Monday 31 August 2015

Islamic Ruling on Amulets

Allah is the sole Lord and Ruler of the physical world. 'Lord' means He is the Creator and controls all affairs in the universe; the Kingdom of the heaven and the earth belongs exclusively to Him, and He owns them. He alone brought existence out of non-existence and it depends on Him for its conservation and continuance. His power is required at every moment to sustain all creatures. Angels, prophets, human beings, and the animal and plant kingdoms are under His control. Only Allah knows what the future holds. Good luck and bad fortune are from Allah alone.
Faith in charms, amulets, and talismans contradict belief in Allah's Lordship by attributing the ability to bring good luck or avert bad fortune to these created brings whereas only Allah can bring good and avert harm. Consequently, the Prophet, may Allay praise him, opposed these superstitious practices and taught people to have firm belief in their Lord, rather than amulets, which cannot change what Allah has destined and can bring no good fortune to anyone. Even though they are not capable of averting any harm, belief in amulets usually leads to idolatry over time. This can be seen among Catholics where the crucifix, statues, and medallions of saints are worn or kept for blessings and good fortune.
When people accepted Islam in the time of the Prophet, they carried with them their old faith in amulets. The Prophet strictly forbade them to adhere to such:
(1) The Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise him, said,
'Spells, amulets and love-charms are shirk." (Ahmad, Abu Dawud)
(2) The Messenger of Allah said,
"Whoever wears an amulet, may Allah not fulfill his need, and whoever wears a sea-shell, may Allah not give him peace." (Ahmad)
(3) A group came to the Messenger of Allah to pledge their allegiance to him. He accepted the allegiance of nine of them. They said, "O Messenger of Allah, you accepted the allegiance of nine but not of this one." The Prophet said,
"He is wearing an amulet."
The man put his hand in his shirt and took it off, then the Prophet accepted his allegiance, saying,
'Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk." (Ahmad)
The companions strictly abided by the prohibition set by the Prophet on amulets. They openly opposed such practices even among their family members. For example, Hudhayfah, one of the companions of the Prophet, visited a sick man, and seeing a bracelet on the man's upper arm, he pulled it off and broke it, then recited the verse,
"Most of them who believe in Allah, commit shirk." (Quran 12:106)

read more @
http://www.justmuslim.org/articles/avoid-innovations/44-charms-and-amulets 
 

Moses foretells of Muhammad's coming. (Peace be upon them)

"I (God) will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee (moses), and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him." Deuteronomy 18:18
There are many verses in the Old Testament that predict the coming of Jesus (pbuh). This one, however, is not one of them. This can be clearly seen from the following four points:

a) Like unto moses
Muslims believe in all of the previous prophets. They make no distinction between them, nor do they place one above the others in piety. However, they are all human, and as humans they differ from one another in their characteristics. Let us compare these characteristics:
1) Both Christians and Muslims agree that both Moses and Muhammad (pbut) had fathers and mothers. They both also believe that Jesus (pbuh) had only a mother and no father. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
2) Both Moses and Muhammad (pbut) married and begat children. Jesus (pbuh) never married nor had any offspring. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
3) Moses (pbuh) was accepted by the Jews and to this day, as a nation, they accept him as their prophet. Muhammad (pbuh) was accepted by his people, and as a nation, over one billion Muslims around the world accept him as the prophet of Allah. Jesus (pbuh), however, was rejected by his people (the Jews) as stated in the Christian's own Bible: "He (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not" (John 1:11) Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
4) Both Moses and Muhammad (pbut) were kings on Earth in the sense that they had the ultimate power of government, the power to inflict capital punishment. When the Jews brought before Moses (pbuh) the Israelite who had been caught collecting firewood on the Sabbath, Moses had him stoned to death (Numbers 15:36). Muhammad (pbuh) had similar authority.

When a woman came before him confessing (with no witnesses) to having committed adultery, he gave her a chance to consider the severity of her claim and the punishment she would receive. When she insisted, he ordered her stoned to death and ordered his companions to respect her for her sincere repentance.
Jesus (pbuh), however, explicitly refuted the claim that he had a kingdom on earth. When he was dragged before the Roman Governor Pontious Pilate with a charge of sedition he said: (John 18:36) "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence." Jesus (pbuh) would not resort to lying to save his skin.
Thus, he had no earthly kingdom. Further, in John 8:1-7 we read the story of the woman who was taken in adultery by the Jews and brought before Jesus (pbuh). They were hoping to trap him by either having him contradict the laws of Moses (pbuh) by not stoning her, or by placing him in a bad position with the Roman empire by taking the law into his own hands and ordering her stoned.
Jesus cleverly extracted himself from this predicament by commanding them: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." So the woman was set free. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
5) Both Moses and Muhammad (pbut) came with a new and comprehensive set of laws for their people. The law brought by prophet Moses was named the Judaic Law, and the law brought by prophet Muhammad was named the Shari'ah.
Jesus (pbuh) however, as witnessed by Matthew, claimed to have not introduced any new laws, but to have come to renew the law of Moses (pbuh) and to have neither added nor subtracted from it. In Matthew 5:17-18 we read: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
6) Moses lead his people in a secret mass exodus from their hometown to Median in an attempt to flee the persecution of their enemies. Muhammad (pbut) too emigrated with his followers from their home town to Madinah in secret in order to flee the torture of their enemies. Jesus, however, never led his followers in a any sort of mass exodus from their hometowns . Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
7) Moses was victorious over his enemies both morally as well as physically. Pharaoh was defeated by Moses and all of his army were drowned in the sea. Muhammad (pbuh) too met his enemies in battle and defeated them all.

This too was a moral as well as a physical victory. Jesus (pbuh) on the other hand is claimed in the Bible to have been crucified by his enemies. Thus, his victory was only a moral one. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
8) Both Moses and Muhammad (pbut) died natural deaths. Jesus (pbuh), is claimed by the Christians to have died violently on the cross. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
9) Both Moses and Muhammad (pbut) lie buried in the ground. Jesus (pbuh), however, is claimed by the Christians to abide in heaven. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
10) Most Christians claim that Jesus (pbuh) is God. No Christian or Muslim, however, claims that Moses or Muhammad (pbut) was God. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
11) Both Moses and Muhammad (pbuh) began their prophetic missions at the age of forty. The Bible tells us that Jesus (pbuh) began at thirty. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
12) Christians claim that Jesus (pbuh) was resurrected after his death. Neither Muslims nor Christians claim that Moses or Muhammad was resurrected. Therefore, Muhammad is like Moses, but Jesus is unlike Moses.
There are many additional points that could be mentioned but we will suffice with these for now.

b) Cannot be a Jew
Well, is Muhammad (pbuh) the only prophet who is "Like unto Moses"? For example, what about Jesus (pbuh)? Well, we should then notice that Jesus (pbuh) was a Jew,
"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou (Jesus), being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria?"
John 4:9
and the Bible specifically denies that this awaited prophet will be a Jew. We are told that in Deuteronomy:
"And there arose NOT a prophet since in Israel LIKE unto Moses."
Deuteronomy 34:10
This awaited prophet, however, must be "LIKE unto thee (Moses)." So he will come from OUTSIDE of Israel.

c) Is from the BRETHREN of the Jews
If this prophet can not be a Jew, then what is left? In this verse, God speaks to Moses (pbuh) about the Jews as a racial entity. The awaited prophet is claimed to not be "from the Jews" or "from among themselves" but rather "from among their (the Jew's) brethren." Who are the brethren of the Jewish nation? The Jews are the sons Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Isaac's older brother was Ishmael, the father of the Arabs. Thus, the brethren of the Jewish nation is the nation of the Arabs. This statement is further reinforced by the following definition of "Brethren" in the Hebrew Dictionary of the Bible:
"personification of a group of tribes who were regarded as near kinsmen of the Israelites."
Muhammad in the Bible, Jamal Badawi, p. 16
Please compare this expression with that of the Qur'an:
"Indeed Allah has conferred a great favor upon the believers (Muslims) when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, reciting unto them His verses, purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom; although before that they were in manifest error."
The noble Qur'an, Aal-Umran(3):164
There has come unto you (O Muslims) a messenger from among yourselves (Muhammad, pbuh). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty, full of concern for you, for the believers [he is] full of pity, kind and merciful.
The noble Qur'an, Al-Tawba(9):128


d) Put my words in his mouth

If we were to read the Qur'an we would find that it contains many verses stating "I am your Lord, so worship Me" (Al-Anbia: 92, Al-Muminoon: 52), "Verily, I am Allah" (Taha: 14, Al-Namil: 9, Al-Qasas: 30), "I am thy Lord" (Taha: 19). These verses are not preceded by "I heard God say.....," or "And God said....," or similar statements which would be the words of a man transmitting the words of God, rather, their form is that of the first person who speaks of himself.

Neither Muhammad (pbuh) nor any Muslim ever claimed that Muhammad (pbuh) was God, therefore, Muhammad (pbuh) was speaking with his mouth the words of God. Similarly, we can find in the Qur'an more than four hundred verses of the form "Say (O Muhammad) : ........" In other words God Almighty is putting His words into Muhammad's (pbuh) mouth and commanding him to speak them.

read more @
http://www.justislam.org/discover-islam/moses-pbuh/41-moses-foretells-of-muhammad-s-coming

The Hijab as Da'wah

Most Muslims are familiar with the various reasons that Allah has required women to wear hijab: The hijab reflects modesty, purity and respect; it lessens temptation so that more serious sins will be avoided; it protects women from the harm and molestation of evil men; a woman who wears hijab will be evaluated for her intelligence and skills rather than her appearance.

One important aspect that is often overlooked, however, is that the hijab is a symbol of Muslim identity. A woman who covers her head is making a statement that she is a member of the Muslim community and that she follows a particular code of moral conduct.

Allah says: "O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women to draw their outer garments around them. That is more suitable that they will be known (as Muslims and chaste believing women) and not be abused." [Qur'an, 33:59]
"...that they will be known..." In America, where Islam is the fastest growing religion (alhumdullilah), many people are coming to know what this head covering really signifies and to understand the religion that mandates it. The hijab, in effect, is an amazingly powerful tool for dawah; one that Muslims themselves are probably not even aware of. As with any tool, the key for effectiveness is appropriate and knowledgeable use.

The most obvious first step would be for Muslim women to actually wear the hijab. It is a tragic and upsetting phenomenon to see so many Muslims dressing in the manner of the disbelievers (blue jeans, T-shirts, short skirts, even shorts). The Prophet, sallalahu allahe wa salam, said; "Whoever resembles a people is one of them." (Abu Dawood). This is not only happening in America and other Western countries as people attempt to assimilate and adopt the practices of the prevailing culture, but it is also occurring in Muslim countries at an alarming rate.

A woman who refuses to wear the hijab is disobeying Allah and committing a serious sin, putting worldly pleasures above spiritual attainment, and neglecting her duty to the religion of Islam. Many scholars agree that the only reason a Muslim may live in a non-Muslim country is to conduct dawah and bring people to the true religion. How can a woman perform dawah for Islam when she is not even practicing it herself? To do this would be a form of hypocrisy and it will not be successful.

Once a woman begins to wear hijab she completes a large portion of her responsibility for dawah with very little effort. Each time that she goes to the grocery store, the library, to work, to school, or to any other public place, she is spreading the magnificent message of Islam. This is not only because of the outer hijab that she wears, but more importantly, the modesty of her behavior that accompanies it. When a woman refrains from flirting with men, limits physical contact, and is reserved and respectful, people may become curious and want to learn more about this intriguing faith. It may just sow the seeds of something wonderful.

read more @
http://www.justdawah.org/essays-articles/women-dawah/234-the-hijab-as-da-wah 

Wednesday 19 August 2015

Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) in Hindu Scriptures


Hindu scriptures are divided into three basic categories: Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas. There are differences about the age of those scriptures; some people believe that they go back almost 4,000 years.
One of the amazing prophecies in these Hindu scriptures is the one on the tongue of Maharshi Vyasa, a Hindu saint, that states that the land of Arabs will be corrupted by the evil doers — maybe a reference to the pre-Islamic pagans; and that Mahamad — a slight adulteration of the name Muhammad — will come and guide those who went astray. He will be circumcised, bearded, eloquent; he will create a great revolution; he will announce the call for prayers; he will eat of the meat of lawful animals but not of the swine; and he will fight against irreligious nations. All these descriptions meet Prophet Muhammad (Vidyarthi).
Bhavishya Purana, one of the most important Puranas, includes another prophecy that states that in a foreign country a spiritual teacher whose name is Muhammad will come; he will be a dweller of Arabia; he will gather a large force to fight or kill the devil; and God will protect him from his opponents.
Prophet Muhammad Mentioned in the Upanishad
Some Hindu scholars consider the Upanishads scripture to be superior to the Vedas, because they impart divine knowledge and teach how the human soul can get nearer to its Maker and Master.
The Muslim testimony of faith is mentioned in the Upanishads.
The most important prophecy in it is the one that mentions the coming of Prophet Muhammad by name, and the Muslim testimony of faith — there is no God but Allah — is repeated more than once in it.


read more @
http://www.justdawah.org/essays-articles/dawah-to-hindus/240-prophet-muhammad-in-hindu-scriptures 

Da’wah to Jehovah’s Witnesses


1.The Beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses

•Don’t believe in The Trinity –(Therefore they don't believe that Jesus is God or Part of God)
•Believe Jesus was created by God
•Believe Jesus is The Begotten Son of God
•Believe the Bible is the absolute word of God
•Happy to accept that Jesus is a prophet of God.

Therefore you cannot start with the key question to Christians ie Is Jesus god? because they would agree that Jesus is not God but was sent by God.
The lines of argument we could follow:
1.Show that Muslims are following Jesus in the Bible more closely than Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Jesus prayed by putting his head on the ground (Matthew 26:39)
Jesus had a beard (evidence not in the bible but common knowledge)
Jesus ate kosher - Halal food - never ate pork
Jesus was circumcised
Jesus fasted (same way that Muslims fast
Jesus submitted his will (the word submission in Islam is Arabic)
Mary covered her hair all the time - just as Muslims do! JW ladies only cover their hair in their churches (Kingdom Halls)

  
2.God’s name is Allah.

a)Alleluia, which is used in the Bible by angels to praise God, is a corruption of Allah-hu-yah  Alleluia = Allah-hu-yah (from Ahmed Deedat)
b)Jesus on the cross, said 'Aly-Aly-lema sabakhtani' which is “My God My God, why have you forsaken me?” He did not use the word Jehovah' for God, or 'Abi' which is father. Aly is closer to illahi/Allah which means My God or Deity to be worshipped.
c)In the Aramaic Language used by Jesus, the word for God is Alaha.


3.God does not beget. (That is give birth to).When Jehovah’s Witnesses, say begotten, they  are going against the 1st and 2nd commandments in the Bible.

The First Commandment - You must not have any other God but me.

The Second Commandment - You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the Heavens or on the Earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them.


4.Then go on to show that Jesus talked about the coming of The Qur’an and that it is a Miracle.

If All Else Fails with Jehovah's witnesses then as a last resort, show that The Bible in its present form cannot be the words of Almighty God.
Ask them, when they say that ‘The Bible is the word of God’ what do they mean. Because there are many versions of The Bible. Catholics have the Du-ay version, Protestants have the King James Version and the JW have The New World translation.
These are not different translations, but different Versions - they will say theirs is the most accurate as it goes back to the original Greek scripture, but Jesus did not speak Greek, but spoke Aramaic. (Compare with the Qur’an – which is preserved in its original Arabic language)
The  many  contradictions  in  their  Bible  have  in  fact  been  highlighted  in  their  own, Jehovah’s Witness magazine called 'Awake' or 'Watchtower'. Their magazines produced in the 1960s mentioned thousands of errors in the Bible!
However some of the errors they pointed out have now been removed by JW in their own Bible. Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit bringing the words of the 'Father' and we believe that he was talking about the words of God and that is The Qur’an. (16:12-13)

Jehovah’s Witness’ and their ‘Elders’ suggest that their pious ones (living amongst us) receive revelation from God.  Ask them to produce, some of, what they say God reveals to them in their dialogues – even 3 sentences of it. If it is imitable by man then it cannot be the word of God as we expect that the work of the All-knowing, All-Powerful is inimitable so that we can differentiate the word of God from that of man.

The Creator says in The Quran: "And if you are in doubt concerning that which we have sent down to our slave (Muhammad) then produce a chapter like it, and call your supporters and helpers besides Allah, if you are truthful!" [Noble Quran 2:23]
The challenge was laid down by The Creator in the Quran to the people over 1400 years ago to produce a chapter like it in the Arabic language with the smallest chapter being just 3 lines. The challenge still stands today, even though many have indeed tried!


Jesus (AS)  Never said he was God or that any should worship him. His message was for the Jews not mankind – (Matthew 10:6)
He consistently called to the Jews (Banu Israel) not any other – indeed it was Paul who spread message to Gentiles (Non-Jews).
First miracle – Speaking in the cradle as a baby against the accusations levelled against his blessed mother.
Prostrated in Prayer – (Matthew 26:39)
Undisclosed miracles found in Quran – breathing life into clay birds/ speaking as an infant
Description of him/his mother are like Muslims even from Christian sources
Jesus: was Circumcised, had a Beard,
His Mother: Wore a Head scarf
Both: Wore Loose clothing, Fasted, Prostrated to God, ate Kosher food (no pork).


read more @
http://www.justdawah.org

The Story of Jesus and Mary in the Holy Qur'an



The Birth of Mary
“Indeed God chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Imran over the worlds. An offspring, like one another (in righteousness). And God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (And mention) when the wife of Imran said, ‘O my Lord, I have vowed to You what is in my womb, to be dedicated (to Your service), so accept this from me. Indeed, You are All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’ Then when she delivered her (Mary), she said, ‘O my Lord, I have delivered a female,’ and God knew best what she delivered, ‘And the male is not like the female, and I have named her Mary, and I seek refuge with You for her and for her children from Satan, the expelled (from the mercy of God).’” (Qur’an 3:33-36) The Childhood of Mary
“So her Lord fully accepted her, and gave her a good upbringing, and put her under the care of Zechariah. Every time Zechariah entered upon her in the prayer room, he found her supplied with food. He said, ‘O Mary, where do you get this from?’ She said, ‘This is from God. Indeed, God provides for whom He wills, without limit.’”(Qur’an 3:37)

Mary, the Devout
“And (mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God has chosen you, purified you, and chosen you above the women of the worlds.’ ‘O Mary, be devoutly obedient to your Lord and prostrate and bow down along those who bow down (in prayer).’
This is a part of the news of the unseen, which We reveal to you (O Muhammad). You were not with them when they cast lots with their pens to (decide) which of them should take care of Mary, nor were you with them when they disputed.” (Qur’an 3:42-44)

The Good News of a New-Born Child
“(And mention) when the angels said, ‘O Mary, indeed God gives you the good news of a word from Him, whose name will be the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and of those who are near to God.’ ‘He will speak to the people in the cradle, and in old age, and he will be of the righteous.’ She said, ‘My Lord, how can I have a son when no man has touched me.’ He said, ‘So (it will be,) for God creates what He wants. When He decides something, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is. And He will teach him the Book and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel. And (will make him) a messenger to the Children of Israel (saying), ‘Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord. I make for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, then breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by the permission of God. And I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by the permission of God. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely, there is a sign for you in that, if you are believers. And (I have come) confirming the Torah that was (revealed) before me, and to allow you some of what was forbidden to you. And I have come to you with a proof from your Lord, so fear God and obey me. Indeed, God is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is the straight path.” (Qur’an 3:45-51)
“And mention in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to an eastern place. And she placed a screen to seclude herself from them. Then We sent to her Our angel (Gabriel), and he took the form of a well-created man before her. She said, “Indeed I seek refuge with the Most Merciful from you, if you do fear God.”(The Most Merciful is one of the names of God in the Qur’an) (The angel) said, ‘I am only the messenger of your Lord to give to you (the news of) a pure boy.’ She said, ‘How can I have a son, when no man has touched me (in marriage), and I am not a unchaste?’ He said, So your Lord said, ‘It is easy for Me. And We will make him a sign to people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter (already) decided.’” (Qur’an 19:16-21) (Jesus is a sign of God’s power, where God showed people that He could create Jesus without a father, as He created Adam without any parents. Jesus is also a sign that God is well able to resurrect all people after their death, since the one who creates from nothing is quite able to bring back to life. He is also a sign of the Day of Judgment, when he returns to the earth and slays the Anti-Christ in the End Times).

The Immaculate Conception
“And she who guarded her chastity, so We breathed (a spirit) into her through Our angel, and We made her and her son (Jesus) a sign for the worlds.” (Qur’an 21:91) (Similarly, just as God created Adam with no father or mother, Jesus’ birth was from mother with no father. All that is needed for God for something to happen is to say “Be” and it is; for God is capable of all things)


read more @
http://www.justislam.org/discover-islam/jesus-peace-be-upon-him/58-jesus-and-mary-in-the-qur-an

Credibility of any Scripture

 
Let us look at the internal consistency and the preservation and protection of scripture (peripheral conditions). Since anything which has doubtful, contradictory or has crooked statements cannot be attributed to God almighty, as He is perfect and free of any error whatsoever.
You will also note that we have stressed our examples against the Old/New testaments in particular. This is because these are the two other religions which are traditionally monotheistic and have a concept of God, life’s purpose, death and afterlife. Other religions are found lacking in at least one of these categories or they have a concept of Avatar. Hence because of these points they can easily be broken down due to their incompleteness without even entertaining their scriptures. Avatarism – Although many may have heard this term from a movie perspective it actually stems from a Sanskrit word which means “A manifestation of a deity in bodily form on earth. This is a concept heavily found in ancient Egypt, Hinduism and even in Christianity.This is an extremely illogical view of God. Therefore when any religion has such a concept we simply go back to the understanding of God and argue that becoming human essentially requires the removal of Godly attributes and hence the Avatar is no longer God.


Contradictions – The Quran is free from any contradiction or fallacy yet other holy books contain contradictions (of which many by their own account have been removed – consider Mill’s Apparatus, for further details).

Old Testament:
• 2 Samuel 24 contradicts 1 Chronicles 21
2 Samuel 24:9 contradicts 1 Chronicles 21:5
2 Chronicles 36:9 contradicts 2 Kings 24:8
2 Samuel 10:18 contradicts 1 Chronicles 19:18

New Testament:
Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) don’t confer with gospel of John on style, content and discourse. E.g. Water to wine only in John.
Luke 23:26 contradicts John 19:17
Mark 16:1-2, John 20:1 and Matthew 28:1-2 contradict each other
Matthew 27:3-6 contradicts Acts 1:18

It’s strange that Mark’s gospel was produced first then Matthew and Luke copy Mark almost word for word; however John styles is in complete contrast hence at one point considered heretic. Bibles must be read horizontally not vertically to see how each account varies.Now Mark describes Jesus’ anger at many points yet Luke and Matthew never do, replacing or even omitting the word altogether, hence showing only compassion. Luke also removes all notions of grief and troubles from Mark’s account. Also, in Mark’s account, the disciples never seem to understand Jesus yet in Matthew’s account they always do.


Crooked statements – The Quran contains no obscene or crooked statements but on closer inspection of others, we see the following:

• Hosea 13:16, 1samuel 15:3, 1samuel 15:35, psalms 137:8-9, 2Kings 18:27
• Mark 16:8 – if they didn’t tell anyone how does the narrator know?
• John 20 – this seems like the end?


Versions – There is only one version of the Quran, the same that was revealed to Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wa sallam). The other books have many versions (revisions) with differing meanings in many places.

• Simply comparing the King James Version, New International, New American Standard, New World Translation
• The Roman Catholic (73) version has 7 more books than protestant (66) version.


Additions /Omissions – The Quran is complete as it was revealed and in the language of revelation in entirety. Other religious books have had many revisions, alterations and even go as far as not possessing any record of origin or a copy in existence that is closely in line with its period of revelation.

• 1 John 5:7 – known as the Johannine comma “There are three that bear witness...” and the story of the female adulteress (John 1:8-11) and the ending of Mark (16:9-20) are not found in any Greek Manuscript pre 14th Century.
• John 3:16 – “begotten” removed as fabrication
• Deuteronomy 34:5-8 – talk of Moses in past tense, so how could that have been revealed to Moses?
• Mark 16:9-20, Luke 22:43-44 – have no evidence from the earliest manuscripts
• The most ancient authorities don’t have John 7.53–8.11
• In 1707 John Mill published the results of 30 years of exhausting study and research. During which was discovered 30,000 variations among the 100 Manuscripts that he scrutinised. Today we have around 5700 Manuscripts on record and number of variation is estimated figuratively between 200,000 and 400,000.
• "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) Turns out these comments cannot be found in the earliest Greek witness (a papyrus called P 75, which dates to about 200 C.E.) it is only found in Codex Sinaticus of the Middle Ages.
• Others modern mistranslations are found in Mark 1:41 and Hebrews. 2:9
• Tampering based on different opinions as seen in Matt. 24:36 – (they tried to remove "not the son"), Matt. 17:12-13 – ‘then his disciples…’ (Was added to remove misunderstanding), Luke
5:38-39 (tampered with verse to prevent any likeness to Torah/Gospel).

Although you would think this enough to dispel any notion of authenticity, there were two very clever spins placed on the discoveries. The Catholic Church (Frenchman Richard Simon for one) used this to signify the importance of Churches and hence the need for Saints to clarify the right from wrong. The Clergy who followed the Protestant Reformation doctrine of sola scriptura, like Richard Bentley, an oxford professor, argued that these errors were present before but it didn’t impact our faith and that we merely need to perform an exercise to get to the correct bibles. Even then he could only afford a version close to a 4th Century Jerome Vulgate (Latin, post Nicaea Treaty). He however was unable even to live up to his claims and died before this could be done and his nephew had to return the money taken for the project.


read more @
http://www.justdawah.org/essays-articles/biblical-studies/250-credibility-of-any-scripture

Where did the King James Bible come From?


After the fourth century C.E., the official Church became that of the Trinitarians. It was not long until all opposition to their views and doctrines was pronounced a heresy and all of their proponents would be severely persecuted or killed. Most of what the Church had defined in its definition of the nature of God and Jesus could not be proven through the scriptures. Thus, in order to ensure as complete and thorough a silencing of the opposition as humanly possible, not only did the Church order that all opposing writings be destroyed and their proponents put to death for blasphemy, but it also saw to it that all scriptures were translated into Latin and then withheld from the masses.

No one would be allowed to obtain a copy of the Bible for personal study and worship. If someone wanted to know something about God or His scripture he was required to go to the Church and respectfully ask them in all humility and submissiveness and the Church through its benevolence would dole out whatever portions of the scripture it wished, piecemeal, when and how it wished.
In most situations, however, a shift was made from referring to the scripture itself to referring to their newly defined and continually refined "creeds." The Church would define such creeds in their official councils and then pronounce to the great unwashed masses that in order to enter into heaven they only needed to memorize and recite these official creeds on a regular basis. Religion became big business with the Church selling to the masses patches of land in Heaven which they could purchase either for themselves of for their deceased relatives. Religion became empty acts of kissing crosses and rings of Popes, and the Church became a real-estate agent for Heaven. Thus, the scripture itself all but disappeared from public use. It was no longer the property of the people, rather it became the exclusive property of the Church, to do with as they pleased, with no one to answer to nor anyone to see their actions. This was how censorship was imposed by the Trinitarian Church even upon their own chosen scriptures, and this is how they managed to secure the freedom they would need over the coming centuries in order to refine, correct, and re-write even their own scriptures in order to "clarify" their doctrines in the Bible and then correct the resultant discrepancies, and so on in a never ending downwards spiral.

All of this began to change in 1453 when Johann Gutenberg invented the first printing presses. The first book to be printed on this new press was the Bible. Due to the novelty of this new process it commanded an exorbitantly high price per copy which only the wealthiest of the wealthy could afford. However, the ball had been set in motion in a chain of events that would soon force the Bible out of the hands of the Church and back into those of the people. It had taken close to 1,300 years, however, a light could now definitely be seen at the end of the tunnel and everyone began running towards it.
The Bibles that were now beginning to be printed were copies of the official text as authorized by the Church. These were extremely 'dirty' copies of the Bible. Full of errors. Not from the printing process, rather from the very content of the official texts themselves. The Trinitarian Church had been given complete freedom so many centuries ago by the pagan Roman Empire in order to select whatever gospels or epistles they chose and to burn hundreds of others. They were then given total and complete freedom to withhold their chosen books of God from the masses until they could correct and clarify any errors and discrepancies they might find in them. Their power grew to such an extent that they were answerable to no one.

read more at@
www.justdawah.org/essays-articles/biblical-studies/152-where-did-the-king-james-bible-come-from

Manners of Attending a Mosque


The masjid, translated as mosque in English, is the heartbeat of the Muslim society in Islam. In the West, most often Muslims buy land and build a masjid on it. Other times, they buy a church or some other building and convert it into a masjid. Sometimes, they even rent a room, garage, or a basement and use it as makeshift masjid.
In all cases, a masjid is a place for Muslims where they meet one another daily to perform the prayers and also to conduct other acts of worship and activities that are beneficial for the Muslim community.
The most important act of worship done in the masjid is the Friday prayer. Five daily prayers are also offered in most of them. Many masjids will have a dedicated imam, a prayer leader, who will lead the daily prayers. Some of them do not have a dedicated imam, but one of the attendees will lead the prayer when the prayer time comes . Similarly, the regular imam might also deliver the Friday sermon and lead the prayers or there might be different speakers who rotate weekly and deliver the Friday sermon.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him ) taught us that the masjids are houses of Allah and that certain etiquettes and rules should be learned and observed by every Muslim who attends the them.
Following are some of the etiquettes and manners of a masjid:
1.Worship is the first priority. The primary purpose of going to the masjid is to worship the One true Lord of the heavens and the earth. Everything else is secondary. Many mosques provide gaming and social events like basketball, community dinners, picnics, etc. They are all worthwhile, but serve a secondary purpose. The masjid is primarily a place for the worship of Allah and that typically means prayer and reading or reciting the Quran.
2.The general rule is that a Muslim should be clean, wear clean clothes, and not smell bad when he or she comes to the mosque. He should avoid everything that has an offensive smell like that caused by eating raw garlic, raw onions, or smoking.
A Muslim should also wear clean clothes and socks when he comes to the masjid. Not only do bad smells bother fellow human beings, but they also offend the angels who are present. Remember, that a masjid is the house of Allah after all.
read more @
www.justmuslim.org/salaah-prayer/attending-a-mosque

Voluntary Prayers


The first thing to understand is the difference between what is known as fard and what is known as nafl. Fard is obligatory, it is what Allah requires us to do, and leaving it is a sin and we will be held accountable for it. An example is two rakah of Fajr prayer. Nafl literally means ‘extra’. Nafl worship is not required from a Muslim, rather it is up to the individual to offer it. It is optional and voluntary. The Muslim is not sinful for neglecting nafl, but is rewarded for doing it. Therefore, nafl worship is recommended.
A word of advice about the voluntary prayers. Add them slowly to your daily, obligatory prayers. You must first focus on the five daily, required prayers and make sure you are praying them regularly and on time. Add them step by step, do not burn yourself out, and at the same time do not neglect the voluntary prayers.
The Prophet said: “The first thing that the people will be called to account for on the Day of Resurrection will be the prayers. Our Lord will say to the angels although He knows better: ‘Look into the prayer (formal obligatory prayer) of my servant to see if he observed it perfectly or has been negligent in it.’ So if he observed it perfectly it will be recorded to his credit, but if he had been negligent in it in any way, Allah would say: ‘See if My servant has any extra prayers.’ Then if he has any extra prayers, Allah would say: ‘Make up the deficiency in My servant’s obligatory prayer with his supererogatory prayers.’ Thereafter all his actions will be examined in like manner” (Abu Dawud).
Two Types Of Nafl Prayers
a) General nafl prayers: One can pray them whenever one likes and there does not have to be any reason or cause for it, neither are they restricted to any given number.However it should be noted that the general nafl prayers should not be offered at the time when performing non obligatory prayers is prohibited or disliked.
b) Specific nafl prayers: These prayers are associated with a specific reason or cause.
Examples of Commonly Prayed Specific Nafl Prayers As-Sunan ar-Rawatib (often simply referred to as ‘Sunnah prayers’)
read more at
http://www.justmuslim.org/salaah-prayer/voluntary-prayers

Adthan (The Call to Prayer)


Linguistically, the term Adthan means “a proclamation”, and this is what is meant in the verse of the Quran:
“And a proclamation (adthan) from Allah and His messenger to all people on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage that Allah is free from (all) obligations to the polytheists, and so is His messenger.” (Quran 9:3)
In religious context, the adthan is that proclamation made, consisting of specific “words of remembrance”, the time for an obligatory salah has begun. Throughout the Muslim world and in some places in the West, the caller to prayer announces five times a day from every mosque that it is time for prayer, to remember Allah, and to put aside all the cares of life to prepare for the worship of the Giver of Life. The prayer “God is the Greatest” resonates through all semblances of civilization, through small towns to metropolises.
The Adthan covers all the essentials of the Islamic faith in a few words:
1. It begins by proclaiming the greatness of Allah.
2. It testifies to Allah’s tawhid and His exclusive right to worship.
3. It denies shirk – the worship of everything besides Allah.
4. The Adthan testifies that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
5. It mentions belief in one of the greatest pillars of Islam: the salah prayer.
6. Invites to the prayer and equates it with prosperity, salvation and success (in the hereafter)
7. It affirms the reward for salah: prosperity for one who singles out Allah in tawhid, follows His Messenger, establishes the salah and other pillars of Islam.
8. It implies the loss of one who does not respond to the Adthan and does not pray.
History of Adthan
The Adthan was prescribed during the first year after the Prophet migration to Medina. It was taught in true visions to two companions and made part of Muslim life by the Prophet, may Allah praise him, himself.
Abdullah ibn Zaid, a companion of the Prophet, reported: “When the Prophet was to order the use of a bell to call the people to prayer, he disliked it because it resembled the Christian practice. While I was sleeping, a man came to me carrying a bell. I said to him, ‘O slave of Allah, will you sell me that bell?’
He said, ‘What would you do with it?’
I replied, ‘I would call the people to prayer with it.’
He responded, ‘Shall I not guide you to something better than that?’
I said, ‘Certainly.’
He said, ‘You should say:
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
Ashhadu alla ilaha illal-lah, ashhadu alla ilaha illal-lah
Ashhadu anna Muhammad ar-Rasool-lal-lah,
ashhadu anna Muhammadar-Rasool-lal-lah
Hayya ‘alas-salah, hayyah ‘alas-salah
Hayya ‘alal-falah, hayya ‘alal-falah
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar. La ilaha illal-lah.’
Then he went a short distance away and said, ‘When you stand for the prayer, say:
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar
Ashhadu alla ilaha illal-lah
Ashhadu anna Muhammad ar-Rasool-lal-lah
Hayya ‘alas-salah, hayya ‘alal-falah
Qad qaamatis-salah, qad qaamatis-salah
Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar. La ilaha illal-lah.’
read more @
www.justmuslim.org/salaah-prayer/the-call-to-prayer