Should the Quran be burnt?

Should the Quran be burnt?

Why should we want to burn any book, manuscript, work of art or any form of printed matter that contain information, instructions, guidance, words of inspiration and knowledge in general? Why should we want to do this, especially now that we are supposed to be in a time of enlightenment, when we have evolved to the point of accepting freedom of speech, expression and religion?

When I consider who Jesus, (Isa) UWBP, was and what were his noble teachings, Message from Almighty God and way of life, I am appalled at the behavior and example set by those who are charged with the responsibility propagating his teachings. By now, they should have learnt that their actions of the past were certainly not in accordance with his dictates or desires. This also applies to leaders of other faiths.

Jesus, and this was not his real name, was a kind, gentle, loving, peaceful, simple, humble and favored Messenger of Almighty God. I am certain that he would be appalled at what is being propagated under his name. If those who purport to accept him as their messenger, guide, exemplar or other, should follow his teachings, way of life and principles they will not want to be antagonistic to those who hold him very high esteem and accept his message and teachings. Muslims have to accept the teachings of Jesus UWBP as he is a messenger of God Almighty. Jesus will not tolerate the desecration of any scripture that Honors God and His messengers. He will therefore not sanction the desecration of The Quran.

I have some bad news for those who want to burn the Quran. What do you think you would achieve. Your only achievement will be to confirm that you are bigots, intolerant and full of hate. All of these being in direct contradiction to the faith you are claiming to represent. Jesus will be so annoyed with you. Do you think that by your proposed action you will affect Islam or Muslims in any way? The only ones who will be affected will be those wish to fight hate with hate, ignorance with ignorance, bigotry with bigotry and those whose emotions overcome their intelligence and true teachings of their religion.

The good news is that if you were to start burning every Quran in existence, in every country of the world there will be children, men and women reproducing it in writing, so that before the fire is out there will be written Qurans all over the world, exactly duplicated, down to the last dot. This is because these words of Almighty God are imbedded in the hearts, minds and memory of millions of Muslims in every part of the world, in ages ranging 5 years up. Muslims of all countries, regardless of their language and whether or not they can speak Arabic, have memorized the entire Quran in the original Arabic text.

Here are some excerpts from Al Quran that will help the uninformed decide if this is a book that should be burnt:

CH2.V136. Say ye: "We believe in Almighty God (Allah), and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to all prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one or the other. We bow to Almighty God in faith."

CH5. V69. Those who believe in the Qur'an, those who follow the Jewish scriptures, and the Sabians and the Christians, - anyone who believes in Almighty God (Allah) and the Last Day, and work righteousness, - on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

CH3. V3. It is He Who sent down to thee, step by step, in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Jesus before this Quran, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion of judgment between right and wrong.

CH2.V285. “The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one of them believes in Almighty God (Allah), His angels, His books, and His apostles. "We make no distinction between one and the other of Almighty God’s apostles." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: We seek Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys."

CH2:V256 “There is no compulsion in religion".

CH46:V9 Say: “I am not the first of [God’s] apostles; and [like all of them,] I do not know what will be done with me or with you: for I am nothing but a plain warner

CH4. V135 O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Almighty God, even against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor: for Almighty God can best protect both. Follow not the lusts of your hearts, lest ye swerve, and if ye distort justice or decline to do justice, verily Almighty God is well acquainted with all that ye do.

CH5. V8 O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for Almighty God, as just witnesses, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is next to piety, and fear Almighty God. For, Almighty God is well acquainted with all that ye do.

CH16. V90 Almighty God commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.

CH9. V6 If anyone amongst the polytheists, idolaters, pagans or disbelievers in One God, asks thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Almighty God. Then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without the knowledge.

2:87 And verily We gave unto Moses the Scripture and We caused a train of messengers to follow after him, and We gave untoJesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty), and We supported him with the holy Spirit

2:136 Say (O Muslims): We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses andJesus received, and that which the Prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered.

2:253 Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted (above others) in degree; and We gaveJesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty) and We supported him with the holy Spirit.

3:45 (And remember) when the angels said: O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah,Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in the world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near (unto Allah).

3:55 (And remember) when Allah said: O Jesus! Lo! I am gathering thee and causing thee to ascend unto Me, and am cleansing thee of those who disbelieve and am setting those who follow thee above those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection. Then unto Me ye will (all) return, and I shall judge between you as to that wherein ye used to differ.

4:163 Lo! We inspire thee as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as we imparted unto David the Psalms

5:46 And We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow in their footsteps, confirming that which was (revealed) before him, and We bestowed on him the Gospel wherein is guidance and a light, confirming that which was (revealed) before it in the Torah a guidance and an admonition unto those who ward off (evil).

5:110 When Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favor unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead, by My permission and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic;

42:13 He hath ordained for you that religion which He commended unto Noah, and that which We inspire in thee (Muhammad), and that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus, saying: Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. Dreadful for the idolaters is that unto which thou callest them. Allah chooseth for Himself whom He will, and guideth unto Himself him who turneth (toward Him)

43:63 When Jesus came with clear proofs (of Allah's sovereignty), he said: I have come unto you with wisdom, and to make plain some of that concerning which ye differ. So keep your duty to Allah, and obey me.

57:27 Then We caused Our messengers to follow in their footsteps; and We caused Jesus, son of Mary, to follow, and gave him the Gospel, and placed compassion and mercy in the hearts of those who followed him. But monasticism they invented. We ordained it not for them. Only seeking Allah's pleasure, and they observed it not with right observance. So We give those of them who believe their reward, but many of them are evil-livers.

These are the actual translations taken from the Holy Quran, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad 1431 years ago. Having read these excerpts, would you want to destroy such a book that holds Jesus (Isa) UWBP in such high esteem and acknowledges his position of honor in Almighty God’s Creation? Would you want to destroy a message that confirms and endorses the message of Jesus (Isa) UWBP?

I hope and pray that the above information will serve to open the eyes, hearts and minds of those seeking the peace, love, harmony and understanding in accordance with the teachings and desires of Jesus (Isa) UWBP . This is the Message of all of God’s messengers.

May the Blessings of Almighty God be with us all and may we have the strength, ability and fortitude to ward of hate, bigotry and malice.

May we earnestly put in to practice the essence of the true teachings of our religions so that we will all get along and be happy in each other’s company.

God Bless.

Kamruz Hosein

The War on Terrorism, Taliban and Al Qaida

The war against Taliban, Al Qaida and any such anti-organization, will never end, until and unless we accept the reality of who they really are and what are their goals. This is so because it not a war for land, property or any tangible property. It is a war of a twisted ideology, misinformation and lack of or warped education and knowledge. For us to effectively get a grip on this situation, we have to get some facts straight.

· Those who are wreaking havoc, carrying out acts of terrorism, disrupting communities and countries, are not acting in accordance with the teachings of Islam, or for that matter, any religion.

· Their behavior and actions are not synonymous with those associated with the term “Muslim”.

· The press and media in their quest for sensationalism, possibly unintentionally, promote the cause of the terrorists and afford them free and unworthy advertising of their cause, especially when they are labeled as Islamic terrorists or Islamic fundamentalists.

· Whenever the words “Islam” or “Muslim” are used, automatically the uneducated and ill informed, are sympathetic and accepts the actions of groups to whom such labels are assigned.

· The mainstream and vast majority of “Muslims” do not subscribe to the thinking of those mentioned above nor are they in agreement with their teachings, philosophy or actions. They are in fact normal citizens with the same aspirations, norms, fears and desire for a normal life for themselves and their families. They are also subject to the same fears and threats.

· The above mentioned have to be more vocal in their condemnation of terrorism and have to actively propagate the true principles of Islam. They have to be able to discern truth from falsehood, especially when it is coming for the “Leadership”

· Muslims have to be able to question the rhetoric of their leaders, without fear of recrimination, when they show support for the terrorists, their, teachings or causes.

To overcome them the normal rules of combat, attack and engagement cannot be the same as used for conventional armies, dissidents or enemies. Their value system and thinking are not those of civilized societies. Therefore the rules of civilized societies and peoples cannot be applied to them. If that is done the battle is lost.

Can Christians Say 'Allah'? In Malaysia, Muslims Say No

Who gave those who claim to be Muslims the right over the Allah, Cherisher and Creator of all of mankind?

Allah: God of all the worlds and all therein

We believe that there is only One God, Allah. The acceptance of God, the desire to call or worship Allah is not a privilege for only Muslims. Allah is God of all the worlds and all contained therein. Allah is accessible to all who wishes call on Him, Praise Him, Worship Him, Adore Him, and Plead with Him or simply talk to him. Being created by Him qualifies you for this privilege. The message of all religions is to bring people to Almighty God, Allah. They were supposed to be simple messages until their messages and interpretations were contaminated by the human ego. No one has the authority or right to prevent anyone from addressing Almighty God, Allah, in fact, we should wish for everyone to address Allah so that their lives will be positively affected, thus making this world a more God (Allah) conscious one. One of our prime functions as Muslims is to invite our brothers and sisters Allah. We are supposed to do so in a manner that is encouraging, loving and peaceful. Remember, that as Muslims, whenever we do or say something in a manner to cause people to get a wrong impression of Allah, Muhammad SAW and Islam, we are doing a great disservice and wrong to that which we claim to believe in. We should all, therefore, hope and pray that everyone call on, prayer to, speak to, adore, worship or acknowledge Allah.

Remember that Muhammad, Servant and Messenger of Allah SWT requirement was to deliver the message of Islam, the acceptance or non-acceptance was not under his control. We therefore have to be aware of what are our functions and duties and don't try to change that which in Allah's master plan.

Let’s stop being divisive, especially in the Name of Allah. Let us stop complicating the message of Islam, despite Allah's repeated reference to it being simple and that its Book of Guidance is unambiguous and easy to understand and follow. Let us live by the spirit of the Message and the beautiful and perfect example of Muhammad, servant and messenger of Allah SWT and not by twisted interpretations of those who chose to lead us down the path of confusion and hate and away from Al Islam (Peace) in order to protect their status quo and perpetuate their own misinterpretations.

May we be rightly guided along the path peace, understanding, love, harmony, intelligence ie. The path of Al Islam

There is but one Allah (God), accessible and welcoming to all of mankind.

Islam is about peace

Why all the discussions and debates about whether Islam is a religion of peace or not. Why all the complexities of what is right and wrong, permitted and not permitted, acceptable or not acceptable, halal or haram, Sunnah or not.

If in the twenty-first century, 1440 years after the revelation of the Noble Quran, Muslims cannot understand it’s message, principles, laws, guidance and advice, then the future looks rather bleak.

If, after having a leader, whose life and sayings were so well documented, more than any other human being, Muslims cannot formulate a way of life, a system of finance, politics and governance, then something is fundamentally wrong.

Muslims claim that the Noble Quran is a direct revelation from God Almighty, through the final Messenger Muhammad SAW.

They also claim that Muhammad SAW was the perfect exemplar, whose example could be successfully emulated in every walk of life.

Muslims believe that the name of their religion, way of life, was chosen by God Almighty, to be Islam. This word connotes peace, love, understanding, and harmony, submission to the will of God Almighty and the attendant success and leadership.

If, in spite of all of the above, there is still confusion, disruptive disagreements, disharmony and wrong impressions created. Something must be wrong. It certainly is not the Message of God Almighty or the Messenger. It definitely has to be the interpreters of the message, the leaders, Ulemas and also the Muslim population at large. My apologies. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but if a system or methodology do not produce the desired result, then it is wrong or it is incorrectly applied.

To be more direct. If the current system is not producing the peace, harmony, brotherhood, progress, proper governance and well being of Muslims, then that system is wrong. It is not the Message or the Messenger is wrong, but those charged with the responsibility of implementing and interpreting is wrong. 

TThis is an interesting Covenant between The Prophet Muhammad (UWBP) and the Christians.

The Charter of Privileges

"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries.
No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray.

Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."*

Such were the memorable words of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the year 628 CE, when he granted this historic document, also known as the Charter of Privileges, to the monks of St. Catherine Monastery in Mt. Sinai. It consisted of several clauses covering all aspects of human rights including such topics as the protection of Christians living under Islamic rule, freedom of worship and movement, freedom to appoint their own judges and to own and maintain their property, exemption from military service, and the right to protection in war.

Farewell Israel Response

In response to

“Farewell Israel”

A film claiming “confrontation between Islam and the Jews”

 

“The confrontation between Islam and the Jews began in the Prophet Muhammad's time, and continues to this day. Israel's existence recalls Islam's age old Jewish problem, first felt at Islam's inception in Medina in 624 AD: How can Islam thrive and find salvation if Jews are politically powerful? And it requires the same solution chosen by the Prophet Muhammad - elimination of political independence of Jews and the domination of Islam over them.”

 

Islam is a religion and Jews, a people. How can there be a confrontation between the both. There can be differences in teachings between religions, ideologies, philosophies, customs etc. There can be confrontations between persons, groups, communities and countries. Any revelation, teaching or religion that emanates from Almighty God lead to peace, harmony, love, understanding, looking out for one another, and appreciating each other.  It is the interpretation of such teachings by persons of warped thinking and intentions that causes the perception of “confrontation”

I am certain that everyone who is reading this article is aware of the following:

 

“Islam” means submission and peace and all that comes with it. Note that this name does not make reference to a people, place, time or person

 

“Muslim: - One who submits to the will of Almighty God.

 

“Quran” – Muslims believe this to be the final revelation from Almighty God. This is one verse fro Al Quran that tells about itself:

 

“3:3  It is Allah Who sent down to thee, in detail and in truth, the Book (Al Quran), confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).”

 

 This is the only scripture that acknowledges and is in sync with the teachings of the previous Messengers of Almighty God.

 

This is what Almighty God say about the Jews and the Christians in the Quran:

5:69 Those who believe (in the Qur'an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christians,- any who believe in Almighty God (Allah) and the Last Day, and work righteousness,- on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

 

2:136 Say ye: "We believe in Allah (Almighty God) and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."

 

About the Children of Israel:

 

2:47 Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favor which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all other (for My Message)

2:50 And remember We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh's people within your very sight.

2:51 And remember We appointed forty nights for Moses, and in his absence ye took the calf (for worship), and ye did grievous wrong.

2:52 Even then We did forgive you; there was a chance for you to be grateful.

2:53  And remember We gave Moses the Scripture and the Criterion (Between right and wrong): There was a chance for you to be guided aright.

 

And about food and marriage:

 

5:5 This day are (all) things good and pure made lawful unto you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them. (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time,- when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues if any one rejects faith, fruitless is his work, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good).

 

Would it be reasonable or rational to permit Muslims to marry Jews and Christians if a confrontational stand is to be taken.

 

The above refers to Jews, Christians and believers. This certainly does not engender confrontation.

 

I have chosen to quote directly from Al Quran and not views or opinions of persons. This is to confirm what the laws of Islam are and not some custom, opinion or tradition of a particular group of people.

 

Customs and traditions are stronger sometimes stronger that religion and we have to be always careful to differentiate between the teachings of a religion and the customs and traditions of the adherents of that religion. This is true for all religions and peoples. This situation is more pronounced in lesser developed, under educated and poorer societies. This is true because the leader and educators are themselves deprived of knowledge and the tools necessary to move from their existing conditions.

 

However, if we want to we can certainly find several passages in all the scriptures to justify such. That can only be achieved by taking these passages verbally and out of context of time, conditions and circumstances.

 

May we be become enlightened enough to use the messages of the Savants of past to bring about peace, love and harmony among all peoples, for the Pleasure of Almighty God.

 

God Bless, Kamruz

Ramadan

Praise be to the Creator and Master Planner, Originator and Designer of this wonderful Universe. We are indeed thankful for having survived another year. Whatever our condition, the fact is that we are alive and been blessed with all the amenities that was required for our survival, thus far.
What are these amenities? Did we breathe this year? I certainly hope so. So we got to partake of the life sustaining air, supplying oxygen, without having to look or work for it. We got the beautiful sunlight and moonlight, giving us day and night, giving us the opportunity to work, play and rest. We got the rainy days, the rivers and the lakes, supplying us the most essential water. We had the beautiful starlit and moonlit skies. We had the beautiful symphony created by the wind, the whistling birds, croaking frogs, insects and animals. All with different sounds and melodies. We have met so much beautiful people sharing our joys and sorrows, laughing and crying with us, comforting and sympathizing with us, lending us a helping hand, when needed. We have been able to walk, talk, smell, hear, feel and love and be loved.
If we packaged these amenities and placed a bow on top of it, would it not be the most beautiful gift in the world. Do you know that we are presented with this gift by the Beneficent, every second, every day and every year that we are alive, gratis. We don't have to pay a penny or work for a second to be the recipient of this gift. Give Thanks. What's most amazing is that even if you deny the Presenter, He still presents you with the gift.
Ramadan is here again, a time for stocktaking, rekindling our relationships, coming back on course, making new resolutions, giving thanks for all we have, remembering the less fortunate, recreating bonds that were broken or weakened, listening to the message of Al Quran and looking into the life of Muhammad, Servant of Allah and all the previous messengers. This, with the hope and desires that we will be able to correct our mistake and put into practice Allah's bidding.
Traditionally this has been a time for visiting the Mosques daily, enjoying the Iftar, reading much more salaat and reading or listening the verses of Al Quran. For a lot of us these are the highlight of the month and we look forward to it with much zeal and enthusiasm. This is wonderful as it affords a lot of us the opportunity to participate and enjoy some very fundamental aspects of Islam.
What does Al Quran say about Fasting:

2:183 O YOU who have attained faith! Fasting is ordained for you as it was ordained for those before you, so that you might remain God conscious (Tataqun/258)

2:185 It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was first bestowed from on high as a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard by which to discern truth from falsehood. Hence, whoever of you lives to see this month shall fast throughout it; but he that is ill, or on a journey, shall fast instead later for the same number of days. God wills that you shall have ease, and does not will you to suffer hardship; but He desires that you complete the required number of days, and that you extol God for His having guided you aright, and that you render your thanks unto Him.
So we see in Al Quran Allah SWT instituted fasting so that we may maintain our God consciousness but at the same time we should not have difficulty in so doing.

How do we demonstrate our God Consciousness?
By constantly remembering Him and as a result acting in accordance with His dictates, advice and desire. By doing the things that will bring us closer to Him. By following the example our Noble Messenger and Servant of Allah and all previous messengers. In other words, being righteous. This is clearly defined in AL Quran:
2:177 True piety does not consist in turning your faces towards the east or the west but truly pious is he who believes in God, and the Last Day; and the angels, and revelation, and the prophets; and spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish - it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues; and [truly pious are] they who keep their promises whenever they promise, and are patient in misfortune and hardship and in time of peril: it is they that have proved themselves true, and it is they, they who are conscious of God.

Here Allah SWT is saying that true piety (righteousness). It is not the formal rituals but the putting into practice the teachings and principles of Al Islam.

Whatever we do by way or formal worship should lead us and ultimately result in our achieving the above prescription for true piety (righteousness).

The reading of additional salaat, reading or listening to Al Quran is not an end in itself but they are the paths to achieving true righteousness (tataqun).