Author Archives: islamaus@yzm

Denying God, Denying Reality

by . Posted on
28 Aug

Self-Evident Truths

Does God exist? If God exists, what evidence is there to support this belief?
I believe we have many good arguments which support a belief in God. We don’t require any evidence for His existence. God is an axiomatic belief. God’s existence is self-evidently true.
Science takes the world’s reality as a self-evident truth; it believes that the world is real. In other words, the physical world is separate and external from our minds and our thoughts.

Objection #1: What about the ‘spaghetti monster?’ Is it self-evident truths?
Self-evident truths is known as a ‘basic belief’ in the language of philosophy. Self-evident truths, axioms and basic beliefs are cross cultural in that they are not culturally bound. They are also innate in that they are not acquired via any form of information transfer, and they are also foundational.

 
A Cross Cultural Belief
If I believe in a spaghetti monster, I would have to have been brought up in a culture in which you are taught about spaghetti and monsters. The idea of God, the basic underlying idea of a creator, of a supernatural cause for the universe, is cross-cultural. It is not contingent on culture but transcends it, just like the belief in causality and the existence of other minds.

 
An Innate Belief
Properly basic beliefs, axiomatic beliefs, and self-evident truths, do not require information transfer. For me to understand what a spaghetti monster is, I require information to be transferred to me. I require knowledge of western cuisine and Italian culture. The idea of God’s existence as the creator of the universe do not require any information transfer, whether from culture, or education. This is why sociologists and anthropologists argue that even if atheist children were stranded on a desert island, they would come to believe that something created the desert island.

 
A Foundational Belief
Trusting our minds and the very fact that we can reason to the truth is a basic belief. If we did not hold such a belief then how could we trust our minds? How could we reason to the truth? How could we understand the universe and ourselves? These questions are indicative of the foundational nature of the validity of our reasoning. God’s existence, explains conscious emergence, the fact that we have consciousness within a material world.[1] It answers the questions for which we have no answer, like the question of language. [2] It also explains the existence of objective moral truths and offers a foundation for explaining why things happen.

 
Objection #2: Science
A flat earth was once a self-evident truth, it was a basic belief. As science has progressed we have found that this is not the case. We now know that the world is round.
Science is based on a theory of knowledge called Empiricism. Empiricism stems from the idea that you can only have knowledge of something from experience based on direct or indirect observation. God, by definition, is a non-observed being and is outside of His universe. Science can never directly reject God’s existence because science can only deal with things that you can observe. Either stay silent on the matter or suggest some evidence that can be used to infer His existence.

Objection #3: The belief in God is not universal
Millions of atheists worldwide suggests that the God’s existence is not self-evident because it’s not universal.

 
Individualised

Self-evident truths do not have to be universal. They can be individualised. Take for example your mother; you have a basic belief that the lady that you call your mother is the one that gave birth to you. You do not have a home DNA test kit and accept the fact that she is your mother because for you it is self-evidently true. However, to someone else, the lady that you call your mother could be your aunty, step-mother or adopted guardian.

Universal
In spite of the number of atheists in the world, the belief in God is universal. A universal belief does not mean every single person on the planet must believe in it. A cross cultural consensus is enough evidence to substantiate the claim that God’s existence is a universal claim. Evidently there are more theists than atheists in the world, and this has always been the case from the beginning of recorded history

 

Our Innate Nature (Fitrah)

The fitrah is an Arabic word that essentially means the natural state, the innate nature, or the innate disposition of the human being. This innate nature acknowledges God and wants to worship Him.

Fitrah can be ‘veiled’ or ‘spoiled’ by external influences. External influences can include parenting, society and peer pressure. These influences can cloud the fitrah and prevent it from acknowledging the truth. Anthropological evidence shows the atheism of communist Russia and communist China still had signs of what you would call a worship instinct, a sanctification instinct, awe of a greater being, which relates to the fitrah. For example their big statues of Stalin and Lenin were almost revered.

[3] As the Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) said in an authentic prophetic tradition, “that every child is born in a state of fitrah. Then his parents make him a Jew, a Christian or a Magian…”.[4]

In this light Ibn Taymiyyah argues that when the natural state of someone is “altered” that person may need “other evidences” for God’s existence. These evidences will act as a trigger to wake up the fitrah. In addition to this, a key principle is that the Qur’anic arguments ‘unveil’ or ‘uncloud’ the fitrah. These Quranic arguments include encouraging reflection, pondering, and introspection.

Conclusion

God’s existence is self-evidently true. If you deny God, you are denying reality itself. And this was confirmed via the teachings of our beloved Prophet (upon whom peace) over 1400 years ago.

“Can there be doubt about Allah, Creator of the heavens and earth?” The Qur’an 14:10

Foot Notes

[1]For more on this please read “Consciousness and the New Scien:st Magazine”, Hamza Andreas Tzortzis, 2014. hGp://www.iera.org/research/essays-ar:cles/consciousness-and-the-new-scien:st- magazine-reflec:ons-on-false-materialist-assump:ons-hamza-tzortzis. Accessed 17 December 2014.

[2]“This highlights an important and difficult challenge facing the study of language evolu:on: the need for coopera:on between different disciplines and between researchers working on different aspects of the problem. Without this coopera:on a sa:sfactory account of the evolu:on of human language, and therefore of human language itself, is likely to be elusive.” ([Prefinal DraY] Kirby, S. (2007). The evolu:on of language. In Dunbar, R. and BarreG, L., editors, Oxford Handbook of Evolu:onary Psychology, pp. 669–681. Oxford University Press.)

[3]Ibn Qayyim argued that the fitrah is truly an inborn predisposi:on to acknowledge Allah, the Oneness of Allah and the religion of Islam (al-Asqalani, Fathul Bari, p. 198).

[4]Sahih Muslim

Scientific Miracles in Brief

by . Posted on
28 Aug

Why Islam is the true religion of God.

Most religions are based on books claimed by their followers to be divinely inspired, without any proof. Islam is based upon reason and proof. There are clear signs that the book of Islam, the Quran, is the word of God and we have many reasons to support this claim.

There are prophecies made in the Quran and by the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, which have come to be pass.

The Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. Science at the time was primitive, there were no telescopes, microscopes or anything even close to the technology we have today. Within this backdrop the Quran was revealed, and it contains scientific knowledge – ranges from basic arithmetics to the most advanced topics in astrophysics – that could not have been known 1400 years ago and have only been discovered recently by contemporary science.

 

Inimitability of the Quran

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): Say: “If the mankind and the jinns were together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.” [Qur’an 17:88]

Some people may claim that the Quran was changed as new scientific facts were discovered. Allah SWT (God) in the Quran challenges Mankind to bring a recital like it and that the authenticity of its claims is supported by this challenge having gone unmet over over 1400 years. It is a historically documented fact that the Quran is preserved in its original language[1].

The Quran was written down and memorised by people during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad. One of the copies of the Quran which was written a few years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad is preserved in a museum in Uzbekistan. This copy is over 1400 years old and is exactly the same as the Arabic Quran that we have today[2].

 

Scientific Facts in the Quran

 As we know, science sometimes takes a ‘U-turn’ where what once scientifically correct is false a few years later. The Quran is not a book of science but a book of ‘signs’ that is consistent with science. These signs are there for people to recognise God’s existence and affirm His revelation.

The following are nine scientific facts found in the Quran:

  1. Origin of Life

The Quran makes a very unusual claim: “We made every living thing from water? Will they not believe? “(Quran 21:30)

In this verse water is pointed out as the origin of all life. All living things are made of cells. We now know that cells are mostly made up of water[3]. For example, 80% of the cytoplasm (basic cell material) of a standard animal cell is described as water in biology textbooks. The fact that living things consist mostly of water was discovered only after the invention of the microscope. In the deserts of Arabia, the last thing someone would have guessed is that all life came from water. 

  1. Iron

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): “We sent down Iron with its great inherent strength and its many benefits for humankind.” (Quran 57:25)

Iron is not natural to the earth. Scientists have found that billions of years ago the earth was stuck by meteorites. These meteorites were carrying Iron from distant stars which had exploded[4].

God uses the words ‘sent down’ for Iron. It is clear from the verse that Iron is not an earthly material, but was sent down for the benefit of humanity. The fact that Iron came down to earth from outer space is something which could not be known by the primitive science of the 7th century.

  1. Sky’s Protection

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): “We made the sky a protective ceiling. And yet they are turning away from Our signs!” (Quran 21:32)

The protective properties of the sky were discovered by scientific research conducted in the 20th century. The sky plays a crucial role in protecting the earth. The sky protects the earth from the lethal rays of the sun. If the sky did not exist then the sun’s radiation would have killed off all life on earth. It also acts like a blanket wrapped around the earth, to protect it from the freezing cold of space. The temperature just above the sky is approximately -270oC. If this temperature was to reach earth then the planet would freeze over instantly.

The sky also protects life on earth by warming the surface through heat retention (greenhouse effect), and reducing temperature extremes between day and night [5]. These are some of the many protective functions of the sky.

  1. Mountains

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): “Did We not make the earth a resting place? And the mountains as stakes?” (Quran 78:6-7)

The Quran indicates that mountains have deep roots by using the word stakes to describe them. A book titled ‘Earth’ by Geophysicist Frank Press explains that mountains are like stakes, and are buried deep under the surface of the earth. Mount Everest, the height of which is approximately 9 km above ground, has a root deeper than 125 km. The fact that mountains have deep ‘stake’ like roots was not known, until after the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the beginning of the 20th century.[6]

  1. Expansion of the Universe

The expansion of the universe was described in Quran even before the invention of the telescope!: “And it is We who have built the Universe with [Our creative] power and keep expanding it.” (Quran 51:47)

The fact that the universe is expanding was discovered in the last century. The physicist Stephen Hawking in his book ‘A Brief History of Time’ writes, “The discovery that the universe is expanding was one of the great intellectual revolutions of the 20th century.”.

  1. Sun’s Orbit

The Quran mentions the orbit of the Sun: “It is He who created night and day, the Sun and the Moon, each floating in its orbit.” (Quran 21:33)

In 1512 the astronomer Nicholas Copernicus put forward his theory that the Sun is motionless at the centre of the solar system, and that the planets revolve around it. The belief that the Sun is stationary was widespread amongst astronomers until the 20th century. It is now a well-established scientific fact that the Sun is not stationary, but is moving in an orbit around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy[7]. The Quran would have been wrong according to astronomers just a couple of decades ago. But we now know that the Quranic account of the Sun’s motion is consistent with modern Astronomy.

  1. The Ocean

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): “Darkness out in a deep ocean which is covered by waves, above which are waves, above which are clouds, layers of darkness, one upon the other. When one puts out his hand [therein], he can hardly see it. Those God gives no light to, they have no light.” (Quran 24:40)

It is commonly thought that waves only occur on the surface of the ocean. 1400 years ago there were no submarines or specialist equipment to discover internal waves or the darkness deep inside the oceans. Oceanographers have discovered that there are internal waves that take place below the surface of the ocean. These waves are invisible to the human eye, and can only be detected by specialist equipment[8]. The Quran mentions darkness in a deep ocean above which are waves, then clouds above that. This description is not only remarkable because it describes the internal waves in the ocean, but also because it describes darkness deep in the ocean. A human being can dive no more than 70 metres without breathing equipment. Light is present at that depth, but if we go down 1000 metres it is completely dark[9].

  1. Lying and Movement

There was a cruel oppressive tribal leader named Abu Jahl who lived during the time of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him. God revealed a verse of the Quran to warn him: “No Indeed! If he does not stop, We will seize him by the forehead, his lying, sinful forehead.” (Quran 96:15-16)

God does not call this person a liar, but calls his forehead (the front part of the brain) ‘lying’ and ‘sinful’, and warns him to stop. This verse is significant for two reasons.

The first is that the front part of our brain is responsible for voluntary movement[10]. This is known as the frontal lobe. A book titled ‘Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology’ which includes the results of research on the functions of this area states: The motivation and the foresight to plan and initiate movements occur in the anterior portion of the frontal lobes, the prefrontal area[11]. The part of the brain that is responsible for movement is said to be seized if the man does not stop.

Secondly, numerous studies have shown that this same region (frontal lobe) is responsible for the lying function of the brain[12]. One such study at the University of Pennsylvania in which volunteers were asked questions during a computerised interrogation, it was found that when the volunteers were lying there was significantly increased activity in the prefrontal and premotor cortices (frontal lobe region)[13].

These functions of the frontal lobe – that  is responsible for movement and lying – were discovered with medical imaging equipment which was developed in the 20th century.

  1. Pain Receptors

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): “We shall send those who reject Our revelations to the (Hell) Fire. When their skins have been burned away, We shall replace them with new ones so that they may continue to feel the pain: God is Almighty, All-Wise.” (Quran 4:56)

For a long time it was thought that the sense of feeling and pain was dependent on the brain. However it has been discovered that there are pain receptors present in the skin [14]. The discovery of pain receptors in the skin is a fairly recent discovery for Biology. Without these pain receptors, a person would not be able to feel pain. God tells the people who reject his message that when they are in Hell and their skins are burnt off (so they can’t feel any pain), he will give them new skins so that they continue to feel the pain.

 

Conclusion 

Allah says in the Noble Quran (translated as): “We shall show them Our signs in the Universe and within themselves, until it becomes clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that your Lord is the witness of all things?” (Quran 41:53)

To claim that scientific facts in the Quran are due to coincidence would be irrational. The best explanation is that God revealed this knowledge to the Prophet Muhammad.

Just like the Quran contains knowledge about the natural world, it also contains information about the inner dimensions of our souls. It relates to our feelings, wants and needs. The Quran informs us that we have a purpose in life, and that following God’s guidance will lead us to inner peace in this life, and Paradise in the hereafter. And that rejection of his message will lead to depression in this life and Hellfire after death.

Endnotes:

[1] The Magnificent Qur’an: A Unique History of Preservation

[2] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4581684.stm)

[3] Bruce Alberts, Essential Cell Biology

[4] M. E. Walrath, History of the Earth’s Formation

[5] Joseph M. Moran, Meteorology: the Atmosphere and the Science of Weather [7] Terry A. Hicks, How Do Mountains Form? [8] Frank Press and Raymond Siever, Earth

[6] Naomi Oreskes, Plate Tectonics: An Insider’s History Of The Modern Theory Of The Earth [10] Stephen Hawking, A Brief History Of Time

[7] Lambert M. Surhone, Orbital Period: Orbit, Sun, Earth, Conjunction, Orbital Node, Apsis, Semi-Major Axis

[8] M. Grant Gross, Oceanography: A View of Earth

[9] Danny Elder, Oceans

[10] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2289137)

[11] Rod R. Seeley, Essentials of Anatomy & Physiology

[12] (http://cercor.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/1/205.full.pdf)

[13] (http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/2002/3/diogenes-new-lamp)

[14] Michael Darmon, Molecular Biology of the Skin: The Keratinocyte

The web address of this article: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/5195

Copyright © 2006-2013 IslamReligion.com. All rights reserved.

The Challenge of the Quran

by . Posted on
28 Aug

The Quranic challenge to produce a work similar to it, and the inability of its contemporaries to meet it.

The Quran is not only unique in the way in which it presents its subject matter, but it is also unique in that it is a miracle itself. By the term “miracle,” we mean the performance of a supernatural or
extraordinary event which cannot be duplicated by humans. It has been documented that Prophet
Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, challenged the Arabs to produce a literary work of a similar caliber as the Quran, but they were unable to do so in spite of their well-known eloquence and literary powers.

The challenge to reproduce the Quran was presented to the Arabs and mankind in three stages:

  1. The Whole Quran

In the Quran, God commanded the Prophet to challenge all of creation to create a book of the stature of the Quran: “Say: ‘If all mankind and the jinn would come together to produce the like of this Quran, they could not produce its like even though they exerted all their strength in aiding one another.'” (Quran 17:88)

  1. Ten Chapters

Next, God made the challenge ostensibly easier by asking those who denied its divine origin to imitate even ten chapters of the Quran: “Or do they say that he has invented it? Say (to them), ‘Bring ten invented chapters like it, and call (for help) on whomever you can besides God, if you are truthful.” (Quran 11:13)

  1. One Chapter

This final challenge was to produce even a single chapter to match what is in the Quran, whose shortest chapter, al-Kawthar, consists of only three verses: “And if you all are in doubt about what I have revealed to My servant, bring a single chapter like it, and call your witnesses besides God if you are truthful.” (Quran 2:23)

Prophet Muhammad’s call to monotheism, to the abolition of idolatry in all its forms, and to the equality of slaves and their masters threatened the whole socio-economic framework of Mecca society in general, and the position of the ruling Quraishee tribe from which the Prophet came in particular. Mecca, the trading centre of Arabia, as well as its spiritual centre, desperately wanted to stop the spread of Islam. Yet all that the Prophet’s opponents had to do to crush the movement was to make up a single chapter like any one of those which the Prophet and his followers were reciting to the people.

A number of Quraishee orators and poets tried to imitate the Quran, but they failed. They then resorted to offering him vast amounts of wealth, the position of king over them, and the most noble and beautiful of their women in exchange for his promise to stop inviting people to Islam. He responded to them by reciting the first thirteen verses of Chapter Fussilat, until they asked him to stop.[1]

The Quraish also resorted to torturing their slaves and relatives who had embraced Islam in a vain attempt to cause them to revert to paganism. Later they organised an economic boycott against the Prophet, his followers and the members of his clan, Banoo Haashim, in an attempt to starve them into submission. But even this plan eventually failed.

Finally, they plotted to kill him in his home by sending armed young men from each of the clans of Quraish in order that the guilt of his murder be shared by all the clans, making revenge by the Prophet’s clan impossible.

However, God enabled the Prophet and his followers to flee Mecca and join a new band of converts who had arisen among the tribes of a city to the north called Yathrib. Islam spread rapidly through the clans of Yathrib, and within a year Muslims became the city’s majority. Prophet Muhammad was then made the ruler, and the name of the city was changed to Madinatun-Nabee (The City of the Prophet), which was then shortened to “Medina.” Over the next eight years, the clans of Mecca and its neighbouring lands mounted a series of unsuccessful battle campaigns against the emerging Muslim state in Medina, which ended with the Muslim invasion of Mecca itself.

All of this bloodshed could have been avoided if only the Quraish and their allies had been able to produce a mere three lines of poetry or flowing prose similar to the shortest chapter of the Quran. Hence, there can be no doubt about the inimitability of the Quran’s literary style, about the miracle of its rhyme and the marvel of its rhythm.

Attempts to forge chapters have been made throughout the ages, yet none has withstood close scrutiny. And, as was mentioned before, the incentive to imitate the Quran was more intense during the time of its revelation when literally skills were at their peak than at any other time, yet there was no successful attempt.

Endnotes

[1] Collected by al-Haakim, al-Bayhaqee, Aboo Ya’laa and Ibn Hishaam, and declared hasan by lbraaheem al-‘Alee in Saheeh as-Seerah an-Nabaweeyah, p.64.

The web address of this article: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/648
Copyright © 2006-2013 IslamReligion.com. All rights reserved.

Why Islam

by . Posted on
10 Jul

Why Islam? Why should we believe that Islam is the religion of truth, the religion that possesses the pure and final revelation?

The Ultimate Elsewhere

Almost never do non-Muslims study Islam until they have first exhausted the religions of their exposure. Only after they have grown dissatisfied with the religions familiar to them, meaning Judaism, Christianity and all the fashionable “-isms”—Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism—do they consider Islam. Whatever the reason, we perceive shortcomings in the religions of our exposure, and look elsewhere. And the ultimate “elsewhere” is Islam.

Despite the fact that Muslims comprise one-fourth to one-fifth of the world’s population, non- Muslim media smears Islam with such horrible slanders that few non- Muslims view the religion in a positive light. Hence, it is normally the last religion seekers investigate.

The Final Revelation

We can’t navigate the twists and turns of this life without God’s guidance, and hence, He has given us guidance in the form of revelation. By the time non-Muslims examine Islam, other religions have typically heightened their skepticism: If every “God-given” scripture we have ever seen is corrupt, how can the Islamic scripture be different? If charlatans have manipulated religions to suit their desires, how can we imagine the same not to have happened with Islam?

Ask yourself: why would God send another revelation if the preceding scriptures were still pure? . What we can imagine is God giving us a scripture, and men corrupting it God giving us another scripture, and men corrupting it again … and again, and again. Until God sends a final revelation He promises to preserve until the end of time.

Muslims consider this final revelation to be the Holy Qur’an. It’s worth considering and looking into.

But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea ?

by . Posted on

But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure

Islam and Christianity

by . Posted on
06 Jul

Christianity, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world, is a Semitic religion. It owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him) and the Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians.

The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus (peace be on him). The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (peace be on him).

The complete Bible of the Catholics, i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books, consists of 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. However, the Protestant Bible i.e. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as  they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority. Therefore the Old Testament of the Protestants are only 39 books. 

Islam & Christianity

by . Posted on
01 Jul

The Bible

Christianity, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world, is a Semitic religion. It owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him) and the Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians.

The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus (peace be on him). The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (peace be on him).

The complete Bible of the Catholics, i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books, consists of 46 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. However, the Protestant Bible i.e. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as  they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority. Therefore the Old Testament of the Protestants are only 39 books. 

The Position of Jesus (peace be on him) in Islam

No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (peace be on him). Muslims believe that:

  1. He was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (The Glorified and Exalted).
  2. He was born miraculously, without any male intervention, which many modern day Christians do not believe.
  3. He was the Messiah translated Christ (peace be on him).
  4. He gave life to the dead with God’s permission.
  5. He healed those born blind, and the lepers with God’s permission. 

The Concept of God in Christianity

Jesus Christ (peace be on him) Never Claimed Divinity

The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (peace be on him). A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (peace be on him) never claimed divinity. There is not a single unequivocal statement in the entire Bible where Jesus (peace be on him) himself says, “I am God” or where he says, “worship me”. In fact the Bible contains statements in which Jesus (peace be on him) preached quite the contrary:

  1. “My Father is greater than I.” [The Bible, John 14:28]
  2. “My Father is greater than all.” [The Bible, John 10:29]
  • “…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God….” [The Bible, Mathew 12:28]
  1. “…I with the finger of God cast out devils….” [The Bible, Luke 11:20]
  2. “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” [The Bible, John 5:30] 

The Mission of Jesus Christ (peace be on him) – To Fulfil the Law

Jesus (peace be on him) clearly announced the nature of his mission that is to confirm the previous Judaic law. This is clearly evident in the Gospel of Mathew:

  1. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
  2. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
  3. “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.”
    [The Bible, Mathew 5:17-20]

God Sent Jesus (peace be on him)

The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (peace be on him) mission:

  1. “… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.” [The Bible, John 14:24]
  2. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” [The Bible, John 17:3]

Jesus Refuted Even the Remotest Suggestion of His Divinity

The following incident mentioned in the Bible:

  1. “And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’
  2. And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ “ [The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17] 

Jesus (peace be on him) did not say that to have the eternal life of paradise, man should believe in him as Almighty God or worship him as God, or believe that Jesus (peace be on him) would die for his sins. On the contrary he said that the path to salvation was through keeping the commandments. It is indeed striking to note the difference between the words of Jesus (peace be on him) and the Christian dogma of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus (peace be on him).

Jesus (peace be on him) of Nazareth – a Man Approved of God   
The Bible supports the Islamic belief that Jesus (peace be on him) was a prophet of God:

“Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.” [The Bible, Acts 2:22]

The First Commandment is That God is One

The Bible does not support the Christian belief in trinity at all. One of the scribes once asked Jesus (peace be on him) as to which was the first commandment of all, to which Jesus (peace be on him) merely repeated what Moses (peace be on him) had said earlier:

“Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adonai Ikhad.”

This is a Hebrew quotation, which means:

“Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” [The Bible, Mark 12:29] 

Jesus (peace be on him) rejected any suggestions that attributed divinity to him, and explained his miracles as the power of the One True God. Thus, reiterated the message of monotheism that was given by all earlier prophets of Almighty God. 

NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version.

Concept of God in Old Testament

God is One

The verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (peace be on him):
“Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad”.

It is a Hebrew quotation which means:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]

Unity of God in The Book of Isaiah

  1. “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
  2. “I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me.”[The Bible, Isaiah 45:5]
  • “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.” [The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]

Old Testament Condemns Idol Worship

  1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
  2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:”
  • “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” [The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]

A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy:

  1. “Thou shalt have none other gods before me.”
  2. “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth.”
  • “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” [The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]

Islam & Buddhism

by . Posted on
01 Jul

Historical criticism has proved that the original teachings of Buddha can never be known. It seems that Gautama Buddha’s teachings were memorized by his disciples. After Buddha’s death a council was held at Rajagaha so that the words of Buddha could be recited and agreed upon. There were differences of opinion and conflicting memories in the council. Opinion of Kayshapa and Ananda who were prominent disciples of Buddha were given preference. A hundred years later, a second council at Vesali was held. Only after 400 years, after the death of Buddha were his teachings and doctrines written down. Little attention was paid regarding its authenticity, genuineness and purity.

BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
Buddhist Scriptures can be divided into:

A. Pali Literature
The most important of all Buddhist scriptures is the TRI-PITAKA which is in Pali text. It is supposed to be the earliest recorded Buddhist literature which was written in the 1st Century B.C. The Pali literature was monopolized by the Hinayana sect of Buddhism. The TRI-PITAKA or Three Baskets of law is composed of 3 books:

1. Vinaya Pitaka: ‘Rules of Conduct’: A book of discipline and mainly deals with rules of the order.
2. SuIa Pitaka: ‘Discourses’: A collection of sermons and discourses of Gautama Buddha and the incidents in his life. It is the most important Pitaka and consists of five divisions known as Nikayas.
3. Abhidhamma: ‘Analysis of Doctrine’: An analytical and logical elaboration of the first two pitakas that is known as Buddhist meta physicals. It contains analysis and exposition of Buddhist doctrine.

 

B. Sanskrit Literature
Sanskrit literature was preferred by the Mahayana. Sanskrit literature has not been reduced to a collection or in Cannon like the Pali literature. Thus much of the original Sanskrit literature has been lost. Some were translated into other languages like Chinese and are now being re-translated into Sanskrit.

1. Maha vastu: ‘Sublime Story’: The most famous work in Sanskrit which has been restored from its Chinese translation. It consists of voluminous collection of legendary stories.
2. Lalitavistara: One of the holiest of the Sanskrit literature. It belongs to the first century C.E., 500 years after the death of Buddha. It contains the miracles which the superstition loving people have attributed to Buddha.

TEACHINGS OF BUDDHA

A. The Noble Truths:
The principal teachings of Gautama Buddha is what the Buddhists call the ‘Four Noble Truths’:

1. There is suffering and misery in life .
2. The cause of this suffering and misery is desire.
3. Suffering and misery can be removed by removing desire.
4. Desire can be removed by following the Eight Fold Path.

B. The Noble Eight Fold Path:
1. Right Views
2. Right Thoughts
3. Right Speech
4. Right Actions
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Efforts
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Meditation

C. Nirvana:
Nirvana’ literally means “blowing out” or “extinction”. According to Buddhism, this is the ultimate goal of life and can be described in various words. It is a cessation of all sorrows, which can be achieved by removing desire by following the Eight Fold Path

PHILOSOPHY OF BUDDHISM IS SELF – A CONTRADICTORY

For any person to follow Buddhism he should first have the desire to follow the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path. How can we follow the Fourth Noble truth i.e. follow the Eight Fold Path unless we have a desire to follow the Eight Fold Path. In short desire can only be removed by having a desire to follow the Eight Fold Path. If you do not follow the Eight Fold Path, desire cannot be removed. It is self contradicting as well as self-defeating to say that desire will only be removed by continuously having a desire.

THE CONCEPT OF GOD IN BUDDHISM

Buddha was silent about the existence or non-existence of God. It may be that since India was drowned in idol worship and anthropomorphism that a sudden step to monotheism would have been drastic and hence Buddha may have chosen to remain silent on the issue of God. He did not deny the existence of God.
Buddha was once asked by a disciple whether God exists? He refused to reply. When pressed, he said that if you are suffering from a stomach ache would you concentrate on relieving the pain or studying the prescription of the physician. “It is not my business or yours to find out whether there is God – our business is to remove the sufferings of the world”. Buddhism provided Dhamma or the ‘impersonal law’ in place of God. However this could not satisfy the craving of human beings and the religion of self-help had to be converted into a religion of promise and hope. The Hinayana sect could not hold out any promise of external help to the people. The Mahayana sect taught that Buddha’s watchful and compassionate eyes are on all miserable beings, thus making a God out of Buddha. Many scholars consider the evolution of God within Buddhism as an effect of Hinduism.
Many Buddhists adopted the local god and thus the religion of ‘No-God’ was transformed into the religion of ‘Many-Gods’ – big and small, strong and weak and male and female. The ‘Man-God’ appears on earth in human form and incarnates from time to time. Buddha was against the caste- system prevalent in the Hindu society.

MUHAMMAD (PBUH) IN BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES:

A. Buddha Prophesied The Advent Of A Maitreya
1. ChakkavaU Sinhnad SuIanta D. III, 76:
”There will arise in the world a Buddha named Maitreya (the benevolent one) a holy one, a supreme one, an enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe:

“What he has realized by his own supernatural knowledge he will publish to this universe. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at its climax, glorious at the goal, in the spirit and the letter. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and thoroughly pure; even as I now preach my religion and a like life do proclaim. He will keep up the society of monks numbering many thousands, even as now I keep up a society of monks numbering many hundreds”.

2. Sacred Books of the East volume 35 pg. 225:

”It is said that I am not an only Buddha upon whom the leadership and order is dependent. After me another Buddha maitreya of such and such virtues will come. I am now the leader of hundreds, he will be the leader of thousands.”

 
3. Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 217 and 218 (From Ceylon sources):

”Ananda said to the Blessed One, ‘Who shall teach us when thou art gone?’ And the Blessed one replied, ‘I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a holy one, a supremely enlightened one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths, which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure such as I now proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands while mine number many hundreds.’

Ananda said, ‘How shall we know him?’

The Blessed one replied, ‘He will be known as Maitreya’.”

 
Maitreya

The Sanskrit word ‘Maitreya’ or its equivalent in Pali ‘MePeyya’ means loving, compassionate, merciful and benevolent. It also means kindness and friendliness, sympathy, etc. One Arabic word which is equivalent to all these words is ‘Rahmat’. In Surah Al-Anbiya:

“We sent thee not, but as a mercy for all creatures.” [Al-Qur’an 21:107]

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was called the merciful, which is ‘Maitri’. The words Mercy and Merciful are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an no less than 409 times.

Every chapter of the Glorious Qur’an, except Chapter 9, i.e. Surah Taubah begins with the beautiful formula, ‘Bismillah Hir-Rahman Nir-Rahim’, which means ‘In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful’.

The Word Muhammad is also spelt as ‘Mahamet’ or ‘Mahomet’ and in various other ways in different languages. The word ‘Maho’ or ‘Maha’ in Pali and Sanskrit mean Great and Illustrious and ‘MePa’ means mercy. Therefore ‘Mahomet’ means ‘Great Mercy’.

 
B. Buddha’s Doctrine Was Esoteric And Exoteric:
Sacred Books of the East, volume 11, pg. 36 Maha-Parinibbana SuIa chapter 2 verse 32:
”I have preached the truth without making any distinction between exoteric and esoteric doctrine, for in respect of truths, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such thing as the closed fist of a teacher, who keeps something back”. Muhammad (pbuh) on the commandment of Almighty God delivered the message and doctrine without making any distinction between esoteric and exoteric. The Qur’an was recited in public in the days of the Prophet and is being done so till date. The Prophet had strictly forbidden the Muslims from hiding the doctrine.

 

C. Devoted Servitors Of The Buddhas:

Sacred Books of the East volume 11 pg. 97 Maha-Parinibbana SuIa Chapter 5 verse 36:
“Then the Blessed one addressed the brethren, and said, ‘Whosoever, brethren have been Arahat-Buddhas through the long ages of the past, they were servitors just as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me. And whosoever brethren shall be the Arahat-Buddhas of the future, there shall be servitors as devoted to those Blessed ones as Ananda has been to me’.”

The Servitor of Buddha was Ananda. Muhammad (pbuh) also had a servitor by the name Anas (r.a.) who was the son of Malik. Anas (r.a…) was presented to the Prophet by his parents. Anas (r.a…) relates: “My mother said to him, ‘Oh Messenger of God, here is your little servant’.” Further Anas relates, “I served him from the time I was 8 years old and the Prophet called me his son and his little beloved”. Anas (r.a…) stayed by the Prophet in peace and in war, in safety as well as in danger till the end of his life.

Anas (r.a.), even though he was only 11 years old stayed beside the Prophet during the battle of Uhud where the Prophet’s life was in great danger. Even during the battle of Honain when the Prophet was surrounded by the enemies who were archers, Anas (r.a…) who was only 16 years old stood by the Prophet. Anas (R) can surely be compared with Ananda who stood by Gautam Buddha when the mad elephant approached him

SIX CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFYING BUDDHA

According to the Gospel of Buddha by Carus pg. 214:

“The Blessed one said, ‘There are two occasions on which a Tathagata’s appearance becomes clear and exceedingly bright. In the night Ananda, in which a Tathagata aEains to the supreme and perfect insight, and in the night in which he passes finally away in that ultra passing which leaves nothing whatever of his earthly existence to remain.’ “

According to Gautam Buddha, the followings are the six criteria for identifying a Buddha.
i) A Buddha attains supreme and perfect insight at night-time.
ii) On the occasion of his complete enlightenment he looks exceedingly bright
iii) A Buddha dies a natural death.
iv) He dies at night-time.
v) He looks exceedingly bright before his death.
vi) After his death a Buddha ceases to exist on earth.

 

Islam & Atheism

by . Posted on
01 Jul

God Existence

– Atheists might assert that they don’t acknowledge the existence of God. Undeniably there are times — whether during the agonising days of a lingering illness, the seemingly eternal moments of a violent and humiliating mugging, or the split second of anticipating the impact of an imminent car crash — when a person realised the dependence of mankind upon a reality far greater than our own meagre human selves. In such moments of trial, how many stress-induced appeals are made to God, complete with promises of lifelong fidelity? Yet, how few are kept?

Francis Bacon said, God never wrought miracle to convince atheism, because his ordinary works convince it.”1 The lowest elements of God’s creation, though perhaps ordinary works in His terms, are miracles in ours. Take the example of as tiny an animal as a spider. Does anybody really believe that such an extraordinarily intricate creature evolved from primordial soup? Just one of these little miracles can produce up to seven different kinds of silk, some as thin as the wavelength of visible light, but stronger than steel. Silks range from the elastic, sticky strands for entrapment to the non-adhesive drag-lines and frame threads, to the silk for wrapping prey, making the egg sac, etc. The spider can, on demand, not only manufacture its personal choice of the seven silks, but reabsorb, breakdown and remanufacture–self-recycling from the component elements. And this is only one small facet of the miracle of the spider.

Surrounded by a world of synchronous complexities, we as mankind cannot even assemble the wing of a gnat. The fact that the entire World and all the Universe exists in a state of perfect orchestration is not a product of random accidents or chance which moulded cosmic chaos into balanced perfection.

And yet, mankind elevates itself to the heights of arrogance. They look at a building and they think of the architect. They look at a sculpture and they instantly comprehends an artist. Most Atheist arguments challenge the compatibility of an all-loving God with the perceived injustices of life. The duty of man is not to question or deny the attributes or presence of God, and not to incline to arrogance through professing to be able to do a better job, but rather to accept human station in this life and do the best that can be done with what we’ve been given.

By analogy, the fact that a person does not like the way the boss does things at work, and fails to understand the decisions he makes, does not negate his existence. Rather, each person’s duty is to fulfil a job description in order to be paid and promoted. Similarly, failure to grasp or approve of the way God orders creation does not negate His existence.

The Purpose of Life

Unlike the workplace boss, who may be wrong, God by definition is of absolute perfection, always right and never wrong. Failure to understand His design on our part does not reflect error on His part. He is The Lord and Master of Creation and we are not, He knows all and we do not, He orders all affairs according to His perfect attributes, and we simply remain His subjects, along for the ride of our lives. Humankind must satisfy a duty of servitude and worship to God if hoping to receive His reward. After all, that is not only the purpose of life, it is our job description as God conveys in the Noble Qur’an,

“And I have not created Jinns and men, except that they should serve (worship) Me.” (Quran 51:56).

Each and every element of creation exists in this world is to either support or test mankind in the fulfilment of that duty.

The confused and sensitive souls who encounter difficulty reconciling God’s existence with a harsh and often painful life deserve sympathy and explanation. All of us were born with an innate knowledge of the presence of the Creator. Humankind may intellectualise this awareness away in search of the conveniences and pleasures of this world, but deep down, all mankind know the truth. What is more, God knows that we know, and He alone can calculate the level of individual rebellion and/or submission to Him.

Another element of dawning spiritual awareness is simply to understand that there is seldom a free lunch. God granted the favourites of His creation (i.e. the prophets) the greatest worldly gift of certainty, guidance and revelation; however, they suffered greatly in worldly terms. They were deprived of the pleasures of this world in exchange for the rewards of the hereafter.

The After Life

Should a man work for a boss whom he does not understand or with whom he does not agree, in the end he still has to do his job in order to get paid. Unlike worldly employment, a person can duck his or her responsibilities to God and be granted a grace period. However, at the end of this probationary period called life, accounts become due and payable in the after life, and such is certainly not the best time to find one’s account ‘in the red.’

Most atheists don’t believe in afterlife. What if there is after life? A survey compiled in 2014 by The Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture (AISFC) reveals that 32 percent of Americans who identified themselves as agnostics and atheists believe in an afterlife of some kind.2

References

1 Bacon, Francis. Atheism. p. 16.

2 SGU Science News – http://www.theskepticsguide.org/one-third-of-atheists-agnostics-believe-in-an-afterlife