peace & justice: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Islam at a Glance.

'ISLAM’ AND ‘MUSLIM’:

Islam is an Arabic word which means peace, purity, acceptance and commitment.
The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the teachings and the guidance of God, (i.e surrender to the Will of Allah).

> How do we know Islam is the truth?

What is Islam? and How do we know Islam is the truth?

What is Islam?

Ans: Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority has nothing to do with the extremely grave events, which have come to be associated with their faith.

> Islam: An Historical Perspective

Islam: An Historical Perspective

Islam: An Historical Perspective

Syed Abul 'Ala Mawdudi

Source

Islam began when man's career on earth began more precisely at the time of man's creation and his descent. Allah created Adam and Eve and enjoined them to worship Him and live a life of obedience to the Divine Will.

O Man, turn to your Creator

>> O Man, turn to your Creator >> Time is not under your control. It is passing very fast. Reflect for a while, What are you doing here? You are just leading an aimless life. Have you ever considered : 1 - Who has created you? 2 - What is the purpose of your creation? 3 - Is your life on this earth temporary or permanent? 4- Is there any life after death? 5- Are you free to do here whatever you desire or answerable to someone? The true answers to the above questions are : 1- Almighty God has created you. 2- The purpose of your creation is to test you, whether you lead a life of obedience to God or obedience to your self or satan. 3- Your life on earth is temporary. 4- Yes, there is life after death. 5- Though Almighty God has given you freedom of choice, thought and action, but you are answerable to Almighty God for all your deeds. From the above, it is quite clear that the well-being of man lies in submitting to the will of Almighty God alone. In this way only he may expect to save himself from errors of judgement and action in this world and from the punishment of God in the Hereafter. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Why obey God ? There are two reasons: - First, He is your Creator, Sustainer and Master. - Second, He is the only being who possesses true knowledge of each and every thing. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Consider the following examples: Suppose you purchase an expensive machine along with a booklet ---An operational manual. What happens if you don't follow the do's and and don'ts mentioned in the booklet? Surely the machine will be destroyed. Similarly, man will be destroyed, if he does not follow the do's and don'ts mentioned in God's book---The Holy Quran. Because Almighty God is the real manufacturer of man. Suppose you are driving a car on a highway and a sign board warns: " Ahead is danger ". What happens if you ignore this warning ? Surely your life will be in danger. Similarly, your life will be in danger not only in this world but also in the Hereafter, if you ignore the warnings given in the Almighty God's book --- The Holy Quran. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * O Man, the life you are leading here is given by Almighty God. He has given you: - Freedom of choice. - Freedom of thought. - Freedom of action. In fact, He desires to test you, whether you obey Him or obey Satan. Do remember that : God is All-knowing and All-Seeing. If you commit a sin in the darkness of night, He knows it; He even knows your thoughts and intentions. you can hide from anyone but you can not hide anything from God. Therefore obey your Creator alone. Associate none with him. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * O Man, the time of death is fixed. It may come at any time. When the time of death comes, the time of test is over. Now you have to appear before God. You have to give an account of all your deeds to Almighty God. So be ready for this. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * World peace lies in man's submitting to the will of Almighty God. Otherwise : - No peace. - No justice. - No good living. - No Protection of men and women. - No Education. - No Treatment. - No Food - No Shelter. * * * * * * * * * * Today man claims: I am well educated, well qualified, can manage my life and therefore don't need guidance from God. Here man commits a blunder. The fact is: Man's knowledge is limited. Man by himself does not know what is good and what is evil. what is beneficial and what is harmful to him. History testifies: No man--- Yes no man --- in every age, has provided a "System of life" which can bring peace, justice and prosperity in human lives. On the contrary: " The System of life " sent by God through Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) can bring peace, justice and prosperity in the world if provided an opportunity to implement it in our society as it did fourteen hundred years ago. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Today Man is anxious, restless and supressed, thus living an uncomfortable life. This is due to the fact that man is under the complete grip of corporate. culture. Does he wants to get rid of this culture? The Way Out is: * * I S L A M . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * o man, your Master, your creator has given you a healthy mind. just think over these points: Why does God demands obedience from you? Does he need any thing from you? No, not al all. - He is not dependant on anyone for anything. Whatever is in the world belongs to Him alone. Then why ? - It is for the well-being and betterment of you only. God does not desire: - You grope in the darkness of ignorance. - You become slave to your desire and thus degrade yourself to the lowest of the low. Therefore He urges: You obey me and walk by the light I have sent through my messenger. you will find the straight path. By walking on it you will receive diginity in this world as well as in the Hereafter .( by Mohammed Jahangir Ali)

Some important sayings quoted by eminent Scholars :

>> Dhoondne wala sitaroun ki guzer gahon ka, Apne afkar ki dunya me safar kar na saka, Jisne suraj ki shuaon ko giriftar kiya, Zindagi ki shabe tareek saher kar na saka ( Allama Iqbal ) >> "Science has given us power fit for the gods, and to its use we bring the mentality of school boys and savages." (Prof. Joad) >> " we are in the middle of a race between human skill as to means and human folly as to ends, every increase in the skill required to achieve them is to the bad. The human race has survived hitherto owing to ignorance and incompetence: but, given knowledge and competence combined with folly, there can be no certainty of survival. Knowledge is power, but it is power for evil just as much as for good. It follows that unless man increases in wisdom as much as in knowledge, increase of knowledge will be increase of sorrow." (Impact of Science on Society, pp. 120-121 Bertrand Russell.) >> "We are taught to fly in the air like birds, and to swim in the water like fishes: but how to live on the earth we do not know." (Quoted by Joad in Counter Attack From the East, p. 28.) >> " A man of reason is bold enough to see the things as they are. " ( Prof. Joad ) <<