| Hindi French Spanish Filipino Croatian Danish Italian German Arabic Korean Mail | |||
| |
|||
Part Three
The beauty and purity of the Glorious Qur’anThe Glorious Qur’an is the constitution revealed by God (Allah) to regulate and govern human life. It speaks with the perfect knowledge of the Creator about His creation. It exposes the truth and invites mankind to the way of truth. It contains important information about human destiny. It educates and raises people to the highest spiritual, moral, intellectual, and social level when they strive to comprehend it and apply its teachings. The Qur’an is an eternal miracle given to the final prophet Muhammad, as proof of his prophet hood. It is of a unique and inimitable quality. Revealed fourteen centuries ago, it remains today completely intact and unaltered in its original Arabic form. Wishing to share with you some beautiful verses from the infinite oceans of God’s word and wisdom, I was very puzzled about what to choose to present or not to present here, because of the limited space of this book. So, to discover more about these beautiful and pure treasures of the Word of the one true God, you may read the Qur’an personally. Try to get an authentic copy of the Glorious Qur’an or you may get and e-copy of the Qur’an from reliable Islamic websites (eg. www.sultan.org). BEAUTIFUL QUR’ANIC VERSESAll Qur’anic verses are Go’s word. Let us read and enjoy some magnificent texts of the Glorious Qur’an that reveal the Islamic view concerning some critical and significant concepts. Forgiveness and Salvation“say , ‘O My servants who have committed excess against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins, for it is He who is the Ever-forgiving, Merciful.”(39:53) When a soul repents and returns to Allah, He turns back to His servant in acceptance and forgiveness. Yes , Allah forgives all sins when we go sincerely back to Him. What a great deal! “Indeed, Allah loves those who repent , and He loves those who purify themselves.” (2:222) Certainly, Allah, in Islam , is the source of peace, mercy, and forgiveness; not the source of hate, bloodshed, or terrorism. So, in Islam , to get salvation and eternal life you can simply go back to Allah, believe in Him alone , and do good deeds. No need for an innocent, good person to be crucified or killed for the sins committed by others. Islam also commands its followers (Muslims) to forgive others. This is briefly the beautiful concept of salvation and forgiveness in Islam. Indeed , Islam is a religion of mercy and forgiveness. Justice
“O you who believe! Stand out firmly
for Allah as just witnesses; and let not the hatred of a people make you avoid justice.
Be just; what is next to piety, an fear Allah for Allah is well-acquainted with
all that you do. “ (5:8)
Islam teaches us to be just with all people; whether with friends or foes an at
all times; in peace or in war.
It teaches its followers to conduct themselves with unconditional justice and morality
free of political motives, individual whims, social and cultural circumstances,
or temporal relativism.
“Allah does command you that you restore deposits to their owners, and , if you
judge between mankind , that you judge with justice.”(4:58) As a practical manifestation of its beauty, eternal values, mercy , and justice, Islam commands us to protect what Muslim scholars call : The Five Necessities. The Five NecessitiesIslam instructs Muslims to protect their own and others:
Beautifully, the Glorious
Qur’an points out that whoever kills and innocent soul –“it
is as if he had killed mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he
had saved mankind entirely.”(5:32)
Concerning the freedom and protection of faith, the Glorious Qur\an stated:
“There is no compulsion in religion…”(2:256) Thus , Islam honors mankind and does not compel anyone to embrace its faith by force. This is the truth, beauty, justice , kindness, and tolerance of Islam when dealing with non-Muslims. So , we have to be honest , objective, and fair when judging other. And let’s remember what Allah told us in the Glorious Qur’an
“… and let not the hatred of a people make you avoid justice. Be just; that is next
to piety …” Nonetheless, concerning those unfair political and religious leaders, writers, historians, cartoonists, or media people who unjustly accuse Islam and Muslims of terrorism, and claim that Islam was spread by force and the sword and those sick-minded and ill-hearted folk who depict Allah, the one true God and His last prophet Muhammad in the worst and ugliest images and cartoons , I wonder: Ø Is this what is meant by freedom, and freedom of speech – is there not a double-standard being used when dealing with Islam and Muslims? (For example, why are the terms ‘Christian terrorists’ or ‘Jewish terrorists’ never heard, although there is no shortage of atrocities being committed by people of those faiths? ) Ø Is anyone free to insult, curse , and despise others and their beliefs, or accuse them all of terrorism? Ø Is this how civilization, democracy, and freedom are taught to the younger generation in schools, colleges, and in society in general? Ø Is it really the sword of Islam that makes thousands of wise, objective, sincere, and open-minded men and women around the world embrace Islam nowadays? (Many books, articles, and websites discuss why and how these brothers and sisters reverted to Islam. For example , I would recommend: Islam our choice: Portraits of Modern American Muslim Women –edited by Debra L.Dirks and Stephanie Parlove. Available on the Internet). Ø Furthermore, according to recent American and Western reports, Islam is the world’s fastest – growing religion. Equality“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male an female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed the most noble of you in the sight of God (Allah) is the most righteous of you. Indeed God (Allah) is knowing and Acquainted.” (49:13) Confirming this wonderful concept of equality in Islam, Prophet Muhammad, in his last sermon, said:
“O people, your God is one and your father is one. You are all from Adam and Adam
is from dust. An Arab is not superior
to a non-Arab , and a non-Arab is not
superior to an Arab. A white has no superiority over a black , nor does a black have superiority over a white. You are
all equal, nobody has superiority over others except through piety and good action.”
Islam teaches us not to hate or put down others based on their race, color of skin
or eye, or nationality.
Islam is a practical remedy for the racial conflict and discrimination which the
world witnesses.
I n Islam, blacks and whites are just brothers and sisters in the same human race. They are all from the same father, Adam, who was created from dust. Thus , we are all from earth and we will return to it and turning back to dust. So, why do some people feel , deal, or act with arrogance or false pride towards others? This is the interesting lesson that we can derive from the above two holy texts. And this was the lesson that Malcolm X learned when he went to Makkah to perform Hajj(pilgrimage). Universality and unity of Message
“Say: We believe in God (Allah) , and the revelation given to us, and that given
to Abraham, Ishmael , Isaac, Jacob and the tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus,
and that given to all Prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one
and another of them and we submit to God” (2:136). Muslims love and believe in all God’s prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad ( May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all ).
Prophet Muhammad said, “I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of
Mary. For there was no prophet between me and him [Jesus]. The prophets are just
brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.” Other Beautiful verses to Think AboutThe beauty, sweetness, and purity of the Glorious Qur’an are limitless; so let me just cite some Qur’anic verses without any comment or explanation. I would love you to think and ponder over them. Try to discover more of the treasures of the Final Testament, The Qur’an .
Allah and His Messenger“It is He (Allah) who has sent His messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of truth…”(48:28)
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but ( he is ) the Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.” ( 33:40) Tranquility and Paradise“It is He (Allah) who sent down tranquility into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith along with their {present} faith… That He may admit the believing men and the believing women to gardens beneath which rivers flow to abide therin eternally and remove from them their misdeeds – and ever is that , in the sight of Allah , a great success.” (48:4-5)
|
|
||