed in this book!
[K H Abdul Lateef, USA]
The personal example of the Prophet Muhammad [SAW]:
I accepted Islam because I admired the Prophet
Muhammad.[SAW]. I had quite a number of Muslim friends in
Zanzibar, who gave me Islamic books, which I read in
secrecy from my family. I became a Muslim despite the
remonstrances of my family and the oppressions of the
priests of Parsee religion, which had been my religion
until that time. I held fast to my religion and resisted
against all sorts of threats. Now I love Allaah and His
last Prophet Muhammad [SAW] more than my life
[Faruq B Karai, Zanzibar]
Islaam withstands scrutiny and encourages reasoning:
Instead of asking a follower to believe in its precepts
just ”because” or someone asks them to, Islaam encourages
people to think for themselves, reflect on the signs of
God in Creation and within their own selves. Little wonder
then that a sizable number of reverts are thinking people:
scientists, astronomers, philosophers, doctors.
As created beings who can neither grant life nor ward off
death, we owe it to ourselves and The One Who Created Us
to discover the Truth, to follow it and to facilitate
others to do the same.
****************************
On 13 April 2010, AroonaDorough said:
What is life?
Man's existence in this world and the creation of this entire universe are not mere accidents or products of a fortuitous nature. This universe, every single atom of it, manifests and leads us to the realization of a Loving, Merciful and All-powerful Creator. Without a Creator, nothing can exist. Every single soul knows that he is existing and that his existence is dependent upon a Creator he knows for sure that he cannot create himself. Therefore it is his duty to know his master, the Creator.
Mankind: Man is a unique creature. God gave man the ability to govern over all other creatures in this world. He is endowed with the faculty of reason which sets him apart from all other animals. Together with this faculty to discriminate and discern, man is given the freedom (free-will) to choose for himself a way of life worthy of his position or to fall lower than the lowest of all animals or creations. Man is born pure and sinless and is given the choice to do righteous deeds or indulge in sins.
Divine Guidance: The Creator, out of His abundant Love and Mercy for mankind has not left us in darkness to discover the right path by trial and error alone. Coupled with our intellectual capability to reason, our Creator bestowed upon us Divine Guidance that outlines the criterion for truth, knowledge, as well as the reality of our existence in this world and the Hereafter.
Revelations: From the beginning of mankind, our Creator sent Prophets to convey His revelation and to invite human beings to the path of true peace and obedience to the One True God. This is Islam. This message is conveyed towards successive generations of man through the different prophets, all inviting mankind to the same path. However all the earlier messages or revelations from God were distorted by people of later generations.
As a result of this distortion, pure Revelation from our Creator was adulterated and polluted with myths, superstitions, idol worship and irrational philosophical ideologies. The religion of God in a sense was lost in a plethora of religions. Human history is a testament of man's drift between light and darkness, but God out of His abundant love for mankind has not forsaken us.
Final Revelation: When mankind was in the depths of the Dark Ages, our Creator sent His final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to redeem humanity with the final revelation which represents the ultimate and permanent source of guidance for the whole world.
Criteria For Truth: The following criteria can best serve as a gauge to find out the authenticity of the last revelation (the Qur'aan) as the Word of God:
Rational Teachings:
Since our Creator bestowed reason and intellect upon us, it is our duty to use it to distinguish the truth from falsehood. True, undistorted revelation from God must be rational and can be reasoned out by all unbiased minds.
Perfection:
Since our Creator is all perfect, His revelation must be perfect and accurate, free from mistakes, omissions, interpolations and multiplicity of versions. It should be free from contradictions in its narration.
No Myths or Superstitions:
True revelation is free from myths or superstitions that degrade the dignity of our Creator or man himself.
Scientific:
Since our Creator is the Creator of all knowledge, true revelation is scientific and can withstand the challenge of science at all times.
Factual Prophecy:
Our Creator is the Knower of the past, present and future. Thus His prophecies in His revelation will be fulfilled as prophesied.
Inimitable By Man:
True revelation is infallible and cannot be imitated by man. God's true revelation is a Living miracle, an open book challenging all mankind to see and prove for themselves its authenticity or veracity[/align]
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On 30 March 2010, roxie said:
cant wait for the show!!!!!!! n my love aj to sing with a beautiful voice!!!!!
On 25 March 2010, jesibsb said:
aaaaawww I wannaa goo!!!