100 Questions on The Holy Quran....

1) What is the meaning of the word "Qur'an"?
A) That which is Read.

2) Where was the Qur'an revealed first?
A) In the cave of Hira (Makkah)

3) On which night was the Qur'an first revealed?
A) Lailatul-Qadr (Night of the Power)

4) Who revealed the Qur'an?
A) Allah revealed the Qur'an

5) Through whom was the Qur'an revealed?
A) Through Angel Jibraeel (Alaihis-Salaam)

6) To whom was the Qur'an revealed?
A) To the last Prophet, Muhammed (Sallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

7) Who took the responsibility of keeping the Qur'an safe?
A) Allah himself

8) What are the conditions for holding or touching the Qur'an?
A) One has to be clean and to be with wudhu (ablution)

9) Which is the book which is read most?
A) The Qur'an

10) What is the topic of the Qur'an?
A) Man

11) What are the other names of the Qur'an according to the Qur'an itself?
A) A l-Furqaan, Al-Kitaab, Al-Zikr, Al-Noor,Al-Huda

12) How many Makki Surahs (chapters) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 86

13) How many Madani Surahs (chapters) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 28

14) How many Manzils (stages) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 7

15) How many Paara or Juz (parts) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 30

16) How many Surahs (chapters) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 114

17) How many Rukoo (paragraphs) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 540

18) How many Aayaath (verses) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 6666

19) How many times is the word 'Allah' repeated in the Qur'an?
A) 2698

20) How many different types of Aayaath (verses) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 10

21) Who is the first 'Haafiz' of the Qur'an?
A) Prophet Muhammed (Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam)

22) At the time of the death of Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) how many Huffaz were there?
A) 22

23) How many Aayaath (verses) on Sajda (prostat ion) are there in the Qur'an?
A) 14

24) In which Paara (part) and Surah (chapter) do you find the first verse about Sajda (prostation) ?
A) 9th Paara, 7th Chapter-Surah- al-Araaf, Verse 206 11/7/08 امرین
conti.....
25) How many times has the Qur'an stressed about Salaat or Namaaz (prayer)?
A) 700 times

26) How many times has the Qur'an emphasized on alms or charity?
A) 150

27) How many times in the Qur'an, is the Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)
addressed asYaa-Aiyu-Han- Nabi?
A) 11 times

28) Where in the Qur'an has Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) been named 'Ahmed'?
A) Paara 28th, Surah Saff, Ayath 6th

29) How many times has the name of Rasool-ullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) been mentioned in the Qur'an?
A) Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)-4times Ahmed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)-1 time

30) Name the Prophet whose name is mentionedand discussed most in the Qur'an?
A) Moosa (Alahis-Salaam)

31) Who were the Kaathibe-Wahi (copyists of the revelations) of the Qur'an?
A) Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu), Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu), Ali (Radhiallahu Anhu),
Zaid Bin Harith(Radhiallahu Anhu) And Abdullah bin Masood(Radhiallahu Anhu)

32) Who was the first person who counted the Aayaath (verses) of the Qur'an?
A) Ayesha (Radhiallahu Anha)

33) On whose advice did Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu) decide to compile the Qur'an?
A) Omer Farooq(Radhiallahu Anhu)

34) On whose order was the Qur'an compiled completely in written form?
A) Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu)

35) Who confined the recitation of the Qur'an on the style of the Quraysh tribe?
A) Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu) 11/7/08 امرین
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36) Out of the copies of the Qur'an compiled by Usman (Radhiallahu Anhu), how many and where are they at present?
A) Only 2 copies. One in Tashkent and the other in Istanbul .

37) Which Surah of the Qur'an was Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) reciting while praying, that Hazrat Jabeer Bin Muth'im Listened to and embraced Islam?
A) Surah Thoor

38) Which was that Surah of the Qur'an which the Prophet Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had recited when one of his enemies Utba after listening to it fell in Sajda (prostation) ?
A) The first five Ayaaths of Ham-Meem-Sajda

39) Which is the first and the most ancient Mosque according to the Qur'an?
A) Kaaba

40) In Qur'an mankind is divided into two groups.Which are those two groups?
A) Believers and disbelievers

41) Who is the man about whom, Allah has said in the Qur'an that his body is kept as an admonishing
example for future generations to come?
A) Fir'aun. (Pharaoh)

42) Besides the body of Pharaoh, what is that thing which is kept as an admonishing example for future
generations to come?
A) Noah's Ark.

43) After the wreckage of Prophet Noah's Ark , which is its place of rest mentioned in theQur'an?
A) Cave of Judi.

44) In the Qur'an the name of whic h companion of Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is mentioned?
A) Zaid Bin Harith.

45) Who is the relative of the Prophet Muahmmed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)whose name is mentioned in the Qur'an?
A) Abu Lahab
46) In the Qur'an there is a mention of a Prophet who has been called by his mother's name. Who was he?
A) Jesus [Prophet Isa (Alahis salaam)] is mentioned as bn Maryam.

47) Which was the agreement that was titled Fath-hum-Mubeen' without fighting a battle?
A) Treaty of Hudaibiya

48) What are the different names used for Satan or Devil in the Qur'an?
A) Iblees and Ash-Shaitaan.

49) Which category of creature does the Qur'an put 'Iblees' into?
A) Jinn. 11/7/08 امرین
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50) What were those worships and prayers that were ordered by Allah to the community of Bani Israeel and
which were continued by the Muslim Ummah also?
A) Salaat and Zakaat. (Al-Baqarah: 43)

51) The Qur'an repeatedly warns of a certain day.Can you say which day it is?
A) Youmal Qiyamah.(Doomsday)

52) Who were those people with whom Allah was pleased and they were pleased with Him, as mentioned in the Qur'an?
A) Companions of Prophet Muhammed.(Sallallah u Alaihi Wasallam)

53) In which Holy Book of Non-Muslims the Qur'an mentioned repeatedly?
A) In the Holy Book of Sikh Community-Granth Saheb.

54) In which year were the vowels inserted in the Qur'an?
A) 43 Hijri.

55) Who were the first serious students of the Qur'an?
A) As-haabus Suffah.

56) Which is the first Residential University where the faculty of the Qur'an was established for the first time?
A) Masjid-e-Nabvi. [Mosque of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)]

57) By what name did the Qur'an address those noble and pious people who were selected by Allah to convey His
message to mankind?
A) Nabi (Prophet) and Rasool (Messenger).

58) What type of a person does the Qur'an want to make?
A) Momin.

59) What is the scale or measure of one's dignity according to the Qur'an?
A) Thaqwa. (Piety)

60) What according to the Qur'an is the root cause of the evil?
A) Alcohol.

61) What are the two most important types of kinds of Aayaat (Verses)found in the Qur'an?
A) Muhakamaat and muthashabihaath.

62) Which is the longest Surah (Chapter) in the Qur'an?
A) Surah-al-Baqarah.

63) Which is the smallest Surah in the Qur'an?
A) Surah-al-Kausar.

64) What was the age of Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) when Qur'an was first revealed to him
through Jibraeel (Alaihis-salaam) ?
A) 40 Years.

65) How long did Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) receive the revelation of the Qur'an in Makkah?
A) 13 Years. 11/7/08 امرین
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66) How long did Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) receive the revelation of the Qur'an in Madinah?
A) 10 Years.

67) Where was the first Surah revealed?
A) In Makkah.

68) Where was the last Surah revealed?
A) In Madinah.

69) How many years did it take for the complete revelation of the Qur'an?
A) 22 years,5 months and 14 days.

70) Which Surah(Chapter) of the Qur'an is to be read compulsorily in each raka'at of the Salaat (Namaaz)?
A) Surah-al-Fatihah.


71) Which is the Surah, which Allah taught as a Du'a(Prayer) ?
A) Surah-al-Fatihah.

72) What is the reason of keeping Surah-al-Fatihah in the beginning of the Qur'an?
A) It is the door to the Qur'an

73) What is the Surah (Chapter) revealed completely and found first place in the Qur'an?
A) Surah-al-Fatihah.

74) Who was the only lady whose personal name is found in the Qur'an?
A) Mariam(Alaihis- salaam).

75) In which Surah (Chapter) of the Qur'an do you find maximum instructions?
A) Surah-al-Baqarah.

76) When and Where did the Prophet Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and Jibraeel (Alaihis-salaam)
meet for the second time?
A) On Friday,18th Ramadan,in the Cave of Hira .

77) What was the interval between the first and the second revelation?
A) 2 years and six months.

78) Which is the Surah (Chapter) that does start without Bismillah?
A) Surah-al-Taubah or Bara'ath.

79) In which Surah (Chapter) of the Qur'an Bismillah is repeated twice?
A) Surah-al Naml.

80) How many Surah (Chapter) in the Qur'an have the titles named after different Prophets?
A) 6 Surahs (Chapters):
a) Surah-al-Yunus.
b)Surah-al-Hood.
c) Surah-al-Yusuf.
d) Surah-al-Ibraheem.
e)Surah-al-Nuh.
f) Surah-al-Muhammed. 11/7/08 امرین
conti.....
81) In which part of the Qur'an do you find 'Ayat-ul-Kursi' (Verse of the Throne)?
A) In the beginning of the third Part .(Chapter2-55)

82) How many different names of Allah are mentioned in the Qur'an?
A) 99

83) Who were the three non-prophets whose names are mentioned with due respect in the Qur'an?
A) Luqman,Aziz of Egypt and Zulqarnain.

84) At the time Abu Bakr (Radhiallahu Anhu) how many companions had compiled the Qur'an in the form of a book?
A) 75 companions.

85) Which is that only book which is completely memorized by millions of people in the world?
A) Al-Qur'an.

86) What did the Jinns who heard a few Aayaath Verses) of the Qur'an say to each other?
A) We have heard a unique discourse which shows the right path, verily we believe in it.

87) Which are the most popular translations of the Qur'an in English?
A) Translation by Muhammed Marmaduke Pickthall and by Allama Yusuf Ali.

88) Into how many languages of the world has the Holy Qur'an been translated?
A) Nearly 103 languages.

89) Who was the first translator of the Holy Qur'an into Urdu?
A) Moulana Shah Rafiuddin Muhaddis Dehlavi.

90) What will be our condition on 'The day of the Judgment' according to the Qur'an?
A) Everybody will be in a state of anxiety.

91) Who was the Prophet mentioned in the Qur'an whose three generations were prophets?
A) Ibraheem (Alaihis-salaam) .

92) What is that book which abolished all old rules and regulations?
A) Al-Qur'an.

93) What does the Qur'an say about property and wealth?
A) They are tests of one's faith.

94) According to the Qur'an who is "khaatamun Nabiyyeen" (the last of the Prophets)?
A) Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

95) What is the name of the book that tells us clearly about the reality of the beginning and the end of the world?
A) Al-Qur'an.

96) In the Qur'an what other name is given to the city of Makkah ?
A) Bakkah and Baladul Ameen. 11/7/08 امرین
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97) According to the Qur'an what other name is given to the city of Madinah ?
A) Yathrib.

98) Whose Generation is known as "Bani Israeel" according to the Qur'an?
A) The generation of Prophet Yaqoob(Alaihis salaam) who is also known as Israeel.

99) Which are the mosques that are mentioned in the Qur'an ?
a) Masjid-ul-Haram.
b) Masjid-ul-Zirar.
c) Masjid-ul-Nabawi.
d) Masjid-u l-Aqsa.
e) Masjid Quba.

100) The name of which angels are mentioned in the Qur'an?
a) Jibraeel Ameen.(Alaihis salaam)
b) Meekaeel.(Alaihis salaam)
c) Haroot.(Alaihis salaam)
d) Maroot.(Alaihis salaam)

Guys always speak highly of her &never talk trash about her.It will damage her reputation;yours and she'll possibly dump you.

CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM
Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Mohammed (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God, and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).


CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM
The Most Concise Definition of God:


The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:"Say: He is Allah, The One and Only."Allah, the Eternal, Absolute."He begets not, nor is He begotten.And there is none like unto Him." [Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.


The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:

"Say: He is Allah, The One and Only."Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
"He begets not, nor is He begotten.And there is none like unto Him."
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]



The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.


( Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology):


Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.


What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
India is often called the land of ‘god-men’. This is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. Many of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in many countries. Islam abhors deification of any human being. To understand the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.

Let us put this candidate, ‘Bhagwan’ Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the touchstone of theology


) The first criterion is "Say, He is Allah, one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only? No! Rajneesh was one among the multitude of ‘spiritual teachers’ produced by India. Some disciples of Rajneesh might still hold that Rajneesh is one and only


ii) The second criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s biography that he was suffering from diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache. He alleged that the U.S. Government gave him slow poison in prison. Imagine Almighty God being poisoned! Rajneesh was thus, neither absolute nor eternal


iii) The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh was born in Jabalpur in India and had a mother as well as a father who later became his disciples.

In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and established a town called ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He later fell foul of the West and was finally arrested and asked to leave the country. He came back to India and started a commune in Pune which is now known as the ‘Osho’ commune. He died in 1990. The followers of Osho Rajneesh believe that he is Almighty God. At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one can find the following epitaph on his tombstone:

"Osho – never born, never died; only visited the planet Earth between 11th December 1931 to 19th January 1990."


They forget to mention that he was not granted visa for 21 countries of the world. Can a person ever imagine ‘God’ visiting the earth, and requiring a visa to enter a country! The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and those of his disciples.


(iv)
The fourth test, which is the most stringent is, "There is none like unto Him". The moment you can imagine or compare ‘God’ to anything, then he (the candidate to divinity) is not God. It is not possible to conjure up a mental picture of the One True God. We know that Rajneesh was a human being, having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and a white flowing beard. Photographs and posters of Rajneesh are available in plenty. The moment you can imagine or draw a mental picture of an entity, then that entity is not God.

Many are tempted to make anthropomorphic comparisons of God. Take for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous body builder and Hollywood actor, who won the title of ‘Mr. Universe’, the strongest man in the world. Let us suppose that someone says that Almighty God is a thousand times stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The moment you can compare any entity to God, whether the comparison is to Schwarzenegger or to King Kong, whether it is a thousand times or a million times stronger, it fails the Qur’anic criterion, "There is none like unto Him".

Thus, the ‘acid test’ cannot be passed by anyone except the One True God.
The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys a similar message:


"No vision can grasp HimBut His grasp is overAll vision:

He is Above all comprehension,Yet is acquainted with all things."

[Al-Qur’an 6:103]



By what name do we call God?


The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, unlike the English word ‘God’, which can be played around with.


If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means someone who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty. Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we may have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places in this article.

God does not become a human being:
God does not take human form:
Some may argue that God does not become a human being but only takes a human form. If God only takes a human form but does not become a human being, He should not possess any human qualities. We know that all the ‘God-men’, have human qualities and failings. They have all the human needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc.


The worship of God in human form is therefore a logical fallacy and should be abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.

That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. The Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:
"There is nothing whatever like unto Him." [Al-Qur’an 42:11]


God does not perform ungodly acts:


The attributes of Almighty God preclude any evil since God is the source of justice, mercy and truth. God can never be thought of as doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot imagine God telling a lie, being unjust, making a mistake, forgetting things, or having any such human failings. Similarly God can do injustice if He chooses to, but He will never do it because being unjust is an ungodly act.
The Qur’an says:


"Allah is never unjust In the least degree."[Al-Qur’an 4:40]
God can be unjust if He chooses to be so, but the moment God does injustice, He ceases to be God.


God does not make mistakes


God can make mistakes if He wants to, but He does not make mistakes because making a mistake is an ungodly act. The Qur’an says:
"…my Lord never errs." [Holy Qur’an 20:52]


The moment God makes a mistake, he ceases to be God.
God does not forget
God can forget if He wants to. But God does not forget anything because forgetting is an ungodly act, which reeks of human limitations and failings.

The Qur’an says:
"…my Lord never errs, nor forgets."[Al-Qur’an 20:52]

God only performs Godly acts:


The Islamic concept of God is that God has power over all things. The Qur’an says in several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109; 2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):
"For verily Allah has power over all things"
Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:


"Allah is the doer of all that He intends."[Al-Qur’an 85:16]
We must keep in mind that Allah intends only Godly acts and not ungodly acts

PHILOSOPHY OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM


Many religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human. Their contention is that Almighty God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings. In order to set the rules for human beings, He came down to earth as a human. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages. Let us now analyze this argument and see if it stands to reason.


The Creator prepares the instruction manual:


Suppose I manufacture a video cassette recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR to know what is good or what is bad for the VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction manual: "In order to watch a video cassette, insert the cassette and press the play button. In order to stop, press the stop button. If you want to fast forward press the FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water or it will get spoilt". I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine.


Holy Qur’an is the instruction manual for the human being:
Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (swt) need not take human form to know what is good or bad for the human being. He chooses to reveal the instruction manual. The last and final instruction manual of the human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are mentioned in the Qur’an.


If you allow me to compare human beings with machines, I would say humans are more complicated than the most complex machines in the world. Even the most advanced computers, which are extremely complex, are pale in comparison to the myriad physical, psychological, genetic and social factors that affect individual and collective human life.


The more advanced the machine, greater is the need for its instruction manual. By the same logic, don’t human beings require an instruction manual by which to govern their own lives?


Allah chooses Messengers:


Allah (swt) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.
Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others. Is it not an insult to human intelligence and to the Creator who gave us this intelligence? Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ despite the faculty of hearing and sight given to them by Allah.

The Qur’an says:


"Deaf, dumb, and blind, They will not return (to the path)." [Al-Qur’an 2:18]
The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew:


"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." [The Bible, Matthew 13:13]


A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda.
"There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." 1 [Rigveda 10:71:4]


All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.
Attributes of God:
To Allah belong the most beautiful names:


The Qur’an says:
"Say: Call upon Allah, orCall upon Rahman:By whatever name you callUpon Him, (it is well):For to Him belongThe Most Beautiful Names." [Al-Qur’an 17:110]

A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).


The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Almighty Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.


Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:


Not only does God possess unique attributes, but also each attribute of Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him. I shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take an example of a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an astronaut. The attribute of being an astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong alone. So when one asks, who is an astronaut? The answer is, there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American. The attribute of being American possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not sufficient to identify him. So when one asks, who is an American? The answer is, there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon, the answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly the attribute of Almighty God should be unique. If I say God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but it is not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who is the creator of the universe, the answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Almighty Allah:

Ar-Raheem", the Most Merciful"

Ar-Rahman", the Most Gracious"

Al-Hakeem", the Most Wise
So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one answer: "Almighty Allah".


One attribute of God should not contradict with other attributes:
Besides the attribute being unique, it should not contradict other attributes. To continue with the earlier example, suppose somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut who was the first human to set foot on the moon and was an Indian. The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong of being the first man to set foot on the moon, is correct. But its associated quality of being an Indian, is false. Similarly if someone says that God is the Creator of the Universe and has one head, two hands, two feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the Universe) is correct but the associated quality (in the form of human being) is wrong and false.
All attributes should point to the one and same God:


Since there is only one God, all the attributes should point to one and the same God. To say that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who first set foot on the moon, but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both these unique qualities belong to one and the same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly to say that the Creator of the universe is one God and the Cherisher is another God is absurd because God possesses all these attributes combined together.


Unity of God:


Some polytheists argue by saying that the existence of more than one God is not illogical. Let us point out to them that if there were more than one God, they would dispute with one another, each god trying to fulfill his will against the will of the other gods. This can be seen in the mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic religions. If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to defeat the others, he is surely not the one true God. Also popular among polytheistic religions is the idea of many Gods, each having different responsibilities. Each one would be responsible for a part of man’s existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc. This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent of certain acts and moreover he is also ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties, functions and responsibilities. There cannot be an ignorant and incapable God. If there were more than one God it would surely lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and destruction in the universe. But the universe is in complete harmony. The Glorious Qur’an says


If there were, in the heavensAnd the earth, other godsBesides Allah, there wouldHave been confusion in both!But glory to Allah,The Lord of the Throne:(High is He) aboveWhat they attribute to Him!" [Al-Qur’an 21:22]

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created. The Qur’an says:

"No son did Allah beget,Nor is there any godAlong with Him: (if there were Many gods), behold, each godWould have taken awayWhat he had created,And some would haveLorded it over others!Glory to Allah! (He is free)From the (sort of) thingsThey attribute to Him!"[Al-Qur’an 23:91]


Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical concept of God.

TAWHEED:

Definition and Categories:
Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.

Tawheed can be divided into three categories.

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.

A.Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)
The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.
Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’ means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.


B.
Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):
The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five aspects:


i) Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet

Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.


ii) Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself

Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.


iii) Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation

In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as humans do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shura:

"There is nothingWhatever like unto Him,And He is the OneThat hears and sees (all things)." [Al-Qur’an 42:11]

Hearing and seeing are human faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine Being they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.


iv) God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes
To refer to a human with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).


v) Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures
Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden


C. Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):


i) Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:
‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship


ii) All three categories to be followed simultaneously.

Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:

"Say: ‘Who is it thatSustains you (in life)From the sky and from the earth?Or who is it that Has power over hearingAnd sight? And whoIs it that brings outThe living from the deadAnd the dead from the living?And who is it thatRules and regulates all affairs?’They will soon say, ‘Allah’.Say, ‘Will you not thenShow piety (to Him)?’ " [Al-Qur’an 10:31]

similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:
"If thou ask them, WhoCreated them, they willCertainly say, ‘Allah’: howThen are they deludedAway (from the Truth)?" [Al-Qur’an 43:87]

The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).
"And most of themBelieve not in AllahWithout associating (othersAs partners) with Him!" [Al-Qur’an 12:106]

Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.


SHIRK:

A. Definition:The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of tawheed or deficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk',which means 'to evade'

‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry


B. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive:

The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’:
"Allah forgives notThat partners should be set upWith Him; but He forgivesAnything else, to whomHe pleases; to set upPartners with AllahIs to devise a sinMost heinous indeed." [Al-Qur’an 4:48]

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not(The sin of) joining other godsWith Him; but He forgivesWhom He pleases other sinsThan this: one who joinsOther gods with Allah,Has strayed far, far away(From the Right)." [Al-Qur’an 4:116]


C. Shirk leads to hell fire:

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:

"They do blaspheme who say:‘Allah is Christ the sonOf Mary.’ But said Christ:‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my LordAnd your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah – Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the FireWill be his abode. There will for the wrongdoersBe no one to help." [Al-Qur’an 5:72]


D. Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:

The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:

Say: "O people of the Book! Come To common terms As between us and you:That we worship none but Allah;That we associate no partners with Him;That we erect not, from among ourselves,Lords and patrons other than Allah."If then they turn back,Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)." [Al-Qur’an 3:64]

The Glorious Qur’an says:
"And if all the trees on earth were pensAnd the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind itTo add to its (supply), yet would not the WordsOf Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for AllahIs Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom." [Al-Qur’an 31:27]

Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Almighty God

An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"O men! Here isA parable set forth!Listen to it! ThoseOn whom, besides Allah,You call, cannot create(Even) a fly, if they allMet together for the purpose!And if the fly should snatchAway anything from them,They would have no powerTo release it from the fly.Feeble are those who petitionAnd those whom they petition!" [Al-Qur’an 22:73]

The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?

I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us towards the Truth (Aameen).





Posted by Siddiq Kinnigoli at 1:11 PM 0 comments
CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY
Christianity is a Semitic religion, which claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents all over the world. Christianity owes its name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). The Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the Christians:


a) The Bible is divided into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the Jews and contains records of all the prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus (pbuh).

The New Testament contains records of the life of Jesus (pbuh).


b) The complete Bible, i.e. the Old Testament and the New Testament put together, contains 73 books. However, the Protestant Bible i.e. the King James Version, contains only 66 books as they consider 7 books of the Old Testament to be apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority.

Therefore the Old Testament of the Catholics, contains 46 books and that of the Protestants, 39 books. However the New Testament of both these sects contains 27 books.



CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY



Position of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam:

(i)
Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus (pbuh). No Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus (pbuh).

(ii)
We believe that he was one of the mightiest Messengers of Allah (swt).

(iii)
We believe that he was born miraculously, without any male intervention, which many modern day Christians do not believe.

(iv)
We believe he was the Messiah translated Christ (pbuh).


(v)
We believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission.

(iv)
We believe that he healed those born blind, and the lepers with God’s permission.

II
CONCEPT OF GOD IN CHRISTIANITY:

1.
Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed Divinity

One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly is the parting of ways? The major difference between Islam and Christianity is the Christians’ insistence on the supposed divinity of Christ (pbuh). A study of the Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity. In fact there is not a single unequivocal statement in the entire Bible where Jesus (pbuh) himself says, "I am God" or where he says, "worship me". In fact the Bible contains statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in which he preached quite the contrary. The following statements in the Bible are attributed to Jesus Christ (pbuh):

(i) "My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]

(ii) "My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]

(iii) "…I cast out devils by the Spirit of God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]

(iv) "…I with the finger of God cast out devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]

(v) "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]


2.
The Mission of Jesus Christ (pbuh) – to Fulfill the Law

Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity for himself. He clearly announced the nature of his mission. Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God to confirm the previous Judaic law. This is clearly evident in the following statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in the Gospel of Mathew:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
[The Bible, Mathew 5:17-20]


3.
God Sent Jesus' (pbuh)

The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses:

(i)
"… and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me."
[The Bible, John 14:24]


(ii)
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent."
[The Bible, John 17:3]


4.
Jesus Refuted even the Remotest Suggestion of his Divinity

Consider the following incident mentioned in the Bible:

"And behold, one came and said unto him, ‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?’

And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.’ "
[The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17]

Jesus (pbuh) did not say that to have the eternal life of paradise, man should believe in him as Almighty God or worship him as God, or believe that Jesus (pbuh) would die for his sins. On the contrary he said that the path to salvation was through keeping the commandments. It is indeed striking to note the difference between the words of Jesus Christ (pbuh) and the Christian dogma of salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus (pbuh).


5.
Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth – a Man Approved of God

The following statement from the Bible supports the Islamic belief that Jesus (pbuh) was a prophet of God.

"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know."
[The Bible, Acts 2:22]


6.
The First Commandment is that God is One

The Bible does not support the Christian belief in trinity at all. One of the scribes once asked Jesus (pbuh) as to which was the first commandment of all, to which Jesus (pbuh) merely repeated what Moses (pbuh) had said earlier:

"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adonai Ikhad."

This is a Hebrew quotation, which means:

"Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord."
[The Bible, Mark 12:29]

It is striking that the basic teachings of the Church such as Trinity and vicarious atonement find no mention in the Bible. In fact, various verses of the Bible point to Jesus’ (pbuh) actual mission, which was to fulfill the law revealed to Prophet Moses (pbuh). Indeed Jesus (pbuh) rejected any suggestions that attributed divinity to him, and explained his miracles as the power of the One True God.

Jesus (pbuh) thus reiterated the message of monotheism that was given by all earlier prophets of Almighty God.


NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken from the King James Version.

III
CONCEPT OF GOD IN OLD TESTAMENT:

1.
God is One

The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh):

"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna Ikhad".
It is a Hebrew quotation which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord"
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]


2.
Unity of God in the Book of Isaiah

The following verses are from the Book of Isaiah:

(i)
"I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]


(ii)
"I am Lord, and there is none else, there is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45:5]


(iii)
"I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]


3.
Old Testament condemns idol worship


(i)
Old Testament condemns idol worship in the following verses:

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:"

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]


(ii)
A similar message is repeated in the book of Deuteronomy:

"Thou shalt have none other gods before me."

"Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that in the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth."

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]
Posted by Siddiq Kinnigoli at 12:07 PM 0 comments
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM

1. Common Concept of God in Hinduism:

Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple Gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i.e. 330 million Gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe in and worship only one God.

The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus’ belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and Sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the sun as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!

Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word ‘God’ with an apostrophe ‘s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belong to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.

Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is God. The Muslim says everything is God’s.

2. Concept of God according to Hindu Scriptures:

We can gain a better understanding of the concept of God in Hinduism by analysing Hindu scriptures. BHAGAVAD GITA
The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita.
Consider the following verse from the Gita:
"Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures." [Bhagavad Gita 7:20]

The Gita states that people who are materialistic worship demigods i.e. ‘gods’ besides the True God.

UPANISHADS:
The Upanishads are considered sacred scriptures by the Hindus.
The following verses from the Upanishads refer to the Concept of God:
"Ekam evadvitiyam""He is One only without a second." [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]

1"Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah.""Of Him there are neither parents nor lord." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]

2"Na tasya pratima asti""There is no likeness of Him." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]

3 The following verses from the Upanishad allude to the inability of man to imagine God in a particular form:
"Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam."
"His form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye." [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]

4
1[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448][Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanishads part I’ page 93]

2[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745][Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page 263.]

3[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737][Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]

4[The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737][Sacred Books of the East, volume 15, ‘The Upanishads part II’ page no 253]



THE VEDASVedas are considered the most sacred of all the Hindu scriptures. There are four principal Vedas: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samveda and Atharvaveda.


YajurvedaThe following verses from the Yajurveda echo a similar concept of God:
"na tasya pratima asti"There is no image of Him."[Yajurveda 32:3]5

"shudhama poapvidham""He is bodyless and pure." [Yajurveda 40:8]6
"Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste""They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements" (Air, Water, Fire, etc.). "They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti."[Yajurveda 40:9]7

Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol, etc.
The Yajurveda contains the following prayer: "Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wander."[Yajurveda 40:16]8

5[Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]

6[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]

7[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith page 538]

8[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith page 541]

AtharvavedaThe Atharvaveda praises God in Book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3:

"Dev maha osi""God is verily great"[Atharvaveda 20:58:3]9

Rigveda

The oldest of all the vedas is Rigveda. It is also the one considered most sacred by the Hindus. The Rigveda states in Book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46:"Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names." [Rigveda 1:164:46]


The Rigveda gives several different attributes to Almighty God. Many of these are mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1.Among the various attributes of God, one of the beautiful attributes mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3, is Brahma. Brahma means ‘The Creator’. Translated into Arabic it means Khaaliq. Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Khaaliq or ‘Creator’ or Brahma. However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads with each head having a crown, Muslims take strong exception to it.Describing Almighty God in anthropomorphic terms also goes against the following verse of Yajurveda: "Na tasya Pratima asti""There is no image of Him." [Yajurveda 32:3]

Another beautiful attribute of God mentioned in the Rigveda Book II hymn 1 verse 3 is Vishnu. Vishnu means ‘The Sustainer’. Translated into Arabic it means Rabb. Again, Muslims can have no objection if Almighty God is referred to as Rabb or 'Sustainer' or Vishnu. But the popular image of

9[Atharveda Samhita vol 2 William Dwight Whitney page 910]

Vishnu among Hindus, is that of a God who has four arms, with one of the right arms holding the Chakra, i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a ‘conch shell’, or riding a bird or reclining on a snake couch. Muslims can never accept any image of God. As mentioned earlier this also goes against Svetasvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19.

"Na tasya pratima asti""There is no likeness of Him"
The following verse from the Rigveda Book 8, hymn 1, verse 1 refer to the Unity and Glory of the Supreme Being:

"Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata""O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone." [Rigveda 8:1:1]10

"Devasya samituk parishtutih""Verily, great is the glory of the Divine Creator."[Rigveda 5:1:81]11Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:

The Brahma Sutra of Hinduism is:
"Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan"
"There is only one God, not the second; not at all, not at all, not in the least bit."
Thus only a dispassionate study of the Hindu scriptures can help one understand the concept of God in Hinduism.
0[Rigveda Samhita vol. 9, pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]11[Rigveda Samhita vol. 6, pages 1802 and 1803 by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]

as from the sun." The Prophecy confirms:
The name of the Prophet as Ahmed since Ahmed is an Arabic name. Many translators misunderstood it to be ‘Ahm at hi’ and translated the mantra as "I alone have acquired the real wisdom of my father".
Prophet was given eternal law, i.e. the Shariah.
The Rishi was enlightened by the Shariah of Prophet Muhammad. The Qur’an says in Surah Saba Chapter 34 verse 28 (34:28):

"We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not."

Posted by Siddiq Kinnigoli at 12:00 PM 0 comments
Islam
Islam

Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Mohammed (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God, and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).

CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM
The Most Concise Definition of God:
The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:"Say: He is Allah, The One and Only."Allah, the Eternal, Absolute."He begets not, nor is He begotten.And there is none like unto Him." [Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.

The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:"Say: He is Allah, The One and Only."Allah, the Eternal, Absolute."He begets not, nor is He begotten.And there is none like unto Him." [Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.

Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:

Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.
What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?

India is often called the land of ‘god-men’. This is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. Many of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in many countries. Islam abhors deification of any human being. To understand the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.
Let us put this candidate, ‘Bhagwan’ Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the touchstone of theology:

i) The first criterion is "Say, He is Allah, one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only? No! Rajneesh was one among the multitude of ‘spiritual teachers’ produced by India. Some disciples of Rajneesh might still hold that Rajneesh is one and only.

ii) The second criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s biography that he was suffering from diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache. He alleged that the U.S. Government gave him slow poison in prison. Imagine Almighty God being poisoned! Rajneesh was thus, neither absolute nor eternal.

iii) The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh was born in Jabalpur in India and had a mother as well as a father who later became his disciples.
In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and established a town called ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He later fell foul of the West and was finally arrested and asked to leave the country. He came back to India and started a commune in Pune which is now known as the ‘Osho’ commune. He died in 1990. The followers of Osho Rajneesh believe that he is Almighty God. At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one can find the following epitaph on his tombstone:

"Osho – never born, never died; only visited the planet Earth between 11th December 1931 to 19th January 1990."They forget to mention that he was not granted visa for 21 countries of the world. Can a person ever imagine ‘God’ visiting the earth, and requiring a visa to enter a country! The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and those of his disciples.

(iv) The fourth test, which is the most stringent is, "There is none like unto Him". The moment you can imagine or compare ‘God’ to anything, then he (the candidate to divinity) is not God. It is not possible to conjure up a mental picture of the One True God. We know that Rajneesh was a human being, having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and a white flowing beard. Photographs and posters of Rajneesh are available in plenty. The moment you can imagine or draw a mental picture of an entity, then that entity is not God.

Many are tempted to make anthropomorphic comparisons of God. Take for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous body builder and Hollywood actor, who won the title of ‘Mr. Universe’, the strongest man in the world. Let us suppose that someone says that Almighty God is a thousand times stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The moment you can compare any entity to God, whether the comparison is to Schwarzenegger or to King Kong, whether it is a thousand times or a million times stronger, it fails the Qur’anic criterion, "There is none like unto Him".
Thus, the ‘acid test’ cannot be passed by anyone except the One True God.
The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys a similar message:
"No vision can grasp HimBut His grasp is overAll vision: He is Above all comprehension,Yet is acquainted with all things." [Al-Qur’an 6:103]

By what name do we call God?
The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, unlike the English word ‘God’, which can be played around with.

If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means someone who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty. Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we may have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places in this article.
God does not become a human being:


God does not take human form:

Some may argue that God does not become a human being but only takes a human form. If God only takes a human form but does not become a human being, He should not possess any human qualities. We know that all the ‘God-men’, have human qualities and failings. They have all the human needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc.

The worship of God in human form is therefore a logical fallacy and should be abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.
That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. The Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:
"There is nothing whatever like unto Him." [Al-Qur’an 42:11]

God does not perform ungodly acts:
The attributes of Almighty God preclude any evil since God is the source of justice, mercy and truth. God can never be thought of as doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot imagine God telling a lie, being unjust, making a mistake, forgetting things, or having any such human failings. Similarly God can do injustice if He chooses to, but He will never do it because being unjust is an ungodly act.

The Qur’an says:
"Allah is never unjust In the least degree."[Al-Qur’an 4:40]
God can be unjust if He chooses to be so, but the moment God does injustice, He ceases to be God.
God does not make mistakes
God can make mistakes if He wants to, but He does not make mistakes because making a mistake is an ungodly act. The Qur’an says:
"…my Lord never errs." [Holy Qur’an 20:52]
The moment God makes a mistake, he ceases to be God.
God does not forget
God can forget if He wants to. But God does not forget anything because forgetting is an ungodly act, which reeks of human limitations and failings. The Qur’an says:
"…my Lord never errs, nor forgets."[Al-Qur’an 20:52]

God only performs Godly acts:
The Islamic concept of God is that God has power over all things. The Qur’an says in several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109; 2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):
"For verily Allah has power over all things"

Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:
"Allah is the doer of all that He intends."[Al-Qur’an 85:16]
We must keep in mind that Allah intends only Godly acts and not ungodly acts.
PHILOSOPHY OF ANTHROPOMORPHISM
Many religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human. Their contention is that Almighty God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings. In order to set the rules for human beings, He came down to earth as a human. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages. Let us now analyze this argument and see if it stands to reason.

The Creator prepares the instruction manual:
Suppose I manufacture a video cassette recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR to know what is good or what is bad for the VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction manual: "In order to watch a video cassette, insert the cassette and press the play button. In order to stop, press the stop button. If you want to fast forward press the FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water or it will get spoilt". I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine.

Holy Qur’an is the instruction manual for the human being:
Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (swt) need not take human form to know what is good or bad for the human being. He chooses to reveal the instruction manual. The last and final instruction manual of the human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are mentioned in the Qur’an.

If you allow me to compare human beings with machines, I would say humans are more complicated than the most complex machines in the world. Even the most advanced computers, which are extremely complex, are pale in comparison to the myriad physical, psychological, genetic and social factors that affect individual and collective human life.

The more advanced the machine, greater is the need for its instruction manual. By the same logic, don’t human beings require an instruction manual by which to govern their own lives?
Allah chooses Messengers:
Allah (swt) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.
Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others. Is it not an insult to human intelligence and to the Creator who gave us this intelligence? Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ despite the faculty of hearing and sight given to them by Allah. The Qur’an says:
"Deaf, dumb, and blind, They will not return (to the path)." [Al-Qur’an 2:18]
The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew:
"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."
[The Bible, Matthew 13:13]

A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda.
"There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." 1 [Rigveda 10:71:4]

All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.
Attributes of God:

To Allah belong the most beautiful names:
The Qur’an says:
"Say: Call upon Allah, orCall upon Rahman:By whatever name you callUpon Him, (it is well):For to Him belongThe Most Beautiful Names." [Al-Qur’an 17:110]
A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).

The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Almighty Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.

Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:
Not only does God possess unique attributes, but also each attribute of Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him. I shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take an example of a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an astronaut. The attribute of being an astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong alone. So when one asks, who is an astronaut? The answer is, there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American. The attribute of being American possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not sufficient to identify him. So when one asks, who is an American? The answer is, there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon, the answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly the attribute of Almighty God should be unique. If I say God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but it is not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who is the creator of the universe, the answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Almighty Allah:

"Ar-Raheem", the Most Merciful"Ar-Rahman", the Most Gracious"Al-Hakeem", the Most Wise
So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one answer: "Almighty Allah".

One attribute of God should not contradict with other attributes:
Besides the attribute being unique, it should not contradict other attributes. To continue with the earlier example, suppose somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut who was the first human to set foot on the moon and was an Indian. The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong of being the first man to set foot on the moon, is correct. But its associated quality of being an Indian, is false. Similarly if someone says that God is the Creator of the Universe and has one head, two hands, two feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the Universe) is correct but the associated quality (in the form of human being) is wrong and false.

All attributes should point to the one and same God:

Since there is only one God, all the attributes should point to one and the same God. To say that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who first set foot on the moon, but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both these unique qualities belong to one and the same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly to say that the Creator of the universe is one God and the Cherisher is another God is absurd because God possesses all these attributes combined together.

Unity of God:

Some polytheists argue by saying that the existence of more than one God is not illogical. Let us point out to them that if there were more than one God, they would dispute with one another, each god trying to fulfill his will against the will of the other gods. This can be seen in the mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic religions. If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to defeat the others, he is surely not the one true God. Also popular among polytheistic religions is the idea of many Gods, each having different responsibilities. Each one would be responsible for a part of man’s existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc. This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent of certain acts and moreover he is also ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties, functions and responsibilities. There cannot be an ignorant and incapable God. If there were more than one God it would surely lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and destruction in the universe. But the universe is in complete harmony.
The Glorious Qur’an says:
"If there were, in the heavensAnd the earth, other godsBesides Allah, there wouldHave been confusion in both!But glory to Allah,The Lord of the Throne:(High is He) aboveWhat they attribute to Him!" [Al-Qur’an 21:22]

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created.
The Qur’an says:

"No son did Allah beget,Nor is there any godAlong with Him: (if there were Many gods), behold, each godWould have taken awayWhat he had created,And some would haveLorded it over others!Glory to Allah! (He is free)From the (sort of) thingsThey attribute to Him!
"[Al-Qur’an 23:91]

Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical concept of God.


TAWHEED:
Definition and Categories:
Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.
Tawheed can be divided into three categories.
1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.

A.Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)
The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.

Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’ means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.

B.Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):
The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five aspects:

(i) Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet

Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.

(ii) Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself

Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.

(iii) Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation

In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as humans do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shura:
"There is nothingWhatever like unto Him,And He is the OneThat hears and sees (all things)." [Al-Qur’an 42:11]
Hearing and seeing are human faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine Being they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.

(iv) God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes

To refer to a human with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).

(v) Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures

Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.

C. Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):



(i) Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:

‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship.

(ii) All three categories to be followed simultaneously.

Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the Qur’an:
"Say: ‘Who is it thatSustains you (in life)From the sky and from the earth?Or who is it that Has power over hearingAnd sight? And whoIs it that brings outThe living from the deadAnd the dead from the living?And who is it thatRules and regulates all affairs?’They will soon say, ‘Allah’.Say, ‘Will you not thenShow piety (to Him)?’ " [Al-Qur’an 10:31]
A similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:
"If thou ask them, WhoCreated them, they willCertainly say, ‘Allah’: howThen are they deludedAway (from the Truth)?" [Al-Qur’an 43:87]
The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).

"And most of themBelieve not in AllahWithout associating (othersAs partners) with Him!" [Al-Qur’an 12:106]

Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.

SHIRK:

A. Definition:The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of tawheed or deficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk',which means 'to evade'

‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry.

B. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive:

The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives notThat partners should be set upWith Him; but He forgivesAnything else, to whomHe pleases; to set upPartners with AllahIs to devise a sinMost heinous indeed."
[Al-Qur’an 4:48]

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not(The sin of) joining other godsWith Him; but He forgivesWhom He pleases other sinsThan this: one who joinsOther gods with Allah,Has strayed far, far away(From the Right)." [Al-Qur’an 4:116]

C. Shirk leads to hell fire:

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:
"They do blaspheme who say:‘Allah is Christ the sonOf Mary.’ But said Christ:‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my LordAnd your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah – Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the FireWill be his abode. There will for the wrongdoersBe no one to help." [Al-Qur’an 5:72]

D. Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:

The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:
Say: "O people of the Book! Come To common terms As between us and you:That we worship none but Allah;That we associate no partners with Him;That we erect not, from among ourselves,Lords and patrons other than Allah."If then they turn back,Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)." [Al-Qur’an 3:64]

The Glorious Qur’an says:
"And if all the trees on earth were pensAnd the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind itTo add to its (supply), yet would not the WordsOf Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for AllahIs Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom." [Al-Qur’an 31:27]

Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Almighty God.
An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images.

The Glorious Qur’an says:
"O men! Here isA parable set forth!Listen to it! ThoseOn whom, besides Allah,You call, cannot create(Even) a fly, if they allMet together for the purpose!And if the fly should snatchAway anything from them,They would have no powerTo release it from the fly.Feeble are those who petitionAnd those whom they petition!" [Al-Qur’an 22:73]

The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance.

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?
I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us towards the Truth (Aameen)

Posted by Siddiq Kinnigoli at 11:07 AM 0 comments
Labels: major religion and its teaching :-
Islamic Banking course
The Aligarh Muslim University has decided to start a post graduate Diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance from the next academic session. The course will be offered by the Department of Business Administration. The University also intends to start similar Diploma in Islamic Insurance and 2-year Masters course in Islamic Finance. The proposed course will cater to ever-increasing demand of trained personnel in the Islamic Banking. The courses start following recommendation of a 3-member committee appointed by the AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor P. K. Abdul Azis to work out the feasibility of courses on Islamic Banking and Finance including the possibility of establishing a new department for the subject. The committee report gives detailed course outlines for the one year post graduate diploma in Islamic Banking and Finance. Five compulsory courses covering neoclassical economics, accounting, management, Islamic economics and Islamic finance will be followed by three optional courses relating to Islamic Bonds (Sukuk), Islamic Insurance(Takaful), Islamic Asset and Fund Management, Islamic Microfinance, etc. Besides classroom teaching there will be a 6-8 weeks summer training in a professional organization in the field of Islamic banking, finance investment or in any related area. This will be based on a project leading to a dissertation. Only students with a graduate degree will be admitted in the PG Diploma. Twenty per cent seats will be reserved for students who had madrassa education along with graduation. The Committee has recommended an intake of 20 students to be raised later on to 30. Admissions will be based on a written test on the pattern of MBA admission test in AMU carrying 200 marks, followed by group discussion and personal interviews of those qualifying in the written test. The Report has recommended an informal International Advisory Board to ensure quality. The Committee had wide consultations in preparation of the syllabi and other details involving such institutions as Harvard University Islamic Finance Forum, The Islamic Research and Training Institute of the Islamic Development Bank, University of Durham, UK, National Commercial Bank, Saudi Arabia and several Islamic Scholars of repute.
Posted by Siddiq Kinnigoli at 11:06 AM 0 comments
Art and Culture
Unity in Diversity:
August 15th 2008 saw many enthusiastic groups of people celebrating the nation’s Independence Day all over the country. The boys of Wisdom High School, Viveknagar, however presented a rare but memorable spectacle of peace and harmony on this auspicious day.The honorable priest M.Venu, VSM who is also the recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Award and the Dronacharya Award and father Deva Das of the Infant Jesus Church and Maulana Tajuddin, the Imam of Masjid-e-Meraj, Viveknagar graced the occasion and hoisted the national flag together and delivered a strong message that all Indians are united and shall be united forever. Mr Amjad Baig, Campus Director of Wisdom High School, also graced the occasion and encouraged the students to treasure the motherland and its hard-won freedom by being worthy citizens of the nation.What was really worth noting and praising was indeed the enthusiasm and perfection with which the boys delivered inspiring talks in Kannada, English and Hindi to their fellow students about the freedom struggle. Some of them donned special attires to depict the famous freedom fighters and by repeating their precious slogans touched the hearts of one and all present at the occasion.The most gracious and touching event of the day was the presence of three leaders of different religions. They jointly hoisted the National Flag to convey a message that we need to respect and love each other and unitedly work for the progress of our motherland.They together conveyed the message. Love and tolerance for each other alone can make India and Indians great!

dost

ज़मीन, ना सितारे, ना चाँद, ना रात चाहिए,
दिल मे मेरे, बसने वाला किसी दोस्त का प्यार चाहिए,

ना दुआ, ना खुदा, ना हाथों मे कोई तलवार चाहिए,
मुसीबत मे किसी एक प्यारे साथी का हाथों मे हाथ चाहिए,

कहूँ ना मै कुछ, समझ जाए वो सब कुछ,
दिल मे उस के, अपने लिए ऐसे जज़्बात चाहिए,

उस दोस्त के चोट लगने पर हम भी दो आँसू बहाने का हक़ रखें,
और हमारे उन आँसुओं को पोंछने वाला उसी का रूमाल चाहिए,

मैं तो तैयार हूँ हर तूफान को तैर कर पार करने के लिए,
बस साहिल पर इन्तज़ार करता हुआ एक सच्चा दिलदार चाहिए,

उलझ सी जाती है ज़िन्दगी की किश्ती दुनिया की बीच मँझदार मे,
इस भँवर से पार उतारने के लिए किसी के नाम की पतवार चाहिए,

अकेले कोई भी सफर काटना मुश्किल हो जाता है,
मुझे भी इस लम्बे रास्ते पर एक अदद हमसफर चाहिए,

यूँ तो 'मित्र' का तमग़ा अपने नाम के साथ लगा कर घूमता हूँ,
पर कोई, जो कहे सच्चे मन से अपना दोस्त, ऐसा एक दोस्त चाहिए

दो कदम तो सभी साथ चलते है
जिन्दगी भर कोई साथ निभाहता नहीं
अगर रोकर भुलाई जाती यादे
तो हसकर कोई गम छुपता नहीं

जरुरत नहीं पडती, दोस्त की तस्वीर की.
देखो जो आईना तो दोस्त

कितनी जल्दी ये मुलाक़ात गुज़र जाती है
प्यास भुजती नही बरसात गुज़र जाती है
अपनी यादों से कह दो कि यहाँ न आया करे
नींद आती नही और रात गुज़र जाती है

महफिल न सही तन्हाई तो मिलती है,
मिलन न सही जुदाई तो मिलती है,
कौन कहता है मोहब्बत में कुछ नही मिलता,
वफ़ा न सही बेवफाई तो मिलती है

ज़िंदगी हमेशा पाने के लिए नही होती,
हर बात समझाने के लिए नही होती,
याद तो अक्सर आती है आप की,
लकिन हर याद जताने के लिए नही होती

Dosti k is tohfe ko kabul kar lijiye,
Dil k har gum ko dur kar lijiye,
Jab hum hain to kya gum hai,
Dil se muskurane k liye hume yad kar lijiye.

Kyu Hame Kisiki Talash Hoti Hai,
Kyu Dil Ko Kisiki Aas Hoti Hai,
Chand Ko Dekho yo bhi Tanha Hai,
Fir bhi Uski Chandni Se Roshan Raat Hoti Hai.


Zindgi Itne Dard Deti Hai,
Dil Me Fir bhi "UMMEED" Rehti Hai,
Dil Kehta Hai Wo Nahin Yaad Karte Honge,
Par Wo Yaad Karte Honge "UMMEED" Kehti Hai.

Dil se roye magar hotho se muskura bethe,
Yun hi hum kisi se wafa nibha bethe,
Wo hume 1 lamha na de paye apne pyar ka,
Aur hum unk liye zindgi luta bethe.

YE PYARI NIGAHEIN

Ye pyari nigahein yaad rahengi,
milkar na milne ki ada yaad rahegi,
mumkin nahi ki main tumhe bhula dun,
aur umar bhar tumhe bhi meri yaad rahegi

ZAMANE SE NAHIN HUM TANHAI SE

Zamane se nahi Hum Tanhai se darte hai,
Pyar se nahi Hum Ruswai se darte hai.
Milne ki Umang to bahut hoti hai,
lekin milne ke baad teri Judai se darte hai.....

GAM NE HANSNE NA DIA

gam ne hasne na diya zamane ne rone na diya,
is uljjan ne chain se jine na diya.
thak ke jab sitaro se panah li,
neend ayi to teri yaado ne sone na diya.

JISKI AARZOO THI

jiski aarzoo thi woh dilbar na mila,
barso jiska intazar kiya woh pal na mila.
ajib khel hai ye muhobbat ka,
kisiko hum na mile to koi humko na mila.

I CLOSE MY EYES

I close my eyes and try to go to sleep,
But with the sadness inside I begin to weep.
Suddenly I remember what you once said to me,
Just meet me in the stars, waiting for you I will be>

IS SHAM MERE LAB PAR

IS SHAAM MERE LAB PAR TERA NAAM NA AAYE,
KHUDA KARE AISI SHAAM NA AAYE....
AYE JAAN-E-SHAHIL YE KABHI MUMKIN HI NAHIN,
MAIN GHAZAL LIKHUN AUR TERA NAAM NA AAYE.

PYAR KI BAT NA KARO

pyar ki baat naa karo aye dosto,
bahoot hi jakham khaaye hai humne ismein.
iski raah mein chal kar to dekho dosto,
kaante hi kaante bichhaye hai khuda ne ismein.