Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi

The essence of all religions is to reach God or the Truth, or the Absolute Reality. The religions are like different rivers flowing into the same Sea. They may have different ways, but the destination is the same. Mevlana Rumi's message is still relevant after seven hundred years. Rumi was a great thinker/philosopher, poet, or Sufi in present day Turkey. I read this about Mevlana Rumi written by a journalist some years ago "If one were to ask Mevlana Rumi what exactly he was he might say "nothing but a lover of God".

His century was also a century of war and famine, where the Mongol hordes had wrecked havoc in Asia. Not much different from our own, where the majority of human race lives below the poverty line and is constantly at war. Mevlana Rumi had come from present day Afghanistan to Konya escaping the Mongol invasion. His family settled in present day Turkey. Mevlana Rumi soon became a very famous jurisprudent and preacher in Konya after his father's death. At this point in his life he was already an accomplished Sufi master but restricted his spiritual teachings to a small selection of disciples but never exposed this publicly.

Mevlana Rumi around the age of 37 came in contact with a very spiritual figure known as Shams Tabriz meaning The Sun of Tabriz (Tabriz a place in Asia). People say he was a wandering dervish in search of a companion who could share his gnosis and be a mirror to him, but in truth no one but Mavlana Rumi knew his secret. After meeting with Shams, Mevlana took a retreat from his daily life. He stopped teaching at the institute where he was in the modern sense the Chair of the college. He would spend days and night with Shams mediating upon the Eternal Truth not meeting his family and spiritual disciples for many days at length. After Mevlana Rumi's meeting with Shams, Mevlana said this about him "Today I have seen the God I have worshipped all my life in human form" and at another place he said that Shams was no ordinary vagabond he looked, he was an educated and well off Chemist who had left his profession in search of the divine truth.

Eventually, Shams disappeared. It is said that Mavlana Rumi's jealous disciples murdered him. No one really knows what happened to Shams but his effect on Mevlana Rumi had been that of a catalyst, Rumi was transformed. This separation appeared to be a separation of two humans but in reality it was the separation of men and God. Just like man has never been happy since he left his place of origin, he finds satisfaction only in the remembrance of God, likewise Mevlana Rumi longed for reunion with God. Professor William C. Chittick writes this of their separation "Separation from Shams was but the appearance; separation from the Divine Beloved was the reality."

Mevlana went into a state of ecstasy after this separation and would not meet anyone for many days', singing and dancing day and night, remembering the Divine Beloved. Poetry poured from his lips, which eventually was collected into collections such as the Mathnavi, Divan-e-Shams-i Tabrizi and Rubaiyaat. In Mevlana Rumi's own words "I was the country's sober ascetic, I used to teach from the pulpit - but destiny made me one of Thy hand clapping Lovers:" from the Divan.

Professor Nasr interprets the meeting and separation of Mevlana Rumi as " It seems that Shams was a divinely sent spiritual influence which in a sense "exteriorized" Rumi's inner contemplative states in the form of poetry and set the ocean of his being into a motion which resulted in vast waves that transformed the history of Persian literature."

Mevlana Rumi not only transformed the history of Persian literature but also fulfilled the prophecy of the great Sufi poet Fariduddin Attar (author of Conference of the Birds) who said to Mevlana Rumi's father "soon this son of thine will set the spiritual aspirants of this world afire.

Even after his disappearance Shams remained alive in Mevlana's heart. Mevlana Rumi probably never believed in Shams death and therefore went two times to Damascus in search of him. It is said that once a person came to Mevlana and told him that he had seen Shams. Mevlana gave away his cloak to him upon which his son said that this man is lying only to make you happy. At which Mevlana said, "I have given away my robe for a lie, I would give my life for the truth."

Finally Mevlana came to the conclusion that Shams was within himself and
said," Though in body I am far from him, without body and spirit we two are one light ...
Since I am he and he is I, why do I seek? We are one, now I will sing of myself"

After Shams disappearance Mevlana Rumi left teaching at the university and only taught his spiritual disciples the path of Love/ Sufism. He continued his inspired poetry till his last breath. Mevlana Rumi's name has now become very famous in the West. His poetry is widely read and in 1997 the Christian Science Monitor named his collection of poetry by Coleman Bark the best selling in the USA. Both people in the East and the West can associate with his message of Love, because it is a universal feeling for which mankind is thirsty.

"I am neither of the East nor of the West; no boundaries exist in my breast" - Rumi

"When someone mentions the gracefulness
of the night sky, climb up on the roof
and dance and say,
Like this.

When someone quotes the old poetic image
About clouds gradually uncovering the moon,
Slowly loosen knot by knot the strings
of your robe.

Say Like this. If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead,
Don't try to explain the miracle.
Kiss me on the lips.
Like this. Like this."

"I asked for a kiss you gave me six. Whose pupil were you to become such a master? Full of kindness, generosity... You are not of this world."

"The minute I heard my first love story
I started looking for you,
not knowing
how blind that I was
Lovers don't finally meet somewhere
They're in each other all along."

"Like the spear pierces the shield in a moment, I passed through nights and days. This is why all beliefs and religions are for me One and hundred thousand of years just a moment..."

"Come, come again, whoever you are, come!
Heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come!
Come even if you broke your penitence a hundred times,
Ours is the portal of hope, come as you are."

"A nation of Love has a different religion, For them God alone is their nation and religion"

"By love, dead are made to live
By love, the sovereign is made a slave...
For Lovers the faith and religion is God"

And Mevlana's final message would be
"Get united... I came here not to divide but to unify."

Inayat Khan an Indian Sufi master says " The original words (in Persian) of Rumi are so deep, so perfect, so touching, that when one man repeats them hundreds and thousands of people are moved to tears. They cannot help penetrating the heart. This shows how much Rumi himself was moved to have been able to pour out such living words".

Some of the themes in Mevlana Rumi's Mathnavi are tolerance, love of the Divine and the remembrance of the Divine. The Mathnavi is a collection of stories of personalities such as Moses, Jesus and Muhammad and many Sufi's. The East and West need to build bridges of understanding rather than talk about the "clash of civilizations". We need to reach out to other civilizations and cultures. Mevlana Rumi's life, works and teachings are a great source of inspiration for this purpose. On what basis can the dialog of civilizations take place? From Mavlana Rumi's point of view people of faith from various religions and cultures can work for this understanding. As he said, "While beliefs vary from place to place, faith is essentially the same."

God says to Moses in the Mathnavi of Rumi
"Ways of worship are not to be ranked as better or worse than on another
Its all Praise its all right
Its not me who is glorified in acts of worship
It's the worshippers! ...

Forget phraseology
I want burning, burning..."

And Rumi also says,
"There are many languages in the world,
in meaning all are the same.
If you break the cups, water will be unified and will flow together"

Truly the need of this age is to break the cups, remove the misunderstandings and flow together in harmony. It is said that Mevlana Rumi after the death of his wife married a woman of Christian origin. The remarkable thing about this marriage was that it took place at the time of the Crusades when the Christians saw Muslims as number one enemies and vice versa. Not only did Mevlana Rumi talk about love for humanity he himself proved many times in his life that he was a great lover of humanity.

"To love human beings is to love God" - Rumi.

On the 16th of December Mevlana Rumi passed away to his beloved. Men of five faiths followed his funeral bier. People that day mourning his loss said, "he was the David, the Moses and Jesus of our age". This day came to be known as the Night of Union and is celebrated by his followers and a ceremony is held in his honor.

"When you see my funeral, don't say, "Parting and separation!"
for me, that is the time for union and meeting (God)."

Islam - The Fastest Growing Religion In The World - One In Four People Are Muslim

A recent report from an American think tank has suggested that one quarter of the world's population is Muslim. This is certainly surprising living in a western country. We always thought that Muslim people mainly live in small countries, like Saudi Arabia. In fact, the study suggested that approximately 61.9% of all Muslims lived in the Asia and the Pacific Region. In addition, the Middle East and North Africa (Arab countries) had 20.1% of the world's Muslim population.

In the western world like in Europe, it consists only 5% of the population (around about 38 million people) and half of the 4.6 million Muslims live in the United States.

Furthermore, the study suggests that Islam is perhaps one of the fastest growing religions in the world due to the enormous birth rate among these countries. Whereas, Christianity growth is slowing down because most of the country with majority Christians have a declining birth rate. However, Christianity is the biggest religion in the world and consists of 2.1 billion people. Another interesting fact is that there are 900 million Hindus and only 14 million Jews in the world today.

The whole idea that a typical Muslim is Arab is not really true. This report blast through that myth and confirms that Islam is perhaps one of the biggest religions of the world. Although this research is not entirely accurate, it does give a picture of the type of different beliefs people have. The researchers looked through and analyzed around 1,500 sources like general population surveys, census reports and demographic studies.

Islam - Christianity Comparing Their Doctrines of Salvation

The doctrine of Salvation or Soteriology is our focus for this comparative study. More specifically how Muslims (followers of Islam) and Christians (followers of Christianity), view Salvation and its inherent requirements.

The word Salvation can have many different definitions to various people and religions.

The definition for salvation we will be using comes from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition ;

1.Preservation or deliverance from destruction, difficulty, or evil.
2.Deliverance from the power or penalty of sin; redemption.

In plain English, we will define salvation as what it takes to get into Heaven or Paradise.

We will investigate the following questions.

1.What do the religions of Islam and Christianity teach in regards to salvation?
2.How is salvation gained by an individual?

The Koranic quotations are taken from by Abdullah Yusufali's translation titled The Meanings Of The Holy Qu'ran unless otherwise noted.

The Biblical texts will be from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, again unless noted otherwise.

By examining what both the Qu'ran and the Bible have to say on the topic of salvation we find that both use the word Grace to describe a mechanism of God's gift of Salvation.

Qu'ran Surah 8:29

O ye who believe! if ye fear Allah, He will grant you a criterion (to judge between right and wrong), remove from you (all) evil (that may afflict) you, and forgive you: for Allah is the Lord of grace unbounded.

Bible Deuteronomy 7:9

Know that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commands.

Grace shall be defined as the following:

1.a special favor
2.the prerogative of mercy exercised (as by a chief executive) or granted in the form of equitable relief

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Grace is a therefore receiving something we did not deserve or earn through our own actions.

Islam and Christianity diverge however on our need for salvation based on their understanding of Sin.

Christianity teaches that all men and women are born in a fallen state and thus have no hope of the righteousness demanded by God. The Doctrine of Original Sin states that Adam by his conscious description to disobey God ushered death into the world.

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5:12

[The effects of this first sin were] (1) "shame, a sense of degradation and pollution; (2) dread of the displeasure of God, or a sense of guilt, and the consequent desire to hide from his presence. These effects were unavoidable. They prove the loss not only of innocence but of original righteousness, and, with it, of the favour and fellowship of God. The state therefore to which Adam was reduced by his disobedience, so far as his subjective condition is concerned, was analogous to that of the fallen angels. He was entirely and absolutely ruined" (Hodge's Theology).

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

Men and women do not just have a sin nature, they are conceived with a sin nature!

Indeed, I was guilty [when I] was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5

Thus the Biblical understanding of Sin, and our need for Salvation is one of desperation. Salvation is a condition that man can not resolve on his own. As evidenced by Jesus' reply to his astonished Disciples after His rebuke of the rich young man as recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels.

Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." Luke 18:26-27

The Qu'ran like the Bible, states that Adam sinned by disobeying God and eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve admitted there sin and begged forgiveness. Allah forgave them, but also punished them with a mortal existence on Earth.

They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost."
((Allah)) said: "Get ye down. With enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood,- for a time."
He said: "Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last)." Surah 7:23-25

Islamic Theologians teach that the nature of man is basically good, but prone to following this own will and not the will of Allah.

Qu'ran Surah 12:53

"Nor do I absolve my own self (of blame): the (human) soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Lord do bestow His Mercy: but surely my Lord is Oft- forgiving, Most Merciful."

M.S. Laher in A Living Faith Published by I.M.S states “regarding the Islamic understanding of the nature of man As made by God, man is innocent, pure, true and free. He is not sinful by nature. He is born free from any so called "Original Sin," By nature he inclines to do righteous deeds. He is given true understanding about his own position in the universe and about God's goodness, wisdom and power. That is man's true self - just as it is the nature of the lamb to be gentle and of the horse to be swift.

But man is caught in the web of customs, superstitions, selfish desires and false teachings. These make him unclean, false, slavish, greedy, lustful and selfish. It is these that make him have strong desires for things that are wrong and forbidden. Man is diverted from the love of his fellowman, and the pure worship of the One True God. The problem is to cure this crookedness and to restore human nature to what it should be under the Will of God.”

The Christian view of Sin is that due to Adam's sin all men are born with the propensity to sin.

The Islamic view of Adam's sin is of a personal nature, what Adam did is not applicable to anyone but Adam. That our sin is personal and men have the ability to not sin and thus follow Allah's will.

The first step, which until now had been unspoken and that is Faith. What are the requirements of “Faith”?

The Muslim to be must first express his faith in Allah and his prophet Muhammad. The convert needs to make a declaration, known as la-shahaadatain. This declaration of faith has two parts one swearing fealty to Allah and the acknowledges his messenger Muhammad.
The Arabic transliteration is as follows;

1.Ash-hadu alla ilaaha illallah
2.Wa ash-hadu anna Muhammad-ar-rasool ullaah

The English translation would be :

1.I bear witness and attest that there is no god worthy of worship but the One God Allah
2.I bear witness and attest that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah
For the Muslim this is the required first step.

The Christian is called to an expression of faith in a similar fashion; Romans 10:9 states

“If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

John 1:12 further states

“but to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name,”

Paraphrasing the two verses they say, believing and confessing that Jesus is Lord and Saviour makes you a child of God. The words used are far less important than the sentiment expressed.

The Bible teaches that Christians are saved out of the loving kindness of God's good grace, nothing else is required.

But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved! Ephesians 2:4-5

The Qu'ran actually has three additional criteria that must be met, these are

1.deeds
2.leading each other to the truth
3.leading each other to patience.

All of these are expressed in the 103:1-3. We will discuss only one of these requirements for brevity's sake and that will be deeds.

Qu'ran Surah 103:1-3

By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.

At puberty a ledger of good and bad deeds starts accumulating. This ledger of deeds is used by God to judge the persons fate. Islam teaches that our good deeds can position us to receive mercy, and thus admission to Paradise. The Muslim can never know which side of the scale is holding the heavier balance. That of his good deeds possibly leading to Paradise or that of his evil deeds pointing to Hell.

Qu'ran Surah 23:101-103

Then when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no more relationships between them that Day, nor will one ask after another! Then those whose balance (of good deeds) is heavy,- they will attain salvation: But those whose balance is light, will be those who have lost their souls, in Hell will they abide.

With no assurance they have done enough good to earn their way into Paradise,outside of martyrdom, Islamic concept of grace is more a reward than a gift.

The Christian can take solace in the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as recorded in John 5:24

"I assure you: Anyone who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.

The Greek word translated as “has” is echo (ekh'-o) and means to have, to own and to possess. Christ tells us we can be assured we are His. In Christianity the Child of God HAS everlasting life.

To summarize the questions we set out to answer;

1.What do the religions of Islam and Christianity teach in regards to salvation?

The Muslims need for a Saviour is non-existent due to the ability of each individual to choose to not sin. Islam teaches that humans are generally good by nature. Thus Salvation is a foreign concept in Islamic teachings.
The Christian teaching of Sin and are the need for an unblemished, right before God sacrifice, dictate the need for a Savior.

2.How is salvation gained by an individual?

The Muslim must have faith in Allah, do more good than bad, teach each other truth and patience.
The Christian must make Jesus Christ Lord of their lives.

The Other Face of Islam

The Ahmadiyyah movement (Ahmadi) is a sect in Islam which was founded towards the end of the 19th century in Punjab, India, and spread from there to different countries. Most members of the sect are centered in South-East Asia: India, Pakistan and Indonesia, and it numbers 15 Million believers.

The members of the sect preach enlightenment, peace, and brotherhood between nations and love of others. The Ahmadiyyah way opposes religious coercion, and therefore does not support spreading Islam through Jihad, "Holy War". They prefer placatory persuasion. The sect is named for its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (1835-1908), who, at the age of 40, announced that Allah has entrusted him with the task of renewing the Muslim religion and bringing justice and integrity to the world.

The Principles of the Ahmadiyyah obligate its believers to be loyal to their country of residence. A believer of the sect can not defy the laws of his country, so he can live in peace in this world. Muhammad Sharif, head of the Ahmadiyyah in Israel, explains: "As a citizen I am bound to obey Allah, the Prophet and those who lead the country even if I do not approve of the leader". The Ahmadiyyah are forbidden from joining demonstrations, even ones on behalf of peace.

Faced with the traditional Islamic belief, that Muhammad is the Final Prophet, the Ahmadis maintain that even following his death prophecy still remained, and it was transferred to the founder of the sect and his students. The Ahmadiyyah sees itself as a global religion that is supposed to include not only Muslims, but also Christians, Jews and Hindis.

According to Ahmadi belief, Jesus was a man who was neither crucified nor transported to heaven, but was taken down from the tree by his students, traveled to India, where he died at the age of 120 in Srinagar, Kashmir. Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the sect, is in their eyes a reincarnation of both Jesus and Muhammad. He is the promised "Mujaddid". For his followers, he is the "Mahdi", a savior or a messiah, and there are those who see him as a prophet.

Once India split into a Hindu state and a Muslim state, the religious center was transferred to Pakistan. The movement was persecuted in Pakistan for years, and moved its religious activity to London. Today, centers of the Ahmadi movement can be found in many countries. During the hundred years of its existence, the Ahmadiyyah sect has managed to create a well organized movement, including missionary forces, educational institutions and cultivated religious centers, spread over many countries around the world: In Asia, Africa, Europe and America.

The Ahmadis in Israel

According to Muhammad Sharif Odeh, head of the Ahmadi in Israel, the sect has 1500 members in Israel. On the 17th of March 1928, the "Center of the Ahmadi Delegation to the Middle-East Countries" was transferred from Damascus to Kababir village on Mt. Carmel in Haifa. Today the village is a neighborhood of a thousand, surrounded by Jewish neighborhoods. The Ahmadi community in Haifa has a large octagonal Mosque patterned after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The current head of the sect in Israel is the son of its founder in Israel. The sect has a number of vehicles to spread its beliefs: A monthly magazine named "Al-Busra Al-Islamia Al-Ahmadiyyah" (The Ahmadiyyah Muslim Gospel); a website, as well as a satellite television station, mta.tv.

Although the sect's religious center hosts organized groups from the entire country, not many have heard of it. "It does not interest the media, because we provide no action", Muhammad Sharif Odeh tells Omedia, "Maybe because we do not throw rocks". It is possible that they are ignored because they broadcast a message of "Love for All, Hatred for None", while the media in Israel is deficient in its reporting methods and publishes mainly news items and articles of the "dog bites man" genre.

According to the Ahmadis, the main problem of radical Islam is the distorted interpretation of the Quran that the fundamentalists have adopted. According to Sharif, the problem in Islam, as in other religions, is the total adherence to the words of clerics, whose words are perceived as the words of Allah. "We believe that the interpreter can be mistaken. Let us return to the source rather than to interpretations that divide between people, as if a religious ruling of a cleric is the divine word, similar to what obtains in the Catholic Church, where the Pope is infallible".

Sharif notes that the perception of "Muhammad Baseif", i.e. the call to spread Islam by the sword, does not appear at all in the Quran, nor is it mentioned in the Hadith (Interpretations by Muslim wise men). "It is just an invention of some Sheikh. It does not obligate me, nor any other Muslim".

According to Sharif, the meaning of the word Jihad as it appears in the Quran means a supreme effort, endeavor, and not the interpretation adopted later. They are bound, so they say, by the original interpretation of the word. The call of Jihad, for them is: "Call to your sovereign, and argue with him in the best way possible. Islam clearly states that you can not employ coercion and force in matters of religion and faith".

Elastic Rules

Bu the problem of the Ahmadis is not with normal interpretation, but specifically with an interpretation that "contradicts the text". Sharif defines it: "An interpretation that harms the principles of justice or contradicts science. All the time you need to return to the source, reinvestigate the religion. In Islam the rules are not set in stone, but elastic, and dependent on the changing situation. If there is a scientific development that contradicts an existing interpretation then that interpretation is no longer holy". It should be noted that one of the recent Nobel Laureates in physics, Prof. Abdul Salam, is a member of the Ahmadi sect.

The Ahmadiyyah Movement published an ad opposing the latest comments by the Pope against Muhammad, but which also criticized the "barbaric" reaction, as Sharif terms it, to these comments. Sharif says it would have been better to respond to the Pope with words, "With scientific proof and not by burning churches (Such as after the caricatures in Denmark). Nobody has the right to injure another for no reason. The Quran clearly states that you are forbidden to damage the prayer locations of other faiths".

Radical Islam is a misrepresentation of Islam. The Ahmadi call upon their fellow Muslims "Let us return to the Quran. We will not find any verse in the Quran that forces anyone to accept the religion or a verse that speaks of a Muslim theocracy. The Quran clearly states 'if you are a ruler – rule justly'. If an atheist is fit to be a minister or prime minister, there is no reason not to choose him. I need to choose a person who fits the job professionally, not because of his religion and nationality. We should return to the Quran and not the interpretations that serve as a stumbling block by differentiating between religions and nations. This interpretation has transformed religion into a source of hatred and hostility – into a new form of Paganism. It is an attempt to conquer another in Allah's name". The Ahmadi sect, according to Sharif is a nonpolitical movement and therefore is opposed to involving religion being in political issues.

"As Muslims, We Have Made Terrible Mistakes"

Sharif does not deny Islam's militant past, and notes that "The Muslims have made terrible mistakes". However, according to him it can not be attributed to the core of Islam. The Quran teaches how to treat the enemy. The founder of the sect said, based on the Quran: "The principle is that in our heart we have love for all of humankind. Loving every human is the duty of a good believer. I love humankind as a mother loves her children. The Muslim within you is the part doing its best to bring happiness to all. And that is a universal message, rather than one based on sector".

Muhammad Sharif does not know where the Muslim insult to Jews "sons of monkeys and pigs" derives from. "Some very horrible mistakes resulted from interpretations which originated in Islam", and notes that the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal, furnishes a similar example of horrible deeds inspired by Christianity.

No Religious Distinction

According to Sharif, the Quran is a collection of all holy books which preceded it. "A Muslim has no qualms with any religion. There is no real difference between Chirstianity and Judaism and Islam. Each one complements the other". He states that in the Quran there is a call for an alliance between those who believe in one God, "that we have no god aside from Allah". The sect forbids looking down on others because of their religion and nationality. The prayers in the Ahmadiyyah mosque are the same as in any other mosque, but Sharif emphasizes that "once the rite becomes an end and not a means, religion transforms itself into a form of paganism".

When it comes to the sacredness of Islamic land (The Waqf), the Ahmadiyyah movement also takes a different approach. As Sharif explains: "The Prophet of Islam said that it is better that the Kaaba (The holiest location in Islam) be destroyed brick by brick, than to allow one drop of blood to be shed. Why die for Al-Aqsa? For the holiness of stones?

An Unequivocal Stance Opposing Terror

As a result of his approach, Sharif's stance on terror is clear. Sharif notes that those who executed terror attacks "Received legitimization from religious rulings" and notes that he has managed to make some people transfer from activity in radical Palestinian movement to adopting the Ahmadi views. "Not with Apache helicopters, but by proving to them that terror goes against the Quran". For example, a former terrorist from Tul-Karem, currently lectures at the Ahmadiyyah religious center.

In an interview to Omedia, Sharif also referred to September 11 unequivocally. "It is a terrible thing, even in the midst of a war of self defense. Islam clearly states 'God does not like to create hostility', but even during an attack and in a war of self defense, the Prophet of Islam said clearly to all 'do not kill women and elders, do not kill children, do not kill a woman, do not even harm a tree'. These are the words of the Prophet Muhammad. A true Muslim does not harm others, not by words nor by deeds".

Islam's Treatment of Ahmadis

In the Arab press the Ahmadis are venomously attacked: "They depict us as evil, as collaborators with the English, and even as creatures of the English. They also call us enemies and collaborators with the Jews", and they have even termed us the 'new Islam from Tel-Aviv'. The internet has hundreds of hate sites against the sect and the malevolent preaching against them in the Mosques, before mass audiences, continues.

The Ahmadis in Israel, unlike their brethren in the West Bank, are not ashamed for being part of the sect. "In the West Bank the members of the sect fear to reveal their identity, because there is a new religious ruling issued by the supreme council of the Muftis", says Sharif. "The Mufti of Nablus delivered a ruling last year against the sect characterizing us as converts. This is worse than being a heretic. In the orthodox Muslim approach, those who convert from Islam are sentenced for death".

Sharif notes that the newspaper of the Islamic Movement in Israel "Sauth Al Haq" also terms them converts. The Movement has also published a book against the Ahmadis. This situation has physical repercussions in the Muslim world. Last year, a terrorist entered an Ahmadiyyah mosque in Bangladesh and carried out a mass murder of worshippers during prayer.

Despite the war waged against them, there are new members from the West Bank as well – from Tul-Karem, Nablus, Bethlehem, East Jerusalem, and villages near Jenin. According to Sharif, a few also join from villages in the Galilee and the Sharon. He is happy to note that most of the new members are young and most of them are academics.

The Right of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel

Beyond noting the fact that Ahmadis are loyal to the country where they dwell, such as Israel, Sharif does not hesitate to mention the right of the Jewish People to the Land of Israel, as it appears in the Quran. "It is clearly written in the Sura (chapter) of the People of Israel that this right is granted them by Allah", says Sharif. And he adds: "A prophecy written in the Quran 1400 years ago, clearly declared that God will bring the People of Israel to the Land of Israel from all over the world, and there would be an ingathering of the exiles in the land of Israel – and this enjoins a true Muslim to enter a dialog with the 'People of the Book' (The Jewish People were first called so in the Quran – R.F.) and it states: 'Do not argue with the People of the Book, but only in the most appropriate of ways".

According to Sharif, the Quran does not call for harming a Jew because he is a Jew. He notes the opening Sura that states: "God, bless me as you have blessed them (The Jews)". As for the inter-religious dialogue, Sharif notes that despite his meeting with Rabbi Shaar Yishuv Hacohen, Haifa's Rabbi, there is no inter-religious dialogue of real depth. He believes that "If you know the other well rather than superficially, you will change your opinion of him".

Peace Begins with Moderate Islam

In light of the rampage of radical Islam, it is refreshing to listen to one who clearly corresponds to the definition of "moderate Islam" – the Ahmadiyyah movement. If there is to be a prospect for a better world in general and in our region specifically, it is important that the messages transmitted by the Ahmadis reach attentive ears in the Muslim world, especially Muslims in Israel, and even those within pre 1967 Israel..

The success of this progressive movement would gradually moderate the hate level radical Islam in Israel, i.e. the Islamic Movement and all its wings, including the Southern one (The Southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel is considered more moderate), so that it would harbor less hatred to Jews and the Jewish State. Then there would be hope for true peace in the region. It is also important for Jews to know of this sect, so that we may understand that there is a different Islam, and the desire for peace begins not only with us, but with them, as well.

Status of Arabian Women Before Islam

Status of Arab women before Islam.

Condition of Arabian womens before spreading of Islam:
Before Islam, condition, or status of women was low. Women were considered as slaves or property of men. Women were used for specific purpose and after meeting that purpose they were discarded. Women were considered unimportant and anything related to women were also considered unimportant. Women have no right take decisions of her life. A woman has to spend her life according to desire of her guardian or owner (who buys them); in the dark time men was treating with women as treat with animals. A woman has no right of owning of property on her name. In time of war women were treated as part of prize. At this stage we can say the condition of women was unspeakable.

Birth of Daughter:
On the birth of a daughter in a family was not considered as an event of rejoicing
But it was regarded as shame for family, and mostly female babies were killed at the time of birth or afterward and the killing rate was so high and uncontrolled. Even outside Arabia.

Outside Arabian:
Outside Arabia the status of women was not so better especially in all Europe, India, and Egyptian countries. Women were not regarded at as human being, they were regarded as animal and men treat with women as with animals. Women were regarded as slave or servant of men. A woman has no right to take decision of her life; she has to follow orders of her master or guardian.

Rights That Islam Gives to Women (After Islam):
In religion of Islam women is considered to be equal to a men like human being and they are partner in this life. In Islamic law a women has right of independence. She has right to take decision of her life, but there are some responsibilities of women towards herself and toward Allah (SWT)and she will be punished or rewarded on her sin or virtue. According to religion of Islam a women will be treated as same as men punished or rewarded.

In case of her marriage, she has right of choosing a partner for marriage and she has right to accept and reject partner for marriage. And her decision in this regard must be respected. Arab or Muslim women is not permitted to change her name after marriage, there will be no changes made in her name upon her marriage.

Right to go outside form her home:
Arabian or Muslim women are not restricted from going out or in public place or working community,
or visiting their relatives and female friends, if they are allowed by their guardian or husband. In order to go out from her home a women must be properly covered and behave according to instructions of Islam.

In the basics rights of a Woman in Islam, It is must for a woman to get education. In Islam seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim. The word Muslim is not used for specifically for male or female but they are twin Muslim.

Right to Go to the Mosque:
In religion of Islam Muslim women has right to go to Mosque. If someone wife asks from her husband to permission to go to Mosque, he must not deny it to her. There are some obligations for Muslim women before going to mosque they must be properly dressed and covered.

In the religion of Islam, the rights and responsibilities of a woman are equal to those of man.

Nazihah Rafaqat is from Dammam (KSA). Nazihah has done her masters in social sciences. Currently she is doing a research about Arab Culture and specially Women in Arab Culture.

Nazihah is running a blog where she blogs about daily life of Arab women from different parts of society. Her blog features Arab Girls who are studying, doing jobs and businesses. She want to promote Arab Girls so that people may give them respect.

Islam - Essay - Fundamentals and History

There are few people on earth today who have not heard something about Islam. Islam is one of the most prominent religions in the world today with at least 750 million people practicing. Islam is a voluntary relationship between an individual and his creator. Islam emerged in Arabia during the early 7th century. Islam means “submission” in Arabic, which is the basis for the religion---submitting to the Will of God. Islamic religion is formed on the foundations of Islamic life, variety and unity is Islam, and Islam and its nonbelievers. The Islamic people had a new faith in their religion and kept their hopes high to conquer and spread the religion. They changed the society that was used across the lands and brought a new religion that would keep the people high in assurance that they’ll always have a good spirit.

The foundations of Islamic life are based on a sacred text called the Qu’ran. The Qu’ran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. The Qu’ran is the prime source of every Muslims’ faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and his creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system. From the time the Qu’ran was revealed, until this day there has always been a large number of Muslims who have memorized all of the Qu’ran, letter by letter. Not one letter of the Qu’ran has been changed over the centuries.

Another source for the basis of Islamic life is al-Hadith, or sunnah. This is a vast body of transmitted stories and sayings attributed to the Prophet and his comparisons. Unlike the Qu’ran, these stories are not assembled in a single, absolutely accepted text. There are actually many collections of Hadith. Over time, during the first few centuries of Islam, it became obvious that many so-called hadith were in fact spurious sayings that had been fabricated for various motives, at best to encourage believers to act righteously and at worse to corrupt believers' understanding of Islam and to lead them astray. Since Islamic legal scholars were utilizing hadith as an adjunct to the Qu'ran in their development of the Islamic legal system, it became critically important to have reliable collections of hadith. While the early collections of hadith often contained hadith that were of questionable origin, gradually collections of authenticated hadith called sahih were compiled. Such collections were made possible by the development of the science of hadith criticism, a science at the basis of which was a critical analysis of the chain of (oral) transmission (isnad) of the hadith going all the way back to Muhammad. The two most highly respected collections of hadith are the authenticated collections the Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. In addition to these, four other collections came to be well respected, although not to the degree of Bukhari and Muslim's sahih collections. These four other collections are the Sunan of Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, and Abu Da'ud. Together these four and the two sahih collections are called the "six books" (al-kutub al-sitta). Two other important collections, in particular, are the Muwatta of Ibn Malik, the founder of the Maliki School of law, and the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal, the founder of the Hanbali School of law.

The third source that provides an important basis for the faith is the biography of the Prophet of God---Muhammad. Muhammad ibnu Abdillah was born in Mecca in the year 569 CE. Orphaned at an early age, Muhammad was cared for by his uncle. He earned his living as a trader and a Shepard among the Bedouins, and was known by his people as al-amin (the trustworthy one). When he was 25, he married Khadija. When Muhammad reached the age of 40, the angel Gabriel came to him with revelations that established his prophethood. Muhammad was first ordered to instruct his immediate family on Islam, including his beloved wife Khadija, but eventually it was revealed to him that he should begin delivering the message to all of mankind. In the next 20 years of his life, he communicated the message of Allah to his people, and set an example for how each human being should lead her or his life. This is especially valuable since Muhammad is the last Prophet of Allah. In the year 632, the year of his death, the Prophet delivered his famous last sermon.