nterrogating Islam:

مراقب عام المنتدى

تذكير بمساهمة فاتح الموضوع :

Interrogating Islam:

Questions and Answers
on Islam

Abha-Saudia Arabia

مراقب عام المنتدى

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

Answer
104: Islam gave man double what it gave to woman in inheritance for
several reasons:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer
105: Inheritance is an expression of loyalty, connection and
relation. If the inheritor is different
from the testator in terms of religion, there will not be guardianship or
relation between them, since the most important relation is that of Islam. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Neither an
infidel inherits a Muslim nor a Muslim inherits an infidel.”[1] Prevention of inheritance is a prevention of
the forms of sympathy and relation, both of which might corrupt the Muslim’s
faith. When Islam prevents inheritance
between a Muslim and an infidel, it affirms the rule “profit against loss” and
vice versa, which does not negate justice, but a kind of equal treatment.

[1]
Cited in all canonical books of hadith.

مراقب عام المنتدى

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

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

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

Answer
107: A woman may travel without a mahram but only for short
distancees–less than a day and a night.
In case she wanted to take more than this, she is required to be
accompanied by a mahram or by a trusty group. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “A woman may
not travel for more than one day and night on her own without a mahram.”[1] Islam disallows a woman from traveling on her
own for a long distance for the sake of her safety, protection, reputation and
to preventing any evil which might befall her.
Of course she can always travel for any distance with a good company or
a group of people provided that her safety is maintained and confirmed. Unless accompanied and/ or escorted by amahram
a woman may not even travel to perform her pilgrimage, which is one of the
greatest Islamic forms of worship.

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

Answer
108: This question has already been answered (answer 107). However, we can also say that God Himself out
of mercy and compassion with His people wanted to make life easier for them
people. Some scholars mentioned that one
of the conditions for women to perform

[1] Cited in Muslim, Haj book, hadith
No. 2388.

مراقب عام المنتدى

pilgrimage
is to be accompanied by a mahram.
This is not a condition of duty as much as a condition of
performance. It is not a condition for
acceptance: if she performs pilgrimage without mahram the pilgrimage is
deemed to right and she would have fulfilled this ritual. But God did not oblige her to do what she
could not do and she is rendered sinful if she dies without performing pilgrimage
if she does not find an accompanying mahram or a trustworthy company.

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

Question 109: Could
you comment on the prophetic tradition which says: “The people who give the
leadership to a woman would never be successful.”[1]

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

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

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

Answer
110: Depending on the prophetic hadith in question 109,
most scholars believe that women cannot become judges, because of the
discrepancy of their nature as dealing with legal problems requires more reason
than passion. However, Abu Hanifah, the
well known leader of an Islamic school, stated that women may become judges but
only in affairs where her testimony

[1]
Cited in Bukhari, in al-Maghazi (The Forays).

مراقب عام المنتدى

is
indispensable and/or crucial. Ibn Jareer
at-Tabari and the Malikis have no objection to women’s judicial positions.

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

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

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

It has
medically been proved that when a woman is menstruating, or in confinement she
usually goes through an uncomfortable psychological and physical
situation. This is a part of the
prophetic miracle, as it shows us that woman is exposed to such emergent lack,
which is not a permanent lack in the nature of woman.

Question 112: Prophet
Muhammad said: “Woman was created from a bending rib.” What does this mean and is it also applicable
on men?

Answer
112: This tradition has been mentioned to take care of women and not
to prejudice them, as some might think.
The original saying stated by the prophet in this respect was: “I
command you to take care of women, as they were created from a rib, and if a
rib bends, it does at the top part of it.
If you try to straighten it, it breaks, and if you leave it, it will
continue to be bending. Therefore, take
care of women.”[1] This can be taken to mean: accept my command
of women and behave accordingly. Take
care of women and be kind when dealing with them, because of their delicate
nature.

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

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

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

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

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

[1] Cited in Bukhari.

مراقب عام المنتدى

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer
116: Islam commanded woman to use the veil in order to protect and
maintain her from harm and aggression.
She is like a jewel that is to be wrapped up with the finest pieces of
cloth, and placed in the most protected location, far away from the hands of
the corrupted people. This explanation
is testified by almighty God’s words:

“O,
Prophet! Tell your wives and your
daughters, and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks. That will be better, that they should be
known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And God is Ever
Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Holy Qur’an: 33: 59).

This means the following:

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

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

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

مراقب عام المنتدى

Chapter 8:

Islamic Society and
Human Relationships

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer
118: It is a fact that Islam has called for the liberation of
slaves. There are many proofs to attest
for this:

1.
Liberating a slave is a kind of atonement for some sins, like indeliberate
murder, and dhihar (divorce), oath breaking, corruption of one’s fast in
Ramadhan by sexual intercourse and so on.

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

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

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

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

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

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

1.
Ransoming their captives with captives from the enemies, or money is given
instead.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answer
121: Islam did not spread by sword, and had it spread by sword or
by force, people would have apostatized at the first chance they had, but the
situation is just the opposite. Once

مراقب عام المنتدى

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

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

Answer
122: Some prohibits have been rendered unlawful by Qur’anc texts,
things like wine, eating flesh of dead meat, and pig’s meat. Some other
prohibits were declared as unlawful because they were included in a total
divine rule, or a general principle rule, things like impurities, and all that
is harmful to the body or in wasting money uselessly. All of these things have their right divine
evidence. The prophet related: “No harm should be done to oneself or to
others.” [1] This saying
involves all kinds of harm one might cause to oneself, his money, or to
others. It has been proved that smoking
is harmful to the body. Islamic beliefs
render everything good as lawful and everything bad as unlawful.

If we
examine all prohibits, we find that they lead to harm to others because of what
they cause. The creed produced general rules according to which things are
considered throughout history and place.
Analogical deduction In Islam is one of the sources of legislation after
the Noble Qur’an, prophetic tradition, and consensus of the companions of the
prophet, which is one of the

[1] Cited in Ahmad, hadith No. 2719; Ibn
Majah, hadith No. 1332.

مراقب عام المنتدى

forms of
the recognized independent reasoning, and approved by Muslims scholars, which
is itself the secret of the survival of Islam, as it meets the renewed needs of
Islam and judges their new acts of conduct.
To this end, the scholars rendered smoking as unlawful on the basis that
it is harmful to the health of the smoker, and a waste for his/her money. Smoking is closer to the group of impurities
than to that of purifies. Almighty God
said:

“he commands them for al-ma`rouf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism
and all that Islam has ordained); and forbids them from al-munkar (i.e.
disbelief, polytheism of all kinds, and all that Islam has forbidden); he
allows them as lawful at-tayyibat (i.e. all good and lawful as regards things,
deeds, beliefs, person, foods), and prohibits them as unlawful al-khab`ith
(i.e. all evil and unlawful as regards things, deeds, beliefs, persons and
foods), he releases them from their heavy burdens (of God’s Covenant with the
children of Israel), and from the fetters (bonding) that were upon them” (Holy
Qur’an: 7: 157).

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

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

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

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

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

Answer
124: Muslins are always encouraged to follow what is good and avoid
what is bad.

However,
when it comes to creed, worship, manners and many things, which have to do with
personal dealings, Islam recommended everything good and prohibited everything
evil. Almighty God said:

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

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

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

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

مراقب عام المنتدى

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Muslim scholars agree that playing chess is
forbidden if it is played as a form of gambling, or if it causes one to neglect
a duty like performing prayer. It is
also disallowed if it implies lying or cause swearing and/or leads to any kind
of harm. Yet, scholars have different
opinions: some of them prohibit paying chess altogether, others say it is not
recommended; others still, say it is allowed provided that players do not
swear, that Muslims should not play with non-good Muslims in the streets, and
that it should not be played very often because it may waste the time of
Muslims and make them heedless of their religious obligations such as remembering
God and worshipping. However, scholars
recommend that Muslims are better off not playing such games because the
prophet (pbuh) says: “Leave doubtful things, and do things that are certain (to
be allowed).”[1]

[1] Cited in Bukhari, and Al-Turmudhi.

مراقب عام المنتدى

PART THREE

Questions and Answers on

The Holy Qur’an and

the Tradition of the Prophet (pbuh)

Translated by

Muhammad Kheir Nadman

Ahmad H. Al-Hout

مراقب عام المنتدى

Chapter 1:

Issues Concerning the
Holy Qur’an

Question 127: Is the Holy
Qur’an the word of God or that of Mohammad (pbuh)?

Answer 127: The Holy Qur’an is the word of God, and it
was revealed to Prophet Mohammad through the Angel Gabriel. God made the Holy Qur’an Prophet Mohammad’s
miracle, and He challenged people to bring about anything similar, but they
couldn’t meet the challenge, and the miracle and the challenge are still valid
now, and they will be until the Day of Judgment. Allah says: “Or do they say ‘He forged it’?
Say: ‘Bring then a sura like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you
can, besides Allah, if it be ye speak the truth!” (Holy Qur’an: 10:
38). This challenge to bring just one sura, no matter how
short it is, similar to the ones that are in the Holy Qur’an is a testimony
that this holy book was not written by Man, for had Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)
fabricated it, another human would have been able to bring something similar.

It is interesting
and valuable to know, in this respect, the difference between the style of the
Holy Qur’an and that of the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh). We have at our disposal thousands of books
containing the traditions of the Prophet (pbuh), and anyone with any knowledge
of Arabic stylistics can easily recognize the great difference between the two
styles. The style of the Holy Qur’an is
far superior to that of the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), and beyond the
ability of any human to imitate. The
Arabs at the time of the Prophet (pbuh) knew him very well, and knew his
linguistic abilities before the Qur’an was revealed to him, for they were
eloquent and articulate people, and they used to hold public festivities for
reciting poetry. Yet, given the clear stylistic differences between the
language of the Holy Qur’an and that of the Prophet (pbuh), none of them could
say with fairness that the Qur’an was invented by Mohammad (pbuh). Moreover, for all his life before the
Revelation, he was never known to have any oratory or poetic abilities, and he
never took part in any of the cultural activities they used to hold, because,
as everybody knew, he was an illiterate person.
A close investigative look at the Holy Qur’an shows many facets of its
miraculous nature that further proves that it was revealed by almighty God to
the Prophet:

1. The language and style of the Holy
Qur’an. We have already mentioned that
the prophet challenged the Arabs to bring something similar, but they failed to
meet that challenge. The Holy Qur’an
still poses the same challenge to people all over the world: “Say: ‘If the
whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like
of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up
each other with help and support’.” (Holy Qur’an: 17: 88)

2. The way it was composed. The Holy Qur’an was not revealed all at
once. Rather, it was revealed throughout
more than a twenty-year period, and every time new verse(s) was/were revealed
to the Prophet, he asked his companions to place it/them at a certain place in
the Qur’an to form a unique sequence.
Nevertheless, the Holy Qur’an was completed in its present form as a
homogeneous unit, so much so the reader would think that it was revealed all at
once.

3. The knowledge it contains. The Holy Qur’an contains a lot of information
and knowledge that guides people to the right path. The kind of information it contains is so
deep and profound that it would have been impossible for an illiterate person
like Mohammad (pbuh), or for any other human, to fabricate it.

4. Its fulfillment of human needs at all
times. This makes the Holy Qur’an
unique, because It reformed all beliefs, worships and ethics. It also reformed society through guiding
people to be united and relinquish tribalism because they are all descendants
of Adam and Eve, and that no human is better than another except through
piety. The Qur’an teaches people that
they are all equal before God. It also
preaches justice, forbids usury, allows trade, and so on and so forth.

5. What the Holy
Qur’an had revealed after a long wait.
The Holy Qur’an contains many verses that dealt with great issues, yet
they were only revealed after a long wait.
This shows that the Holy Qur’an is the word of almighty God; had it been
that of Mohammad (pbuh), there would have been no need for the long wait, as
was the case in the verses commenting on the hadith of calumny, and the
delay in answering the question of the infidels about the nature of the spirit.

6. Some suras
(chapters) of the Holy Qur’an start by the command “say”, and more than 332
verses contain the same command which was addressed to the prophet (pbuh). This clearly indicates that the Holy Qur’an
was not the word of Mohammad (pbuh), but that of God.

7. The scientific evidence it contains. The Holy Qur’an contains many scientific
facts that were not known at the time of revelation. To save time and space only few examples can
be mentioned here; those who want a more detailed account can always refer to
the many many books dealing with the Scientific Inimitability in the Holy
Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an states:

“Man we did
create from a quintessence (of clay); then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm
in a place of rest, firmly fixed; then We made the sperm into a clot of
congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (fetus) lump; then We made out of
that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh; then We developed out of it
another creature. So blessed be Allah,
the Best to create!” (Holy Qur’an: 23: 12-14).

These verses
contain a detailed description of the developmental stages of the embryo, a
description that has only been verified by contemporary scientists. So who could have told Mohammad (pbuh) about
these stages of embryological development?
It has been only possible for modern scientists to learn about these
stages through the help of modern X-ray and other technological
equipments. Therefore, some scientists
converted to Islam as soon as they came across verses like these in the Holy
Qur’an, because they knew that no human could have known these facts 1400 years
ago. These verses could have only come
from the Creator.

Another example
is the description of the forming of clouds and rain, something that nobody
knew anything about at the time. Allah
(swt) says in the Holy Qur’an says:

“Seest thou not
that Allah makes the clouds move gently, then joins them together, then makes
them into a heap? -then wilt thou see rain issue forth from their midst. And He sends down from the sky mountains
masses (of clouds) wherein is hail: He strikes therewith whom He pleases and He
turns it away from whom He pleases. The
vivid flash of its lightening well-nigh blinds the sight” (Holy
Qur’an: 24: 43).

Almighty God
explains in this verse how small clouds get together in the sky, and when they
form a big cloud rain falls. It is
doubtful that anybody had known about this mechanism before modern times.

The Holy Qur’an
also talks about the breathlessness caused by ascending to the sky. Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:

“Those whom Allah
willeth to guide, -He openeth their breast to Islam; those whom He willeth to
leave straying, -He maketh their breast close and constricted, as if they had
to climb up to the skies: thus doth Allah lay abomination on those who refuse
to believe (Holy Qur’an: 6: 125).

This verse describes the condition of the
aberrant as that of a person ascending towards the sky where there is a lack of
oxygen: the higher he gets, the more breathless he feels. So who could have told Mohammad (pbuh) about
that other than the Great Master of the universe?

There are so many
other verses that testify to the fact that the Holy Qur’an is the Word of God
through exposing scientific evidence relating to man, the earth, the sky, the
sea, the stars, and the planets.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Question 128: How do you
prove that the Qur’an Muslims read today is the same that was revealed upon
Mohammad (pbuh), and that it has not been altered or that it does not contain
fabrications?

Answer128: The Holy Qur’an
was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) through Angel Gabriel. The prophet’s sole and initial concern was to
memorize every single piece of it.
However, God Himself has promised to preserve this holy book in the
prophet’s memory and to enable him to read it.
In the Qur’an God says:

“Move not thy
tongue concerning the (Qur’an) to make haste therewith. It is for Us to collect it and to recite it,
follow though its recital (as promulgated): Nay more, it is for Us to explain
it (and make it clear)” (Holy Qur’an: 75: 16-19).

Every time the prophet received revelations,
he would peruse that to his companions slowly so that they could learn it well
and understand its secrets. Night after
night the Prophet would spend teaching his companions the Qur’an. He also used to read it during prayers, and
Angel Gabriel used to read it with him once a year, and in the last year of his
life the Angel read it with him twice.

The Prophet’s companions made every single
effort to make sure that they memorized the Qur’an from the very beginning, and
they used to pride themselves on having memorized more of the Holy Qur’an. Thus, memorizers and/or reciters of the
Qur’an were so many during the prophet’s life.
Moreover, the prophet himself (pbuh) had writers of the Divine
Revelation, and every time something new was revealed to him he used to say
“place it after God’s saying so and so and before His saying so and so.” By the time the prophet (pbuh) passed away,
the Holy Qur’an had been already written and memorized. Then it was collected in one book, and later
on it was collected again and copied during the era of caliph Uthman (3^rd
caliph) and distributed these copies all over the Islamic State. Thus, the Holy Qur’an was passed from
generation to generation through its memorization and written form, and this is
a unique honor to the Islamic nation.
Muslims have spread all over the world since, carrying with them copies
of the Holy Qur’an; nevertheless, there is no difference whatsoever in the
Qur’an that Muslims read in Africa, Asia, Europe, America or Australia, and we
have never heard that they have disagreed ever about the precision of the
Qur’an, for all of them have agreed that the Holy Qur’an that they have today
is the same Qur’an that was revealed to prophet Mohammad (pbuh) by God. Moreover, God promised to preserve the
Qur’an. He says: “We have, without
doubt, sent down the Message; And We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)” (Holy
Qur’an: 15: 9).

Question 129: What are the similarities and differences between the
Qur’an and the other earlier Holy Books?

Answer 129: Islam is Allah’s sole and true religion, all
prophets preached Islam. Islam means
full submission to God through unqualified obedience and relinquishing
polytheism, because all religions preach monotheism. Almighty God says: “Not a messenger did we
send before thee without this inspiration sent by Us to him: that there is no
God but I; therefore worship and serve Me” (Holy Qur’an: 21: 25).

As far as basic beliefs and worship
practices are concerned all religions are also similar. In the Qur’an God says:

“The same religion has He established for
you as that which He enjoined On Noah-the which We have sent by inspiration to
thee- and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses, and Jesus: Namely, that ye
should Remain steadfast in Religion, and make no divisions therein: to those
who worship other things than Allah, hard is the (way) to which thou callest
them. Allah chooses to Himself those
whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn (to Him)” (Holy
Qur’an: 42: 13).

Thus, all prophets preached monotheism,
informed people about God and the hereafter, and advocated the basic belief in
the same messages of divine Books.

The main differences, however, lie in the
legislative and commandment laws, because the divine laws are based on looking
after the interests of those required to worship. However, what might be feasible for one
nation might not necessarily be the same for another. Therefore, the details kept changing without
touching the basics, until human societies developed and matured. It was then that God sent His final and
eternal religion, Islam. God points to the differences in religious
legislations when He says: “To each among you have We prescribed a Law and an Open Way.” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 48).

مراقب عام المنتدى

Question 130: How has it been possible to preserve the Holy Qur’an until the
present time? And what is the methodology that was followed to preserve it
without change?

Answer
130: The Holy Qur’an has
been preserved with great care, and no other book has ever received such
attention. During the period of
revelation, the prophet (pbuh) did his utmost best to memorize the Holy Qur’an,
so much so that God promised His prophet to preserve it:

“Move not thy tongue concerning the (Qur’an)
to make haste therewith. It is for us to collect it and to recite it: But when
we have recited it, follow thou its recital (as promulgated).” (Holy
Qur’an: 75: 16-18).

Every time new verse(s) was/were revealed to
him, the prophet (pbuh) used to memorize it/them himself, teach them to his
companions and request some of his companions to write and arrange it/them in a
special place before or after specific previously revealed verses. The companions of the prophet (pbuh), and the
Arabs in general, were (and still) great memorizers. Ibn Masoud
said: “I memorized from the mouth of the prophet seventy suras of
the Holy Qur’an while Zaid ibn Thabit (another memorizer) was still a young boy
playing with the kids.”[1] Ibn Masoud also said: ”I know where and why
every verse of the Holy Qur’an was revealed, and had I known someone who knew
more about the Holy Qur’an than me I would have ridden my camel and gone to
him”. The prophet’s companions were truly
hard workers, and many of them memorized the entire Holy Qur’an such as Zaid
ibn Thabet, Ibn Masoud, and Ubai ibn Ka’b, to name but a few.

The
complete Holy Qur’an was written during the time of the prophet, but it was
written on separate sheets of paper that were not unified in one volume. After the death of the prophet, the first
caliph Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him) decided to collect the Holy
Qur’an in one volume. Therefore, he
commissioned a group of the memorizers of the Holy Qur’an, headed by Zaid ibn
Thabet, to do the Job. The chosen
committee followed a great methodology in collecting the written sheets of the
Holy Qur’an and comparing what was written with what was memorized. One of the main stipulations of that
committee was the presence of at least two written copies of the same
verses. They did not accept the written
version unless it corresponded to the memorized one, and vice versa. Zaid and his colleagues did their utmost best
to insure the authenticity of their work.
It was related that Zaid asked to be exonerated from this task when he
was first selected, but upon the insistence of both Omar and Abu Bakr (may
Allah be pleased with them), he agreed reluctantly. He described his great sense of
responsibility towards the great

[1] Ibn Masoud and Zaid Bin Thabet are
companions of the Prophet (pbuh).

مراقب عام المنتدى

task by saying: “I swear by Allah that had
they asked me to move a mountain from one place to another I’d would have felt
more at ease.”

The Holy Qur’an was first written in one
volume during the era of Abu Bakr, and it was kept in his safekeeping until he
died. Then Omar took it into his
safekeeping, and when Omar died, Hafsa (his daughter and the prophet’s widow)
took over the task of taking care of the –till then- only complete volume of
the Holy Qur’an.

When Uthman became caliph after Omar, he instructed
another committee headed, again, by Zaid ibn Thabet, to write many copies of
the Holy Qur’an in order to distribute them in all parts of the Islamic Empire
that was growing bigger and bigger.

From what has
been said so far, we may conclude the following:

1. Muslims took a great care in writing and
memorizing the Holy Qur’an.

2. The Holy Qur’an was written at a very
early stage during the life of the Prophet (pbuh). Shortly after his death (within two years),
the Holy Qur’an was collected in one volume, and in the era of Uthman, copies
of it were distributed in all parts of the Islamic Empire.

3. This great care continues until our
modern time. Generations after
generations of Muslims have memorized the Holy Qur’an and kept written records
of it until now, and every effort has been directed towards keeping the Holy
Qur’an safe from any deduction or addition in all parts of the Islamic
world. Therefore, it can be said, with
absolute accuracy, that the Holy Qur’an that Muslims read in the East and West,
South and North is the same one that God revealed to His messenger hundreds of
years ago.

It is worth mentioning that the style of the
Holy Qur’an is so unique that if someone makes a mistake while reciting it, it
is usually possible for the person listening to the recitation to recognize the
mistake even if the listener does not memorize the Holy Qur’an.

Above all, God took upon Himself to keep His
Book safe. He says: “We have, without
doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)” (Holy
Qur’an: 15: 9). One of the indications of this divine
preservation is materialistic means that God has facilitated in order to
preserve this Qur’an, such as making its memorization easy. Hod says: “And We have indeed made the Qur’an
easy to understand and remember: then is there any that will receive
admonition?” (Holy Qur’an: 54: 32).

Nowadays, the methods of preserving the Holy
Qur’an have become more advanced, especially after employing modern audiovisual
equipments to serve this purpose. Some
excellent reciters have recorded the complete Qur’an, adding to the Islamic
audio library hundreds of different beautiful voices reciting the Holy Qur’an,
and many of these recitations have been recorded on audiovisual tapes, compact
disks, and it has been made available for access on the Internet as well. Thus, almighty God has inspired Muslims to
write the Holy Qur’an and take care of it since it was first revealed to the
prophet (pbuh) until now, and this will continue to be true till the Day of
Judgment.

Question 131: Is the convert’s reward for reading a translation of the
meanings of the Holy Qur’an the same as that he/she can get for reading the
actual Arabic text of the Holy Qur’an?

Answer 131: The actual Arabic text of the Holy Qur’an is
the word of almighty God that He revealed to His prophet Mohammad (pbuh). Therefore, reading the actual text is not the
same as reading the translation. Muslims
are supposed to get one hasanah (merit) for each letter they read from
the Qur’an, and each merit is doubled ten times. The translations of the meanings of the Holy
Qur’an are the words of humans, and the reward for reading them is similar to
that which we get for reading Islamic books and commentary interpretations of
the Holy Qur’an.

Question 132: How can a non-Muslim learn about the Holy Qur’an if he/she is
not allowed to touch it?

Answer 132: Non-Muslims can learn about the Holy Qur’an
through listening to it or reading it over the Internet for example. He may also read books that talk about Islam
and explain the meanings of the Qur’an.
Otherwise, he could be taught about Islam and invited to be a Muslim,
and if he/she reverts to Islam he/she will be able to handle the Holy Qur’an
and read it.

Question 133: The Holy Qur’an includes precise and similar verses, as well as
abrogating and abrogated verses. What is
the wisdom behind such divisions?

Answer 133: The Holy Qur’an is precise and perfect book
because God formed it in such a meticulous way that no stylistic or semantic
corruption can ever affect it. It is
also all-similar because the rules mentioned in it are similar and do not
contribute to ambiguity in its verses and vocabulary. The wisdom of having precise verses is clear
from its definition. As for the similar,
Islamic scholars divided it into three types:

1. A type that cannot be known like the time of
the Day of Judgment and so on.

2. Another type that man can know like
foreign expressions and some rules.

3. A third type that has features of both types
(1) and (2), and this type is only understood by well-educated scholars like
Ibn Abbas for whom the prophet made the following du’aa, prayer: “May
Allah make him well-versed in the religion (of Islam) and teach him
interpretation (of the Holy Qur’an)”.

The wisdom of having similar verses can be
summarized in the following:

1. God’s mercy upon the weak human being who
cannot bear learning everything. If the
mountain collapsed and Moses fell unconscious when God revealed Himself, what
would it have been like if He had revealed Himself to ordinary humans? It is
partly for this reason that God kept the time of the Day of Judgment as a
secret.

2. Putting man to affliction and trial:
would people believe in the unseen simply because the truthful Prophet told us
about it or not? Those who are guided to
the right path say we believe! And those who have doubts in their hearts deny
it and follow the similar verses as a way of getting around religion.

3. To give an evidence of the weakness and
ignorance of man regardless of how technologically advanced people become, and
to show the superior powers of God the All-Knowing, so that man would obey and
say what the angels said in the Holly
Qur’an: “They said: “Glory to Thee: of knowledge we have none, save What Thou
hast taught us: in truth it is Thou Who art perfect in knowledge and wisdom” (Holy
Qur’an: 2: 32).

4. To accomplish the miraculous quality of
the Holy Qur’an.

As for abrogation, we say that it occurred
in Islamic law in the sense that God abrogated all previous religions by Islam,
and abrogated some Islamic principles by other Islamic ones. The wisdom behind abrogating all other
religions by Islam is due to the fact that the latter has the most perfect laws
that satisfy the needs of human beings at all times. The teachings of different religions came to
satisfy the specific needs of human beings at certain times of historical
developments. Islam, however, came only
when man was developed enough to receive this perfect religion as the last
divine set of laws that combines the benefit of humans with the flexibility of
rules, and the needs of both body and soul.
It also compromised religion with science and regulated the relationship
between God and humans on the one hand, and humans with the world around them
until the Day of Judgment.

مراقب عام المنتدى

On the other hand, we can say that God’s
wisdom behind abrogating some Islamic rules by other Islamic rules is due to
the policy of the Islamic nation, where rules are stipulated step by step to
make them easier to follow until they reach perfection. This was possible by guiding Muslims from
easy rules to more difficult ones, until success was achieved. The wisdom of abrogating difficult rules by
easier ones was to make things easier for Muslims and to show the bounty of
God. The wisdom of abrogating a rule
with an equally difficult or easy one was to put Muslims to the test so that
hypocrites would be known and punished, and believers would be known and
rewarded. The wisdom of abrogating easy
rules by more difficult ones was to train Muslims and get them ready for what
was to come, such as the attitude of Islam towards alcoholic drinks where
Muslims were prepared step by step for the acceptance of its final
prohibition. This principle of gradual
prohibition is unique to Islam.

Question 134: How were the suras (chapters) of the Holy Qur’an arranged? And
who gave the suras their present names?

Answer 134: The majority of the Islamic scholars are of
the opinion that the arrangement of the suras in the Holy Qur’an came
about through revelation. There are some
who believe that only part of the arrangement was done through revelation and
that the other part was done through the jurisprudence of the prophet’s
companions. However, ever since caliph
Uthman compiled the Holy Qur’an and arranged it in its present form, the whole
Islamic nation accepted it without any alteration or reservation. Therefore, it is a duty upon all Muslims to
respect this arrangement and abide by it to preserve the sacredness of the Word
of God. As for naming the suras
of the Holy Qur’an, there are different opinions: some scholars, such as
Al-Suyti, believe that the names were revealed to the prophet; others believe
that it was the prophet’s companions who gave these names. However, the existence of more than one name
for some suras is evidence that these names were given to suras
by the companions. Dr. Subhi Al-Saleh
argues that we do not have strong evidence that the names of suras were
revealed.[1]

[1] Dr. Subhi Al-Saleh, Mabahith fi Ulum
Al-Qur’an, p.97.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Chapter 2:

Tradition of the Prophet (pbuh):

Question135:
What are the differences
among the following terms: Holy Qur’an, the hadith (saying, action or approval
of the prophet pbuh) and the qudsi (sacred) hadith?

Answer 135: The Holy Qur’an is the primary source of
Islamic law. It tells how a good Muslim
should be and how he should behave with his family and in society at
large. The rules set by the Qur’an are
religiously binding and no Muslim is allowed to break these rules. The Qur’an was revealed to prophet Mohammad
(pbuh) in a sequence and on certain occasions that necessitated certain
rules. Each sura was either
revealed in full or in part according the occasion. The prophet (pbuh) used to ask the revelation
writers of his companions to write down what was revealed, and that is how the
Holy Qur’an was preserved. The prophet
used to recite verses of the Holy Qur’an in his prayers and during his Friday
sermons, and teach it to his companions.
Ibn Masoud said: “I memorized from the mouth of the Prophet seventy suras
of the Holy Qur’an.”[1]. The companions used to memorize the Holy
Qur’an to recite it in their prayers.

It was the divine inspiration that was used
to reveal the verse and show its location in the Holy Qur’an. This is why the
arranged sequence of the verses and suras in the Holy Qur’an is divine
and cannot be tampered with by humans.
The Holy Qur’an challenged the Arabs, who were well versed in language,
to write an equivalent book to the Qur’an, ten suras, or even one sura. But they failed to do so, and so did the one
who followed until our present day, and those who attempted came out with some
funny texts.[2]

The tradition or hadith of the
prophet is defined as any “sayings and/or actions of the prophet (pbuh)”. The differences between the Holy Qur’an and
the hadith can be summarized in the following points:

1. The Holy Qur’an is the word of God, which
is unique in its style, rhythm and content.

2. The wording, meaning, style, stories,
proverbs and laws of the Holy Qur’an are miraculous.

3. God has promised to preserve this
miracle, the Holy Qur’an, from any changes or alterations till the Day of
Judgment. He says: “We have, without
doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)”
(Holy
Qur’an: 15: 9). Therefore, it is one of the conditions of
correct reading that the style of writing should be identical to that which was
written in era of caliph Uthman, which was in turn identical to the version
that was written in the time of prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

4. The Holy Qur’an has been transmitted from
one generation to the other in a traditionary way (tawatur), whereby
reciters of the Holy Qur’an have been groups of people who could not have
conspired to lie. Therefore, the Holy
Qur’an has been the most correct book on earth since it was revealed through
Angel Gabriel to the Prophet (pbuh).

5. Anyone denying the authenticity of the
Holy Qur’an –or part of it- is regarded as blasphemous (kafir).

6. The Holy Qur’an consists of a limited
number of chapters (suras) amounting to 114 suras, and each sura
is divided into smaller parts called verses (ayat).

7. Reciting certain verses of the Holy
Qur’an in each prayer is obligatory, and no prayer is true unless verses of the
Qur’an are recited in it.

8. Anyone with minor ritual impurity is not
allowed to touch the Holy Qur’an, and anyone with a major ritual impurity is
not allowed to recite it.

9. Muslims are rewarded one merit for
reading each letter of the Holy Qur’an.

10. The Holy Qur’an should be recited
literally and not in the form of interpretation.

The above are the main characteristics of
the Holy Qur’an that distinguish it from all other religious texts, including
the traditions of the prophet hadith.

The qudsi (sacred) hadith are
those that did not originate from the prophet (pbuh), but from God. Thus, the qudsi hadith occupies
an intermediate place between the Holy Qur’an and the tradition of the prophet
(nabawi hadith). The
wording, meaning and sequence of the Holy Qur’an were revealed from God
directly to the prophet (pbuh). The qudsi
hadith was revealed as meaning only to the Prophet (pbuh) from almighty
God, but the wording was from the Prophet (pbuh) himself. Therefore, the qudsi hadiths share
with the Holy Qur’an the quality of being ascribed to almighty God, and differ
with it in all other qualities. The qudsi
hadith shares the qualities of the nabawi hadith in being subject to
categorization: true, sound, or weak hadith. The qudsi hadith can not be recited in
prayers, a person with minor ritual impurity may touch the book containing it,
a person with a major ritual impurity may recite it, and it can be related in
the form of interpretation, etc.

The tradition of the Prophet (pbuh) differs
from the qudsi hadith, although they were both inspired by
almighty God in the light of what He says in the Holy Qur’an: “For Allah hath
sent down to thee the Book and Wisdom and taught thee what thou knewest not
(before)” (Holy Qur’an: 4: 113);
and

“Nor does he (the Prophet) say (aught) of
(his own) Desire. It is no less than
inspiration sent down to him” (Holy Qur’an: 53: 3-4).

The prophet (pbuh) also says “I have been
given the Holy Qur’an and another similar thing” in a reference to the fact
that the qudsi hadith was revealed by God like the Holy Qur’an. But while the Qur’an was a direct revelation,
the qudsi hadith was a mere inspiration.
It must be stressed that the tradition of the prophet was guided by God
so that the prophet (pbuh) would not do anything against the teachings of
Islamic laws. It is in this sense that
the tradition of the prophet is ascribed to divine inspiration as well.

Question
136: What is the
difference between the tradition (sunnah) of the prophet and the biography
(sirah) of the prophet (pbuh)?

Answer 136: The tradition (sunnah) of the
prophet is, as we have already defined it, the collections of recorded words,
actions, and sanctions of prophet Mohammad (pbuh). It is a recommended, rather compulsory
deed. It is usually organized according
to the subject under discussion, such as belief, prayer, purity, alms, fasting,
pilgrimage, etc. On the other hand; the
biography (sirah) of the prophet (pbuh) is the story of the life of the
prophet. It tells the actions that
happened to him in a historical order.
However, sunnah and sirah do sometimes, because sunnah
itself is one of the sources of the sirah. And any prophetic saying relates what
happened with the prophet at a certain time is recorded as part of the sirah.

Sirah is the practical application of the Holy Qur’an and sunnah,
and thus it is more general because it incorporates sunnah as well as
what the Prophet as the leader of the Islamic nation and as a human, i.e.
actions that did not have religious implications.

[1] Agreed upon.

[2] Cf. Dr. Saleh Redha, Alsunna Alnabawya:
ta’reefuha wa hejjyatuha.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Chapter 3:

The Prophetic Biography (the Sirah)

Question 137: How can I really know that Mohammad was a
true messenger of God?

Answer 137: We have to point out that:

A.
The belief that Mohamed (pbuh) is a messenger of God is a sub-issue that is
based on the belief in God. It is
illogical to give a single proof that Mohammad (pbuh) is a true messenger of
God to an atheist.

B.
Looking back into the history of mankind, we realize that God sent a messenger
and/ or prophet to each nation to teach them His book(s) and wisdom, and to
show them the right path they should follow to enjoy a comfortable and peaceful
life, so that they would form a virtuous society and apply His system on
earth. No society would ever enjoy
righteousness unless its members follow the commands of their Creator, because
He knows best what is good for them in this life and the hereafter, since,
originally, He ordains what is good for them.
But if ordaining is left to people, the society will not be safe. Man-made systems have never been complete,
because the human mind cannot comprehend what is good for them in this life and
the hereafter.

However, in order to answer the original
question we can say:

1. I refer the
reader to the argument above in which I gave evidence that the Holy Qur’an is
the word of God. To prove that the Holy
Qur’an is the word of God is at the same time to prove that Mohammad (pbuh) is
His prophet and messenger, because it is universally agreed that the Holy
Qur’an was revealed to Mohammad (pbuh).

2. Mohammad
(pbuh) claimed that he is a messenger of God fourteen centuries ago; since
then, God has not sent any other messenger to contradict this claim. On the contrary, we have seen that God
supported Mohammad (pbuh) by giving him many miracles to corroborate his claim
of being a true messenger of God.

3. Prophethood
is claimed either by an absolutely truthful person, or by a complete liar, and
only the ignorant won’t be able to distinguish between the two. There are many ways to distinguish between a
liar and a truthful person in matters that are even less important that the
claim of prophethood, so it should be easier to distinguish between the two in
such matters.

No liar has ever claimed prophethood
without being exposed by aspects of ignorance, lying and profligacy, and
without showing signs of being obsessed by demons. A true messenger/prophet has to tell about
things, give commands and do things that show either his lying or
truthfulness. Those who knew the
messenger and his truthful nature, knew for sure that he was not lying in his
claim of prophethood. A knowledgeable
person can tell when a man is satisfied, and when he is in the state of, love,
hatred, happiness, sadness, and other states of mind that show on the face of a
person. God says

“Had We so willed, we could have shown them
up to thee, and thou shouldst have known them by their marks: but surely thou
wilt know them by the tone of their speech! And God knows all that ye do (Holy
Qur’an: 37: 40).”

Uthman ibn Affan
(the third caliph) said: “No one has ever intended something secretly without
getting exposed by God by showing signs of his secrets on his face and making
the person say accidentally what he is hiding”.
If this is true of normal daily matters, it is even more so when a
crucial issue like prophethood is involved.

Khadijah (the
prophet’s first wife) knew his truthfulness and honesty. Therefore, when the messenger (pbuh) told
her, having received the first revelation, that he was afraid, she said to
him:” Nay. God will never let ye down. For you keep good relations with your kith
and kin, tell the truth, look after the sick, receive your guests hospitably,
give to the poor, and help people in their daily affairs”. She praised his high values and character,
and, surely, God never lets down people with these qualities and values. Khadija soon accompanied the messenger to
Warqa’ ibn Nawfal (one of her relatives who was well known Christian priest and
among the first to write the Bible in Arabic) and asked him: “Hear thee, uncle,
what (Mohammad) says.” Having heard
Muhammad, Waraqa’ said “This is the kind of revelation (Angel) that used to
come to Moses.”

Negus, who was Emperor of Ethiopia during
the messenger’s time, said about him: “His preaching and that of Moses come
from the same source”.

Hercules, the Roman emperor, having received
a letter from Mohammad (pbuh) inviting him to Islam, summoned all Arabs who
were in Al-Sham (greater Syria)
at the time, including Abu Sufian who was there on business. Hercules asked about the qualities and status
of Mohammad (pbuh), and he realized from Abu Sufian’s answers that he
(Mohammad) carried all the signs and qualities of all the true messengers
mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, and which Hercules knew only too
well. It was documented that Hercules
would have become a Muslim had he not feared the wrath of his people, and the
loss of reign. The following
conversation took place between Hercules (H) and Abu Sufian (AS).

H: ”Has anyone claimed (prophethood) before
him?”

AS: ”No”.

H: “Does he have a good lineage among the
Arabs?”

AS: “Yes he has”.

H: “Has he ever been accused of lying before
he claimed prophethood?”

AS: “Not really, we have never known him to
be a liar”.

H: “Was he followed by the weak people or
the rich and powerful ones?”

AS: “The weak ones”.

H: “Was anyone of his ancestors a king?”

AS: “No”.

H: “Are his followers on the increase or
decrease?”

AS: “They are on the increase”

H: “Has any of his followers apostatized?”

AS: “No”

H: “Does he betray?”

AS: “No”

H: “Have you fought him?”

AS: “Yes”

H: “How is your war with him progressing?”

AS: “Sometimes we win sometimes, somettimes
he does.”

H: “What does he ask you to do?”

AS: “To worship one God only and associate
Him with nothing; to abandon the commands of our ancestors, perform prayer, be
truthful, chaste, and to have good relations with our kith and kin”

H: “I asked you about his ancestry, you said he had good
lineage, and messengers are usually chosen from good ancestry. I asked you if anyone of you claimed to be a
prophet before him, you said no, and I say had someone before him claimed to be
a prophet I would have said that he was just emulating other people. I asked if any of his ancestors was king, you
said no, and I say that had any of his ancestors been king I would have accused
him of seeking his ancestor’s reign. I
asked if you ever accused of being a liar before he claimed prophethood, and
you said no. I say that he wouldn’t have
left lying to people to lying to God. I
asked if his followers were the weak or noble people, and you said that they
were the weak, and those are the followers of messengers. I asked if his followers were increasing or
decreasing, you said they were increasing, and this is the way of faith until
it is complete. I asked if any of his
followers apostatized, and you said no, and that is how faith is when it
touches the heart. I asked if he
betrays, and you said no, and messengers never betray. I asked what he orders you to do, and you
said to worship God and associate no one with Him, and forbids you from
worshipping idles, and orders you to pray and be truthful and chaste. If all what you say is true, he will conquer
my own kingdom. I knew he was
forthcoming, but I did not expect him to be one of you (an Arab). If I knew I could reach him, I would have
made an effort to meet him, and if I were with him I would wash his feet.”

4. The holy
Qur’an that was revealed by God to Mohammad (pbuh) foretold many future events
that happened later on in the same way the Qur’an said they would. These events include:

a. God says in the Holy Qur’an:
“Truly did God fulfill the vision for His messenger: Ye shall enter the Sacred
Mosque, if God wills, with minds secure, heads shaved, hair cut, and without
fear. For He knew what ye Knew not, and
He granted, besides this, a speedy victory” (Holy Qur’an: 48: 27).. And this is what exactly happened, the
prophet’s companions entered the Holy Mosque with their heads shaved or their
hair cut, feeling secure.

b. God says in the Holy Qur’an: “God has
promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He
will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He
granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their
religion –the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their
state), after the fear in which they (lived ), to one of security and peace:
‘they will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me.’ If any do
reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked” (Holy
Qur’an: 24: 55). And, truly,
God fulfilled His promise in a short time, for within thirty years of the
caliphate era, Muslims reached the borders of China
in the East, and the Atlantic Ocean in the
West.

c. God says in the Holy Qur’an: “When
comes the Help of God, and Victory * And thou dost see the people enter God’s
Religion in crowds” (Holy Qur’an: 110: 1-2). Later on, Mecca was conquered, and people entered the
religion of God in crowds.

d. God says in the Holy Qur’an: “Say to
those who reject Faith: ‘Soon will ye be vanquished’.” (Holy
Qur’an: 3: 12). And this is exactly what happened later on,
and the non-believers became vanquished.

5. The messenger (pbuh) foretold many events before they
actually happened. Some of these events
include:

a. When he described the immigration to Medina to his companions, and it happened as
he described.

b. He predicted that Muslims would conquer Mecca,
Jerusalem, Yemen,
Al-Sham (greater Syria) and Iraq.

c. He prophesied that security would prevail in the Arabian
Peninsula so much so that a woman would be able to travel from Hira to Mecca fearing nothing but
God.

d. Once he told his companions that Ali would conquer the
town of Kheibar
the next day, and he did.

e. He predicted that Muslims would distribute the treasures
of the Persian and Roman Emperors.

f. He said that Persian women would serve in the homes of Muslims,
and this happened during the life of his companions.

g. He foretold that the era of the companions would last for
one hundred years, and the last companion died in the year 110 H.

h. He predicted that sedition amongst Muslims would not
appear as long as Omar, the second caliph was alive.

i. He said that Uthman, the third caliph,
would be killed while reading the Holy Qur’an.

And there are plenty of other similar
events.

6. In order for people to believe messengers in
their claims to be true messengers of God, and in order to strengthen their
positions, God aided them with miracles.
Some miracles are physical such as the camel of Saleh, Moses’ club, and
the miracles given to Jesus such as curing the blind and the leprous and
bringing the dead back to life, etc.
Miracles could also be abstract and mind challenging such as the Holy
Qur’an. Since Mohammad (pbuh) is the
last prophet and messenger, God blessed him with many physical, abstract and
mind challenging miracles. Some of these
are: splitting the moon, the flow of water from between his fingers, increasing
the quantity of food and drink, talking to animals, foretelling future events
that happened later, being greeted and obeyed by trees and stones, curing the
sick, and many other miracles. We
recommend the reader here to refer to the book of the Prophet’s Miracles, which
is written by Al-Hafiz Abi Al-Fida Ishmael ibn Katheer. However, Mohammad’s greatest everlasting
miracle is the Holy Qur’an, which is miraculous in many ways: the choice of its
vocabulary, its rhetorical structure that challenged humans and Jin to bring
forward a similar one and they failed, then the Holy Qur’an challenged them to
bring forward ten suras like the ones it contains and they failed, and they
even failed to meet its challenge to bring forward one sura. Such a challenge would only emanate from a
Source that is sure that the Holy Qur’an cannot be imitated by humans. Had it been produced by a human being, such a
challenge would not have been posed. The
Holy Qur’an is also miraculous because it is so precise in relating the history
of ancient nations and their stories with their prophets. It also foretold future events that actually
happened later on in the way the Holy Qur’an said they would. These are all miracles, especially since
Mohammad (pbuh) was illiterate, and did not study history. The fact that these historical and future
events were told by an illiterate man can only serve to give evidence that he
was a true messenger of God. The just
and comprehensive laws and regulations stipulated in Holy Qur’an provide a
further proof that it is miraculous.
Thus, the Holy Qur’an is miraculous in its entirety: its choice of
vocabulary, telling of events, and its verdicts. It is a physical and mind challenging evidence
on the true prophethood and message of Mohammad (pbuh).

Question
138: Islamists are
nowadays accused of being terrorists and fundamentalists because they often
resort to violence, which they call jihad.
Is this religiously justifiable?

Answer 138: In
order to answer this question, we have to take some matters inot consideration:

1.
We have to keep in mind that the media steers the public to the direction that
its owners desire. Today, after the
collapse of the Soviet Union, the only
remaining enemy of the West is Islam, because it is the only religion that the
West could not, and will not be able to, distort its teachings, suppress its
voice, and stop its spread throughout the world. People of knowledge should not become victims
of the media that tries to make the general public think that Muslims are
terrorists and fundamentalists who exploit the name of jihad in their terrorism
and fundamentalism.

2.
We need to ask: Who does describe Islamists as terrorists? The enemies of Islam who live inside and
outside Islamic countries, and who are afraid of Islam, are the ones who
invented this label to Muslims with the aim of degrading Islam and Muslims,
alienating people from it, and to put Muslims in the position of the accused in
the eyes of international community that is dominated by the USA. In his book The Arab World Today Murd
Burger says:

The fear of the Arabs and our interest in
the Arab nation does not stem from the existence of oil in huge quantities in
their area, but because of Islam! Islam
has to be fought to prevent the unification of the Arabs, because this
unification could strengthen them. The
strength of the Arabs has always coincided with the strength and spread of
Islam”[1].

Dan
Quail, the former American vice president said: “The only remaining enemy of
the West is Islam”[2]. Quail classified Islam in the same category
as Communism and Nazism, and the

[1] SeeTowards a Deeper Understanding of the
Islamic Reality, by Dr. Abdul Karim Bakkar.

[2] ibid

مراقب عام المنتدى

Western media coined a new word to describe
Islam “fundamentalism.” The Times
magazine once published on its cover a picture that combines a mosque minaret
with a machine gun under the headline: “Islamic Danger.” Our natural response to such a description
cannot be taken seriously because it comes from an enemy, and enemies have
never been fair. Moreover, those who
follow the biased Western media that invented these descriptions of Muslims,
and those who follow the writings and declarations of Western thinkers and
politicians realize that using these descriptions of Muslims when Muslims
defend their religion, usurped Holy places, occupied lands, stolen rights and
their dignity. This was the case when
Afghanis and their Muslim bretherns fought the occupying forces of Communism,
which violated international law by occupying other people’s land and killing
the people of this land. The West,
represented in its media and politics, did not describe then such actions as
terrorism or violence, but when the Afghani people rose to defend themselves,
their land and religion, their enemies condemned that and described them as
terrorists and fundamentalists, and the lying Jewish media promoted these
accusations that spread very quickly throughout the international
community. This is quite natural given
the fact that almost the whole world listens to the West and its media,
thinkers, and politicians. They want
Muslims to surrender to their enemy, give up their religion and abandon their
rights without any resistance; when they do so they resist they will be called
terrorists, and what was said about the Afghani people is being said now about
the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel. The struggle of the Palestinians is being
called terrorism and violence, because they are defending themselves, their
Holy places and their land.

On the other hand, what the Jews did in
Qubayyah, Deir Yaseen, Sabra and Shatilla, Qana, and other ugly massacres that
were carried out against the Palestinian people were not in the eyes of the
West and its media terrorism nor violence, but self defense.

The most obvious example in our modern day
are the fabrications surrounding the Bosnian war that was witnessed by the
whole world, and the international tribunal in The Hague prosecuted its war criminals. We pose the question: has the West found one
Muslim war criminal? Weren’t all the criminals either from the Serbs or the
Croats? So who should be called terrorists: Muslims or the others?

The same can be said about what is happening
to Muslims in Germany, where
extremists are killing Muslims and burning their houses, and in France, where
Muslim women have been prevented from wearing the Islamic veil. So who should be called terrorists, those who
simply want to practice their religion, or those who massacre innocents, burn
houses, and deprive others from their basic personal freedom and religious
rights? Many events like these are
taking place all over the world, where Muslims are being persecuted and
deprived from their personal human rights that should be respected by all
international laws, yet the international media promotes the idea of Muslims
being terrorists and extremists!

This is the twisted logic and reckless
judgment of the international community today, a community that turns away from
the message of God, suffers from ignorance, and does not follow the right path
of God. God says in the Holy Qur’an:

“But whosoever turns away from My Message,
verily for him is a life narrowed down, and We shall raise him up blind on the
Day of Judgment” (Holy Qur’an: 20: 121).

Muslims are, now more than ever, required to
be strong in order to raise the Islamic nation above, and feared by all other
nations, so that no side will ever think of hurting Muslims or attacking their
beliefs, God says:

“Against them make ready your strength to
the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the
hearts of) the enemies of God, and your enemies, and others besides, whom ye
may not know” (Holy Qur’an: 8: 60).

Concerning this Qur’anic verse Sayyed Qutb
says gives the following commentary:

Islam has to have the sort of power that
enables it to advance throughout the world to free Man, and the first domain
where this power should be used is the domain of Da’wa (preaching
Islam): to make sure that those who chose to be Muslims are free to do so, and
are not afraid of getting persecuted for becoming Muslims. Secondly, this power should be used to
intimidate the enemies of Islam, so that they do not contemplate attacking the
Muslim nation that is protected by this power.”[1]

Thus, Muslims are requested to frighten the
enemies of God and His messenger who defend His religion, because such enemies
should live in humiliation and disgrace, for this is the way of God with His
creatures, and not the laws of Darwen who says:

It is natural disposition that only those
who prove to be fit should survive, and those who perish do so because they are
too weak that they deserve to perish, and those who survive deserve to survive.[2]

[1] Sayyed Qutb, In the Shadows of the Holy
Qur’an, 24^th edition, Part Three.

[2] Abu Al-Alaa’ Al-Mawdudi, The Status of
Muslims and How to Raise Them.

مراقب عام المنتدى

What “natural disposition” is he talking
about? This is certainly not the way God has meant humans to be.

However, when Muslims deal with each others
they are requested to show humbleness, sympathy and and provide each other with
valuable advice. This is how our
forefathers were “…Lowly with the Believers, mighty against the Rejecters…”(Holy
Qur’an: 5: 54).

The West, which promotes the image of Muslims
as terrorists, aims at keeping Muslims busy defending themselves to exhaust
their resources while they try to clear themselves of the accusations that have
been wrongly thrown at them, and thus they do not find the time to unveil the
bad face of the Western culture which talks carries the banners of Human Rights
and other colorful slogans, while dominating other peoples’ fortunes, and to
keep silent while massacres take place here and there to achieve their goals.

As for the
second part of the question:(Do they accuse all Islamists of being
terrorists?), we can say that it is noted that enemies of Islam target their
accusations mainly on ardent and committed Muslims, who seek the application of
the Islamic Law, refuse to make alliances with anyone but God and His messenger
and call for the unity of Muslims, of being terrorists because they do not
yield to the wishes and commands of enemies of Islam, and decline to facilitate
the theft of the fortunes of the Islamic nation by these enemies. But so-called Muslims who ally themselves
with the West and its civilization, and accept to be lead by the West in
obvious contradiction with Islamic teaching, are called “moderates” by the
West.

However, there are some individuals who
commit acts of aggression against innocent civilians in different parts of the
world in the name of jihad, and some of these acts are attributed to Islam
although they are committed by non-Islamic organizations. To this we say: jihad has its rules and
means, and killing innocent civilians is not part of it. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) forbid the killing of
women, children and covenanters. He
says:”He who kills a covenanter will not (even) smell paradise, (although) it
can be smelled from a forty year walking distance”[1]. There are many
proofs and a lot of evidence in the Holy Qur’an and the tradition of the
Prophet that prohibit killing innocent civilians and destroying towns. If someone goes against these teachings of
Islam, blame should no be put on Islam, but on the person himself.

[1] Cited in Bukhari, The Book of
Jizya, hadithe No. 293.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Question
139: Why did prophet
Muhammad marry several women and limited the marriage of Muslim men to only
four women?

Answer 139: This question has some confusion appearing
in “limited the marriage of Muslim men to only four women.” Every Muslim knows that Muhammad (pbuh) is a
messenger whose basic task is to convey what has been revealed to him from
God. He can not limit out of his own
will and does not make something legal to himself. God the Almighty allowed Muslims to marry
more than one woman, He says:

“but if you fear that you shall not be able
to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the slaves) that your right hands
possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice” (Holy
Qur’an: 4: 3).

Concerning the prophet (pbuh), God the Almighty
said:

“O Prophet (Muhammad (pbuh)! Verily, We have
made lawful to you your wives, to whom you have paid their mahr (bridal-money
given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), and those (slaves)
whom your right hand possesses – whom God has given to you, and the daughters
of your khal (maternal uncles) and the daughters of your khalah (maternal
aunts) who migrated (from Makkah) with you, and a believing woman if she offers
herself to the Prophet, and the Prophet wishes to marry her – a privilege for
you only, not for (the rest of) the believers.
Indeed We know what We have enjoined upon them about their wives and
those (slaves) whom their right hands possess, in order that there should be no
difficulty on you. And God is Ever
oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. You (O
Mhammad can postpone (the turn of) whom you will of them (your wives), and you
may receive whom you will. And whomsoever you desire of those whom you have set
aside (her turn temporarily), it is no sin on you (to receive her again); that
is better that they may be comforted and not grieved, and may all be pleased
with what you give them. God knows what is in your hearts. And God is Ever
All-Knowing, Most Forbearing. It is not lawful for you (to marry other) women
after this, nor to change them for other wives even though their beauty
attracts you, except those (slaves) whom your right hand possesses. And God is
Ever a Watcher over all things”(Holy Qur’an: 4: 3).

Examine the above holy verses which show
that God the Almighty who allowed the prophet to marry the wives whom he had
granted bridal-money, and God took the responsibility to explain that in order
to silence all who talk about the messenger of God (pbuh), as if God the
Almighty said, “We made you marry those women, and that is the original thing,
i.e. God sent him to his creatures and he was being taken care of by God the
Almighty as he was in his care in all of his matters, including marriage.

We also see that in those holy verses, God
the Almighty prevented him from marrying any more women after those whom he
married by saying to him “It is not lawful for you (to marry other) women after
this” i.e. those are your wives only, so you cannot marry other ones. So lawfulness and unlawfulness, permission
and prevention are God’s concern, not the messenger’s.

Polygamy was a common practice in the human
and Arab environment before Islam; it was familiar to previous prophet and
their followers. The prophet (pbuh) said
that one of the prophets of the Jews, married one hundred wives, and Solomon
(pbuh) married more than that.

As to why the prophet married several women
and limited Muslims to four, that was one of the specialties, i.e. it is not
lawful for any other Muslim to imitate him in this. He has other specialties, like continuing to
fast after sunset; when his companions continued their fast after sunset, he
prohibited them by saying: “I am not like you, God provides me with food and
drink;” and like the unlawfulness of his wives’ marriage after death, as they
are the mothers of believers; and like the unlawfulness to marry more than his
nine wives or divorce one of them.[1]

Pondering into his biography, we find that
the prophet (pbuh) did not marry more than one until he emigrated to Medina, and that was
after exceeding fifty three of his age, an age when, usually, no one marries
for purely sexual purposes or desires.
All the ladies whom he married in Medina
were widows, except Aishahh; as was mentioned earlier, the prophet married
these ladies for legislative and reformative purposes, including:[2]

1. Spread of education: It suffices to know that half the society
were women, and they needed culture and education exactly as men did and that
are, two or three could not perform their role in transmission, education and
guidance. Therefore, a group of women
were indispensable to educate the other women of the society, especially in
matters relating to women, as they feel shy to ask men about it. For example, it is cited in Bukhari
and Muslim that Aysha reported that one Ansari woman asked the prophet
about the after-menstruation-bath. The
prophet told her what to do by saying: "Purify yourself with a piece of
cloth scented with musk." The woman
asked, "How shall I purify myself with it." The prophet felt shy to clarify it any further;
at which appropriate time, I (Aysha) pulled the woman aside and told her:
"Use the cloth to rub the place soiled with blood."[3]

[1] Abdullah Nasih Alwan, Polygamy in Islam.

[2] Alwan, Polygamy in Islam.

[3] Cited in Bukhari and Muslim.

مراقب عام المنتدى

The prophet’s various houses were centres
for teaching women their religious rules, and especially to enlighten men about
matters relating to women. Verses of the
Holy Qur’an were revealed in support of this by addressing the mothers of
believers (the prophet’s wives):

“And remember (O you the members of the
Prophets family, the Graces of Your Lord), that which is recited in your houses
of the Verses of God and al-Hikmah (i.e. Prophet’s Sunnah – legal ways, so give
your thanks to God and glorify His Praises for this Qur’an and the sunnah).
Verily, God is Ever Most Courteous, Well-Acquainted with all things” (Holy
Qur’an: 33: 34).

2. Completing the Legislation: The prophet (pbuh) married several women
for legislative purposes, like abolishing the adoption custom[1], and
contributing to the subject of relating the prophetic traditions, which are the
second source of legislation after the Holy Qur’an. The prophet’s wives contributed to the
narration and conveyance of every tradition they heard from him and every act
of the messenger they saw. In this way,
a big number of prophetic traditions reached the Muslim community through his
wives. Narrators of the traditions
mentioned that the number of hadith the prophet’s wives related were
more than three thousands.

3. Achievement of solidarity: The prophet (pbuh) married women who had
nobody to look after them, especially after they had lost husbands. He married them out of mercy, like the
Makhzomite lady Hind Ummu Salamah, Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan and other ladies
whose biographies had been mentioned in the biographies of the prophet (pbuh),
which show us that his mercy (pbuh) upon women like these, his care for
orphans, sponsorship of widows and consoling those inflicted with calamities.

4.
Exemplification: The
messenger of God (pbuh) is the good example and high ideal of good treatment of
his wives and achievement of justice among them and respect of their opinions,
helping them in their household works, and loyalty to those who died from
them. Anyone who looks for a good
example and a high idea in dealing with wives, he needs to learn about the
guidance of the prophet (pbuh) in the books of his biography, which embodied
and portrayed to us his life with his wives, as if we were living with him
(pbuh) and in his homes.

[1] This will be explained below in detail.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Question
140: There is a
contradiction between the Qur’an and the events in the prophetic
traditions. God promised Muhammad and
his companions victory, but they were defeated in Uhud, for example. How do you
explain this?

Answer 140: The first side of this question
involves the victory, which God promised His messenger and believers and means
the outcome of the struggle between them and their enemies. God the Almighty crowned the jihad of His
prophet, and the companions who supported him, with decisive victory. All Arab tribes pledged their obedience to
the prophet and became subjects to the state of Islam—something that appeared
clearly in the Delegations Year (the tenth year after hijra) as delegations
came one after another to Medina from the various Arab tribes and pledged their
obedience to the messenger of God for Islam.
All these tribes ultimately became subject to Islam and recognized the
state of Islam. The messenger of God
with his own eye witnessed this victory during his lifetime. Also The prophet foretold great victories to
his companions, victories which were achieved after his death. Only a few years passed after his death when
Muslims conquered the two greatest empires of the day, the Persian and Roman
empires; and subjected their territories and most of their peoples to the
Islamic rule. Thus, God’s promise of
victory to his believing servants was achieved.

On the way to
reach final victory the prophet (pbuh) and his companions were exposed to
various kinds of pain, wounds, losses in property and souls, but that is God’s
law. God says:

“Or think you that you will
enter Paradise without such (trials) as came
to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty
and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed
along with him said, “When (will come) the Help of God?” Yes! Certainly, the
Help of God is near!”’ (Holy Qur’an: 2: 214).

This is the nature of conflict between truth
and its supporters on the one hand and falsity and its party.

The way of calling to God is a thorny one
paved with obstacles, hardships, wounds and pains, which are like lessons to
the believing league which may have its violations, or they are like
examinations to test the believers and purify the Muslim row from the greedy,
the vindictive and opportunistic. That
is what happened in Uhud Battle when Muslims learned a real and practical
lesson as a punishment for violating the order of their prophet and leader
(pbuh). After the notorious victory the
Muslims had achieved in Badr Battle (the first battle in Islam), some Muslims
thought they would never lose a battle whatsoever, so long as they were Muslims
and others infidels. In the Battle of
Uhud the Muslims were shocked by what had befallen to them. God says:

“(What is the matter with you?) When a
single disaster smites you, although you smote (your enemies) with one twice as
great, you say: “From where does this come to us?” Say (to them), “It is from
yourselves (because of your evil deeds.” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 165).

The other side of the question is that the Muslims not only were defeated
in Uhud Battle, but many were killed and injured. Militarily speaking, the Muslims achieved
victory in spite of the great losses they had in the battle. Victory can be explained in this way: first,
the Muslims were victorious in the beginning; they chased the polytheists out
of their camp and surrounded their women and property, and dropped their banner
in the field of war, but when, after the end of battle, the Muslim hurlers
violated the prophet’s order and abandoned their strategic positions and
hurried down to take their shares, Khalid Bin al-Waleed (a polytheist then)
returned to the battlefield again, ambushed the Muslim army, and caused them a
great deal of loss. Yet those
polytheists were unable to destroy the Islamic movement, neither physically nor
morally. Later, the Muslims were able
under the leadership of the messenger of God (pbuh) to overcome this crisis and
gained the upper hand in the battle; soon the enemies ran away. Had the polytheists been triumphant, the
euphoria of victory would have urged them to stay in the battlefield in order
to conquer the Muslim army, or at least its leading figures, about whom Abu
Sufyan asked at the end of the battle; they are the Messenger of God (pbuh) Abu
Bakr and Umar Bin al-Khattab. The polytheists
would have attacked Medina
in which there were only women, old people and supporters of the polytheists of
hypocrites and Jews. It would have been an opportunity for them, but Abu
Sufyan, the leader of the polytheists, realized that what happened in the
second round of the battle was not because of the bravery and courage of his
soldiers; he knew them in the first round of the battle when they ran away
before the Muslims, and that was only because of the mistake of the
Muslims. That is how it happened as a
matter of fate destined by God for some reasons He wanted. The Muslims under the leadership of the
prophet (pbuh) the following morning chased the polytheists to Hamrah
al-Asad. When the polytheists learned
about this, they continued their way hurriedly towards Makkah for fear of the
Muslims, whose spirits were high and whose will was strong. Here I ask: “Does a defeated army chase its
enemy, and does a victorious army flee?
This cannot happen from a military point of view and cannot be accepted
by wise people.

The third aspect of the truth of the victory
of the Muslims in Uhud Battle can be recognized when we know the fact that
every single nation must make some mistakes, and those mistakes are natural in
the lives of nations, but nations have different attitudes towards their mistakes
in their lives. Some nations make
mistakes, and then more mistakes but they do not learn a lesson from them (not
to make the same mistakes later on).
Such nations are ones whose insight has been blinded, so they stumble on
their way of construction and their pursuit for reaching their aim was
impossible; and some nations make mistakes but they learn lessons from them, so
their mistakes decrease in their lives, and goodness and building excel evil
and destruction. So their conditions
improved and their building developed.
Such nations have insight and achieve victory. That is what happened to Muslims in Uhud
Battle. The companions made use of this
newly learned lesson and learned a great deal from their mistakes. We know that from what happened the following
morning, when the prophet declared jihad among his companions who were injured
the day before in Uhud battle, all of them attended in spite of their wounds
and pains, although some of them were not able to walk except between two men
to lean on. The benefit of the Muslims
from their mistakes is itself considered a great victory. If the Muslims make use of their mistakes and
learn lesson, as their ancestors did, their situation will change
considerably. God the Almighty, after
this battle, addressed Muslims to show them that what happened was a natural
law, the law of God, that you will defeat or be defeated, and that the natural
result will be in your favor, but after jihad, infliction and putting you to
test. The triumph of the polytheists over
the Muslims in the second round of the battle is not an established law, but a
transitory event behind which there is a lot of heavenly wisdom and
lessons. God said:

“Many similar ways (and
mishaps of life) were faced by nations (believers and disbelievers) that have
passed away before you (as you have faced in the battle of Uhud), so travel
through the earth, and see what was the end of those who disbelieved (in the
Oneness of God, and disobeyed Him and His Messenger. This (the Qur’an) is a
plain statement for mankind, a guidance and instruction to those who are
al-muttaqun (the pious). So do not become weak (against your enemy), nor be
sad, and you will be superior(in victory) if you are indeed (true) believers.
If a wound (and killing) has touched you, be sure a similar wound (and killing)
has touched the others. Ad so are the days (good and not so good), We give to
men by turns, that God may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs
from among you. And God likes not the Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doers).
And that God may test (or purity) the believers (from sins) and destroy the
disbelievers. Do you think that y will enter Paradise before God tests those of
you who fought (in His Cause) and (also) tests those who are as-sabirun (the patient)”
(Holy Qur’an: 3: 137-142).

مراقب عام المنتدى

Question
141: Are Muslims
required to follow the example of the prophet (pbuh) according to what came in
his biography?

Answer 141: The prophetic biography as a whole is a
true method of life pure of any stains and blemishes. It suffices that it is a true picture of the
life of a man chosen by God as a mercy for mankind. Therefore, every Muslim who hopes for escape
for himself and success in this life and in the hereafter is required to study
and contemplate the biography of the prophet (pbuh) to benefit from his
worship, to call to Islam, jihad and all of his life. His life (pbuh) is all lessons and wisdom,
those who follow it succeed and escape and those abandon it lose and perish.

Dr. Rajih Abdulkareem al-Karm says:

Understanding the biography of the Messenger
(pbuh) is, in fact, part and parcel of understanding Islam, for its is a
practical and lively witness showing the fruit of faith and absolute belief in
his religion embodied by the Messenger of God (pbuh) as a practical and high
ideal.[1]

He adds:

Studying the Messenger’s biography plays an
important role in the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an, which is the trusted
record of actions and events of the biography and the invasions, events and
causes of revelation and method of calling to God, bases of legislation and
direction, which the Messenger of God pointed out and implemented
practically. So, the prophet’s biography
is an explanation of the Holy Qur’an and an interpretation of it. Studying it is a study of the interpretation
of the Holy Qur’an. As such, understanding Islam is connected with the
understanding of the Holy Prophetic biography.[2]

Furthermore,
studying the prophetic biography is a legal necessity to imitate the prophet
(pbuh) about whom God said: “Indeed in the Messenger of God (Muhammad (pbuh)
you have a good example” (Holy Qur’an: 33: 21).
Studying the prophetic biography carefully and sincerely helps the
sincere Muslims to imitate the prophet (pbuh).
I conclude that the major part of his biography (pbuh) especially the
one related to his life after the mission until his death (pbuh) includes a
great deal of divine rules relating to peace, war, settlement and travel; to
health, illness, worship, dealings and other things we are required to follow
and worship God by doing so. On the
other hand, the other side of his biography (pbuh), especially those relating
to that period before the mission, does not show divine rules and Muslims do
not have to follow them. They are
personal or general matters Muslims can read for the sake of knowledge and not
worship. For example,

[1] See Dr. Rajih Abdulkareem al-Karmi’s book, A
Shining Beam from the Prophetic Biography During the Makkan Period.

[2] See Ibid.

مراقب عام المنتدى

his biography shows that as a baby, he was
breastfed in the desert of Bani Sa`d. In
his youth he worked sometimes as a shepherd, sometimes in trading, and so
on. No Muslim is required to follow this
side of his life (pbuh), but may be some lessons could be deduced and more
feedback acquired about the true personality of the prophet. God says, “Or is it that they did not
recognize their Messenger (Muhammad) so hey deny him?” (Holy Qur’an: 23: 69).

Question
142: Muslims say that
Muhammad had performed miracles. How can
one differentiate between these miracles and magic?

Answer 142: A miracle is originally a supernatural
event that goes against the natural law.
People witness it and God allows it to happen at the hands of his
prophets, while “magic” is an event whose cause is unseen and imagined to be
something different. It uses the method
of camouflage and misleading, and it is all seen as true and accurate.

The most famous kind of magic of is the one
based on the use of earthly spirits like jinn, where magicians usually
get assistance. Magicians also rely on a
devil or a goblin to achieve something he wants; hence, magic is associated
with blasphemy. God said,

“They followed what the shayatin (devils)
gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman
did not disbelieve, but the shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic
and such things that came down at Babylon
to the two angels. Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels taught anyone (such things) till they had
said, ‘We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from
us)’.” (Holy Qur’an: 1:102).

Al-Nisai mentioned that Abu Hurayrah related
that the prophet (pbuh) said:

“Any one who knots a knot then blows in it,
he has performed magic and anyone who performs magic has associated another
deity with God, and anyone who hangs am amulet, he is given to it.”[1]

There is also the magic of deceiving and misleading
the eyes, as God said about the Pharaoh’s sorcerers:

“they
bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they
displayed a great magic” (Holy Qur’an: 7:116), i.e. they camouflaged what they
did until people thought that the

[1] Cited in Nisai.

مراقب عام المنتدى

ropes and sticks were moving. God said, “And their sticks, by their magic,
appeared to him as though they moved fast” (Holy Qur’an: 20: 66).

Hence we can know some differences between a
miracle and magic, like a miracle is a support from God to his prophet or
messenger to prove his prophecy and message, so what he performs is miraculous,
and the Holy Qur’an mentioned many of them, while magic is a support of the
devil to his followers. A good servant
of God, a messenger or a prophet performs a miracle, and a good servant cannot
be a magician because magic is blasphemy.
God may allow a good servant to perform miraculous things, a servant who
is not a prophet or a messenger, and that is a blessing while magic comes from
someone who denied God, associated someone with Him, and followed the
Devil. Therefore, if you see something
miraculous performed by someone, we should examine his state. If he is a servant of God, does what God orders
and abstains from what God prohibits, pure in appearance and heart away from
every kind of evil action, then learn that it is a miracle that he is
performing, and if he is an evil lecherous malignant person who commits sins
and disobeys God, then he is a sorcerer.

A miracle changes the reality of things and
makes it a real fact, and that is the secret of the embracement of Islam of
Pharaoh’s sorcerers when Moses threw his stick which tuned into a snake that
swallowed the sticks and ropes of the magicians, which we see to have been
transformed under the effect of sorcery into snakes, except the magicians who
were not charmed themselves. They saw Moses’ stick, which was transformed into
a snake eating their sticks and ropes.
God said:

“And the sorcerers fell down prostrate.
Saying: “We believe in the Lord of the alamin (mankind, jinn and all that
exists), the Lord of Moses and Aaron” (Holy Qur’an: 26: 46-47).

Magic does not change the reality of things,
but a sorcerer affects the senses of people so that they feel that the things
before them have taken new forms and shapes, while the things themselves
continue to be the same, without changing their reality, as the sorcerers of
Pharaoh did, they bewitched the eyes of people when people were made to imagine
that the sticks and ropes became snakes in the arena, and in fact, they remained
the same, unchanging ropes and sticks.

A miracle is performed to achieve a noble
intention like healing the blind and the leprous, healing patients, supporting
messengers, and strengthening the believers, etc. It always achieves something good, whereas
magic is used for evil purposes, like separation between husband and wife,
inflicting people with disease and illness and maybe death.

Miracles and magic are, then, essentially
two things different in essence and purpose and those who perform them are
dissimilar except in some apparent effects, but it is easy for every
understanding person to differentiate between them. In addition, any act if it is magic and not a
heavenly miracle; it means that it is a human act that can be performed by
magicians on earth, whereas God makes a miracle. Therefore, it can be achieved in the same
manner by any human being.

Question
143: God says about
Muhammad: “God will protect you from mankind” (The Holy Qur’an: 5: 67). How was
he bewitched, poisoned and, more than once, wounded?

Answer 143: The verse mentioned in this question is part
of the fifth verse of chapter (sura) 67 (Holy Qur’an: 5: 67) from
al-Maida. God said:

“O Messenger (Muhammad (pbuh)! Proclaim (the
Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord, And if you do not,
then you have not conveyed His Message. God will protect you from mankind.
Verily, God guides not the people who disbelieve.” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 67).

In this holy verse, there is an order from
God the Almighty to his Messenger to pursue his call to Islam and inform others
of what he has been informed regardless of the enemies, their intrigues and
conspiracies against him (pbuh). Before
the revelation of this verse, while calling to God, the prophet felt afraid
about himself that he might be killed or assassinated, and God the Almighty
knew what went on in the heart of his chosen prophet, and knew that the enemies
intended to kill His Messenger. He,
therefore, revealed this verse to him to appease him and tell him that he is in
His protection, care and maintenance, and anyone who is under God’s care and
protection, what could the weak enemies do to him? Imam Ahmad related that Aishah related: “The
Messenger of God stayed up late at night while I was beside him. She said, she addressed the prophet saying
‘What is wrong, Messenger of God?’ He
answered: ‘I wish one righteous companion of mine would guard me tonight.’ She
said, ‘While I was listening to him, I heard a weapon cluttering.’ He said, “Who is there?” He [the one outside]
said, ‘I am Sa`d ibn Malik.’ He said,
‘What brought you here at this moment?’ Sa’d said, ‘I’ve come to guard
you.’ She said, ‘Then I heard the
Messenger of God soundly asleep.”[1] Ibn Abi Hatim mentioned that Aishah said:
“The prophet used to be guarded until the verse “And God will protect you from
people” was revealed. She said, “The
prophet watched out of the dome and
said, “O, people! You could leave, God
has protected us.”[2] What is meant by the Arabic word (‘Isma) in
the prophetic tradition is God the Almighty will protect His messenger (pbuh)
from killing. The prophet (pbuh) was
exposed, especially after hijra to Medina,
to many assassination attempts by the Jews, the hypocrites, the pagans and
others. Except for the protection of
God, the prophet would have been killed from the very early days of his public
call to Islam. Anyone interested in
learning about those attempts, he could refer to the book entitled And God
will Protect You from People by Ahmad aj-Jadi` in which he described the
attempts of assassination of the prophet (pbuh) starting with that big attempt
by Quraish, so God saved him from them, and allowed him to emigrate to
Medina. As to verbal and practical harm
less than killing, the Messenger of God (pbuh) was exposed to many incidents,
especially in Makkah, and this is the situation of callers to God everywhere
all the time and that is God’s law of testing and trying, as He said:

“Verily, (many) Messengers
were denied before you (O Muhammad (pbuh), but with patience they bore the
denial, and they were hurt; till Our help reached them, and none can alter the
Words (Decisions) of God. Surly there
has reached you the information (news) about the Messengers (before you)” (Holy
Qur’an: 6: 34).

And the prophet himself said, “The most
inflicted amongst you are the messengers, then those who are similar to them,
and then those are similar to them” and God’s protection of his Messenger from
killing was particular to him (pbuh) unlike other callers and conveyers, as he
is the one conveying the message of God.
Therefore, he was protected from killing until he conveys God’s message
in the manner that God wanted.

Question
144: There is a
controversy and ambiguity around the marriages of the prophet to Zainab Bint
Jahsh. Could you clarify this ambiguity
and explain the circumstances of this marriage clearly?

Answer
144: Zainab Bint Jahsh is
the prophet’s cousin on his father’s side.
Her mother is Umaymah Bint Abdulmuttalib and she is the sister of
Abdullah Bin Jahsh who was martyred in Uhud Battle. The Messenger of God married her after she
was divorced by his slave Zayd ibn Haritha without a human contract, because it
was God the Almighty who married her off to him, in

[1] Cited in Bukhari.

[2] Muhammad Naseeb ar-Rifa`i, Abridged
Interpretation of the Interpretation of Bin Katheer.

مراقب عام المنتدى

order to cancel the custom of adoption and
the custom of prohibiting marriage to the wife of adopted sons, which was
common then amongst Arabs. God the Almighty revealed some verses to be recited
from the Holy Qur’an to show that. He
says:

“And (remember) when you said
to him (Zayd bin Harithah the freed-slave of the Prophet) on whom God has
bestowed Grace (by guiding him to Islam) and you (O Muhammad (pbuh) too) have
done favor (by manumitting him): “Keep your wife to yourself, and fear God.”
But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what God has already made known to you that
he will give her to you in marriage) that which God will make manifest, you did
fear the people (i.e., their saying that Muhammad (pbuh) married the divorced
wife of his manumitted slave) whereas God had a better right that you should
fear Him. So when Zaid had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced
her), We gave her to you in marriage, so that (in future) there may be no
difficulty to the believers in respect of (the marriage of) the wives of their
adopted sons when the latter have no desire to keep them (i.e. they have
divorced them). And God’s Command must be fulfilled” (Holy Qur’an: 33: 37).

God also says,

“But you did hide in yourself (i.e. what God
had already made known to you that He will give her to you in marriage) that
which God will make manifest, you did fear the people” (Holy Qur’an: 33:
37)

The minds of people started wondering as to
what the prophet concealed from them and forgot about God’s words which is
understood to mean that God the Almighty revealed in His words what the
Messenger had concealed. The verse is
clear that God the Almighty revealed in it that Zainab being a wife of
Muhammad, not anything else. The right
thing to do was to contemplate the Holy Qur’an and not give a free rein to
their imagination and to say about the prophet (pbuh) what should not be said.
Let’s explain the story of this blessed marriage:

Zayd ibn Harithah is an Arab from the tribe
of Bani Kalb. One tribe attacked his and
took him captive as this usually happened before Islam and sold him. Hakeem ibn Hizam bought him to his aunt
Khadeejah and she, in turn, offered him to her husband, the prophet. His folks had been looking for him to restore
him; they learned about his whereabouts, in Makkah. They came to the prophet (pbuh) and asked him
and begged him to give them their son back.
They were the caretakers of the Holy Mosque and deserve this good
deed. The prophet, in turn, made them
another offer, i.e. to come to Zayd and make him choose between his father and
folks or staying with Muhammad. He chose
Muhammad after seeing his sublime manners, good treatment and nice
dealing. His folks said to him, “Do you
prefer slavery to freedom?”

The prophet (pbuh) announced in Quraish Club
the adoption of Zaid and that he could inherit him. Zayd was called afterwards Zayd ibn Muhammad,
then God revealed Islam and Zayd was the first slave to embrace Islam. When he grew under the care of the prophet
(pbuh), the prophet wanted to reward him back, he married him to his cousin on
his father’s side, Zainab, to confirm his freedom and adoption of him, and to
raise his social status.

The prophet proposed to Zainabl for
Zayd. She declined as she was Quraishi
from a noble family and she found Zayd below her social status. So God the Almighty revealed: “It is not for
a believer, man or woman, when God and His messenger have decreed a matter that
they should have any option in their decision” (Holy Qur’an: 33: 36). So
Zaynab said, “O, messenger of God, I have accepted what you have accepted for
me.” Zayd married her and lived with her
for around a year.

This has been related by as-Sadi. He said, “We learned that this verse was
revealed for Zainab Bint Jahsh, whose mother is Umayyma Bint Abdulmuttalib, the
aunt of the prophet (pbuh) who wanted to marry her to Zayd Bin Haritha – his
slave – so she was reluctant to do so.
Then she accepted what the prophet did and he married her to him, then
God informed His prophet (pbuh) that she is one of his wives. The prophet was shy to inform her of her
divorce, and people knew that Zainab and Zayd were married. The prophet (pbuh) told him to keep his wife
and to fear God and was afraid that people would blame him and say that he
married his daughter-in-law as he had already adopted Zayd as his son. What the prophet (pbuh) concealed was not
love to Zaynab, as some liars claimed, as had it been love to Zainab, God the
Almighty would have showed that in the Holy Qur’an, and the prophet would not
have done that as he was infallible, and as he was described by God in this way
“And Verily, for you (O Muhammad are on an exalted (standard of) character”
(Holy Qur’an: 68: 4). What he really
feared was that people would say and the hypocrites and Jews would say: “How
could he prohibit marrying the daughter-in-law and he himself marry the wife of
his (adopted) son? The marital life did not last between Zayd and Zaynab, so
she was divorced.

Anas said, “When Zainab finished her
confinement after divorce, the Messenger of God (pbuh) said to Zayd, ‘Propose
to her for me.’ He said, ‘I set out and said to her “O, Zainab, I have a good
news for you. The prophet wants to
propose to you.’ She said, ‘I’m not
doing anything unless I am ordered by my Lord God. She went then to her prayer room and the
verse was revealed to the prophet (pbuh) and he went in to see her without
permission’.”[1] Ibn Hajar said:

That was the greatest event to happen then,
and that her previous husband would be an in-between in order that nobody would
think that it was done by force without his satisfaction, and it tests whether
he has feelings towards her: “Did anything remain there?[2]

And God the Almighty says:

“So when Zaid had accomplished
his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We gave her to you in marriage, so
that (in future) there may be no difficulty to the believers in respect of (the
marriage of) the wives of their adopted sons when the latter have no desire to
keep them (i.e. they have divorced them)” (Holy Qur’an: 33: 37).

So,
prophet (pbuh) married her to nullify two pre-Islamic customs which were common
then; the custom of not marrying the wife of the adopted son, and the habit of
superiority and pride of belonging to a noble family, as a nobility would not
conventionally marry someone humble, and to confirm the basis of preference,
God says: “Verily, the most honorable of you with God is that (believer) who
has at-taqwa [i.e. he is one of the muttaqun (the pious)]” (Holy Qur’an: 49:
13).

[1] Cited Ahmad, Muslim and Nisa`i.

[2] Fath-ul-Bari.

مراقب عام المنتدى

PART FOUR

[b]Questions and Answers on

[b]The Inimitability of the Holy Qur’an

Translated by

Ahmad H. Al-Hout

مراقب عام المنتدى

Chapter 1:

Selections from the
Inimitability of the Holy Qur’an

Question 145: What are the forms of inimitability found in the Holy
Qur’an and holy prophetic traditions?

Answer 145: The miraculous forms of the Holy Qur’an and
true prophetic traditions share common totalities, which include:

1. The Linguistic Inimitability: The
Holy Qur’an is of the highest degree of eloquence and rhetoric in the Arabic
language and has always rendered the people of eloquence and rhetoric incapable
of producing something similar.

2. The Legislative Inimitability: The
Holy Qur’an contains a perfect code of life to secure the interests of the
servants of God in this world and save them from punishment in the
Hereafter. It is valid for all times and
places.

3. The Informative inimitability: A
great deal of news was given in the Holy Qur’an as to what would happen in the
future; events took place accordingly.
It also gave news about past events that had happened long time before,
like telling about the peoples of Noah, Hud, Salih and others. Without what was revealed in the Holy Qur’an,
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) , he would not have known anything himself.

4. The Scientific Inimitability: Some
verses in the Noble Qur’an indicate scientific facts which had not been known
before, and science has been discovering them with the course of time. These verses include empirical, human,
natural as well as other kinds of science.

5. The Inimitability of Guidance:
This is embodied in various examples; anyone wanting to learn about them, he
can refer to the books written on scientific inimitability in the Noble Qur’an,
in the Prophetic traditions and in the Inimitability magazine, which is
issued by the Islamic World Association.

Question 146: How
did the modern scientific discoveries confirm the truth of the well-known
saying that “the Qur’an’s inimitability does not know an end?”

Answer 146: God the Almighty has pointed out that He
taught His prophet what he had not known before. He says:

“God has sent down to you the book (The
Qur’an), and al-Hikmah (Islamic laws, knowledge of legal and illegal
things i.e. the Prophet’s Sunnah–legal ways), and taught you that which you
knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of God unto you (O Muhammad (pbuh).” (Holy
Qur’an: 4: 113).

These types of knowledge conveyed through
the messenger of God (pbuh) were brought in the form of revelation from God the
Almighty and from the kinds of knowledge the prophet had. The God’s prophet (pbuh) said: “Every prophet
was given knowledge which made his people believe him and I hope I will be the
most followed prophet on the Resurrection Day.”[1] Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) showed that the
miracles of his predecessor prophets (peace be upon the all) were kinds of
miracles admitted by the peoples in their own times. They were supernatural and could not be
challenged neither in their own times nor in times to come; all confirming the
prophethood of those who showed them.

The miracles of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
were both scientific and intellectual.
They were heavenly revelations.
It will take a man’s life-long to realize and recognize essence and
truth of the heavenly revelation (the Qur’an).
Yet, the miracles of this holy book do not end in the course of time; in
every age a clear sign of this revelation is confirmed and a bright proof is
seen—all conforming to the true revelation, the Holy Qur’an, from God upon His
prophet/messenger. This also confirms
the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh). We
see in every age natural scientists producing facts after a long reach and
efforts. These facts are taken for
granted by the Muslim who reads the book of God the Almighty and contemplates
its meanings.

Embryology, for example, is considered to be
one of the most modern sciences which scientists could not explore until modern
civilization provided them with instruments that could show what was happening
in the womb of the mother without hurting the mother or the fetus. They reached some facts which had been taken
for granted by Muslims, things like the beginning of the formation of the
fetus, when the sperm enters the ovum of the woman. Almighty God said: “And that He [God] creates
the pairs, male and female, from Nutfah (drops of semen – male and female
discharges) when it is emitted.” (Holy Qur’an: 53: 45-46). God also said: “Was he not a nutfah (mixed male and female sexual discharge)
of semen emitted (poured forth)?” (Holy Qur’an: 75: 37).

Out
of the millions sperms man ejaculates during his sexual intercourse, only one
fertilizes the ovum. Human semen forms
99% of the ejaculated liquid, while the sperms form between 0% and 1% from the
total amount of the semen. Only one
sperm out of millions in the semen is made to fertilizes the ovum, according to
the will of God, so that it grows and becomes a fetus, then a

[1] Cited in Bukhari and Muslim,
from the narration of Abu Hurayrah.

مراقب عام المنتدى

child, then a young boy or girl, then a man
or a woman. Abi Saeed al-Khudri related
that the messenger of God (pbuh) was once asked about ejaculation outside the
vagina during sexual intercourse (for contraceptive purposes), he said: “The
child does not come from all the liquid (sermen) and if God intends to create
anything, nothing can prevent it (from coming into existence).[1] This prophetic hadith show that a
woman perceives from some of the semen, as modern science says, and that there
might be ejaculation without conception.
Also conception is not necessarily formed after each sexual intercourse,
and that there might be ejaculation without conception. This is explained by gynaecologists who say
that the days between the menstruation periods are not the same with respect to
the possibility of pregnancy, and that sperms might not be strong enough to
fertilises the ovum. Science has proved
that the sperms in the semen must be lively, active and gushing forth, which is
one condition for fertilisation, as science has proved. Science has also proved that the woman’s
liquid, which contains the ovum, comes out flowingly to the womb canal
(Fallopian canal) and that the ovum must be lively, active and flowing so that
fertilisation could be achieved. God the
Almighty said: “So let man see from what he is created! He is created from a
water gushing forth” (Holy Qur’an: 86: 5-6).

Determination of the baby’s sex (male or
female):

Scientists have found out that the number of
genes in every human cell is 23 pairs, one gene from each pair is responsible
for determining the sex of the baby in all dimensions of man, physical and
psychological, and that the key to the determination of the sex of the baby
exists in this pair of genes. It was
noticed that this pair in the male is different and it is referred to as
(XY). Also, the feminine ova have only
one chromosome of one shape (XX), while the sperms of man have two shapes of
genes (X) and (Y).

The determination of the baby’s sex as such
becomes obvious. The sperm is
responsible for the determination of the sex of the baby for it contains the
contrasted shapes of sexual genes. If the sperm has a (Y) gene, and it combines
with an (X) gene in the ovum, the bay will be a baby-boy, and if an (X) gene
unites with an (X) gene in the ovum, the baby will be a baby-girl. Here are
some formulas clarifying the point further:

A (Y) gene + (X) = baby-boy (YX)

An (X) gene + (X) = baby-girl

[1] Cited in Muslim, Nikah Book as
narrated by Abi Saeed al-Khudri.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Four possibilities:

1) XX female 2)
YX male 3) XX female 4) YX male

This is what has been mentioned in the Noble
Qur’an fourteen hundred years ago, when it attributed the responsibility of
determining the sex of the baby to the sperm of the man. God Almighty said: “And that He [God] creates
the pairs, male and female, from Nutfah (drops of semen – male and female
discharges) when it is emitted.” (Holy Qur’an: 53: 45-46). The
prophetic tradition expresses this fact accurately. If the sperm of the man dominates, i.e. (Y)
gene dominates and united with an (X) chromosome – the baby will be a boy, and
if the liquid of the woman dominates, the baby will be a girl. Thawban related that a Jew once approached
the prophet and asked him about the (sex) of the child. The prophet (pbuh) said:

“The reproductive substance of man is white
and that of woman (i. e. ovum central portion) yellow, and when they have
sexual intercourse and the male's substance (chromosomes and genes) prevails
upon the female's substance (chromosomes and genes), it is the male child that
is created by Allah's Decree, and when the substance of the female prevails
upon the substance contributed by the male, a female child is formed by God’s
decree.”[1]

After fourteen hundred years, nobody can
speak more clearly than what the prophet has stated.

Question 147: Modern
technology has helped contemporary scientists to understand the scientific
inimitability in the Qur’an and the prophetic traditions. How could the Muslim ancestors understand
this inimitability without possessing the modern technology?

Answer
147: The Muslim surely believes that the Noble Qur’an is the
words of God the Almighty, and that the prophetic traditions are what He
revealed to His messenger, prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Everything mentioned in either source is
completely true, and should be taken for granted by every faithful believer
whether he/she knew know that before, or could not know it practically. These above mentioned scientific matters like
the embryo, for example, are regarded as absolutely true by the Muslim. It is taken for granted as absolutely true,
because it is the word of God, although the Muslim could not see what happened
in the womb of the woman. Modern
technology has only made these facts clearer.
The same applies to other matters: for example, Muslims believe that
mountains are pegs to fix the land although he does not know that a third of
the mountain height goes above the land while two thirds are deeply planted
under the earth, like pegs. The same
could be said about the formation of mountain-like clouds in the sky. The hale

[1] Cited in Muslim, The Book of
Marriage.

مراقب عام المنتدى

stones come down from those mountains of
clouds. The Muslim believes that
although he did not ascend to sky. He
knows that clouds gather together in the form of mountains. He absolutely believes and acknowledges every
scientific discovery that had already been mentioned in the Qur’an or concorded
with it, or even came mentioned in the tradition of the prophet. The Noble Qur’an, therefore, refers to the
scientific discoveries that will show people the miracles of God the
Almighty. God says: “We will show them
Our Signs in the universe, and in their own selves, until it becomes manifest
to them that this (the Qur’an) is the truth.” (Holy Qur’an: 43: 53).

Question
148: Muslims believe
that only God knows what exists in the wombs, how could they reconcile between
this and the modern technology that could show the embryo and know its sex
before birth?

Answer 148: This question refers to the saying of God
the Almighty:

“Verily, Allah, with Him (Alone) is the
knowledge of the Hour, he sends down the
rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn
tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily God is
All-Knower, All-Aware (of things) (Holy Qur’an: 31:34).

Abdullah Bin Umar related that the prophet
(pbuh) said: “The keys to the unseen world are five and nobody knows them
except Allah,” then he quoted the above verse from the Noble Qur’an. It is God alone who knows absolutely what is
in the wombs in every moment and at every stage; He knows everything small and
big. No doubt that He knows every
conception when it comes into existence, when the conception does not even show
a sign of weight or form; and He knows whether the sex of the conception is
male or female, at the time when no one could have the ability to know anything
about at the first moment of the uniting of the sperm and the ovum, and the
features, the characteristics, the condition and readiness of the embryo. This knowledge is absolutely exclusive to
God, the All-Knowing, and the All-Aware.
The term “what is in the womb” is more general than the embryo, and mean
more than its sex, whether it is perfect or imperfect in physically, sane or
insane, believing or non-believing.

We have already mentioned in a previous
answer the possible equation of the determination of the sex of the embryo,
whether male or female. The same could
be said about every characteristic of the embryo, as to what colour of the
complexion and body will be, the colour of the eyes, the size of every organ,
etc. All this is subject to the law of
possibilities, according to medical specialists. This is an uncontrolled law, and nobody knows
how the chromosomes will combine in the embryo, how the new features will
be. No one knows when the baby will be a
boy or a girl. Man is unable to know
that before and during its happening. It
is only God who knows this. As to the
period after its determination, it becomes a fact and is not more a part of the
unseen. Man may know something about the
embryo, as he knew the stages of the formation of the embryo. The verse and the prophetic traditions speak
about the stage when the baby is a part of the unseen. If it becomes a part of the factual world
that man can know, there is no objection to knowing it.

Question 149: I would like you to explain the following Qur’anic verses
scientifically:

A.
“The likeliness of those who take (false deities as) Auliya’ (protectors,
helpers) other than God is the likeness of a spider who builds (for itself) a
house; but verily, the frailest (weakest) of houses is the spider’s house – if
they but knew. Verily, God knows what things they invoke instead of Him. H e is
the Al-Mighty, the All-Wise. And these similitudes We put forward for mankind;
but none will understand them except those who have knowledge (of God, and His
Signs)” (Holy Qur’an: 29: 41-43).

B.
“So I swear by the setting of the stars. And verily that is indeed a great
oath, if you but know” (Holy Qur’an: 56:75-76).

C.
“See they not that We gradually reduce the land (of the disbelievers, by giving
it to the believers, in war) from its outlying borders” (Holy
Qur’an: 13:41).

D.
“With power did We construct the heaven. Verily, We are Able to extend the
vastness of space thereof” (Holy Qur’an: 51:47).

E.
“And whomsoever God will s to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and
whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted,
as if he is climbing up to the sky” (Holy Qur’an: 3:26).

F.
“And has made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp” (Holy
Qur’an: 71:16).

Answer 149: The answer to this question is as follows:

A.
The esteemed verses are given as sayings for those who worship deities other
than God the Almighty, they depend on, trust, and give them their pledges and
charters ignoring that resorting to those powers, whether they are in the hands
of individuals or groups, are like the resort of the spider to its web. The spider’s web is weak, powerless and
defenseless against its molluscan physique: spiders are helpless against their
weak houses. God, the Almighty, and the
all-Powerful protect them. It is this
great fact that the Noble Qur’an is interested in establishing in the selves of
the faithful. It is with this fact that
the faithful were more powerful than all the powers that tried to block their
way, and treaded on the pride of the oppressors on this earth and destroyed
their fortresses and castles. The
enemies of the call for God who seek the help of supporters other than Him, who
knows the truth about those supporters, it is the truth described in the
previous saying, a spider seeking refuge in its web. The witty scholar is the one who understands
this saying, and realizes that everyone on earth is as powerless and weak as
the spider’s web. The inimitability in
this verse is the reference to the web rather than to its threads. Scientifically speaking, the threads of the
spider, in terms of length and diameter, are four times stronger than cast
iron. The weakness lies in the web not
in the threads. The spider’s web,
despite the strength of its threads, is weak from within, as it stands for the
killing of its household. The female
spider kills its male mate after impregnation if it does not run away from it
quickly, and it eats its offspring when they hatch if they do not flee, and the
little ones each other. The spider’s
web, then, is the most rhetorical example of what man may imagine about the
best house which becomes the worst in destiny.
The conclusion of the holy verse “if they but knew” has come as a
reference to the fact that there will come a time when man will know that fact
though this might come late. It is known
that these biological secrets have been scientifically proved only
recently.

B.
Those addressed in this verse, “So I swear by the setting of the stars. And
verily that is indeed a great oath, if you but know” (Holy
Qur’an: 56:75-76) knew only little about the setting of the
stars which they saw with their naked eyes, yet they felt the greatness of
their setting in their hearts. Despite
our limited knowledge of the settings of the stars; yet, we do recognize the
greatness of this oath (which is related to God who swear by His own
creation). We know for example that the
star galaxy our solar system belongs to comprises billions of starts, some of
these stars could see with the naked eye, others can only be seen with
microscopes/ and or telescopes, still others cannot be seen. All these stars swim in the mysterious
space, and there is no possibility that one magnetic orbit can come near
another, or that one star would run into another orbit. The location of each star, which must be far
from its fellow stars, has been situated carefully and wisely: it is
well-coordinated in terms of effects and mutual effects with all the other
stars and planets so that all of them could be balanced in this vast
space. The positions of stars in their
orbits are the secrets of their balance; neither a star goes near another, nor
a planet goes near another, nor a sun goes near another. Each has its own position in which it revolves
and does not go beyond or exceed. If a
star deviates from its position and moves in another track, it will be
gravitated into another space and will collide with another star, which adds to
the size of the new star formed from the collision of the two stars. Eventually, its gravitation increases and
attracts a third star, and so on and so forth until the end of the universe as
a whole. This is what is referred to,
according to scholars, by God’s words “the perforating star”, which is
described by space scientists as “the black hole.” Therefore, God’s oath by the setting of
stars, which He created for us, is an allusion to contemplate and know that
this universe is run under the management of the Lord of the heavens and
earth. One of the examples of the
setting of stars is the sun, as mentioned in the French magazine Science and
Life (issue: June, 1986) which includes the following facts: if the
position of the earth with respect to the sun where the ray of its orbit around
the sun is 4% less than it is now, i.e. 144 km instead of 150 million km, the
temperature of the earth will increase gradually to 450 centigrade, will cause
the water to evaporate and life will disappear, as it is on Venus. Likewise, if location of the earth is 1%
more, i.e. 151.5 million km, the temperature of the earth will be go down
gradually to –4 centigrade, and water will freeze and life will be impossible
on its surface, as the case is on mars. It is said that the galaxies and stars
may seem static, but they are mobile and their distances increase continuously,
as it is the case in the theory in the expansion of the universe. Eventually, the star acquires new positions
continuously and with those new positions of billions of galaxies and stars,
the balance of the powers of the universe remain as gravitation forces. All of
this makes the oath in the verse so great.

C.
“See they not that We gradually reduce the land (of the disbelievers, by giving
it to the believers, in war) from its outlying borders.” (Holy
Qur’an: 13:41). This
verse means that the land is gradually reduced from its outlying borders and
that people can see that? How does this
happen?

First, the reduction of the land from its
northern and southern sides should include its two poles. It is known that the land is not completely
globular, it is elliptical, i.e. the equator is longer than the line going
through the two poles. Scientists have
found out that the equator is 21
km longer and that this length increases gradually in
the course of time and the globe becomes more elliptical, and the line going
through the two poles is getting shorter and shorter.

Second, the crust of the earth is exposed to
sunshine, rain, wind and the various elements of corrosion and
erosion—something that reduces the crust of the earth gradually. Scientists expect that the continuous
corrosion is the cause of the earthquakes and giving away of the earth. This also indicates that the earth is reduced
from its outlying borders, which is one of the things that man can see in all
parts of the earth. It is a clear
scientific miracle throughout all ages.

مراقب عام المنتدى

D. This verse shows that God the Almighty created the vast sky
including the stars, planets and suns and moons; it continues to expand
throughout time, and this verse, which proves the expansion of the
universe. The well-known theory of the
expansion of the universe has come into existence in the scientific field. In 1912, this theory was affirmed by the
scientist Silipher who said that certain galaxies are moving away, increasingly,
from our galaxy. In 1916, Einstein’s
Theory of Relativity has come to confirm the theory of the universe
expansion. He tried to calculate the
speed of that expansion associating it with the speed of the light, 300,000
km/s. In 1929, the two scientists Hobble
and Humoson confirmed the theory of the expansion of the universe. Hobble has set a law carrying his name, which
estimates the increasing distance of the galaxies from each other and from
ours. By virtue of this law, it was
possible to use the reverse way to calculate the approximate age of the
universe. With the progress of modern
physics and the introduction of the study of specter, it was possible to study
the light of stars and galaxies, and the turning of the specter into red, and
eventually calculated the speed of the departing of the galaxies away from each
other according to the theory. The
further the galaxies and stars depart from our galaxy, the redder their specter
turns. For instance, the distance of the
galaxy Amos de Lavierge from ours, the milky way, increases at 1200 km/s, and
the distance of Amos de Lavierge increases at 60 km/s. It is two billion light year speed. Contemporary astrologists confirm that
theory. Hubert Reeves said: “We can say
that the expansion of the universe is almost certain.” Maurice Bukaille said: “The expansion of the
universe is the greatest phenomenon modern science has discovered and
completely confirmed today. The discussion deal only with the pattern through
which the expansion is happening.” One
of the phenomena that support this theory is what is called the “night
darkness.” In spite of the big number of
galaxies in the sky, and although they consist of billions of stars, there are
not enough stars to fill the sky with light.
Moreover, the expansion of the universe disperses the light of the
stars. Therefore, the light seems
insufficient although it is very strong and the night appears dark. The point of inimitability in this Qur’anic
verse is that suppose there was a man in the present age who knew nothing about
astronomy and scientific laws, did not have any modern technology, especially
optical one, furthermore if he had lived in a remote unknown jungle, a desert
or a mountain, stated such laws, and reached those conclusions which scientists
reached only after spending a great deal of efforts, long research and
coordinated efforts of cooperation, people would consider that a sort of
fiction and an impossibility. Eventually they would attribute such information
to an external supernatural power. What
could be said then about this man, the prophet, who lived fourteen hundreds
ago? He was illiterate, living in a
desert far from the centers of any science and

مراقب عام المنتدى

civilization then, and in age whose people
knew nothing about the universe, its beginning, life and its evolution. This man states his theory firmly and in a
certain manner, while connecting it firmly with other phenomena and
theories. What could be said then? It is undoubtedly, the information coming
from revelation from God the Almighty.

E.
“And whomsoever God will s to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and
whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted,
as if he is climbing up to the sky” (Holy Qur’an: 3:26). This verse gives a picture of two personalities:

First, the Islamic personality which
believes in God and the prophethood of Muhammad; whose breast opened,
expanded and felt the spaciousness of the world crated by God the Almighty; and
recognized the universal and Qur’anic miracles

Second, the non-believing personality which
is fed up with Islam and does not get guided to the right path. It feels breathless because disbelief is a
kind of contrition and stagnation. It is
discomfort, deviation from the easy human common sense; it is hardship,
deprivation and worry. God the Almighty
gave an example of this kind of personality and described it as feeling
breathless like the one who climbs to the sky.

But why does one’s breast feel closed when
climbing to the sky? One may wonder, who
told Muhammad (pbuh) in the 6^th century A.D. that the layers of air
get looser the more we rise up in the sky?
Oxygen decreases and breathing becomes difficult. It is well know that scientists have
discovered this fact only recently.
There is no doubt that these words in this verse were the revelation of
God upon His prophet. Man feels more
difficult to breathe the more he goes up into the sky, which is well-known,
scientifically speaking, as the upper air layers are looser and their pressure
is lower. Now, who taught Muhammad
(pbuh) this scientific truth, which was unknown to the people of his age and
even to the people of the later ages after him until the present age with its
amazing advanced technology to prove the scientific truth? It is the Lord of mankind and the jinn, the
Lord who created everything, then proportioned it, and who has measured
preordainments, then guided, and Who taught us what we had not known.

F.
“And has made the moon a light therein and made the sun a lamp” (Holy
Qur’an: 71:16). In this
verse, we find that God the Almighty differentiates in His description between
His two creations the sun and the moon.
He describes the sun as a “lamp.”
In another verse of the Holy Qur’an God says: “and We have made
(therein) a shining lamp (the sun) (Holy Qur’an: 78:13). The sun is described a glowing
lamp. It is the heat-generating machine,
on whose power so many things in life depend.
It affects the formation of the clouds, through the evaporation of

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water from the vast ocean one earth and raising
it to the upper layers of air. In the
lamp, there is burning, heat and light; all are available in the sun. The choice of the word “lamp” is so accurate
and has been chosen carefully to suit reality.
As for the moon, God describes it as illuminating only, something which
does not mean that it is a source of heat: it only conveys light. The scientific discoveries have come to prove
that the sun is a source of heat. The temperature degree of it mounts to 15 million
centigrade. The sun only reflects the sunlight, not more. It is not a source of
light; it only reflects as a mirror does. Therefore, the Qur’anic expression
about the moon is also an accurate one.
Astronomers have established this fact only recently. The sun light consists of seven shining waves
known as “white light” which constitutes the spectrum colors (from ultra to
infra violet). It also contains gamma
rays, radio short waves, and some unknown kinds of rays. The accuracy of the Qur’anic description is
crystal clear in God’s words: “It is He Who made the sun a shining thing and
the moon as a light.” So the light that
comes from the moon is not more a reflection of the sunshine, which falls on
its surface. As to the sunlight, it
consists of seen shining (light and heat), and unseen ray (which scientists use
in the lighting, x-ray films, astronomy and biology).

Question
150: Why does the Holy
Qur’an focus on man’s forelock and not other parts of the body in God’s words
“if he ceases not, We will catch him by the forelock”— The frontal lobe is
mentioned in another verse: “I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your
Lord! There is not a moving (living)
creature but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord ion the Straight
Path (the truth)” (Holy Qur’an: 11: 56).

Answer 150: At to the top of the forehead, there is one
bone in the skull called frontal bone.
It protects the frontal lobe which contains many neural centers: the
main and secondary centers of motion, the frontal eye field, the centers of
articulation movements, and the most important part, the pre-frontal cortex
which represents the biggest part of the frontal lobe of the brain. The function of the frontal cortex is
associated with the formation of the individual’s personality; it performs an
organized role in the depth of the individual’s senses and feelings. It influences the taking of initiative and
judgment. It directs some of man’s acts
which express his personality, like honesty, lying, right and wrong.

The
destruction of this cortex because of a certain disease, tumor, or an accident,
leads to the loss of initiative taking and recognition. Some emotional changes may take place also;
which leads to cheering up and trance.
One loses his interest in his social appearance. Instead of

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being wise, observing others’ affairs around
him, he becomes indifferent, irresponsible for himself and for others around
him. The intoxicating drinks affect the tissues of the frontal areas of the
brain.

The frontal folds of the brain are important
for the mind, for they are connected with the supreme mental acts. We do those plans inside these folds. Thus, they affect the acts and functions of
the other parts of the brain, like our thoughts, feelings and emotions.

The frontal lobe, then, is the location that
controls the behavior of animals; eventually those ayas which were mentioned in
the Noble Qur’an in the seventh century (A.D.) include knowledge understanding
the whole functions of the frontal folds of the brain.[1]

[1] See Scientific Inimitability in Frontal
Lobe, Qur’anic and Prophetic Tradition Inimitability, Islamic World
Association.

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Chapter 2:

Selections from the
Inimitability of the Prophet’s Tradition (Sunnah)

Question 151: What
is the attitude of modern science towards the prophetic hadith: “When a dog
licks a utensil belonging to any one of you, (the thing contained in it) should
be thrown away and then (the utensil) should be washed seven times, the first
one with earth.”[1]

Answer 151: This hadith was reported by Abu
Hurayrah, who was one of the prophet’s close companions. Jurisprudents and scholars were surprised by
that fact that earth could be used as a purifier: they thought that it soils,
rather than cleans. However, it was (and
still) believed to be a matter of worship which must be taken for granted. So, Muslims have to wash pots which dogs have
licked (or eaten in) seven times including one with earth. Muslims just follow the apparent meaning of
the words of the hadith because it came to us from the prophet.

The Noble Qur’an has come with its studies,
researches and advanced means that facilitate research and prove things that
were difficult for people to conduct in the previous ages simply because of
lack of advanced technology.

One of the researches was conducted on the
relationship between earth and rabies.
Rabies is a disease whose bacteria lie in the saliva of the dog and they
are transmittable to man. The dog may
have this kind of bacteria even though the symptoms of rabies do not appear on
the dog. It may have the disease, just
like any animal or living being having or carrying the disease without being
infected by it. Research on this matter
was conducted in Spain
long time ago; recently by a Pakistani doctor.
It was found that rabies and its germs no matter how much are washed
with water; the germs will not be removed completely unless rubbed at least
once with earth. Earth kills germs
completely. The same applies to other
diseases, which confirms the prophetic tradition.

[1] Cited in Muslim, The Purification
Book.

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Question 152: What is the form of inimitability in each of the following
matters:

A. Women’s
menstruation/period.

B. Circumcision
of sexes, males and females.

C. Eating
the meat of dead animals.

D. Prohibition
of eating the pig’s meat.

E. Fasting
during the “white days”.

F. AIDS
spread as a result of adultery.

Answer 152: The answer to this question comprises the
following:

A. In the Holy Qur’an God the Almighty say:

“They ask you concerning menstruation. Say: “That is the an adha (a harmful
thing for a husband to have a sexual intercourse with his wife while she is
having her menses), therefore keep away from women during menses and go not
unto them till they are purified (from menses and have taken a bath. And when
they have purified themselves, then go in unto them as God has ordained for
your (go in unto them in any manner as long as it is in their vagina). Truly,
God loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify
themselves by taking a bath and cleaning and washing thoroughly their private
parts, bodes, for their prayers) (Holy Qur’an: 1: 222).

Clearly, this was God’s revelation to this
enquiry which was once raised by one of the companions of the prophet about
menstruation (the monthly menstruation of the woman). God calls it adha (a harmful
thing). Therefore, men should refrain
from an sexual intercourse with their wives during their period, as it might
cause harm for either the man or woman, or both. In this context, the prophet (pbuh) said: “Do
everything except sexual intercourse.”[1] In the same context it was reported that
Hakeem Bin Huzam once asked the prophet (pbuh): “What can I do with my wife
while she is having her period?”[2] The prophet’s
answer was: “Everything above the waist wrapper is yours.”[3] Concerning menstruation, research has proved
the following facts:

-Harmful
bacteria exist plentifully in the vagina during the period, while dederline
organisms disappear. Dederline organisms
exist naturally in the vagina, they are considered as a natural guard against
harmful germs. These organisms live on
the sugar preserved in the vagina walls.
Their number decreases until they disappear completely a few hours
before menstruation and during it.
Doderlins reach their highest number of growth and activity half way
during the absence of menstruation period.
Their normal rate is 5x1 mm, but it decreases sharply before
menstruation.

-During menstruation, the degree of acid
ionization of the vagina changes from acid to alkaline. This makes the organisms die while blood
takes them out of the vagina on its way.

[1] Cited in Ahmad, Muslim and Abu
Dawud.

[2] Cited in Abu Dawud.

[3]

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-During the period, the vagina becomes the
most appropriate place for the production, development, and activity of the
harmful germs.

-In the absence of these organisms, with the
change of acid ionization into an alkaline one, and in the presence of blood,
the vagina becomes extremely liable all kinds of the harmful germs, that find a
fertile soil for growing and reproduction.
The activity is not limited to those organisms, but also to its
accompanying anus and urine pass way germs while the guard, the doderline
organisms, are absent. There is no
harmful germs than those which might penetrate into the womb’s broken walls at
this particular time, as they might go into the abdomen; consequently, into the
body. They can quite easily find their
way to the loose tissues which become so soft in that critical time; nothing
would prevent them except the blood stream coming in the opposite direction
from top to bottom. It is not wise or
logical then at all to defy nature by breaking into the first defense line and
other lines of menstruation.

Studies have found out that the parasite
trichomonas vaginalis becomes guardable during menstruation. This parasite exists the tope of the vagina
during menstruation awaiting its chance and watching its catch. It is known that it causes infection in the
urinal and reproductive system of man.
It is conveyed to man only through sexual intercourse. Both the Qur’anic text and prophetic hadith
in this context lay the condition for the intercourse after the menstruation
that cleanliness is a must. In order to
achieve cleanliness, blood should stop first; then it traces must be removed
with clean water. It was reported by
Aishah (the prophet’s wife) that a woman once asked the prophet about bathing
after menstruation. He told her how to
bathe by saying: “Take a clean and perfumed piece of cotton and bathe three
times.” She asked: “How can I purify?”
The Prophet (pbuh) was shy to answer her.
So, Aishah says, “I took her by the hand and told her what the Prophet
(pbuh) meant, i.e. “follow the path of the blood.”

In that way of purifying, the harmful germs
disappear at the time when there is no running current of blood to wash them
naturally and prepare the atmosphere for the existence of doderline once more,
especially that the prophetic tradition commands the use of musk (perfume),
which germicides, not to mention its fragrance.[1]

B. Circumcision of sexes, males and females:

Abu Hurayrah related that the prophet (pbuh)
said: “There are five things that ever man should naturally do: circumcision,
shaving the public hair, taking out the armpit hair, nail trimming, moustache
cutting.”[2]

Circumcision is cutting off the piece of
skin which covers the glans. It is
recommended that the whole piece should be removed. Shaddad Bin Aws related the following hadith
from the prophet (pbuh): “Circumcision is obligatory for men, and a
dignitary act for women.”[3] Circumcision is a regulation for Muslims and
a discriminatory mark and an emblem. The
Jews share Muslims this tradition, because the first prophet to command it was
Ibrahim (Abraham, pbuh).

In 1987 The Medical British Magazine
published an article stating: “Penis cancer is rare among the Jews, and in the
Muslim countries, where circumcision is done during infancy...” The American magazine Pediatrics
stated: “The Jewish and Muslim religious obligation plays an essential role in
urging them to practice this natural deed, circumcision. In other words, the foreskin surrounding the
glans is like a moor, where most disease circumstances develop, and urine
irrigates it; white material is formed on the walls of this pocket resulting
from the remaining germs and fungi, the excretions of the fat and sweat glands
with the phosphate of the mucous tissue, and the remains of urine and its
elements.

It is easy for us now to imagine the
interference of disease factors, like urine meatus with the uncircumcised. This substance goes into the urethra, then
into the bladder, then the kidney. It
may continue its way to prostate, the testicle and epididymis; it may cause
infertility to men as a result of testitis and epididymitis. Circumcision prevents the top-of-the-penis
cancer, as this kind of circumcision rare with the uncircumcised men. Any likely infection in the penis may quite
easily be transmitted to the woman, which causes her aidoiitis/vulvitis, and
elytritis bartholinitis, it may cause the womb neck to be infected or to
ulcerate. This infection could develop
further ominously and affect the womb, or its accessories, which may lead to
infertility. I do not say the circumcision prevents, or reduces those
infections significantly only, but there are certain diseases, which can be
prevented only by circumcision, such diseases as the narrowing of the back
foreskin, or front and back foreskin infection, the sticking of the foreskin
with the glans, and some forms of frequent urinary continence caused by the
foreskin. The husband’s circumcision plays an important role in preventing the
wife of most of the women’s gynecological infections.

As
for women’s circumcision, which is known in Islamic sharia as khafdh, it
is optional. Women are urged to
circumcise, especially when the outer genitals, like the clitoris, or labia
minora, are overgrown—cases which might cause repellence or disgust. Also, this overgrowth and dangling outside
may cause in the future continuous sexual excitement because of constant
friction, which

[1] See Inimitability Magazine, Issue No. 3.

[2] Cited in Bukhari, hadith No.
5889, 5891, 6297, and Muslim No. 257.
It is also cited in the canonical books of hadiths.

[3] Documented by Ahmad, Sunan Ahmad, with a
weak support (02,67) and Tabarani, Bayhaqi, Abi al-Shaykh, Tabarani and
Bayhaqi.

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may lead to lack of shyness at her, and she
may deviate to perversion and disobedience, and that is whey the God prophet
called it a “noble” deed.

When those genitals overgrow to the extreme,
they may prevent sexual intercourse: it prevents the penis from penetrating the
vagina. If the girl has no overgrown
genitals to be cut off, or if her genitals are moderate in length, there is no
justification for circumcision.

It is generally noticed that women’s outer
genitals are longer the colder they get to the Equator, and the shorter they
the further we move north. This becomes rare in the northern people.

C. Eating the meat of a dead animal:

Dr. Jon Hanover, a Profess at the Department
of bacteriology, Guess Hospital, the governmental and biggest hospital in Copenhagen stated: “the
meat of dead animals is a reservoir of germs, and – reservoir of killing
diseases. Therefore, laws were legislated in Europe
to prohibit eating it.” He mentioned that animals that die because of
suffocation, the germs in which are transmitted to their meat eaters, as the
wall of the large entrails, where the excrement is, works as a barrier that
prevents the transmission of germs from the large entrails to the body of the
animal and to its blood as long as the animal is alive.

It is known that the large entrails are a
big reservoir of germs, which are harmful to man. The internal wall of these entrails prevents
the movement of those germs to the body of the animal. Also, in the blood of the animals there is
another wall that prevents to movement of the germs to the animal’s blood. If an animal is suffocated, it dies slowly,
and the danger lies in this kind of death, as the resistance of the wall
coating the large entrails loses its strength gradually which eventually allows
the harmful germs to penetrate the wall of the entrails and go into the blood
and neighbouring flesh, then they move through the blood cycle to the rest of
the body, for the animal is not dead yet.
The germs go out from the wall of the veins to the flesh due to the lack
of resistance in the walls of the veins, which consequently makes the animal a
big reservoir of these harmful germs, which attack the health of the animal
until it dies. The death of the animal
in this way means there is a big danger in the body of the creature which has
been strangled to death. Dr. Hanover added that all
this might happen any animal that dies in any other way except
slaughtering. Muslims slaughter the
animal in order to purify it animal from such likely germs. In this light we can understand God’s words
better:

“Forbidden to you (for food) are: al-maitah
(the dead animals – cattle – beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine,
and that one which Allah’s name has not been mentioned while slaughtering,
(that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah, or has
been slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by
a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns – and that
which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal – unless you are able to
slaughter it (before its death)” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 3).

D. Prohibition of eating the pig’s meat (and
its derivatives: pork, ham, etc.):

Dr. John Hanover Larsen stated that he
discovered a new germ called “parsina.”
This germ exists only in pigs, and lives only at low temperature
degrees, 4 centigrade. Many Europeans
contract it and many diseases that infect the backbone and joints are
attributed to this germ (See Inimitability Magazine, No. 3). Besides, he discovered tapeworms and their
coated eggs in their meat, blood and bowls in spite of the many attempts of the
veterinarians to burn quantities of pig’s meat to get rid of that tapeworms, as
they re-appear constantly.
Psychoanalysts have found that a man eating the meat of a certain animal
might become infected by certain qualities of this animal. The pigsty is one of the filthiest places and
this animal is least jealous among animals about its females. The lack of jealousy about one’s own mother,
sister(s), spouse, and daughter(s) in the west might be attributed to their
devouring of vast quantities of pork.

E. Fasting 6 days of the 10^th
Hijri month, Shawwal (the month that comes after the fasting month of
Ramadhan):

These are known as the “white days.” Many prophetic traditions urged Muslims to
fast three days of every month, the three days whose nights are white because
of the moonlight when it is a full moon.
They are 13, 14 and 15 of every lunar month. Abu Dhar reported that the prophet (pbuh)
“commanded us to fast the three white days: the thirteenth, fourteenth and
fifteenth.”[1]

Researchers
have found out that during these three days, the moon becomes a full at night
and the sea ebbing reaches its highest level—something that causes a big
excitement. They also noticed that this
excitement during those days, particularly in sexual activities, affects
man. They also found out that during
these three days of every month crimes increase. Other researchers connected between what
happens on earth with that in the human body, as the percentage of water on the
globe is 75% and that in the body of the human being is approximately the
same. Fasting had been the only
medicine, which reduces man’s tension and/or his sexual excitement.

[1] Cited in Nisai, Tirmidhi,
Ahmad, and others.

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It is a fact that the strongest motives in
man are the natural ones, then the motive for food, then sexual motives. Fasting reduces the strength of man’s motive
for food, drink and sex. Thus, we
realize that God the Almighty gave man a natural and useful medicine to appease
him in the time of agitation and excitement.
The prophet’s tradition echoes this.

F. AIDS spread as a result of the spread of
adultery:

Sodomy (homosexuality) is one of the most
wicked and ugliest crimes. It indicates
the deviation of inborn nature, corruption in the mind and perversion. It denotes sexual intercourse between two
males, or between a male and a female where male has sex with a female in the
anus. God the Almighty said: “You - Go
you in unto the males of the alamin (mankind),” and leave those whom God
has created for your to be your wives? Nay, you are a trespassing people!” (Holy
Qur’an: 26:164-5). In
Arabic it was is known as Liwaat, adjective of Lut’s people, who were
the first people to have practiced this act, “which none has preceded you in
committing” in the alamin (mankind and jinn,” as God said. God the Almighty punished the people of Lut
most severely by making the earth sink under them; they were rained with stones
as a punishment for their dirty act.
Qur’anic verses were revealed condemning their act, which is still being
recited throughout the world and will continue to be recited for generations to
come. God said:

“So when Our Commandment came, We turned
(the towns of Sodom in Palestine) upside down, and rained on them stones of
backed clay, in a well-arranged manner one after another, marked from your
Lord; and they are not ever far from the zalimun (polytheists,
evil-doers)” (Holy Qur’an:
11:34).

This
has been proved in the history of mankind.
God punished them by killing them all, so that not a single criminal
would remain alive would remain to transmit any social and/or physical diseases
to ancestor generation. God wants man’s
life to be clean of the dirt of vice and perversion; hence, the prophet’s guidance
cam to show us the great atrocity of this crime in the prophetic traditions
which made the path of truth clear to be taken.
Jabir ibn Abdullah related that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The most thing I fear about my nation is the
act of the people of Lut (homosexuality).”[1] Ibn Abbas reported another hadith from
the prophet, who said: “God does not look at a man who went in unto a man, or
woman in her anus.”[2] Abu Hurayrah also reported that the prophet
said: “May he be cursed, he who does the deed of the Lutians (homosexuality).”[3] “Curse” means here the dismissal from the
mercy of God the Almighty. This

[1] Cited in Tirmidhi, Ibn Majih,
and al-Hakim.

[2] Cited in Tirmidhi, Ibn Abi
Shaybah and Ibn Habban.

[3] Cited in Ahmad in Musnad, and
Tirmidhi.

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is deserved only because of the one of the
heinous acts of sin and disgust of it, the repetition of that in the crime of
sodomy is a clear proof of the heinousness of this sin, and the one who does it
deserves every kind of punishment. There are many prophetic traditions in this
respect.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) warned us against
the committing of sins as a whole and particularly committing sin public. Abdullah ibn Amr related that the prophet
said: “O, folk of immigrants, there are five sins I take resort in God from
that you do not see: ‘No people amongst whom adultery appears publicly will
escape being plagued with pestilence, diseases which did not appear among their
ancestors, and if they do not weight properly what they sell, they will be
inflicted with famine, adversity and the oppression of the ruler. If they do
not pay zakat from their money, they will not have rain from the sky. Had it not been for the animals, they would
not be rained. If they disobey God and His messenger, God will allow an enemy
from others to take some of what they have. If their rulers do not implement
Allah’s book and choose from what God has revealed, God will make their
strength among themselves’.”[1]

Those crimes which the prophet (pbuh)
mentioned are inflicted upon anyone who avoids Islam partly or completely. Every criminal act has its own consequence:
sodomy and its spread in the human society brings about new diseases which did
not exist before among the ancestors, which is what we live in this century.

In the 20^th century God decreed
to send to those who commit sodomy a wild dragon in order to awaken the sleepy
and cause horror in the hearts of those whose insight has been blinded by false
civilization. How could they be
prevented without having any deterrent system or considerable values? The 20^th
century civilization has paddled in the liberty of sex, and did not leave any
virtue without fooling with it, or honour or chastity without destroying its
pillars, nor left women’s dignity without desecrating it.

AIDS hs been a cry that turned the life of
the west upside down. it has been a
stigma on those who avoided marriage and practiced sodomy as a way of living.

Dr.
George Dunia wrote: “The demonstrations of the sexual perverts in the streets
had disappeared. The public water
closets have closed their doors and the call for purity, chastity and

[1] Cited in Ibn Majih in Fitan Book, hadith
No. 9004.

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marriage to one woman has returned, and he
fear of AIDS has many restored the moral and social values of the 50s to
reappear and the sanctifying of the virgin woman may come back again.”

“Purity,” “chastity” and “virgin women” are
words that are being repeated by millions.
They had been absent for long years in vice and immorality. Statistics classified AIDS patients into four
kinds:

1. Sexual perverts, whose percentage in Britain is 84%
out of the total number.

2. Drug addicts who take drugs by syringes.

3. Adulterers who commit adultery with more
than one woman.

4. Patients who have contracted AIDS through
blood transfusion.

AIDS
also appeared among women, especially whores and drug addicts. The several perverts or drug addicts are to
be blamed for the spread of AIDS. They
are responsible for the spread of AIDS in the society. The only way to avoid AIDS is the confinement
of men to an honest marital relationship.
If man had done so, and the wife to her relationship with her husband
only, the possibility of contracting this disease will be almost impossible;
hence, the accuracy of the Islamic rules explained by the prophetic
traditions.

The
punishment of this act, killing the doers, the positive and the negative, came
to wipe out the effect of the crime both physically and morally. The inimitability of the prophetic traditions
in this subject t when it stated that the spread of vice in society is a cause
for the appearance of illnesses which have not been known before, and this is
what has our present century has witnessed.

Question 153: What
is the form of scientific inimitability in prophetic medicine? Can you give
some examples?

Answer 153: The form of inimitability in prophetic
traditions appear in all fields of anatomy, physiological, pathological
medicines. Because of time and space, I
am going to give only a few examples.
Annuman ibn Basheer related that the prophet said: “the believers in
mutual intimacy and mercy are like one body; if one organ suffers, the whole
body will suffer.”[1]

[1] Cited in Muslim, hadith No
2586.

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The portrayal of the tradition is an
accurate scientific description of what happens in the body. The body temperature rises and the body is
affected with fever that prevents it from sleeping and is worried at night, and
torments him during the day. This
connection is not only related to the organs of the body, but it goes beyond
that to the psychological aspect as well.
Also, the prophet said: “There is in the body one morsel, if it is good,
the whole body will be good, and if it is corrupted, the whole body will be
corrupted too, it is the heart.”[1] So it is void of diseases, free of illnesses,
the whole body will be sound as a whole.
Abdullah ibn Abbas related that
the prophet said: “Use antimony as kohl, it makes the hair grow and
sharpens the eyesight.”[2] Ali ibn Abi Talib related that the prophet of
God said: “Use antimony, it makes the hair grow, dismisses the motes and
sharpens the eyesight.”[3] Antimony is used as an ingredient of the
medicine used for the treatment of trachoma.
If studies continue, other results may be discovered. Al-Miqdad ibn Ma`d Yathrib related that he
heard the prophet say: “Man not filled more harmful pot than his stomach. It
suffices man to have a few morsels to give him strength. If it is impossible to
do this, he can give a third of his stomach to food, a third to drink and a
third to breath.”[4] This hadith gives us an accurate
organization of man’s food, so that it does not go beyond the need and does not
become less than what I necessary. In this manner, man lives comfortably away
from obesity which tires the body and the heart which is the 20^th
century plague. Abullah ibn Abbas
related that the messenger of God said: “Nothing replace food and drink except
milk.” In another version: “I do not know any drink that can replace food
except milk.”[5] Here the prophet refers to the useful
substances which are necessary for the human body whether it is small or
big. He referred to the value of
nutritional value of milk in a time when people did not know the ingredients of
milk and the elements it contains, and the important ingredients of vital food
which cannot be found together in another drink. Aishah related that the prophet said: “A home
in which there are no dates is a home whose householders are hungry” and in
another version: “A home without dates is like a foodless home.” This shows that dates are a sufficient food
of man and it satiates him so he does not need other kinds of food. It has been proved that dates contain so many
minerals that they are called a mine of minerals. Dates form a complete and excellent meal
containing vitamin A and B. It is easy to digest their sugar, unlike the
starchy substances. The prophet (pbuh)
said: “Every intoxicating substance is wine, and every kind of wine is
prohibited.”[6]

[1] Cited in Bukhari, hadith No
2493 and in Muslim, hadith No 1599.

[2] Cited in Bukhari, hadith No
2493, and in Muslim, hadith No 1599.

[3] Cited in Tirmidhi, Nisai, Abu
Dawud, Ibn Majih and others.

[4] Cited
in Tabarani, and Ibn Abi Asim.

[5] Cited in Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi,
Ibn Majih, Ahmad and others.

[6] Cited in Muslim in the Book of
Drinks, hadith No. 4735.

مراقب عام المنتدى

All the modern studies confirm the harm of
wine on man’s health; it causes many physical and psychological diseases. The prophet (pbuh) set a rule: Every
mind-killing and intoxicating drink is wine, and the rule of wine applies to
it, prohibition. Abdullah ibn Abbas
related that the messenger of God said: “Two blessing many people are many
people wish to have, good health and free time.”[1]

Abu Hurayrah related that the prophet said:
“There is no supplication of the servant better than “O, God, I ask you for
good health in this life and in the hereafter.”[2] In these two hadiths, and in many many
more, the prophet (pbuh) stresses the importance of health and fitness; and
this is what is being done by the health authorities in all countries all over
the world for the sake of preserving the health and fitness of
individuals. Osama ibn Zayd related that
the prophet said: “If you hear of a plague in a land, do not go into it, and if
it inflicts a land you are in, do not leave it.”[3] This hadith sets the essential rule of
health quarantine performed by countries to protect the people from the coming
diseases and there are many examples of prophetic inimitability.

[1] Cited in Bukhari.

[2] Cited in Ibn Majih in the Book of
Supplication, hadith No. 3871.

[3] Cited in Bukhari in the Book if
Medicine, hadith No. 5287.

مراقب عام المنتدى

Conclusion

Praise be to God Who has facilitated the
completion of this humble work, and we ask Him to accept it purely for His
sake, and benefit us and all Muslims by it.
We ask Him to reward everyone who contributed to the realization of this
book, and make that in their good deeds balance in the Day of Judgment.

We have to remind readers that this book
included answers to some questions that were asked by different people who were
considering converting (or reverting) to Islam, by some new Muslims, and by
some people living in close proximity to Muslims because of their work, common
interests, or general life. The answers
in this book have been directed to these groups of people in general, and all
the questions that have been included here real enquiries, rather than
anticipated or selected questions.

This book could be considered a beginning
and an incentive for more in-depth studies that interest those who are active
in the field of preaching and spreading Islam amongst non-Muslim minorities
living in Muslim communities. Those who
are working actively for Islam may dedicate part of their precious time to
investigate the needs of inviting different non-Muslims to Islam and the ideas
these people could have about Islam, and provide some writings that clarify
misconceptions about Islam, and support these writings with solid proof.

Contemporary preachers of Islam are supposed
to reflect modern life and realize the challenges and dangers of backward
thinking. They should also prepare
themselves to shoulder their great responsibilities in such a way that reflects
their deep belief in God and His messenger, prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

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