ANSWER: If we knew that the person who wrote these statements wrote them with the sheer purpose of revealing the truth instead of carrying out the duty assigned to him by the Protestant missionary organization, we would thank him for his final words, which are rather reasonable. But, as everyone knows, and as he himself admits, we must warn him not to add any dissimulation to his real motive, which is to earn a living by working for the Protestant missionary society. Nevertheless, since the gauge he propounds is true, it is a pleasure for us to agree with him. Yet some âyats in Qur’ân al-kerîm must be collated with their counterparts in the Bible in such a manner as their comparison will indicate the following evidences.
If we leave aside the episodes and statements in the four Gospels, their teachings on ethics, on wordly affairs [muâmalât], on the knowledge pertaining to the heart and to next world consist in the following:
“Turning completely away from the world, being contented with poverty and destitution. Loving Allâhu ta’âlâ with all your heart and more than your own life and wishes. Loving your neighbor as well as your own self and sympathizing with him in times of sorrow and trouble. Pitying the oppressed. Sympathizing with children. Repelling evil thoughts from the heart. Reconciling two estranged believers to each other. Putting up with troubles patiently for the sake of your faith. Not committing homicide. Not stealing. Not becoming angry. Not saying bad words. Not uttering expletives or profanities. Being aware of your own faults, even if they may seem venial, and tolerating others’ faults, even if they are grave; not blaming others. Being patient when you are pelted by others because you give them advice. Not defiling or changing the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ; not hurting your brother in religion; not committing fornication; not looking at women [except your spouse] lustfully; not divorcing your wife without any reason; not swearing; not resisting evil (Matt.: 5-39); when you are smitten on one cheek, offering your other cheek (to be slapped) (ibid); when you are asked to give your shirt, giving your coat, too; uttering benedictions on people who utter maledictions on you; in short, doing favours to everyone who bears malice against you; avoiding hypocrisy in alming, fasting and praying; not praying too long; not saving money so much as to keep your heart busy with it; not worrying about your subsistence or clothing. Whatever you ask sincerely from Allâhu ta’âlâ He will give you. He who obeys the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ will enter Paradise.” The Gospels contain the following pieces of advice, too: “Do not take money for teaching others their religious commandments. When you enter someone’s place greet (people being there). Do not stay where you are not wanted. When teaching a commandment, (remember that) the commandment is given by Allâhu ta’âlâ, not by you. Do not fear anyone when you teach the (religious) rules; do not try anyone or pass judgement on anyone. Forgive any fault and be modest. I have come to make peace among people; I have not brought faction or sword; I have not come to make dissension or war. He who loves his parents more than me is not with me. In the next world good deeds will be rewarded and bad deeds will be punished with torment. He who obeys Allâhu ta’âlâ is my brother. He who admits the true word upon hearing it shall be rewarded in the next world, and he who denies it shall be tormented. Be good to your parents. A person will not become foul or dirty with the dirty words he utters. But he will be dirty if he actually does the dirty acts he utters, i.e. if he kills someone or commits adultery or bears false witness. Do not refuse to pay tax when you are asked to. He who is modest will be exalted by Allâhu ta’âlâ. The conceited one will be downgraded. Give alms from your property, and you will be paid back by Allâhu ta’âlâ; entering Paradise will be difficult for those rich people who hoard property. We have come not to be served, but to serve.”
All the commandments, prohibitions, and the rules of good and bad conduct in the Gospels consist in the matters written above.
Qur’ân al-kerîm, the highest, the most superior of the heavenly books sent down by Allâhu ta’âlâ, also covers all the teachings in the Bible in the most immaculate style. If we were to collate all the commandments, prohibitions, and the rules pertaining to worldly matters and ethics with those in Qur’ân al-kerîm, we would need to mention and explain only a minority of the rules in Qur’ân al-kerîm. We will therefore exemplify only a few of them:
1 — It is written in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” [Matt: 5-3. Here good news is given to those who do not esteem the world and it is stated that the world is worthless.]
In Qur’ân al-kerîm, on the other hand, this fact is expressed in the best and the most compendious style and in such a choice of vocabulary as will be understood by anyone:
The twentieth âyat of Hadîd sûra purports: “Know ye (all), that the life in this world is but play and amusement, pomp and mutual boasting and multiplying, (in rivalry) among yourselves, riches and children....” (57-20)
The thirty-second âyat of En’âm sûra purports: “What is the life of this world but play and amusement? But best is the Home in the Hereafter, for those who are righteous. Will ye not then understand?” (6-32)
The forty-sixth âyat of Kahf sûra purports: “Wealth and sons are amusements of the life of this world: But the things that endure, Good Deeds, are best In the sight of thy Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ), as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes.” (18-46)
“It is purported in the thirty-ninth and fortieth âyats of Mu’min sûra: “O My people! This life of the present is nothing but (temporary) convenience: It is the Hereafter that is the Home that will last.” “He that works evil will be requited but by the like thereof: And he that works a righteous deed – whether man or woman – and is a Believer – such will enter the Garden (of Bliss): therein will they have abundance without measure.” (40-39, 40)
The twelfth âyat of Shûrâ sûra purports: “To him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth: He enlarges and restricts the sustenance to whom He will: for He knows full well all things.” (42-12)
The thirty-sixth âyat of Shûrâ sûra purports: “Whatever ye are given (here) is (but) a convenience of this life: but that which is with Allâhu ta’âlâ is better and more lasting: it is for those who believe and put their trust in their Rabb;” (42-36) Besides these âyats and many other similar âyats stating that the world is evil, there are quite a number of hadîth-i-sherîfs uttered by our Prophet, Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’. [The (Arabic) words dunyâ (world) and adnâ, which are written in (the original versions of) the âyats that we have quoted above and the hadîths that we shall quote below, mean harmful, evil things. In other words, Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs (the blessed utterances of our Prophet, Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’) prohibit from harmful and evil things. People who have ’aql-i-selîm (real common sense) recognize harmful and evil things. People with imperfect wisdom, especially if they are short-sighted, cannot distinguish harmful and evil things from useful and good ones. They confuse them with one another. Allâhu ta’âlâ and His Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’, being extremely merciful upon human beings, have also explained what the world they have prohibited from is, that is, they have stated clearly what the harmful and evil things are. Accordingly, world (dunyâ) means things that are prohibited by Allâhu ta’âlâ and which are said to be makrûh by our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’. As it is seen, those worldly matters that are not prohibited by Allâhu ta’âlâ, and some of which are even commanded by Him, are different from the world that is harmful and evil. Hence, it is not worldly to work and earn as much as you can, to learn and utilize science, medicine, arithmetics, geometry, architecture, means of war and, in short, to make and earn all sorts of means of civilization that will provide ease, peace and happiness for mankind. It is an act of worship to make and use all these things in manners, ways and conditions prescribed by Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu ta’âlâ likes Muslims who do so. He will give them endless blessings and felicities in the Hereafter.] The following are some of the hadîths (mentioned above):
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf, which is narrated by Abdullah Ibn ’Umar ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’: “If a person is given a small worldly thing[which is more than he needs], he will lose some of his esteem before Allâhu ta’âlâ, even if he is a valuable person according to Allâhu ta’âlâ.”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “Setting one’s heart to the world is the origin of all sins.”
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ invokes in a hadîth-i-sherîf, which is narrated by Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’: “Yâ Rabbî (O my Allah). Send the subsistence of Muhammad’s household as much as will suffice for them.”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “Be like a destitute person or a wayfarer in the world; consider yourself dead.”
There are other hadîth-i-sherîfs, as follows:
“The fortunate is the person who has forsaken the world, that is, dismissed its love out of his heart, before the world has forsaken him.”
“If a person wishes the next world and works for the next world, Allâhu ta’âlâ makes this world his servant.”
“If a person believes that the next world is eternal, it will be extremely consternating if he sets his heart to this world.”
“The world has been created for you, and you have been created for the next world! In the next world there is Paradise and Hell fire, and no other place.”
“Curse the person who worships money and food!”
“I am not anxious about your becoming poor. But I fear that, as was the case with your predecessors, taking possession of plenty of the world, you will disobey Allâhu ta’âlâ and become hostile to one another.”
“The damage of greed for wealth and fame to a person is more than the harm of two wolves attacking a flock of sheep.”
“Do not be inclined to the world so that Allâhu ta’âlâ will love you. Do not envy others’ property so that people will love you.”
“Life in this world is like a bridge to be crossed. Do not try to adorn this bridge. Cross it fast and go on your way!”
“Work for this world as much as is necessary for your stay here; and work for the next world as much as will be necessary for your stay there!”
Beside those âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs which prohibit from setting the heart on the world and advise sparing more energy for the Hereafter, the Islamic religion contains numbers of commandments, âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs promoting knowledge, science, techniques, sculpture, arts and commerce and encouraging to work for them. For the salvation and welfare of a civilized society or nation is not possible in poverty. On the contrary, wealth is indispensable for establishing institutions of charity, public kitchens, schools, madrasas, cookhouses, hospitals, for helping the disabled, the poor and the destitute, [and for serving humanity by making fountains and bridges and founding factories]. As a matter of fact, the twenty-ninth âyat of the Nisâ sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “O ye who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves in vanities, [such as interest and gambling, which are forbidden by Islam]; but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual good-will: ...” (4-29)
The two hundred and seventy-fifth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “... But Allâhu ta’âlâ has permitted trade and forbidden ribâ [interest]...” (2-275)
The fourteenth and the fifteenth âyats of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra purport, “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land, such as the possessions of this world’s life; but in nearness to Allâhu ta’âlâ is the best of goals (to return to).” “Say: Shall I give you glad tidings of things far better than those? For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Rabb, with rivers flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home; with compassions pure (and holy); and the good pleasure of Allâhu ta’âlâ, for in Allâhu ta’âlâ’s sight are (all) His slaves, – ” (3-14, 15)
The eleventh âyat of Naba’ sûra purports: “And (We have) made the day as a means of subsistence [so that you may earn your living during the day].” (78-11)
The tenth âyat of A’râf sûra purports: “It is We Who have placed you with authority on earth, and provided you therein with means for the fulfilment of your life: [We have created sustenances necessary for you to live by agriculture, trade and working.] Small are the thanks that ye give;” (7-10)
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “The best, the most auspicious food a person eats is that which he earns with his wrist. Dâwûd (David) ‘alaihis-salâm’, who was a Prophet of Allâhu ta’âlâ, ate what he earned with his hands.”
“For a devout person who spends (his property) for beneficial purposes, property earned through halâl (through means prescribed to be legal by Islam) is so beautiful.”
“The righteous merchant shall be included in the assembly of siddîqs and martyrs on the Day of Judgement.”
“For those who make things easy in selling and buying, Allâhu ta’âlâ will make things easy in whatever they do.”
And another: “May Allâhu ta’âlâ have mercy upon those who make things easy in selling and buying.”
One early morning, Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ was talking to his As-hâb (Companions), when a robust youngster walked by and made for his shop. Some of the company said he might as well join them and learn a few things instead of going to work so early in order to earn what is worldly. Upon this Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “Do not say so! If he is going lest he, his parents and household be in need, each of his steps is worship. If his purpose is to assume an arrogant air to others or to live in luxury, he is with the Shaytân (Satan).”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “If a Muslim earns through halâl and does not need anyone’s help and helps his neighbors and relations, on the Day of Judgement he will be as luminous as the full moon.”
[It is declared in (other) hadîth-i-sherîfs: “Allâhu ta’âlâ likes a skilled Believer.”and “The most halâl (legal) thing is an artisan’s earnings.” and “Do trade! Nine-tenths of (your) sustenance are in trade.” and “If a person makes himself so poor as to beg others for alms, Allâhu ta’âlâ will inflict seventy kinds of needs upon him.”
It is declared in other hadîth-i-sherîfs: “Those who suffer hardships for earning through halâl deserve Paradise.” and “After performing the daily five prayers of namâz, it is incumbent on each Muslim to work and earn through halâl.” and “The best trade is drapery, selling textile fabrics. The best handicraft is that of a tailor.”]
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ commanded and promoted craftsmanship and trade, and many âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs explain in full detail the prohibitions and the permissions in trade together with the reasons for each of them.
In the Bible, on the other hand, trade or working for the world is never permitted; on the contrary, you are commanded to sell whatever you have and donate the earnings as alms.
2 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matt: 5-4)
As for Qur’ân al-kerîm; there are numerous âyat-i-kerîmas that were revealed to explain the rewards that will be given to those who put up with the distresses that befall them. For example:
The hundred and fifty-fifth, the hundred and fifty-sixth and the hundred and fifty-seventh âyats of Baqara sûra purport: “(Ye who believe)! Be sure that We shall test you with [a little] fear [of the enemy in the Holy War], with hunger [caused by fasting or famine], with insufficient property [caused by catastrophes and damages], with lack of health [because of illness or weakness], with deficiency in your crops, [in your fruits or in your children, which are like fruits; which may have been caused by celestial or terrestrial catastrophes]. (O My beloved one)! Give glad tidings [of My blessings and kindnesses] to those who patiently persevere, ”– “Who say, when afflicted with calamity: To Allâhu ta’âlâ we belong, and to Him is our return”: – “They are those on who (descend) blessings from Allâhu ta’âlâ, and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance.” (2-15, 16, 17)
3 — Again, it is written in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt: 5-5)
The hundred and thirty-fourth âyat of the Al-i-’Imrân sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “Those... who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men; – for Allâhu ta’âlâ loves those who do good; – ” (3-134)
[The fortieth âyat of Shûrâ sûra purports: “... If a person forgives (for the injury he has been inflicted on) and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allâhu ta’âlâ: ...” (42-40) The forty-third âyat purports: “But indeed if any show patience and forgive, that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs.” (42-43)]
The hundred and fifty-ninth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra bears the following meaning: “It is part of the Mercy of Allâhu ta’âlâ that thou dost deal gently with them. Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee:...” (3-159)
Our master Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ would say this prayer: “O my Rabb (Allah)! Make me rich with knowledge, adorn me with hilm [mildness], bless me with taqwâ, and beautify me with health.” [We shall quote some hadîth-i-sherîfs about mildness below.]
4 — Again, it is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” (Matt: 5-7)
[There are many âyats about mercy, compassion and tenderness] in Qur’ân al-kerîm. The hundred and twenty-eighth âyat of Tawba sûra purports: “(O human beings!) Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that ye should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind and merciful.” (9-128)
[Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “Allâhu ta’âlâ is suave. He likes blandness. He gives to the soft-mannered Believer as He has not given to the rough-mannered or to anyone else.”
It is stated in hadîth-i-sherîfs: “He who does not behave gently is not beneficent.” and “A Believer who has been endowed with softness has been gifted with the goodnesses of this world and the world to come.” and “I am pronouncing the person who is forbidden from Hell and whom Hell is forbidden to burn. Pay attention! This person is the Believer who makes things easy for people and shows them affability.”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “If a person is able to do anything when be becomes angry and yet does not become angry, Allâhu ta’âlâ will call him among all other people. He will say unto him: Go to the houri you like.” Another hadîth-i-sherîf: “As aloes will decompose honey, so anger will spoil îmân.”
When a person asked Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ for a piece of advice, he stated: “Do not become angry [don’t get nervous!).” When he repeated his question several times, He (Rasûlullah) gave the same answer: “Do not become angry!”]
It is written in Qur’ân al-kerîm that As-hâb-i-kirâm loved one another and were kind and compassionate to one another. The final âyat of Fat-h sûra purports: “Muhammad ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wa sallam’ is the Messenger of Allâhu ta’âlâ; and those who are with him [the As-hâb-i-kirâm] are strong against unbelievers, but compassionate amongst each other. ...” (48-29)
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “He who does not respect our elders and is not compassionate to our youngers is not one of us.”
5 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matt: 5-8)
[Many âyats in Qur’ân al-kerîm and very many hadîth-i-sherîfs of our Prophet’s ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ command beautiful moral qualities and being pure hearted. Islam assigns great emphasis to purity of heart.]
The eighty-eighth and the ninetieth âyats of the Shu’arâ sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purport: “On the Day of Judgement no one will get any use from his property or children. Those who come to Allâhu ta’âlâ with a pure and faultless heart are excepted. [They shall attain blessings.]”
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “Pay attention. I am informing (you)! There is a piece of flesh in man’s body. If it is good all the (other) limbs are good. If it is evil all the (other) limbs are evil. This piece of flesh is the heart.” [This piece of flesh is the home of an essence that is called the heart and which cannot be seen or perceived through the sense organs. Purity of this piece of flesh means purity of the heart. This piece of flesh has been metaphorically called the heart, too.]
6 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt: 5-9)
Qur’ân al-kerîm declares in the tenth âyat of Hujurât sûra: “The Believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allâhu ta’âlâ, that ye may receive Mercy.” (49-10)
The hundred and fourteenth âyat of the Nisâ sûra purports: “In most of their secret talks there is no good: but if one exhorts to a deed of charity or justice or conciliation between men, (secrecy is permissible): to him who does this, seeking the good pleasure of Allâhu ta’âlâ, We shall soon give a reward of the highest (value).” (4-114)
The fortieth âyat of Shûrâ surâ purports: “The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, His reward is due from Allâhu ta’âlâ: ...” (42-40)
7 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets ‘alaihimussalâm’ before you.” (Matt: 5-10, 11, 12)
Qur’ân al-kerim contains many âyat-i-kerîmas that were revealed (to inform) on the kinds of patience and the reward for each of them. The hundred and seventy-seventh âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “It is not benediction or piety to turn your face to the east or west. The (real) benediction and piety is to believe (the existence and onesesses of) Allâhu ta’âlâ, the Hereafter, the angels, the (heavently) Books revealed by Allâhu ta’âlâ, and Prophets; and to give (a reasonable amount of) your property to your poor relations, to poor orphans, to the needy, to stranded travellers [and guests], to poor people who ask for it, to the slaves called mukâtab[those slaves who have made a contract with their owner and will be free when they pay a certain amount of money], and to captives [in order to set them free], willingly and for [the sake of] Allâhu ta’âlâ; and to perform (the daily prayers of) namâz correctly, and to give the alms called zakât, and to keep your promises in contracts, and to be patient in times of poverty, destitution and straits and in Holy War; and to be loyal to those who have these qualities. Such people are the Muslims with taqwâ.”(2-177)
The two hundredth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra purports: “O Believers! Be patient[with the persecutions of the enemies of religion]. Race your patience against that of your enemies in order to beat them in Holy War. Keep guard along the borders (of your country) in order to perform jihâd (Holy War) against disbelievers, and fear Allâhu ta’âlâ so that you attain salâh [salvation].” (3-200)
The ninety-sixth âyat of Nahl sûra purports: “... Allâhu ta’âlâ will certainly give the rewards of those who are patient, (and these will be) more than what they deserve, (both) in amount and in beauty.” (16-96)
The tenth âyat of Zumar sûra purports: “Belivers who are patient shall attain countless rewards [on the day of Judgement].” (39-10)
The hundred and fifty-third âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “O Believers! Ask for help from Allâhu ta’âlâ by patience and salât [namâz]. Certainly [the help of] Allâhu ta’âlâ is with patient Believers.” (2-153)
The twenty-second âyat of Ra’d sûra purports: “They are the people who are patient in order to attain the approval of Allâhu ta’âlâ. They perform their (daily prayers of) namâz correctly. They give alms secretly and overtly from the sustenance We have given them. They do favours to those who have wronged them. There is felicity and comfort for those Believers [in return for their deeds] in the Hereafter.” (13-22)
Allâhu ta’âlâ declared in a hadîth-i-qudsî: “O sons of Adam! If a person does not approve My qadhâ (fate), does not endure the misfortunes coming from Me with patience, does not thank for the blessings I have given, is not contented with the worldly blessings I have bestowed, let him look for another Rabb (Allah), O the son of Adam! If a person endures My pestering (him) with patience, he has approved Me, that is, he has accepted Me as (his) Rabb.”
8 — The Gospel of Matthew states about justice: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt: 5-20)
Qur’ân al-kerîm contains very many âyats about justice, too.
[The lexical meaning of justice is allocation of something to its right place. There are two definitions of justice. Firstly, “justice is to act within the laws, regulations and limits which a ruler or a sovereign has put and prescribed in order to govern the country. And injustice is to trespass the circle drawn by these laws.” The more realistic definition of justice is “to use one’s own property.” Accordingly, injustice is transgression of someone else’s property. Allâhu ta’âlâ, who has created (all) the worlds, is the supreme sovereign of all (other) sovereigns, the real owner, the one and only one Creator of all. Allâhu ta’âlâ is the absolute owner of justice. For He does everything within His property. For this reason, the final and the most perfect religion He has sent upon mankind consists in immaculate justice. And what is beyond this justice is injustice.
Qur’ân al-kerîm not only commands justice, but also prohibits injustice, which is the opposite of justice. There are many âyats pertaining to this. In fact, a person is even prohibited from doing injustice to himself.]
The fifty-eighth âyat of Nisâ sûra purports: “... and when ye judge between man and man, (Allâhu ta’âlâ commands) that ye judge with justice: ...” (4-58)
The ninetieth âyat of Nahl sûra purports: “Allâhu ta’âlâ commands you to act with justice, to do kindness,[36] and to give (alms) to your relations [who are in need].He prohibits you from obscenity [from fornication], from munker [from wrongdoing],and from injustice.” (16-90)
[Doing kindness, according to our Prophet’s ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ definition for this occasion, is “To worship Allâhu ta’âlâ in such a manner as if you saw Him. He sees you though you do not see Him.” Doing kindness is first abstaining from the harâm (the forbidden acts and then doing the fardh (the commandments).]
The eighth âyat of Mâida sûra purports: “O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Allâhu ta’âlâ, as witnessess to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and swerve from justice, [thus making you responsible. That is, do justice even to your enemies.] Be just [with friends and foes alike]: that is next to Piety: and fear Allâhu ta’âlâ, for Allâhu ta’âlâ is well-acquainted with all that ye do.” (5-8)
The thirty-first âyat of Insân (Dahr) sûra conveys the following meaning about those who do injustice: “... But the wrong-doers, – for them has He (Allahu ta’âlâ)prepared a grievous penalty.” (76-31) The subject of justice and injustice in Qur’ân al-kerîm is not briefly explained, as it is in the Bible. It is explained in detail in Qur’ân al-kerîmand through hadîth-i-sherîfs. It would therefore take a huge book to recount all the examples.
9 — What is told from the twenty-first verse through the twenty-seventh verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew consists in: “Do not hurt your brother, stop what you are doing (for yourself) and help him when he needs (you), be friendly with him even if he is your enemy; in short, always have beautiful morals, behave gently and do good.” (Paraphrased from Matt: 5-21 to 27)
The thirty-sixth âyat of Nisâ sûra contains all these things, and even more. The âyat purports: “Worship Allâhu ta’âlâ. Do not attribute any partner to Him. Do kindness to your parents [by words and actions], to your relations [by sila-i-rahîm, by visiting them], to orphans [by pleasing them], to the poor [by alms], to your neighbors who are (at the same time) your relations [by mercy and compassion], to your neighbors[by doing them favours and protecting them against harms], to your friends and acquaintances [by observing their rights and by being affectionate towards them], to your guests and visitors [by offering them food and drink and by facilitating their ablution and praying], to your slaves and jâriyas [by clothing them and treating them gently]. Certainly Allâhu ta’âlâ does not like those who assume an arrogant air and boast instead of doing kindness [to creatures].” (Paraphrased from 4-36)
The thirty-fourth âyat of Fussilat sûra purports: “Nor can qoodness and evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better: then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as if he were thy friend and intimate!” (41-34)
The eighth âyat of Mumtahina sûra purports: “Allâhu ta’âlâ forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: For Allâhu ta’âlâ loveth those who are just.” (60-8)
Ubâda bin Sâmit ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ stated: Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ said to the As-hâb-i-kirâm ‘alaihimur-ridwân’: “Shall I inform you on things that will make you distinguished in the opinion of Allâhu ta’âlâ?” When the As-hâb-i-kirâm said, “Yes, o Rasûlallah”, He ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “If you want to be distinguished in the opinion of Allâhu ta’âlâ and attain high grades, behave gently towards a person who becomes angry with you. Forgive a person who has been cruel to you. Visit also those who do not visit you.”
Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ narrates: Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ asked the As-hâb-i-kirâm ‘alahimur-ridwân’: “Shall I teach you a few words [give you some advice]? Who among you will act upon it and learn it?” When Abû Hurayra ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ said, “I will, o Rasûlallah,” Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ held him by the hand and stated: “Refrain from things made harâm [forbidden] by Allâhu ta’âlâ, and you will become the best worshipper among men. Be contented with what Allâhu ta’âlâ has given to you [however little it may be], and you will become the richest of those people [to whom Allâhu ta’âlâ has given richness of the heart]. Be kind to your neighbor and help him [both in your heart and actually], and you will become a mature Believer. If you desire something for yourself, desire it for all others, and you will become a [perfect] Muslim.”
10 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “... Thou shalt not commit adultery:” “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” [Matt: 5-27, 28]
[Qur’ân al-kerîm not only prohibits fornication definitely but also prohibits everything that may cause fornication. For instance, it is forbidden to look lustfully at a woman who is not your wife, and also women are forbidden to look at other men. In addition it is forbidden to stay together with a nâ-mahram woman in private, to listen to a nâ-mahram woman’s voice, and to talk to nâ-mahram women without any good reason or in a charming manner. Capacity of our book is not convenient to include (all) the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ and the hadîth-i-sherîfs of Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ in this respect. We shall write some examples, however.]
The thirty-second âyat of Isrâ sûra purports: “Nor come nigh to adultery: for it is a shameful (deed) and an evil, opening the road (to other evils).” (17-32)
[The sixty-eighth âyat of Furqân sûra purports: “Those [Believers] who invoke not, with Allâhu ta’âlâ, any other god, nor slay such life as Allâhu ta’âlâ has made sacred, except for just cause, nor commit fornication; ...” (25-68)]
It is noteworthy that the sharî’a of Mûsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ has forbidden fornication clearly by stating, “Do not commit fornication”; and the sharî’a of Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ has not only forbidden fornication but also stated that it is fornication also to look lustfully.
As for Islam, the most superior and the most perfect religion; it has prohibited from ‘coming nigh to’ fornication, thus covering both (of the two previous religions) in the most comprehensive way. For when you are prohibited form approaching, you are naturally prohibited from the act of fornication and from looking. Another âyat-i-kerîma gives good news to those who refrain and keep away from fornication. This âyat-i-kerîma, namely the thirty-fifth âyat of Ahzâb sûra, comprehends five to ten verses of the Bible. The âyat-i-kerîma conveys the following meaning: “Men and women who obey the decree [commandment] of Allâhu ta’âlâ; believing men and believing women; men and women who are steady in their worships; faithful men and faithful women [in their actions and promises]; patient men and patient women; men and women who fear Allah; men who give alms and women who give alms; fasting men and fasting women; men and women who protect themselves from fornication; men and women who mention Allâhu ta’âlâ very much; Allâhu ta’âlâ has prepared forgiveness and a great reward for them.”(33-35)
[The thirtieth âyat of Nûr sûra purports: “O My Messenger ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’! Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty [awrat parts]; ...” (24-30)]
The following hadîth-i-sherîfs would suffice to show that it is like fornication and forbidden to look at nâ-mahram[37] women with lust: “May Allâhu ta’âlâ curse those who commit fornication with two eyes” and “A man who looks lustfully and the woman who makes (him) look!”
[Abû Sa’îd-i-Hudrî ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ narrates that Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “A man should not look at (another) man’s awrat parts, and a woman (should not look) at (another) woman’s (awrat parts)!”
Aqaba bin Âmir narrates: Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “Do not stay alone with a nâ-mahram woman in a room!”
’Umar ul-Fârûq ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ narrates: Rasûlullah ‘sall-allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “If a man stays together in private with a nâ-mahram woman, the third person in their company will be Shaytân (Satan).”
Burayda ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ narrates: Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ said to hadrat Alî: “O Alî! If you see a woman turn your face away from her. Do not look at her again! It is not sinful to see (a woman) unexpectedly, but it is a sin to look at her again.”
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “May Allâhu ta’âlâ curse him (or her) who exposes his (or her) awrat parts or who looks at someone else’s awrat parts.”
He declared in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “A person who commits fornication is like one who worships idols.”]
The punishment of hadd (the lash) for fornication is explained clearly in Qur’ân al-kerîm. [The second âyat of Nûr sûra purports: “The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication, – flog each of them with a hundred stripes [if they are single]: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allâhu ta’âlâ, if ye believe in Allâhu ta’âlâ and the Last Day: ...” (24-2)
In the act of fornication, which has to be proven by four eyewitnesses or by the confession of the delinquents themselves, the punishment to be given to a married male or female Muslim for this abominable offense is stoning to death in an open space of ground. This is called Rejm. This punishment is for spreading this ugly deed. This punishment is intended to deter from adultery. This punishment is for jeopardizing a nation and its State. Adultery is a nuisance that will destroy and annihilate nations and states. Considering the damage of being a dishonest man’s wife, the (probable) damage that the wife also may lose her chastity, the damage that will be given to the husband of the woman with whom the husband has entered into relations, if she is married, the damage that will be caused to the wife of the man with whom the wife may venture into relations, if he is married, the damage of the children that will be destroyed and the healths that will be endangered during all these events, we cannot consider the penalty given by Islam to those who commit adultery to be too much or unjust. For such pestilences as syphilis and gonorhoea, [and especially the recent years’ fearful, fatal and incurable disease, namely AIDS], which are the results of illegitimate relations, have been threatening the whole world. Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, who is called Son of God by Christians (may Allâhu ta’âlâ protect us against this belief), prohibited from fornication; yet the parts of the world where fornication is most widespread today are Christian countries.
It is reported in the 11 March 1987 issue of (the daily Turkish) newspaper TÜRKİYE: “In America, events of AIDS disease have been seen among some members and monks of the Catholic church. Newspapers such as National Catenalic Reporter and New York Times have reported that at least twelve priests died of AIDS.” AIDS is a fatal and pandemic disease, which appeared in 1980. It has been found out that the disease originates from those who practise the abominable act of the people of Lût (people of Sodom and Gomorrah) and from prostitutes, and spreads rapidly. Its spreading among priests divulges the fact that they have taken to dishonest, shameless practices. It is reported that today great numbers of men, women and girls have desisted from going to church and confessing their sins lest they should catch this disease. The fact that this fatal, infectious and terrifying nuisance has never been seen in Islamic countries or among Muslims is a strong document distinguishing between the right and the wrong. We should not believe those lewd egoists who try to deceive Muslim children by giving such names as modernism and fashion to the immoral and shameless practices of Europeans and Americans. Today research on the treatment of AIDS carried out by spending billions of dollars from state budgets prove fruitless. Fornication is so widespread in America and in England that there are projects to open birth clinics within university campuses for university students. AIDS has become such a nightmare for humanity that tourists from Christian Europe can leave their country only after taking a medical certificate proving that they do not bear AIDS. Please note the greatness of the hikmat of Allâhu ta’âlâ: He has sent the worst, the most dangerous diseases upon practices without Islam. The children lost in these illegitimate practices should not be considered as children not born. They are killed, murdered children. Islam’s command in this respect is very subtle. The command of rejm, stoning the married adulterer (or adulteress) to death, is the penalty for an intercourse which will bring about an illegitimate child deprived of its right of family and honour as a human being.
We will quote a few more hadîth-i-sherîfs which prohibit from doing things that will cause fornication:
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “If a person looks at a nâ-mahram woman with lust, his eyes shall be filled with fire, and he shall be thrown into Hell. If a person shakes hands with a nâ-mahram woman, his hands shall be tied to his neck and he shall be put into Hell. Those who talk to nâ-mahram women without any good reason to do so, and lustfully, shall stay in Hell for a thousand years for each word.”
He ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “If a person sees a nâ-mahram girl and turns his head away from her out of his fear of the torment of Allâhu ta’âlâ, Allâhu ta’âlâ will make him enjoy the taste of his worships.” Like in every respect, Islam has made the best and the most correct judgement in this respect, too. How lucky for those who read the books of Islamic ’Ulamâ and who adapt themselves to those great religious men.]
WARNING: In the existing copies of the Bible, all the laws of the Taurah (Pentateuch) were abrogated, and only the prohibition of adultery remained. Because the Bible did not declare a certain punishment for those who committed fornication, Christians looked on the prohibition of fornication as an abrogated law; this fact is known by those who are informed on the facts about Europeans. Although Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ declared clearly that looking (at nâ-mahram women) with lust is the same as fornication. Christians have not covered their women, [but left them exposed so that others may look at them with lust. It is harâm (forbidden) to do things that will cause harâm (forbidden act). Women’s showing themselves to men without covering themselves, by ornamenting themselves or putting on perfumes cause men to look at them with lust. Then, today’s existing Gospels command Christian women to cover themselves. It is for this reason that girls and nuns in all churches and monasteries cover themselves like Muslim women]. But now priests have allowed women to dance tightly with youngsters they like, let alone sitting together with nâ-mahram men. Therefore, every Christian may be said to be an adulterer or adulteress according to the statement of Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’. Yet if they answer that “Those are ignorant people, uneducated Christians. Advice has no effect on them. Christian men of religion and priests are displeased with these habits of women;” then why do they not prevent men and women from coming together in churches, wearing all sorts of ornamentations and flirting with one another under the name of worship? Furthermore, when hearing confession, young priests and young women with bare faces sit together in private, knee to knee, the women recounting the sins they have committed and the priests listening to them; and when leaving church young lads offer holy water to young women; such things show that no priest, let alone ignorant common Christians, can escape fornication of the eyes.
These explanations clarify the fact that priests, who have legitimized many a deed that was forbidden by all heavenly books [by all heavenly religions] with their personal interpretation afterwards, should have legitimized fornication likewise. In Islam, on the other hand, a woman is prohibited from showing herself to nâ-mahram men, with the exception of her face and hands, and from staying with them in private. Those women who obey the commandment of Allâhu ta’âlâ shall be under the divine protection of Allâhu ta’âlâ in this world. [And in the world to come they shall attain the countless blessings of Jannat-i-a’lâ (the noble place called Paradise). Thus Muslim women are in peace and comfort in the world and shall be given many a blessing in the Hereafter.] They are not subjected to the humiliation of being lascivious men’s objects of pleasure like European women.
[No other religion, no other system of belief, no other cult, no other doctrine has given the woman the value as has been endowed by Islam. Islam has crowned the woman by honouring her as the mother and the sultan of the home. Europeans, who claim to be civilized, employ women in factories, offices, workshops and stores, thus depriving them of their real office of duty.
In Islam, the woman does not have to work within or without the house or to earn money. If she is married, her husband, if she is not married, her father, and if she does not have father, her closest relative, has to work and meet all her needs. If a woman does not have anyone to take care of her, the house of treasure of the (Islamic) State, which is called Bayt ul-mâl, has to support her and meet all her needs. In Islam the burden of earning has not been divided between man and woman. A man cannot force his wife to work in the field, in a factory or any other place. If a woman wishes she can, with the permission of her husband, work at places offering work for women without getting mixed with men. But the woman’s earnings belong to herself. Her husband cannot seize anything from her forcibly. He cannot even force her to buy what she needs. Nor can he compel her to do housework. A woman does housework as a gift, kindness to her husband. Each of such things is a virtue, an honourable property possessed by Muslim women. In communist countries today women are forcibly employed with men in the heaviest works in return for food, like animals. In the so-called world, i.e. Christian countries, being told that “life is common”, women are made to work in factories, fields and commercial businesses like men, and they live in grievances. As it is seen very frequently in daily newspapers, most of them regret having married and law courts teem with divorce suits. If women knew the value, the comfort and peace, the freedom, the right of divorce that Islam recognized for them, women all over the world would become Muslims and endeavour to spread Islam in every country. Islam’s giving women very many rights and protecting them against being slaves or playthings in men’s hands shows that Allâhu ta’âlâ values women greatly.]
After all that has been said so far, we request people with wisdom and reason to say for the sake of Allah which one is compatible with heavenly books and with the proprieties and necessities of humanity; Christianity or Islam?
11 — It is written in the Bible: “It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement:” “But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” (Matt: 5-31, 32)
We shall give detailed information on Christians’ criticisms of divorce as prescribed by Islam and their answers in the section sub-titled DIVORCE. Yet we shall direct a few questions to all Christians for the time being:
a) Since it was declared by Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ that looking (at a nâ-mahram woman) with lust is the same as committing adultery according to the twenty-eighth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, which we have quoted earlier; when the event of adultery takes place it becomes necessary to divorce (the wife) according to, again, the thirty-second verse of the fifth chapter of Matthew. Because there is no question of nâ-mahram men and women’s not seeing one another among Christians today, it has become a daily matter-of-fact event for any Christian woman to see any young man she likes, and vice versa, in public or secretly; then do Christians manage to avoid the looking which is (said to be) fornication?
b) As is written in European histories, (some) European kings divorced their wives [and some of them even married a number of women] though their wives mostly did not commit adultery. Why did priests allow those kings to divorce their wives despite the limitless authority they had?
c) Divorce is written and valid in today’s European laws, which recognize other reasons for divorce in addition to fornication, such as exceeding incompatibility and anger, and even agreement between the woman and man (to divorce); and yet they cannot divorce. In the divorce actuated by the husband, by keeping his new woman in his house or by the agreement of husband and wife, the husband and wife can establish a new marriage with someone else only three years later. Yet in the divorce caused by the guilt of adultery it is possible to marry someone else only after at least ten months has elapsed. These are some of the articles of European laws. Now, what has become of the Biblical statement: “Divorce the adulteress at once”?
12 — It is written in the Bible: “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:” “But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne:” “Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.” “Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.” “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” (Matt: 5-33 to 37)
As is undrestood from these verses of the Gospel of Matthew, it is an absolute commandment not to swear at all. Since it would be unreasonable and incompatible with the Hikmat (Divine Wisdom) to annihilate altogether such a means of security, which is one of the greatest media of social dealings, this (verse) is presumably one of the interpolations in the Bible. Like in the religion of Mûsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, there is swearing in Islam. There are three sorts of swearing in Islam:
a) Yemîn-i-Ghamûs: To swear falsely for something in the past although you know (that it is not true). It is one of the gravest sins. Kaffârat is not necessary for this type of swearing. [It is necessary to repent at once and say instighfâr (beg Allâhu ta’âlâ for forgiveness).]
b) Yemîn-i-Laghw: To swear by mistake thinking that you did something (in the past, though you did not do it). When it becomes clear that you did not do it, the swear lapses. [That is, it is not a sin, nor is it necessary to do kaffârat.]
c) Yemîn-i-Mun’aqida: To swear falsely to do or not to do something in the future. If a person promises to do something the next day and swears “by the name of Allah” and then does not abide by his promise by doing it, he becomes a hânis (liar), and it is now necessary for him to perform kaffârat. Qur’ân al-kerîm contains clear declarations stating that kaffârat is necessary for this type of swear. The eighty-ninth âyat of Mâida sûra purports: “Allâhu ta’âlâ will not call you to account for what is futile in your oaths [for yemîn-i-laghw], yet He will call you to account for your deliberate oaths[for yemîn-i-mun’aqida]: for expiation, feed ten indigent people, on a scale of the average for the food of your families; or clothe them; or give a slave his freedom. If that is beyond your means, fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths ye have sworn. Protect your tongues from [swearing falsely] and breaking your swears. ...” (5-89) As for swearing by something other than the name of Allâhu ta’âlâ, such as (swearing) by the earth, by heaven, by your head or by your children; it has been prohibited through various hadîth-i-sherîfs and therefore is not permissible canonically.
13 — As it is written in the Gospel of Matthew, after Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ narrates the âyat of retaliation in the Taurah, it is stated in the thirty-ninth and later verses of the fifth chapter: “But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” “And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” (Matt: 5-39 to 42) “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, ...” (ibid: 44) and it is advised to greet everybody and to forgive those who are harmful and cruel to others. Retaliation, that is, punishing the guilty person, is altogether denied.
Retaliation (lex talionis) is legalized in heavenly books and commanded in Qur’ân al-kerîm. The forty-fifth âyat of Mâida sûra purports: “... Life for life, eye for eye, nose for nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal. ...” (5-45) The hundred and seventy-ninth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “In the Law of Equality there is (saving of) Life to you, O ye men of understanding; ...” (2-179) Yet there are also âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs stating that it will be better and very beneficent for the inheritors of the victim (of murder) or the injured or mutilated person to forgive (the offender) instead of demanding retaliation. Yet the Bible’s forgiving retaliation altogether is a strong evidence of the fact that it has been interpolated. For talion existed in every religion, in every canon. In fact, retaliation was executed even in Christian countries. If Christians had admitted the soundness, the correctness of this Bible, they would not have done retaliation.
Also, the commandments, “If someone slaps you on one cheek offer him your other cheek, too. If someone asks for your coat give him your cloak, too. If anyone asks you to go with him, go with him,” should be interpolations like the matter of retaliation. For no nation, no society can survive with a canon of that sort. The most evident proof of this is the fact that Europeans take no heed of these principles of Christianity.
[The material well-being, the scientific and technical improvements in Europe appeared in the wake of turning away from Christianity. The reason for those developments were the reformations in Europe. The agents of those reformations were those Europeans who had been educated in the Andalusian (Spanish) madrasas. These people took the field against Christianity, which was an impediment against all sorts of improvement, and proved through mental and scientific evidences that Christianity hinders progress. They wrote books repudiating Christianity and proving the fact that it is an obstruction for improvement. Some ignorant people who did not know Islam read these books written by Europeans and thought that it was the case with Islam, too. This gave them the idea of reforming Islam, which commands knowledge and all sorts of improvement. They deviated from the lightsome way of Islam and caused others to deviate, too, thus showing how ignorant and stupid they were. As we have pointed out before, Muslims have improved as long as they have adhered to Islam, and the farther Christians have withdrawn from Christianity the more progress they have made.]
14 — The Gospel of Matthew commands: “... go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, ...” [Matt: 19-21]
Qur’ân al-kerîm, on the other hand, encourages alms and favours. [Instead of commanding to give all your property as alms, Qur’ân al-kerîm prohibits from making yourself needy and contemptible in the society by giving all your property as alms.] In fact, the twenty-sixth âyat of Isrâ sûra purports: “Do right by your relations, [which means, depending on the situation, doing sila-i-rahîm (visiting your relations), giving alms to the poor and needy ones, and getting on well with them]. Do right by the poor and travellers [by giving them zakât and food], depending on their situation. ...” (17-26) And the twenty-ninth âyat purports: “Do not tie your hand on your neck, [that is, don’t be stingy]; and do not open your hand too wide, [that is, don’t be extravagant];otherwise you will go bad and need others.” (17-29)
[Qur’ân al-kerîm declares that giving alms will serve as an atonement for many sins and will cause them to be forgiven.]
15 — The third and fourth verses of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew states: “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:” “That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.” (Matt: 6-3, 4)
Although it is appropriate to give alms secretly in order to avoid ostentation, it will not be wrong to give (alms) overtly, without any intention to make a show, in order to encourage others. Therefore, Qur’ân al-kerîm does not forbid giving alms publicly, though it is declared in an âyat-i-kerîma that it is better to give (alms) secretly. The two hundred and seventy-first âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “If ye disclose (acts of) charity, even so it is well, but if ye conceal them, and make them reach those (really) in need, that is best for you: it will remove from you some of your (stains of) evil. And Allâhu ta’âlâ is well acquainted with what ye do.” (2-271) [The alms (which we are) advised to give openly in this âyat-i-kerîma is zakât, which is farz (one of the five commandments of Islam).] It is not ostentatious to give zakât, which is a commandment, openly; there is more thawâb (reward in the next world) in it, (in giving zakât openly). Yet it is better to give alms, which is tatawwu’ [supererogatory], secretly. It is declared in a hadîth-i-sherîf that the alms given secretly will be rewarded with seventy times as much thawâb as will be given for the alms done openly.] The reward that will ensue from the property donated in the way loved by Allâhu ta’âlâ is expressed in the two hundred and sixty-first âyat of Baqara sûra, which purports: “The parable of those who spend their substances in the way of Allâhu ta’âlâ is that of a grain of corn: it groweth seven ears, and each ear hath a hundred grains. ...” (2-261)
The alms must be given out of the property that one likes best. In this respect, the ninety-second âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra purports: “By no means shall ye attain righteousness [Paradise] unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love; ...” (3-92)
The two hundred and seventy-third and the two hundred and seventy-fourth âyats of Baqara sûra purport: “Your alms are for those who perform jihâd only for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ and those who acquire knowledge and those who are busy with a useful deed such as worshipping and those poor people who do not have [the opportunity or] time to deal in a trade or art on the earth. Because they refrain from begging, ignorant people think they are rich. O My Messenger, you will recognize them by their features. On account of their chastity, they do not disturb people by begging. If you give them alms out of your property, Allâhu ta’âlâ knows that you have given and why you have given. Those people who give their property as alms night and day secretly and openly; their rewards are rewards that will be [the Gardens of Na’îm] (that will be given) by Allâhu ta’âlâ. There is no fear or sorrow for them.” (Paraphrased from 2-273 and 274) [Abû Bekr-i-Siddîq ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ gave a thousand golds in public, a thousand golds secretly, a thousand golds at night, and a thousand golds during the day. It has been narrated that the âyat-i-kerîma (quoted above) was revealed upon that event.]
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “There are seven kinds of people whom Allâhu ta’âlâ will shelter in the shade of the Arsh on the Day of Resurrection, when there will be no shade except that which will be bestowed by Allâhu ta’âlâ. One of them is the person who gives alms so (secretly) that even his left hand is unaware of this right hand’s giving (alms).” It should not be inferred from this hadîth-i-sherîf that giving alms publicly is altogether forbidden. There are situations in which it is better to do something good and auspicious or give alms in public in order to encourage others, provided you will have pure intention and avoid riyâ. It is declared in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “A person who guides to doing something is like one who does it.” According to this hadîth-i-sherîf, there are double rewards for giving alms or doing good publicly; one reward for giving alms and another for encouraging others. From both logical and canonical points of view, goodness or alms done publicly for such a pure intention is for certain more beautiful than concealing it. While the existing copies of the Bible command frankly that alms should be given secretly, most Christians give alms openly, thus disobeying the Bible in this respect, too. As a matter of fact, it is one of the old European traditions for some beneficent people and carefully dressed madams to drive around in streets in order to moderate their selves by collecting alms.
16 — It is written in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew that one should avoid riyâ when praying. [6-5, 6]
[Riyâ means to misrepresent something or, in short, it means ostentation. It is one of the illnesses of the heart. It is a bad habit. It means to attain worldly desires by doing the actions pertaining to the world to come, and by pretending to have directed oneself towards the Hereafter. The evils of riyâ have been stated by Allâhu ta’âlâ in Qur’ân al-kerîm, by Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ in his hadîth-i-sherîfs, and by the Islamic ’Ulamâ in their books.]
The fourth, the fifth and the sixth âyats of Mâ’ûn sûra purport: “There is vehement torment for those who perform namâz in an oblivious or disrespectful manner and those who perform their (prayers of) namâz with evil thoughts and ostentatiously when they are in company and neglect the namâz when they are alone.” (107-4, 5, 6) The hundred and tenth âyat of Kahf sûra purports: “... He who wants to attain his Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ) should perform ’âmel-i-sâlih (pious deeds)and should not attribute any partner to his Rabb in his worshipping Him.” (18-110) According to this âyat-i-kerîma, riyâ, that is, doing the worships for ostentation, is equivalent to shirk (attributing a partner to Allâhu ta’âlâ). For the person who makes a show (of his worshipping) attributes someone else as a partner to the Ma’bûd (the One who is to be worshipped, i.e. Allâhu ta’âlâ). Confirming this meaning, Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated to the Ashâb-i-kirâm: “What I fear most for you is your giving yourselves up to shirk-i-asghar [slight shirk]” When the Ashâb-i-kirâm asked, “O Rasûlallah! What is slight shirk?”, he stated: “It is riyâ.”
[He ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “The person who worships with riyâ in the world will be told on the Day of Judgement: O you evil person! There is no reward for you today. Whoever you worshipped in the world, ask them to give you the reward.” The antonym for riyâ is ikhlâs, which means to do your worships only for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ without considering their wordly advantages. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ states: “Allâhu ta’âlâ declares: I do not have a partner. He who attributes a partner to Me should ask him (the partner he has attributed to Me) for the thawâb [the rewards I have promised]. Do your worships with ikhlâs! Allâhu ta’âlâ will accept the deeds performed with ikhlâs.” As he ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ was sending off Muâdh bin Jabal ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ as the governor to Yemen, he ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “Do your worships with ikhlâs! Deeds done with ikhlâs, few as they may be, will be enough for you on the Day of Judgement.” In another hadîth-i-sherîf he ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “Good news to those who do their worships with ikhlâs. They are the stars of hidâyat (the right way of Islam). They will destroy the darknesses of fitna (instigation).”]
17 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” “Give us this day our daily bread.” “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” (Matt: 6-7 to 13)
[Here, by saying, “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven,” powerlessness is imputed to Allâhu ta’âlâ. And saying, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” means to put Allâhu ta’âlâ under obligation. That is, it means to say, “As we have done, you also have to do.” (May Allâhu ta’âlâ protect us from saying so!) Again, only bread is asked for, whereas all blessings should be asked from Allâhu ta’âlâ.]
The Bible does not contain any prayers other than this. Therefore, Christians have to say this prayer daily. Muslims’ daily prayer is Fâtiha-i-sherîfa, which is recited at every rek’at of the five daily prayers of namâz. Thus it is said at least forty times daily. The meaning of the sûra of Fâtiha-i-sherîfa is as follows:
“Bismillâh-er-rahmân-er-rahîm: I begin by saying the blessed name of Allâhu ta’âlâ, who is Rahmân[38] and Rahîm.[39] The highest of hamd-u-thenâ (praise, laud and thanks) belongs to Allâhu ta’âlâ, who is the creator of all worlds, [and who has associated them with one another in perfect harmony]. Allâhu ta’âlâ is very merciful upon His born slaves in this world and in the world to come. He, alone, is the owner [and the ruler] of the Day of Judgement. We worship only You. [There is none except You who is worthy of being worshipped.] And only from You do we ask for help. Keep us in the right way, [which is the medium way in our beliefs, deeds, words and morals]. [Keep us steady in the sirât-i-mustaqîm, which is the Islamic religion and the sunnat-i-enâm ‘alaihis-salâtu wassalâm’.] Keep us in the way of those whom You have blessed, [i.e. Prophets, Walîs, and Siddîqs]; not in the way of those who have subjected themselves to Your Wrath [by not admitting the Truth] and who have deviated [from the right way)! [Yâ Rabbî] Âmîn [O my Rabb, accept this prayer]!” Qur’ân al-kerîm contains hundreds of other prayers; books of tafsîr (interpretation) explain them one by one.
18 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matt: 6-6)
There are numerous âyat-i-kerîmas in Qur’ân al-kerîm [explaining the rewards that will be given to those who pray and stating that it is necessary to pray and that prayers shall be accepted]. The sixtieth âyat of Mu’mîn sûra purports: “... Pray to Me, and I shall respond to you [accept your prayers]. ...” (40-60) The hundred and eighty-sixth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “[O My Messenger]; If My born slaves ask you of Me, I am close (to them) [in knowledge and in accepting]. When they pray to Me, I shall accept their prayers. They should ask for My accepting (their prayers),and they should believe in Me.” (2-186)
19 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:” “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt: 6-14, 15)
The twenty-second âyat of the Nûr sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “... [Tell them to] forgive [people’s faults], and give up revenging. Pay attention! Don’t you like Allah’s forgiving you? Allâhu ta’âlâ is forgiving and merciful.” (24-22) The hundred and thirty-fourth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra purports: “[The people of Taqwâ] are those who [give alms and] subsist (people) in abundance and in paucity; in richness and in poverty. They do away with their anger; [that is, they are patient enough to give up their estrangement while they have the choice and] forgive [those who deserve punishment]. Allâhu ta’âlâ loves those who do kindness.” (3-134) [Muslims have always acted upon these âyat-i-kerîmas. Here is an example of this: As Rasûlullah’s blessed grandson Huseyn bin Alî ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ sat at the (meal) table with his guests, his slave, who was bringing in some hot food in a container, tripped over something on the floor and poured the food he was holding on Huseyn’s ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ blessed head. When he looked hard at his slave’s face in order to warn him to be more careful, the slave said the part stating, “They do not get angry,” of this âyat-i-kerîma. When Huseyn the Imâm ‘radiy-allâhu anh’ said, “I have done away with my anger,” the slave recited the part stating, “They forgive those people who are in fault.” Imâm-i-Huseyn ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ said, “I have forgiven (you)” Upon this the slave recited the part, “Allâhu ta’âlâ loves those who do kindness.” And Imâm-i-Huseyn ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ said, “I have emancipated you from slavery. You can go wherever you like.”] The seventeenth and eighteenth âyats of Balad sûra purport: “Then they become Believers and advise patience and mercy to one another. They are among the as-hâb-i-yemîn, that is, the people of Paradise.” (90-17, 18) Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “He who does not have mercy upon others is not to be shown mercy to.”
20 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Moreover, when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” “But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;” “That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: ...” [Matt: 6-16, 17, 18]
Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ commanded to fast only for Allah’s sake and prohibited from ostentation. Since we have already explained the wickedness of ostentation according to Islam and quoted some of the âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs prohibiting from ostentation, we need not repeat them here. It must be noted, however, that while fasting is commanded clearly in these verses of the Bible, many years after Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, Paul, who had not even seen his face and who, as it is confessed even by Christians, had done many a treason to his companions, changed this (commandment of) fasting, as he changed other commandments in the Bible.
21 — It is stated in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; ...” (Matt: 6-25) “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. ...” (ibid: 26) “... Consider the lilies of the field, ...” (ibid: 28)
We have already quoted some âyat-i-kerîmas of Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs of our Prophet about not esteeming the world. There are also many âyat-i-kerîmas about tawakkul (putting one’s trust in Allâhu ta’âlâ). We will mention only a few of them here.
The second and third âyat-i-kerîmas of Talâq sûra purport: “.... If a person fears Allâhu ta’âlâ, Allâhu ta’âlâ will bless him with a way off (from poverty to well-being)and will give him his subsistence through means that he does not expect. If a person puts his trust in Allâhu ta’âlâ, Allâhu ta’âlâ is sufficient for him. ...” (65-2, 3)
[If all the âyat-i-kerîmas concerning tawakkul were put together, they would make up a volume bigger than the whole Bible. The twenty-third âyat of Mâida sûra purports:“... If you have îmân put your trust in Allâhu ta’âlâ.” (5-23) The hundred and fifty-ninth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra purports: “... Allâhu ta’âlâ loves those who have tawakkul.” (3-159) The eleventh âyat of Ibrâhîm sûra purports: “... And on Allâhu ta’âlâ let all men of faith put their trust.” (14-11)
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “They showed me some of my Ummat (Muslims). (They were so many that) they covered mountains and fields. I was astonished and pleased to see that they were so numerous. I was asked if I was pleased. When I said, ‘Yes,’ I was told that only seventy thousand of them would enter Paradise. And when I asked who they were, I was told: They are those who do not mix their doings with magic, sorcery, cauterization or augury and those who do not put their trust in anyone except Allâhu ta’âlâ.” One of the listeners, Uqâsha ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’, stood up and said, “O Rasûlallah! Pray for me so that I shall be one of them.” He (Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’) prayed: “Yâ Rabbî (o my Allah)!Make him one of them!” And when another stood up and asked for the same benediction, he ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “Uqâsha has forestalled you.”
He (Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’) stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “If you had full tawakkul in Allâhu ta’âlâ, He would send you (your sustenance) as He gives birds their sustenance. Birds go out with empty stomachs, hungry, in the morning, and come back with their stomachs filled, fully fed in the evening.” In another hadîth-i-sherîf he stated: “If a person entrusts himself to Allâhu ta’âlâ, Allâhu ta’âlâ will reach him in everything he does. He will give him sustenance through places that he does not expect. If a person puts his trust on the world, He will leave him on the world.”
In Islam, tawakkul does not mean to expect everything from Allâhu ta’âlâ by not working at all. The divine law of causation of Allâhu ta’âlâ is such that He creates everything through some means. He is the creator of the means, and He, again, creates the occurence of events through the means. Islam commands us to find out the means that cause (the creation of) each event and hold fast to the means. In everything we do, we have to hold fast to the means that are known (to cause the creation of that thing) and then pray and supplicate to Allâhu ta’âlâ for the creation of the causative effect in the means. To expect that Allâhu ta’âlâ will make that thing without our holding fast to the means will mean to disobey Allâhu ta’âlâ and to attempt to suspend His law of causation. There is extensive information about the meaning of tawakkul and its kinds in the thirty-fifth chapter of the third fascicle of Endless Bliss.]
22 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “And beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?” [Matt: 7-3]
The twelfth âyat of the Hujurât sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “O Believers, beware from extensive supposition. For some suppositions are sinful. Do not try to find out [others’ faults], and do not backbite one another. [That is, do not make a slanderous statement about someone in his absence.] Would any of you like to eat his dead brother’s flesh? You would feel disgusted [if you were offered it]. Fear Allâhu ta’âlâ. Surely, Allâhu ta’âlâ will accept the tawba (repentance) of those who make tawba, and He is very compassionate.” (49-12) Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declared: “If a person conceals people’s faults and defects, Allâhu ta’âlâ will conceal his faults and defects.” In another hadîth-i-sherîf he stated: “Search for the faults of your own self. Do not search for others’ faults.”
[Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “Backbiting is a sin which is graver than fornication.” Backbiting is forbidden vehemently in Islam. As fire destroys wood, so backbiting destroys hasanât [good deeds]. A hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “On the Day of Judgement a person’s book of thawâb will be opened. He will say: Yâ Rabbî (O my Allah)! I did such and such worships when I was in the world. They are not recorded on the page (appointed for them). He will be told: They have been erased from your book and recorded in the books of those whom you backbit.” And another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “On the Day of Judgement a person’s book of hasanât will be opened. He will see worships that he did not do there (in the book). He will be told: These are the thawâbs of those who backbit you.” There are many hadîth-i-sherîfs that forbid backbiting and command to prevent backbiting. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “The person who helps his brother-in-Islam without his (his brother’s) knowing about it shall be helped by Allâhu ta’âlâ in the world and in the Hereafter.” Again, he ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “If a person’s brother-in-Islam is backbitten in his presence and yet he does not help his brother, [that is, does not prevent his brother’s backbiters], his sins are enough for him in the world and in the Hereafter.”]
23 — It is stated in the Gospel of Matthew: “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” [Matt: 7-13, 14]
It is purported in Qur’ân al-kerîm, in the fourteenth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra: “Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: ...” (3-14) Inclination towards something is natural, and therefore it is a wide way. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “Paradise has been surrounded with things that the nafs does not like, and Hell (has been surrounded) with the desires and lusts of the nafs.” In short, the way to Paradise is narrow and onerous, and the way to Hell is wide and adorned.
24 — It is written in the Gospel of Matthew that Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ said: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and thy name done many wonderful works?” “And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt: 7-21, 22, 23)
The meaning of the word ‘kingdom’ mentioned here is not church organization as Protestant priests interpret it; on the contrary, its meaning is the Mahkama-i-kubrâ (the Grand Judgement), which will be seen on the Day of Resurrection, and the justice and vengeance of Allâhu ta’âlâ, which will take place meanwhile. Qur’ân al-kerîm contains many âyat-i-kerîmas similar to these verses of the Bible. The two hundred and fifty-fifth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “... His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? ...” (2-255) [The forty-fourth âyat of Zumer sûra is interpreted as, “Tell them; no one can intercede without the permission of Allâhu ta’âlâ.” (39-44) The forty-eighth âyat of Muddaththir sûra purports: “If those who are permitted to intercede (use this permission to)intercede for disbelievers, their intercession will do them no good.”] (74-48) Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ said to his blessed daughter Fâtima ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhâ’, who is the sayyidat-un-nisâ: “On the Day of Judgement, I shall not give you any help unless Allâhu ta’âlâ gives (me) permission (to do so).” [Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ is the owner of the Shafâ’at-i-uzmâ (the Grand Intercession). At the place of assembly for the Last Judgement, people will have recourse to (Prophets); Âdam (Adam), Nûh (Noah), Ibrâhîm (Abraham), Mûsâ (Moses), respectively; and finally to Îsâ (Jesus) ‘alaihimus-salâm’. And Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, saying that he feels ashamed before Allâhu ta’âlâ because Christians made him a partner to Allâhu ta’âlâ, will send them to Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’, who is the khâtam-ul-anbiyâ [the last Prophet], and Rasûlullah, being Allah’s compassion for (all) worlds, will intercede for rescuing all people from the torment of the Judgement Day, his intercession will be accepted (by Allâhu ta’âlâ), and the torment of the Judgement Day will finally be raised from all people.
It is declared in hadîth-i-sherîfs: “On the Day of Judgement, I shall intercede first.” and “On the Day of Resurrection, I shall be the first to rise from the grave and the first intercessor.” and “I can intercede for any Muslim, except those who calumniate my As-hâb.” and “Of my Ummat, I shall intercede for those who have many sins.”]
Such is the belief held by Muslims with respect to shafâ’ât (intercession). Yet Christians believe that after Ascension, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ sat on the right hand side of the Father, undertook all the divine powers, and will be the absolute ruler of the Day of Judgement. [Matthew: 28-18; Mark: 16-19, and the other Gospels] They do not notice that this credo is clearly contrary to the verses of the Bible. Whereas Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ said to the Apostles, “I shall not be useful to those who disobey Allah’s commandments. I cannot help those who call out my name and beg me” [Paraphrased from Matt: 7-21 and later], Christians hold the wrong belief that “Hadrat Îsâ has sacrificed himself for us. Thus we have been saved from Hell.”
25 — Again, despite the command of Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, “Do not demand a price from anybody in exchange for preaching,” it has been observed with dismay how Protestant missionaries strive to promulgate Christianity in return for thousands of pounds yearly and how priests of the other Christian sects have made a list of charges for various sins and deliver from each sin in return for a certain price; this practice has reached the extent that some Christians give their land property to priests, part by part, in return for deliverance from their sins, so that thousands of priests have been living in welfare and riches as a result of this trade. What is specially consternating here is the fact that this vicious belief is held by one-third of Europeans, who claim to be superior to other nations of the world in science, techniques and wisdom.
The hundred and eighty-sixth âyat of A’râf sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “If Allâhu ta’âlâ has doomed a person to destruction and deprived him of îmân, there is no one to guide him to the right way.” (7-186)
26 — According to the Gospel of Matthew, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ made the following nuncupation to his disciples: “And when ye come into an house, salute it.” “And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.” “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.” [Matt: 10-12, 13, 14]
Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs contain many rules about how to make salâm, how to knock on a door, and how to enter a house. The twenty-seventh and the twenty-eighth âyats of Nûr sûra purport: “O Believers. Do not enter houses other than yours without getting the host’s permission and without making salâm. This [your entering with permission and salâm] is better for you, [because (in this case) the host will (have time to) stop unsuitable things]. If you consider these you will understand their hikmat (ultimate divine causes). If there is no one in a house, or if you are not permitted, do not go in. If they [do not admit you and] tell you to go back, then go back. This is more beautiful for you [because it will represent your (beautiful) manners]. Allâhu ta’âlâ knows all that you do.” (24-27, 28)
27 — Also, in the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, it is stated that the apostles who are sent forth for calling (people) to Christianity will suffer trouble and persecution as they preach Gospel, that they should flee to another city if they are persecuted in one city, that they should not fear anyone except Allâhu ta’âlâ, that (when they preach) it is not their selves but it is the Spirit of Allâhu ta’âlâ who speaks [May Allâhu ta’âlâ protect us from believing or saying so], and that if they are killed, the body only shall be killed, the soul being beyond the reach of their (enemies’) aggression. (Matt: 10-16 to 28)
The thirty-ninth âyat of the Ahzâb sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “Those people who preach the mission [commandments and prohibitions] of Allâhu ta’âlâ to people; they fear Allâhu ta’âlâ only, and they do not fear anyone except Allâhu ta’âlâ. Allâhu ta’âlâ, alone, is capable of paying for their deeds.” (33-39) The seventeenth âyat of Anfâl sûra purports: “[Yâ Muhammad (O Muhammad) ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’! In the Gazâ (Holy War) of Bedr], You did not throw it [a handful of soil to the disbelievers’ eyes]. But in reality Allâhu ta’âlâ threw it. ...” (8-17) The hundred and fifty-fourth âyat-i-kerîma of Baqara sûra, whose blessed meaning is, “And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allâhu ta’âlâ: ‘They are dead.’ Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not.” [Mind is incapable of comprehending how they live]”, (2-154) declares that martyrs’ souls are alive, though their bodies are dead.
28 — In the fortieth verse of the tenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ says to his apostles: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” (10-40)
In this verse, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ confirms the fact that he has been sent by Allâhu ta’âlâ and that he who obeys him obeys Allâhu ta’âlâ (by doing so). In this respect, it is stated in Qur’ân al-kerîm that obedience to Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ is obedience to Allâhu ta’âlâ. The eightieth âyat of Nisâ sûra purports: “He who obeys the Messenger will have obeyed Allâhu ta’âlâ. ...” (4-80)
29 — It is written as follows in the forty-sixth and later âyats of chapter twelve of the Gospel of Matthew: “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without desiring to speak with him.” “Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.” “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?” “And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!” “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” (Matt: 12-46 to 50)
In Qur’ân al-kerîm, on the other hand, Allâhu ta’âlâ commands to respect one’s parents. The twenty-third and the twenty-fourth âyats of Isrâ sûra purport: “Be kind to your parents. Do not say ‘ugh’ to them, [do not insult them or shout at them, and] say polite, kind, beautiful words to them. Be very compassionate to them and lower your wings in humilation and humbleness. [That is, be kind and affable to them, do not be conceited], and pray for them as follows: Yâ Rabb (o my Allah), have mercy on them as they gave me (family) education when I was a child.” (17-23, 24)
30 — At the beginning of the second chapter of the Gospel of John, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ and his mother attend a wedding feast given in the city of Cana. During the meal, “And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.” “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? ...” (John: 2-3, 4) thus replying to (her) in a harsh manner. This woman is hadrat Maryam (Mary), who would be the topic of the discussions on “whether she was the mother of Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ or of God [may Allâhu ta’âlâ protect us from saying so],” which were held several hundred years later in the ecclesiastical assemblies called Councils and which ended in the decision that she would be the mother of God.
The creed held by priests has been based on contradictory principles such as these. When the facts written above are seen and known, however much thanks Muslims might express to Allâhu ta’âlâ, they would fall short of depicting the happy situation they are in on account of the gift of Islam they have been blessed with.
31 — In the third and later verses of the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, giving various examples, classifies people who hear the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ into four groups, and likens each group to a seed that is sown. Then he says, “... Behold, a sower went forth to sow;” “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:” “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:” “And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:” “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matt: 13-3 to 9) Here, the first group, i.e. those seeds which are thrown on the roadside represent those people who hear the Divine Word but deny it and disbelieve it. The second group, i.e. the seeds that are sown on rocky ground and do not push out roots, represent renegades, who hear the Divine Word and first believe it but after a time deny it. The third group, i.e. the seeds scattered among bushes represent those who hear the Divine Word and believe it; but afterwards, being absorbed by the world and smitten with the desire of earning property, they neglect worshipping. The fourth group, that is, seeds that are sown on good soil are likened to those who hear the Divine Word, believe it, and act accordingly.
In the Islamic religion, the first group of these characters are called kâfirs (disbelievers, unbelievers); the second group are called murtads (renegades) and munâfiqs (hypocrites); the third group are called fâsiqs [sinners]; and the fourth group are called muttaqî, or sâlih, Mu’mins (Believers who fear Allâhu ta’âlâ, or pious Believers); and these terms have been used so far.
[Those who vie after the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ are called MUTTAQÎ or SÂLIH.Person who has already attained the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ, (i.e. who is loved by Allâhu ta’âlâ), is called WALÎ.[40] And the person who has attained the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ and who strives to guide others in the way of attaining the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ is called MURSHÎD.]
Qur’ân al-kerîm contains many âyat-i-kerîmas concerning these four groups of people and the rewards and punishments that will be given to them. Our book would be too small to compile them and to quote them all. We shall therefore content ourselves with the citation of the meaning of one âyat-i-kerîma about each group. The sixth and seventh âyats of Baqara sûra purport concerning disbelievers: “O My Habîb (Most Beloved One). It is equal (it makes no difference) whether you give the warning of torment to disbelievers, [whose hearts are inaccessible to the light of îmân, whose hearts have been suffocated by the darkness of disbelief]. They will not have îmân. Allâhu ta’âlâ has sealed up, curtained their hearts, ears and eyes. There is great torment for them.” (2-6,7) Concerning munâfiqs (hypocrites), the eighth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “Some people say: We have had belief in Allâhu ta’âlâ and in the Day of Resurrection. Yet they have not had îmân.” (2-8) [In Qur’ân al-kerîm there are thirty-two long âyats specially telling about munâfiqs. In addition, many âyats refer to nifâq (hypocricy, and instigation caused by hypocrites]. The fifty-third âyat of Zumer sûra purports about sinners: “[O My Messenger!] Tell [Believers from Me]: O My born slaves who are extravagant of their selves, [that is, who exceed the due bounds], in sinning. Do not give up hope of the mercy of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Certainly, Allâhu ta’âlâ is Ghafûr, that is, He is very forgiving. He is Rahîm, that is, He is very compassionate.” (39-53) [This âyat-i-kerîma was revealed after the conquest of Mekka. Most of the polytheists were in fear. They did not know what sort of treatment they would be subjected to. For they had persecuted many Believers, and martyred many others. When these polytheists became Believers, no penalty, not even a slightest one, was inflicted on them. They attained the honour of joining the As-hâb-i-kirâm. In fact, even Wahshî ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’, who had martyred Rasûlullah’s most beloved (paternal) uncle Hamza ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’, was forgiven and became one of the As-hâb-i-kirâm ‘radiy-Allâhu anhum ajmaîn’.] Concerning the muttaqî Believers, the fourth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “Those people who believe without any doubt in Qur’ân al-kerîm and the Books sent to other Prophets, [that is, the Taurah (Pentateuch), the Zebûr (the heavenly Book revealed to hadrat Dâwûd), and the Injil (Bible) in their original, unchanged forms], and in the world to come [the Day of Judgement]. These people are in the way of hidâyat (guided) by Allâhu ta’âlâ, which is the right way, and they shall find salâh [salvation] from torment and punishment.” (2-4)
32 — Again, in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ illustrates with some examples the situations into which sinners fall because of the doubts caused and the seeds of instigation sown by the devil, and says that on the Day of Judgement they will be punished by burning in Hell on account of their sins. (Matt: 13-39, 40)
In Qur’ân al-kerîm there are many âyat-i-kerîmas explaining these feats of the devil and the things that he does in order to mislead people and advising not to be taken in by his tricks. The sixth âyat of Fâtir sûra purports: “Indeed Shaytân (satan) is inimical to you. So you should be inimical to him. For he tempts those who obey him [to follow their nafs and to be fond of the world and] to join the people of Hell.” (35-6) The two hundred and eighth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “O Believers, ... do not follow Shaytân’s way, [his doubts].” (2-208)
[The hundred and sixty-eighth and the hundred and sixty-ninth âyats of Baqara sûra purport: “... Do not follow Shaytân’s way. Certainly he is an evident enemy of yours. Shaytân orders you only fahshâ, [which means evil, obscenity, being fond of the world, following your sensuous desires]. ...” (2-168, 169) The two hundred and sixty-eighth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “Shaytân will intimidate you by saying that you will be impoverished [when you are to give alms in the way of Allah], and he will order you not to give alms. ...” (2-268) The sixtieth âyat of Nisâ sûra purports: “... Shaytân wants to make them fall into a heresy far from hidâyat [by tempting them to excess].” (4-60) The sixtieth âyat of Yâsîn sûra purports: “Do not obey Shaytân. Have I not given you the advice that he is your evident enemy? O sons of Âdam!...” (36-60) The ninety-first âyat of Mâida sûra purports: “Shaytân wants to leave enmity among you by (means of) wine and gambling. He wants to deter you from making dhikr of Allâhu ta’âlâ and from namâz. Don’t you beware from these [after knowing that they are faults]?” (5-91) The thirty-sixth âyat of Zukhrûf sûra purports: “When a person obeys his nafs and turns away from the religion of Allâhu ta’âlâ, we send him a shaytân to pester him in the world.” (43-36) Qur’ân al-kerîm contains more than eighty âyat-i-kerîmas telling about the Shaytân (Satan) and intimating his vices.]
Now we shall quote a few hadîth-i-sherîfs concerning the Shaytân:
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “The inspiration coming through angels is compatible with Islam. The doubt coming from the Shaytân causes one to leave Islam.” and “The Shaytân gives doubts to the heart. When the name of Allâhu ta’âlâ is uttered he runs away. If (the name of Allâhu ta’âlâ) is not mentioned, he goes on causing doubts.” and “The compassion of Allâhu ta’âlâ is on jamâ’at (congregation of Muslim). The Shaytân is with the person who does not join Muslims’ congregation and who dissents from them.” and “Like the wolf carrying off a sheep that has quit the flock, the Shaytân is man’s wolf. Beware from forming separate groups. Get together in jamâ’at. Run to mosques.”
Allâhu ta’âlâ commanded the Iblîs (Satan) to go to Rasûlullah and give correct answers to all the questions that he (Rasûlullah) would ask him. The Iblîs appeared before Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ in the guise of an old person. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ said: “Who are you?” “I am the Iblîs,” was the answer. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ said: “Why did you come (here)?” “Allâhu ta’âlâ sent me forth and commanded me to answer your questions correctly,” replied the Iblîs. Rasûlullah said:“Then, describe the people whom you dislike and to whom you are hostile.” The Iblîs answered: “Of the (whole) world, I dislike you most, and next (I dislike) equitable sultans (rulers), those rich people who are modest, those tradesmen who tell the truth, those ’ulamâ (savants, scholars) who have ikhlâs and who act compatibly with their knowledge, mujâhids who try to promulgate Islam, those who have mercy upon people, those who make tawba (repenting for one’s sins and supplicating to Allâhu ta’âlâ for forgiveness) with tawba-i-nasûh (sincere determination not to sin again), those who refrain from harâms, those who always have abdest (ritual ablution), those Muslims who always do pious, charitable deeds, those Muslims who have beautiful moral qualities and who are useful to people, those hâfîzûn (people who have committed Qur’ân al-kerîm to their memory) who read Qur’ân al-kerîm in tejwîd (rules for reading Qur’ân al-kerîm correctly), those who perform namâz while others are asleep.” Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ said: “State the people whom you like,” and the Iblîs answered: “Cruel sultans, conceited rich people, treacherous merchants, those who have alcoholic drinks, those who sing songs at bad places, those who commit fornication, those who use orphans’ property for their personal benefits, those who slight namâz and are late in performing namâz, those who bear tûl-u-emel [long-term worldly aspirations], people who become angry easily and cannot get over their anger are my friends, I like them.”
[There are many hadîth-i-sherîfs about the Shaytân. Those who wish may consult books of hadîth-i-sherîfs.]
33 — In the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ prohibits his Apostles from being conceited and commands them to be modest.
[The harms of being conceited and the virtues of modesty have been explained in Qur’ân al-kerîm by Allâhu ta’âlâ and in hadîth-i-sherîfs by Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’.]
The thirty-seventh and the thirty-eighth âyats of Isrâ sûra purport: “Do not swagger about, [that is, do not walk in an arrogant and pompous manner,] on the earth! For you cannot cleave the earth, nor can you increase your stature so as to equal mountains. All of these are mekrûh, repulsive before your Rabb (Allah).” (17-37, 38) [The hundred and seventy-second âyat of Nisâ sûra purports: “... If a person refrains from worshipping Allâhu ta’âlâ because of vanity, Allâhu ta’âlâ shall get (him and other) such people together [in order to punish them] on the Day of Resurrection.” (4-172) The forty-eighth âyat of A’râf sûra purports: “The people of A’râf shall recognize the chiefs of unbelievers by their faces and shall say unto them: Abundance [of your property and your helpers] and your vanity did not protect you against the torment of Allâhu ta’âlâ.” (7-48)]
Our Master, Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “A person with the tiniest mote of vanity in his heart cannot enter Paradise.” and “Allâhu ta’âlâ declares: Pride and grandeur are My properties. If a person (attempts to) share these two with Me, I shall hurl him into Hell without showing any mercy on him.” and “On the Day of Resurrection, those who are arrogant in the world shall be resurrected from their graves in a despicable and contemptible manner like ants. Everybody shall despise them. They shall be put into the pit called Bolis, which is the deepest place of Hell and whose torment is the most vehement.”
Another hadîth-i-sherîf states: “In (one of) the former ummats, (there was) a conceited person (who) walked dragging his skirts along the ground. This (manner of his) annoying the Divine Honour, the earth swallowed him up.”
[Modesty is the opposite of arrogance. Modesty means to deem oneself as equal to others, neither superior nor inferior to others. Modesty is a very good manner for a person.] Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “If a person is modest for the sake of Allah, Allâhu ta’âlâ shall exalt him. If a person is arrogant, Allâhu ta’âlâ shall disgrace him.”
[It is stated in hadîth-i-sherîfs: “How lucky for a person who is modest.” and“A person who is modest, who earns (his living) through halâl, who has beautiful moral qualities, who is affable to everybody and who never hurts anyone, is a very good person.”]
34 — The eighteenth and the nineteenth verses of the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew states: “... Thou shalt not steal, ...” “Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matt: 19-18, 19)
The thirtieth âyat of Hajj sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “... Beware from idols, which are filthy, and from giving false testimony and lying.” (22-30) The seventy-second âyat of Furqân sûra purports: “They are (the people) who do not give false testimony, [who do not attend the festivals or revels of disbelievers and polytheists], and who turn away from them and pass by nobly without getting involved in their atrocities when they come across [their] mendacious and aberrant practices.” (25-72) Allâhu ta’âlâ shall exalt such Believers to the highest positions in Paradise on account of their patience. We have related some of the âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfsconcerning rights of parents and rights of neighbors.
35 — It is written in the twenty-sixth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew that Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ stated: “... but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;” (Matt: 20-26)
The thirteenth âyat of the Hujurât sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “... The most superior, the highest person among you in the sight of Allâhu ta’âlâ is the person with the most fear of Allâhu ta’âlâ. ...” (49-13)
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “The master of a community is the person who serves them.” [Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “He who rescues his brother in Islam from trouble will be given the thawâb of hajj and ’umra.” Another hadîth-i-sherîf states: “He who does not help Muslims or work for their welfare and comfort is not one of them.”]
36 — It is written in the twenty-first verse of the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew that Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’, upon being asked about paying tax to the kaiser, said: “... Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matt: 22-21)
The fifty-ninth âyat of the Nisâ sûra of Qur’ân al-kerîm purports: “... Obey Allâhu ta’âlâ and His Messenger and the ulul-emr from among you, [i.e. sultans, rulers, judges, savants, just and equitable commanders]. ...” (4-59) Yet the obedience to the ulul-emr mentioned here is not absolute obedience and is restricted with the hadîth-i-sherîf, “Where Allâhu ta’âlâ is disobeyed creatures are not to be obeyed.” The hundred and fifth âyat of Mâida sûra purports: “O Believers! The protection and improvement of your nafs (yourself) is [a duty] on you. After you show the right way [by commanding benefaction and prohibiting malefaction to the best of your abilities], a person’s deviation (from the right way) will not do you any harm. ...” (5-105) For it is fard in Islam to do emr-i-ma’rûf, i.e. to command benefaction, and nehy-i-munker, i.e. to prohibit malefaction. As a matter of fact, the hundred and fourth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân sûra purports: “[O Believers!] Among you there should be a group (of Muslims) who invite people to khayr, that is, to obeying Qur’ân al-kerîm and the sunnat of Rasûlullah, and who prohibit (people) from munker [malefaction], that is, from opposing Qur’ân al-kerîm and the sunnat of Rasûlullah. They shall attain salvation.” (3-104)
[Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ declares: “Teach Islam to one another. If you give up emr-i-ma’rûf, [if no one among you does emr-i-ma’rûf], Allâhu ta’âlâ will molest you with the worst one among you and will not accept your prayers.”
Again, he (Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’) stated: “The thawâb given for all (kinds of) worships is like a drop of water in comparison with a sea when it is compared to the thawâb given for jihâd (fighting for Islam). And the thawâb of jihâd, (in its turn), is like a drop of water compared to a sea when it is compared to the thawâb (that shall be given) for emr-i-ma’rûf and nehy-i-munker.”]
It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf narrated from Nu’mân bin Beshîr: “The case of those who obey the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ and those who disobey them or who are slack in doing the commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ is like the position of a group of people who are on board a ship: these people threw lots on board the ship. The lot fell to some of them as the lower part of the ship, i.e. the hold of the ship; and the others were allotted the deck. Those who were in the lower part of the ship, whenever they [became thirsty and] wanted to use water, went up (on the deck) and worried the people there by treading on them. (Finally) they said (to themselves): We might as well make a hole in the hold and get the water we need through it without having to disturb those who are (living) above us. [One of them took an axe and began to make a hole in the hold of the ship. Those who were up (on the deck) ran down (to the hold) and said: What on earth are you doing? He replied: We have been troublesome to you. But we do need water.] If those who were upstairs allowed those who were downstairs to make a hole in the ship, they would be destroyed altogether. If they prevented them from holing the ship by holding their hands, all of them would attain salvation.” [As is inferred from this hadîth-i-sherîf, it is incumbent on every pious Muslim and also on the government to prevent evildoers from malefaction. If they neglect this duty of preventing, the good also shall be destroyed together with the malefactors. Therefore, doing emr-i-ma’rûf and nehy-i munker is the duty of all Muslims who have the necessary competence.]
Another hadîth-i-sherîf declares: “By the time you see my Ummat (Muslims) being afraid to say to a cruel person: You are cruel!, khayr (benefaction, goodness, doing good) will have forsaken them.”
It is declared in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “If people see something evil, and yet do not change it, [that is, if they do not prevent it or turn it into goodness], Allâhu ta’âlâ shall make His torment comprehensive of all of them.” It is stated in another hadîth-i-sherîf: “You must certainly command benefaction and prohibit malefaction. If you cease from emr-i-ma’rûf and nehy-i-munker, Allâhu ta’âlâ shall make the worst of you (continuously) molest the good ones among you. Then, if the good ones among you pray (to Allâhu ta’âlâ for the expulsion of the evildoers), their prayers shall not be heard.” [The sixth âyat of Tahrîm sûra purports: “... Protect yourself and your household against the fire,...” (66-6) The hundred and tenth âyat of Âl-i-’Imrân surâ purports: “You [Believers] are a beneficent Ummat selected from among people. You command goodness and prohibit evildoing and have îmân in the unity of Allâhu ta’âlâ. If the ahl al-kitâb [Christians and Jews] also had îmân, it would be beneficial for them. ...” (3-110) And the hundred and fourteenth âyat (of the same sûra) purports: “They have îmân (belief) in the unity of Allâhu ta’âlâ and in the hereafter, and command people ma’rûf, [that is, to confirm Rasûlullah’s prophethood], and prohibit them from munker, [that is, from denying Rasûlullah’s prophethood]. They race (one another) in benefaction. Lo! They are of the pious.” (3-114)
Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated: “Prevent the sinner with your hand. If you are unable to do this, prevent (him) verbally. If you cannot do this, either, dislike (it) in your heart. And this is the lowest (grade of) îmân.” There are many âyat-i-kerîmas and hadîth-i-sherîfs concerning emr-i-ma’rûf and nehy-i-munker. Those who want to read and learn about them may have recourse to the books of tafsîr and hadîth-i-sherîf and the books of Islamic ’Ulamâ.]
37 — It is stated in the thirty-fifth, the thirty-sixth and the thirty-seventh verses of the twenty-second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: “Then one of them, ... asked him a question, ... ,” “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matt: 22-35, 36, 37)
On the other hand, it is declared in Qur’ân al-kerîm, in the fifty-fourth âyat of Mâida sûra: “[Those Believers] love Allâhu ta’âlâ, and Allâhu ta’âlâ loves them.” (Paraphrased from 5-54) The hundred and sixty-fifth âyat of Baqara sûra purports: “Believers’ love of Allâhu ta’âlâ is very strong and everlasting.” (Paraphrased from 2-165)
“Allâhu ta’âlâ declares in a hadîth-i-qudsî: “O thou, son of Âdam! If thou wantst to love Me, expel love of the world from thine heart. For eternally I shall not bring together love of Me and love of the world in one heart. O thou, son of Âdam! How couldst thou ever want love of the world together with love of Me! Then, search for love of Me in desisting from the world [from things prohibited by Allâhu ta’âlâ]. O thou, son of Âdam! Whatever you do, do it compatibly with My commandments, and I shall fill thine heart with loving Me.”
38 — As Îsâ ‘alaihis-salâm’ describes the events towards the end of the world in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, he relates: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall darken:” “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt: 24-29, 30, 31) “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” (ibid: 34) “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (ibid: 36)
If the âyat-i-kerîmas of Qur’ân al-kerîm concerning the events towards the end of the world were compiled, they would make up a book bigger than the sum of the four Gospels. We shall write a few examples:
The first and second âyats of Takwîr sûra purport: “When the sun loses its nûr and becomes dark and when stars darken and fall down on the earth like rain (drops).” (81-1, 2) The first, second, third, fourth and fifth âyats of Inshiqâq sûra purport: “When the sky hears the command of Allâhu ta’âlâ, obeys the command and cracks, and when the earth rightfully hears the command of its Rabb, Allâhu ta’âlâ, and throws out its contents [the dead and treasures] and becomes empty, and when the earth becomes absolutely flat, [poeple will see their pious deeds and sins].” (84-1, 2, 3, 4, 5,) The eighth and ninth âyats of Nâziât sûra purport: “That day hearts are distressed with fear. Eyes [of the owners of these hearts] are in a contemptible manner with fear.” (79-8, 9) The fifty-first âyat of Yasîn sûra purports:“When the sûr (trumpet) is blown [the second time], people will get up from their graves and go fast towards their Rabb.” (36-51) The sixth, seventh and eighth âyats of Zilzâl sûra purport: “That day, in order to see the rewards for their deeds, people will go to the place of Judgement in groups. Any person who has done the tiniest amount of good shall see it, [get its reward]. Any person who has done the tiniest amount of evil shall be punished for it.” (99-6, 7, 8) [Everybody, whether a Believer or a disbeliever, shall see on the Day of Judgement what has been done in the world. If a Believer is sunnî, that person shall be forgiven for the sins (committed and then repented and) made tawba for in the world, and shall be given thawâb (rewards) for his or her good deeds. The good deeds of disbelievers and holders of bid’at, i.e. those Believers who have (blurred their belief with) aberrant tenets, shall be spurned, and they shall be punished for their atrocities. The gravest punishment to be inflicted on them shall be the eternal punishment on account of disbelief. Disbelievers shall stay eternally in Hell.] The sixty-third âyat of Ahzâb sûra purports: “O My Messenger! Disbelievers will ask you when the end of the world will come. Tell them: Allâhu ta’âlâ, alone, knows it, [He has not intimated it to anybody]. Perhaps it is imminent.” (33-63)
Qur’ân al-kerîm contains many âyat-i-kerîmas about the rewards that will be given to those who have beautiful moral qualities, those who purify their hearts from vicious traits, those who perform pious deeds and the punishments that will be inflicted on sinners, about law, about mu’âmalât (laws and regulations concerning the dealings and relations among people), about the properties of Paradise and Hell, about the events that will take place during the qiyâmat (the end of the world, resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgement), and about the Person of Allâhu ta’âlâ, His Attributes and Names. If these (âyat-i-kerîmas) were classifed in groups and interpreted, each group would make up a book more than several times as big as the existing Gospels. Comparing Qur’ân al-kerîm to today’s Gospels would be like comparing an ocean to a small pool of water. In fact, such comparison would be like that which is done between a person who has a small yard with forty or fifty trees whose branches are broken and leaves shed and another person who has several thousand fruitful trees in his orchard. The forty to fifty trees, which are the contents of the small yard, are, with their healthy, fruitful branches, only a tiny part of the vast orchard which has thousands of extremely green trees with strong branches. Being unaware of the big orchard, or because of the jealousy (that has suffused him) after seeing only a part of the orchard, the owner of the small yard normally brags about a few kinds of fruits he has and challenges: “The delicious fruits in my yard are not in yours. My yard is better-cared-for and more useful than yours. You, and also all people must believe this.” What could be done against such an ignorant and imbecilic assertion? After all, the best thing we could do was be humane enough to pity that person because he was unaware of the fact and show him how his yard and the other one (the orchard) were. If he were still stubborn and insisted on his claim, he would deserve only a grin. [So is the case with Christians. Some of them, being deceived by priests and having no knowledge about Islam, refuse to accept Islam. Those who have true information about Islam become Muslims willingly. But others, being too headstrong and too bigoted to accept Islam and fearing that Islam’s spreading will destroy, annihilate Christianity, stir up hostility against Islam. These people have deviated from the right way, and they mislead others, too.]
He (Îsâ) went up to heaven before
death,
For he wanted to be in his (Muhammad’s) Ummat.
Also, it was for his (Muhammad’s)
sake
That the rod of Mûsâ (Moses) became a serpent.
They supplicated to Allah so
earnestly
That they might become (Muhammad’s) Ummat.
No doubt they also are
Prophets,
But (Ahmad) is the highest of them.
For he is the most worthy of being
the highest.
He who does not know so must be dumbest.