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Purpose of Creation - Part 1 - From the Perspective of the Creator

This question arises in the mind of every individual sometime or the other irrespective whether he is rich or poor, king or cooper, black or white, whether he lives in USA or India. Most of the human beings think that there has to be a Supreme Creator, Almighty God and because of Him we are here. However there is a small minority who do not believe in the existence of the Creator, Almighty God. They assume that the whole world has come into existence by chance and we human  beings too have come into existence by chance. Suppose you see the footprints of a person on the beach, immediately a logical person thinks that these footprints have been created by the walking of a person. A logical person will not assume that the footprints came into existence by chance or that the waves created the footprints.


The question of the purpose of creation can be answered from two perspectives.

1 - The perspective of the Creator, the Almighty God:

2 - The perspective of the Creation, the Human beings:

Those who do not believe in the existence of Almighty God and believe that we have come into this world by mere chance. According to this philosophy, there is no difference between the human beings and the other creations; there is no difference between human beings and animals. All have come by chance. These people do not have any particular purpose of life at all. They do not have a purpose for existence. They live the same way as animals. They eat, drink, sleep and procreate. Therefore they strive for excellence in eating, drinking, sleeping and procreating. They become materialistic and materialism becomes their god. Because of this such people create drugs and weapons of mass destruction to make a better living. They involve in pornography, fornication, adultery and homosexuality. It doesn't make any difference to them as to what they create or what they involve themselves in because they only believe in materialism.

1 - Purpose of Creation from the perspective of the Creator, the Almighty God:

Almighty God says in the Qur'an in Sura al Ghafir Chapter 40 Verse 57, "the creations of the heavens and the earth are far greater than the creation of the human being, but most of the human beings realize it not." Many human beings say that we are the greatest of the creations, but Almighty God says that the creations of heavens and earth are far greater, but the human beings do not realize it. One of the attributes of Almighty God is 'The Creator, The Best Creator' and Almighty God says in the Qur'an in Sura al Mominun Chapter 23 Verse 21, "Almighty God is the best to create." Since one of the attributes of God is 'the Creator', there must be a creation of His. But that does not mean that Almighty God is dependent on His creations. Almighty God says in the Qur'an in Sura al Zumur Chapter 39 Verse 62 "It is Almighty God, who creates everything and He is independent of all His creations." The Arabic word for 'Creator' is 'Khaliq' and the Arabic word 'Khalaqa' means 'to create'. 'Khalaqa' (creating) can be divided into two types. One meaning of 'Khalaqa' is 'to create something from something', which besides Almighty God even we human beings can do. For instance, a carpenter creates a chair from wood and nails. But the wood is obtained from the trees and nail from metal and the trees and wood have not be created by the carpenter. So all of the creations of human beings are dependent upon the basic elements created by Almighty God. So this type of creation is a limited type of creation. The ultimate and the true creation is to create something from nothing and this no one besides Almighty God can do. None of the creations can create something from nothing except the uncreated Almighty God, the Creator of all the creations. So He is the Creator, there has to be creation.

There are up to 99 attributes of God mentioned in the Qur'an and the authentic sayings of prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). One of the attributes of God is "Ar Rehman, the Merciful", "Ar Raheem, the Kind", "Al Ghafir, the Forgiver". Human beings are a unique creation of Allah Almighty. Human beings have a free-will of their own. We can either obey or disobey our Creator. Because of having a free-will, we can sin. The other creations of Almighty God do not have any free will of their own and they can not sin. They follow each and every commandment of Almighty God. Only when the human beings sin and repent and ask for forgiveness can the Mercy of Almighty God, the Kindness of Almighty God, the Love of Almighty God, the Grace of Almighty God and the Forgiveness of Almighty God can be known.

The other attribute of Almighty God given in the Qur'an is Love. Almighty God says in several places in the Qur'an that He loves those people, who trust in him, those who are patient, those who are righteous, those who are pious, those who have patience and perseverance and those who approach Him. Almighty God commands the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) in the Qur'an in Sura Ale Imran Chapter 3 Verse 31 to tell the people, "if you love Almighty God, follow me and Almighty God will love you and forgive your sins." According to a saying of prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) recorded in Sahih Tirmidhi Volume 2 Hadith 2805, prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said that Almighty God says if you approach me, I will answer you. If you ask for forgiveness, I will forgive you, Even if your sins reach up-to the clouds, I will forgive you. Even if you sins are as big as the whole earth, I will approach you with the same forgiveness as long as you ask for forgiveness and do not associate partners with Me.

One of the attributes of Almighty God is 'the Grace'. It is mentioned in Sahih Muslim Volume 4 Hadith number 6765 prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said that do good deeds to the best of your ability and be happy for no one can enter the heaven only on the basis of his deeds. The companions asked, what about you prophet Mohammed? The prophet replied, Not even I. I can not enter the heaven unless the Grace and the Mercy of Almighty God envelopes me. Almighty God says in the Qur'an Sura Anaam Chapter 6 Verse 160, "if you do any good deed, I will multiply it ten times into your account and if you do any evil deed, I will count it only as one. For Almighty God is the most Forgiving and He does not do anything wrong." Had both our good deeds and evil deeds been counted as one each without multiplication of our good deeds, none of us would have managed to enter the heaven. It is the Grace of Almighty God that He multiplies our good deeds ten times so that we may enter the heaven. So goods deeds are important, but the Grace of Almighty God is more important to enter the heaven.

One of the attributes of Almighty God is 'Absolute Justice'. Almighty God has divine knowledge of everything. The moment a person is born Almighty God knows whether he would do good deeds or evil deeds. Whether he would obey Him or disobey Him. Almighty God even knows whether this person would go to the heaven or to the hell. But if the moment a person is born Almighty God puts in the heaven, the person deserves the heaven and puts in the hell, the person who deserves hell. The people put in the heaven would not object. But the people put in the hell would object. Saying how come they have been put into the hell even without a test, without a chance to lead their lives? Almighty God is just. As the Qur'an says in Sura an Nisa Chapter 4 Verse 40, "Almighty God is never unjust in the least degree." That's why Almighty God lets the people live in this world and whoever follows His commandments would pass the test and whoever disobeys fails the test. Almighty God says in the Qur'an in Sura al Sajda Chapter 32 Verse 12 that these people who will go to hell on the day of judgement, they will never object to the justice of Almighty God. But they will bow down their heads and ask for forgiveness. They would agree with the Lord and would say that give us another chance and send us once again in the world and we would surely be believers this time. But Almighty God knows in His divine wisdom that if He forgives them and sends them back in the world, after whitewashing their memory of what they have seen in the hell, they would again commit the same mistakes. This is mentioned in the Qur'an Sura al Anaam Chapter 6 Verse 28 that if these people were again sent in the world, they would repeat the same mistakes because they are liars. So because of the attributes of forgiving, loving, kindness and grace are manifest in the Creator, Almighty God.

Now the question arises that is Almighty God dependent on His creation to ask His forgiveness or glorify Him to make Him somehow superior? Certainly Not:) We would discuss this in detail in our next post of this series and also discuss the all important question of destiny and free that since everything is destined by Almighty God, then why should we be responsible for any evil things we do, but rather Almighty God should be responsible because He destined so. If you need a reminder for our next post of this series, subscribe to our updates from the options on the right sidebar.

Jihad

JihadThere are misconceptions about the meaning of the word 'Jihad' not only among the Non Muslims, but even amongst the Muslims. Most of the people think that any war fought by any Muslim for any reason whatsoever is Jihad. Wheter it be for personal reasons, political gains, for regions, for language or for any other reasons. This misconception is found among Non Muslims and Muslims alike.


Note:- This is part of our series answering the top 3 misconceptions about Islam, which are:

1 - Jihad

2 - Muslims are Fundamentalists & Terrorists

3 - Islam was spread by the sword

 

What is Jihad?

Jihad comes from the Arabic word 'Jahada', which means "to strive, to struggle, to exert effort." In the Islamic context Jihad means to strive against one's own evil inclinations. Jihad in Islamic terminology also means to strive to make the society better. Jihad even also includes fighting in the battlefield in self defense and it also includes fighting against tyranny and oppression.


Jihad means 'to strive, to struggle.'

For instance, If a student strives to pass in his examination, in Arabic we say he is doing Jihad. If an employee strives to satisfy his employer, irrespective wheter the work he is doing is good or bad, it is called Jihad. If a politician strives to get votes, irrespective wheter he is good or bad, it is referred to as Jihad in Arabic. Jihad merely means to strive.

Who can do Jihad?

Another misconception about Jihad is, people think that Jihad can only be done by Muslims. But there are verses in the Qur'an, in which Almighty God says that even the Non Muslims did Jihad. The Qur'an says in Sura Luqman Chapter 31 Verse 14 that And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him and in years twain was his weaning. In the next verse, Sura Luqman Chapter 31 Verse 15 Almighty God says, but if your parents do Jihad (strive, struggle) and force you to worship anyone besides Me, of which you have no knowledge, then do not obey them. But live with them in compassion and love. Here the Qur'an says that even the Non Muslim parents of Muslims children do Jihad to force their children to worship things beside Almighty God. So even the Non Muslims do Jihad. Further the Qur'an says in Sura an-Nisa Chapter 4 Verse 76 that the believers strive in the way of Almighty God and the unbelievers strive in the way of the Satan. So strive against the brothers of the Satan. Here the word Jihad is being used for both the believers doing Jihad in the way of God and for the unbelievers doing Jihad in the way of the Satan. So even the evil people can do Jihad (strive).

Jihad in the way of Almighty God & Jihad in the way of the Satan

The believers strive in the way of Almighty God, it is called 'Jihad fi sabilillah' and the evil people strive in the way of the Satan, it is called 'Jihad fi sabi Shaitan'. So Jihad is of two types, good Jihad and bad Jihad also. Striving for a good cause and striving for an evil cause. But in the Islamic context if Jihad is not precisely specified as 'Jihad for the Satan as in 4:76, then it is taken for granted that whenever Jihad is mentioned it means 'Jihad fi sabilillah', Jihad in the way of God Almighty, Jihad for a good cause.

Jihad does NOT mean 'Holy War'

Most of the people think that Jihad means 'Holy War'. In fact the word 'Holy War' is not mentioned anywhere in the Qur'an and authentic sayings of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). The Arabic translation of the word 'Holy War' is 'Harbon Muqadasa' and this word 'Harbon Muqadasa does not occur anywhere in the Qur'an and authentic sayings of the prophet. The word 'Holy War' was first coined by the orientalists when they started writing about Islam. But unfortunately even many Muslim scholars have also used the word 'Holy War' thinking that it is the most appropriate translation for Jihad, which is totally wrong.

Qital - Fighting

The word used for fighting in the Qur'an is 'Qital'. Again fighting can be of two types, fighting for a good cause and fighting for an evil cause. Fighting for a good cause is 'Qital fi Sabilillah' Fighting in the way of God Almighty and Fighting for an evil cause is 'Qital fi sabi Shaitan' Fighting in the way of the Satan.

Jihad in the Qur'an & Ahadith (Sayings of the prophet)

The word 'Jihad' is used in several places in the Glorious Qur'an and in several sayings of prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). Qur'an says in Sura al Haj Chapter 22 Verse 78, "Strive in the way of Allah as you ought to strive with sincerity and discipline." Further it is mentioned in the Qur'an in Sura at Tauba Chapter 9 Verse 20, "As for those believers who suffer exile and who strive with might and main in the way of Allah with their body and wealth and possession, these are the people who will attain the highest rank in the hereafter and will attain salvation." It is mentioned in a saying of the prophet in Sahih Bukhari Volume 4 Hadith 46 that a person who strives in Allah's way and Allah alone knows who really strives in His way with true intentions, is like a person who continuously fasts and prays. If he is killed, he will go to pradise and if he returns back, he will come back with a great reward as well as the booty of war. It is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an in Sura Ankaboot Chapter 29 Verse 6, "Strive in the way of Allah, but Allah is free from all wants." It means that if you are striving and struggling in the way of Almighty God, it is for your own benefit, it is not for the benefit of Almighty God because Almighty God is not dependant on any of His creation. Almighty God says in the Qur'an in Sura Tauba Chapter 9 Verse 24, "Say: If it be that your fathers your sons your brothers your mates or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline; or the dwellings in which ye delight are dearer to you than Allah or His apostle or the striving in His cause; then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious."

The Best Type of Jihad Keeps on Differing Depending Upon the Situation

The best type of Jihad keeps on differing according to the situation. It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Volume 4 Hadith 2784 that Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), the wife of the prophet asked the prophet that shouldn't we (women) go for Jihad and the prophet (peace be upon him) replied that the best type of Jihad for you is the perfect Haj. It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5792 that a person approaches the prophet and asks, Should I go to Jihad (referring to fighting against evil people). The prophet (peace be upon him) asks the man, do you have parents? The man replies, yes! The prophet tells him that the best type of Jihad for you is to serve your parents. On another occasion mentioned in Sunan Nisai 4209, a person asked the prophet that what is the best Jihad? The prophet said that the best Jihad is to speak a word of truth against a tyrant ruler. So the best Jihad keeps on differing depending upon the situation. It is recorded in Sahih Ibne Habban Hadith 4685 that Mujahid (a person who strives) is a person who strives against his own self for the cause of Allah and Muhajir (a person who migrates) is a person who migrates from evil to good.

Jihad Against the Devil

Almighty God says in the Qur'an Sura al Baqara Chapter 2 Verse 208, "O you who believe enter Islam whole heartedly and do not follow the foot-steps of the Devil." Now what is the difference between following Devil and follow the footsteps of the Devil? For example, if a young lady tells a believer that lets spend the night together and a person who has faith would say No! But if a young lady calls the same person, he would talk to her thinking what's the harm in speaking to a young lady on the phone! After talking for a few days, they would go to MacDonald, the believer thinking there is no problem in just meeting. Then they may go to a movie and someday they would even spend the night together. So all these are the footsteps of the Devil and a believer has to strive against the Devil 24/7.

Dawah

One of the best type of Jihad is Dawah, conveying the message of truth to those who are not aware of it. Allah says in the Qur'an Sura Ale Imran Chapter 3 Verse 110, "O you Muslims, you are the best of people evolved for mankind." So it is a honor and honor comes only with responsibility and Allah continues and gives us our responsibility, "Because you enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong." And if a person does not enjoin what is good and forbid what is bad then he is not fit to be called a Muslim, to be called the best of people. Qur'an says in Sura Isra Chapter 17 Verse 81, "when truth is hurled against falsehood, falsehood perishes for falsehood by its nature is bound to perish." So it is the duty of every person, who has the truth that he should convey the truth to those people who do not have it. That's why it is one of the criteria to attain salvation. Qur'an Sura al Asr Chapter 103 Verses 1-3, "By the token of time, man is verily in a state of loss. Except those, who have faith, righteous deeds, extort people to the truth and exort people to patience and perseverence." So only faith will not save you. You must also have righteous deeds, exort people to the truth and patience and perseverence. In normal circumstances if any of these criteria is missing one would not enter paradise.

Does Qur'an tell the Muslims to kill the Non Muslims wherever they find them?

The critics of Islam pick up verses of the Qur'an out of context saying that Qur'an says that everywhere you find a Kafir kill him. The most misquoted such verse of the Glorious Qur'an is that of Sura Tauba Chapter 9 Verse 5. If you start reading from the first verse of Chapter 9, you would get the context. There was a peace treaty between the Muslims and the pagans of Makkah and it was unilaterally broken by the pagans of Makkah. In the Glorious Qur'an Chapter 9 Allah tells the pagans of Makkah to put the things straight in a period of 4 months or it is declaration of war and in the battlefield fight them and if required kill them. So Qur'an 9:5 is revealed in the battlefield. In order to boost up the morals of his soldiers any Army General would tell his soldiers to fight the enemy and kill them. He will not tell them to get scared and run away. These critics do not quote the verse 6, but jump to verse 7. Why? Because Verse 6 has the answer to their allegation. Verse 9:6 of Qur'an says that if the enemies want peace, grant them peace and escort them to a place of security so that they may hear the word of God Almighty. The most generous Army General today would say, Leave the enemy. But Allah says escort/take the enemy to a place of security.

All Major World Religions Encourage Doing Jihad against Evil

All major religious scriptures talk about fighting against falsehood. Same thing is mentioned in the Bible. Book of Exodus Chapter 22 & Chapter 32 talk about fighting. Book of Numbers Chapter 31 talks about fighting. Even Jesus Christ tells his disciples to take the sword and go and fight in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 22 Verse 36 and in Gospel of Mark Chapter 14 Verse 47. Same in the Hindu Scriptures. Marbharat is all about fighting. Bhagwad Geeta, the most widely read Hindu scripture is an advice that Shri Krishna gives to Arjun to fight. It does not mean that we should quote verses out of exodus or Bhagwad Geeta out of context to give any wrong impression. To get communal harmony, we should go back to our religious scriptures, which are the most authentic sources for every religion. So if a Christians reads his Bible carefully, he would have any problem with the Qur'an saying that we should fight for the truth against falsehood. Same with the Hindu, who would read his own Bhagwad Geeta.

Qur'an Condemns the Killing of Any Innocent Human Being

Qur'an says in Sura al Maidah Chapter 5 Verse 32 that if anyone kills any human being, whether it be a Muslim or Non Muslim, unless it be for murder or for spreading corruption in the land it is as though he killed the whole humanity and anyone who saves any innocent human being it is as though he saved the whole humanity. So according to the Qur'an, if anyone kills any innocent human being, it is as though he killed the whole humanity.

Guidelines for doing Jihad

Allah says in the Qur'an in Sura al Baqara Chapter 2 Verse 190 that fight against those who fight you and commit not transgresses for Allah does not like transgressors. Allah says in Sura al Buqara Chapter 2 Verse 194 that fight those who fight you until there is no tumult and tyanny. Even if as a last resort you have to fight against the evil people, there are certain guidelines laid down in the Qur'an and in the sayings of prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), which you have to follow. When you fight, you should not harm the women and children. You should not harm the elderly people, who are at their home. You should not break monasteries. You should not harm the religious people. You should not cut down or uproot the trees. You should not burn the crops. You should not harm the cattle.

Number of people killed in all the fighting at the time of prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him)

According to a book written by Rama Krishna Rao about the life history of prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him). He says that in all the fighting that took place at time of the prophet in 23 years, 1018 people were killed. Do you know the number of people killed in the two world wars. In the First World War 20 million people were killed, 10 million soldiers and 10 million civilians. In the second World War 30 million people were killed and another 34 million were injured. Just compare!

Biography of Prophet Mohammed by Martin Lings

Biography of Prophet MohammedProphet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is the final Messenger of God to the mankind. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) still remains the most influential person in the world even 14 centuries after his demise. Here you can read his complete biography by Martin Lings and even download it, embed it on your site or share it on your social profiles.

Is Muhammad Really a Prophet of God also for the Christians?


The latest trending debate between the Christians and Muslims is wheter Muhammad is really a prophet of God to the Christians as well or not. What happens in these debates is that Christians put forward a big bunch of arguments against Muhammad and allege that Muhammad committed sins and then they ask the Muslims that how can he be a prophet of God after all this? Then the Muslims spend hours answering all these allegations one by one. That sounds like an endless debate:) Also quite counter-productive as all this ends without any conclusion and creates more chaos and confusion.

Prophet Mohammed (pbuh)

This is the main argument that Christians brothers and sisters put forward for denying the prophethood of Muhammad. If God wills, in this post will discuss a conclusive answer to the above questions through a brief Comparative study.

Muslims believe that prophets may make minor mistakes, but can not commit any major sins and the Muslims believe that the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and the other prophets of God did not commit any major sins.

The Christians believe in the theory of fallen prophets and fallen angels. The Christians believe that both the prophets as well as the angels commit sins. So when the Bible says that someone is a prophet, the question that whether he committed sins or not, becomes irrelevant for the Christians. So even if the Christians keep their present belief that Muhammad committed sins and Muslims keep their own belief that prophet Muhammad and the other prophets did not commit any major sins, the Christians still can not deny the prophethood of Muhammad based on this one argument. Because they already believe in the theory of fallen prophets, theory of prophets committing sins.

So the Question whether Muhammad committed any sins or not becomes irrelevent for our Christian brothers and sisters. The main question that the Christian brothers and sisters should now think about is, what does the Bible say about Muhammad?

Lets analyze what does the Bible say about prophet Muhammad. I will quote some references about prophet Muhammad from both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. You can read more references about prophet Muhammad in our post, Prophet Mohammed in the Bible.

Prophet Mohammed in the Old Testament

Muhammad (pbuh) is prophesied in the book of Isaiah chapter 29 verse 12:

"And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned."
When Archangel Gabrail commanded Muhammad (pbuh) by saying Iqra - "Read", he replied, "I am not learned".

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon chapter 5 verse 16:

"Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim Zehdoodeh wa Zehraee Bayna Jerusalem."
"His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters
of Jerusalem."
In the Hebrew language im is added for respect. Similarely im is added after the name of Prophet Muhammad    
(pbuh) to make it Muhammadim. In English translation they have even translated the name of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as "altogether lovely", but in the Old Testament in Hebrew, the name of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is yet present.

All the prophecies mentioned in the Old Testament regarding Muhammad (pbuh) besides applying to the Jews also hold good for the Christians.

Prophet Mohammed in the New Testament

Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 7:

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you".

"Ahmed" or "Muhammad" meaning "the one who praises" or "the praised one" is almost the translation of the Greek word Periclytos. In the Gospel of John 14:16, 15:26, and 16:7. The word 'Comforter' is used in the English translation for the Greek word Paracletos which means advocate or a kind friend rather than a comforter. Paracletos is the warped reading for Periclytos. Jesus (pbuh) actually prophesised Ahmed by name. Even the Greek word Paraclete refers to the Prophet (pbuh) who is a mercy for all creatures.

Some Christians say that the Comforter mentioned in these prophecies refers to the Holy Sprit. They fail to realise that the prophecy clearly says that only if Jesus (pbuh) departs will the Comforter come. The Bible states that the Holy Spirit was already present on earth before and during the time of Jesus (pbuh), in the womb of Elizabeth, and    again when Jesus (pbuh) was being baptised, etc. Hence this prophecy refers to none other than Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Gospel of John chapter 16 verse 12-14: 

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me".
The Sprit of Truth, spoken about in this prophecy referes to none other than Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Now we leave it up to you to read and analyze these and the other prophecies in our post Prophet Muhammad in the Bible and decide for yourself whether Muhammad is a prophet of God or not. You do not need to tell us or anyone else out there what you decided, just be honest to yourself and ask God Almighty to guide you to the truth no matter whatever it maybe. You can also get your free copy of the Holy Qur'an revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) and analyze it yourself.

Is Islamic Sharia Against the Freedom of Speech

We have already discussed different issues concerning the Islamic Sharia Law and now we will discuss if Islamic Sharia is against freedom of speech or not.
Freedom of Speech & Islam
If freedom of speech means that a person can speak what he wishes without hurting anyone, without causing harm to any community, then Islamic Sharia is not against freedom of speech.
But if freedom of speech means that a person can abuse, criticize or blame anyone without any hesitation, then Islamic Sharia is against and as well as not against freedom of speech.

Let me clarify my statement.
There are different types of freedom of speech. If someone blames, criticizes or speaks against anyone without any proof or any solid fact, based on falsehood then Islamic fundamentalism is against such freedom of speech. As Qur'an says in Sura Humaza Chapter 104 Verse 1, "Woe to every kind of scandal mongerer and backbiter." Further the Qur'an says in Sura Hujurat Chapter 49 Verse 11-12, O you who believe, do not defame, do not be sarcastic, do not give offensive nicknames to anyone. O you who believe do not spy on one another, do not backbite. And the Qur'an asks, are you willing to eat the dead meat of your own brother? The Qur'an then replies, No you will abhore it!
What does Qur'an mean by comparing backbiting to eating the dead meat of one's own brother? Because eating dead meat is itself a sin and any doctor would testify that it can cause several diseases. But eating the dead meat of your own brother is a double crime and even cannibals, who eat dead meat and eat human beings, even they do not touch their own brother. In the same way speaking false against someone without proof is itself a sin and speaking behind their backs is a double crime because they are not even there to answer and is hence like eating the dead meat of your own brother.

Some may argue that writing or speaking bad against someone does not harm them physically. I agree! But many a times the mental torture is much more harmful and over-lasting than physical torture.
Suppose, a teacher slaps a student in a closed room with no one seeing around and that without any reason. Now lets take another example, in which the teacher abuses the same teacher in front of the whole class without any reason and calls him all sorts of bad names and all sorts of other non sense. In the first example, the pain of the slap would fade away within minutes. But in the later example, the mental torture caused by abusing would be much more over-lasting and much more harmful. So many a times speech and writing can be much more harmful and over-lasting than physical torture. Not always! But many a times. That's why, the pen is mightier than the sword.

Lets analyze what does the Qur'an say about free speech. Qur'an is one of the only holy scriptures, which gives the mankind several ways to prove the Qur'an wrong. Among one of the ways is mentioned in Sura Nisa Chapter 4 which states, "Do not they consider the Qur'an with care for had it been from anyone besides Allah, there would have had been many discrepancies, many contradictions." So if anyone wants to prove the Qur'an wrong, all they have to do is take out false in the Qur'an. So easy:) But at the same time Qur'an says, "produce your proof if you are truthful." Qur'an & Islam give freedom of speech with proof.
For instance, you must have heard the famous quotation from the Qur'an that wherever you find a Kafir, kill him. Suppose when USA and Vietnam were at war and a US army general told his troop that wherever you find a Vietnamese, kill him. That happened decades ago and now if I tell you that the US army general is saying that wherever you find a Vietnamese, kill him. It would be out of context because he said it during the battlefield because in the battlefield the other party is the enemy and if the enemy attacks you have to fight back and if necessary even kill the enemy. The Qur'an says the same that in battlefield if the enemy attacks, fight them and if necessary kill them, the enemy in the battlefield not innocent people. So if you wanna exercise your freedom of speech with the Qur'an, do not misquote and do not quote out of context.

Regarding the last type of freedom of speech that you can blame or criticize anyone with solid proof. It is divided into two sub-types.
Some facts are meant to be secret and some are not. Suppose if an American official working for the American govt gives the secrets of the American govt to  the enemy. Mind you! He is speaking the truth and with solid proof and with photocopies, blue prints and photographs. Would the American govt award that person? Certainly not! It would try him and punish him. So Qur'an is against revealing such type of truth, which is meant to be secret.
Now can one defame, blame and criticize someone with proof, which is not a secret. Suppose if an American official speaks against the corruption of the American govt, Islam encourages such truth to be told in public. As the Qur'an says, "When truth is hurled against falsehood, falsehood perishes for falsehood by its nature is bound to perish."

Is Allah The Moon God?

We have already discussed why Muslims prefer using the Arabic word Allah instead of the English word God and also showed you that this word Allah is also used for God in other Religions scriptures. Such as in the Bible & the Hindu scriptures. But some critics of Islam claim that Allah is a moon god, which the pagan Arabs worshiped before the spread of Islam in Arabia and is not the One True God. Lets analyze this claim and also answer some questions concerning this.

Is Allah The Moon God?

Qur'an proves - "Allah" is not a 'moon god':

"And from among His Signs are the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. Do not bow down (prostrate) to the sun nor to the moon, but only bow down (prostrate) to "Allah" Who created them, if you (really) worship Him." (Qur'an 41:37)

We have also discussed the real Concept of God in Islam in detail, which you can refer to.

What is the significance of the crescent moon in Islam?

The Quran answers this question before you asked it. Read this verse:

"They ask you about the new moons. Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for the pilgrimage."  (Qur'an  2:189)

Why does Islam follow a lunar calendar?

In both the Bible and the Qur'an religious festivals are regulated by the lunar calendar. Jews and Muslims have kept to these regulations which they believe to be from God. Why does Christianity follow a solar calendar?

Why is the fast of Ramadan marked by the appearance of the crescent moon?

God commanded Muslims in the Quran to fast from dawn to sunset during the month called Ramadan (see Quran 2:185, 187). The beginning and end of the month is determined by the crescent (2:189) based on the instruction of God's Messenger, on whom be peace.

Why this method and not another is not for us to say but for God and His Messenger to prescribe. However, I find it an efficient method. It is a universally applicable method, and it allows for Ramadan to move through all the seasons. This allows believers to have the pleasure of worshipping God by fasting in all the various seasons: one year in the summer, some years later in the winter.

Why does the Quran place the Sabians on the same level with Jews and Christians when scholars have clearly proven that the Sabians were involved in the moon cult?

I am not aware that the Quran has placed the Sabians on the same level with Jews and Christians. Perhaps you have in mind the following verse:

"Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians and Sabians, whoever believes in "Allah" and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
(Qur'an 2:62; also 5:69)

This verse, however, does not place the Sabians on the same level as the Jews and Christians except in a particular context. The verse speaks of four distinct communities, and offers all four the opportunity to fear not nor grieve if only they would believe in "Allah" and the Last Day and do right. The four communities are:

  • the Believers (i.e., the Muslims)
  • the Jews
  • the Christians
  • the Sabians

While they are all offered the same opportunity for improvement, nothing, is said in this verse about the validity of the existing faiths of these four communities. Otherwise the Jews and Christians who are criticized in the Quran for their deviations will not be placed on the same level with the believers. The matter becomes clear when you realize that believers here does not mean saved persons but those who ostensibly belong to the community of Muslims. They, as well as the other three groups, must do the following to be saved: believe in "Allah", believe in the Last Day, and do right. Doing right, according to the Quran, includes following every teaching of Muhammad.

Did the Meccans worship the true God since they recognized "Allah"? Was "Allah" one of the gods of the Ka'bah? And if so, where did the Meccans derive the recognition and the name of "Allah" from?

First, "Allah" was not one of the 360 idols which were in the Ka'bah, although Morey has claimed this without evidence. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered Makkah victorious he went into the Ka'bah and broke the idols therein.

Second, the word "Allah" has been used all along for the name of "God" in the Arabic Bible for Jews and Christians alike. The proof is easy to verify; simple go to any hotel or motel on the earth and look in the drawer next to the bed and take out the complimentary Bible, placed there by the Giddeons and then look on page 5 or 6 where they list the examples of translations they have made into other languages. The second example given is for Arabic speakers. The verse is from the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse 16. Everyone knows this one; "For God so loved the world..." and the word in Arabic for "God" is "Allah." Then if you have a Bible in Arabic, look on page one in Genesis, and you will find the word "Allah" 17 times.

Next, the word for "God" to the Arabs, ever since the time of Abraham (peace be upon him) has been "Allah" and He is to them, the Lord of the Ka'bah (the black box in the center of the Holy Sanctuary in Makkah). He was the unseen God whom they would call upon when in distress. Yes, they worshipped the true God but their worship was not purely for Him. They also worshipped other gods thinking that they would act as intermediaries between them and the true God Allah.

The Arabs know of Allah because Abraham visited Makkah and together with his son Ishmael laid the foundation of the Ka'bah. The descendants of Ishmael retained some of the worship rites and beliefs from Abraham. This included their knowledge of the true God Allah.

Courtesy: GodAllah.com

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