By the Grace of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful, I was born in a Muslim home. My parents were God fearing, kind, simple and honest Muslims .My mother taught the basics of Islam. When I was a little infant, my mother used to take me in her lap while reciting the Holy Quran. I can still hear tiny silver bells of the recitation of Surah Rahman in my ears. These basic things were so ingrained in my mind that I couldn’t move forward without them. My father taught me hard work and simple and honest living.
2. I joined the Presentation Convent High School, Rawalpindi in 1949 and left it in January 1954 because I had to go a high school. From 1949 till 1953, I had plenty of opportunities each year to observe to rites of the Roman Catholic Church because the school was owned by a Catholic mission. At the age of four, one is at an impressionable age .In the school, there was a small chapel where the mothers and sisters of the school used to pray .I often saw their prayers with fascination .I used to think that their prayers were quite unlike our prayers. They used to sing hymns and participate in singing choirs .In front of the chapel, there figures were placed on the ground. Gradually I came to know that those figures represent God, Christ and Mary or God the father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. . At that age, I did not know that this was idol worship The nuns, who were teachers in the school, used to dressed in their habits. All things, the dresses, the chapel, the procession, the singing astonished me.
3. The school celebrated Christmas and Easter annually in this fashion .A procession was taken out in the School and the clergy were dressed in splendid robes each year. We were also taken to the local cinemas to see film shows, which were mostly confined, to Biblical themes .On one occasion, we were taken to the Odeon Cinema to see a film titled “ Our Lady of Fatima”. Fatima is a small place in Portugal where three peasant women saw a vision of the Virgin Mary, the holy mother of Jesus [Hazrat Isa]
4 .In January 1954, I joined the Saint Mary’s Cambridge School. In those days both schools were the best in Rawalpindi and the children of the high ranking officers in the civil and army bureaucracy used to go there In both schools, the Muslims had a class which was known as ‘Moral Science’ while the Christian boys and girls had Bible classes. I observed in both schools, a distinct and a vulgar smell pervaded both schools. But in both schools, there were tales of moral degradation amongst the clergy .One, Sister Michael, a young nun, of the Presentation Convent High School, was sent back to England for a scandal. However, that smell disappeared during the days of the late President, General Zia ul Haq when the schools began to participate in Islamic functions like Mahfil e Milad
5. In 1957, I joined the Cadet College, Hasan Abdal where the atmosphere was totally different. The months of Ramazan were celebrated in big way. The cadets used to boycott anyone not fasting. At night, the entire college would be there at Taraveeh Prayers. There a book ‘Muhammad, the Holy Prophet’ was included in the Islamiat syllabus. I read the book innumerable times and even used it to prepare for my Central Superior Competition
6. There was a local Christian teacher, Mr. G.Lawrence and one Christian boy, Clare Earnest Robson .The teacher was the uncle of the boy .The rumour was that the uncle and nephew belonged to different Christian denominations and that why the two could not see eye to eye together. Never the less we used to enjoy their arguments and counter arguments. During the five years I spent at the Cadet College, because of the rigorous schedule, we did not find time to discuss other matters for e.g. Religion barring what was in the Islamiat course and our normal prayers.
7. In 1961, I joined another Christian missionary College, Gordon College .The difference was that the Presentation Convent High School and the Saint Mary’s Cambridge School was run by the Roman Catholic Church while the Gordon College, Rawalpindi was run by the Anglican Church of the USA. Again I did not find time to concentrate on religion or religions. Both in schools and in Gordon College, teachers did not discuss religion nor forced anyone to convert . Charges of forced conversions are baseless and the fruits of somebody’s fertile imagination.
8. All throughout of my educational career, I found the best and the most devoted teachers regardless of their religion. Teachers in whose company I felt comfortable discussing the studies and everything under the sun for e.g. Mr. Catchpole, Mr. M.H. Siddiqui , Syed Dilshad Hussain ,Mr. M.A. Jaffery, Prof. Sajjad Sheikh , Mr. (now Rev.) Francis Xavier , Prof.M .A. Haq, Prof. Khawaja Masud , Mr. Nathaniel Dean At school, my teachers were my father and mother . I am deeply indebted to them and particularly Mother Anthony, Mother Margaret Mary, Mrs. Brass, Mrs. David, Father Mallet and Father Burns,Mr. Siddique Akbar, Mr(Late) Mushtaq Rashid , Mr. Kallique and Mr . Saif. I learnt a lot from my teachers particularly humility. And every religion teaches humility. And this is the basis of every religion.
9. All throughout my school days, I kept on thinking over the three figures of God, the Son and Holy Ghost .I saw them whenever I went to any Christian place be it the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi before it was Pakistanized or the Christian cemetery. Even now I could not decipher the riddle of the Holy Ghost.
10. Reading about Christianity is a taboo in Pakistan. And I also suffered from taboo for a long time. However, I had an opportunity to listen to a debate between Ahmed Deedat and Reverend Shanker of the USA in 1986 when I attended a course in Lahore. After that I brought home many cassettes of Ahmed Deedat. When cable TV was introduced in Pakistan and in to my home, we enjoy listening to lectures by Dr. Israr, Dr. Zakar Naik and Ahmed Deedat and many more. I became fascinated by Dr. Zakir and Deedat when they spoke about Christianity. After I read about the History of Christianity and the History of Papacy and my study of Christianity has led me to believe that Christianity is mere fiction.
11. I went to a course in Geneva, Switzerland in 1978. However ,before going there, I performed Umra. In Europe, we went visited churches and cathedrals in different cities either individually or as a group. In each church or a big cathedral I encountered a strange feeling of hollowness . The cathedrals or churches appeared empty of God . In Mecca, I felt the presence of the Almighty .He was in His Full Glory as Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient : The Creator of the heavens and earth .In Mecca and particularly in the Holy Kaaba, Muslims feel as if they are being governed by a Superior and a Supreme Power. Nothing moves without His Will. There was a feeling of Greatness. It was breath taking.
12. The moment the taxi in which I was traveling stopped, I rushed towards the Holy Kaaba. I entered the Holy House, the House of God. And offered prayers for His Immense Kindness and Immense Mercy. After that I went round and round the Holy Kaaba. Even after all those years and after performing Umra several times, I find immense pleasure in going round and round and round the Kaaba. I saw a group of people clutching the door of the Kaaba and crying for their sins and begging for Allah’s forgiveness .I joined them .The moment I clutch the door , a flood of tears into my eyes .It is not possible for me to describe what I felt then. Even now I cannot describe .
13. In Medina , the city of Muhammad , the Holy Prophet , like all Muslims , I fou nd a soothing affect and real peace there .Such feeling was absent in the various churches and cathedrals I visited .However , whenever I tried to explain the rituals of Umra to a female fellow participant from Thailand , I was unable to convey the same feeling .It was not a difficulty in the language .Since she was a Buddhist, her feelings and mine were poles apart because of the difference in faith and beliefs
14. Every Muslim child, be it a girl or a boy, is taught the basics of Islam from infancy. When he or she is seven is told to pray .When the child reaches the age of fourteen, he or she is told to fast in the month of Ramazan .Every Muslim man or woman is supposed to pray five times a day and to keep the fast in the month of Ramazan which comes annually .These are obligatory on every Muslim. Of course, there are concessions of sickness. Besides, every Muslim is supposed to perform Haj and to give Zakat i.e. tax to help the poor, to the deserving poor and the destitute. The Haj and Zakat are obligatory on only those who have the means . None can determine that but only one’s intention. No police or army is used in the case of Haj. However, in the days of the second Caliph of the Muslamans, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (May Allah be pleased with him), he launched a war against those who did not pay Zakat because it was an out and out war in the cause of Allah. Some commentators say that Zakat is not a tax. But for lack of an appropriate alternate, I see no harm using the term ‘tax’ to describe ‘Zakat’.
15. There is no concept in Islam of a man confessing his sins before another man. All these concepts are alien to the spirit of Islam .Our belief is that only Allah, or God, can forgive a person’s sins without any intercession, if that person asks Allah in all sincerity for His forgiveness. Allah has not delegated His attributes to mankind. No person can be the judge of another person .Be it as it may be , Muslims are supposed to lead their lives according to the teachings of Islam as given in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah , the Traditions or Sayings of the Holy Prophet. The Muslims pass their entire lives in the pursuit of this goal. Even after that no Muslim is sure whether or not he or she has been blessed by Allah. Only with the Grace of Allah can a person be saved from hell fire .One has to bow down before Allah and to surrender oneself to His Wishes .All one needs is a pure heart, clean place and clean clothes to pray.
16. Once two Roman Catholic clergymen were staying in the same church hostel where I stayed for four and a half months in Geneva. One was from the USA and the other was from Malta .At breakfast one morning, the two clergymen were sitting opposite me .The Maltese priest was telling the American priest how the Christian repelled the Arab attacks. I intervened to say that those were not the Arab attacks but the Muslim forces and I corrected his history .I further repeated the incident in which Hazrat Omar Farooq (May Allah be pleased with him), the second Caliph of the Muslamans, was invited to pray inside the Jerusalem by the Archbishop of Jerusalem and how the Caliph refused to pray inside but offered his prayers outside instead. I also told him about the fact when the Caliph Omar (May Allah be pleased with him) went from Medina to Jerusalem accompanied by one slave. They had only one horse and part of the journey the Caliph was riding and part of the journey the slave was riding. And when they entered Jerusalem it was the slave’s turn to ride .In this fashion, entered the Great Omar, the second Caliph of the Muslims (May Allah be pleased with him for he was a good man). Turning to the other priest, I said that the Christians claim that their religion was the best .I said how come the American youth is following Rev. Moon or the Hindu Maharishi, who have nothing to give .The American priest replied that the youth in the West was not satisfied with their religion. I asked him to repeat what he had said then. I said if that was case, you must accept Islam.
17. Again while waiting at Zurich for the train for Vienna, I was joined by a young man, Tomas Stefenidis, who was studying music at the University of Vienna. Something attracted him to me. When the train came, we boarded it together though going to different compartment .It was a twenty six-hour journey. After half an hour , he came to my compartment .We discussed first the Indo- Pakistan relations , then the trial of Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and then Islam .Early next morning at six , he came again saying that my words had shook him and that he could not sleep at night . Notwithstanding my immaturity (I was thirty-three then) and my lack of experience and learning, I thanked Allah for giving me such powers to convince him about the truth of Islam. He then asked as to what was the difference between Islam and Christianity. I told him that the basic difference was that the Muslims believed in the Unity of God whereas the Christians believed in the Trinity. I asked him how was it possible for one to become three and three to become one. I also told that the concept of the Holy Ghost is utterly confusing. He could not explain either. I said that we believed that Jesus was lifted to heaven and that he was not hanged whereas the Christians believe that he was hanged. I told him that God would not allow His Chosen Messenger to die in disgrace. I also told him that we believed that Jesus was born through the Will and Mercy of Allah .I said that it was possible for God to make the first man out of nothing i.e Adam had no father or mother .Eve had no mother . And Jesus had no father.
18. Muslims in every part of the globe know the basics of Islam. Nothing is confusing about the basics. There is no difference about the fundamentals of Islam. There is no difference about the Unity of Allah unlike Christianity. Similarly there is no confusion nor any difference about the Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and that he was the final Prophet and no Prophet will follow him . There is no difference nor confusion about the various Prophets whom Allah had sent with His Message. Therefore is no difference nor confusion about the belief in every revealed Book by God. Therefore, is no difference about faith. It is true that Fiqah (scholars of Islam) interpret the teachings of Islam differently. But they interpret small issues.
19. When the Holy Quran was revealed upon the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), he would dictate the Divine Message as it was faithfully and carefully revealed to his several scribes. On the occasion of his last pilgrimage, he asked thrice the congregation if he had delivered the Divine Message truthfully. During his lifetime, each of his companions learnt the Holy Quran. They followed the Holy Prophet in all his actions. They found him to be the ablest of the teachers. He prepared a body of ablest persons from both the Muhajirs and the Ansars to spread the Divine Message far and wide .It has been reported that the Holy Prophet told his followers that his companions were like stars in the sky and if you follow one of them he would guide you on to the straight path
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20. His sayings had been learnt by heart by his many of his followers and compiled by a number of them notably Hazrat Abu Hurraira and Hazrat Aisha , his wife(May Allah be pleased with them ) .They took great care to verify these sayings from different sources , the ablest and the most truthful of his companions so that posterity may not be misguided . The Holy Quran and these traditions have become compulsory for every Muslim to follow.
After the death of the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him), two Caliphs, Hazrar Abu Bakr and Hazrat Usman (May Allah be pleased with them) compiled the Holy Quran and divided it into chapters and verses. They took great pains in their task not to upset the basic message of the Quran. . .
21. Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam (Peace and Blessings be upon him) lived for sixty-three years .The first part of his life from birth till the age of fifty-three i.e. hijra was spent in Mecca. The second part was spent in Medina .He became the Prophet at the age of forty. He spent forty years of his life amidst the people of Mecca. They had seen him growing up and they familiar with his credentials, his character and temperament
22. The entire life of the Holy Prophet has been recorded from his birth to his death .The description of the age in which he lived .Who was his father and his forefathers ?Who was his mother ? Who was Abu Muttalib and who was Abu Talib? His friends? His life as a shepherd? And who was Abu Jahl and who was Abu Lahab? How were his dealings with his fellow human beings? He was called ‘Amin’ and ‘Siddiq’ not only be his friends but by his enemies, the Quraish of Mecca.
23. Many scholars have written many books on the subject. He led a full life .He was Prophet, a kind ruler but he led a life free from pageantry .He slept on a coarse bed. He was a model of perfection in all his thoughts, words and deeds. He was devoted husband and a kind father .He was a very kind friend to the poor and the rich alike .His magnanity knew no bounds. When the Muslims conquered Mecca, he did not avenge his hardships and the miseries of his followers at the hands of the Quraish of Mecca. He even spared the lives of Hind and her slave, Wehshi, the killers of his beloved uncle, Hazrat Hamza (May Allah be pleased with him). In the annals of the history of mankind, no similar event took place in which the whole city of Mecca was spared from spilling blood.
24. After his death, his message was spread by his companions faithfully and truthfully. And after the deaths of his companions, the message was spread over by many scores and hundreds of people, His message continues to be spread over the five continents of the globe.
- Jesus lived for thirty-six years before he was lifted to heaven through the Mercy of God. However, no Muslim can be a Muslim if he does not believe in the prophet hood of Jesus. During his lifetime, Jesus traveled from one place to another in the holy land of Palestine spreading the Divine Message .We Muslims believe that the Divine Message was the same from one prophet to another. However, with the changing times it had been molded anew in keeping with the needs of the people. We Muslims also believe that Jesus performed miracles with God’s Grace and with His Permission such as bringing dead to life, curing the leper and giving sight to the blind because the Holy Quran says so .
- Jesus message, which is the message of Islam, has remained unchanged through the centuries, was to believe in one God. On many occasions , he told his companions about the coming of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) , who would be a saviour and Messiah for all mankind and after that no prophet would come till the day of judgment However , during his lifetime, some Jews , who were hostile to him because they were waiting for a new prophet who would their king and help to invade Jerusalem and when they felt that their wishes were not being fulfilled, began to associate him with the one God so that the Jews turn hostile to him .(‘The Gospel of Barnabas’ and ‘Jesus – A Prophet of Islam’). Jesus was disappointed by this association .He continued preaching the Unity of God . Before he was lifted to heaven , he went to a supper at the house of the sister of Barnabas .That was the last supper .He had with him twelve of his companions .But one companion , Judas Iscariot, had traded Jesus for thirty pieces of gold . He came with a group of Roman soldiers .At that time , when the forces of Rome with Judas Iscariot in the lead , came to arrest Jesus .God Almighty lifted Jesus in to the heavens and made Judas Iscariot to resemble Jesus .The Roman Viceroy , Pilate, was very annoyed that he ordered the hanging of Jesus Iscariot resembling Jesus .
26. Amongst the disciples of Jesus was a Jew, Barnabas. Jesus told him to go and meet his mother , Mary or Hazrat Maryam or Bibi Maryam , as the Muslims call her , and convey his message that Almighty God had lifted him to heaven , and to grief for him. Jesus told also him to convey to his mother that after him will come another prophet named Muhammad and he would be the last prophet who would the Saviour and Messiah for the entire humanity those who believe in the Unity of God and that Jesus would come back in to the earth with God’s Blessings near the end of the world .Barnabas forgot to deliver the message to Mary . However ,after some days he went to see her .
27. Barnabas was the only source of Jesus teachings. The only true Gospel was the Gospel of Barnabas. The rest of the three Gospel were written by persons who did not see Jesus and were written many years later after his disappearance. For example Luke who wrote a Gospel was a physician of Paul. After some time Paul joined the former. However, Paul found it easy to do what the Romans wished. One reason was to prevent the persecution of the Christians
28. Ever since the world was created every Prophet and his followers had been facing persecution and very severe hardships , Moses (Hazrat Musa), Abrahim(Hazrat Ibrahim), Joseph(Hazrat Yousuf) , Jonas (Hazrat Yunus) to name a few . The Prophet of Islam was no exception. When Hazrat Abu Talib was going to Syria for trading accompanied by the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) when the latter was a young. The caravan stopped at a place .Near that place was a cave in which a Christian holy man used to live .His name was Baheera. The monk beckoned Hazrat Abu Talib and advised him to take the young man back for, as he said that he had seen the signs of a Prophet in the young man who was expected in the future. Biheera also warned that the Prophet would be persecuted for his beliefs, fighting would be imposed on him and would be driven out of his land. Later, when Muhammad became the Prophet and when the first revelations came to him in the cave of Hira in the outskirts of Mecca, he devoted wife left sleeping him and went to discuss his condition with her cousin, who believed in one God and who had became a Christian, Warraqa bin Naufel .He used almost the same words. The Holy Prophet was greatly persecuted for teaching the Unity of Allah .His followers were not spared either. Hazrat Bilal was a Negro slave of Ummayya bin Khalaf. His master used to place a big stone on the chest of the shackled slave. But Hazrat Bilal used to repeat the Oneness of Allah.
29. Paul did not see Jesus while the latter was living. He claimed he had visions of Jesus who told him what to do. When Barnabas and John Marks, his nephew, parted from Paul, they went to Cyprus where Barnabas preached. Paul went to Rome. He also began to preach. But what Paul preached were not teachings of Jesus because he had not been the company of Jesus. They were also not from the Apostles. But he preached on the basis of the visions he claimed to have received from Jesus. Since Rome and Greece were pagan, he mixed up his vision of Christianity with the paganism of the Greeks and the Romans and their philosophy. The result was a strange mixture nowhere connected to Jesus teachings. And name of Jesus was replaced with a mythical figure of Christ .The name ‘Christian’ was used in scorn (’ Jesus – a Prophet of Islam’ by Muhammad Ata ur Rahim).
30. Christianity is confusing not only among the non-believers but among the believers. Since the birth of Christianity many Christian writers, including European writers, have written against this confusion.
31. However, even with this strange religion, there were many who believed in the Unity of God .A branch went to North Africa and settled there. Thus it was easy for the North Africans to become Muslims when the message of Islam reached them. In even pagan pre Islamic Arabia, there were people who believed in the Unity of God. Baheera was one. Another one was Warraqa bin Naufal. But even among the Europeans who did not believe in the Trinity of God. They believed in the Oneness of God. Like the above mentioned Roman Catholic American clergyman, there were many, and there many, who were/are dissatisfied with Christianity and Christian religious practices. Eminent scientists, writers , scholars , philosophers and theologians of the past were dissatisfied and disillusioned with Christianity .Erasmus, John Locke , Sir Isaac Newton and John Priestley to name a few .In this age of material values , Dan Brown has written a book ‘The Da Vinci Code’ which betrays his disillusionment with the Christian practices .
32. Islam is totally free from all these abominations that has been portrayed in Dan Brown’s book ‘The Da Vinci Code’ .There are no secret societies in Islam nor obnoxious secret rites which are abhorrent to Islam and Muslims. Islam has no place for self flagellation nor confessional .Anyone who wish to repent one’s sins can do so privately .All one has to do is pray to Allah sincerely and beseech His Mercy and at the same time vowing not to repeat one’s sins .Allah’s Mercy is unlimited and boundless. Islam has no concept for violence.
33. The ‘Bible’ was written many centuries after Jesus’ disappearance. This is not a revealed book because the original teachings or sayings of Jesus have disappeared or hid by the powers that be in the Church. There are eighty-one versions of the Bible available in the market unlike one Quran.
34. On the other hand , every Muslim and every Muslim writer believes in the Unity of God , the Prophet hood of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) as the last Prophet of Allah unlike the Christians .The Prophet of Islam led his full life in Mecca and Medina .He participated in every activity before his Companions .Some of his companions copied down shortly after the revelations of the verses of the Holy Quran. After the death of the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ), the Righteous Caliphs (May Allah be pleased with them) made it a point to compile the Holy Quran faithfully so that posterity can follow the correct path and do not go astray. . Similarly the Prophet’s companions (May Allah be pleased with them) copied down his sayings truthfully in his lifetime.
35. The basic difference was in the Unity of God versus the trinity of God, which Paul and the Romans believed, Besides, Paul began to preach the eating of forbidden meat and the abolition of circumcision Thus began the dichotomy in the teachings of Jesus. Since at that time there was no practice of writing, therefore, the life of Jesus was not recorded. ‘The Gospel of Barnabas was the only recorded history of Jesus and that , too, was suppressed by the church .Four more gospels were written by others but they were written long after his disappearance .These persons did not see him in person .They did not share his life with him .They did not see him as a living human being .The facts became history when Greece became the centre of Christianity .Since the Greeks worshipped many gods, Christianity became intermingled with the many gods of the Greeks . Gradually, the name of Jesus was replaced by the name of a ‘mythical’ Christ .The scripture and gospels were forgotten. Jesus was made Divine; he was made into a deity.
36. The making of Jesus as the son of God is refuted in the Holy Quran. The Quran says that Jesus a Prophet and a slave of God and a human being .As regards the Christian belief that he was the son of God , Surah Ikhalas clearly refutes that claim .This Surahs says that Allah is One .He has no father and he has any son .
37. About two hundred years after Jesus, Rome was being ruled by Emperor Constantine. As he faced a struggle between his Roman forces and the Christian, he called a meeting at a place called Nicea. The Emperor decreed the amalgamation of the of the two creeds, a sort of the latter day Deena I Ilahi of Akbar , the Mughal Emperor of India ,and the Trinity became the official religion of the Christian and Rome became the Holy Roman Empire . The Church and its activities also shifted to Rome.
38. The Church and the Papacy became corrupt. More so the Popes were morally corrupt. And debauched In spite of their vows to remain celibate and to remain poor , popes had children and they amassed wealth .The Papal Palace in the Vatican is a case in point .In Europe the Church waged wars to maintain its ascendancy over the state .Its spawned families like the Borgias and Medicis and their cloak and daggers intrigues . ‘The Inquisition’ in which many killed because they had different beliefs. Martin Luther reformed the Church and established his own church. But he did nothing to cleanse the evil that crept into Christianity, its denial of the Unity of God and the acceptance of Trinity. Roman Catholic kings fight the Protestant kings .The thirty years and the hundred years were fought in Christ’s name. In England for instance, the English King, Henry VIII, excommunicated the Pope for his refusal to grant the king permission to divorce Queen Catherine of Aragon and for marrying Anne Boleyn .Earlier the pope excommunicated the King. After the King’s death, his successors queens, Queen Elizabeth I and the queens who came after her, waged against each other to establish their ascendancy and the ascendancy of their Church; Roman Catholic or Protestant. The defeated queens or claimants to the English throne spent long periods in prison or were beheaded. After the Tudor dynasty finished, the Stuart dynasty began. King James I was the first king of this dynasty. Until the reign of James II, there was unrest there for ascendancy. Charles I was a Roman King and so was his father, Charles II. Between the two reigns i.e. the reign of Charles I and Charles II, there was period when the Puritans ruled England Similarly, in France, there was a period when the Huguenots (French Protestants) were in power.
39. In Papacy , when one Pope died, there is one conclave to elect the succeeding Pope .This session go on till the new one is elected .History is a testimony to the fact that in one such conclave, one cardinal , who was the son of the king of Florence , King Francis , had a boil on one of his legs .A putrid smell enveloped the room .After three days , the entire of cardinals assembled in the conclave left the room because of this obnoxious smell leaving the king’s son to become the Pontiff. (The Real life of Mona Lisa).
40. On the other hand, there early wars in Islam were defensive wars to defend Islam and their belief in one God ;Battle of Badr , Battle of Uhud , Battle of the Trench , Battle of Khaibar , the Peace of Hudibbayya and the Battle of Hunain in the Holy Prophet’s(Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) lifetime .After his death , the Muslims fought the massive Roman army in the Battle of Tabuk because the Roman forces were stationed to attack the Muslims and crushing them and their beliefs in the one and only God . After the Prophet’s (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) death ,the Caliph of the Muslims, Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique fought wars against those who refused to pay Zakat , the poor tax .He also fought against false claimants of the prophet hood for eg , Muslaima, Similarly , the Battle of Kadesia was fought for the same purpose and to prevent the Persians from attacking Medina . However, later on, when the caliphate became kingship, most battles were fought for the crown and the throne.
41. The Holy Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) emphasized the seeking of knowledge. The seeking of knowledge and wisdom were, and are, the fundamentals of Islam However, the Church denied this knowledge for the masses for centuries. In modern times the avenues of seeking knowledge have been opened for Christians . Islam had ,in the past , produced wise men of learning , Hazrat Ali bin Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with him ), the husband of the Holy Prophet’s (Peace and Blessings be upon him ) daughter, Hazrat Fatima (May Allah be pleased with her ) , Al-Kindi , Jaber bin Haayan , Al Khawarzami, Omer Al Khayam , Ibn Sina , Al Razi .The list goes on .In the present day , the names of eminent Muslims Scientists ,Mathematicians ,Philosophers, Astrologers and Astronomers are appearing in well reputed books , In the past, even the Christian kings and emperors were barbarians . The kings and emperors were illiterate as well as the masses. Even the common monks and friars had no knowledge (Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales’). The Bible was written in Latin, which was not the language of the masses. The prayers and the psalms were both in an alien language i.e. Latin so that the masses could not be equal to the clergy. Only in the twentieth century, the common people in the west and Australia and New Zealand could derive benefits from education.
42. Although the Holy Quran and the Traditions of the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) are in Arabic, but over the past centuries, scholars have taken great pains to translate them in many of the local languages. Similarly, these scholars translated the prayers in every local language and dialect for the benefit of the common Muslims, However the prayers are recited in Arabic so that oneness can be maintained. Each Muslim knows the prayer by heart and he or she practices, as well. There are innumerable people who learn the Holy Quran by heart. Prayers and the Holy Quran are the same in every part of the globe. When the Holy Quran is recited whether in Mecca, Medina, China, Russia, Fiji Islands or elsewhere, the recitation sounds alike. This is the beauty of the Holy Book.
43. Since the Prophet hood of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) few Muslims have converted to other faiths unlike people of other faiths, including Christians. Numerous Christians have left Christianity to become Muslims over the centuries. That alone proves the truthfulness of Islam and its beauty.
44. To recapitulate the differences between Islam and Christianity. The Muslims believe as was taught by the Holy Prophet:-
- Belief in the Oneness of God.
- Belief in all the Prophets of God including the last Prophet, Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon).
- Belief that after the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) no prophet will come.
- Belief in the day of judgment
- Jesus was born through Allah’s Mercy. His birth has remained a mystery for the world. Suffice to say that the births of Adam and Eve, whose births were without father and mother, Jesus’ birth was through the Grace of Allah .His mother was a blessed soul and she was not touched by any human being, according to the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran is silent about her life after the birth of Jesus. However, the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) told his companions that Hazrat Maryam will be one the guardians of Heaven, the others will be Hazrat Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her), his wife, Hazrat Fatima(May Allah be pleased with her ) , his daughter and Hazrat Assiya , the pharaoh’s wife .
- Belief that Jesus was a Prophet of God and a human being and not God himself.
- Jesus was not son of God because He has no father and He does beget any children.
- Jesus was lifted to heaven by the Great Mercy of ALLAH.
- Islam does not believe in the original sin.
- Islam does not believe in ‘crucifixion’, ‘redemption’ and ‘atonement’ because we believe one is responsible for his acts in this world and we will be rewarded or punished for these acts in the hereafter.
By Mahfooz ur Rahman
mahfoozurrahman_pk@hotmail.com
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