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April 2011
All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe. May peace and blessings of Allah be upon Mohammad, His last messenger.
The purpose of this hand-out is to correct a false idea spread among those willing to adopt Islam as their faith. Some people have a wrong notion that entering into the Islamic fold requires an announcement from the concerned person in the presence of high ranking scholars or shaikhs or reporting this act to courts of justice or other authorities. It is also thought that the act of accepting Islam, should, as a condition, have a certificate issued by the authorities, as evidence to that effect.
We wish to clarify that the whole matter is very easy and that none of these conditions or obligations are required. For Allah, Almighty, is above all comprehension and knows well the secrets of all hearts. Nevertheless, those who are going to adopt Islam as their religion are advised to register themselves as Muslims with the concerned governmental agency, as this procedure may facilitate for them many matters including the possibility of performing Hadj (Pilgrimage) and Umrah.
If anyone has a real desire to be a Muslim and has full conviction and strong belief that Islam is the true religion ordained by Allah for all human-beings, then, one should pronounce the "Shahada", the testimony of faith, without further delay. The Holy Qur'an is explicit on this regard as Allah states:
"The Religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." (Qur'an 3:19)
In another verse of the Holy Qur'an, Allah states:
"If unyone desires a religion other than Islam (Submission to Allah), Never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (their selves in the hell fire)."(Qur'an 3:85)
In addition, Islam is the only religion prevailing over all other religions. Allah states in the Holy Qur'an:
"To thee We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety:..." (Qur'an 5:48)
Mohammad, the Prophet of Allah (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), said:
"The superstructure of Islam is raised on five (pillars): testifying that there is no God (none truely to be worshiped) but Allah, and that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah, performing the prayer, paying the Zakah (poor-due), fasting the month of Ramadan, and performing Hadj".
The Shahada can be declared as follows:
"ASH-HADU ANLA ELAHA ILLA-ALLAH WA ASH-HADU ANNA MOHAMMADAN RASUL-ALLAH".
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The English translation is:
"I bear witness that there is no deity (none truely to be worshipped) but, Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of Allah",
However, it would not be sufficient for anyone to only utter this testimony oraly either in private or in public; but rather, he should believe in it by heart with a firm conviction and unshakeable faith. If one is truly sincere and complies with the teachings of Islam in all his life, he will find himself a new born person.
This will move him to strive more and more to improve his character and draw nearer to perfection. The light of the living faith will fill his heart until he becomes the embodiment of that faith.
What would be next after declaring oneself a Muslim? One should then know the real concept underlying this testimony which means the Oneness of Allah and meet its requirements. One must behave accordingly, applying this true faith to every thing one speaks or does.
What do the words of the "Shahada" signify? The significant point which every Muslim must know very well is the truth that there is no God (deity) to be worshipped other than Allah. He - glory be to Him - is the only true God, Who alone deserves to be worshipped, since He is the Giver of life and Sustainer and Nourisher of mankind and all creation with His unlimited bounties. Man must worship Allah, Who alone is worthy of worship.
The second part of the Shahada (i.e., Wa ash-hadu anna Mohammadan rasul-Allah) means that Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) is the servant and chosen messenger of Allah. No one must have two opinions about this matter. In fact the Muslim has to obey the commands of the Prophet (PBUH), to believe him in what he has said, to practice his teachings, to avoid what he has forbidden, and to worship Allah alone according to the message revealed to him, for all the teachings of the Prophet were in fact revelations and inspirations conveyed to him by Allah.
What is the meaning of worship? It simply means rendering sincere service, showing reverence for Allah. In a deeper shade of meaning, it implies total submission and complete obedience to Allah's commandments both in utterances and actions of man whether explicit or implicit.
Worship fall into two categories:
Visible (manifest or outward)
Invisible (concealed or inward)
Visible worship includes acts such as uttering the two parts of the "Shahada", performing prayers, giving Zakah (the poor-due), recitation of the Holy Qur'an, supplication, adoring Allah by praising Him, purifying our bodies before prayers, etc.
This type of worship is associated with movement of the parts of the human body.
Invisible worship is to believe in Allah, in the Day of Judgement (in the Hereafter), in the Angels, in the Books of Allah, in the Prophets of Allah, in the Divine Decree of destiny (that good and bad are determined by Allah alone).
This type of worship does not involve movement of parts of the body but it surely has bearing on one's heart which subsequently affects one's way of life.
It should be borne in mind that any worship not dedicated to Allah alone will be rejected as one form of polytheism and this causes apostasy from the Islamic fold.
The next step for a newly revert to Islam is to purify himself by taking a complete bath. He should then resolve to comply with the principles and rules of Islam in their entirety. He should disown all forms of polytheism and false beliefs. He should reject evil and be righteous. Such rejection of evil and being righteous is one of the equisites of the motto of Islam - that is, Laa Ilaha Illallah.
Allah states in the Holy Qur'an:
"... whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy Hand-hold, that never breaks..." (Qur'an 2:256).
We have to consider that when we declare from our heart that "there is no god (deity) worthy to be worshipped but Allah", it implies on our part love, devotion, faith and obedience to the rules of Islamic legislations which are legally binding on all Muslims. It is a requirement of "there is no god worthy to be worshipped but Allah" to love for the sake of Allah and to reject for the sake of Allah.
This is the firmest anchor of belief which materialise the meaning of "AL WALA" and "AL BARA". It means that a Muslim should love and be loyal to his Muslim brothers. He should, as a practice, dissociate himself completely from the unbelievers and refuse to be influenced by them, both in worldly and religious matters.
We conclude with a humble prayer to Allah that may He cleanse the hearts and souls of those who are genuine seekers of truth and may He bless the community of believers. Aameen.
من كان الممسك للسموات والأرض، حين كان ربها وخالقها مربوطا على خشبة الصليب، وقد شدّت يداه ورجلاه بالحبال، وسمرت اليد التي أتقنت العوالم، فهل بقيت السموات والأرض خلوا من إلهها، وفاطرها، وقد جرى عليه هذا الأمر العظيم؟ !!!
أم تقولون: استخلف على تدبيرها غيره، وهبط عن عرشه، لربط نفسه على خشبة الصليب، وليذوق حر المسامير، وليوجب اللعنة على نفسه، حيث قال في التوراة: ((ملعون من تعلق بالصليب)) أم تقولون: كان هو المدبر لها في تلك الحال، فكيف وقد مات ودفن؟ ! أم تقولون - وهو حقيقة قولكم - لا ندري، ولكن هذا في الكتب، وقد قاله الآباء، وهم القدوة. والجواب عليهم: فنقول لكم، وللآباء معاشر النصارى: ما الذي دلّكم على إلهية المسيح؟ فإن كنتم استدللتم عليها بالقبض من أعدائه عليه، وسوقه إلى خشبة الصليب، وعلى رأسه تاج من الشوك، وهم يبصقون في وجهه، ويصفعونه. ثم أركبوه ذلك المركب الشنيع، وشدوا يديه ورجليه بالحبال، وضربوا فيها المسامير، وهو يستغيث، وتعلق. ثم فاضت نفسه، وأودع ضريحه؛ فما أصحه من استدلال عند أمثالكم ممن هم أضل من الأنعام؟ وهم عار على جميع الأنام!!
وإن قلتم: إنما استدللنا على كونه إلها، بأنه لم يولد من البشر، ولو كان مخلوقا لكان مولودا من البشر، فإن كان هذا الاستدلال صحيحا، فآدم إله المسيح، وهو أحق بأن يكون إلها منه، لأنه لا أم له، ولا أب، والمسيح له أم، وحواء أيضا اجعلوها إلها خامسا، لأنها لا أم لها، وهي أعجب من خلق المسيح؟ !! والله سبحانه قد نوع خلق آدم وبينه، إظهارا لقدرته، وإنه يفعل ما يشاء، فخلق آدم لا من ذكر، ولا من أنثى، وخلق زوجه حوى من ذكر، لا من أنثى، وخلق عبده المسيح من أنثى لا من ذكر، وخلق سائر النوع من ذكر وأنثى. وإن قلتم: استدللنا على كونه إلها، بأنه أحيا الموتى، ولا يحييهم إلا الله. فاجعلوا موسى إلها آخر، فإنه أتى من ذلك بشيء، لم يأت المسيح بنظيره، ولا ما يقاربه، وهو جعل الخشبة حيوانا عظيما ثعبانا، فهذا أبلغ وأعجب من إعادة الحياة إلى جسم كانت فيه أولا. فإن قلتم: هذا غير إحياء الموتى. فهذا اليسع النبي أتى بإحياء الموتى، وهم يقرون بذلك. وكذلك إيليا النبي أيضا أحيا صبيا بإذن الله. وهذا موسى قد أحيا بإذن الله السبعين الذين ماتوا من قومه. وفي كتبكم من ذلك كثير عن الأنبياء والحواريين، فهل صار أحد منهم إلها بذلك؟ !!
وإن قلتم: جعلناه إلها للعجائب التي ظهرت على يديه، فعجائب موسى أعجب وأعجب، وهذا إيليا النبي بارك على دقيق العجوز ودهنها، فلم ينفد ما في جرابها من الدقيق، وما في قارورتها من الدهن سبع سنين!! وإن جعلتموه إلها لكونه أطعم من الأرغفة اليسيرة آلافا من الناس، فهذا موسى قد أطعم أمته أربعين سنة من المن والسلوى!! وهذا محمد بن عبد الله قد أطعم العسكر كله من زاد يسير جدا، حتى شبعوا، وملؤا أوعيتهم، وسقاهم كلهم من ماء يسير، لا يملأ اليد حتى ملؤا كل سقاء في العسكر، وهذا منقول عنه بالتواتر؟ !! وإن قلتم: جعلناه إلها، لأنه صاح بالبحر فسكنت أمواجه، فقد ضرب موسى البحر بعصاه، فانفلق اثني عشر طريقا، وقام الماء بين الطرق كالحيطان، وفجر من الحجر الصلد اثني عشر عينا سارحة!! وإن جعلتموه إلها لأنه أبرأ الأكمه والأبرص، فإحياء الموتى أعجب من ذلك، وآيات موسى ومحمد صلوات الله وسلامه عليهم أجمعين أعجب من ذلك!!
وإن جعلتموه إلها لأنه ادعى ذلك، فلا يخلو إما أن يكون الأمر كما تقولون عنه، أو يكون إنما ادعى العبودية والافتقار، وأنه مربوب، مصنوع، مخلوق، فإن كان كما ادعيتم عليه فهو أخو المسيح الدجال، وليس بمؤمن، ولا صادق فضلا عن أن يكون نبيا كريما، وجزاؤه جهنم وبئس المصير، كما قال تعالى: (ومن يقل منهم إني إله من دونه، فذلك نجزيه جهنم) وكل من ادعى الإلهية من دون الله، فهو من أعظم أعداء الله كفرعون، ونمرود، وأمثالهما من أعداء الله، فأخرجتم المسيح عن كرامة الله، ونبوته، ورسالته، وجعلتموه من أعظم أعداء الله، ولهذا كنتم أشد الناس عداوة للمسيح في صورة محب موال!!
ومن أعظم ما يعرف به كذب المسيح الدجال أنه يدعي الإلهية، فيبعث الله عبده ورسوله مسيح الهدى ابن مريم، فيقتله، ويطهر للخلائق أنه كان كاذبا مفتريا، ولو كان إلها لم يقتل، فضلا عن أن يصلب، ويسمر، ويبصق في وجهه!! وإن كان المسيح إنما ادعى أنه عبد، ونبي، ورسول كما شهدت به الأناجيل كلها، ودل عليه العقل، والفطرة، وشهدتم أنتم له بالإلهية - وهذا هو الواقع - فلِم تأتوا على إلهيته ببينة غير تكذيبه في دعواه، وقد ذكرتم عنه في أناجيلكم في مواضع عديدة ما يصرح بعبوديته، وأنه مربوب، مخلوق، وأنه ابن البشر، وأنه لم يدع غير النبوة والرسالة، فكذبتموه في ذلك كله، وصدقتم من كذب على الله وعليه!!
وإن قلتم: إنما جعلناه إلها، لا لأنه أخبر بما يكون بعده من الأمور، فكذلك عامة الأنبياء، وكثير من الناس يخبر عن حوادث في المستقبل جزئية، ويكون ذلك كما أخبر به، ويقع من ذلك كثير للكهان والمنجمين والسحرة!! وإن قلتم: إنما جعلناه إلها، لأنه سمى نفسه ابن الله في غير موضع من الإنجيل كقوله: ((إني ذاهب إلى أبي)) ((وإني سائل أبي)) ونحو ذلك، وابن الإله إله، قيل: فاجعلوا أنفسكم كلكم آلهة، في غير موضع إنه سماه ((أباه، وأباهم)). كقوله: ((اذهب إلى أبي وأبيكم)). وفيه: ((ولا تسبوا أباكم على الأرض، فإن أباكم الذي في السماء وحده)) وهذا كثير في الإنجيل، وهو يدل على أن الأب عندهم الرب!!
وإن جعلتموه إلها، لأن تلاميذه ادعوا ذلك له، وهم أعلم الناس به، كذبتم أناجيلكم التي بأيديكم، فكلها صريحة أظهر صراحة، بأنهم ما ادعوا له إلا ما ادعاه لنفسه من أنه عبد. فهذا متى يقول في الفصل التاسع من إنجيله محتجا بنبوة شعيا في المسيح عن الله عز وجل: ((هذا عبدي الذي اصطفيته، وحبيبي الذي ارتاحت نفسي له)). وفي الفصل الثامن من إنجيله: ((إني أشكرك يا رب)) ((ويا رب السموات والأرض)). وهذا لوقا يقول في آخر إنجيله: ((أن المسيح عرض له، ولآخر من تلاميذه في الطريق ملك، وهما محزونان فقال لهما وهما لا يعرفانه: ما بالكما محزونين؟ فقالا: كأنك غريب في بيت المقدس، إذ كنت لا تعلم ما حدث فيها في هذه الأيام من أمر الناصري، فإنه كان رجلا نبيا، قويا، تقيا، في قوله، وفعله عند الله، وعند الأمة، أخذوه، واقتلوه)). وهذا كثير جدا في الإنجيل!!
وإن قلتم: إنما جعلناه إلها لأنه صعد إلى السماء، فهذا أخنوخ، وإلياس قد صعدا إلى السماء، وهما حيان مكرمان، لم تشكهما شوكة، ولا طمع فيهما طامع، والمسلمون مجمعون على أن محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم صعد إلى السماء، وهو عبد محض، وهذه الملائكة تصعد إلى السماء، وهذه أرواح المؤمنين تصعد إلى السماء بعد مفارقتها الأبدان، ولا تخرج بذلك عن العبودية، وهل كان الصعود إلى السماء مخرج عن العبودية بوجه من الوجوه؟ !!
وإن جعلتموه إلها لأن الأنبياء سمته إلها، وربا، وسيدا، ونحو ذلك، فلم يزل كثير من أسماء إله عز وجل تقع على غيره عند جميع الأمم، وفي سائر الكتب، وما زالت الروم، والفرس، والهند، والسريانيون، والعبرانيون، والقبط، وغيرهم، يسمون ملوكهم آلهة وأربابا. وفي السفر الأول من التوراة: ((أن نبي الله دخلوا على بنات إلياس، ورأوهن بارعات الجمال، فتزوجوا منهن)). وفي السفر الثاني من التوراة في قصة المخرج من مصر: ((إني جعلتك إلها لفرعون)). وفي المزمور الثاني والثمانين لداود ((قام الله لجميع الآلهة)) هكذا في العبرانية، وأما من نقله إلى السريانية فإنه حرفه، فقال (قام الله في جماعة الملائكة)). وقال في هذا المزمور وهو يخاطب قوماً بالروح: ((لقد ظننت أنكم آلهة، وأنكم أبناء الله كلكم)).
وقد سمى الله سبحانه عبده بالملك، كما سمى نفسه بذلك، وسماه بالرؤوف الرحيم، كما سمى نفسه بذلك، وسماه بالعزيز، وسمى نفسه بذلك. واسم الرب واقع على غير الله تعالى في لغة أمة التوحيد، كما يقال: هذا رب المنزل، ورب الإبل، ورب هذا المتاع. وقد قال شعيا: ((عرف الثور من اقتناه، والحمار مربط ربه، ولم يعرف بنو إسرائيل)). وإن جعلتموه إلهاً لأنه صنع من الطين صورة طائر، ثم نفخ فيها، فصارت لحماً، ودماً، وطائراً حقيقة، ولا يفعل هذا إلا الله، قيل: فاجعلوا موسى بن عمران إله الآلهة، فإنه ألقى عصا فصارت ثعباناً عظيماً، ثم أمسكها بيده، فصارت عصا كما كانت!! وإن قلتم: جعلناه إلهاً لشهادة الأنبياء والرسل له بذلك، قال عزرا حيث سباهم بختنصر إلى أرض بابل إلى أربعمائة واثنين وثمانين سنة (يأتي المسيح ويخلّص الشعوب والأمم)). وعند انتهاء هذه المدة أتى المسيح، ومن يطيق تخليص الأمم غير الإله التام، قيل لكم: فاجعلوا جميع الرسل إلهة، فإنهم خلّصوا الأمم من الكفر والشرك، وأخلصوهم من النار بإذن الله وحده، ولا شك أن المسيح خلّص من آمن به واتبعه من ذل الدنيا وعذاب الآخرة. كما خلّص موسى بني إسرائيل من فرعون وقومه، وخلّصهم بالإيمان بالله واليوم الآخر من عذاب الآخرة، وخلّص الله سبحانه بمحمد بن عبد الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عبده، ورسوله من الأمم والشعوب ما لم يخلّصه نبي سواه، فإن وجبت بذلك الإلهية لعيسى، فموسى، ومحمد أحق بها منه.
وإن قلتم: أوجبنا له بذلك الإلهية، لقول أرمياء النبي عن ولادته: ((وفي ذلك الزمان يقوم لداود ابن، وهو ضوء النور، يملك الملك، ويقيم الحق، والعدل في الأرض، ويخلص من آمن به من اليهود، ومن بني إسرائيل، ومن غيرهم، ويبقى بيت المقدس من غير مقاتل، ويسمى الإله)). فقد تقدم أن اسم الإله في الكتب المتقدمة وغيرها، قد أطلق على غيره، وهو بمنزلة الرب، والسيد، والأب، ولو كان عيسى هو الله، لكان أجل من أن يقال ويسمى الإله، وكان يقول: وهو الله، فإن الله سبحانه لا يعرف بمثل هذا، وفي هذا الدليل الذي جعلتموه به إلهاً أعظم الأدلة على أنه عبد، وأنه ابن البشر، فإنه قال: ((يقوم لداود ابن)) فهذا الذي قام لداود هو الذي سمى بالإله، فعلم أن هذا الاسم لمخلوق مصنوع، مولود، لا لرب العالمين، وخالق السموات والأرضين.
وإن قلتم: إنما جعلناه إلهاً من جهة، قول شعيا النبي: قل لصهيون يفرح ويتهلل فإن الله يأتي، ويخلّص الشعوب، ويخلّص من آمن به، ويخلّص مدينة بيت المقدس، ويظهر الله ذراعه الطاهر فيها لجميع الأمم المتبددين، ويجعلهم أمة واحدة، ويصرّ جميع أهل الأرض خلاص الله، لأنه يمشي معهم، وبين أيديهم، ويجمعهم إله إسرائيل)). قيل لهم: هذا يحتاج إلى أن يعلم أن ذلك في نبوة أشعيا بهذا اللفظ، بغير تحريف للفظه، ولا غلط في الترجمة، وهذا غير معلوم، وإن ثبت ذلك لم يكن فيه دليل على أنه إله تام، وأنه غير مصنوع، ولا مخلوق، فإنه نظير ما في التوراة: ((جاء الله من طور سيناء، وأشرق من ساعير، واستعلن من جبال فاران)) وليس في هذا ما يدل على أن موسى ومحمداً إلهان، والمراد بهذا مجيء دينه، وكتابه، وشرعه، وهداه، ونوره. وأما قوله: ((ويظهر ذراعه الطاهر لجميع الأمم المبددين)) ففي التوارة مثل هذا، وأبلغ منه في غير موضع، وأما قوله: ((ويصرّ جميع أهل الأرض خلاص الله، لأنه يمشي معهم، ومن بين أيديهم)). فقد قال في التوراة في السفر الخامس لبني إسرائيل: ((لا تهابوهم، ولا تخافوهم، لأن الله ربكم السائر بين أيديكم، وهو محارب عنكم)) وفي موضع آخر قال موسى: ((إن الشعب هو شعبك، فقال: أنا أمضي أمامك، فقال: إن لم تمض أنت أمامنا، وإلا فلا تصعدنا من ههنا، فكيف أعلم أنا؟ وهذا الشعب أني وجدت نعمة كذا إلا بسيرك معنا)). وفي السفر الرابع (إني أصعدت هؤلاء بقدرتك، فيقولان لأهل هذه الأرض: الذي سمعوا منك الله، فيما بين هؤلاء القوم يرونه عيناً بعين، وغمامك تغيم عليهم، ويعود عماماً يسير بين أيديهم نهاراً، ويعود ناراً ليلاً. وفي التوراة أيضاً: ((يقول الله لموسى: إني آتٍ إليك في غلظ الغمام، لكي يسمع القوم مخاطبتي لك)). وفي الكتب الإلهية، وكلام الأنبياء من هذا كثير. وفيما حكى خاتم الأنبياء عن ربه تبارك وتعالى أنه قال: ((ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إليّ بالنوافل حتى أحبّه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به، وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها، ورجله التي يمشي بها، فبي يسمع، وبي يبصر، وبي يبطش، وبي يمشي)).
وإن قلتم: جعلناه إلهاً، لقول زكريا في نبوته لصهيون: ((لأني آتيك وأحل فيك، واترائي، وتؤمن بالله في ذلك اليوم الأمم الكثيرة، ويكونون له شعباً واحداً، ويحل هو فيهم، ويعرفون أني أنا الله القوي الساكن فيك، ويأخذ الله في ذلك اليوم الملك من يهوذا، ويملك عليهم إلى الأبد))... قيل لكم: إن أوجبتم له الإلهية بهذا، فلتجب لإبراهيم، وغيره من الأنبياء؛ فإن عند أهل الكتاب وأنتم معهم ((أن الله تجلى لإبراهيم، واستعلن له، وترائى له)). وأما قوله: ((وأحل فيك)) لم يرد سبحانه بهذا حلول ذاته، التي لا تسعها السموات والأرض في بيت المقدس، وكيف تحل ذاته في مكان يكون فيه مقهوراً مغلوباً، مع شرار الخلق؟ !! كيف، وقد قال ((ويعرفون أني أنا الله القوي الساكن فيك)). افترى، عرفوا قوته بالقبض عليه، وشد يديه بالحبال، وربطه على خشبة الصليب، ودق المسامير في يديه ورجليه، ووضع تاج الشوك على رأسه، وهو يستغيث ولا يغاث، وما كان المسيح يدخل بيت المقدس إلا وهو مغلوب مقهور، مستخف في غالب أحواله. ولو صح مجيء هذه الألفاظ صحة لا تدفع، وصحت ترجمتها كما ذكروه، لكان معناها: أن معرفة الله، والإيمان به، وذكره، ودينه، وشرعه، حل في تلك البقعة، وبيت المقدس لما ظهر فيه دين المسيح بعد دفعه، حصل فيه من الإيمان بالله ومعرفته، ما لم يكن قبل ذلك.
(وجماع الأمر): أن النبوات المتقدمة، والكتب الإلهية، لم تنطق بحرف واحد يقتضي أن يكون ابن البشر إلهاً تاماً: إله حق من إله حق، وأنه غير مصنوع، ولا مربوب، بل بِمَ يخصه إلا بما خص به أخوه، وأولى الناس به محمد بن عبد الله، في قوله: ((أنه عبد الله ورسوله، وكلمته ألقاها إلى مريم، وروح منه)). وكتب الأنبياء المتقدمة، وسائر النبوات موافقة لما أخبر به محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، وذلك كله يصدّق بعضه بعضاً، وجميع ما تستدل به النصارى على إلهية المسيح من ألفاظ، وكلمات في الكتب، فإنها مشتركة بين المسيح وغيره، كتسميته أبا وكلمة، وروح حق، وإلهاً، وكذلك ما أطلق من حلول روح القدس فيه، وظهور الرب فيه، أو في مكانه.
Question- When one reads history, they see that Islam and the Muslims waged many wars against others and that this was the teaching of Muhammad. When we look at Jesus, we see him teaching to spread his message with love and peace. Yes, I know that later the church digressed from this but that was their mistake. So how do you beleive in such a violent intolerent religion?
Answer- Bear with us, you've asked a big mutli-faceted question.
First of all, it is clear to me that you have only read about Islam from those who disbelieve in it and/or have an agenda against it. Would it be prudent for me to ask a Jew about Christianity? He will tell me one of two stories written in their holy talmud (keep in mind it is prophecies in Jewish books kept and recorded by Jewish Rabbis through which Christians trace their roots). He will tell you one of two stories-
1- This radical rabbi named Jesus strayed from Judaism and began build upon a big lie that he was the messiah. The large majority of the Jews (especially the rabbi's) pronounced him a liar and rejected him and finally for his heresy and mischief they sought to have him killed.
2- The other Talmudic story defends as to why they admitt some Jews followed him- He was a Rabbi who went mad traveled to Egypt where he learned sorcery and came back converting the people with his magic.
First of all I would like to help you to the truth as I myself was born in the west and was similarly brain-washed by the submliminal pre 9/11 anti-Islamic messages there as well as the outright openly bigoted post 9/11 era in the states. I personally know many converts to Islam who also began their search trying to clear up this dirty image which was painted in thier minds as a result of the history cirriculums in school, western/orientalist books on Islam, and the media in general.
The reality is that there were wars fought by Muslims and most of them by the just command of God very few of which were tyrannic conquering seeking power and wealth. The question you may be thinking of is why??? Well before answering that, we need to clear up another western born misconception which appeared in your question- The claim that Christianity spread by love, peace, and doves. This is an outright lie, the only reason Christianity is the worlds largest religion is because a Roman caeser called Constantine became Christian. Many converted with him simply for the fact that he is a symbol of the great Roman empire and in addition to that, through time there were many people torchered, killed, or expelled from the empire for rejecting the "prince of peace". After that, the blood bath of forced conversions and intolerance continued with the crusades. After failing to regain Palestine from the Muslims, Europe began many colonial/imperial missions accross Africa, Asia, and what is now called the America's. They forced their culture, religion and language upon these unsuspecting innocent people. The proof in this is that the official country language in many western and southern African and Eastern and South Asian countries is English or French and Spanish is the language of South America. That is not their mother tongue and it was made the official long before the modern empire of America and commonality of the english language.
As far as the bible is concerned, I've always had a hard time understanding the texts and their various explanations of Deuteronomy 20:10-17, 1 Samuel 15:2-3, Matt 10:34-36 as well as Luke 19:27 to name a few.
To answer the question I asked, which was a part of your question- Why did the Muslims figh in many wars?
When the Prophet (pbuh) was miraculously blessed with the amazing turn of hearts and conversion of the hostile Pagan Makkans after years of being attacked, tortured, oppressed, and sanctioned by them. God instructed the Prophet (pbuh) to send letters to the surrounding powers inviting them to Islam and testing the waters before entering these lands to call to the path of the Almighty. This is similar to how Moses did to Pharoah. Well, the Christian Byzantine king murdered the messenger whom the Prophet (pbuh) sent and then sent his headless body back to the Prophet (pbuh). The Persian Emperor became outraged and cursed the letter-bearer and told him that if it wasn't against ineternational practice he would have him mutilated. Instead he cussed the Muslim letter-bearer and claimed that the Arabs are merely slaves to the Persians and that He will send an army to have the Prophet seized, humiliated and prisoned. On the other hand, the Egyptian Chrisitan king sent a respectful no but thank you message while sending three beautiful maidervants as a nice gesture. The Ethiopian (Abyssinian) king voiced his will to embrace Islam, yet secretly because he feared what the church might do to him.
So as a result of this scenerio, the Prophet immeadiately sent armies to the closest and most clear threat which was the Byzantines who showed no respect. After the death of the Prophet (1 year after that), His successor in authority over the Islamic state and not in Prophethood, started sending armies to wage an all out war on both hostile powers in Persia and Byzantium who obviously will not allow a peaceful mission of spreading Islam in their lands. You must understand that- back then- the world was made up of empires and nomad lands. No borders and no free democracies. The world was in a perpetual state of war. So if the leader shows hostility to a group before they come, then you can garauntee that if entering these places they can expect all kinds of trouble unless they can take over the political authority of these lands.
And yes another miracle happened, these nomad Muslim warriors for the spread of truth and justice who were way outmanned and out-equipped toppled the Persian empire and Byzantine (half of the roman empire) in less than 50 years. They didn't force religion on anyone as there is a well known juristic principle of making a contract of a tax in return for freedom of like, religion, and trade in the Muslim lands for all non-Muslim believers in God (ahle-dhimmah). Throughout the centuries, it was the morals, uprightedness, and justice of islam and its law that attracted most of these people to become Muslim. So it is the opposite of what you thought. No one could say it is our history books agianst yours.
My two undisputable proofs are in the fact that accross the Muslim world you can find beautiful ancient churches and temples which are traced back to before the Muslim rule. Case in point Jerusalem, Bethleham, and Nazereth. There are 30 million orthodox/catholic Arabs accross the Middle East today whose roots go back also before the Muslim domination of these lands. This is roughly 10% of the Arab world. Secondly, there was never a war fought by the muslims anywhere near indonesia. Indonesia is the most densely populated Muslim country of close to 200 million Muslims whose ancestors learned of Islam through traders and merchants from the arabian Gulf.
If your thinking that this guy is a biased brainwashed muslim (hopefully you don't think I would lie which is a big sin in Islam). Here are some sincere fair historians with no agenda. Either unbiased atheists or real christians who tell the truth.
"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam a the point of a sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated." (by: De lacy O'Leary "Islam at the crossroads" pg.8)
"The more important factor for the spread of Islam is its (just) religious law (shariah) which was designed to cover all manefestations of life" (Franz Rosenthal, "Political thought in Medievil Islam" pg. 21 cambidge press)
Feel free to get the book "The Spread of Islam in the World- A histroy of peaceful preaching" by sir Thomas Arnold.
Abu Majeed
1- The first of which is that it is the system by which all creations relate to their creator. The word Islam is originally Arabic which means "to submit to the will of God". Everything in the universe submits to God without choice. What makes mankind different is that although their body functions in submission without choice (heart beat, blood flow, digestive tract etc..) we have been given choice as to our actions based on intelligence. This trust of choice was offered to all creations. Adam, the father of mankind, was the only to accept it. This is why God commanded the angels to bow down in respect to him and his progeny who would choose to submit to the will of thier Creator through the message He would reveal to His Prophet's. The reality is that the majority of man was ignorant and unjust in carrying this responsibility. Two verses of the Qur'an which clarify this point are-
a) "Indeed We (God- in the royal We noting His Exaltedness) offered "the trust" of reason and personal choice to everything in the Heaven and Earth and they all refused and were fearful of such a responsibility, but it was Adam who took it upon his progney and they were ignorant and unjust toward that trust." (33:72)
b)"Indeed the only way pleasing to God is Islam (Submitting to His will) and the previous nations who recieved scripture and the knowledge of pure monotheism only differed after that in transgression between themselves..."(3:19)
2- Islam is a complete way of life which can truly change the lives and minds of people to pure morality as long as they adhere to it and increase their knowledge of the meaning of the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions. If you truly studied the state of the Arabs before Islam you will see that they were polytheists, they were lawless and the murder rate was outrageous, their society thrived on alcohol and gambling, they were mostly illiterate and ignorant, they had hundreds of rediculous superstitions, they oppressed women and prostitution was worse than vegas and new york, they were a weak community and seen as under the control of the Persians and Byzantines, and many more.
Through the 23 years of the Prophethood of Muhammad and wthin 30 years after his death the Arabs had become a unified nation of strict monotheists, they had a comprehensive code of national law based on the revelations, and murder, fornication, and prostitution became very scarce if not non-existant because of the death penalty for such crimes, alcohol and gambling were abolished completely, they not only became about 80% literate but began thriving in science, math, and medicine, women were treated as spiritual beings and were respected as our mothers and wives, women were given the right to vote, teach, own property, and have roles of leadership (13 centuries before the west began to think about offering such rights), and finally they toppled the tyrannic oppressive empires of persia and byzantium in this time securing the dominant spot in control of a third of the civil world for the next 10 centuries. Of course in the last few centuries the keen observer of history notes that the Muslim world has become stagnant and ritually symbolistic. We see ignorance, poverty, oppression and a lack of any oganization or leadership. This is because of their haven drifted from teh teaches of Islam as a daily practice and philosophy of life and reintroduced many cultural practices which were originally abolished by Islam. For this reason there are many revival movements working hard to pick up where their predecessors left off.
3- Islam is so great because it is the only way to eternal peace and happinness in the presence of Almighty God the Exalted. Many of our Christian brothers say, but Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life and no one will go to God except through me'. To thier surprise, I tell them of course he said those things and as Muslims we agree. All Prophets were sent by God to reveal His guidance to mankind that we may recieve the correct way to worship God in truth and earn eternal life in Heaven with Him and anyone who does not accept His guidance through them will be doomed for their arrogance and treachery to God.
Of course Jesus was only sent to the lost Jews as is even quoted in the bible today (Matt. 15:24) and his Prophethood was very short and we actually have very little information as to his teachings today as a result of this. His nation rejected him and the millions who claim to follow him today are really only Christian because of Constantine the roman caeser who became a Christian and used His power to spread his religion throughout the roman empire.
Muhammad was the final messenger of God and he was sent to the whole of mankind as the carrier of the light of God's Guidance of Mercy. Some verses of the Qur'an in relation to this point are-
a) "And we have sent you to all of mankind as a bringer of glad tidings (of God's forgiveness to the believers)and as warner (as to the punishment for those who reject). And most people don't know."(34:28)
b) "God sent the messenger (Muhammad) reciting to you the clear distinct verses of God. This is that God may bring those who believe from darkness into the light. And whoever believes in God and does righteousness, God will admit them into an eternal Paradise of gardens with rivers flowing therein. And God has perfected for them their provision."(65:11)
4- The final great thing about Islam is in it's book which proves itself to be divine and doesn't just rely upon faith. In addition to that it has been preserved to the letter since it was revealed which is something no other revelation achieved. The reason for this is because it is the final book sent to all of mankind so it must be preserved that billions of people will not come on Judgment Day saying we didn't know.
Abu Majeed
According to Islamic belief, the Prophet Muhammad was the last Messenger of God. He, like all of God's prophets and messengers - such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus -- was only a human being. Christians came to the mistaken assumption that Muslims worship Muhammad by formulating an incorrect analogy - they worship Jesus so they assumed Muslims worship Muhammad. This is one of the reasons that they called Muslims by the incorrect name "Mohammedans" for so many years! Muhammad, like Jesus, never claimed divine status. He called people to worship only Almighty God, and he continually emphasized his humanity so that people would not fall into the same errors as Christians did in regards to Jesus. In order to prevent his deification, the Prophet Muhammad always said to refer to him as "the Messenger of God and His servant". Muhammad was chosen to be God's final messenger --- to communicate the message not only in words but to be a living example of the message. Muslims love and respect him because he was of the highest moral character and he brought the Truth from God - which is the Pure Monotheism of Islam.
Even when Islam was in its very early stages, God revealed that Muhammad "was sent as a mercy to all of mankind" - thus informing us that the message of Islam would become very widespread. Muslims strive to follow the great example of Muhammad, peace be upon him, but they do not worship him in any way. Additionally, Islam teaches Muslims to respect all of God's prophets and messengers - but respecting and loving them does not mean worshipping them. All true Muslims realize that all worship and prayer must be directed to Almighty God alone. Suffice it to say that worshipping Muhammad --- or anyone else --- along with Almighty God is considered to be the worst sin in Islam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim, but they worship and pray to other than Almighty God, this cancels and nullifies their Islam. The Declaration of Faith of Islam makes it clear that Muslims are taught only to worship God. This declaration is as follows: "There is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, and Muhammad is the Messenger and Servant of God".
In addressing this misconception, it is interesting that no other religious scripture claims to be the direct word of Almighty in toto as clear and as often as the Holy Qur'an. As the Qur'an clearly says:
"if had been written by man, you would have found many discrepancies therein". (Qur'an 4:82)
At the time the Qur'an was revealed, the Arabs recognized that the language of the Qur'an was unique and that it was distinctly different from the language normally used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Arabs of that time, by the way, were known for their beautiful poetry and Muhammad was known to be an illiterate man! The Qur'an clearly says that Muhammad was unable to read and write (Qur'an 7:157), so if this wasn't true, certainly his contemporaries would have protested and rejected him. However, there are no reports of this.
Certainly there were people who rejected Muhammad's message, just like other Prophets were rejected, but none for this reason. On the contrary, Muhammad, peace be upon him, had thousands of loyal followers and the results of their efforts spread Islam from Spain to China in just under a century! It is also interesting to note that even though the Qur'an is not poetry, the Arabs more or less gave up writing poetry after it was revealed. It could be said that the Qur'an is the piece of Arabic literature par execellance - and Muhammad's contemporaries realized that they couldn't out do it.
Additionally, it is easy to prove that Muhammad did not possess a great deal of the knowledge which is expounded in the Qur'an: such as knowledge of historical events, previous prophets and natural phenomenon. The Qur'an says in several places that Muhammad and his people did not know these things - so, again, if this wasn't true, certainly his contemporaries would have rejected his claims. Suffice it to say that not only is the Qur'an the most memorized and well preserved scripture on earth, it is also unequaled in eloquence, spiritual impact, clarity of message and the purity of its truth.
Delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah, 10 A.H. in the 'Uranah valley of Mount Arafat' After praising, and thanking God Almighty the Prophet (pbuh) said:
"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. God has Judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd'al Muttalib shall henceforth be waived.
Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under the trust of God and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in the best manner possible. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers.
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship God Almighty, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black has any superiority over white except by piety and righteousness. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.
Remember, one day you will stand before God and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Use your minds well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O God, that I have conveyed your message to your people".
"God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just." (Qur'an 60:8)
It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world.
History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city.
Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.
When the caliph Omar took Jerusalem from the Byzantines, he insisted on entering the city with only a small number of his companions. Proclaiming to the inhabitants that their lives and property were safe, and that their places of worship would never be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch Sophronius to accompany him on a visit to all the holy places.
The Patriarch invited him to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but he preferred to pray outside its gates, saying that if he accepted, later generations of Muslims might use his action as an excuse to turn it into a mosque.
The Ka'bah is the the first place of worship built by the direction of Allah himself. It was first built by Adam, then after the flood of Noah pummelled it it was built again by Abraham and Ishmael. Now it is the direction Muslims face during their prayers. It is important to note that though Muslims face the Ka'bah during prayers, they do not worship the Ka'bah. Muslims worship and bow to none but Allaah.
It is mentioned in Surah Baqarah:
"We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now shall We turn thee to a Qiblah that shall please thee. Turn then thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque: wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction." (Al-Qur'ân 2:144)
1. Islam believes in fostering unity
For instance, if Muslims want to offer Salaah (Prayer), it is possible that some may wish to face north, while some may wish to face south. In order to unite Muslims in their worship of the One True God, Muslims, wherever they may be, are asked to face in only one direction i.e. towards the Ka'abah. If some Muslims live towards the west of the Ka'abah they face the east. Similarly if they live towards the east of the Ka'abah they face the west.
2. Ka'abah is at the Centre of the World Map
The Muslims were the first people to draw the map of the world. They drew the map with the south facing upwards and north downwards. The Kaaba was at the centre. Later, western cartographers drew the map upside down with the north facing upwards and south downwards. Yet, Alhamdullilah the Ka'abah is at the centre of the world map.
3. Tawaf around Ka'abah for indicating one God
When the Muslims go to Masjid-e-Haram in Makkah, they perform tawaf or circumambulation round the Ka'abah. This act symbolizes the belief and worship of One God, since, just as every circle has one centre, so also there is only one Allah (swt) worthy of worship.
4. Hadith of Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him)
Regarding the black stone, hajr-e-aswad, there is a Hadeeth (tradition), attributed to the illustrious companion of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
According to Sahih Bukhari, Volume 2, book of Hajj, chapter 56, H.No. 675. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit nor harm. Had I not seen the Prophet (pbuh) touching (and kissing) you, I would never have touched (and kissed) you".
5. People stood on Ka'abah and gave the adhaan
At the time of the Prophet, people even stood on the Ka'abah and gave the ‘adhaan’ or the call to prayer. One may ask those who allege that Muslims worship the Ka'abah; which idol worshipper stands on the idol he worships?
First of all, there is only One God who created the Universe and all of mankind. Throughout history, people have created false gods in their minds and come up with false ideas about Almighty God, but regardless of this there is still only One True God - and He alone is worthy of worship. Unfortunately, some non-Muslims have come to incorrectly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This might be due to the fact that Muslims mostly refer to God as "Allah", but also because over the centuries there have been many lies and distortions spread by the enemies of Islam. In actuality, Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus --- the same God as Christians and Jews. The word "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "The One God" and it is the same word that Arabic speaking Christians and Jews use to refer to God. If you pick up an Arabic translation of the Christian Bible, you will see the word "Allah" where "God" is used in English. For more information on the word "Allah", please read: Who is Allah? But even though Muslims, Jews and Christians believe in the same God, their concepts about Him differ quite a bit. For example, Muslims reject the idea of the Trinity or that God has become "incarnate" in the world. Also, the teachings of Islam do not rely on or appeal to "mystery" or "paradox" --- they are straightforward and clear. Islam teaches that God is Merciful, Loving and Compassionate and that He has no need to become man (nor do humans need for Him to). One of the unique aspects of Islam is that it teaches that man can have a personal and fulfilling relationship with Almighty God without compromising the transcendence of God. In Islam there is no ambiguity in Divinity --- God is God and man is man. Muslims believe that God is the "Most Merciful", and that he deals directly with human-beings without the need of any intermediary. Actually, the phrase "In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful" is one of the most repeated verses in the Holy Qur'an. Additionally, the pure and straightforward teachings of Islam demand that Almighty God be approached directly and without intermediaries. This is because Muslims believe that God is completely in control of everything and that He can bestow His Grace and Mercy on His creatures as He pleases - no Atonement, Incarnation or blood sacrifice is necessary. In summary, Islam calls people to submit to the One True God and to worship Him alone.
The fastest way to prove that this is completely false is to state the fact that only about 15% to 20% of the Muslims in the world are Arabs. There are more Indian Muslims than Arab Muslims, and more Oriental Muslims than Indian Muslims! Believing that Islam is only a religion for Arabs is a myth that was spread by the enemies of Islam early in its history. This mistaken assumption is possibly based on the fact that most of the first generation of Muslims were Arabs, the Qur'an is in Arabic and the Prophet Muhammad was an Arab. However, both the teachings of Islam and the history of its spread show that the early Muslims made every effort to spread their message of Truth to all nations, races and peoples. Furthermore, it should be clarified that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. An Arab can be a Muslim, Christian, Jew, atheist - or of any other religion or ideology. Also, many countries that some people consider to be "Arab" are not "Arab" at all -- such as Turkey and Iran (Persia). The people who live in these countries speak languages other than Arabic as their native tongues and are of a different ethnic heritage than the Arabs.
It is important to realize that from the very beginning of the mission of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his followers came from a wide spectrum of individuals -- there was Bilal, the African slave; Suhaib, the Byzantine Roman; Ibn Sailam, the Jewish Rabbi; and Salman, the Persian. Since religious truth is eternal and unchanging, and mankind is one universal brotherhood, Islam teaches that Almighty God's revelations to mankind have always been consistent, clear and universal. The Truth of Islam is meant for all people regardless of race, nationality or linguistic background. Taking a look at the Muslim World, from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Malaysia to Afghanistan is enough to prove that Islam is a Universal message for all of mankind --- not to mention the fact that significant numbers of Europeans and Americans of all races and ethnic backgrounds are entering into Islam.
"And without exception, We have sent you to the whole of mankind as a warner and giver of glad tidings (about the Hereafter) and most don't know it."
(Qur'an 34:27)
Some non-Muslims think or are made to believe that the pilgrimage to Ka'bah is purely a pagan rite or one form of idol-worship, that it was being practiced by the Arab idolaters before Islam and that Islam borrowed it from them.
This assumption is further aided by the fact that the Ka'bah itself had been a temple housing no less than three hundred and sixty idols. Nevertheless, this is a pure conjecture belying facts and figures. For it was not the idolaters of Makkah, but Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham - 'alaihi assalam), who had initiated and established the holy pilgrimage thereof ages ago.
On the contrary, it was these very idolaters, the degenerate descendants of Abraham and Ishmael ('alaihima assalam) who had defiled Allah's Holy Ka'bah into a huge pantheon. It was these rank idolaters who had injected pagan rites into the purely Islamic pilgrimage laid down by Prophet Abraham (PBUH), one of the greatest worshippers of Allah.
All honor is due to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the seal of the prophets and the last of Ibrahim's Line of Prophethood, who first swept clean the Holy Ka'bah from its heathen idols. It was he again who restored the original pilgrimage to its pristine purity.
The Muslims are, in fact, the true followers of the Religion of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), where pilgrimage to Makkah is a notable heritage as well as an important fixture of the religion. How different could these facts be from the Non-Muslims' random conjecture?
Building the House and Proclaiming the Hajj:
This is how Allah declared to Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) regarding his Sacred House after showing him the site thereof:
" And Remember when We showed Ibrahim (Abraham) the site of the Holy House (the Ka'bah) at Makkah saying: Associate not anything in worship with Me, [La Ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah - Islamic Monotheism], and sanctify My House for those who circumambulate it, and those who stand up for prayer, and those who bow and submit themselves with humility and obedience to Allah), and make prostration in prayer." (Qur'an 22:26)
Ibrahim (PBUH) is being himself ordained in this verse to keep perfectly away from idolatry. He is being told, as well, to sanctify the House of God from all kinds of impurities, especially from that of idol-worship. Then follows the two-fold purpose for which that House was being built: First, is its being the center of Tawaf for those who compass it round, and second is its being the prayer-place for those who pray therein their daily prayers.
This is as much as to say that the Tawaf and the pilgrimage do depend upon the house of God, as much as do the prayers. For this reason all those who pray the entire world over do turn in the one direction of the Ka'bah at Makkah.
After being ordained to build and sanctify God's Ka'bah, Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) receives in the next verse the command to proclaim the pilgrimage to the Ka'bah, in this manner:
"And proclaim to mankind the Hajj. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, they will come from every deep and distant wide mountain highway to perform Hajj." (Qur'an 22:27)
That definitely proves that it was Ibrahim (PBUH) who built the Ka'bah, and that it was also he who proclaimed the pilgrimage, facts that should equally refute the oft-repeated allegation put forth that pilgrimage was some pagan rite invented by the heathen idolaters, and retained by Islam.
Highlight of Pilgrimage:
Initiated by Ibrahim (PBUH) and reflected by the Seal of the Prophets, pilgrimage to the House of God is a unique experience to every true Muslim. For a "Muslim" is essentially the one who shifts from the false to the true religion - from disbelief to belief in God and from multi-god to One-God worship.
This trait made Ibrahim (PBUH) a "Perfect" Muslim when he entered the Pantheon at Babylon, and smashed the idols therein to pieces. Allah entrusted him with building His House at Makkah, and tasked him to proclaim the pilgrimage to it.
Henceforth, pilgrimage to the House of God becomes the most predominant trait of being a Muslim. A haven of absolute freedom, and a sanctuary of perfect peace and security, this Holy Mosque is the only spot on earth set up by Allah for one and all the people alike, without any distinction. It is the House of God wherein all men are equal, none being entitled to own it exclusively.
This is told in these words of Allah:
...And from Al-Masjid-al-Haram at Makkah which We have made open to all men, the dweller in it and the visitor from the country.... "(Qur'an 22:25)
The message of this Surah 22, verses 26-27 named "The pilgrimage" itself, is describing the construction of the Ka'bah and its sanctification, its being the focal point of Tawaf as well as the center of prayers. Thus, the incumbency of pilgrimage to this "first house of One-God worship", etc.
Verses 28-37, do contain the basic elements of the monotheistic religion of Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH), wherein one of the main objectives emphasized is the need to celebrate the Name of Allah Alone over the animal - whether ordinarily slaughtered, or offered as sacrifices to Allah, as against those offered to the idolaters' idols, as evidenced particularly by verses 28, 30, 34, 36 and 37.
"Avoiding the abomination of idols", and "neglecting the word that is false" (telling and witnessing falsehood), these two cardinal sins, have been specially prohibited in Verse 30. But the crowning message of unparalleled importance is the commandment: "Hunafa' Lillah (i.e. to worship none but Allah), not associating partners (in worship, etc.) unto Him...", which is the soul and the heart of Monotheism (One-God worship), and the annihilator of all polytheism (multi-god worship).
This last, but not the least message, is the essence of pilgrimage, as also the topmost concern and happiness of every Muslim. The Makkan idolaters too, used to perform the pilgrimage, calling themselves thereby as "Haneefs" (followers of Abraham). And therefore, Muslims are being told to perform the pilgrimage, and call themselves as "Haneefs" but with this difference: "Being true in faith to Allah, and never assigning partners to Him". Thus the sublime truths, the essence of the creed: "There is no deity save God", seem to be beyond the comprehension of idol-worshippers, all over the world, and in all ages.
The Five-time Prayers:
This performance of the pilgrimage --- a colossal feat of monotheism, is closely knit around the Ka'bah and its surrounding environment. It occurs only once a year, but far more important and surpassing is the performance of prayers in Islam, which are equally connected with the Ka'bah.
Prayers are an obligatory duty upon every Muslim. This is why every Muslim anywhere around the world turns towards Allah, facing in the direction of the Ka'bah five times daily.
Of course, the Ka'bah is for outward direction to face in one's prayers, though inwardly, one faces his entire heart, to the Lord of the Worlds Himself. In this manner, Muslims are so intimately related to the Ka'bah through their pilgrimage and prayers, till the last moment of their lives.
Not only this, but every Muslim is made to face the direction of the Ka'bah when breathing his last. Nay, even after death he is buried in his last resting place, i.e. in the grave, so that he faces the same direction of the Ka'bah.
Prayers and Sacrifice:
Both the pilgrimage and the prayers are equally connected with the Ka'bah. And offering an animal and the prayers are major Hajj ceremonies, where both the prayer and sacrifice are special tokens of the single worship of Allah, with both being jointly dedicated to Him.
It is a most sublime dedication the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was asked to offer in the following words:
"Say [O Muhammad]: 'Verily, my Salat (prayer), my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists), He has no partner, And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims)." (Qur'an 6: 162-163)
And this forms the only straight path, that is the religion of our father Ibrahim (PBUH), which is referred to in the preceding verse:
"Say [O Muhammad] "Truly, my Lord has guided me to a Straight path, a right religion, and the religion of Ibrahim. "(Al-Qur'an 6:161)
International Gathering:
On the whole, the Hajj is a unique annual gathering of its own kind. Herein, true Muslims from all over the world; come together on the basis of One-God worship, that is pure monotheism and true Islam. Forgetting their mutual differences of caste, color and social status, they assemble in this international city of Makkah to glorify the One Lord of all creation.
Incidentally, they get a rare opportunity here to discuss together all sorts of communal, religious, economic, social and political problems on an all-world scale, after which no better or more beneficial gathering could be imagined. Such a high, all-embracing congregation has been held every year in the House of Allah for thousands of years now. All these manifold benefits are hinted at in the words:
...That they may witness things that are of benefit to them.." (Qur’an 22:28)
Pilgrimage, therefore, is never a pagan rite, but rather the fulfillment of an incumbent duty concerning One-God worship!
Invitation to Non-muslims:
This is the legacy left behind by Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) for all posterity to accept and follow, and no people of any country or nation, are an exception to that posterity.
Instead of regarding the pilgrimage duty as a pagan rite, people ought to reflect upon their own age-old idolatry, and accept and follow the religion of our father Ibrahim (PBUH).
The hour has come for these very people to proclaim of their own accord: "There is no god worthy of worship except Allah!". May they perform the pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Makkah! and may they offer their prayers regularly facing towards that same House
Did you know that it is obligatory for Muslims to believe in Jesus, or that a record of Jesus’ life and teachings is preserved in the Qur’an and sayings of Muhammad, as well as in little-known traditions handed down by Muslim communities over the centuries?
Christians brought up in the West are often surprised to discover Muslims who are familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus through the teachings and scriptures of Islam, while they themselves are unlikely to have learned anything about the Prophet Muhammad at church. This is partly a matter of history: Islam incorporates the Judeo-Christian tradition and embraces Jesus in the same way that Christianity incorporates the Old Testament and embraces Moses (peace be upon them both). All three religions trace their roots to Abraham, and in fact the Qur’an and the Bible share and uphold many beliefs, practices and virtues in common -- belief in God, angels and the Day of Judgement, in the virtues of prayer, charity and fasting, and in the importance of truthfulness, patience, and love. Together, Christians and Muslims make up more than half the world’s population, and rather than being ideological opposites as some people imagine, their faiths are in many ways the most alike of the world’s major religions.
Early Muslims were granted protection in Christian Abyssinia
This common ground is one of the reasons the Prophet Muhammad (PBH) advised the weak and poor among his early followers to seek refuge in Christian Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia) to escape persecution by the idolatrous Arab tribes, before Islam became established in Arabia. Muslim historians’ account of the event succinctly conveys the heart of the relationship between the two faiths. When the corrupt leaders of Makkah pursued the Muslims into Africa and asked the Negus to return them, the Abyssinian ruler summoned the small community of Muslims, then asked them:
‘What is this religion which has caused you to become separate from your people, though you have not entered my religion or that of any other folk around us?’
Their spokesman Ja’far, Muhammad’s young cousin, replied, ‘O King, we were a people steeped in ignorance, worshipping idols, eating unslaughtered meat, committing abominations, and the strong would devour the weak. That is how we were until God sent us a Messenger from out of our midst, one whose lineage was known to us, and whose truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity were renowned. He called us to God – that we should testify to His Oneness, and worship Him and renounce what we and our ancestors had worshipped in the way of stones and idols; and he commanded us to speak truly, to fulfil our promises, to respect the ties of kinship and the rights of our neighbours, and to refrain from crimes and bloodshed. So we worship God alone, setting nothing beside Him, counting as forbidden what He has forbidden and as permissible what He has allowed. For these reasons have our people turned against us, and persecuted us to try to make us forsake our religion and revert from the worship of God to the worship of idols. That is why we have come to your country, having chosen you above all others, We have been happy under your protection, and it is our hope, O King, that here with you we shall not suffer wrong.’
His speech was translated by the royal interpreters, after which the Negus asked if they had with them any revelation their prophet had brought them. Ja’far then recited the following verses of the Qur’an, from the chapter entitled ‘Mary’:
And make mention of Mary in the Scripture, when she withdrew from her people to a place towards the east, and secluded herself from them. We sent to her Our spirit (the angel Gabriel), and he appeared to her in the likeness of a perfect man. She said, ‘I seek refuge in the Compassionate God from you; (do not come near me) if you fear the Lord.’ He replied, ‘I am none other than a messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a pure son.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?’ He said, ‘Even so will it be; your Lord says, “This is an easy thing for Me. And We shall make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us. So it has been decreed.”’
(Qur’an 19: 16-21)
Ja’far’s recitation and the translation of these verses brought tears to the king’s eyes. He responded, ‘This has truly come from the same source as that which Jesus brought.’ He granted the Muslims his protection. But the tribesmen of Makkah, furious that their plans and alliances had been frustrated, decided to rouse the king’s ire against their monotheist cousins by playing up the differences between Christianity and Islam regarding Jesus. The king assembled them together once again and asked,
‘What do you say about Jesus, son of Mary?’
Ja’far replied, ‘We say of him what our Prophet has brought us, namely that he is the servant of God and His Messenger, and His Spirit and Word which He cast into Mary, the blessed virgin.’
The Negus then lifted his wooden staff and said, ‘Jesus does not exceed what you have said by the length of this stick.’ The bishops present objected to the king’s judgment, but that did not deter him from granting the small Muslim community full protection, declaring, ‘Not for mountains of gold would I harm a single one of you’.
(Adapted from Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources, by Martin Lings)
That was Christianity’s first encounter with Islam, and is how Islam first came to flourish -- in Africa, under the protection of a benevolent Christian king.
Differing Christian views on Jesus
It may surprise some to think of any Christians accepting a description of Jesus that fell short of ‘only-begotten Son of God’ and ‘Saviour’, but the Negus would have known of the theological arguments that had raged between various sects in the Eastern birthplace of Christianity for centuries after Christ. Christians had been divided roughly into two ‘camps’ from the beginning, which can perhaps best be described as people who followed the religion of Jesus, versus those who followed a religion about Jesus. The first is exemplified by his disciples, who lived as Jews, believed in One God, and followed the Law of Moses -- which Jesus had come ‘not to destroy, but to fulfil’ (Matthew 5:17). They had no concept of Jesus originating a new religion: they worshipped in the temple, and focused their efforts on spreading the good news to fellow Jews that their Messiah had come. This group further developed and became known as Arians, after Arius, a North African bishop who emphasized Jesus’ human nature. The second was led by Paul, a charismatic speaker who had never met Jesus and had persecuted many Christians before his sudden conversion. Under his leadership, Pauline Christians directed their conversion efforts towards non-Jews and developed a theology foreign to the Old Testament, including belief in a Trinity (which had been prevalent among Romans, Egyptians and other pagans), an emphasis on Jesus as the ‘son’ of God, associated concepts of original sin and atonement, and the central dogma of Jesus’ (supposed) crucifixion and resurrection.
The Council of Nicea
Disagreements between these and other sects had grown so great by the 4th century that the Roman Emperor Constantine decided to convene the Council of Nicea (Iznik, Turkey) in 325, to settle the matter of true belief ‘once and for all’. During this event (in which Constantine’s own trinitarian leanings were made known), the bishops of the Christian world gathered together for the first time to debate doctrine, and a draft creed espousing belief in a Trinity of ‘Father, Son and Holy Ghost’ received the most votes. Dissenting bishops were suddenly declared heretics; their writings were banned, and the gospels supporting them burned. That marked the birth of the Roman Catholic Church, state religion of the Roman empire. Tens of gospels and other writings that individual churches had been free to use, some which presented an alternative view of Jesus, were destroyed; only four were included in the New Testament collection, along with a heavy dose of Paul’s writings. Despite this totalitarian approach to achieving ‘religious unity’, a small number of dissenting Christian sects survived, together with alternative gospels that were carefully hidden and only came to light in the 20th century.
Viewed in historical context, the main theological differences between Muslims and Christians are largely the same differences that have been a major source of disagreement between Christians themselves from the beginning. These concern the nature and role of Jesus, his relationship with God, and how best to venerate and follow his example.
Beloved servant, son of Mary; not ‘Son’ of God
In contrast to the often contradictory passages of the New Testament, the Qur’an teaches monotheism, pure and simple: faith in One God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, a Supreme Being without partners, associates or family members. There is no concept of an intermediary in Islam, whether priest or saviour, who must intercede between a human being and his Creator. Whatever individual Christians may understand by the term ‘son’ or ‘Father’ – whether in their minds the terms symbolize no more than a caring, loving relationship, or whether they regard belief in the Trinity as the key to avoiding eternal damnation – Islam considers that the Christian view in which Jesus is ‘idolized’ while God is ‘humanized’, obscures Jesus’ invaluable role as master teacher and role model, while vastly underestimating God’s transcendent majesty. It is impossible, indeed inconceivable to Muslims that the Almighty Creator of the Universe could appear in any human form, whole or in ‘part’, constrained by time and space. As the prophet Solomon is reported as saying after completing the Temple of Jerusalem,
‘But will God really dwell on earth?
The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You.
How much less this temple I have built!’ (I Kings 8:27)
While the Qur’an, like the Bible, confirms that Jesus had no human father, it does not accept that this makes Jesus the son of God any more than it does Adam himself, who was created without either father or mother. Rather, when God decides something, ‘He need only say to it ‘Be!’ and it is’ (Q. 3:47). It is interesting to note that the term Jesus most often used of himself in the New Testament gospels is ‘son of man’ (in Hebrew, literally the ‘son of Adam’); a term that for Muslims emphasizes his human nature. The phrase ‘son of man’ also appears in the Old Testament, where it underscores man’s insignificance before God as well as the undeserved honour God has shown him:
‘How then can a man be righteous before God?…
If even the stars are not pure in His eyes, how much less man, who is but a maggot—
a son of man, who is only a worm!’ (Job 25:4-6)
‘When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which You have set in place,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
the son of man that You care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings,
and crowned him with glory and honour.’ (Psalms 8:3-5)
Christian arguments against the trinity
Many Arians, Unitarians and other like-minded Christians have argued against the existence of a trinity, basing their reasoning on passages of the Bible itself. The lack of any mention of the word or concept in the Old Testament is one of the most important, as God surely would have found it important enough to mention to Moses and the many other prophets of old. Yet the cornerstone of the Jewish faith has always been, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.’ (Deut. 6:4), and, ‘You shall have no other gods besides Me.’ (Deut. 5:7)
Jesus never taught his followers to worship him, and no record exists of him preaching about a trinity. ‘By myself I can do nothing’ (John 5:30), ‘the Father is greater than I’ (John 14:28), and many similar statements of his support pure monotheism, although other passages in the New Testament contradict it. Many Christians came to the conclusion that the Biblical texts must have been corrupted, as indeed the Qur’an asserts. The reader is referred to the writings of John Biddle, father of Unitarianism, as well as others such as John Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, John Locke, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin for examples of this kind of reasoning.
The Qur’anic position on Jesus
The Qur’an speaks of ‘the Gospel’ (Injil) as a Scripture revealed to Jesus by God, from which he preached, like the Torah of Moses. It is clear from early Christian history as well as modern Biblical studies that this original Scripture has been lost forever, and the fragments that remain in the form of various gospels have been corrupted so that they do not inspire confidence. The Qur’an, which was revealed partly in order to clarify points that had been misunderstood by previous religious groups, paints a brief but clear portrait of Jesus as Messenger of God.
Responding to the views of an early Christian sect known as ‘Adoptionists’, who believed that God had ‘adopted’ Jesus, the Qur’an says:
‘It does not befit (the majesty of) the Compassionate God that He should adopt a son. There is none in the heavens and the earth but shall come to the Compassionate One as a servant.’ (Q. 19:92-93)
The Qur’an further cautions:
‘O People of the Scripture, do not exaggerate or go to extremes in your religion, or say anything about God but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was no more than an (honoured) Messenger of God, and His word that He imparted to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers and do not say, ‘Three (in One).’ Cease, for your own good! For your Lord is One God; Glory be to Him – (He is far) above having a son! All that is in the heavens and the earth belongs to Him. And God is Sufficient as Guardian (of the affairs of the universe).
The Messiah would never scorn to be a servant of God, nor would the angels who are near (to Him)…’ (Q. 4;171-2)
The Angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary the miraculous nature of the child she was to bear by saying:
‘O Mary, God gives you the good news of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, held in high honour in this world and the Next, and one of those brought near (to Him).
‘He will speak to people in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and he is one of the righteous…
…(God) will teach him the Scripture and wisdom, and the Torah and the Gospel,
And (will appoint him as) a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying), ‘I come to you with a miracle from your Lord (as proof of my message). I will make the likeness of a bird for you out of clay; (then) I will breathe into it and, by God’s permission, it shall become a (living) bird. And by God’s permission I will give sight to those born blind, and heal the leper, and raise the dead to life. And I will inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely that is a sign for you, if you are believers.
‘And (I come to you) confirming (what has been sent down before me in) the Torah, and in order to make some of the things which were forbidden (in the past) lawful for you. I came to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear Allah and obey me.
God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path.’ (Q. 3: 45-51)
Some of these miracles are unfamiliar to modern readers of the Bible, but the accounts do appear in the ‘Infancy Gospels’, which enjoyed wide circulation in eastern churches for centuries.
Jesus was saved by God, not crucified; his return is awaited by Muslims
Another point of contention surrounding the life of Jesus has been that of the crucifixion: whereas Christians have regarded it as an essential point of faith, Jews took it as proof that Jesus was not the promised Messiah, since God would not have allowed His chosen one to suffer such humiliation at the hands of his enemies. The Islamic position is that the crucifixion of Jesus never happened, although it appeared to. . We may note that the descriptions given in the New Testament gospels of the crucifixion cannot be considered accurate eyewitness accounts since, in their words, ‘all the disciples fled’ when Jesus was arrested. The work of modern Biblical scholars lends support to the Islamic position. They have established that the earliest (original) gospels make no mention of either crucifixion or resurrection, but focus instead on Jesus’ teachings and miracles.
What did happen to Jesus if he was not crucified? The Qur’an says:
‘(The Jews who rejected Jesus earned God’s displeasure) because of their denying the truth and slandering Mary with a terrible accusation; and because of their (boasting) claim, ‘We killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, God’s Messenger!’ They neither killed him nor crucified him, though it was made to appear that way to them. Those who disagree about this (matter) are full of doubts; they have no knowledge about it except to follow guesswork and speculation, but they certainly did not kill him. Rather, God raised him up to Himself; and God is ever Mighty, Wise. There is not one of the People of the Scripture who will not believe in him (as he should be believed in) before his death (e.g. after his Second Coming), and on the Day of Judgement he will be a witness against them.’ (Q. 4:156-9)
The most prevalent interpretation of these verses among Muslim scholars is that someone else (such as the traitor Judas Iscariot) was crucified instead, while Jesus was raised to heaven, as God often saves those beloved to Him. The Prophet Muhammad taught that Jesus will return to earth one day to rule in peace and justice, although Islamic prophecies on the subject differ from Christian ones.
The historical Jesus: Messiah, Messenger, Wise Teacher and Prophet
The Islamic view of Jesus is a logical and reasonable one, which is consistent with earlier Biblical teachings, and people today can relate to: he was a virtuous and wise teacher; an ascetic who taught by personal example and spoke without fear against corruption in high places; prophet and Messiah of the Jewish people, who healed and brought the dead to life by God’s permission; an honoured Messenger of God. Rather than being sent to found a new religion, he came to ‘breathe life’ into and revitalise the interpretation of Mosaic Law.
Teachings of Jesus as related by generations of Muslims
Stories related by Muslims about Jesus are plentiful, and highlight his role as teacher of wisdom. A few examples are:
Jesus said, ‘Do not hang jewels around the necks of swine. Wisdom is finer than gems, and those who do not value it are worse than swine.’
Jesus said, ‘A plant can only grow in yielding earth, not on hard rock. In the same way, wisdom flourishes only in a humble heart, not one which is proud and unyielding.’
(The above and many other sayings are related by the classical Muslim scholar Al-Ghazali in his Revival of the Religious Sciences. For translations of and information on other gospels, see The Complete Gospels, edited by R.J. Miller.)
Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad relating to Jesus
The Prophet Muhammad spoke with much affection and respect of Jesus, and taught Muslims to do the same. Relating some of Jesus’ teachings, he said:
‘Jesus, son of Mary, used to say, “Do not speak much without mentioning God, for your hearts will become hardened. A hard heart is far from God, if you only knew.’
‘Do not look at the wrong actions of others as though you were lords; look at your own wrong actions as if you were slaves.
And Muhammad emphasised the true and common message of Christianity and Islam, saying:
‘Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.’
Islam’s invitation to Christians
Many Arab Christians converted to Islam during and soon after Muhammad’s lifetime because they recognised the simple truth of his message, and were convinced that New Testament passages foretelling the appearance of a ‘Comforter’ and other Biblical prophecies referred to him. Those who seek a truly historical prophet, whose life and teachings have been lovingly and meticulously preserved in remarkable detail, may wish to learn more about Muhammad -- another great leader who continues to be widely misunderstood, especially in the West.
We conclude with the words of the Qur’an:
Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, let us) come to an agreement together: that we will worship none but God, and that we will not associate any (other god) with Him, and that none of us shall take others for lords besides God.’ And if they turn away, then say, ‘Bear witness that we are (the ones who have surrendered to Him, as) Muslims.’ (Q. 3:64)
