Jews, Christians and Muslims

Muslims, Christians and Jews accept God as the creator of all creations and accept that God has sent Prophets and messengers to guide mankind about their role and mission as human beings. Without prophets, Humans would be a creature that is ignorant of the reasons why it has been given such superiority on other creatures and where to apply its potential. It is reported by some scholars that 124,000 prophets were sent. Muslims believe in all prophets where Adam (as) is the first and Muhammad (pbuh) is the last. Jews believe in some prophets and reject others. They even killed many prophets. Among the most important prophets whom they do not believe are Jesus (as) and Muhammad (pbuh). The Christians generally believe in all prophets except Muhammad (pbuh). However when Muhammad (pbuh) was sent, many informed Jews and Christians accepted him and followed the latest revelation (i.e. the Qur’an)

The Jews were given the Torah in Hebrew through prophet Moses(as) which was a revelation from God. However over time, they started to pick and chose from the teachings of the Torah. Whatever did not please them, they changed it (for e.g. the Torah stipulated stoning to death sentence for adultery but they concealed it). Over time the Torah got distorted and nowadays, the muslims do not consider the Torah authentic i.e. the pure revelation from God. The Christians of Nazareth were given the Gospel in Aramaic through Jesus(as). After the departure of Jesus(as)( he was not crucified but he was taken away from this world and will come back in Damascus near the last day), the followers of the Gospel adapted it to their own political convenience ( paul, james ,etc) . The Gospel is commonly referred as the ‘bible’ by the Christians nowadays and it has around 11 different versions (King James Version, old testament, new testament, Mark, Septuagint, Vulgate, Luther's German Bible,etc..). It is known to be constantly changing whenever there are inconsistencies with science discoveries (for a long time, the bible lead people to believe the earth is flat , the moon gives light, etc)and to contain certain errors. It is bound to happen since human tampered with it. Even the Dead Sea scrolls which is a discovery in the 1940s of the most ancient manuscript brings more confusion because of inconsistencies with today’s bible. It is widely known that Christians are confused with regards to which bible to stick to and most of them opt to desert from religion. But the original Gospel is the word of God and is pure.

There are other books revealed to prophets as well like the psalms to David (as). However all these booked were tampered with and they are not considered to be authentic anymore. Even the believers do not have access to the books in their original languages. A very negligible number of Christian (in Jerusalem and Syria) knows how to read the bible in Aramaic and there is even a misconception that it was revealed in Hebrew. The last book revealed by God which is a confirmation of previous books is called the Qur’an (in Arabic) and revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) in Makkah ( in the Arabian peninsula at that time). It is known that this is the only book that has been preserved in its original form. It is widely memorized and studied in Arabic across the globe whether it by Arabic or non Arabic speakers. God mentions that this book is a miracle and it will not be tampered with by humans despite the numerous attempts (“Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the reminder (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it ‘al-Hijr 15:9.History has evidenced this since its revelation 1,400 years before, not a single word has been changed. It is not only preserved in manuscripts but most importantly in heart of man. A vast number of people know the whole of the Qu’ran by heart at any point in time in any generation. There are many scientific facts in the Qu’ran which is getting proved by science as times passes and many other not discovered yet. For e.g. 1400 year ago God says in the Qur’an “"The heaven(extra-terrestrial world), We have built it with power. Verily. We are expanding it51:47." The expansion of the Universe is actually one of the most imposing discoveries of modern science. Today it is a firmly established concept and the only debate centers around the way this is taking place. It is obvious that the Creator of the Heavens and the earths knows his creation inside out. There is only one single version of the Qur’an which exists and which is followed. There are different versions of translation though in many languages (in almost all used languages) done by man to help non Arabic speaker better understand its meaning.

The last revelation was sent to mankind in general till the Day of Judgment unlike previous revelations which were sent to specific nations. It commands mankind to believe there is no divinity other than God and that Muhammad (pbuh) is the last messenger. All prophets have preached the same message ‘there is no divinity other than God’ and Muhammad (pbuh) has been sent to the last nation ( we are known to be the 70^th nation). The coming of Muhammad (pbuh) was announced in the Torah and the Gospel since he (pbuh) is chosen to be the seal of prophethood. Jesus (pbuh) announced his arrival to the Christians and the Children of Israel knew that even before. This is why many Jews from the Semitic region went to settle in Yathrib (Madina nowadays) waiting for the arrival of the last messenger. The message of the Gospel, Torah and the Qur’an is the same. There are minor differences in rituals though ( prayers for Jews could be perform only in a Synagogue but Muslims can pray anywhere, the Jews had the Sabbath as the most important day, the Muslims have Friday) but the command to worship God alone, enjoin good and forbid evil is the same. It is known that Christians are the followers of Jesus (as) but the religion of Christianity itself is a man made religion. The real followers of Jesus (as) were known to have recognized the Qur’an as the word of God when it was revealed and most of them (priest, monks) have accepted it (for e.g. King Negus of Abyssinia). Some of them accepted the Qur’an and Muhammad (pbuh) but they stick to some of their rituals. It is also believed that nowadays, there are some sects of the Christian community that are closer to the real message and teachings of Jesus(as) and object to many common Christian rituals.

There is a fundamental difference between Christianity and Islam. In Islam, God is what He has revealed about Himself, no more and no less. He is the Almighty, the Dominion, the Creator of all things, the Sustainer, the One who gives life and Death, the First and the Last…there is nothing comparable to God. Whatever humans can conceive or imagine, God is not like that. Mankind is supposed to worship Him alone and turn to Him for guidance, protection, provision, repentance, etc….However in Christianity, it is believed that God has a son who is Jesus (as) and together with the Holy Spirit they form the trinity. This is a grave sin according to the Quran where God makes it clear that Jesus (as) never taught this and these are mere conjectures that people after him (like Mark, Paul, Saint James, etc… invented).People have invented passionate and emotional stories and legends about these great people who no prophet and no book has revealed. No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. Mighty is the word that comes out of their mouths (i.e. He begot sons and daughters). They utter nothing but a lie (018:005]) Ascribing humans to God is a grave sin according to the Qur’an. This has distance Christians from the real teachings of Jesus (as).All prophets have taught only thing .i.e. God is One and monotheism is the natural way of life. Virgin Mary is one among the best four woman existed at all times and Jesus (as) is a great Prophet and messenger. But they are human beings and human being cannot worship human being. It is not in harmony with the natural disposition of man and does not go in line with reason (same as idolatry). Even Muhammad (pbuh) who has by far much much more followers than any other prophet used to say “I am a mere human being ,conveying the message of my Lord and your Lord, Guidance is not in my hands”. Prophets are the chosen people of God to convey His message to mankind. They are to be obeyed and followed but not worshipped. God ask them the question ‘why do you say what you have no knowledge of?’ If this has not been revealed by any prophet then from where they obtain this knowledge that God has begotten a son. All praise is due to God, He is what He described Himself in the Torah, Gospel and Qur’an, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, there is no divinity than Him, we believe in Him and all His messengers and their revelation and with no distinction. To Him we turn and to Him we submit.

[059:022] He is God, beside Whom none has the right to be worshipped but He, the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.[059:023] He is God, beside none has the right to be worshipped but He, the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glorified is God! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him.[059:024] He is God, the Creator, the Inventor of all things, the Bestower of forms. To Him belong the Best Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorify Him. And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.

003:193] "Our Lord! Verily, we have heard the call of one calling to Faith: 'Believe in your Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and expiate from us our evil deeds, and make us die along with righteous

[003:194] "Our Lord! Grant us what You promised to us through Your Messengers and disgrace us not on the Day of Resurrection, for You never break (Your) Promise."

" Say: He is Allah, the One!
Allah, the eternally Besought of all!
He begetteth not nor was begotten.
And there is none comparable unto Him. "
(Surah/Chapter 112 - Al-Ikhlaas )

"Everyone shall taste DEATH. And only on the Day of Resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception"(a deceiving thing). (Surah/Chapter 003 - Al-Imrân. Verse 185.)

Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide.I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The beauty of ...Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon

The meaning of " Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilahi Raaji'oon"

Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon Yeah, sure we say this statement when someone dies.Also some of us may say this sentence when they lose something, suffer a setback or harm. But………...do you know what it means? Sure, everyone know that it obviously means 'To Allaah we belong and to Him is our return.' But that's not what I am talking about. I mean ….do you REALLY, TRULY understand these words and their implications in a Muslim's life? It means …whatever we have is not really ours. It belongs to Allaah. Take a look around you; everything you see, all that you have and all that there is….in you, on you, around you….belongs to Allaah, alone. It is Allah Who has given you all the property and goods you possess, and that He is the true Owner of them all. So the cars that you own, the houses that you live in, the businesses you possess all truly belong to Allaah The kids that He blessed you with, the health that He gave you, the time that He has allowed you are all Allah's property. Even the bodies we live in and the life that we have belongs to Allaah alone. "And to Allah belongs the inheritance of the heavens and the earth…." (Surah Aal-Imraan:180) "The kingdom of the heavens and the earth and everything in them belongs to Allah. He has power over all things." ( Surat al-Ma'ida: 120) 'Say: 'To Allah belongs the East and the West…' (Surah al-Baqarah:142) Now, since everything belongs to Allaah, then we have to include even our souls in that list.. The very souls that we think of as our "self"; our "nafs"; our "being" -- whatever you want to call it -- that very thing that distinguishes you from the rest of the world, belongs to Allaah. It's not YOURS. In fact, YOU are not YOURS. You belong to Allaah. And this is the essence of the concept of slavery to Allaah in Islam. And since He is the true Possessor of everything, and everything is His property, He allots what He wills to whomever He wills…..and then He takes it away. After all, it was Allaah's to begin with. So He may give you some thing and then take it back after a while.. He will bless you with a precious child that you love dearly…and then He may take it away. He will grant you money, honour and status…..and then He may take it away. He will give you youth, vitality and health and then surely He will take it away. In fact everything you have will only be with you for a very short while. And then the Owner will claim His Right. So when Allaah does reclaim what was rightfully His, WHY MOURN OUR LOSSES? Just like a friend who lends you his book. And then after a few days, he wants it back and you give it back to him…no regrets…..no sorrow…..no questions asked. Similarly, if Allah takes back some of His blessings upon you for some reason….so be it. Say Alhamdulillaah. Don't grieve. Be patient. Submit to the will of Allaah, being pleased with His decision for you. For surely He will only do what is best for you. Just think…..The Owner came and took it back. Remember….that you're not the real owner…...you were NEVER the real owner to begin with. You only had everything because it was Allah who gave it to you in the first place. If He didn't give it to you, you wouldn't have had it in any way…in fact, you couldn't have had it. Remember….man enters into this world empty handed…and leaves it empty handed. Remember….that everything we have, all the blessings we enjoy, are gifts from Almighty Allah....gifts that we enjoy for a limited period until He takes them away whenever He deems fit. They are a trust from Allah…a loan to you…to see how you respond to these gifts from Allaah and how you use them….in the obedience of the Almighty, thanking Him and worshipping Him……OR……...to the disobedience to the One Who gave then to you in the first place. Take note of the words of the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) on the=2 0occasion of the death of his son, Ibraahim: 'Our eyes are filled with tears, our hearts with grief, but we say nothing with our lips except that which pleases Allah.... Verily, to Allah we belong, and to Him we return.' (Bukhaari) And we all know the famous incidence about the companion Abu Talha and his wife when one of the sons died and Abu Talha was not at home. She washed and shrouded him and when Abu Talha came home and asked about his son, she said, 'The child is quiet and I hope he is in peace….' (Bukhaari) Subhaan Allaah….such patience! And such Imaan in the statement "Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi Raaji'oon"! She truly understood its meaning and the affect it should have on her life as a Muslimah, submitting to him and being pleased with whatever He has decreed for her. She knew that whatever she has, is not truly hers. Rather, it is Allaah's….and He took back whatever He owns at its appointed time. And it is because of this Imaan so strong, this understanding, that the Prophet (Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) made dua for them and Allaah ble ssed them immensely. "'They (i.e. Abu Talha and his wife) had nine sons and all of them became reciters of the Quran (by heart)." (Bukhaari) "Be sure we will test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives, but give glad tidings to those who are steadfast, who say when afflicted with calamity: 'To Allah we belong and to him is our return.' They are those on who (descend) blessings from Allah and mercy and they are the once that receive guidance." (al-Baqarah: 155) The Prophet (PBUH) said 'Pass on knowledge from me even if it is only one verse' Say with your heart and tongue: *SUBHANA'LLAH *ALHAMDULI'LLAH *LA I LAHA ILLA'LLAH *ALLAHU AKBAR *ASTAGHFIRU' LLAH *LA ILAH ILLA'LLAH, MUHAMMADUN RASULU'LLAH