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2014 Webcasting on the world’s first real-time Islamic service at www.virtualmosque.co.uk Editors: Shahid Aziz Mustaq Ali Contents: Page The Call of the Messiah 1 Concept of God in Islam from ‘Arab News’ 3 Where Islam Clashes with the West by Yuram Abdullah Weiler 5 God’s Forgiveness 8
ن ْحالرَّ ْ ی م حم ْ ْس م ْ ٰ ِباہللْالرَّ م
nounce and deny merely on the basis of figurative speech, but rather derive benefit for the purpose of their guidance from those signs that have manifestly been set forth and exhibited by the God Most High. It is but obvious that doubt cannot destroy and do away with certainty. Accordingly, that portion of the prophecies that has not as yet been fulfilled in a visible way is simply a matter of conjecture; for it is possible that, as with the second coming of Elias, it, too, might have been fulfilled in a metaphorical sense, and that the person who is waiting is possessed of the misapprehension that it will, some day, come to pass and happen in a physical way. It is also possible that the actual words
Call of the Messiah by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi Circumspection It is necessary and useful to remember that the prophecies uttered through the mouths of apostles or through sacred scriptures regarding the advent of Divine messengers – no matter whether they be prophets, apostles, muhaddas, or mujaddid – consist of two parts, one being those signs which come to pass perceptibly and which amount and add up to clear arguments, the other part being couched in the language of metaphor and figurativeness, and also that people having prejudice and bias in their mentality will adhere to and follow the metaphorical statements, whereas the sincere seekers after Truth derive benefit from the clear and categorical statements. The Jews as well as the Christians have passed through this ordeal, and the Muslims who have eyes to see should, therefore, learn a lesson from this and not hasten to de-
Jenolan Caves, NSW, Australia of some Traditions might not have remained intact and unimpaired, because the words of Traditions are not like wahy matluwwa (‘revelation that is recited’), and most of them constitute a collection of individual narrations. Doctrine or dogma is a different thing: one may believe as he chooses, but the true and correct conclusion is that in individual narrations there is a reasonable chance of an alteration in the wording, so that in one and the same Tradition received through different channels and different narrators there is often a considerable dif-
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2 ference in their wording as well as in their order, although it will have been been uttered by one mouth and at one time. It can, then, be readily understood that since most of the narrators have their own mode of expression and choice of words, divergence is a natural consequence.
Fulfilment of metaphorical statements It is also possible that, in the metaphorical portion of the prophecies, certain events that are expected to come to come about in a single occurrence may come to pass gradually, or even through the agency of another person, just as it happened in the case of the Holy Prophet's prophecy that the keys to the treasures of the emperors of Rome and Persia had been delivered into his hands, although it is a matter of fact that the Holy Prophet had breathed his last and died before the prophecy actually came to pass and that he saw neither the treasures of Rome and Persia, nor their keys; but since it had been ordained that the keys would be surrendered into the hands of Hazrat Umar given that his existence, in the sense of his being a shadow of the Holy Prophet, was in itself the Holy Prophet’s existence, accordingly, in the realm of revelation, Hazrat Umar's hand had been designated and deemed to be the Holy Prophet's hand. In short, people falling into error slip up at this point and go astray. They think, unfortunately, that every portion of the prophecy will definitely be literally fulfilled, and when the time comes, and a man from God makes his appearance, and certain signs come to pass in support of his truthfulness, they give them no heed or regard, while those signs that do not come to pass and realise themselves in a literal way, or whose time of fulfilment has not yet arrived, they will cite and adduce again and again. Now, this was, in fact, the real cause of the destruction of those people who did not accept the true prophets of God. They presumptuously thought that they were clever and shrewd enough, but the unholy game robbed them of the acceptance of Truth.
Regrettable repetition It is surprising indeed that whatever the Jews and the Christians did in the past in the way of
misconstruing and misinterpreting prophecies so that they did not accept the truthful persons, exactly the same has been done to me by my people, the Muslims. It was, of course, necessary that, in accordance with the ancient practice of God Most High, the prophecies concerning the advent of the Promised Messiah should consist of two parts, one containing clear signs that were to be fulfilled in a literal and perceptible
Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA way, the other consisting of figurative statements couched in the idiom of metaphor and simile. But it is regrettable that this people, too, have followed in the footsteps of the earlier wrongdoers and, sticking pig-headedly to the metaphorical statements, set aside and rejected those clear signs and arguments that had been fulfilled manifestly, although fear of God and piety demanded that they should have remembered the trials and tribulations of the former nations and not laid stress upon the metaphorical statements, but derived benefit from the clear signs and arguments that have come about and taken place as clearly as the daylight. But they do not act in this way, and when those prophecies uttered by the Holy Prophet and the Holy Quran of which many a sign has patently come to pass are adduced before them, they set them aside most arrogantly and cite some figurative statements, contending that they have not been visibly fulfilled. And when, even in spite of all this, mention is made of those earlier people who, in much the same way, disregarded the fulfilled portion of the prophecies and, seizing
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3 upon the metaphorical portion and contending that it had not been literally fulfilled, did not accept the truth, these people say that if they had been in that age they would not have acted in that manner. They do not accept the fulfilled signs and arguments that create and kindle the light of belief, but go about with the metaphorical statement in their hands, wrongly instructing the people that
these have not been fulfilled, although it was necessary, according to the providential plan, that those things should not be fulfilled in the manner they surmised, i.e., in the literal, bare way. There is no doubt that one portion of the prophecy has been fulfilled openly, without any reserve, and the other obscurely or in a veiled manner, but the prejudiced and perverse people of this age have had no mind to accept it. They turn away their faces disdainfully at the sight of every argument and proof, and call the signs of God the fraud and deception of man. When they hear the pure and sacred revelation of God Most High they reject it as man’s fabrication, but they cannot give a reply to the question; “Has any wicked hypocrite who forged lies against God ever been given, for the purpose of spreading his falsehood, as much time as was given to the true recipients of Divine revelation? Has not God Most High warned that those who have fabricated Divine revelation and forged falsehood against Him shall be put to death and destroyed? It is also written in the Torah (Deuteronomy, 18:20) that a false prophet “which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak … shall die”, and in the Gospel also (Matthew, 7:19) that a pretender shall soon be destroyed, and his followers dispersed. Is there even one instance where a hypocrite who fabricated Divine revelation was given, during the period of his fabrication, as much life as has been vouchsafed to this humble man
during the time of his call? Bring forward and adduce it, if there should be any; and I declare most emphatically that ever since the beginning of this world right up to this day, not a single instance to this effect will be found. Is there any person, therefore, who will derive benefit from this strong and decisive argument, and cherish the fear of God in his mind? It is not my contention that idolworshippers do not get a long lease of life, or that those atheists denying the existence of God and persons claiming godhood and divinity for themselves will soon be held up and seized, for there is the next world for the punishment of these errors and abominations. But I argue and assert that one who attributes falsehoods to God, claiming that they have been revealed to him by God Most High, although he knows that they have not been revealed to him, is soon seized by the Divine wrath, and the days of his life are diminished and cut short. It is borne out by the Quran, the Gospel and the Torah. It is also vouched for and attested to by human intellect and wisdom. As against this testimony no contender can cite any instance from the annals of man to show that a hypocrite, telling lies about God, had been propagating his falsehood in the world for twenty-five or just eighteen years and posing deceitfully as the Deputy and Beloved of God Most High, and putting forward and adducing in support of it his own cooked-up revelations, but was not seized and smitten by Divine chastisement in spite of his criminal and wicked activities. Can it be expected and hoped that anyone from among our opponents will come forward and answer this question? Certainly not. Their hearts know full well that they are helpless and unable to answer these questions; still they do not refrain or desist from their denial, and although truth has been brought home to them through many a different argument, they continue to wallow in their indifference and apathy.
Concept of God in Islam (Reproduced from Arab News, Friday, 8th November 2013, http://www.arabnews.com/ news/474046) EVERY language has one or more terms that are used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser
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4 deities. This is not the case with the term ‘Allah,’ which is the specific name of the one true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word ‘god,’ which can be made plural, as in ‘gods,’ or made feminine, as in ‘goddess.’ It is interesting to notice that the name ‘Allah’ is referred to in Aramaic, the language of Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) and a sister language of Arabic. The one true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to nothing, and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked by his contemporaries about Allah, the answer came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Qur’an, which is considered to be the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism: “Say: He is God, the One! God, the eternally Besought of all! He begets not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable to Him.” (Qur’an, 112:1–4) Allah’s concept in Islam is that of merciful. Hence, except Surah Taubah, each of the 114 chapters of the Qur’an begins with the verse, “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “God is more loving and kind than a mother to her dear child.”
people of Faith like the people of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge you?” Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him as favouring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. He created the human-beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves and get His favour through virtue and piety only. The concepts that God rested on the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind, and that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy in Islam. The term ‘Allah’ is a reflection of Islam’s emphasis on the purity of the belief in God that is the essence of the message of all God’s messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a sin that God never forgives, despite the fact that He may forgive all other sins. The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because if He is of the same nature as they are, He will be temporal and will therefore need a maker. It follows that nothing is like Him. If the maker is not temporal,
And, God in Islam is Just. Hence, evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment, and the virtuous must have His bounties and favors. Actually, God’s attribute of mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of justice. People suffering throughout their lives for His sake should not receive similar treatment from their Lord as people who oppress and exploit others. Expecting similar treatment for them would amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby negate all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world. The following Qur’anic verses are very clear and straightforward in this respect: “Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord. Shall We then treat the
Dubai Marina
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5 then he must be eternal. But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused, and if nothing caused Him to come into existence, nothing outside Him causes Him to continue to exist, which means that he must be self-sufficient. And if He does not depend on anything for the continuance of His own existence, then this existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore eternal and everlasting: “He is the First and the Last.” He is Self-sufficient or Self-subsistent, or, to use a Qur’anic term, Al-Qayyum. The Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things into being, He also preserves them and takes them out of existence and is the ultimate cause of whatever happens to them.
Where Islam Clashes with the West (Reproduced from PRESSTV.COM, Friday, 8th November 2013, http://www.presstv.ir/detail/ 2013/11/08/333668/ where-islam-clashes-with-the-west/.) Epistemology and ontology are where Islamic views clash with those of the West, writes Yuram Abdullah Weiler. (Note: Yuram Abdullah Weiler is a freelance writer and political critic who has written dozens of articles on the Middle East and US policy. A former engineer with a background in mathematics and a convert to Islam, he currently writes perspectives on Islam, social justice, economics and politics from the viewpoint of an American convert to Shia Islam, focusing on the deleterious role played by the US in the Middle East and elsewhere. A dissenting voice from the ‘Belly of the Beast’, he lives with his wife in Denver, Colorado.)
“Whatever you perceive and see in sleep has existence for you, even though no one else can see it. And whatever you do not see is unperceived and
where-islam-clashes-with-the-west/.) Epistemology and ontology are where Islamic views clash with those of the West, writes Yuram Abdullah Weiler. (Note: Yuram Abdullah Weiler is a freelance writer and political critic who has written dozens of articles on the Middle East and US policy. A former engineer with a background in mathematics and a convert to Islam, he currently writes perspectives on Islam, social justice, economics and politics from the viewpoint of an American convert to Shia Islam, focusing on the deleterious role played by the US in the Middle East and elsewhere. A dissenting voice from the ‘Belly of the Beast’, he lives with his wife in Denver, Colorado.)
“Whatever you perceive and see in sleep has existence for you, even though no one else can see it. And whatever you do not see is unperceived and non-existent for you, even though all creation sees it!” – Al-Ghazzali What is our reality and how do we know of its existence? Throughout the ages, philosophers, among them many Muslims, have grappled with conceptions of reality and knowledge of its existence for centuries, probing deeply into fundamental questions, such as how one knows if one’s knowledge is correct and if one’s perceptions of reality are valid.
These issues arise in the areas of philosophy known as epistemology and ontology, both of which have been expounded by such great Islamic philosophers as al-Kindi, al-Farabi and Ibn Sina. Epistemology deals with the crucial questions of what constitutes valid knowledge and how one can obtain it, whereas ontology considers questions of what constitutes reality and how one can understand existence. More simply put, our epistemology would be our answer to the question, “How can I know reality?” and our ontology would be our answer to the question, “What is reality?” As we shall see, Islam’s answers to these vital Halong Bay, Vietnam questions clashes with
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6 where Islam stands on these matters. Since Islam holds that Allah the Creator is eternal, and has sent prophets throughout the ages to guide people and has provided divine books of guidance for them to read, one could say that Islam has an objectivist epistemology (See Qur’an 10:35, which states Allah guides to the truth). At the same time, Islam (in particular Shia Islam) has subjectivist epistemological tendencies since it condones ijtihad or the derivation of ordinances based on interpretation of valid sources by religious scholars as necessary and appropriate for changing times and new technologies. As far as ontology is concerned, Islam holds a realist view, that is, the independent existence of reality whether or not we are aware, since it testifies to the existence of creative and spiritual forces prior to the existence of humans (see Qur’an 2:31–32, which testifies to the existence of knowledge before the teaching of it to angels and the first human). Likewise, there is room for subjectivist ontology in Islam, since it is the Creator that has given us the ability to learn with our minds and senses, and has provided us with such necessities of life as food, housing, clothing and other provisions, thus allowing us to construct our own reality (see Qur’an 16:80). In short, a practitioner of Islam, a Muslim, uses the epistemology of Allah (namely the Qur’an and Sunnah-Prophetic traditions) to know His ontology (existence). This approach places Allah at the center of the universe with the ultimate source of knowledge being His revelation. This is in sharp contrast with Western anthropocentric views of epistemology and ontology, which are heavily influenced by materialist notions of man and the universe, derived mainly from the rationalism of René Descartes. By postulating a theocentric world view and rejecting the greedy materialism of a shallow, consumer-oriented lifestyle, Islam clashes with the West in both epistemology and ontology. However, unlike Christianity and Western secularism, Islam rejects the notion of an intrinsic conflict between the sciences and religious teachings. “Islam attempts to synthesize reason and revelation, knowledge and values in its ap-
proach,” writes scholar Yadollah Dadgar of Tarbiat Modares University in Tehran, pointing out that in the West, the dominance of materialistic and mechanistic paradigms of science has weakened this synthesis. Muslim philosophers, unlike their Western counterparts, were able to find a peaceful relationship between faith, science, reason and rationality. Of Muslim philosophers in general, scholar Amber Haque of the United Arab Emirates University in Al-Ain writes, “As opposed to the Greeks, who had revolted from the Christian religious dogmas, Muslims actually reconciled religion with philosophy.” Of the Islamic philosophers, perhaps the best known is Abu Nasr Muhammad ibn Muhammad AlFarabi, who was born in 872 CE in Khorasan, Iran and died in 950 CE in Aleppo, Syria. He was a Muslim scientist, philosopher, cosmologist, logician and musician. Of him, Majid Fakhry of Georgetown University writes, “Al-Farabi’s contributions … entitle him to a position of undoubted pre-eminence among the philosophers of Islam.” Al-Farabi’s treatises on the logic of Aristotle were a key element of the passing of this knowledge to Christian scholars in the middle ages, and had a great influence on later Islamic philosophers such as Ibn Sina, or Avicenna as he is known in the West. He even had a great influence on the thinking and philosophy of the Jewish sage, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, the Rambam, better known in the West as Maimonides, who said of Al-Farabi, “All his writings are faultlessly excellent.” Also famous for The Great Book of Music (Kitab al-Musiqi al-Kabir), Al-Farabi has been called “The Second Teacher,” that is, second only to Aristotle.
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7 Another great Muslim philosopher, theologian and mystic also from Khorasan, Iran is Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali, who was born in 1058, and died in Tus in 1111. He wrote on human nature and discovering the self, which he described as consisting of qalb, ruh, nafs and aql – roughly speaking, heart, spirit, soul and mind – all of which are considered spiritual entities. These are further subdivided, for example the nafs: Nafs l’ammarah – the soul that seeks to gratify passions and do evil, see Qur’an 12:53, Nafs Lawammah – the soul that knows right from wrong, see Qur’an 75:2, and Nafs Mutmainnah – the soul which arrives at the ultimate peace, see Qur’an 89:27. It is interesting to note that many ideas used in psychology in the West today have an origin in the teachings of Islamic scholars. Haque writes, “In the area of psychology, we also find that it was the early Muslim scholars who originated many psychological theories and practices prevalent today.” For example, one of the earliest works on dreams is that of Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Sireen (654–728), whose perspective on analysis is quite different from the Western approach, which is now based on Freud and his ideas of sexual and aggressive interpretations. Al-Ghazzali taught that man was between the animals and the angels. With the acquisition of knowledge, man could rise above the angels, but could fall to the level of the animals if passions, anger and lusts are allowed to rule. He taught that Tazkiyat an-Nafs – purifying one’s soul – is incumbent upon everyone, is the result of one’s own good self-conduct, and is possible without destroying all of one’s natural tenden-
cies, which in the west would be called selfhelp. The problem with the approach to human well-being in the confused western secularChristian society is that it has placed the person’s spiritual and theistic nature into a separate category known as “religion,” to be pursued or ignored as desired. As Haque explains, “This process of secularization grossly neglected the moral and spiritual phenomena within man and left it up to the individual to practice religion.” This, in a sense, puts Western psychology in direct conflict with man’s innate spiritual nature, and of course, the Islamic theory of human nature which recognizes this inherent spirituality and human free will. Identifying this clash with Islam, Haque asserts, “Modern psychology makes grave assumptions that human behaviors are observable by the senses and therefore subject to quantification and measurement, while ignoring the transcendental aspect in man.” The Western secularists often ask the question of why is there a need for a “theological structure,” religion in other words, if humans are, at least theoretically, capable of deducing right from wrong and the existence of the Creative Force. In response, al-Ghazzali informs us that since humans are ruled by unlimited appetites, seeking the increase of material wealth and satisfaction of carnal desires, reason has been created to restrain them and the Sharia, or Islamic law, has been sent by means of the prophets (peace be upon them) to clarify reason. The West, in contrast to Islam, believes that by unleashing all of these self-serving appetites (and not passing moral judgment upon them) in the so-called free market, the maximum level of happiness for everyone will be achieved. As hu-
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8 mans have freedom of choice, Islam maintains that without the Divine guidance revealed to us through Allah’s prophets and imams (peace be upon them), there is no guarantee an individual would make the wisest choices for ultimate happiness and success in this world much less the next, which the secular west denies. Sharply incompatible with Islam, modern Western ontology denies the hereafter while its epistemology denies knowledge acquired through revelation. These irreconcilable differences in epistemology and ontology lie at the heart of the clash between Islam and the West.
God’s Forgiveness (Editor’s Note: the following article is reprinted here from The Islamic Review, vol. 9, no. 4, April–May, 1989.) God is not a mere judge or king. He is, as the Quran describes Him, “Master of the Day of Judgement.” He is not only Just, but also Merciful and Forgiving. If He finds some real good in a man or sees that he is sincerely repentant, having the desire and resoluteness to conquer his own evil impulses, then He may forgive his failings and sins altogether.
ill – those suffering from the diseases of selfishness, malice, hatred, falsehood, dishonesty, greed, impurity, etc. – are cured by the fire of remorse and distress. But those who have the persistent urge to do good and the sincerely repentant will find God ever-ready to forgive their failures and sins without punishing them. True repentance erases sin, in the sight of God. God can and does forgive the shortcomings and sins of those who are trying their best to eschew evil and do good, and of the sincerely repentant. “Say: O My people, who have acted extravagantly against your own souls, do not despair of the mercy of God; for God forgives the sins altogether; for He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. So turn to your Lord repentant and submit to Him before there comes to you the chastisement, then you will not be helped” (39:53–54). “And whoever does evil or wrongs his own soul, then asks forgiveness of God (and reforms himself), will find God Forgiving, Merciful. And whoever commits a sin, commits it only against himself. And God is Allknowing, Wise” (4:110–111). Kawachi Fuji Gardens, Japan
The only right motive or reason for punishing a man is to check evil and reform the offender. The God of the Quran the Creator and Sustainer of all the worlds is the God of love and mercy. He judges a man on the basis of his intention and efforts. If He prescribes a law and a way and demands obedience, it is not for His own benefit, but for the benefit of mankind. If He punishes a man for his transgressions and sins it is not for His own satisfaction, but to check evil and purify the sinner. When a man commits a sin, he does not harm God, he harms his own soul. Hell itself is like a hospital, where the spiritually and morally
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