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منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - المصرى يطرح أسهم الشركة بـ"10" جنيهات فى أكتوبر

2011-08-24T02:29:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - المصرى يطرح أسهم الشركة بـ"10" جنيهات فى أكتوبر

مسابقة العشر الاواخر لمنتديات البيان البورسعيدى

2011-08-23T21:07:00.001+02:00

تنظم منتديات البيان البورسعيدى مسابقه دينيه
فى العشر الاواخر من شهر رمضان المبارك
وسوف يتم طرح عشرة اسئله
بواقع سؤال كل يوم فى الايام العشر الاواخر
وعلى الاعضاء كتابة حل الاسئله العشره فى نهاية شهر رمضان
وارسالها فى رساله الى مدير المنتدى

وسيتم تقديم 5 جوائز لافضل المتسابقين من الاعضاء
فى حفل صغير بمركز شباب بورفؤاد بعد عيد الفطر مباشرة باذن الله

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الزمالك يوافق على طلبات المصرى لضم هانى سعيد

2011-08-09T14:15:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الزمالك يوافق على طلبات المصرى لضم هانى سعيد

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - عبد العزيز توفيق يوقع للمصرى 3 مواسم رسمياً

2011-08-09T13:52:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - عبد العزيز توفيق يوقع للمصرى 3 مواسم رسمياً

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - "إخوان بورسعيد" ينظمون حفل الإفطار السنوى للجماعة

2011-08-09T13:37:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - "إخوان بورسعيد" ينظمون حفل الإفطار السنوى للجماعة

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - تجديد حبس زكريا عزمى 15 يوماً لاتهامه بتضخم ثروته

2011-08-09T01:19:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - تجديد حبس زكريا عزمى 15 يوماً لاتهامه بتضخم ثروته

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - المصرى يضم سعد سمير على سبيل الإعارة

2011-08-09T00:07:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - المصرى يضم سعد سمير على سبيل الإعارة

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - إحالة نظيف وسليمان لنيابة الأموال العامة

2011-08-08T17:39:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - إحالة نظيف وسليمان لنيابة الأموال العامة

2011-08-08T17:34:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - إحالة نظيف وسليمان لنيابة الأموال العامة

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - منتديات البيان ( الموقع الرسمى لجريدة البيان البورسعيدى )

2011-08-08T15:04:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - منتديات البيان ( الموقع الرسمى لجريدة البيان البورسعيدى )

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الجبلاية ترفض طلب المصرى بزيادة الأجانب إلى 5 لاعبين

2011-08-08T14:43:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الجبلاية ترفض طلب المصرى بزيادة الأجانب إلى 5 لاعبين

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - تجديد حبس يوسف والى 15 يوماً للمرة الثالثة

2011-08-08T14:23:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - تجديد حبس يوسف والى 15 يوماً للمرة الثالثة

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الأربعون النووية

2011-08-08T13:55:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الأربعون النووية

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - وصايا رمضانيه يوميه ( متجدد )

2011-08-08T04:04:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - وصايا رمضانيه يوميه ( متجدد )

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الخير كله فى رمضان

2011-08-08T03:38:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - الخير كله فى رمضان

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - من يفوز مصر ام الارجنتين ؟

2011-08-08T02:58:00.001+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - من يفوز مصر ام الارجنتين ؟

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - استغاثه لمحافظ بورسعيد

2011-08-08T02:58:00.000+02:00

منتديات البيان البورسعيدى • مشاهدة الموضوع - استغاثه لمحافظ بورسعيد

مقتل ظابط جيش ببورسعيد

2011-03-12T01:05:00.000+02:00

أستشهد اليوم فى حوالى الساعة التاسعة والنصف مساء أول ضابط جيش بمحافظة بورسعيد وذلك أثناء محاولتة إحباط عملية تهريب جمركى من منفذ الجميل لعدد من المهربين من أهالى قرية الجرابعة لم يمتثلوا لأوامرة بالوقوف لتفتيش السيارة التى يقودونها وقاموا بالإنطلاق بها ضاربين بأوامرة عرض الحائط فقام بمطاردتهم فى الطريق مابين عزبة أبو عوف وطرق الحراسات وما كان منهم إلا أن قاموا بإطلاق النار على الشهيد من سلاح آلى كان بحوزتهم فأصيب بطلقة نارية قاتلة بالصدر أودت بحياتة فى الحال ..

وقد تم نقل جثمان الشهيد لمشرحة مستشفى الزهور ولكن قوات الجيش قامت بنقل الجثمان لمستشفى بورسعيد العسكرى ..

وقد تم الآن غلق منافذ بورسعد بالكامل كما توجهت المدرعات الثقيلة والدبابات لقرى الجرابعة والمناصرة وعربة أبو عوف لتطويقها للقبض على الجناة المختبئين فى أحدى هذة القرى وإلا سيحدث ما لا يحمد عقباة ..

كما أنتشرت شرطة المسطحات المائية برفقة القوات المسلحة للسيطرة على بحيرة المنزلة ..

كما نما إلى علمنا بأن قوات الجيش ستطبق حالة حظر التجوال بكل حذافيزة وبشكل صارم وبدون إستثناء لأى فرد إبتداء من الغد ..

What do Muslims think about Jesus?

2009-05-01T15:00:00.004+03:00

- Question :What do Muslims think about Jesus? :

Muslims love and respect Jesus. They consider him one of the greatest of God’s prophets and messengers to humankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as “Jesus,” but always adds the phrase “may the peace and blessings of God be upon him.” The Quran confirms his virgin birth, and a special chapter of the Quran is entitles “Mary.” The Quran describes the Annunciation as follows:

“The Angels said, ‘O Mary! God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations…’ ‘O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and in the Hereafter, and one of those brought near God. He shall speak to the people in infancy and in old age, and shall be of the righteous.’ She said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?’ He said: ‘Even so; God creates what He wills. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, “Be” and it is.’” (Quran 3:42,45-7)

Just as God created Adam without a mother or father, He caused Jesus to be conceived without a father:

“Truly the example of Jesus in relation to God is as the example of Adam. He created him from dust and then said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was.” (Quran 3:59)
During his prophetic mission, Jesus performed many miracles. The Quran tells us that he said: “I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, a figure of a bird, and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and I raise the dead by God’s leave.” (Quran 3:49)

Jesus, like Muhammad, came to confirm and renew the basic doctrine of the belief in One God brought by earlier prophets. In the Quran, Jesus is reported as saying the he came: “To attest the Torah that was before me. And make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord; so be conscious of God and obey me.” (Quran 3:50)

The Prophet Muhammad said: “Whoever believes in that there is no deity except God, and with no partners, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God; His word which He bestowed upon Mary and a spirit proceeding from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven.”

Jesus is not only central to Christianity; he is also venerated throughout Islam. Christians may be surprised to learn that Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth and Jesus' miracles. But this shared interest in his message goes much further.

In the Muslim view, Jesus' essential work was not to replicate bread or to test our credulity, but to complement the legalism of the then original Torah with a leavening compassion rarely expressed in the older testament. His actions and words introduce something new to monotheism: They show the mercy of God.

Jesus confirmed the Torah, stressing the continuity of his lineage, but he also developed the importance of compassion and self-purification as crucial links between learning the words of God's message and possessing the wisdom to carry it out. Oddly enough, some of the recent work by New Testament scholars seems to have reached a view of Jesus not all that different from Muslims'. For them, Jesus appears not as a literal son of God in human form, but as an inspired human being, a teacher of wisdom with a talent for love drawn from an unbroken relationship to God. Both versions present him as a man who spoke to common people in universal terms.

Two events in the life of the Prophet Muhammad may help explain why Muslims revere the Christian Jesus. The first event involves an elder resident of Mecca named Waraqa bin Nawfal. This man was an early Arab Christian and a cousin of Muhammad's wife, Khadija. He could read Hebrew and was mystical by nature. He attended Khadija and Muhammad's wedding in about 595 CE.

Fifteen years later, a worried Khadija sought Waraqa out and brought her husband to him. At the time, Muhammad was a 40-year-old respected family man. He was frightened. He had been meditating one evening in a cave on the outskirts of town. There, he had experienced something so disturbing that he feared he was possessed. A voice had spoken to him.

Waraqa listened to his story, which was Muhammad's first encounter with the angel Gabriel. When it was finished, Waraqa assured him he was not possessed. "What you have heard is the voice of the same spiritual Messenger God sent to Moses. I wish I could be a young man when you become a Prophet. I would like to be alive when your own people expel you."

"Will they expel me?" Muhammad asked.

"Yes," the old man said. "No one has ever brought his people the news you bring without meeting hostility. If I live to see that day, I will support you."

Christians will recognize in Waraqa's remarks an aphorism associated with Jesus: "A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country." But that a Christian should first have verified Muhammad's role as a Prophet may come as a surprise.

The second important event concerning Islam and Christianity dates from 616, a few years after Muhammad began to preach publicly. This first attempt to reinstate the Abrahamic tradition in Mecca met (as Waraqa had warned) with violent opposition. Perhaps the Meccans resented Muhammad's special claim. Perhaps his message of a single, invisible, ever-present God threatened, in addition to their inherited traditions, the economy of their city. A month's ride south from the centers of power in Syria and Persia, poor remote Mecca depended on long-distance trade and on seasonal pilgrims who came there each year to honor hundreds of pagan idols, paying a tax to do so.

At any rate, Muhammad's disruptive suggestion that "God was One" and could be worshipped anywhere did not sit well with the businessmen of Mecca.

Many new Muslims were being tortured. Their livelihoods were threatened, their families persecuted. As matters grew worse, in 616 Muhammad sent a small band of followers across the Red Sea to seek shelter in the Christian kingdom of Axum. There, he told them, they would find a just ruler, the Negus, who could protect them. The Muslims found the Negus in his palace, somewhere in the borderland between modern Ethiopia and Eritrea.

After one Muslim recited to him some lines on the Virgin Mary from the Quran, the Negus wept at what he heard. Between Christians and Muslims, he said, he could not make out more difference than the thickness of a twig. These two stories underscore the support Christians gave Muhammad in times of trial.

The Quran distils the meaning from the drama: "And you will find the nearest in love to the believers (Muslims) those who say: We are Christian. That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud. And when they listen to what has sent down to the Messenger (Muhammad), you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth they have recognized." (Quran 5:82-83)

Even today, when a Muslim mentions Jesus' name, you will hear it followed by the phrase "peace and blessings be upon him," because Muslims revere him as a Prophet. "Say (O Muslims): "We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma'il (Ishmael), Isahq (Issac), Ya'qub (Jacob), and to Al-Asbat (the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya'qub (Jacob), and that which has been given to Musa (Moses) and 'Isa (Jesus) and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)." (Quran 2:136)

As these lines from the Quran make clear, Muslims regard Jesus as one of the world's great teachers. He and his mentor John the Baptist stand in a lineage stretching back to the founder of ethical monotheism. Moreover, among Muslims, Jesus is a special type of prophet; a Messenger empowered to communicate divinity not only in words but by miracles as well.

Muslims believe that certain fictions were developed and added in the fourth and fifth centuries to Christianity and the portrait of Jesus. Three of these come in for special mention: First, Muslims consider monastic asceticism a latter-day innovation, not an original part of Jesus' way. Second, the New Testament suffers from deletions and embellishments added after Jesus' death by men who did not know him. Third, Muslims consider the description of Jesus as God's son a later, blasphemous suggestion.

Muslims venerate Jesus as a divinely inspired human but never ever as "the Son of God". In the same vein, they treat the concept of the Trinity as a late footnote to Jesus' teachings, an unnecessary "mystery" introduced by the North African theologian Tertullian two centuries after Jesus' death. Nor do Muslims view his death as an act of atonement for mankind's sins. Rather, along with the early Christian theologian Pelagius, Islam rejects the doctrine of original sin, a notion argued into church doctrine by St. Augustine around the year 400.

Islam holds the true view of Jesus that was refused and condemned by the fourth-century Byzantine Church . Once Constantine installed Christianity as the Roman Empire's state religion, a rage for orthodoxy followed. The Councils of Nicaea (325), Tyre (335), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), and Chalcedon (451) were official, often brutal attempts to stamp out views of Jesus held by other theologians whom the Byzantine Church called heretical.

Rulings by these councils led to the persecution and deaths of tens of thousands of early Christians at the hands of more "orthodox" Christians who condemned them. Most disputes have centered until today on divergent interpretations of the Trinity and the very nature of Jesus. Then and now, no more dangerous religious mistake exists for a Muslim than dividing the Oneness of God by twos or threes.

Despite these important differences, however, the Quran repeatedly counsels Muslims not to dispute with other monotheists over matters of doctrine except in a good manner and with respect and good words.

"And argue not with the People of the Scripture unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with such of them as do wrong; and say: 'We believe in that which hath been revealed unto us and revealed unto you; our God and your God is One, and unto Him we surrender.'" (29:46)

- Question :What Does the Quran Say about Jesus ? :

In His infinite Wisdom, Almighty God has not only measured and defined succinctly the nature and role of every creation on earth, but has included all human beings as well as His prophets and messengers.

The Islamic view of Jesus (peace be upon him) lies between two extremes. On one hand, the Jews rejected him as a Prophet of God and called him as impostor. On the other hand, the Christians consider him to be the Son of God and worship him as such. Islam considers Jesus (peace be upon him) to be one of the great Prophets of God and respects him as much as Ibrahim (Abraham), Moses, and Muhammad (peace be upon them). This is in conformity with the Islamic view of the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Divine Guidance, and the complementary role of the subsequent mission of God’s messengers. (Islamic Future, March/April 1997 issue vol. XII, No. 67).

In Surah “Maryam” (Chapter Mary), the Quran tells us how Mary gave birth to Jesus (peace be upon him), and how the Jews accused Mary of blasphemy when she brought home her child. The home folks were amazed and thought the worst of her. They accused her that she disgraced the house of Aaron, the fountain of priesthood. The Quran provided the dialogue between her and her people:

“At length she brought the (babe) to her people carrying him (in her arms), they said: “O Mary! Truly a strange thing has thou brought! “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!” But she pointed to the babe. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?” He said: “ I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a Prophet. “And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me prayer and zakat as long as I live. “(He hath made me) kind to my mother, and not overbearing or unblest; so peace on me the day that I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)” (Quran 19: 27-33)

Jesus is not the Son of God: he was, obviously enough, the son of Mary. The verses continue:

“Such (was) Jesus, the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that he should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be” and it is.” (Quran 19: 34-35).

The rejection of the idea of God having a son is re-stated with even stronger words:

“They say: “The Most Gracious has betaken a son!” Indeed ye have put forth a thing most monstrous! At it the skies are about to burst, the earth to split asunder, and the mountains to fall down in utter ruin, that they attributed a son to the Most Gracious. For it is not consonant with the majesty of the Most Gracious that He should beget a son. Not one of the beings in the heavens and the earth but must come to The Most Gracious as a servant.” (Quran 19:88-93)

Jesus had no human father, but this does not make him the Son of God, or God Himself. By this criterion, Adam would have been more entitled to be the son of God, because he had neither a father nor a mother, so that the Quran draws attention to the miraculous creation of both in the following verse:

“The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”, and he was." (Quran 3:59, The Quran)

The Quran rejects the doctrine of the Trinity, (e.g., God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) as strongly as it rejects the concept of Jesus (peace be upon him) as the Son of God. It also, rejects the doctrine of Crucifixion. Jesus (peace be upon him) was not crucified but was raised to heaven. It was certainly the plan of his enemies to put him to death on the cross, but God saved him and someone else was crucified. The Holy Quran is clear on this:

“That they said (in boast), “We killed Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah”, but they killed him not, nor crucified him. Only a likeness of that was shown to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no (certain) knowledge. But only conjecture to follow, for of a surety they killed him not: -Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, wise; - And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death; and on the Day of Judgment he will be a witness against them.” (Quran 4:157-159).

The Quran went on in explaining the role of Jesus (peace be upon him) as only a Messenger of Allah, being His Word and a Spirit proceeding from Him. It explained further that Allah alone is One God and he alone is the Supreme Ruler of the entire Universe.

“O People of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a Messenger of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and his Messengers. Say not “Three”: desist: it will be better for you, for Allah is the only one that (God), Glory be to Him: (Far Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.” (Quran 4:171)

Here are some Quranic confirmations regarding Who God is and what Jesus (peace be upon him) says about Allah (God). All prophets advocated the absolute Oneness of God. He alone is worthy of worship, to whom all heads should bow down in submission and adoration. He alone is the Omnipotent Being and that all are in need of His favor and obliged to solicit His help.

“Certainly they disbelieved who Says: “Allah is Christ, the son of Mary.” But said Christ: “O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.” Whoever joins other gods with Allah, - Allah will forbid him the Garden and the Fire will be his abode. There will for the wrong-doers be no one to help."

"They disbelieve who say: Allah is one of three (in a Trinity): for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous chastisement will befall the disbelievers among them."

"Why turn they not to Allah and seek His forgiveness? For Allah is Oft-forgiving, most Merciful."

"Christ, the son of Mary was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They had both to eat their (daily) food. See how Allah doth make His Signs clear to them; yet see in what ways they are deluded away from the truth!"

"Say: Will ye worship, besides Allah something which hath no power either to harm or benefit you? But Allah, - He it is that hearth and knoweth all things.” (Quran 5:72-76)

“And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, ‘take me and my mother for two gods besides Allah’/”. He will say: “Glory to Thee. Never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, Thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, though I know not what is in Thine. For thou knowest in full all that is hidden."

"Never said I to them aught except what thou didst command me to say, ‘Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord’”. (Quran 5: 116-117).

God Almighty having the absolute power without limit over all things may create anything He wishes. These Quranic verses below may enlighten us about Him and Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him).

“Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of truth, about which they (vainly) dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of Allah that He should beget a son. Glory is to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be”, and it is. Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord; Him therefore serves ye: this is a Way that is straight.” (Quran 19: 34-36).

“If you disbelieve, then verily,Allah is not in need of you, He likes not disbelief for His slaves.And if you are grateful (by being believers), He is pleased therewith you. No bearer of burdens shall bear the burden of another. Then to Your Lord is your return …” (Quran 39:7).

Mary never claimed that she was a mother of God, or that her son was God. She was a pious virtuous woman. And Jesus disclaims here any knowledge of the sort of things that are attributed to him by those who take his name. The worship of Mary, though repudiated by the Protestants, was widely spread in the earlier churches, both in the East and the West.

Some more reference about what Jesus (peace be upon him) says concerning God and himself:

In (Matthew 4:10) where Jesus (peace be upon him), reproves Satan for desiring the worship of other than Allah (God): “Begone, Satan! For it is written ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.” Jesus (peace be upon him) stressed the point that God alone should be worshipped.

In (John 20:17) where he says to Mary Magdalene, “… Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Jesus (peace be upon him) wanted to convey that he is no different from us with regards to our relationship with the Almighty God called by him as “Father”. Hence, he urged his disciples to pray the “Lord’s Prayer”: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9)

In (Luke 18:19) where he rebukes a ruler for calling him God Master: “Why do you call me god? No one is god but Allah (God) alone.” Godness is one of God’s exclusive attributes and Jesus (peace be upon him) emphasized to his listeners that no creator can arrogate to himself anything that belongs to God.

In (John 14:1) Jesus (peace be upon him) says: “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.” In giving assurance of glad tidings to his disciples, Jesus made it a point that in believing in God, his disciples should also believe in him, which implies that he was indeed separate and distinct from God.

And in (Mark 12:29-32), he says, “The first commandment is, “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.

- Question : Do Islam, Christianity and Judaism have different origins? :

No. Muslims believe that the original, unchanged message given to Muhammad, Jesus, Moses and all the other prophets came from the One same God. This common origin explains their similarities in many beliefs and values.

“Say: We believe in God and what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus and to the prophets from their Lord; we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him (God) do we wholly give ourselves.” (Quran 3:84)

Jews, Christians and Muslims all consider Abraham their Patriarch. Abraham is mentioned in the Quran as one of the great prophets. He was blessed by God to be the father of many nations. From his second son, Isaac, descended the tribe of Israel, and through them, Moses and Jesus; and from his first son, Ishmael, came Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon all His messengers).

Abraham was commanded by God to rebuild the place of worship that Adam first built – the Kabah, in Makkah (Mecca). The Kabah is a simple stone structure, erected as a sanctuary for the worship of the One God. Muslims do not worship the Kabah; the cubical building is simply the unified direction towards which all Muslims face in prayer to God Almighty.

books about islam -1-

2009-02-19T07:07:00.004+02:00

these books are about islam

contain a brief information about islam

and when you want to know islam you should ask muslims only

1- islam in brief

download the book

2 - The Islamic View of Jesus
download the book

3 - Towards Understanding ISLAM

download the book

4 - Translation of the Meanings of The Noble Quran

download noble quran meaning

and more will be followed ISA

THANKS

-

ISLAM THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION

2008-12-13T07:10:00.003+02:00

ISLAM THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION
By Khadija Watson

In the last 50 years from the year 1950 until the year 2000 Islam has increased by 235 percent!!

While at the same time Christianity has grown 57% and Judaism only 5%. (World Almanac and Book of Facts 1992 pg 725, U.S. News and World Report Oct 8, 1990, Encyclopedia Britannica 1989 vol. 22) As you can see these facts are not from Muslim publications where one might expect to find such things. However, they are from other well respected sources as well.

Over 1 in 5 people in the world today are Muslims!!

During the 1991 Gulf War 7000 American soldiers embraced Islam!!

Because of the large number of service personal embracing Islam, the United States government was force to incorporate Muslim chaplains or Imams as they are called, as part of their service personal. An Imam is the counterpart of Christian pastors, Catholic priest and Jewish Rabbi. They also had to allow these new Muslim service personal time on Fridays to attend the Jummah Prayer, which is the counter part to Christian Sunday service or the Jewish Sabbath services.

Islam is the fastest growing religion in the United States .

Before 9/11 there was an average of 1000, Americans across the United States embracing Islam every month. From the time of September 11 until November, in just two months more than 35,000 Americans embraced Islam!! (CAIR report 2001). This covers every sector of society, economic backgrounds, professions and races.

One would wonder why after 911 the increase was so great, as the natural inclination would be for a decrease not an increase. What made these people embrace Islam when these are Americans, for the most part born and raised in Christian America not Arab or Muslim emigrants? Islam does not propagate itself through healing crusades, music crusades, street corner evangelism or any of the usual strategies used by Christian and non-Christian organizations and churches.

Another interesting aspect is that the women in America embracing Islam are holding more academic degrees then the men who embrace Islam!

In other words, more women with Bachelors, Master's and PhD's. Why would such educated women embrace a religion that is suppose to regulate them to the status of a second class citizen?

Americans are inquisitive people and when presented with the true facts are capable of coming to their own conclusion and making a rational decision. The last few years people have started to seek in earnest to understand what Islam teaches, to find out if this a terrorist religion. So they started turning to the only independent sources which were readily available and that was the Internet and Islamic Centers. Much false propaganda has been projected by the media, government and evangelist about what they think Islam is or what they want you to believe Islam is for what ever purpose they have in mind. In the past much of the material on Islam available about the religion of Islam was not written my Muslim but others outside of the religion. Anyone who does research knows that you most authentic sources are the primary not secondary sources. In other words, one looking into the belief and practices of Islam should seek the primary sources written by Muslims themselves.

In spite of the bad press about Islam, with such large number of people embracing Islam and the population of the Muslims growing in the United States, and while it is true that Muslims are still experiencing difficulties in practicing their religion, that there is persecution and prejudices, Islam is making an impact and is slowly being incorporated into mainstream America.

Every Ramadan we see Capitol Hill hosting a yearly Iftar (breaking of the daily fast during the month of Ramadan) dinner attended by Congressmen, congressional staffers, elected officials, American Muslim leaders, as well as ambassadors from Islamic nations. Rep. John Conyers in his welcoming remarks (in 2004) said that they plan to do this on yearly bases.

Retailers are also sitting up and taking notice of the ever growing Muslim population.

This year IKEA highlighted the month of Ramadan with a month long campaign showing a women wearing hijab and South Asian dress, photos of Mecca, sweet trays used for the end of fast celebrations and a text explaining the religious meaning of the holiday. Although this is not as yet a nationwide mail-out campaign it is on their web site www.ikea.ca. It is a first for IKEA and part of a trend by retailers to acknowledge a minority celebration. In 2004, retailers such as the Hudson's Bay Company included Ramadan greetings in flyers for The Bay, Zellers and Home Outfitters, plus posters and door signs. It will do the same for the Jewish Chanukah, Christmas and other holidays. Hallmark greeting cards is also adding a new line of cards for Ramadan and Eid celebration. For the second year running the U.S. Postal service has produced a stamp commemorating the Eid. Celebration just as they do for Christmas and Chanukah.

A handful of Public Schools across the nation which in the past has closed for Christmas and Jewish holidays have now included the Muslim holiday Eid. Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association said about his district, “We are diversifying and I am sure this is something we'll see other districts doing in the future.”

Some Public Schools have even set aside a small room where Muslim high school students can go to pray in keeping with the fulfillment of their religious duty to pray 5 times a day. This is in keeping with Christian students holding prayer meeting and part of the First Amendment of freedom of religion.

While these are only small first steps in the acceptance of the Fastest Growing Religion in the United States and the world, we must remember that every minority whether people or religion: German, Irish, Italian, Jews, Spanish speaking people, Japanese, Chinese, Viet Names, Hawaiians, Blacks, Native American Indians, Catholic, Mormons, Hara Krishna's, Christian sects, denominations and Occults have all at one time or another experienced suspicion, hatetred, prejudice, and persecution and yet these have never made the impact on society that Islam is making. In the very near future Islam and Muslims will be such a part of grassroots America as to hardly be noticed. Islam does not belong to an Arab country, but is a religion that is in every county of the world. The United States is not one race of people but a blending of all nations and religions of the world and is truly a Christian, Islamic, Judeo society.

According to statistics from the U.N., Islam is now the worlds second largest religion after Christianity. The U.N. statistics state that the Islam annual growth rate of Islam is around 6.40% compared to 1.46% during the same time period for Christianity. Also according to these statistics, one in five people on the planet are Muslim (by birth or geographical reference).

Statistics from the U.N.:

Islam in North America since 1989 increased 25%

Islam in Africa since 1989 increased 2.15%

Islam in Asia since 1989 increased 12.57%

Islam in Europe since 1989 increased 142.35%

Islam in Latin America since 1989 decreased -4.73%

and Islam in Australia since 1989 increased 257.01%

islamuncovered.com

Seven Common Questions about Islam (part 1 of 2)

2008-12-12T21:09:00.001+02:00

1. What is Islam?

Islam is the name of the religion, or more properly the ‘way of life’, which God (Allah) has revealed and which was practiced by all of the Prophets and Messengers of God that He sent to mankind. Even the name stands out unique among other religions in that it means a state of being; it does not refer to any particular person, such as Christianity, Buddhism or Zoroastrianism; a tribe like Judaism; or a nation like Hinduism. The root Arabic word from which Islam is derived implies peace, safety, salutation, protection, blamelessness, wholesomeness, submission, acceptance, surrender, and salvation. Islam specifically means being in the state of submission to God, worshipping Him Alone, and reverently accepting and obeying His Law. Through this submission, the peace, security, and wholesome well-being implied in its literal meaning is achieved. Hence, a Muslim or Muslimah is a person (male or female) in that state of submission. A person’s Islam weakens through sins, ignorance, and wrong-doing, and becomes nullified in totality by associating partners with God or disbelieving in Him.

2. What are Muslims?

The Arabic word “Muslim” literally means “someone who is in a state of Islam (submission to the will and law of God)”. The message of Islam is meant for the entire world, and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim. Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth. In actuality, over 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups, cultures and nationalities. Islam has always been a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed teachings and laws of God the Exalted. A Muslim is a person who freely accepts basing his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you do not see it as much today, the word “Mohammedans” was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer, and is the result of either willful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true, since one is not considered a Muslim if he worships anyone or anything besides God the Exalted.

3. Who is Allah?

Often one hears the Arabic word “Allah” being used in discussions regarding Islam. The word “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God, and is the same word used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews. As a matter of fact, the word Allah was in use far before the word God ever came into existence, since English is a relatively new language. If one were to pick up an Arabic translation of the Bible, one would see the word “Allah” being use where the word “God” is used in English. For instance, Arabic speaking Christians say that Jesus is, according to their canon belief, the Son of Allah. In addition, the Arabic word for Almighty God, “Allah”, is quite similar to the word for God in other Semitic languages. For example, the Hebrew word for God is “Elah”. For various reasons, some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muslims worship a different God than the God of Moses and Abraham and Jesus. This is certainly not the case, since the Pure Monotheism of Islam calls all people to the worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all the other prophets, peace be upon them.

4. Who is Muhammad?

The last and final prophet whom God sent to humanity was the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him. At the age of forty, he received the revelation from God. He then spent the remaining portion of his life explaining, and living the teachings of Islam, the religion that God revealed to him. The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons, but primarily because he was chosen by God to be the last prophet - whose mission to guide humanity would continue until the Last Day - and because he has been sent as a mercy to all of mankind. The result of his mission has brought more people into the pure belief in One God than any other prophet. Since the beginning of time, God sent prophets to the earth, each one to his own specific nation. The Prophet Muhammad, however, was sent as the final Messenger to all of humanity.

Even though other religious communities have claimed to believe in One God, over time, some corrupted ideas entered into their beliefs and practices leading them away from the pure sincere monotheism of the prophets. Some took their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God. Some even believed that their prophets were the manifestations of God, or “God Incarnate” or the “Son of God”. All of these misconceptions lead to the worship of created beings instead of the Creator, and contributed to the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God may be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasized that he was only a human-being with the mission of preaching and obeying God's message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as “the Messenger of God and His Slave”. Through his life and teachings, God made Muhammad the perfect example for all people - he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbor, husband, father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history, and all his sayings and acts were meticulously recorded and collected. Muslims don't need to have mere ‘faith’ that he existed, or that his teachings are preserved - they know it to be a fact. God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to Muhammad from distortion or from being forgotten or lost. This was necessary because God promised that Muhammad was to be the final Messenger to mankind. All of God's Messengers preached the message of Islam - i.e. submission to the law of God and the worship of God alone – but Muhammad is the last prophet of Islam who brought the final and complete message which was never to be changed until the Last Day.

By Daniel Masters, Isma'il Kaka and Robert Squires

Seven Common Questions about Islam (part 2 of 2)

2008-12-12T21:04:00.004+02:00

part 2/2

5. What are the Teachings of Islam?

The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in absolute Monotheism (the Oneness of God). This means to believe that there is only one Creator and Sustainer of everything in the Universe, and that nothing is divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Him. Truly, believing in the Oneness of God means much more than simply believing that there is “One God” - as opposed to two, three or four. There are a number of religions that claim belief in “One God” and believe that ultimately there is only one Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, but true monotheism is to believe that only the One True Deity is to be worshipped in accordance to the revelation He sent to His Messenger. Islam also rejects the use of all intermediaries between God and Man, and insists that people approach God directly and reserve all worship for Him alone. Muslims believe that Almighty God is Compassionate, Loving and Merciful.

A common misconception is the claim that God cannot forgive His creatures directly. By over-emphasizing the burden and penalty of sin, as well as claiming that God cannot forgive humans directly, people often despair of the Mercy of God. Once they become convinced that they cannot approach God directly, they turn to false gods for help, such as heroes, political leaders, saviors, saints, and angels. We often find that the people who worship, pray to, or seek intercession from these false deities, do not consider them to be a ‘god’. They claim belief in One Supreme God, but claim that they pray to and worship others beside God only to get closer to Him. In Islam, there is a clear distinction between the Creator and the created. There is no ambiguity or mystery in issues of divinity: anything that is created does not deserve to be worshipped; only Allah, the Creator, is worthy of being worshipped. Some religions falsely believe that God has become part of His creation, and this has led people to believe that they can worship something created in order to reach their Creator.

Muslims believe that even though God is Unique and Exalted beyond speculative comprehension, He definitely has no partners, associates, peers, antagonists or offspring. According to Muslim belief, Allah “neither begets, nor was He begotten” - neither literally, allegorically, metaphorically, physically or metaphysically. He is Absolutely Unique and Eternal. He is in control of everything and is perfectly capable of bestowing His infinite Mercy and Forgiveness to whomever He chooses. That is why Allah is also called the All-Powerful and Most-Merciful. Allah has created the Universe for man, and as such wants the best for all human beings. Muslims see everything in the Universe as a sign of the Creatorship and Benevolence of Almighty God. Also, the belief in the Oneness of Allah is not merely a metaphysical concept. It is a dynamic belief that affects ones view of humanity, society and all aspects of practical life. As a logical corollary to the Islamic belief in the Oneness of Allah, is its belief in the oneness of mankind and humanity.

6. What is the Quran?

The Quran is the final revelation of Allah to all of mankind, which was spoken by Allah the Exalted Himself and conveyed through the Arch-Angel Gabriel in Arabic to the Prophet Muhammad, in sound, word and meaning. The Quran, (sometimes incorrectly spelled Koran), was then relayed to the Prophet's companions, and they diligently memorized it verbatim and meticulously complied it into written form. The Holy Quran has been continually recited by the companions of the Prophet and their successors until the present day. In short, the Quran is the revealed book of Divine scripture from Allah to all humanity for their guidance and salvation.

Today the Quran is still memorized and taught by millions of people. The language of the Quran, Arabic, is still a living language to millions of people. Unlike the scriptures of some other religions, the Quran is still read in its original language by countless millions of people. The Quran is a living miracle in the Arabic language, and it is known to be inimitable in its style, form and spiritual impact, as well as the unique knowledge that it contains. The Quran was revealed in a series of revelations to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. In contrast to many other religious books, the Quran was always believed to be the exact Word of Allah. The Quran was recited publicly in front of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during the life of the Prophet Muhammad, and thereafter. The entire Quran was also completely written down in the lifetime of the Prophet, and numerous companions of the Prophet memorized the entire Quran word-for-word as it was revealed. The Quran was always in the hands of the common believers: it was always thought to be God's word; and, due to wide-spread memorization, it was perfectly preserved. Never was any part of it altered or decreed by any religious council. The teachings of the Quran comprise a universal scripture addressed to all of mankind and not to any particular tribe or ‘chosen people’. The message that it brings is nothing new but the same message of all of the prophets: 'submit to Allah the One God and worship Him alone and follow Allah's Messengers for success in this life and salvation in the hereafter'. As such, Allah's revelation in the Quran focuses on teaching human beings the importance of believing in the Oneness of Allah, and framing their lives around the guidance which He has sent, which is articulated in the Islamic Law. The Quran contains the stories of the previous prophets, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon all of them, as well as commands and prohibitions from God. In our modern times, in which so many people are caught up in doubt, spiritual despair and social and political alienation, the Quranic teachings offer solutions to the emptiness of our lives and the turmoil that is gripping the world today.

7. How Do Muslims View the Nature of Man, the Purpose of Life and the Life Hereafter?

In the Holy Quran, Allah teaches human beings that they were created in order to glorify and worship Him, and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness. All of Allah's creatures worship him naturally and only the humans have the free will to worship Allah their Creator or to reject Him. This is a great test, but also a great honor. Since the teachings of Islam encompass all aspects of life and ethics, God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs. Islam makes it clear that all human acts are acts of worship if they are done for God alone and in accordance to His Divine Scripture and Law. As such, worship in Islam is not limited to religious rituals, and for this reason it is more properly known as ‘way of life’ than a religion. The teachings of Islam act as a mercy and a healing for the human soul, and qualities such as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly encouraged. Additionally, Islam condemns pride and self-righteousness, since Almighty God is the only judge of human righteousness.

The Islamic view of the nature of man is also realistic and well-balanced in that human beings are not believed to be inherently sinful, but are seen as equally capable of both good and evil; it is their choice. Islam teaches that faith and action go hand-in-hand. God has given people free-will, and the measure of one's faith is their deeds and actions. However, since human beings have also been created innately weak and regularly fall into sin, they are in need of continually seeking guidance and repentance, which is, in itself , also a form of worship loved by Allah. The nature of the human being as created by God in His Majesty and Wisdom, is not inherently ‘corrupt’ or in need of repair. The avenue of repentance is always open to all. Almighty God knew that humans were going to make mistakes, so the real test is whether they seek repentance for their sins and try to avoid them, or if they prefer a life of heedlessness and sin, knowing well that it is not pleasing to God. The true balance of an Islamic life is established by having a healthy fear of Allah's rightful punishment for crimes and sins, as well as a sincere belief that Allah, in His infinite Mercy, takes pleasure in bestowing His reward for our good deeds and sincere worship to Him. A life without fear of Allah leads to sin and disobedience, while believing that we have sinned so much that God will not possibly forgive us only leads to despair. In the light of this fact, Islam teaches that only the misguided despair of the Mercy of their Lord, and only wicked criminals are devoid of the fear of Allah their Creator and Judge. The Holy Quran as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, also contains a great deal of teachings about life in the hereafter and the Day of Judgment. Muslims believe that all human beings will ultimately be judged by Allah, the Absolute Sovereign King and Judge, for their beliefs and actions in their earthly lives. In judging human beings, Allah the Exalted will be both Absolutely Just, by only punishing the truly guilty and rebellious unrepentant criminals, and Absolutely Merciful for those people who He, in His wisdom, judges worthy of mercy. None will be judged for that which was beyond their capacity, or for that which they did not actually do. It is sufficient to say that Islam teaches that life is a test designed by Allah, the Creator, Almighty and Most Wise; and that all human beings will be accountable before Allah for what they did with their lives. A sincere belief in the life of the hereafter is the key to leading a well-balanced and moral life. Otherwise, life is viewed as an end in itself, which causes people to become more selfish, materialistic and immoral by their blind pursuit of pleasure even at the expense of reason and ethics.

How I came to Islam?

2008-12-11T16:54:00.005+02:00

How I came to Islam

By Yusuf Islam (pre. Cat Stevens)
Originally posted on Beconvinced.com

All I have to say is all what you know already, to confirm what you already know, the message of the Prophet, may Allâh send prayers and blessings on him, as given by God - the Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a consciousness and a duty that has placed us at the top of creation. Man is created to be God's deputy on earth, and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life. Anybody who misses this chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought back again and again, because it says in Qur'ân Majîd that when man is brought to account, he will say, "O Lord, send us back and give us another chance." The Lord will say, "If I send you back you will do the same."

MY EARLY RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING

I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in his original nature - it is only his parents that turn him to this or that religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in fact the door to God. This was more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all.

I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. And when they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents.

POP STAR

Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made. He has a lot of money." The people around me influenced me to think that this was it; this world was their God.

I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a 'great life.' Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur'ân, we make a promise, but when we make something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.)

So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).

IN HOSPITAL

After a year of financial success and 'high' living, I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allâh, a chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in bed?" - and I started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower power,' and this was the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital.

One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized, 'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will lead you where it wants to go.

Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new terminology I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path.

I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out." I became even more famous in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society.

I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islâm, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity prevailed.

THE QUR'ÂN

When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur'ân, which he gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and thought I might find something in it also.

And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me - who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was to be a Muslim.

I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as al-Islâm. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading the Qur'ân, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'ân; it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who has created everything. The Qur'ân asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to overlap the other.

Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allâh. When I read the Qur'ân further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'ân, and God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur'ân also speaks on different levels. I began to understand it on another level, where the Qur'ân says, "Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are brothers." Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.

CONVERSION

Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens." He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islâm and she directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I received the Qur'ân. Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of Iblîs, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jumma' I went to the Imâm and declared my faith (the Kalimah) at this hands. You have before you someone who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur'ân. Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told me, "You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But Islâm removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salât. This is the process of purification.

Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allâh and pray that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like to stress that I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islâm. I read the Qur'ân first and realized that no person is perfect. Islâm is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet may Allâh send prayers and blessings on him we will be successful. May Allâh give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad may Allâh send prayers and blessings on him. Amîn!

-- Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)

download books for islamic by english

2008-12-09T15:14:00.001+02:00

Things called for by the law, and by instinct

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Muhammad rasol elaah

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The Bible, The Qur'an and Science

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Sahih Muslim

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