Brandon Toropov, Ex-Christian, USA Jesus Brought Me to Islam!

Description: A man’s personal quest to study the most authentic verses of the Bible, the Q verses, leads him to Islam.  Part one: A problem with conventional Christianity.

A Wave of Conversions

If you are a Christian, the idea that Jesus, may God praise him, practiced the same faith that today’s news broadcasts hold responsible for so many of the world’s problems may seem far-fetched to you. It seemed far-fetched to me when I first encountered it, before I consulted the Gospels closely. Yet you should know that many, many contemporary Christians have reached life-changing personal conclusions about the Gospel message and its relation to Islam.

“There is compelling anecdotal evidence of a surge in conversions to Islam since September 11, not just in Britain, but across Europe and America. One Dutch Islamic centre claims a tenfold increase, while the New Muslims Project, based in Leicester and run by a former Irish Roman Catholic housewife, reports a steady stream of new converts.” (London Times, January 7, 2002.)

Mainstream Media Ignores Us

The Western news media only rarely shares the stories of these individual converts to Islam with the world at large, but I strongly suspect that most of these people — if they are like me — found themselves, at the end of the day, concerned about the consequences of calling Jesus “Lord” without obeying his instructions … found themselves far more concerned about that, in fact, than about any media coverage of geopolitical issues.

This kind of concern causes people to change their lives.

The Challenge of Q

Speaking personally, I changed my own life because I could not ignore the implications of the authentic, stand-alone Gospel passages that today’s most accomplished (non-Muslim!) scholars believe to be of the earliest date available.

These sayings, which form a reconstructed text known as Q, can all be found in the New Testament. They are almost certainly the closest we will ever be able to come to an authentic oral tradition reflecting the actual sayings of Jesus, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him.

Q Confirms Islam

If you are new to Q, you should know what the best New Testament scholars now know, namely that today’s scholarship identifies certain Gospel passages as not only instructive, but historically more relevant than other passages. This scholarship has led to some fascinating discussions among scholars (and a comparatively few lay readers).

I believe the Q verses tend to confirm Islam’s depiction of Jesus as a human Prophet with a Divine mandate essentially indistinguishable from that of Muhammad, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him.

A Human Prophet

I did not develop the theory of Q. It has been around for years. “Traditionalist” Christian clergy and theologians are generally hostile to it. They claim that students of Q are somehow eager to diminish the status of Jesus, peace be upon him. Actually, we are eager to learn what he is most likely to have actually said.

Q represents a major challenge for contemporary Christianity, not least because it strongly suggests that Islam’s picture of Jesus is historically correct. The fact that Q essentially confirms Islam’s image of Jesus as a distinctly human Prophet has not, I think, been widely noticed by today’s Christians. And it must be. Because a careful review of the scriptures demonstrates that Jesus is in fact calling his people to Islam.

Jesus Brought Me to Islam!

I came to Islam, Alhamdulillah [all praise be to God], after three decades of restless dissatisfaction with conventional Christianity. Although I’ve read a lot of conversion stories since I embraced Islam in March of 2003, I haven’t found many that cited the Gospels as a point of entry to the Holy Quran. This is how it was for me.

I was drawn to the Gospels at a young age — eleven — and I read them compulsively on my own, despite the fact that I did not live in a Christian household. I soon learned to keep religious matters to myself.

Early Questions

For most of my adolescence I studied the Christian scriptures on my own. I still have the red King James Bible I bought as a child; my own handwritten note on the front page proclaims June 26, 1974, as the date I accepted Jesus as my personal savior.

When I say I read the scriptures compulsively, I mean that I was drawn to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John like a magnet. There are plenty of notes and highlightings in that old Bible of mine in Psalms, in Ecclesiastes, in Proverbs — but most of the notes and underlinings are in the Gospels. But I sensed, even at an early age, that there were some internal problems with the texts I loved so dearly.

Who Tampered with the Gospels?

I can clearly remember reading the account in the 22nd chapter of Luke where Jesus withdrew from the disciples, prayed, and returned to find them fast asleep. Who, I wondered, could have possibly observed him praying … and then related the incident so that it eventually could be included in the Gospel of Luke? There’s another passage in the Gospels where Jesus supposedly includes the words “let him who reads understand” in one of his spoken discourses, which seemed odd to me. And there was yet another spot where the New Testament author assured first-century Christians that their generation would see the second coming of the Messiah — a passage I found difficult to square with modern Christian doctrine. These and other queries about the New Testament arose while I was still quite young, certainly before I was fifteen. Had someone manipulated the Gospels? If so, who? And why?

I “filed” my questions for later, and decided that the real problem was that I was not part of a vigorous Christian faith community.

Catholic

At eighteen, I headed East for college and entered the Roman Catholic Church. In college, I met a beautiful and compassionate Catholic girl who was to become the great love and support of my life; she was not particularly religious, but she appreciated how important these matters were to me, and so she supported me in my beliefs. I do a great injustice to her seemingly limitless resources of strength, support, and love by compressing the beginning of our relationship into a few sentences here.

An Encounter with a Priest

I asked the campus priest — a sweet and pious man — about some of the Gospel material that had given me trouble, but he became uncomfortable and changed the subject. On another occasion, I remember telling him that I was focusing closely on the Gospel of John because that Gospel was (as I thought then) a first-person account of the events in question.

Again, he stammered and changed the subject and did not want to discuss the merits of one Gospel over another; he simply insisted that all four were important and that I should study all of them. This was a telling conversation, and a fateful one, as it turned out.

Christianity or Paulism?

Now, this is not my life story, but rather my reversion account, so I’m going to fast-forward over a lot of important events. That sweet campus priest eventually married my girlfriend and me, and we settled in suburban Massachusetts. We each moved ahead professionally and became grownups. We had three beautiful children. And I kept reading and rereading the Bible. I was drawn, as ever, to the sayings about the lamp and the eye, the Prodigal Son, the Beatitudes, the importance of prayer, and so many others — but I had steadily more serious intellectual problems with the surrounding “architecture” of the New Testament, particularly with the Apostle Paul. The fact that Paul never seemed to build a theological argument around anything that Jesus actually said was a big, big problem for me.

In the mid-1990s, my wife and I both became deeply disenchanted with the Catholic Church, in part because of a truly terrible priest who gave very little attention to the spiritual needs of his community. We later learned that he had been covering up for a child abuser!

Protestant

I found it necessary to immerse myself in a faith community. I joined, and became active in, the local Protestant denomination, a Congregational Church.

So I led Sunday School classes for children, and briefly taught a Gospel class on the Parables for the adults. In the Sunday School classes for the kids I stayed right with the curriculum I had been given; but in the adult class, I tried to challenge the participants to confront certain parables directly, without filtering everything through the Apostle Paul. We had interesting discussions, but I sensed some resistance, and I didn’t try to teach an adult class again. My wife eventually joined my church. (She is a member there today.)

By this point, I had become deeply affected by the apparent intersection of the Christian mystic tradition and that of the Sufis and the Zen Buddhists. And I had even written on such matters. But there seemed to be no one at my church who shared my zeal for these issues.

Focusing on the Gospel Sayings

In particular, I was interested in the research being done that indicated that the oldest strata of the Gospels reflected an extremely early oral source known as Q, and that each of the individual sayings of Jesus, may the blessing and mercy of God be upon him, needed to be evaluated on its own merits, and not as part of the narrative material that surrounded it.

This is because that narrative material was added many years later.

An Eyewitness Account?

In fact, the more I researched this subject, the more I found myself thinking of that conversation about the Gospel of John with my priest. I realized that what he had been unwilling or unable to tell me was that the author(s) of the Gospel of John had been lying. This was manifestly not an eyewitness account, though it claimed to be.

I was in a strange situation. I was certainly enjoying the fellowship of the Christians at my church, who were all committed and prayerful people. Being part of a religious community was important to me. Yet I had deep intellectual misgivings about the supposed historicity of the Gospel narratives. What’s more, I was, increasingly, getting a different message from the Gospel sayings of Jesus than that which my fellow Christians were apparently getting.

Wresting with the Doctrine of the Trinity

The more I looked at these sayings, the more impossible it became for me to reconcile the notion of the Trinity with that which seemed most authentic to me in the Gospels. I found myself face-to-face with some very difficult questions.

Where in the Gospels did Jesus use the word “Trinity”?

If Jesus was God, as the doctrine of the Trinity claims, why did he worship God?

AND — if Jesus was God, why in the world would he say something like the following?

“Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.” (Mark 10:18)

Did he somehow forget that he himself was God when he said this?

(A side note — I had a discussion with a woman who assured me that this passage was not really in the Gospels, and who refused to believe that it appeared there until I gave her the chapter and verse number and she looked it up for herself!)

The Holy Quran

In November of 2002, I began to read a translation of the Quran.

I had never read an English translation of the entire text of the Quran before. I had only read summaries of the Quran written by non-Muslims.(And very misleading summaries at that.)

Words do not adequately describe the extraordinary effect that this book had on me. Suffice to say that the very same magnetism that had drawn me to the Gospels at the age of eleven was present in a new and deeply imperative form. This book was telling me, just as I could tell Jesus had been telling me, about matters of ultimate concern.

Authoritative Guidance

The Quran was offering authoritative guidance and compelling responses to the questions I had been asking for years about the Gospels.

“It is not (possible) for any human being to whom God has given the Book and Wisdom and Prophethood to say to the people: ‘Be my worshippers rather than God’s.’ On the contrary, (he would say): ‘Be devoted worshippers of your Lord, because you are teaching the Book, and you are studying it.’ Nor would he order you to take angels and Prophets for lords. Would he order you to disbelieve after you have submitted to God’s will?” (Quran 3:79-80)

The Quran drew me to its message because it so powerfully confirmed the sayings of Jesus that I felt in my heart had to be authentic. Something had been changed in the Gospels, and that something, I knew in my heart, had been left intact in the text of the Quran.

Startling Parallels

Below, you will find just a few examples of the parallels that made my heart pliant to the worship of God. Each Gospel verse comes from the reconstructed text known as Q — a text that today’s scholars believe represents the earliest surviving strata of the teachings of the Messiah. Note how close this material is to the Quranic message.

Q Agrees with Quran on Tawheed (Monotheism)

In Q, Jesus endorses, in no uncertain terms, a rigorous monotheism.

“Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.’” (Luke 4:8)

Compare:

“Children of Adam, did We not command you not to worship Satan? He was your sworn enemy. Did We not command you to worship Me, and tell you that this is the straight path?” (Quran 36:60-61)

Q Agrees with Quran on Aqaba (The Uphill Path)

Q identifies a Right Path that is often difficult, a path that unbelievers will choose not to follow.

“Enter ye in through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in there. Narrow is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

Compare:

“The worldly life is made to seem attractive to the disbelievers who scoff at the faithful, but the pious, in the life hereafter, will have a position far above them…” (Quran 2:212)

“Would that you knew what the uphill path is! It is the setting free of a slave or, in a day of famine, the feeding of an orphaned relative and a downtrodden destitute person, (so that he would join) the believers who cooperate with others in patience and kindness.” (Quran 90:12-17)

Q Agrees with Quran on Taqwa (Fear of God)

Q warns us to fear only the judgment of God.

“And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear. Fear Him, which after He hath killed, hath the power to cast into Hell. Yea, I say unto you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:4-5)

Compare:

“To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. God’s retribution is severe. Should you then have fear of anyone other than God?” (Quran 16:52)

Q Agrees With Quran on the Traps of Dunya (Earthly Life)

In Q, Jesus warns humanity plainly that earthly advantages and pleasures should not be the goal of our lives:

“Woe unto you that are rich! For you have received your consolation. Woe unto you who are full! You shall be hungry. Woe unto you who laugh now! You shall weep and mourn.” (Luke 6:24)

Compare:

“The desire to have increase of worldly gains has preoccupied you so much (that you have neglected the obligation of remembering God) — until you come to your graves! You shall know. You shall certainly know (about the consequences of your deeds.) You will certainly have the knowledge of your deeds beyond all doubt. You will be shown hell, and you will see it with your own eyes. Then, on that day, you shall be questioned about the bounties (of God).” (Quran 102:1-8)

Q Warns Mankind not to Assume Entry to Heaven is Assured!

Consider also the following chilling words from the Messiah, which should (!) make every heart humble, choke off all forms of arrogance in spiritual matters, and quiet every attack upon a fellow monotheist:

“And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But those who believe they own the kingdom of heaven shall be cast out into the outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:11-12)

Obviously, this is an important teaching for all people of good will to bear in mind … and to etch upon the memory.

Q Says Nothing of Crucifixion or Sacrifice!

You have seen how the historically earliest verses — the Q verses — parallel the major teachings of the Quran. Also worthy of mention is the fact that Q teaches nothing whatsoever of the Crucifixion, of the sacrificial nature of the mission of Jesus … an intriguing omission indeed!

We are left then with an amazing early Gospel — a Gospel that (non-Muslim) scholars believe is historically closest to Jesus — a Gospel that has the following characteristics:

Agreement with the Quran’s uncompromising message of God’s Oneness.

Agreement with the Quran’s message of an afterlife of salvation or hellfire … based on our earthly deeds.

Agreement with the Quran’s warning not to be misled by dunya — the attractions and pleasures of worldly life.

And…

A complete ABSENCE of any reference to Christ’s death on the cross, resurrection, or sacrifice for humanity!

This is the Gospel that today’s most advanced non-Muslim scholars have identified for us … and this Gospel is pointing us, if only we will listen to it, in precisely the same direction as the Quran!

My dear Christian brothers and sisters — I beg you to ask yourselves prayerfully, to seek almighty god’s guidance on this question: can this possibly be a coincidence?

Share The Word!

I became a Muslim on March 20, 2003. It became obvious to me that I had to share this message with as many thoughtful Christians as I could.

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

————————

References

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/475/

—————————

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful (1)

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, (2) The Beneficent, the Merciful. (3) Owner of the Day of Judgment, (4) Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. (5) Show us the straight path, (6) The path of those whom Thou hast favoured. Not (the path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray. (7) QURAN /1/Al-Fatiha

http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

The Ideal Period for Natural Nursing

What is the ideal period for breastfeeding a child to obtain full nutrition, smartness, and strong immunity? Does this period agree with what is mentioned in the book of Allah Almighty?….

 

In celebration of World Breastfeeding week, World Health Organization director general Dr Margaret Chan says: “the best way of preventing malnutrition and mortality among infants and young children is to ensure that they start breastfeeding within one hour of birth.”

In her speech celebrating World Breastfeeding week from the 1st to the 7th of August 2009, Margaret stresses the significance of “breastfeeding exclusively with no food or liquid other than breast milk, not even water until six months of age and to continue breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods up to two years or beyond.”

 

The studies assure that breastfeeding in the first two years of any child’s life is important for strengthening the immune system’s response, avoiding different diseases, providing children with stronger abilities concerning thinking and problem solving, and many other benefits for natural nursing.

From here, we remember Allah’s recommendation that came before the health organization or other doctors when He Almighty said. “The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, for those who desire to complete the term of suckling” [Al-Baqarah: 233].

We say: this is a new proof for everyone who disbelieves the prophethood of our majestic Muhamed (peace be upon him). Who taught the noble prophet of the seventh century about the ideal period of breastfeeding which agrees with the health organization in the twenty-first century
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

——————–

By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

www.kaheel7.com/eng

Source:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/world_breastfeeding_week_20090731/en/index.html

—————————————-

Say: Verily, though mankind and the jinn should assemble to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof though they were helpers one of another. (17/88) Al-Isra  http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

My Journey to Islam Katherine Bullock, Ex-Christian, Canada

Description: An educated woman struggles between what she has heard of Islam and what is really Islam, as well as the actual existence of God.

What am I doing down here? I wonder, my nose and forehead pressed to the floor as I kneel in prayer. My kneecaps ache, my arm muscles strain as I try to keep the pressure off my forehead. I listen to strange utterings of the person praying next to me. It’s Arabic, and they understand what they are saying, even if I don’t. So. I make up my own words, hoping God will be kind to me, a Muslim only 12 hours old. OK. God, I converted to Islam because I believe in you, and because Islam makes sense to me. Did I really just say that? I catch myself, bursting into tears. What would my friends say if they saw me like this, kneeling, nose pressed to the floor?…They’d laugh at me. Have you lost your mind? They’d ask. You can’t seriously tell me you are religious. Religious…I was once a happy ‘speculative atheist,’ how did I turn into a believer and a Muslim? I ask myself. I turn my mind into the past and attempt a whirlwind tour through my journey. But where did it begin? Maybe it started when I first met practicing Muslims. This was in 1991, at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

I was an open-minded, tolerant, liberal woman. 24 years old. I saw Muslim women walking around the International Centre and I felt sorry for them. I knew they were oppressed. My sorrow increased when I asked them why they covered their hair, why they wore long sleeves in summer, why they were so ill-treated in Muslim countries, and they told me that they wore the veil, and they dressed so, because God asked them too. Poor things. What about their treatment in Muslim countries? That’s culture, they would reply. I knew they were deluded, socialised/brainwashed from an early age, into believing this wicked way of treating women. But I noticed how happy they were, how friendly they were, how solid they seemed. I saw Muslim men walking around the international centre.

There was even a man from Libya – the land of terrorists. I trembled when I saw them, lest they do something to me in the name of God. I remembered the television images of masses of rampaging Arab men burning effigies of President Bush, all in the name of God. What a God they must have, I thought. Poor things that they even believe in God, I added, secure in the truth that God was an anthropomorphic projection of us weak human beings. But I noticed that these men were very friendly. I noticed how helpful they were. I perceived an aura of calmness. What a belief they must have, I thought. But it puzzled me. I had read the Koran, and hadn’t detected anything special about it. That was before, when the Gulf War broke out. What kind of God would persuade men to go War, to kill innocent citizens of another country, to rape women, to demonstrate against the US?

I decided I’d better read the Holy book on whose behalf they claimed they were acting. I read a Penguin classic, surely a trustworthy book, and I couldn’t finish it, I disliked it so much. Here was a paradise described with virgin women in it for the righteous (what was a righteous woman to do with a virgin woman in Paradise?); here was a God destroying whole cities at a stroke.

No wonder the women are oppressed, and these fanatics storm around burning the US flag, I thought. But the Muslims I put this to seemed bewildered. Their Quran didn’t say things in that way. Perhaps I had a bad translation?

Suddenly the praying person I am following stands up. I too stand up, my feet catching on the long skirt I wear; I almost trip. I sniff, trying to stop the tears. I must focus on praying to God. Dear God, I am here because I believe in you, and because during my research of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism, Islam made the most sense.

Bending over, my hands at my knees, I try hard to reassure myself. God. Please help me to be a good Muslim. A Muslim! Kathy, how could you – a white western women who is educated – convert to a religion which makes its women second class citizens!

But Kingston’s Muslims became my friends, I protest. They welcomed me into their community warmly, without question. I forgot that they were oppressed and terrorists. This seems like the start of my journey. But I was still an atheist. Or was I?

I had looked into the starry night, and contemplated the universe. The diamond stars strewn across the dark sky twinkled mysterious messages to me. I felt hooked up to something bigger than myself. Was it a collective human consciousness? Peace and tranquility flowed to me from the stars. Could I wrench myself from this feeling and declare there is no higher being? No higher consciousness? Haven’t you ever doubted the existence of God? I would ask my believing Christian and Muslim friends. No, they replied. No? No? This puzzled me.

Was God that obvious? How come I couldn’t see God. It seemed too much a stretch of my imagination. A being out there, affecting the way I lived. How could God listen to billions of people praying, and deal with each second of that person’s life? It’s impossible. Maybe a First Cause, but one who intervened? And what about the persistence of injustice in the world? Children dying in war. A just, good God couldn’t allow that. God didn’t make sense. God couldn’t exist. Besides, we evolved, so that disposed of a First Cause anyway.

We kneel down again, and here I am, sniffing, looking sideways at my fingers on the green of my new prayer mat. I like my prayer mat. It has a velvetty touch to it, and some of my favourite colours: a purple mosque on a green background. There is a path leading to a black entrance of the mosque and it beckons me. The entrance to the mosque seems to contain the truth, it is elusive, but it is there. I am happy to be beckoned to this entrance.

When I was much younger I had a complete jigsaw picture of the world. It fell apart sometime during the third or fourth year of my undergraduate study. In Kingston I had reminded myself that I had once been a regular churchgoer, somewhat embarrassed, since I knew that religious people were slushy/mushy, quaint, boring, old fashioned people. Yet God had seemed self-evident to me then. The universe made no sense without a Creator Being who was also omnipotent.

Leaving church I had always had a feeling of lightness and happiness. I felt the loss of that feeling. Could it be that I had once had a connection to God which was now gone? Maybe this was the start of my journey? I tried to pray again, but found it extraordinarily difficult. Christians told me that people who didn’t believe in Lord Jesus Christ were doomed. What about people who’ve never heard of Jesus? Or people who follow their own religion? And society historically claimed women were inferior because Christianity told us it was Eve’s punishment; women were barred from studying, voting, owning land. God was an awful man with a long white beard. I couldn’t talk to him. I couldn’t follow Christianity, therefore God couldn’t exist.

But then I discovered feminists who believed in God, Christian women who were feminists, and Muslim women who believed Islam did not condone a lot of what I thought integral to their religion. I started to pray and call myself a ‘post-Christian feminist believer.’

I felt that lightness again; maybe God did exist. I carefully examined my life’s events and I saw that coincidences and luck were God’s blessings for me, and I’d never noticed, or said thanks. I am amazed God was so kind and persistent while I was disloyal. My ears and feet tingle pleasantly from the washing I have just given them; a washing which cleanses me and allows me to approach God in prayer.

God. An awesome deity. I feel awe, wonder and peace. Please show me the path. But surely you can see that the world is too complex, too beautiful, too harmonious to be an accident? To be the blind result of evolutionary forces? Don’t you know that science is returning to a belief in God? Don’t you know that science never contradicted Islam anyway? I am exasperated with my imaginary jury. Haven’t they researched these things?

Maybe this was the most decisive path. I’d heard on the radio an interview with a physicist who was explaining how modern science had abandoned its nineteenth century materialistic assumptions long ago, and was scientifically of the opinion that too many phenomena occurred which made no sense without there being intelligence and design behind it all. Indeed, scientific experiments were not just a passive observation of physical phenomena, observation altered the way physical events proceeded, and it seemed therefore that intelligence was the most fundamental stuff of the universe.

I read more, and more. I discovered that only the most diehard anthropologists still believed in evolution theory, though no one was saying this very loudly for fear of losing their job. My jigsaw was starting to fall apart.

OK, so you decided God existed. You were a monotheist. But Christianity is monotheistic. It is your heritage. Why leave it? Still these questioners are puzzled. But you must understand this is the easiest question of them all to answer. I smile.

I learned how the Quran did not contradict science in the same way the Bible did. I wanted to read the Biblical stories literally, and discovered I could not. Scientific fact contradicted Biblical account. But scientific fact did not contradict Quranic account, science even sometimes explained a hitherto inexplicable Quranic verse. This was stunning.

There was a verse about how the water from fresh water rivers which flowed into the sea did not mix with the sea water; verses describing conception accurately; verses referring to the orbits of the planets. Seventh century science knew none of this. How could Muhammad be so uniquely wise? My mind drew me towards the Quran, but I resisted.

I started going to church again, only to find myself in tears in nearly every service. Christianity continued to be difficult for me. So much didn’t make sense: the Trinity; the idea that Jesus was God incarnate; the worship of Mary, the Saints, or Jesus, rather than God. The priests told me to leave reason behind when contemplating God. The Trinity did not make sense, and nor was it supposed to. I delved deeper. After all, how could I leave my culture, my heritage, my family? No one would understand, and I’d be alone. I tried to be a good Christian.

I learned more. I discovered that Easter was instituted a couple of hundreds of years after Jesus’s death, that Jesus never called himself God incarnate, and more often said he was the Son of Man; that the doctrine of the Trinity was established some 300 odd years after Christ had died; that the Nicene Creed which I had faithfully recited every week, focusing on each word, was written by MEN at a political meeting to confirm a minority position that Jesus was the Son of God, and the majority viewpoint that Jesus was God’s messenger, was expunged forever.

I was so angry! Why hadn’t the Church taught me these things. Well. I knew why. People would understand that they could worship God elsewhere, and that there, worship would actually make sense to them. I would only worship one God, not three, not The Father, Son and Holy ghost; not Jesus as Lord, nor the Saints, nor Mary. Could Muhammad really be a Messenger, could the Quran be God’s word? I kept reading the Quran.

It told me that Eve was not alone to blame for the ‘fall;’ that Jesus was a Messenger; that unbelievers would laugh at me for being a believer; that people would question the authenticity of Muhammad’s claim to revelation, but that if they tried to write something as wise, consistent and rational they would fail. This seemed true. Islam asked me to use my intelligence to contemplate God, it encouraged me to seek knowledge, it told me that whoever believed in (Jews/Christians/Muslims/whoever) would get rewards, it seemed a very encompassing religion. We stand again and still standing, bend down again to a resting position with our hands on our knees. What else can I say to God? I can’t think of enough to say, the prayer seems so long.

I puff slightly, still sniffling, since with all the standing and kneeling and standing I am somewhat out of breath. So you seriously think that I would willing enter a religion which turned me into a second class citizen? I demand of my questioners. You know that there is a lot of abuse of women in Islamic countries, just as in the West, but this is not true Islam. And don’t bring the veil thing up. Don’t you know that women wear hijab because God asks them to? Because they trust in God’s word.

Still. How will I have the courage to wear hijab? I probably won’t. People will stare at me, I’ll become obvious; I’d rather hide away in the crowd when I’m out. What will my friends say when they see me in that?? OH! God! Help.

I had stalled at the edge of change for many a long month, my dilemma growing daily. What should I do? Leave my old life and start a new one? But I couldn’t possibly go out in public in hijab. People would stare at me. I stood at the forked path which God had helped me reach. I had new knowledge which rested comfortably with my intellect. Follow the conviction, or stay in the old way? How could I stay when I had a different outlook on life? How could I change when the step seemed too big for me?

I would rehearse the conversion sentence: There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet. Simple words, I believe in them, so convert. I cannot, I resisted. I circled endlessly day after day. God stood on one of the paths of the fork, tapping his foot. Come on Kathy. I’ve brought you here, but you must cross alone. I stayed stationary, transfixed like a kangaroo trapped in car lights late at night. Then one night, God, I suppose, gave me a final yank. I was passing a mosque with my husband. I had a feeling in me that was so strong I could hardly bear it. If you don’t convert now, you never will, my inner voice told me. I knew it was true. OK, I’ll do it. If they let me in to the mosque, I’ll do it. But there was no one there. I said the Shahada under the trees outside the mosque. I waited. I waited for the thunderclap, the immediate feeling of relief, the lifting of my burden. But it didn’t come.

I felt exactly the same. Now we are kneeling again, the world looks so different from down here. Even famous football players prostrate like this, I remember, glancing sideways at the tassels of my hijab which fall onto the prayer mat; we are all the same and equally humbled before God. Now we are sitting up straight, my prayer leader is muttering something still, waving his right hand’s forefinger around in the air. I look down at my mat again. The green, purple and black of my prayer mat look reassuringly the same.

The blackness of the Mosque’s entrance entreats me: ‘I am here, just relax and you will find me.’ My tears have dried on my face and the skin feels tight What am I doing here? Dear God. I am here because I believe in you, because I believe in the compelling and majestic words of the Quran, and because I believe in the Prophethood of Your Messenger Muhammad. I know in my heart my decision is the right one. Please give me the courage to carry on with this new self and new life, that I may serve you well with a strong faith. I smile and stand up, folding my prayer mat into half, and lay it on the sofa ready for my next encounter with its velvety green certainty. Now the burden begins to lift.

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

—————-

References

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1824/

—————————-

Lo! We have sent thee (O Muhammad) with the truth, a bringer of glad tidings and a warner. And thou wilt not be asked about the owners of hell-fire. (119) quran-(2/5)AL-BAQRA  http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/

 

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

Haneefah bint Stefan, Ex-Christian, Sweden

Description: A diverse university experience causes Haneefah to open up to other cultures and find out about Islam.

The first time I ever thought about having Islam as my religion was at the age of 15. Reading a story in my high school religion book about a Swedish woman who converted made me think: How would it be if I became a Muslim? How would it change my life?

This woman was wearing a scarf on her head, and she was working as a secretary. Because of my lack of knowledge about Islam, this shocked me extremely. How can she work with that thing on her head? Who will ever hire a woman like that?

My conclusion was that I would never become Muslim because it would stand out and would lessen my chances of getting the dream job. I guess this thinking depended largely on the way I was raised. My parents are honest and hard-working people, but they do not see the need for religion. They see that the meaning of life is actually inside life itself, and after it when we all become dust, there is nothing more to it.

Nevertheless, I guess my mother respected the traditions and morals of our Protestant Christian church, so she sent me at an early age to a children’s group, and later at the age of 14, I was asked if I would like to go to confirmation classes.

I agreed. I thought that it was best to do it. Who knew, maybe I would change my mind later and regret that I did not go, and then I would be outside of the church. Also, it was fun to go to these classes. We painted, sang songs, played theatre, and went to a camp. There was not a lot of serious people among us – most came only because of tradition, and to get gifts, jewelry and money from relatives on that great day when the classes finally finished and there was a ceremony in the church.

From this time, I remember having strong doubts about Christianity. I read the Bible but it did not give me what I needed. I knew there was something I was looking for, but I did not know what. I learned about astrology and tried meditation and so on, but all this made me feel even more confused.

I started to keep a “spiritual journal”. It was a small book, which I filled with different material, religious and non-religious. I would collect biblical verses, poems, Hindu chants, songs, and anything that had meaning to me.

I started secondary school at the age of 16. Living in a small suburb outside of the city, I was required to transfer to a school inside the big town. I chose the one which was supposed to have the highest status. I could not imagine that there would be so many foreign people.

Immediately after I started, I felt I was not happy. I wanted to change my major, so I transferred from Media to Languages and came to a new class where I knew no one. The first people who spoke kindly to me and became my friends were an African girl, and an Iraqi girl who was wearing a scarf. It was so exotic to me! All my life I had been surrounded by people of my own background, and now I got a taste of other cultures and life styles.

I was so fascinated by the Iraqi girl that I started to hang around a lot with her and also became friends with her friends. I became famous as the Swedish person who had no Swedish friends. It was more of a cool thing to me – I felt I needed to distance myself from the normal crowd.

The Muslims of my school sometimes had active discussions about Islam and that impressed me very much. I thought, how can it be that this religion is such an active part of their lives? It is not like Christianity, it is alive not dead! And it has an impact on everything in their lives.

One day when I went with my father to a second hand market, I looked for some books and found an old translation of the Quran in the Swedish language. I decided to buy it for historical purposes, and to gain a greater understanding of my friends’ religion.

By now, I started to add Islamic items to my journal. I was writing the opening Surat Al-Fatiha, and its translation. I also memorized it. I had no motive behind doing so, I was just interested in it.

With little time, I was totally absorbed in the Quran. I felt like I had found a real treasure. There was something drawing me to it – something not logical, especially since this translation which I had, was written by an Orientalist and contained a number of serious faults. The worst thing of all was that the author pointed to supposed faults in the order in which the verses came. He said that it was evident that some verses should change place. Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) that I learned the truth by asking my friend.

I went to my Iraqi friend, and told her that I was interested in Islam. She became very shocked and felt a need to sit down or else she would pass out! After the shock settled, she decided to take me to an Islamic organization and there I got some books, pamphlets and the phone number of another Swedish woman who had become Muslim.

I was afraid of what my family would say, and indeed my mother became outraged when I told her that I wanted to become a Muslim. The whole family searched my room and threw away my Islamic books. They said that Islam was like a cult and that I was brainwashed.

But this did not stop me. In the month of July 2001, I declared my shahada (testimony of faith) openly. I had called the Swedish woman who’s phone number I had been given, and she arranged Islamic lessons in her home. I went to her villa, which had a garden, and we prayed the zhuhr (forenoon) prayer there in the open air. For me this was a symbolical act, because in my society it is something not appreciated to show acts of worship openly. I felt so free and could care less about what other people would think.

It was with a loud and proud voice by which I said the words which undoubtedly has had the strongest impact on my entire life:

Ashhadu an laa ilaaha illa Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasool Allah

I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship save God;

And I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

No other single sentence has influenced me as this one has.

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

————————

 References

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1653/

——————————–

Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil). (2) Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; (3) And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. (4) These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. (5)

QURAN- (2 / 5 ) AL-BAQRA

http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

The Journey of a German Ambassador to Islam (Part 2)

By : Raya Shokatfard

Interview with Dr. Murad Hofmann

In the previous part of this interview, Raya Shokatfard asked Dr. Hofmann about his first encounter with Islam and the factors that made him decide to become Muslim.

Dr. Murad Hofmann

To read the first part, click > here.  <

The following is a transcript of the rest of the conversation. There was so much more I would have liked to ask this distinguished gentleman, but the little time we had together gave me insight into one of Islam’s great dignitaries.

Shokatfard: Were you a practicing Christian before you became a Muslim?

Hofmann: You won’t believe my background and childhood. I was born in 1931 and was 8 years old when the World War II started. I lived in an industrial town which was regularly bombed. We had air alerts all the time. We simply slept in bomb shelters nearly all the time for more than a year. The town was destroyed. I experienced life and death till the age of 14.

At that time, Hitler had ordered training for the youth my age two times a week as a pre-military training. My last order was to put dead bodies on the truck. That was it. My parents simply told me that I could not do that. So that was my last order, and the first I refused.

At that time, without my parent’s knowledge, I was a member of the Jesuit organization of a Christian youth movement. Only state-run youth organizations were allowed at the time. This was a secret group which communicated underground. Hitler’s secret services had some clue something was going on, but they never caught us. Had they found out, all of us, including my parents would have ended up in the concentration camp.

Shokatfard: How was your life after the war?

Hofmann: After finishing high school, I studied law in Munich, Germany. After finishing, I studied law again in Harvard University in the U.S.

Shokatfard: How would being a lawyer entitle you to become an ambassador?

Hofmann: Well, I had not served in the military. In fact all those who lived in the time of war, were exempt from military service and the war generations were never drafted. They called those years the “White Years”.

At that time, Germany was very much down in terms of international relations. It had to make effort to be re-accepted to the international community. So, I said to myself, you are a lawyer. Which client is worthy to represent? So, I decided to be an advocate for my own country.

Therefore, I went back to Germany and attended a diplomatic school, which among other subjects, taught international law.

I took on various diplomatic jobs and worked my way up to being an ambassador.

At the time, there was a special need for NATO defense project. So, I worked with the NATO delegation in Paris. Then, French President, De Gaulle, kicked out NATO and withdrew from integrated military, but would still participate in maneuvers and NATO command.

I was later stationed in Yugoslavia and Bulgaria as first, second and third secretary. There, I was promoted to junior and later, to senior counselor.

Germans wrote 10,000 letters to the German government, complaining that it is impossible to have a Muslim Ambassador for a Christian nation.

I later went to Vienna for the Warsaw Pact for the purpose of troop reduction in Europe.

Shokatfard: Why was there the need for troops to begin with?

Hofmann: There was a great conflict between the East and West Germany. There were 22 Soviet stations in East Germany and were nuclear ready.

Had a war broken out, it would have destroyed Europe. Europe was preparing itself for a nuclear war and at the same time was deterring threats from the Soviets, even though it had second strike ability. This military capability made Germany stable.

At the same time, even though East Germany had some military might, it lost out in ideology. People in East Germany would watch TV and see what was going on in West Germany and how life was drastically different. Communism lost out through its ideology.

Shokatfard: What happened next?

Hofmann: In 1994, I wrote my second book, Islam, the Alternative. All hell broke loose. Germans wrote 10,000 letters to the German government, complaining that it is impossible to have a Muslim ambassador for a Christian nation.

One of the bad papers wrote three lies about me. The first one was that I beat my wife. The second was that all my secretaries had to wear head scarves, and the third was that I had driven someone to commit suicide.

All this was a reaction to a mere announcement that I was a Muslim. The book was not even published yet.

The Foreign office asked me for the material and stationed three people to divide the book into three parts and each was to read one part, all night. They found absolutely nothing wrong that would threaten the society. This news was published on page four of the paper instead of front page as it was the first time.

When I went to the government office, I saw a large table full of files containing letters to protest against me.

Shokatfard: What happened after that?

Hofmann: After that, the attack against me stopped, but the damage could not be undone. Normally the government should have sued the newspaper, but it did not do that. This was close to my retirement and I retired in 1996. Ever since then, I have been on the road.

The Foreign Minister laughed and said, “One does not send a Muslim to Islamic Vatican.”

Shokatfard: How do you feel about life in general now?

Hofmann: I feel extremely lucky.

Shokatfard: Why?

Hofmann: First of all, I became Muslim and was able to lead an interesting and adventurous life

Also, God saved me from death three times.

The first one was when our home was being bombed. Many shells hit our garden, only a few feet from where we were hiding. Then, I had a terrible car accident, involving a drunk driver on the wrong side of the street. All in his car were dead, but my driver and I survived. We had a 1941 Chevrolet and very sturdy, and they had a newer one. I lost 19 teeth, but fortunately had no brain concussion. Another good factor was that I was very tall. Had I been one centimeter shorter, I would have lost my eyes.

The third situation was when I made a suggestion to the personnel to start moving staff out of Vienna as part of troop reduction before they became fed up and tried to post themselves elsewhere. This could pose a danger and might create a vacuum. So spacing them out would work best. I then managed to be the first to volunteer to be stationed elsewhere and suggested Riyadh. The Foreign Minister laughed and said, “One does not send a Muslim to Islamic Vatican.” So, they decided to send me to Algeria instead. At this time I was an ambassador.

However, before leaving, I had to have a quick physical. A short physical lasted three weeks, at the end of which, I was notified that I had a cancer tumor on one of my kidneys which had to be removed. Had this mission not been activated and the physical checkup not performed, the cancer would have spread all over my body and would have taken my life.

Shokatfard: Did you end up going to Algeria?

Hofmann: No. With the cancer, I could not go to tropical countries. So I was stationed in Yugoslavia. After that, I returned to Bonn which was the capital at the time and that is where the Foreign Ministry was. Later, I was in charge of NATO and Defense. I attended 49 ministerial meetings all over the world.

From Bonn I went to Brussels and became NATO information director 1983-87. From 1987-90 I was the ambassador to Algeria and from 1990-96 I was the ambassador to Morocco. I retired at the age of 65, and became very active in touring the world and giving lectures about Islam and writing many books and nearly 50 book reviews.

Shokatfard: What are your further plans?

Hofmann: I will continue writing book reviews. I may travel also, but not long flights any more. I like to stay close to home. I have been on the road eight years in a row.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

 References

http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1264249989333&pagename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam%2FDIELayout&ref=body

——————————————

Raya Shokatfard is the Editor in Chief of Reading Islam website. She has been an activist in promoting a better understanding of Islam and Muslims in the US for more than 20 years, and in Egypt for several years.

She holds an M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication as well as an M.A.D . in TV Journalism from the American University in Cairo. She can be reached at: mothers4peace@yahoo.com.

————————–

Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil). (2) Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; (3) And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. (4) These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. (5)

QURAN- (2 / 5 ) AL-BAQRA

http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

Radko, Ex-Atheist, Czech Atheism to Christianity

Description: A hardcore atheist becomes attracted to Christianity, but after a while finds crucial questions left unanswered.

I once knew an atheist who claimed he’d never believed in God’s existence. In his view, believers were supposed to be people of weak character who felt the necessity to find a crutch for their inability and laziness, so they attended church. He felt agitated if, when the debating religion, he could not persuade the opponent with his arguments. He despised believers in an almost hysterical way. He had, however, a very good friend who believed in God. They agreed to refrain from discussing religion whenever together.

One day this man, probably in a rare moment of weakness, accepted the invitation of his friend to visit his church. To himself, he laughed at the thought of speaking out in the middle of mass and laughing and pointing his finger at the believers from the pulpit. However, as we know, God works in mysterious ways. He went to church, stood in the back benches, and stared at the people praying.

The mass service started and he gave all of them a sarcastic glance. Then the sermon began, lasting about 15 minutes. Suddenly, in the middle of the sermon, tears welled in his eyes. A strange feeling of joy and happiness washed away his animosity, a feeling that engulfed his entire body. After mass, the two friends left together. They were silent until the moment they were to part ways, when he asked his friend whether they could go to church together again. They agreed to go again the next day.

It’s possible some of you might have guessed that I was that stubborn atheist. I had felt nothing but contempt and hatred towards people of faith. But after that sermon in 1989, when the priest discussed how we should not judge others if we don’t want to be judged, my life suddenly took a dramatic turn.

I started attending church services regularly and was thirsty for any information on God and Jesus Christ. I took part in meetings with Christian youngsters where we exchanged our spiritual experiences. I felt resurrected. Suddenly I felt the need to be in the company of believers. I needed to make up for the past 18 years.

I was brought up in an atheist family, who except for having me baptized, did not exercise any attempt to guide my spiritual development. I remember being in sixth grade when a comrade was sent by the Communist Party to explain to us why God does not exist. I remember myself absorbing his every word. In my case, I needed no convincing. I believed everything he said. His arrogance, contempt, and hatred towards believers became mine. But now I had to make up for all those years.

I met with a priest and others who guided me in this new direction. I was full of so many questions, to which they responded. Later I was to realize a big mistake: I accepted everything without contemplation or reflection. I could say that they explained things to me in a ‘take-it-as-is’ manner, but that would not be fair to them. It was, in fact, my mistake. I didn’t reflect upon their words, nor did I think critically. This would cause me a lot of complications later. In retrospect, I believe an important factor that influenced my behavior was age. I was too young to properly comprehend matters so serious and complicated as faith.

I wished to become a good Christian, and God knows I tried very hard. Yet over time, I could not reconcile the contradictions found in the Bible, such as the divine nature of Prophet Jesus and the concept of inherited sin. Priests tried to respond to my questions, but eventually, their patience began to run thin. I was told that such matters should be accepted on faith, and that these questions were a waste of time and would only serve to distance me from God. Till this day, I recall myself quarreling with a spiritual leader, an event that restarted my self-destructive tendencies. Maybe I wasn’t right after all. I was young.

How I Became Muslim

My path toward Islam wasn’t easy at all. You may think that since I was disappointed with Christianity, I would have immediately accepted Islam as my faith. This could have been very simple, but all I knew about Islam at the time were things like Muslims refer to God as Allah, they read the Quran instead of the Bible, and they worship somebody called Muhammad. Also, I think I was not yet ready to accept Islam.

So I withdrew from the church community and claimed to be a soloist Christian. I found out, however, that even though I didn’t miss the community of believers or church, God was ‘settled’ so deep in my heart that I couldn’t let Him go. I didn’t even try. Quite the opposite. I felt happy to have God around and hoped He was on my side.

Later I began to engage in one stupidity after another, living a life of luxury and lust. I did not realize that such a road would lead me away from God and towards hell. A friend of mine says that you need to hit rock bottom in order to feel the ground beneath your feet. This is exactly what happened to me. I fell really deep. I can just imagine how Satan must have been waiting for me with open arms, but God did not give up on me and gave me another chance.

In July 2001, I met a young man from Iraq. His name was Ibrahim. We very quickly struck up a conversation. He told me that he was Muslim, and I responded that I was Christian. I was worried that my being Christian would be a problem, but I was wrong. I was glad to be wrong. It was interesting that I did not want to become Muslim and he did not try to convert me.

Although I considered Muslims an exotic group, I had been interested to learn more about Islam. It was a good opportunity to learn more. I realized that I had in front of me a man who could teach me a lot about Islam, so I mustered the courage to ask him to do just that. That was my first meeting with Islam, indeed my first step. After some time we parted ways, and I did not see him again, but the seed had been sown.

I remember once reading an interview with Mohammad Ali Silhavy (an old Czech Muslim) and being eager to find his address and write him a letter. Then came September 11. Because of the political climate, I thought it might not be an appropriate time to contact Mr. Silhavy. So I found myself at a dead end.

About two months later I found the courage to write a long letter to Mr. Silhavy. After a while he replied and sent a package including Islamic literature and leaflets. He told me that he had informed the Islamic Foundation in Prague about me and asked them to send me the translation of the Qur’an. So this was my beginning. Step by step, I learned that not only is Islam not a militant religion, but to the contrary, it is a religion of peace. My questions were answered.

Because of certain circumstances, it wasn’t until three years later that I decided to visit Mr. Silhavy. He showed a lot of patience while explaining to me different issues, and suggested that I visit the mosque of Brno (Czech Republic). When I went to the mosque of Brno, I was afraid that I would be seen as a stranger, an outsider. How surprised I was to find quite the opposite. I met K. and L., who were the first persons to help me. Of course, I met other brothers who welcomed me in the warmest way possible way.

I began to delve into all aspects of Islam, and found how understandable and logical Islam is. I gradually started to learn how to pray, and today I master prayer with no problem, even in Arabic. I gave up a bad habit of mine that was not compatible with Islam. I was a gambler and a very good one indeed. It was a difficult struggle with myself, but with God’s help I won that battle.

If I ever doubted my interest in Islam or whether I could live as a Muslim, I know now that my interest is permanent and I consider myself one of them. Maybe it looks very simple, but again with God’s help I won this internal struggle. I thought carefully before I definitively decided to embrace Islam. To be honest, throughout 2003 and the beginning of 2004, I was not completely sure if I could manage this. Finally I decided definitively. I am not that young man from the early ‘90s anymore.

That’s why today I feel very happy that I am Muslim. I finally feel free. I still have my imperfections but I am trying to improve upon them. I believe that God will help me. Now, listen to what I want to tell you and consider this my obligation: I believe in my heart and declare by word that there is no other god but God and Muhammad is God’s Messenger.

 And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

———————————–

References

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/472/

———————————-

Lo! We have sent thee (O Muhammad) with the truth, a bringer of glad tidings and a warner. And thou wilt not be asked about the owners of hell-fire. (119) quran-(2/5)AL-BAQRA

 

 

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

The Memory of Zamzam’s Water

Science, at a very later stage, reveals new secrets about Zamzam’s water and the way it is influenced by the verses of the Glorious Quran. Read more on the subject…….

Allah, the Almighty has mentioned the word “water” several dozens times in His Great Divine Book; the Glorious Quran. What we are interested here is the latest discovery of the Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto concerning “water’s memory”, and that water stores inside its memory all the events that take place around it! Masaru Emoto performed the first of its kind, pioneering experiments on water. He experimented with few drops of water which he put under various sound frequencies. He noticed that the water particles arrangement differs upon changing the frequency! Perhaps the final experiment Dr. Masaru Emoto did was on Zamzam’s water which he subjected to a stiff and fastidious test. He found out that this water is different than any other type of water on the globe. Interestingly, he noticed that this water has a special interaction and reaction with the Words of Allah, the Almighty; the Glorious Quran recitation on it.

 This is a photo of Zamzam water gushing through the rocks. Zamzam water still gush non-stop since thousands of years. This is rather an amazing behavior. Where does Zamzam water come from, while in this barren land of a desert? Does this phenomenon require our deep meditation and thinking?

Perhaps we can comprehend now why it is preferable and encouraged to recite [i.e. verses from the Glorious Quran] on water with the hope to cure the patient! Water is the only element in the nature that is distinct in nature than all other elements due to its physical and chemical properties that makes it unanimously, the “Master” of all other elements in the nature.

Emoto brought few drops of Zamzam’s water and recited the “Basmaleh” [In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, Most Merciful] in Arabic and noticed that the arrangement of the water particles became prettier! In fact, these drops of water formed unique shapes as if they were drawn by a fantastically skilled artist.

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

 

Download free PDF in two languages, Arabic & English (400 Kb)

——————–

By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

www.kaheel7.com/eng

References:  

1. www.masaru-emoto.net

2. http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/sunnah/0020.htm

3. Water memory, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_memory

4. WATER’S MEMORY,

http://www.aquatechnology.net/watermemory.html

5. Miraculous Messages from Water

 http://www.life-enthusiast.com/twilight/research_emoto.htm

6. http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20061223/bob9.asp

7. http://www.its.caltech.edu/~atomic/snowcrystals/

8. http://www.livescience.com/environment/070119_snowflakes_alike.html

 ——————————————————-

Allah said: ” Will We show them Our Miracles in horizons, and within themselves, until it becomes quite clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your God that He is witness over all things” / quran/ 41 / 53/ Surat Fussilat   http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

What They Said about the Quran > The statements of western scholars who have studied Islam about the Quran. Additional statements.

Description: The statements of western scholars who have studied Islam about the Quran.   Introduction and their statements.

 Humanity has received the Divine guidance only through two channels: firstly the word of God, secondly the Prophets who were chosen by God to communicate His will to human beings. These two things have always been going together and attempts to know the will of God by neglecting either of these two have always been misleading. The Hindus neglected their prophets and paid all attention to their books that proved only word puzzles which they ultimately lost. Similarly, the Christians, in total disregard to the Book of God, attached all importance to Christ and thus not only elevated him to Divinity, but also lost the very essence of Tawheed (monotheism) contained in the Bible.

As a matter of fact, the main scriptures revealed before the Quran, i.e., the Old Testament and the Gospel, came into book-form long after the days of the Prophets and that too in translation. This was because the followers of Moses and Jesus made no considerable effort to preserve these Revelations during the life of their Prophets. Rather, they were written long after their death. Thus, what we now have in the form of the Bible (the Old as well as the New Testament) is translations of individuals’ accounts of the original revelations which contain additions and deletions made by the followers of the said Prophets. On the contrary, the last revealed Book, the Quran, is extant in its original form. God Himself guaranteed its preservation and that is why the whole of the Quran was written during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him himself though on separate pieces of palm leaves, parchments, bones etc.. Moreover, there were tens of thousands of companions of the Prophet who memorized the whole Quran and the Prophet himself used to recite it to the Angel Gabriel once a year and twice in the year he died. The first Caliph Abu Bakr entrusted the collection of the whole Quran in one volume to the Prophet’s scribe, Zaid Ibn Thabit. This volume was with Abu Bakr till his death. Then it was with the second Caliph Umar and after him it came to Hafsa, the Prophet’s wife. It was from this original copy that the third Caliph Uthman prepared several other copies and sent them to different Muslim territories.

The Quran was so meticulously preserved because it was to be Book of Guidance for humanity for all times to come. That is why it does not address the Arabs alone in whose language it was revealed. It speaks to man as a human being:

“O Man! What has seduced you from your Lord.”

The practicability of the Quranic teachings is established by the examples of Muhammad and the good Muslims throughout the ages. The distinctive approach of the Quran is that its instructions are aimed at the general welfare of man and are based on the possibilities within his reach. In all its dimensions the Quranic wisdom is conclusive. It neither condemns nor tortures the flesh nor does it neglect the soul. It does not humanize God nor does it deify man. Everything is carefully placed where it belongs in the total scheme of creation.

Actually the scholars who allege that Muhammad was the author of the Quran claim something which is humanly impossible. Could any person of the sixth century C.E. utter such scientific truths as the Quran contains? Could he describe the evolution of the embryo inside the uterus so accurately as we find it in modern science?

Secondly, it is logical to believe that Muhammad, who up to the age of forty was marked only for his honesty and integrity, began all of a sudden the authorship of a book matchless in literary merit and the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators of the highest caliber could not produce? And lastly, is it justified to say Muhammad, who was known as Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) in his society and who is still admired by the non-Muslim scholars for his honesty and integrity, came forth with a false claim and on that falsehood could train thousands of men of character, integrity and honesty, who were able to establish the best human society on the surface of the earth?

Surely, any sincere and unbiased searcher of truth will come to believe that the Quran is the revealed Book of God.

Without necessarily agreeing with all they said, we furnish here some opinions of important non-Muslim scholars about the Quran. Readers can easily see how the modern world is coming closer to reality regarding the Quran. We appeal to all open-minded scholars to study the Quran in the light of the aforementioned points. We are sure that any such attempt will convince the reader that the Quran could never be written by any human being.

Goethe, quoted in T.P. Hughes’ Dictionary of Islam, p. 526:

“However often we turn to it [the Quran] at first disgusting us each time afresh, it soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our reverence…Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern, grand, terrible – ever and anon truly sublime – Thus this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence.”

G. Margoliouth, Introduction to J.M. Rodwell’s The Koran, New York: Everyman’s Library, 1977, p. vii:

“The Koran admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of the world. Though the youngest of the epoch making works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardly any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious organizations of Mohammedan world which are one of the great forces with which Europe and the East have to reckon today.”

Dr. Stiengass, quoted in T.P. Hughes’ Dictionary of Islam, pp. 526-527:

“A work, then, which calls forth so powerful and seemingly incompatible emotions even in the distant reader – distant as to time, and still more so as a mental development- a work which not only conquers the repugnance which he may begin its perusal, but changes this adverse feeling into astonishment and admiration, such a work must be a wonderful production of the human mind indeed and a problem of the highest interest to every thoughtful observer of the destinies of mankind.”

Maurice Bucaille, The Bible, the Quran and Science, 1978, p. 125:

“The above observation makes the hypothesis advanced by those who see Muhammad as the author of the Quran untenable. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author, in terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human being could possibly have developed at that time, and all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject?”

Dr. Steingass, quoted inn Hughes’ Dictionary of Islam, p. 528:

“Here, therefore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and aesthetic taste, but by the effects which it produced in Mohammed’s contemporaries and fellow countrymen. If it spoke so powerfully and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well organized body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes, and shot afresh woof into the old warp of history.”

Arthur J. Arberry, The Koran Interpreted, London: Oxford University Press, 1964, p. x:

“In making the present attempt to improve on the performance of my predecessors, and to produce something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pain to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms which – apart from the message itself – constitute the Koran’s undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind. This very characteristic feature – ‘that inimitable symphony’, as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book, ‘the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy’ – has been almost totally ignored by previous translators; it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull and flat indeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated original.”

Maurice Bucaille, The Quran and Modern Science, 19812, p. 18:

“A totally objective examination of it [the Quran] in the light of modern knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions, It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Mohammed’s time to have been the author of such statements on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of what gives the Quranic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which call solely upon materialistic reasoning.”

Quran on the Quran

“Hence, indeed, We made this Quran easy to bear in mind: who, then, is willing to take it to heart.” (Quran 54:17, 22, 32, 40 [self repeating])

“Will they not meditate on the Quran, or are there locks on the hearts?” (Quran 47:24)

“Surely this Quran guides to that which is most upright and gives good news to the believers who do good works that they shall have a great reward.” (Quran 17:9)

“Surely We have revealed the Reminder (Quran) and We will most certainly guard it (from corruption).” (Quran 15:9)

“Praise be to God Who has revealed the Book (Quran) to His slave (Muhammad) and has not placed therein any crookedness.” (Quran 18:1)

“And certainly We have explained in this Quran every kind of example; and man is most of all given to contention. And nothing prevents men from believing when the guidance comes to him, and asking forgiveness of their Lord, except that what happened to the ancients should overtake them, or that the chastisement should come face to face with them.” (Quran 18:54-55)

“And We reveal (stage by stage) of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for believers and to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss.” (Quran 17:82)

“And if you are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad) then produce a Surah (chapter) of the like thereof, and call your witnesses besides God if you are truthful.” (Quran 2:23)

“And this Quran is not such as could be forged by those besides God, but it is a verification ( of revelations) that went before it and a fuller explanation of the Book – there is no doubt – from the Lord of the Worlds.” (Quran 10:37)

“So when you recite the Quran, seek refuge in God from Satan the Outcast.” (Quran 16:98)

References

http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/3362/

———————————

Alif. Lam. Mim. (1) This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those who ward off (evil). (2) Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; (3) And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. (4) These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful. (5)

QURAN- (2 / 5 ) AL-BAQRA http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/

 

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

The Rosette Nebula and split of heaven

The Qur’an described for us many cosmic photos 1400 years ago and before any human camera, let us look attentively at this tableau…

 

In 26 / 7 / 2007 NASA had published a photo for what is they called” Rosette Nebula” which was taken by an infrared telescope. While watching this photo we may think that we are in front of a painting of an artist who used green, red, blue and yellow colors.

Let us look at this great photo:

 

The Rosette Nebula looks like a flower pained by the use of shining colors, temperature on the surface of the stars inside that nebula is about 25000 degree and it is 5200 light years far from our planet, and the length of the nebula is 45 light years.

The light year is about million* million kilometers

The nebula is caused by a collection of duct and cosmic smoke which are caused by stars’ explosions through billions of years; inside that nebula we can find the birth and death of some stars, so that it considered to be an era in the life of stars.

Here, we have to see how Allah almighty had described the scene of the day of resurrection as stars will collapse and heaven will split and that description is to let us to imagine what will happen at that terrible day. The collapse of heaven is similar to collapse of stars so when we see the photos of collapse of stars which produce dust and cosmic smoke we have to remember the collapse of the heaven at the day of resurrection, we will see a nice colored paint of a flower, Allah says. (Then when the heaven is rent asunder, and it becomes rosy or red like red-oil, or red hide * Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?* So on that Day no question will be asked of man or jinns as to his sin, [because they have already been known from their faces either white (dwellers of Paradise - true believers of Islamic Monotheism) or black (dwellers of Hell - polytheists; disbelievers, criminals)]*Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you both (jinn and men) deny?) (Sûrat Ar-Rahmân-verse 37-40).

In this verse Allah speaks to atheists who deny the existence of God the creator of everything as if He is talking to them and says” just as you see these explosions and cosmic nebulas and you call it “the Rosette” and you see its wonderful colors as a paint by the use of these telescopes, definitely you will see the heaven collapsing and splitting and you will be asked for all of your deeds”, isn’t the time for atheists and disbelieves to enter the stable of belief with all believers?

We ask Allah almighty to guide us to the right and straight way which is away from atheism and disbelieving.

Note

The seen colors in the photo are not real as it is a computer work because we can’t see that star without infrared, so the taken photo must be processed by computers, but if we get closer to the star we can see these wonderful colors as if it is a lovely painting.

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

——————–

By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel

www.kaheel7.com/eng

References:

1. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070726.html

2. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070606.html

——————————-
Allah said: ” Will We show them Our Miracles in horizons, and within themselves, until it becomes quite clear to them that this is the Truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your God that He is witness over all things”/ quran/ 41 / 53/ Surat Fussilat   http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH

The Journey of a German Ambassador to Islam

An Interview with Dr. Murad Hofmann (Part 1)

Interviewed By Raya Shokatfard

When I heard the name, Dr. Hofmann, listed as being one of the speakers at the Fanar Expo in Qatar, I was pleasantly surprised. Would I get to meet one of the greatest Islamic dignitaries of our time?

Dr. Murad Hofmann
We were both commissioned to give lectures to non-Muslim audiences in the very well organized Expo sponsored by the Qatar Ministry of Endowment, aimed at providing a better understanding of Islam to non-Muslims as well as new Muslims.

I had heard about him previously, but never thought I would ever have the opportunity to meet him, –and here he was, staying at the very same hotel as I was.

I decided to contact him by phone, and he graciously accepted my offer to meet.

As I walked toward him in the lobby, I saw a big difference between this Dr. Hofmann and the one from the picture I had seen previously — perhaps a 20 year difference in age.

A kind-looking, grey-haired man greeted me, and only his face told me he was the man I was to meet, as the hair had taken a major color change.

He first wanted to tell me that he found many Muslim children in one of his lectures in this Expo. He was moved to pay special attention to them, thus turning the lecture into a question and answer forum for the kids. His face looked gracious and kindly as he talked about the children’s enthusiasm to ask and learn. He was also pleasantly surprised to see so many Arab kids speaking and understanding English very well.

I was rather embarrassed to ask such a renowned dignitary to tell me his conversion story to Islam. So I asked if there was any material I could read about him which told his story. He said, yes, the Diary of a German Muslim, which is written in German, and Journey to Islam, in English. He went on to say that these books were also translated into many languages, including Arabic.

I was still too reserved to say that although I would be very interested to read the book, I still wanted to hear some of the story from him personally. So, I asked if there was a short version of his story. He said, “Yes, you could find it in Wikipedia, but it only tells part of the story.”

Then he started asking me about my own story. I knew that mine was a long one, and it was not the time for my story, but rather, his. But how to begin?

Without asking, he sensed what I wanted. He began by telling me that three things were the deciding factors for his conversion.

The first was when he was a diplomat to Algeria.  It was in 1962, during Algeria’s eight year war of independence. France had made a treaty with the rebels that if they were to hold a cease fire for six months, then they would be handed sovereignty.

The French settlers, however, were very harsh with Algerians, and did all they could to provoke them to fight, but they resisted, as they had promised.

“I was so taken by the level of discipline these people showed that I was prompted to read the Quran to see what is giving them such a power,” he said. “In my mind, I was converted, but not yet officially. It was this time that I left all my Christian ideology.”

The second factor was Islamic art, he said. “Before that, I was a ballet critic and traveled nearly 50 times a year, especially to the US, to watch and critique ballet performances.  As a critic, one has to have standards,” he said.  “But all that left me cold, until I saw Islamic art. The first one was in Spain’s cities of Granada, Cordoba, Seville in south Spain and Andalusia.”

“Islamic art touched me in a way no other art touched me,” he said.

He came to me asking me if I believed in what I had written. I said, “Yes.” He said, “If you believe in this, then you are Muslim.” I said, “If you say I am a Muslim, then, I am one.”
“The third factor was philosophy. I was not trained as a philosopher, but at any available time, I read philosophy.”

Some of the greatest philosophers of all times were Muslims. Ibn Sina, Ibn Khaldun, Al-Ghazali and Ibn Rushd were among them. “I was outraged for not knowing them before,” he explained.

Some famous philosophers were highly influenced by Ibn Khaldun who is the founder of sociology and the first scientific historian who was critical and particular about sources. He was one man, and the founder of two sciences. Yet, he did not get acknowledged in Europe until the 20th century, even though some Europeans had discovered him in the 19th century already.

In 1980, the German Foreign Office organized a comprehensive presentation on Islam in order to teach the diplomats who were going to be stationed in Islamic countries.

“It just so happened that close to that time, was my son’s birthday,” said Hofmann.  “So I told him that I would be giving him something not monetary, but of great value. I began writing all that I thought was important about my discovery of Islam. It ended up being 14 pages.”

The imam, who was the teacher at this training, was the imam of Dusseldorf. I told him about what I had written and gave it to him to read. The next day, he came to me asking me if I believed in what I had written. I said, “Yes.”

He said, “If you believe in this, then you are a Muslim.”

I said, “If you say I am a Muslim, then I am one.”

He later published these pages, and they were distributed in many locations.

Hofmann also wrote the Philological Approach to Islam, as his first booklet. He also informed the Foreign Ministry that he was a Muslim now, so he wouldn’t be sent to Israel or the Vatican.

“I wrote my first book, The Diary of a German Muslim, which was printed in various languages and sent all over the world.”

“After I retired from the Foreign Service in 1964, I became a member of Central Council of Muslims. I toured around the world, wrote 13 books and over 250 published book reviews for the following organizations:

“Islamic Studies in Islamabad, American Journal of Islamic Social Science Studies of Virginia, and Muslim World Book Review of U.K.

I performed hajj twice and Umrah five times during my various tours.”

When asked for his present activities, he said, “I am 78 years old now, and my wife is voicing some concern. So, I am cutting back on travels and some of the activities.”

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!

————————–

 References
http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1264249707144&pagename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam%2FDIELayout

———————————————–
Lo! We have sent thee (O Muhammad) with the truth, a bringer of glad tidings and a warner. And thou wilt not be asked about the owners of hell-fire. (119) ´QURAN - (2/5) AL – BAQRA  http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/

(There is) None worthy of worship Except Allah. Muhammad is Messenger of ALLAH