Hidden Reality

2011-12-14T00:14:00.001+05:30

The Christmas Experience

The perfect Christmas tree is bought. Adorned with ornaments and glittering with tinsel, it stands by the window. The stores are crammed with shoppers hunting for presents and the little ones anxiously waiting for Santa.

Busy with Christmas fever, wonder did you ever, did the Bible or Jesus made any injunction on Christmas ever?

Ponder upon the following analysis on Christmas, and the Truth will become clearer and clearer.

Does Christmas have Biblical Evidence?

The word 'Christmas' does not exist in the Bible. The Bible has closed lips on the entire feast of Christmas, with one exception, the decoration of a tree. The Bible itself criticizes the decoration of the (Christmas) trees:

"The customs of the people are worthless, they cut a tree out of the forest, and a craftsman shapes it with his chisel, they adore it with silver and gold, they fasten it with hammer and nails so it will not totter" (Jeremiah 10-3,4).

European Pre-Christian pagans superstitiously believed that the green trees had special protective powers. In fact the use of the Christmas tree began only in the 17th century in Strasbourg, France and from there it spread to Germany, Britain and then to the U.S. "Tree worship was a common feature of religion among the Teutonic and Scandinavian peoples of northern Europe before their conversion to Christianity…German settlers brought the Christmas tree custom to the American colonies in the 17th century. By the 19th century its use was quite widespread". (Compton's Encyclopedia, 1998 Edition)

Was Jesus born on Dec. 25?

Neither the date 25th Dec. nor any other date on Jesus' birth is mentioned in the Bible. It was not until the year 530 C.E. that a monk, Dionysus Exigus, fixed the date of Jesus' birth on Dec. 25th. . "He wrongly dated the birth of Christ according to the Roman system (i.e., 754 years after the founding of Rome) as Dec. 25, 753". (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1998 ed.) This date was chosen in keeping with the holidays already indoctrinated into pagans beliefs.

Roman pagans celebrated Dec. 25th as the birth of their 'god' of light, Mithra.

"In the 2nd century A..D., it (Mithraism) was more general in the Roman Empire than Christianity, to which it bore many similarities" (The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, 1995 ed.

Other pagan 'gods' born on Dec. 25th are: Hercules the son of Zeus (Greeks); Bacchus, 'god' of wine (Romans); Adonis, 'god' of Greeks, and 'god' Freyr of Greek-Roman pagans.

What about Santa Claus?

If aliens descended on earth during the Christmas season, they would undoubtedly believe Christmas as being Santa's birthday. The words 'Santa Claus', appear nowhere in the Bible.

However, Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) was a real person, a bishop, who was born 300 years after Jesus. According to legend, he was extremely kind and set out at night to bring presents to the needy. After his death on 6th of Dec., school boys in Europe began celebrating a feast day each year.

Queen Victoria later changed the celebration date from Dec. 6th to Dec. 24th eve.

Did Jesus or his Companions Celebrate Christmas?

If Jesus meant his followers to celebrate Christmas, he would have practiced it himself and enjoined it on his followers. There is no mention in the entire Bible that any of his followers ever celebrated Jesus' birthday like Christians do today.

"The church did not observe a festival for the celebration of the event of Christmas until the 4th century" (Grolier's Encyclopedia)

Thus we see that neither the Bible nor Jesus and his companions say anything about the celebration of Christmas which currently involves fanfare, commercialization, and extravagent spending, devoid of any spiritual relevance.

We'll now analyze the real person of Jesus (peace be upon him), in the light of the Bible and Islam.

What did Jesus Say about Himself?

In many places in the Bible, Jesus, referring to himself as a Prophet said:

"A Prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house" (Matthew 13:57),

"Nevertheless I must walk today and tomorrow and the day following, for it cannot be that a Prophet persists out of Jerusalem". (Luke 13:33).

Jesus Received God's Revelation

Similarly, Jesus Christ too, as a Prophet, received revelations from God: "But now you seek to kill me, a man that had told you the truth, which I heard of God" (John 8:40)

Jesus Prayed to his God

"And when he (Jesus) had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray" (Matthew 14:23)

Obvious question: If Jesus was God, who was he praying to?

Jesus put himself Equal to other Humans

Jesus put himself equal to other humans in the eyes of God.

"My father and your father, my God and your God" (John 20:17)

God does not have a God, But Jesus had a God! Moreover, the gospel writers referred to Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as the 'son of man' about 85 times in the Gospels, and never once did he explicitly called himself 'God', or 'God the Son', or 'The Begotton Son of God'.

Jesus Preached God's Oneness

Jesus Christ, as a true Prophet of God, taught monotheism. When asked, 'What is the first of all commandments', Jesus replied:

"...The first of all the Commandments is, Hear O Israel; the Lord our God is One Lord" (Mark 12:29)

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou has sent" (John 17:3)

Prophets of God

God, by his mercy, sent numerous Prophets throughout history to all nations as guides and role models. Some of the prophets were Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and the Last Prophet Muhammad (peace be on all of them). They all came with the same basic message, which is the Oneness of God, without any partners, sons or daughters.

This Oneness of God in its complete essence, preached by all prophets, was later distorted by some segments of humanity and naming these 'distortions' as 'religions', they left the worship of one true God and replaced it with worshiping humans, cows and fire. To purify humanity, God sent His last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a guide for all mankind and through him revealed in His last Messge, The Quran:

"They have adopted their scholars and monks as lords besides God and (also) Christ, the son of Mary, although they have been ordered to serve only God alone. There is no god but Him. Glory be to Him ! He is beyond what they associate (with Him)...." (Quran 9:31)

This utmost obedience and worship to one God, in its truest sense forms the basis of Islam. The entire Quran has been committed to memory by millions of Muslims around the world and preserved by God Himself from any interpolations, unlike previous scriptures, to provide guidance for all ages.

What Does Islam Teach?

Islam calls humanity to the service of the One, Omnipotent Creator ('Allah' in Arabic). Islam teaches the oneness of mankind in the eyes of God regardless of superficial differences such as race & nationality. In Islam there is no superiority of whites over blacks or vice versa. Anything that disrupts society's harmony and deviates humans from worshiping one true God is disliked in Islam. Thus Islam recognizes the evils of alcohol, drugs, premarital sex, gambling etc. and advises humans to stay sway from these Satan's handiwork. Islam further provides detailed instruction about a person's relationship with God, with his family and the society. Thus no aspect of a person's life is outside of the guidance provided by God.

Born Sinless!

Islam teaches that every child is born sinless with a pure heart and an inner instinct to realize the oneness of God. It is the parents or the environment that deviates this child to associate partners with God (in the form of multiple gods) or to reject God altogether.

No Mediator

There is no mediator between God and man. There is no need of one, for God, the All knowing, can listen and answer our sincere prayers regardless of our state and place.

Salvation comes through submitting to the pure belief in One God and following His guidance as revealed in the Quran, and not through the vicarious sacrifice (murder) of an innocent human being. Thus Islam is a rational religion based on justice and self accountability, and not on unjust and mysterious doctrines formulated by humans. Islam provides solutions to all the ills plaguing humanity. An example of Islam's stand on racial justice is provided below.

Islam Dispels Racis

One person's superiority over another is not based on his race, economic status or nationality but on his God-Consciousness and purity of character. God proclaims in the Quran:`"O mankind ! We have created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other and not that you may despise each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous..." (49:13).

Likewise Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) proclaimed: "No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over a black man, or the black man any superiority over the white man. You are all the children of Adam, and Adam was created from clay."

After studying Islam, Malcolm X, became a true Muslim. He remarks:

"...America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem..."

The Quran was revealed in the Arabic language, but translations of its meaning are available in English and other languages for non-Arabs. Likewise Islam is not restricted to people of the east or Arabs, it is a universal religion revealed for all of mankind.

We invite all sincere humans to study Islam with an unbiased mind. Don't blindly follow the whims and paganistic influences of the environment around us. God bestowed upon us this superb mind to seek and live the truth; for we all will be accountable on the Day of Judgment for our beliefs and deeds. Don't delay your salvation.

2011-12-12T19:35:00.001+05:30

WHY I ASK PEOPLE TO BECOME MUSLIMS:A FEW OF THE REASONS

Introduction Many people have asked me, to tell them how I became a Muslim, and the truth is, I really didn't know. I know now that Allah gave me mercy and let me become a Muslim. About three years after I became Muslim, I received a phone call from my father telling me my mother was dying from cancer. I was told that if I wanted to see her before she dies, I should hurry. Unfortunately, she died before I got there. I made a decision not to tell my family that I have become Muslim until I learn enough about Islam to explain it to them. I have regretted ever since that my mother died before I could talk to her. My father however is a different story. When my father picked me up, I told him I had become Muslim. He had a look on his face like he wasn’t happy; then, he asked me: "Why?" I don’t know why I said what I said then; I told him it was his fault. He looked at me and said: “My fault?!” I said: 'Yes, it’s your fault', and he asked: 'How is it my fault?' I began to explain: 'When I was a child, you use to tell me not to listen to other people, and to make my own choices; not to look at the color of peoples' skin; not to care how much money they have, to judge people for what they do, not for what they say. So, that’s what I did. Nobody asked me to become a Muslim; nobody gave me any books, I studied the religion on my own, and I found it to be the Truth, and it’s your fault!' He said: 'Yes it’s my fault'. Although my father has chosen not to become a Muslim, he still respects my decision. He also made the comment that I have improved; I’m not as shy and afraid to talk to people anymore. I know since I have become a Muslim, I feel happier than I ever did before. There were some really good examples of Muslims that I met in my life before embracing Islam. I have a Saudi friend who is paralyzed from the neck down. This man is confined to an electric wheelchair. At the time I met him, his wheelchair was broken and there was no one who knew how to fix it. I tried and got it fixed, and fixed it many times afterwards. He tried to pay me but I refused. One day, he gave me a gift of a pen set. The next time I went on vacation, I brought him back a gift which was a knife. We became good friends and he always called me his brother and treated me as one of his family members. He invited me to all of his daughters' weddings and I always sat in the most honored spot. One day while I was fixing his wheelchair, he told me he was going to Pilgrimage. He was going to use the wheelchair I was fixing. I was very amazed that a man in his condition would even try to make Pilgrimage but he did and came back in a good condition. I always noticed this man prayed even though he was confined to his wheelchair. He never missed a prayer that I saw. Whenever he went to prayer, he left me alone in his house and this showed me that he trusted me. The attitude and kindness that this man showed towards me, though non-Muslim, was one of the reasons why I became a Muslim; may Allah reward him. So you see all of us, Muslims, are preaching Islam, even if they don't mean to, or want to. Muslims should think about what they are doing at all times, because the non-Muslims are watching and listening. I arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 1986. In 1991, I moved to Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia. Before I became a Muslim, no one ever asked me to become a Muslim, or told me something about Islam, or even gave me a book. One day, a Saudi, who worked with me, owed me a favor and asked me if I needed anything, I asked him to buy me a Qur'an in English and he did. It laid on my desk at work all the time. I used it to teach English to my trainees. I made them read the English translation of the meaning of the Holy Qur'an and when they didn’t understand, I made them read the Arabic Holy Qur'an, next to it. I also read it alone in my spare time. I actually waited for a long time for someone to ask me if I wanted to become a Muslim. Eventually, I decided to leave Saudi Arabia for another job. I went to my Supervisor and said: "I want to go to Makkah before I leave." He was surprised but he said: “You have to be a Muslim to go to Makkah.” I told him I was a Muslim, I believe in only One God and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the Messenger of God. He took me to the Da’wa Center to announce the Two Testimonies (Shahada) formally on April 16, 2000. I tell people I am a Y2K Muslim. When People ask me: 'How old are you?' My immediate answer in 2007 was: 'Seven years.' I changed my mind and stayed in Saudi Arabia. I wanted to learn more about Islam. The following pages relates about the experiences that led me to start making Da’wa or asking people to become Muslims. It is my hope and reason for writing this book, to inspire others to do the same. A Co-Worker One day when I first became Muslim, there was a young man - with whom I worked - who came to my office and asked me to read from the Hadeeth i.e. Prophetic Sayings for him. I thought this was strange because he had never talked to me about Islam before. He was not an active Muslim. It was about the mercy a mother will show to her child and how Allah has more mercy than this. I remember it really meant a lot to him. He asked me to explain it to him in English. After I read and explained it to him, he said: “Yahya, please talk to them.” I asked: "Whom?" He said: “The other Americans.” I asked that man what he wanted me to say? He said: “Talk to them about Islam.” He went on: “I wish I could speak English as well as you; I would talk to all of them. Please talk to them.” The next day I came to work and I didn’t see that man. An hour later, another man came in and told me the young man had just died in a car crash. I was very upset, even though that man was not one of my close friends. His friends told me the night before, one of his Supervisors had become angry with him and asked him to leave the area, because he wasn’t allowed there. He said: “I swear by Allah, I will never come back here again.” He was right he died the next day. I will never forget the words he told me: “Yahya, please talk to them.” May Allah reward him for that. A Dying Man There was a man who was very sick; his family thought he was going to die. He was not Muslim nor was his family; they were Catholic, except for one of his daughters. She had reverted to Islam while working as a dressmaker in Saudi Arabia. She was home on vacation with her husband. When she first saw her father, he was bed-ridden; there was no color in his eyes, and he appeared to be close to death. Her family asked her what she and her husband wanted them to do with their father when he dies. The question bothered her because her father was in the room, and listening to every word. He was not dead yet. She asked her husband, and he told the family: “I want him buried the same way they claim they buried Jesus: wash him, perfume him, wrap him in clean white cloth, pray for him, and bury him right away." Her husband explained that this is the way every Muslim is buried. The family was confused but they said it's alright. Before she left, her father asked: "Why are you wearing a scarf over your head?" She told him: “I have become a Muslim.” She promised her father she would come back the next day and talk to him about Islam. She only hoped he would still be alive. The next day she went back to see her father and he had improved. He was sitting up in bed. It looked as if he was waiting for her. She asked her father if he wanted to become a Muslim. He said we all used to be Muslims before. He said that he would like to become a Muslim but he didn’t think he could get down on the floor to pray because of his sickness. She explained that in Islam he didn’t have to; he could pray in a chair, Allah would understand. She gave the Two Testimonial (Shahada) to her father, who was 77 years old. He asked her if she could give him some books to read about Islam. She was very surprised, because his eyes were very bad and he hadn’t been able to read for a while. She gave him a can of milk and asked him if he could read the label on it. He read it with no mistakes even without glasses. All of his children have reverted to Islam. All praise be to Allah! A Filipino Revert There was a Filipino who reverted to Islam. On one of my visits, his friends came to me. They told me that he was not praying. I went to see him and he was very sad. I asked him what his problem was. It felt like he wanted to say he was going back to his old religion (Mormon). I said to him: "Don't say what you are thinking; it is very bad. Just tell me what the problem is." He began to explain that he called his father, in the Philippines, to tell him that he became Muslim. His father, who was a devout Mormon, became very angry and said to him: "You are not my son", and then hung up. I reminded him that I told him not to call his family until he had become strong in his faith and had the knowledge to explain Islam to his family. I told him not to worry. Allah will make the path clear if he will only have faith in his heart. I advised him to go to his room, pray, and ask Allah to help his father; to give him understanding because no father will quit loving his son, if he loved him to start with. I left and went back the next Thursday. He was waiting to see me, and he had a big smile on his face. He did what I told him and then called his father, he said: "It was like two different people; he didn’t yell or get angry. He just listened to me while I talked." His father told him it was alright for him to be a Muslim; it was his choice. I told him to keep praying and someday, his whole family would become Muslims God willing. The Awaiting American There was an American, to whom I had been talking about Islam for about a year. I went to his office one day, and we began to talk about Islam. I heard the call for prayer. It looked as though he wanted me to say something. I told him: "You are old enough to know the difference between right and wrong. I have given you books, many people have talked to you, and you need to make a decision." I started to go to the Masjid (Mosque). I noticed he was walking with me but I didn’t say anything. I did my ablution. He was beside me. I went into the Masjid. He stopped at the door. I turned around and asked if he wanted to pray with us, he said: 'I’m not allowed to'. I said: 'Yes you can'. He looked at me strangely and said: 'They said I can’t come in the Masjid.' I asked: 'Who said this?' He said: 'All of them'. I told him: 'They are wrong. Do you want to pray with us?' He said: 'Yes.' I told him: 'Say there is only one God, and Muhammad is His Messenger.' He said Shahada, I told the brothers to take him and show him how to do ablution. He became a Muslim, prayed with us, and that is how easy it is some times. (Somebody is waiting for you to ask them). I can remember many times, myself thinking I wished somebody would ask me to pray with them or to become a Muslim. I would have done it. To my surprise for almost three years, nobody ever did. I finally did it by myself. A Reverend of the Pentecostal Church He became a Muslim in 1993, in Saudi Arabia. He went to Saudi Arabia, under false pretenses as a waiter, his real mission was to reunite the scattered members of the Pentecostal church, who were also working in Saudi Arabia. His secondary mission was his impossible dream to Christianize the (Godless) Muslims there! Immediately upon arrival he was confronted with a dilemma; how to convert them to Christianity since according to him they don’t believe in the Bible or Jesus (so he thought). As a fully trained and licensed minister, this was a different situation from what he was used to. In his past, he had built his own church and was ministering to more than a thousand people, but this was definitely different and would take a good plan. He started reading the English translation of the meaning of the Holy Qur’an, hoping to find a loophole or contradictions to use against the Muslims. He was described as a sincere mistake-seeker or as I like to say searching for the truth. As he continued reading the English translation of the meaning of the Holy Qur’an, he found no contradictions. This started to shake his belief, but he still wasn’t satisfied. He bought a book called Sahih Al-Bukhari containing the most authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). As he read, he found what he was sure was a mistake that he could use against the Muslims. Out of the vast amount of knowledge Al-Bukhari contains, he spotted one hadith which he mistook to be the loophole he could use against the Muslims. Although his faith had been shaken by Allah, with the English translation of the meaning of the Holy Qur’an, the Devil was still pushing him in the wrong direction. Here is the Hadith he thought had to be a mistake. Thumama said: “We were with Anas and a fly fell into a vessel. Anas motioned with his hand and immersed it three times then said: Bismilläh and he said that truly, thus did the Messenger of Allah order us to do.” He thought to himself; what kind of man, would tell somebody to immerse in a vessel a fly and then tell people to eat from it, and furthermore what kind of people would follow him. A few days later he came across an article written by a NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientist on research about the fly. The article states that it has been discovered that the common housefly carries parasitic pathogens for many diseases including malaria, typhoid fever, cholera, and many others. It was also discovered that the fly carries parasitic bacteriophagic fungi capable of fighting the germs of all of these diseases. So when the Prophet Muhammad said; If a fly falls into one of your containers (of food or drink), immerse it completely before removing it, for under one of its wings there is venom and under the other is antidote. He was not insane! This convinced the man that Islam was a true religion of Allah and Muhammad was indeed His prophet. He said his Shahada in his room in private. Conclusion The stories I have related are some of the true experiences of my life before and after I became a Muslim. These experiences are only a few of the more than three hundred people I have seen come to Islam. I heard a non-Muslim Filipino say something that made a lot of sense. He said: "When we were children, we were afraid of the dark. When we become adults, we are afraid of the light." In this case, light is Truth. Telling the truth to a person who is seeking the truth is the greatest reward you will ever receive. You are bringing them into the light and helping them to get over their fear of the unknown. When you witness somebody become Muslim, there is no greater feeling. You feel part of their happiness. Give it a try; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. There are many people out there like me who are just waiting to be asked. Give them a simple explanation of Islam such as 'What do Muslims Believe?' Muslims believe in One God, with no equals or partners; in the Angels created by Him; in the Prophets; in the Previous Scriptures; in the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of Prophets starting with Adam and ending with God's final Message to mankind revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through the Angel Gabriel. Together Islam, Christianity and Judaism, go back to the Prophet Abraham, and the three Prophets directly descended from his sons - Muhammad from Ishmael, Moses and Jesus from Isaac (Peace be upon all of them). The Five Pillars of Islam: 1) Shahada, (Testimony of Faith, from the heart) La ilaha illallah, Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah. Which translates: “None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” 2) Five compulsory daily prayers. 3) Fasting during Ramadan, 4) Zakat (poor-due), 5) Hajj (pilgrimage) to Makkah once in one's life, if able physically and financially. This should be basic enough to get anybody started on the Right Path to the Truth, if they really want to know the Truth. May Allah bless all of you and help you on your chosen path. If you know someone who is interested to know about Islam, ask him/her to seek more information from an Islamic education center or visit us at www. islamunveiled.org
By Yahya George Maxwell 2008

THE IDEAL ISLAMIC WOMEN

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THE IDEAL MUSLIM WOMEN

INTRODUCTION

A few years ago, I was invited to give a lecture to a group of students on "The Ideal Muslim Wife". I felt that the subject had already been given a lot of attention, so requested permission to present instead a paper on "The Ideal Muslim Husband", who seldom got any attention at all.

The paper was subsequently published as a booklet, and has been well-received especially by women, many of whom had little idea of the duties of Muslim husbands towards their wives or of the numerous verses of the Qur'an and Hadith (Sayings and Practices of the Prophet Muhammad) restraining men from abusing women's rights.

The booklet is now popular as a wedding gift for bridegrooms, and I have received a number of requests to write its companion volume "The Ideal Muslim wife", as a gift for a bride.

I must confess that this volume has been more difficult to write, for several reasons. The first is the problem of conscience. In describing the ideal wife one becomes very aware of one's own shortcomings and feels embarrassed to offer advice, which one has sometimes failed to follow.

The second reason why this volume has been more difficult than the first is that, while many of the Muslim husbands' duties have been defined in the Qur'an in clear legal terms, the wife's duties are much less specific and are seldom in the form of legal restraints or duties.

They consist more of moral exhortations and descriptions of the qualities of good women and warning against some of the attitudes and behaviour of the pagan women of the Jahiliyyah (the time of Ignorance of the Arabs before Islam).

My approach to this subject has been therefore to read or re-read the various references in the Qur'an and Hadith with regard to the behaviour of a wife and to consider these within the context of the Islamic view of marriage and the family.

It should not be overlooked that the basic moral teachings of Islam are addressed to both men and women. Because this booklet is focussing on the wife, it does not mean that such teachings are for women only. For example, where the Qur'an enjoins modesty on women it is coupled with another verse enjoining modesty on men (Qur'an 24:30-31). Another verse commends the virtues of humility and chastity in both men and women (Qur'an 33:35). Husband and wife are therefore expected to show mutual consideration for each other's needs and feelings.

However, the roles of men and women in life and within the family structure are not identical just as the male and female are not biologically or psychologically identical. Therefore there are some areas where the behaviour expected of each is different. In "The Ideal Muslim Husband" I focused on the duties of the husband and in this book I focus on those of the wife. To get the total picture of their mutual duties the books should be read together.

Lastly in this context, it must be pointed out that the "Ideal" Muslim wife does not imply a stereotype', Every human being is different and therefore every pair of human beings who form a marriage must be different in the precise way they relate to each other. What pleases one man in a wife may be irritating to another (and vice versa). There are always aspects of the personality which are unique and help to give life its variety and freshness The Prophet's wives reflected such differences in character. Their individuality was not submerged by being good wives and "mothers of the believers".

Nevertheless, there are certain basic attitudes and actions that may be regarded as good for any marriage and others that are harmful to it.

I hope that what follows will be a faithful reflection of Islamic teachings and a useful guide to any wife.

Chapter]

WHAT IS MARRIAGE FOR?

"When a servant (of Allah) marries, he perfects half his religion; and let him fear Allah with regard to the remaining half."

(Hadith from Baihaqi)

Marriage in Islam is encouraged for those who have reached the age of physical and psycho logical maturity. It should not be unnecessarily delayed if there is a suitable partner available and the means to establish a family. Divorced people, widows and widowers are also encouraged to re-marry. Religious celibacy is strongly discouraged. Therefore although marriage is not a compulsory duty for all people under all circumstances and due allowance is made for those who do not have the capacity for marriage for one reason or other, the emphasis is nevertheless strongly in favour of marriage as the normal adult status.

What are the benefits of this positive attitude to marriage?

1, Marriage is a permanent relationship between a man and a woman, which provides for their mutual care, and for the lawful development and expression of love between them. It links physical love with personal care and responsibility towards the partner and towards any children that may be born of the union.

'" It is only in the context of marriage that a woman is protected for her vital role as the mother of the next

generation. Modern experiments with free love, unmarried motherhood and single parent families have only confirmed their disruptive social and economic effects, particularly on women and their disastrous consequences for the next generation. Children need both parents for a secure and well adjusted childhood.

3. The benefit of marriage is not only to the wife and children and to the society at large, but also to the husband. Recent studies in the

United Kingdom

have revealed that while divorce causes suffering to both partners it appeared to cause even more depression among husbands than wives. The value of a wife in providing psychological comfort as well as physical love should not be under-estimated. The man without the responsibilities and comforts of a wife and family is more exposed to temptations of unlawful sexual relations and deviant behaviour. It cannot be a mere coincidence that the decline of marriage in the western world today has been accompanied by a rise in aggressive homosexuality, pornography, child sexual abuse and the danger of rape - even of small girls and old women.

The Qur'an has referred to the marriage relationship as one of Allah's wonders that enshrines the greatest and most transforming of all human emotions - love:

·'And among His wonders is this: He

creates for you mates out of your own nature so that you may incline towards them, and He engenders love and tenderness between you. In this, behold,

there are signs indeed for people who

think." (Qur'an 30:21)

In another verse of the Qur'an Allah says:

"They (wives) are your garments and you are their garments." (Qur'an 2:187)

Comfort, protection and intimacy are all comprised in these descriptions of the marriage relationship as it is intended to be. The Prophet (peace be upon him) commented: "You have seen nothing like marriage for increasing the love of two people." (Hadith from Ibn Majah.)

Marriage is not intended to be a prison but a base, a safe haven, a source of contentment, tranquility, consolation and spiritual strength through shared commitment and experience. If it is turned into an arena for strife, discontent, abuse, or oppression it is failing to fulfill its proper function.

Therefore every effort should be made to ensure that there is compatibility between a man and woman before they are betrothed and every precaution should be taken to avoid the souring of a marriage once it is established. What follows is based on the guidance of the Qur'an and Sunnah to help a wife on how to keep her marriage a happy one that conforms to the descriptions of marriage in the Qur'an.

Chapter 2

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PARTNER

Marriages can go wrong from Day one if the couple are not basically compatible. Prevention in this respect is better than cure. It is very important to try to ensure that one is looking for the right qualities in a marriage partner. The Prophet said that "A woman may be married for four reasons - her wealth, her rank, her beauty and her religious character. Therefore choose the one with the religious character and prosper." (Hadith from Bukhari and Muslim.)

The same applies in the choice of a husband by a woman. It is unwise for a woman to accept a man's proposal because he is handsome, rich or of high social status if he is lacking in good religious character. The first three are no guarantee of happiness. But a man of genuinely religious character is likely to observe the Islamic requirement of kindness to his wife, and to abide by Allah's laws with regard to his behaviour towards her. His consciousness of Allah acts as a restraint on selfishness. Whattever his weakness, at least he does not deliberately do wrong.

A girl or woman should pray regularly for a good husband. She should also find out as much as possible about the character and religious practice of any suitor, and her relatives should help her to get objective information. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also advised that a couple thinking of marriage should be given the chance to meet (in the presence of a relative) in order to ascertain at least basic compatibility. (See

several Hadith from Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi. Nasai, Ibn Majah.)

The choice of the right partner is very important for both the man and woman. In view of the degree of love and respect a wife should give to her husband, it is advisable that she should marry someone who is really worth that love and respect.

Chapter3

SINCERITY AND TRUST

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

"Religion is sincerity." Someone asked:

"Sincerity to whom?" He replied: "To Allah and His Book and His Messenger and the leaders of the Muslims and to the generality of them." (Hadith from Muslim)

Sincerity is therefore closely identified with true religious belief. Sincerity towards her husband is an essential requirement for a wife. It underlines all her duties and manifests itself in many ways.

Firstly it implies having her husband's interests at heart and wanting only good for him.

Secondly it implies truthfulness so that her husband learns to trust her in word and deed. She would never tell him a lie even in a small matter because it will sow in him the seed of doubt about her trustworthiness in greater matters. Once trust has been shaken it is hard to rebuild it.

If a wife tells a lie to her husband to cover up something else she did, she only compounds her offence. She should in all circumstances repent sincerely to Allah and seek His forgiveness. She should then tell her husband the truth and seek his forgiveness unless the original offence is a matter that would put him into mental torment or destroy the marriage. In this case it

may be more considerate towards him that she should repent to God silently within her own conscience a amend her behaviour in future".

The Prophet (peace be upon him) directed people to forgive those who ask for forgiveness. The wife who sincerely repents, tells the truth and seeks forgiveness may be able to re-establish trust, but the shameless liar leaves her husband in a state of constant doubt, and unworthy of trust.

A good wife should therefore ensure by her behaviour that she establishes a high degree of trust her sincerity of word and deed, so that her husband confidence in her is strong enough to withstand any false rumour or slander. She should not throwaway that basic trust for any temporary expediency.

Another aspect of sincerity on the part of a wife is in supporting him in doing what is right and avoiding wrong doing. Allah says:

"And the believers, both men and women, are protecting friends of one another: they (all) enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and are constant in prayer, and render the zakah, and pay

· This view on the permissibility of silence is based on analogy with a Hadith which allows for the use of a "white lie" someone who tries to reconcile two people who have become estranged:

"He is not a liar who reconciles two people, and speak good, and adds good from himself." (Hadith from Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi.)

heed unto Allah and His Messenger. It is they upon whom Allah will bestow His grace: truly, Allah is Almighty, Wise." (Qur'an 9:71)

The wife should herself be obedient and faithful to Allah and use her influence to help the whole family to live a righteous life. There should be mutual counselling within the family.

Long after the death of the Prophet's first wife, Khadijah, he used to praise her for her loyalty, good counsel and moral support throughout their married life.

Just as a good wife should be trustworthy, so she should trust her husband (unless she has clear first hand evidence that he is not to be trusted). She should avoid suspicion and spying on him or snooping among his possessions. The Qur'anic warning about these sins (Qur'an 49: 12) is addressed in general to all believers, men and women. They are particularly damaging within the close marriage relationship. If a husband senses that his wife is spying on him he loses the sense of freedom and security in his own home and may start to lock up his personal effects, thereby increasing the wife's suspicions. According to a Hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that reading someone else's correspondence without permission is a sin. Some wives actually drive their husbands away from home by their snooping and spying, and. it is distressing for children to realise that the parents whom they trust do not trust each other.

Having laid emphasis on the basic need sincerity, trustworthiness and trust, we shall move on to consider some other qualities in a wife that I mentioned in the Qur'an and the Hadith.

Chapter 4 UNDERSTANDING YOUR HUSBAND

Whether or not a couple think they know about each other before marriage, it is after marriage that they become fully aware of each other's character, habits, moods, likes and dislikes. There is a period of adjustment after marriage. If all goes well, the idealistic, romantic and sometimes intoxicating love of the pre-marriage or honeymoon period then develops into another dimension - a more mature kind of love based on true knowledge and understanding of each other provided the partners do not behave in such a way as to kill love altogether.

To develop this permanent and lasting kind of love in marriage, a wife needs to study her husband so as to know how to please him. In addition to knowing his personal likes and dislikes she should be able to sense his moods and respond to them and to anticipate his needs - to know when he wants to talk and when he wants silence. It is this responsiveness based on sympathy and understanding, that creates lasting bonds between husband and wife.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

"The world is a provision, and the best provision of the world is a virtuous wife." (Hadith from Muslim and Nasa' i.)

He is also reported to have said in elaboration:

"Should 1 not tell you of the best treasure of man? (It is) a virtuous woman: when he looks at her, she gladdens him; and when he tells her (anything) she is compliant; and when he is absent from her, she watches his (interest) ." (Hadith from Abu Dawud.)

In other words she has learned to respond to his needs and to please him even by her looks not just by taking care of her beauty (which may fade) but by her loving attention. When he wants her to do something or not to do it she complies with good will. She attends to his comfort and well being and does not hurt his feelings. He is also comforted by the knowledge that this concern for his welfare is not just a show put on in his presence. She takes care of his interests also when he is absent.

A similar Hadith from Ibn Majah adds that she guards her honour and chastity when he is away.

All these characteristics of an ideal Muslim wife reflect her consideration, good manners and moral integrity.

Another Hadith reported by Talha bin Abdullah

describes the opposite behaviour and its consequences:

A woman who talks harshly and her husband becomes sad because of her rudeness, incurs the anger of Allah until such time that she smiles on her husband and tries to please him."

A woman who wishes her marriage to last happily into old age should therefore learn these lessons. She should not expect love to last if she is harsh, rude and disagreeable, and does not care whether her husband is pleased or not.

Allah gives us a prayer in the Qur'an:

"Our Lord! Grant us wives and children who will be the joy and comfort of our eyes, and guide us to be models of righteousness." (Qur'an 25:74)

Chapter 5

AUTHORITY, CONSULTATION And OBEDIENCE

The family is a group of people closely related by blood or marriage who usually live together. In every human group there is a leader and a hierarchy of authority so that the members act in co-operation for the common good.

The head of the family in an Islamic marriage is the husband, by virtue of his role as the maintainer of the family:

"Men shall take full care of women with the bounties which Allah has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions. And the righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy which Allah has (ordained to be) guarded ... " (Qur'an 4:34)

"And women have rights equal to the rights incumbent on them according to what is equitable; and men have a degree above them." (Qur'an 2:228)

This "degree" of difference in legal rights in marriage and divorce is a reflection of the husband's leadership role, and in no way implies that the woman is inferior as a moral and spiritual being. This point is stated in several Qur'anic verses and Hadith.

"And their Lord answered them: Verily I will never cause to be lost the labour of any of you. be you a male or a female - the one of you is as the other."(Qur'an 3:195) (see also Qur'an 33:35)

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is also reported to have said:

"All people are equal, as equal as the teeth of a comb. There is no claim of merit of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a white over a black person, or of a male over a female. Only Godfearing people merit a preference with Allah." (Hadith from Ahmad ibn Hambal, alMusnad)

A wife should therefore acknowledge her husband's administrative leadership and not dispute it or set herself up as a rival in taking ultimate decisions that affect the whole family. A ship with two captains will never reach its destination.

However, leadership in Islam also has its obligations. The leader at all levels is to be motivated by love and concern for those under his care, who will naturally respond by loving their leader.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to

have said:

"The best of your leaders are those whom you love and who love you, for whom you pray and who pray for you, and the worst of your leaders are those whom you hate, and

who hate you, whom you curse and who curse you. "(Hadith from Muslim)

All forms of tyranny, oppression and exploitation

of the weak are condemned, and the tyrant is warned:

"Fear the prayer of the wronged, for truly there is no veil between him and Allah." (Hadith from Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Abu Dawud,)

"The tyrant shall not enter into Paradise." (Hadith from Abu Dawud and Ahmad)

The leader is moreover obliged to consult his followers. A chapter of the Qur'an is entitled "Shura" (meaning Consultation) and it contains a description of the believers as those "whose rule (in all matters of common concern) is consultation among themselves…" (Qur'an 42:38)

Leadership in Islam is identified as a responsibility. It exists at various levels both in pub1ic affairs and in the family. According to a saying of the Prophet:

"Take care: each of you is a shepherd and each of you shall be asked concerning his flock. A leader is shepherd over (his) people, and he shall be asked concerning his flock; and a man is a shepherd over the people of his house, and he shall be asked concerning his flock; and a woman is a shepherd over the house of her husband and over his children, and she shall be asked concerning them; and the servant of a man is a shepherd

over the property of his master, and he shall be asked concerning it. Take care, then, each of you is a shepherd and each of you shall be asked concerning his flock." (Hadith from Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi.)

As can be seen from this Hadith the wife is given responsibility within the family for the smooth day-today running of the household and the upbringing of the young. We shall return to this aspect of her role in another section. Here we are concerned only with the aspect of leadership and authority in the home.

This brings us to the use of the words "ordering" and "obeying" which are used in translating some Qur'anic verses or Hadith about husband/wife relationship, for example "when he orders her, she obeys". The Arabic word "amr" used in the original text certainly has the general meaning of "to order" or "to ordain". However, in the context of family life it obviously does not have the same connotation as it would have in, for example, the army! The family is not a military unit, and for a husband to give out orders to his wife like a sergent-major on the parade would be most out of place, and indeed probably counter-productive. The relationship of husband and wife is quite different. They are not described as matter and servant in the Qur'an but as "garments to each other" -loving, sympathetic and protective. The records of the Prophet's relationship with his wives is an example of this .

A study of the word "Amr" in the Qur'an* reveals that it has a wide range of meanings, including "commanding" "biding" "instructing" and ''"urging''. For example in Surah 2:168-9, Allah says:

"O mankind! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Shaitan's footsteps: for verily he is your open foe, and he gives you 'AMR' only to do evil, and to commit deeds of abomination, and to attribute to Allah something of which you have no knowledge. "

How does Shaitan give "AMR" to people to do evil? Not by issuing commands but by urging and by persuading or by ''whispering into the hearts of mankind". (Qur'an 114:5). Moreover, Allah says to Shaitan that he has no power over His creatures unless they choose to follow him (Qur'an 15:42) and Shaitan admits this (Qur'an 14:22) and Shaitan admits this (Qur'an 14:22). It is therefore clear that AMR does mean "to command" or ''to order" in all contexts.

The word certainly requires interpretation and translation according to its context. In the context of married life it may be understood to mean the husband exercising his authority as a leader in accordance with Islamic principles. Making his wife understand what he wants to be done in a way that will enlist her cooperation and compliance. Anyone with an understanding of family relations will realise that this

• See The Word Constellation "Amr' in the Qur'an., by Saki" Kocabas (1be Islamic Philosophical! Society) published 1987, 295 Gurney Close, Barking, Essex, England.

method is much more effective than throwing out orders in an arbitrary or inconsiderate manner.

When asked to do something in this way, a wife may offer advice if she has another view or suggestion, but if the husband is not persuaded, she should accept his authority and comply - unless what he wants is contrary to the teachings of Islam, in which case she has a higher obligation of obedience to Allah, since according to a popular saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him):

"No obedience is due to a created being which is in disobedience to the Creator."

One of the reasons for frequent breakdown of marriage in the modern west is the women's liberation notion that the family can have two absolutely equal leaders - the husband and the wife. If in the ensuing battle of wills, neither is ready to give way, the result is likely to be separation or divorce, which may have negative effects on the partners, their children and ultimately on the society at large.

Basically women (even strong-willed ones) still feel that it is natural for a husband to lead, provided he does so in the manner mentioned above, with wisdom. It is one of the comforts of marriage for a woman that she does not have to take sole responsibility for all major decisions in the family.

Allah has created men and women as complementary to one another in co-operation and not in competition.

Chapter6

THE HOME

The Home can be a heaven or hell, depending on what the couple makes of it. As the custodian of the day to day organization of the home, the wife sets the atmosphere and tone of the household.

She is expected to be orderly, active and cheerful.

While a Muslim wife is not legally required by Islamic law to cook and clean, she is the home manager and therefore responsible for ensuring that these essential jobs are done. If the husband can afford a servant or two he is expected to provide them to relieve the wife of heavy labour. Nowadays labour-saving devices are also available to ease the housework. If the husband cannot afford a servant or the wife is anyway accustomed to housework she is expected to contribute her own labour as a form of Sadaqah (charity) for which she will receive Allah's reward.

The supervision of the household is very important for the happiness and welfare of all who live in it. Anyone who has stayed in a badly-supervised hotel knows the frustrations of delays in meals, poorly-cooked food, broken-down and dirty facilities and, underlying it, the feeling that the Management does not care whether the guests are comfortable or not. It is the same in the home.

The wife who wants to keep the family together should ensure that the home is a pleasant place to be in physically and psychologically. Good colour schemes.

well-chosen furnishings, and a clean and comfortable environment all contribute to a pleasant home.

The wise wife also knows the value of the personal touch around the house. Even if she has an outside job or has servants, the wife's own cooking, and her own sense of making the house pleasant have a strong influence on family love and cohesion. The English proverb "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" is as valid today as it ever was. Preparing and serving food has a special blessing and importance in Islam whether as hospitality to guests or as charity to the needy, or as a way of pleasing the family. Even if a wife is too busy to cook on a daily basis, whatever food she prepares with her own hands to please her family will earn her their special appreciation and love.

The supervision of the household is not the only duty of the wife. She is also responsible for the care and early education of the children if she is blessed with them.

The importance of breast-feeding should be emphasised, both for its physical benefits to the child and for establishment of a close bond between mother and baby. Modern studies of the effects of breast-milk have revealed its role in protecting young children from disease, and there is also growing evidence of its link with intellectual development. The Qur'an recommends a long period of breast-feeding which maximise the benefit to the child. (Qur'an 46:15).

The mother's way of relating to the child is of lasting significance, since the effects of the training and

impressions of early childhood remain throughout adult life. It has been described as like "writing on stone"; its effects last forever. A wise mother can use this powerful influence to nurture a family that grows up to be loving, kind, co-operative, considerate, confident, disciplined, spiritually and intellectually awake and conscious of Allah in whatever they do.

An Arab proverb says "The mother is a school".

This is not just an empty compliment but an important observation which has implications for the seriousness of the mother's task. The psychologist Adler* confirms this observation from his studies of human development:

"From the moment of birth a baby seeks to connect himself with his mother. This is the purpose of his movements. For many months his mother plays overwhelmingly the most important role in his life he is almost completely dependent upon her. It is in this situation that the ability to co-operate first develops. The mother gives her baby the first contact with another human being, the first interest in some one other than himself. She is his first bridge to social life; and a baby who could make no connection at all with his mother, or with some other human being who took her place, would inevitably perish. ..

... her skill, or lack of skill, has influenced all the child's potentialities. We mean nothing else by a mother's skill than her ability to co-

• A. Adler: What Life should Mean to You (George AlIen & Iluwm Chapter 6: Family Influence.

operate with her child and to win the child to co-operate with herself. This ability is not to be taught by rules. New situations arise every day. There are thousands of points in which she must apply her insight and understanding to the child's needs. She can be skillful only if she is interested in her child and occupied in "winning his affection and securing his welfare ...

... the whole of human society is bound up with the attitude of women to motherhood. Almost everywhere the woman's part in life is undervalued and treated as secondary...

... house-keeping and home-making are too often regarded, not as contributions open to women, but as drudgery relegated to them. If a woman can really see house-keeping as an art in which she can be interested and through which she can lighten and enrich the lives of her fellows, she can make it a task equal to any other in the world. If, on the other hand, it is thought of as work too mean for a man, need we wonder when women resist their tasks, revolt against them, and set out to prove what should be obvious from the first- that women are the equals of men and no less entitled to consideration and to the opportunity to develop their capacities?

... where the woman's part is undervalued, the whole harmony of married life is destroyed. No woman who considers that to be interested in children is an inferior task can train herself

for the skill, care, understanding and sympathy that are so necessary if children are to be given a favourable position in the beginning of their lives ...

... if we trace back the cases of failure in life, we almost always discover that the mother did not fulfil her functions properly: she did not give the child a favourable start. If the mothers fail, if they are dissatisfied with their tasks and lack interest in them, the whole of mankind is endangered ..."

Islam has recognized the importance of this role of mother. She is given full appreciation for her efforts and for the troubles she endures and the sacrifices she makes for the sake of her children.

The prophet is reported to have said:

"Paradise lies at the feet of mothers" (Hadith from Nasai and Ibn Majah).

He is also reported to have said:

"I and the woman whose cheeks have grown dark (on account of the cares and anxieties of her children) shall be like this on the Day of Resurrection here the Prophet placed together his middle and forefingers (meaning, she would be close to him). (Hadith from Abu Dawud)

On another occasion someone asked the Prophet Messenger of God, who is most deserving of good care from me? The Prophet replied: "Your mother". The man asked: "And who after that?" He repeated: "Your mother". The man asked "And who after that?" The Prophet repeated

Your mother, then your father, then your nearest relatives in order of closeness." (Hadith from Bukhari and Muslim)

The role of the father is also important in child upbringing, but that of the mother is seen to entail even greater commitment. It is therefore quite wrong to devalue the role of woman as mother and homemaker. Western society in the twentieth century has become so obsessed with economic activity, paid employment and material gain for both men and women that the role of the homemaker and mother of young children has come to be regarded as nothing - an unfortunate interruption of her glorious career in the office or factory. If a housewife is asked what she does (meaning her occupation) she is likely to reply "Oh, nothing at the moment. I stay at home because of the baby." She has been brainwashed into thinking that this activity has no special value, demands no special skill, and is rated as zero in terms of occupational status and reward. She can hardly wait to "get back to work".

For a Muslim woman the home is the centre of her attention and her husband and children's welfare her first priority after her obligation to Allah.

This does not rule out her taking on a job outside the home, or continuing with her education, or giving voluntary service to the community. It is merely a matter of ensuring that her primary responsibilities of managing the home and children are taken care of, lest the family itself - the basic unit of society - should fall apart and fail to provide the security and example required for the rearing of the next generation.

The Hadith contain words of consolation mothers for all their sufferings in pregnancy, childbirth and child care,

"Sallamah, the nurse of his son Ibrahim, said to the Prophet (Pbuh): O Messenger of Allah, you brought tidings of all the good things to men but not to women. He said: Did your women friends put you up to asking me this question? She said: Yes, they did. He said:

Does it not please anyone of you that if she is pregnant by her husband and he is satisfied with her that she receives the reward of one who fast and prays for the sake of Allah? And when the labour pains come no one in Heaven or earth knows what is concealed in her womb to soothe her (to cool her eyes). And when she delivers, not a mouthful of milk flows from her and not an instance of the child's suck, but she receives, for every mouthful and every suck, the reward of one good deed. And if she is kept awake by her child at night, she receives the reward of one who frees seventy slaves for the sake of Allah." Narrated by Anas, al- Tabarani.

Chapter 7

GOOD COUNSEL AND MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING

We have mentioned that the Islamic concept of leadership includes consultation and acceptance of good advice.

In a successful marriage there should therefore be ready communication between husband and wife. Matters such as the children's upbringing, education and eventual marriage, other family affairs, and management of money should be discussed for mutual agreement and understanding.

The wife should also take an intelligent interest in her husband's work and other activities, and keep up-to-date with current affairs and general knowledge. For this it helps if there is a reasonable degree of educational quality between husband and wife.

If the educational gap is very wide, the husband and wife may be unable to communicate because her level of understanding may be too low for her to share his interests and concerns. They may drift apart because they have nothing of mutual interest to talk about. In such cases the husband tends to spend most of his leisure hours outside the home with his friends and comes home only to eat and sleep.

If the wife is unlucky enough to have a low educational level, she should try to remedy the situation whatever her age, since the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught that "the search for knowledge is a duty for every

Muslim, male and female", and that it should be pursued "from the cradle to the grave". In this case the husband should support and encourage her in every possible manner.

Women who have completed secondary level can continue with higher education as full time or part-time students or by correspondence courses. If a woman cannot pursue formal education to a higher level she can register for adult education classes, and if she is literate she can increase her knowledge by reading as widely as possible. Radio and television also offer some educational programmes.

By broadening her general knowledge or pursuing an interesting field of study a wife becomes a more interesting companion, and will be in a better position to understand and advice her husband.

Likewise if her Islamic education was neglected at an earlier stage of her life, she can join Islamiyyah classes for women, or Islamic study groups. This can help her to apply Islamic standards to her own family life and teach her own children in turn.

Our role model for an intellectual active woman is the Prophet's wife Aisha who learned Islam attentively, and engaged the Prophet (peace be upon him) in deep questioning about it until she was satisfied. As a result he advised people that they could learn half their religion from her. She subsequently, when a widow became a noted authority on Hadith whose opinion was sought by the leadership on political, legal and social issues.

This is revealing of the importance of intelligent understanding among the qualities in a wife that contribute to a successful marriage.

The husband and wife, at the time of marriage, may come from different backgrounds - different ethnic groups, different socio-economic groups, or simply a different family way of life. They should not react with horror to such natural differences but exercise tolerance and sometimes humour in the process of adjustment. In this way they gradually come to a common understanding and develop their own family standards and sense of priorities. They begin to think of themselves as "we" instead of as two independent individuals.

Chapter 8 MONEY

An important area that needs mutual

understanding is money. A husband is required to support his family according to his means. The wife should learn to live within those means and show appreciation. She should avoid the two extremes of meanness and extravagance in accordance with the teachings of the Qur'an (25:67).

She should avoid all wastefulness, which the Qur'an identifies as a form of ingratitude to Allah (Qur'an 17:27). She should also avoid frequent demands for luxuries. If she is a good wife the husband may take pleasure in surprising her with gifts from time to time; but to be constantly asked for money for clothes and cosmetics, or to run up huge telephone bills for chatting to friends and so on can cause even patient husbands to feel resentment. A Muslim is allowed to enjoy the good and lawful things of life, but in moderation. If he or she has surplus it is far better to give some of it away as sadaqah (charity) to others in need than to waste it on unnecessary things.

If a Muslim wife has a job or earns money from an investment or property, she has full rights over her income. However, if the husband is not well off it would be an act of charity for her to contribute something to family expenses in one way or another.

It is therefore advisable for husband and wife to discuss money matters from the start of their marriage so as to achieve mutual understanding.

In this respect they need to identify their priorities, high amongst which should be to reserve enough money for the best available broad education for their children, which the Prophet described as the best gift one could make to a child (Hadith from Tirmidhi.)

Chapter 9

FRIENDS AND SOCIAL LIFE

Before marriage a girl or woman naturally has a circle of female friends who are her closest confidants. These friendships are not dropped on marriage, but a wife should remember that her closet friend now should be her husband. It is not right for her to tell her friends all the details of her married life particularly the sexual relationship, which is entirely private. Nor should she pass on to others what her husband says in a private conversation. It is indiscreet and could do harm if his private remarks are passed on to become a source of gossip. If a wife cannot control her tongue and tells her friends whatever he says or does, she will soon find herself in trouble. If she wishes to be in her husband's confidence she must be capable of keeping confidential matters to herself.

If there is a problem between her and her husband on which she needs advice she should be cautious to task only a person of proven integrity who will give sincere counsel and will not gossip to others.

In her public appearance a wife should observe Islamic principles of dress and behave modesty. She should avoid showing off her figure, her clothes or her jewellery. She should also avoid wearing perfume in public. Her dress should cover all parts of the body except the face and hands. It should be neither tight nor transparent so as to reveal the figure. It should not make her look like a man. They style and colour do not matter as long as the dress conforms to these Islamic requirements, and is not designed to attract attention.

When she is at home or away from the sight of men who are not her close relatives, she may dress to please herself and her husband.

What is the wisdom behind the difference between a Muslim woman's public appearance and private appearance?

A woman's beauty is a part of her sexual attraction. Dress and adornment may enhance that attraction or conceal it. Islam requires a husband and wife to be faithful to one another, and prescribes deterrent legal punishment for adultery. It is a part of wisdom therefore to wear clothes that conceal sexual attraction, so as not to encourage the very thing which Islam forbids.

On the other hand Islam does not regard sexual relations between spouses as sinful in themselves. On the contrary it encourages married partners to enjoy sexual relations with each other, since this will increase satisfaction in marriage and reduce the temptation to seek satisfaction outside marriage. Therefore the Muslim wife at home is expected to take care of her appearance and wear her beautiful clothes, jewellery and perfume so as to enhance her attraction to her husband.

Many women foolishly practice the reverse they wear their most attractive clothes when they go out in order to be admired by strangers, while at home they go around in old clothes with untidy hair as if it no longer matters whether their husbands find them attractive or not.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that a woman may go out for her needs. Provided she is in hijab (modest Islamic dress) she may go out for any

lawful purpose. A wife should however avoid roaming around aimlessly or mixing unnecessarily with men. She should tell her husband where she is going and have his consent. She should not put herself in a situation where she is alone with a man other than her husband or close relative (within the prohibited degrees of marriage). She should not allow into her house any man of whom her husband would not approve; nor should she visit such a person. There may also be some women of whom husband disapproves, with whom he may restrict his wife's friendship - because of her habits of spreading gossip or of interference in the family affairs, or of other harmful influence. A wife should where possible, avoid actions or situations which could give rise to gossip about her conduct, or jealousy of the husband, even if she has no bad intentions.

If the wife's public appearance and behaviour indicate that she is a faithful Muslim wife she will gain the respect of other men and avoid unwanted attention. If the husband is assured of his wife's true love and respect for him, he will be spared from jealousy and suspicion. All these principles of conduct contribute to the strength of the marriage and the success of family life.

Other aspects of Islamic family and social life which a wife should observe are respect for the husband's parents, hospitality and good neighbourly relationships, fostered by acts of kindness and care for their welfares.

Chapter 10

THE SEXUAL RELATIONSHIP

Marriage is much more than a sexual relationship, but the sexual relationship is very important within marriage. When things go wrong with it, there is increased inclination for either or both of the partners to look elsewhere for love and emotional or physical

satisfaction.

The partners both need to be considerate and responsive to each others moods and needs. Women (and indeed, men) often fail to understand the differences between male and female sexuality and thereby offend each other. They should make clear to each other what they like or dislike. The wife should take care of her appearance and make herself attractive to her husband. The Qur'an has encouraged the expression of love in the context of a lawful and spiritual relationship (Qur'an 2:223).

If a wife is actually ill or has other good reasons for not wishing to make love, the husband is expected to show consideration but she should not make a habit of refusing. Many women under-estimate the humiliation a husband feels if he is frequently rejected or fobbed off with excuses. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

"When a woman who has been called to

her husband's bed refuses and he spends the night angry, the angels curse her until the morning. "(Hadith from Bukhari and Muslim)

This is tough language, and for some women it needs to be, because of the serious consequences of their constant refusal.

A husband who is regularly rejected by his wife is likely to feel offended, depressed and frustrated. This causes tension and problems within the marriage and can eventually lead to divorce. A patient man may suffer in silence, but others are driven to find unlawful satisfaction elsewhere, with a mistress or a prostitute, or legitimate satisfaction by taking another wife.

A wife should therefore, weigh up the possible consequences of her coldness and give her husband all the love he needs.

In a fairly long Hadith from Muslim, it was related that some of the Prophet's Companions observed that the rich would get more reward because of their ability to give in charity. The Prophet replied that Allah had made other things to be given in charity, listing the praising of Allah and the enjoining of good actions and the forbidding of evil actions and also sexual relations. The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, when one of us fulfils his sexual desire will we have reward for that?" He said: "Do you (not) think that if a person does it unlawfully he would be sinning? Likewise, if he does it lawfully (with his wife) he will have a reward.' (Hadith from An-Nawawi)

Therefore a wife who satisfies her husband within the lawful framework of marriage and thereby protects him (and herself) from extra marital affairs not only pleases her husband but also pleases Allah. This

right to sexual relations is of course reciprocal - the wife has the same right over her husband.

It should be mentioned here the Muslims are encouraged to have children. However Islam has not prohibited child spacing by methods that do not have harmful side effects, if it is with mutual consent of husband and wife.

Jabir (a Companion of the Prophet) said that during the period when the Qur'an was being revealed be Muslims used to practice contraception by Coitus interruptus ('azl) (Hadith from Bukhari and Muslim). Muslim added that the Prophet heard of it but did not prohibit it. Abortion however is prohibited unless the mother's life is at stake. This applies also to forms of family planning which allow conception to take place but kill the embryo or prevent it from settling in the womb. An example of the first is the "morning after" pill or injection, and an example of the second is the IVD or coil. The Pill still has some question marks because of various possible side effects and uncertainty about the safety 0f long term use. Barrier methods such as the condom are closest to the method mentioned in the hadith (i.e. azl). Natural methods such as monitoring body temperature in order to avoid marital relations round the time of ovulation are another possible alternative.

Muslims should always pay attention to personal cleanliness and hygiene so as not to cause offence. A Muslim wife should keep herself clean and fresh by regular bathing and the use of effective deodorants, She should also regularly remove pubic hair and use pleasant perfumes in the home.

Chapter11

A CO-WIFE

Although the majority of Muslim marriages are monogamous, Islamic law has also made provision for polygamous marriage. These are very rare in some countries but more common in others, depending on the customs of the people and their economic circumstances. Therefore, it is proper to say something here about the ideal Muslim wife in a polygamous marriage.

It should first be made dear that a woman who does not want to be a part of a polygamous household does not have to be. The marriage contract can include a clause whereby if the husband wishes to take another wife, the first wife is given the option of unopposed divorce. Likewise, since a bride's consent to marriage is required, she is not obliged to accept the proposal of a man who is already married.

However, there are circumstances where the first wife may accept the coming of a co-wife as preferable to the available alternatives, and in some cases she may actually welcome it.

Likewise a new wife may decide she would rather share the man she loves than not to marry him at all. Perhaps his first marriage is not very happy but she may not wish to be the cause of the divorce of the first wife - particularly if the latter has children, or is no longer young. There may also be cases where the first wife is an invalid due to illness or accident, or is unable to have children.

In such cases a second wife, if she sincerely cares about the welfare of the whole family, may in fact be the saviour and preserver of the first marriage.

Much depends on the attitude of the wives themselves and of course on the ability of the husband to be just and fair between his wives and their children.

The Qur'an has made it clear that the man who is not capable of doing justice should marry only one (Qur'an 4:3) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that a man with more than one wife who does not do justice between them will be raised on the Day of Judgement with half of his limbs hanging off.

This "justice" towards wives includes ability to maintain them and to provide for them equally not only in material terms but also to give each a fair share of his time and attention, including conjugal rights. He should also provide them with separate accommodation, as was the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

Assuming that the husband is doing his best to fulfil these admittedly difficult conditions of acting justly towards his wives, how should the ideal Muslim wife behave to make a success of a polygamous marriage?

In the case of the first wife, she should regard the new wife not as a rival as a sister or a daughter (depending on the age difference). She should exercise self-control, understanding and sincerity and avoid deliberate offence. On the contrary, if she takes the initiative in trying to make the new wife comfortable it

will be a good start towards developing a relationship of kindness between wives.

The new wife for her part, should understand the likely fears of the first wife - fears of being no longer the sole queen of the household, fears of being disregarded or displaced. Such fears, and possible jealousy if the new wife is younger and more beautiful, are natural human re-actions, and can only be calmed if the new wife uses her initiative to defuse them. She should behave with sincerity towards the senior wife, and act kindly to her, giving her due respect. This will help to create the sisterly or motherly relationship mentioned above.

The wives should be helpful to one another in their day-to-day lives - co-operating in the smooth running of the two households. If one is sick, the other should help her. If one travels, the other should look after her children. Exchange of gifts from time to time helps to sustain a kindly relationship.

A wife should also be kind to her co-wife's children and as far as possible to treat them like her own. She should encourage her own children to be on close terms with their half-brothers or sisters. She should avoid persuading her husband to provide for her or her children what he does not provide to the other wife or her children. Acts of injustice on his part will certainly upset the harmony of the relationship.

A wife should also avoid trying to poison her husband's mind against her co-wife, whether by telling lies against her or carrying tales. If there is friction between the two wives they should as far as possible try

to resolve the matter by mutual discussion and agreement. If they are unable to do so, then one or both may take the matter to the husband to resolve. If he wants domestic peace he must be fair, unpartial and firm if he refuses to get involved and washes his hands of responsibility for such disputes, a situation may develop where one wife continuously oppresses the other, and as the head of the family he has to stop this by admonition or by exercising necessary pressure on the oppressor until she stops. This is why a polygamous husband has to be not only firm and fair but also diplomatic and wise. If he has these necessary qualities however, a polygamous marriage can be a happy one for all those concerned, having many advantages over the alternative options of divorce or unlawful relationship outside marriage.

A wife going into a polygamous marriage should therefore see it as a test of her own sincerity, wisdom. self-discipline and patience, and try to pass the test with flying colours. If the co-wives want to compete they should compete in doing good to their husband and to each other and thereby attaining the blessings of this world and the Hereafter.

For Muslim women living in countries where Islarnic law courts do not exist there is need for caution in agreeing to become a second wife. If the law of the land does not recognize the second marriage, and the marriage subsequently runs into difficulties, the wife may find no court to uphold her Islamic rights.

Chapter 12

THE UNREASONABLE HUSBAND

Some women me unfortunate in finding that their husbands fail to practice Islamic teachings and indulge in various sins which have adverse effects on the marriage and on herself or the children.

Under these circumstances the wife should try to advise and correct him tactfully but firmly - not by nagging or starting a quarrel but in a quiet heart-to-heart talk. However if the husband's response is negative or even aggressive, the wife should seek the assistance of relatives or, if none is available, his close friends, or a respected alim (religious scholar) in persuading him to behave in a responsible manner.

If all fails she may be best advised to take this matter to a Shari' ah court'. If the husband is found to be guilty of certain types of offences or misbehaviour which violate the requirements of marriage the wife may be granted a divorce by the court. If she does not have enough legal evidence or witnesses of his misbehaviour she may decide to request for Khul' (that is, divorce by mutual agreement with the husband on the return of al or part of the wife's dowry). Allah says in the Qur'an:

• A Muslim wife living in a country where Shari'ah courts of family law do not exist may face problems over these issues. In some area; there are Councils of Islamic Scholars who meet to hear marital dispute and give rulings in accordance with the Shari'ah, but unless they have authority backing as courts they have no power to enforce attendance or compliance with their judgements. They rely on moral force and acceptance by the Muslim Community.

"'If a wife fears cruelty or desertion on her husband's part, there is no blame on them if they arrange an amicable settlement between themselves; and such a settlement is best; even though men's souls are swayed by greed. And if you do good and practise self-restraint, Allah is acquainted with all you do." (Qur'an 4:128)

Divorce is disliked in Islam, and the Prophet warned against "the tasters-male and female", i.e. those who frequently marry and divorce trying one partner after another. He also said:

"Of all the things Allah has made lawful, what He most hates is divorce." (Hadith from Abu Dawud).

The Prophet (pbuh) also is reported to have said:

"If a woman asks her husband for divorce without some strong reason, the scent of paradise will be forbidden to her." (Hadith from Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah)

Nevertheless divorce is available in the final resort if a marriage is harmful to either partner or cannot give satisfaction or peace of mind to either of them.

If the wife for some reason does not wish for divorce in spite of her husband's misbehaviour, she should be careful to avoid becoming an accomplice in is evil-doing Allah says:

"0 you who believe! Fulfil all obligations… and help one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sin and rancour. Mind Allah; for Allah ii strict in punishment" (Qur'an 5:1-3)

In another words a wife is responsible for her own actions and cannot push off the blame for her own sins on to her husband. If her husband is for example a drunkard she should not join in his drinking or buy or serve him with alcoholic drinks, even if he orders her to do it. This is in accordance with the Hadith that there should be no obedience to a created being in disobedience to the Creator. If the husband tries to force her to join him in wrong doing she should seek divorce., and a Shari'ah court is bound under these circumstances to order a divorce. The follows the same principles as the duty of Hijrah (Emigration) for a Muslim if he or she is prevented from practising the essentials of Islam. Those who choose to stay in a place where they or their families are likely to lose their faith and become a part of a corrupt society will be asked on the Day of Judgment why they did not migrate to a place where they would be free to practise their religion. "Was the earth not wide enough for you to move your selves away (from evil)?" (Qur'an 4:97)

In the same way the ideal wife who has an un-

Islamic husband should:

(a) counsel him against his wrong-doing;

(b) abstain from supporting him in

wrongdoing.

(The example of such a woman mentioned in the Qur'an is Asiya the wife of Pharaoh - one of the women promised Paradise while her husband as a great tyrant was destined for hell.)

be dragged into sin by the husband.

However if the wife's circumstances are such that she cannot break free of the marriage, she should take consolation from the Qur'an verse which says:

"Allah does not place on any soul a burden greater than it can bear."

In this case she should at least continue to hate

the sin in accordance with another Hadith:

"If any of you sees wrongdoing he should correct it with his hand, and if that is not possible he should correct it with his tongue, and if that is not possible he should hate it in his heart and that is the weakest of faith. " (Hadith from Muslim)

On the Day of Judgement every husband and wife will stand alone and Allah knows best what is in the heart.

Chapter 13

YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND ALLAH

Muslims should bear in mind that there are three parties to an Islamic marriage: the husband, the wife and Allah, the Lord of both, who is a witness. The Qur'an repeatedly gives a reminder that "Allah sees all that you do."

Both the husband and wife as servants of Allah should help one another to live as good Muslims, i.e. in voluntary submission to Allah, and in obedience to what He has revealed through His Prophet.

The submissiveness of the wife to the husband as mentioned earlier, is a recognition of his position as the head of the family - not in a servile relationship but with the spirit of dignified maintenance of harmony.

The husband is expected to be a responsible leader of the family, and his wife a responsible follower. If she is doing wrong he should tell her, and she should respond by trying to avoid repeating it.

According to a saying of the Prophet (peace be

upon him):

"Paradise is the reward of a wife who pleases her husband until death." (Hadith from Ibn Majah).

Both partners should help each other to reach the Hereafter safely. A wife should avoid any behaviour that is harmful to her husband's welfare in this world or the hereafter, directly or indirectly. The Qur'an warns:

"O you who believe! Lo, among your wives and your children there are enemies for you, therefore beware of them." (Qur'an 64:14)

The wife should try to be an asset to her husband and not a liability. She should encourage him in doing good and discourage him from doing wrong.

She should not enter marriage with the intention of seeking what she can get out of it in terms of material benefits. Rather she is likely to find happiness and peace of mind corresponding to the commitment she puts into her marriage. To know that her husband values and needs her is the true measure of her success.

A Muslim is urged to be merciful and forgiving towards others, even as he or she hopes for Allah's mercy and forgiveness on the Last Day. A wife should therefore forgive wrongs done in the past, and not continue to rake up old grievances.

A husband and wife should find a regular time to read the Qur'an and Hadith together, (with translation if they do not understand Arabic). This will help them in knowing the teachings of Islam and agreeing to practice them in their daily life, thereby increasing their mutual understanding and harmony.

When children come, the mother is the first school. She should be loving and affectionate to small children, directing them towards what is good and away from what is bad.

The Prophet is reported to have said:

"Be generous to your children, and excel in teaching them the best of conduct." (Hadith from Ibn Majah.)

Ibn Umar reported the Prophet saying: "What does a parent leave as an inheritance for his child (that is) better than good morals?"

(Narrated by Tirmidhi & AI-Hakim)

As the children grow a little older, both father and mother should take care of their religious and moral education. They should demonstrate Islam by example and also explain on an informal basis the Islamic way of life. Children also love stories and can benefit from those which have a moral message. If it is prayer time the parents should call the children and pray together. After at least one prayer of the day they can spend a few minutes explaining or commenting on a verse of the Qur'an or a Hadith so that the children over the years grow up with a broad knowledge of the teachings of Islam. As the children grow bigger these discussions can be extended by reading from the Qur'an, the Hadith, the Sirah (biography of the Prophet) and other reliable books which deepen the understanding and encourage the young to realise Islam as the guiding force in their lives.

In this way the children themselves insha' Allah will grow up to become a source of deep joy and comfort to their parents. It is also mentioned in the Hadith that leaving behind righteous children who pray for their parents is a Sadaqatun Jariatun (continuous charity) which bring blessings to the parents even after their death.

Thus is the religion of Islam and its teachings of good will and kindness to all creatures passed on from generation to generation, first and foremost through the family. And in this light also one can appreciate the benefits of a successful marriage, and the importance given to marriage within the Islamic way of life.

Alike, but different - the male and the female.

These differences are to be recognized as part of Allah's wisdom. They should neither be blurred by the ''unisex'' idea - the pretence that men and women are the same - nor exaggerated as if male and female were different species with no common feelings or abilities.

The ideal Muslim wife is not in competition with her husband. As a human soul created by Allah she knows she is her husband's equal. But in marriage she has a role which is complementary to that of her husband and her duties and responsibilities are not exactly the same as his. She can best fulfil these duties by putting aside selfish desires and seeing the welfare of her husband and children as her first priority after her duty to Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported to have said:

"If I had ordained that any person should prostrate before another I would have ordained that a wife should prostrate before her husband." (Hadith from Tirmidhi)

Such total submission to another human being however would constitute shirk (associating something with Allah in worship) which is a major sin. Nevertheless, the analogy makes clear the strength of the

love and commitment of an ideal Muslim wife towards her husband. (This is much easier for her to feel if the husband is playing his own part as a loving husband in accordance with the saying of the Prophet that "the best of you are those who are kindest to their wives')

The spirit of this relationship has been well captured by an American Muslim woman Noura Durkee in her article "Marriage for a Muslima*" which she ends as follows:

"One prays behind him in Salat. After a time, and thousands of rak'ats, one becomes filled with supreme gratitude for this. " ... Allah has made for you mates of your own nature ..." (Qur'an 16:72). One is in Sajda (prostration) not to, but with, him. He is a breath ahead, as a sign, breaking the path. Yet she is there, and were he to turn around, they would see in one another's eyes the countless mirrored reflections of each other. "

Lastly I ask Allah for forgiveness for any mistake I may have made in this book, and pray that it will be acceptable to Him.

Muslim Educational Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 3, 1990. The Islamic Academic, 23 Metcalfe Road, Cambridge, CB4 2DB, U.K.

Bibliography

ABDALATI, Hammudah: Islam in Focus (American Trust Publications).

ABDALATI, Hammudah: The Family Structure in Islam, (American Trust Publications).

DOI, Abdu-Rahman: Women in Shari'ah (Islamic Law) Ta-Ha Publishers, London),

AI-FARUQI, Lamya. Women, Muslim Society and Islam, (American Trust Publications),

HAMID, Abdulwahid: Islam the Natural Way (MELS London),

KHATTAB, Huda: The Muslim Woman's Hand Book (Ta-Ha Publishers, London),

LEMU, B. Aisha: The Ideal Muslim Husband (Islamic Education Trust, Minna, Nigeria and Saadawi Publications,

USA

LEMU, B. Aisha and HEEREN, Fatima: Women in Islam (Islamic Foundation, Leicester),

AI-QARADAWl, Yusuf: The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam (American Trust Publications).

SCHLEIFER, Aliah: Motherhood in Islam (The Islamic Academy, Cambridge),

SIDDIQI, M.M: Women in Islam (Institute of Islamic Culture, Lahore).

TURABI, Hassan: Women in Islam as Muslim Society (Milestones Publishers, London. and Islamic Education Trust. Minna, Nigeria)

Qur'an- The Great Literature

2011-06-22T12:57:00.000+05:30

• Can it not be claimed that the Qur'an’s has been but the composition of Muhammad (pbuh) himself ?
• In composing the Qur'an, could it not have been the intention of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve for himself the worldly benefits that may accrue in establishing himself as the messenger of God?

• What is wrong in considering that Muhammad(pbuh) had aimed for worldly authority?
• Can it not be professed that the Qur'an was a book composed byMuhammad (pbuh) with the objective of uniting the quarrelsome Arabs and to, thereby, lead them to the heights of greatness?

• If it was said that the Qur'an was a book which was written byMuhammad (pbuh) in order that a society steeped in immorality be led to morality can this assertion be denied?

• Could it not have been that Muhammad(pbuh) suffered from Schizophrenia and that the feeling of revelations was but a symptom of that disorder? In fact, was he not called a madman by his contemporaries?

• Muhammed (pbuh) might have received revelation. But could it not havebeen Satanic revelations?

Can it not be claimed that the Qur'an’s has been but the composition of Muhammad (pbuh) himself ?

Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) had lived in the light of history. It was through him that the world first heard of the Qur'an. As such, all that may be asserted by those who do not accept the Divine status of the Qur'an is that it is the composition of Muhammad(pbuh). There are however, certain facts that must be understood as the premises for this discussion. It can only be on the foundations of these premises that the question as to whether the authorship of the Qur'an can be attributed to prophet Muhammad(pbuh) can be discussed.

One : Muhammad(pbuh) had been, upto the age of forty, the most favoured man among the Arabs. It was because he had claimed that the Qur'an was Divinely inspired and that the commandments within it are to be adhered to, that he was hated; osctracized; and forced to flee from his hometown.

Two : Even among his hardest opponents there was unanimity about the truthfulness of Muhammad(pbuh). It is difficult, therefore, to believe that after living forty years of his life with the greatest truthfulness, he should venture to declare a falsehood in the name of the Lord Creator and that he should have risked his own life for the sake of its propagation.

Three : Men of letters were accorded a high status in Arabia. There was not the slightest dissenting opinion among any, as regards the lofty position of the Qur'an in its viability as a literary creation. If he had ventured to claim the Qur'an as his own work, he would have gained great respectability and status amongst the Arabs.

Four : There are references in the Qur'an which have criticized certain of the actions of Muhammad(pbuh) himself.

Five : There are also other references in the Qur'an which reproache Muhammad(pbuh) in the strongest possible terms.
It should be in the light of these facts that the pros and cons of the argument that the Qur'an is the work of Muhammad(pbuh) should be examined.

Indeed, if a work of great literary merit is composed and is then attributed to the name of God, there must necessarily exist vested interests that lurk beneath. To expose those vested interests will then be the duty of the critics. It will be on the basis of such an exposition alone that the truth of the claim can be ascertained.

Top

In composing the Qur'an, could it not have been the intention of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve for himself the worldly benefits that may accrue in establishing himself as the messenger of God?

It is greatly probable that Muhammad(pbuh), who had grown up an orphan, was exposed to considerable hardships in life. However, with his marriage to the business woman, Khadeeja (r), it is also probable that there was, naturally, a considerable rise in his standard of living. As the husband of Khadeeja, the possibility that he would have been prone to the constraints of a financial kind is remote indeed. The marriage of Muhammad(pbuh) to Khadeeja took place fifteen years before his attaining to prophethood. This means that it was only after fifteen years of his having led a life of financial security that Muhammad(pbuh) came on to the scene with the claims that he was a messenger of God and that the Qur'an constituted the word of God. If the attainment of wordly profits was his motive, his financial position should have become stronger after he made the claim. But what was it that actually transpired?

Says Aysha (r), the wife of the prophet, "As there was no food cooked in our house, the cooking place would go without a fire being lit for one or two months at a stretch. Ours was a diet of dates and water. Some times it would be the milk of goats and the dried shells of dates which those from Madinah would bring us."
Aysha was once recalling the past days to a person. The subject of narration was the difficulties which the prophet and his family endured after the migration. She then talked of an occasion in which they worked in the house in total darkness. "Was not there a lamp?" enquired the person. She then replied thus: "If the oil to burn the lamp was in our possession, instead of burning it, we would have drank it to satisfy our hunger."

This by no means, was the situation that was prevalent only in the first years of the prophet’s mission. For even after Muhammad(pbuh) had assumed the position of the powerful sovereign of a vast empire his condition was not very much different. Let the inner sanctum of the ruler of the Islamic empire be described in the words of Umar (r), his own companion:
"I never saw anything save three pieces of leather in a corner and a little barley in the room of the prophet. I wept at this. The prophet asked, ‘Why is it that you cry?’ I said: "O messenger of Allah! How will I hold back my tears? I see the imprint of the palm leaves on thine own body. I am also aware of the contents of this room.O messenger of Allah! Beseech Allah for the ample means of thine own sustenance. For, while the rulers of the Persian and Roman people - the Chosroes and the Caesars - live in the luxury of gardens beneath which rivers flow, the chosen messenger of Allah should live in abject poverty and hunger!’ When he heard this reply of mine, the prophet, who had been reclining on a pillow, now sat up and then said, ‘Oh Umar! Are you still in doubt concerning this matter ? The comforts and provisions of the Hereafter are much better than the comforts and provisions of this wordly life. The unbelievers enjoy their share of the good things in this life. As for our share, it has been reserved for the life Hereafter.’ Forthwith did I implore the prophet thus, ‘O Messenger of God! Pray for my forgiveness for I have, indeed, erred.’"

It is the claim that the Qur'an was the creation of Muhammad (pbuh), which he had contrived for his own wordly gains, that is rendered baseless here. For it is, indeed, without foundation to say that the man who had given away the seven dinars, which were his only wordly possession, in charity on his death-bed and who died, thereof, after pawning his armour with a jew, was a man after wealth. Even the New Catholic Encyclopedia has considered baseless the argument that the creation of the Qur'an was due to an excessive love for wealth: "A notion has been created that the religious revolution of Muhammad was driven by a love of wealth. Actual and known facts, however, will contest this notion." (The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IX, Page 1001)

What is wrong in considering that Muhammad(pbuh) had aimed for worldly authority?

What is it that is meant by the love of power and authority? It is the desire to invest oneself with the authority of a country and to, thereby, lead a life of comfort and luxury. It is true that the prophet had attained to power after having had borne the trials, tribulations and tortures of thirteen years before reaching Medina by adopting exile from his own land. However, his authority was never a path to the life of comfort and luxury. For, who, if any, can ever call a lover of authority, a man who, even when in the position of a ruler, slept his nights on mats of palm leaves, washed his own clothes, stitched his footwear and milked the goats?

Those who actually seek after power and authority are those that desire to stand aloof from, and be respected by, people in the name of that authority. As for the prophet, he was one who had served the people while living as one amongst them. On one occasion, all who were present stood up as the prophet entered the place. The prophet, thereof, ordered against this practice. He said, "Do not stand up in respect even as some amongst the Persians who stand up in respect of others from amongst them."

He advised thus, "Do not praise me as the Christians praised Jesus, the son of Maryam." All this indicates clearly that Muhammad(pbuh) was never one to go after authority.

Furthermore, he was promised authority and power in the early, difficult days at Mecca itself if, and only if, he stopped the propagation of his message. The leaders of the society approached him one day with the intention of enticing him with a proposal. They said, "If it is wealth that thee covet, we will give thee all the wealth that you desire. If it is authority that ye want, we will make obeisance to thee as our king. If it is women of beauty that ye desire we will arrange for your marriage with the women of your own choosing." An offer before which any person would have succumbed! A most tempting offer indeed! Just one word was all that was required. He would then be the most wealthy man in the region. All people of the land would then pay their homage to him as their king. Beautiful women would then dance before him. But this was what the prophet said, " I am in need of neither authority nor wealth. The Lord Creator has appointed me but as a warner to mankind. It is His message which I deliver unto you. Those who accept it can achieve for themselves peace and contentment in this world and eternal salvation in the next. As for those who accept not the Divine message, it is He Himself Who will judge their case."

This incident took place in the early years of the mission at Mecca. If the prophet’s goal was to grab authority by writing the Qur'an and thereby making it accepted that he was, indeed, the messenger of God, why was it that he refrained from the offer of authority that was placed at his feet without his having to undergo any suffering whatsoever? It is amply evident from this that Muhammad(pbuh) never hankered after power or authority. Briefly put, it was never the desire for power which worked behind the composition of the Qur'an.

Can it not be professed that the Qur'an was a book composed byMuhammad (pbuh) with the objective of uniting the quarrelsome Arabs and to, thereby, lead them to the heights of greatness?

If it was, indeed, the goal of uniting the Arabs and of leading them on to the path of progress which had worked behind the composition of the Qur'an, then this should have been evident in the themes that were discussed therein. However, to one who has had even a single reading of the Qur'an, the fact that the cause of Arab nationalism has not been espoused as a subject anywhere within it, is very clear. Furthermore, before the facts mentioned hereunder, the claim that it was Arab revivalism which had worked behind the composition of the Qur'an is shown to be utterly without foundation.

One: There is in the Qur'an, not even a single verse which encourages Arab revivalism or unity.

Two: The idea that the Qur'an does put forward is the vision of an ideological community which is never constrained by territorial or national boundaries of any sort. In this community grounded in an ideology - referred to by the noun ‘ummat’ - those who accept the Truth are all members who are never constricted by boundaries of any kind: whether of national, regional, racial or caste. Indeed, the concept of Arab nationalism is, in itself, totally alien to the teachings of the Qur'an.

Three: If Arab revivalism was the goal of Muhammad(pbuh) he would have sought to unify them and lead them on to the path of progress by accepting the promised offer of authority when it was made to him. However, that never happened. He had, instead of working for a revival by accepting the offer of power, turned it down.

Four: Even after he was accorded recognition, he never advocated the particular cause of the Arabs in any way. In fact, he declared, in the most unambiguous terms, at his farewell sermon, that "the Arab has no superiority over the non-Arab nor has the non-Arab any superiority over the Arab except in the matter of God-consciousness." Can this be the words of a person who had laboured for the cause of Arab nationalism?

Five: There are two women who have been mentioned in the Qur'an as being the perfect exemplars for the believers. One is the wife of the Pharoah and the other the mother of Jesus (66:11,12). Neither of them were Arab. Can those whom the person, who wrote a book for the cause of Arab nationalism, cites as perfect examples, ever be the opponents of the Arabs themselves? The Qur'an speaks of Maryam in this fashion: "Behold! the angels said, ‘O Mary! Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee - chosen thee above the women of all nations.’" (3:42). It must also be remembered that at no place in the Bible has Maryam been mentioned with such reverence. Indeed, the Qur'an never picked the mother or wife of Muhammad(pbuh) or even any Arab woman, for that matter, to be the greatest woman of all time. It was, in fact, the Israelite woman, Maryam, who was conferred that status. Is it possible to expect such a reference from an advocate of the cause of Arab nationalism?

Six: A person who worked for the revival of Arab nationalism would seek to inflate the ego of the Arabs with his compositions. He would, therefore, talk of the greatness of the Arabs. But the Qur'an, on the other hand, talks of the greatness that was conferred upon the Israelites. "O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all others" (2:47).

If it was said that the Qur'an was a book which was written byMuhammad (pbuh) in order that a society steeped in immorality be led to morality can this assertion be denied?

The Qur'an is, indeed, a book that guides people to the way of morality and virtue. In fact, it is the Qur'an, and the Qur'an alone, which can claim the distinction of being a book which transformed a society that was steeped in wine, gambling and warfare into a people who became the staunchest advocates and practitioners of morality and virtue within a short span of just twenty three years. However, to any who have had even a cursory reading of the Qur'an, it is clear that to say Muhammad(pbuh) had written the Qur'an for the cause of moral revivalism and had then attributed it to God is to say what is without foundation.Observe the facts mentioned below:

One: There have been no two opinions about the fact that Muhammad(pbuh) was truthful. It is illogical, therefore, to assume that such a one as he would then, in the name of moral revival, attribute a blatant falsehood to the name of God. It is unbelievable that a person who persevered for the cause of morality would then committ, for the same cause, a gross immorality. What, indeed, can be a greater sin than attributing lies to the name of God?

Two: The Qur'an itself has declared that the worst transgressor is the one who invents lies in the name of the Lord Creator and the one who writes his own words and then says that it is from God. "Who can be more wicked than one who inventeth a lie agaist Allah, or saith, ‘I have received inspiration,’ when he hath received none, or (again) who saith, ‘I can reveal the like of what Allah hath revealed’?" (6:93). If the Qur'an is, indeed, Muhammad’s own work, then the ‘most wicked’ one mentioned in this verse must necessarily be he himself. Will he have condescended to describe himself as the "most wicked" and to preserve it in writing too?

Three: God has cursed those who write with their own hands and then attribute it to God. "Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands, and then say: ‘This is from Allah’." (2:79). If the Qur'an is, indeed, the work of Muhammad(pbuh), then this curse is applicable to him also. Consider this : to makes one’s own composition; then to proceed to curse one’s own self. Is this believable?

Four: The Qur'an is not a book that was revealed all at once. The verses of the Qur'an were, in fact, revealed over a long period of twenty three years and, that too, under varying circumstances. Indeed, in some cases, the verses of the Qur'an were revealed as a direct answer to the questions posed by the people. There are, in the Qur'an, around fifteen occasions wherein the verses which employ the style "they ask thee (O Muhammad) concerning..." and "Say (O Muhammad)..." have been used. It is evident from this that there were occasions when the prophet could not provide a satisfactory answer to the questions of the people on each topic and that it was only later, with the revelation of the verses of the Qur'an, that this became possible. If the composition of the Qur'an was, indeed, the work of the prophet, who sought to bring about a moral revival, he would have been able to answer the questions of the people as and when they arose. For instance, if it was the prophet’s intention to save the people from the evils of drinking and gambling, he could have straightaway declared them to be sinful. But that was not done; instead, without making his own statement he awaited the arrival of the Divine revelation. It was only after the revelation of the Divine verses that he sought to take action against these evils.

Five: There are certain Qur'anic verses which seek to correct prophet Muhammad(pbuh). The verses of the Qur'an (80:1-10) which criticized the action of the prophet when he did not receive the blind Abdulla bin Ummi Makthoom with warmth and respect owing to his being engaged in discussion with the leaders of the Quraysh, are only too well-known. Another incident: In the Battle of Uhud wherein the Muslims had suffered great losses, the prophet too had received a number of bodily injuries. After the battle he had cursed some of the disbelievers and had mentioned to himself thus, "How will a people, who injure their own prophet, ever progress ?" Immediately was the verse of the Qur'an, which sought to correct the prophet, revealed : "Not for thee, (but for Allah), is the decision: Whether He turn in mercy to them, or punish them; for they are indeed wrong-doers." (3:128) If the Qur'an was really the composition of the prophet, which he had made for the moral transformation of the people, would there have been verses in the Qur'an which criticized his own actions?

Could it not have been that Muhammad(pbuh) suffered from Schizophrenia and that the feeling of revelations was but a symptom of that disorder? In fact, was he not called a madman by his contemporaries?

It has been the most important allegation of the rationalists that prophet Muhammad(pbuh) suffered from Schizophrenia. For, as far as those who will not recognize the existence of God are concerned, no matter how often the truth of revelation is reiterated to them, they will never ever appreciate it. It is for this reason that any discussion with the atheist must, necessarily, begin with the issue of the existence of God. How, indeed, can a people, who reject the very existence of the Lord Creator himself, be made to accept the truthfulness of a revelation that proceeds from Him ?

With regard to the question posed here, however, it is its second part that must actually be dealt with first. Was Muhammad(pbuh) called a madman by his contemporaries? If so, then what were the symptoms of madness, which he exhibited, on the basis of which they had made this allegation?

Upto the age of forty, Muhammad(pbuh) had been the owner of a personality that was truthful in its disposition and accepted by all in society. In this long period of time none had ever, in any way, attributed to him the state of lunacy. It is, however, true that after prophethood he had been subject to the allegation of being a madman. But significantly enough, it was not just a madman that Muhammad(pbuh) was called. Indeed, he had been abused with the allegations of being a sorcerer, a magician, one affected by witchcraft, a poet and the like. Was it because of a marked and obvious difference in his personality, or mental disposition, that they abused him as being such ? That this was, indeed, the case, was never advocated by any of them. Their problem had been the Qur'an and the ideas which it contained. Muhammad(pbuh) had spoken out against their traditional beliefs. Moreover, because he had called it Divine, people were fast being attracted to the Qur'an which he now recited to them.All these allegations against him were but the deliberate fabrications of the guardians of the traditional religion who now realized that they had to resort to his character assasination if they were to isolate him from the people.

The time when Muhammad(pbuh) had publicly declared his prophethood; the time of the Hajj was at hand. The leaders of Mecca greatly feared that Muhammad(pbuh) would propagate his religion among the people who would come from all the different parts of Arabia and that they would be attracted by the Qur'an. Forthwith did they convene a meeting. It was then decided that they would first meet with those who arrived for the Hajj and unleash a propaganda against Muhammad(pbuh). The next discussion centered on the question as to how Muhammad(pbuh) was to be described. That each should give a different description would be an affront to their own credibility. What, then, would be the allegation that may be made in common between them? Some said, "Let us say that Muhammad(pbuh) is a soothsayer." To this, Waleed bin Mugheera, a prominent tribal chief retorted, "That can never be. For, by Allah, he is not a soothsayer and we have seen soothsayers. Muhammad’s words are not the prophecies of soothsayers." Yet others said, "We shall say that he is a madman." Then said Waleed, "He is not a madman. We have seen madmen and he has nothing either of their mad talk or of their antics and devilish tendencies." At this, they said, "Then, in that case, let us say that he is a poet." But Waleed countered, "He is no poet. For we are aware of all the types of poetry and, for a surety, it is not poetry that he uttereth." The people then said, " Let us say, then, that he is a sorcerer." But Waleed retorted once again, "He is no sorcerer and he uses neither their knots nor their lutes."

"Then what is it that you propose?" they demanded. He then declared, "Verily, there is a particular sweetness in his words. Its value is expansive, even as fruit-laden are its branches. For a certainty, all that you may utter against him will, in time, prove to be meaningless and futile. It is, therefore, suitable that he be described as a magician who is out to disrupt the ties between father and children, husband and wife as well as between the older and the younger brother!" Accept this the people did. They started, also, the propagation likewise.

What is it that this incident gives us to understand? The allegation that he was a madman was but one among the other false propaganda fabricated by his enemies to alienate the people from the guidance of the prophet. In fact, the very people who spread this misconception themselves never believed in it. It is for this same reason, therefore, that to accept as evidence their allegation will be to do that which will amount to rank foolishness.

The prophet had lived fourteen centuries ago. As such, to examine whether he did actually suffer from schizophrenia is, as of today, beyond us. It is, however, the revelation and dreams which he experienced that are now upheld as evidences by those who allege that Muhammad(pbuh) had, indeed, been a schizophrenic patient. Moreover, this claim has been put forward by the critics on the basis of the ahadith which describes the nature of the revelation as told by the prophet and the external and physical changes to which the prophet was subjected while in receipt of the divine revelation. However, an impartial enquiry into the subject as to whether the symptoms of a schizophrenic disorder were, indeed, present in the prophet will make it amply clear that this allegation is without any substance, whatsoever.

One : The behavioural patterns of a schizophrenic patient is constantly in a flux. This inconsistency manifests itself in the behaviour displayed while dealing with other people and in one’s conversation as well.

Examine the life and speech of Muhammad(pbuh). We are unable to trace out any contradiction, whatsoever, in his approach or character. If prophet Muhammad(pbuh) was, indeed, the owner of a code of behaviour that constantly shifted as well as of a manner of talking in which there was no relation between his present and past utterances, how was it possible that he did have so many trustworthy and devoted companions?

The companions of Muhammad(pbuh) were never like the followers of the ordinary divines whom we have come to know of today. They were ever engaged in carrying out into practice all that he recommended them to accomplish. Is it believable that a great multitude of people would go on to carry out the bidding of a schizophrenic patient?

Two : The responses of the schizophrenic patient, will also be contradictory. Indeed, such people might burst out crying in times of joy and burst out laughing in times of grief. It is also seen that they cry and laugh for no particular reason.
The responses exhibited by Muhammad (pbuh) were, however, well-balanced. Consider just an incident in this regard. The prophet was once resting himself in the shade of a tree. Suddenly he is confronted by an attacker with a drawn-out sword who asks, "Who will now save thee from myself ?" With firmness came the prophet’s reply, "Allah!" Upon hearing this reply, behind which stood a great, and manifest, conviction, the sword slipped down from the hand of the would-be attacker.

Is it possible to expect such strength of conviction from a schizophrenic patient?

Three : Schizophrenic people are usually introverts. They never take the slightest interest in the happenings of the outside world.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had never been an introvert. Indeed, he was a man who not only viewed with the greatest interest the developments in the world around him, but he also played out his own role were the circumstances prevailing ever to call forth such a necessity. He was, furthermore, a person who had striven not only to provide a moral code to the people, but also to live out a life that would stand as an exemplary model for them to follow.

Lamartine wrote: "Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, the conqueror of ideas, the restorer of the faith, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and one spiritual empire - that was Muhammad. As regards all the standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask the question: ‘Is there any man greater that he?" (Historie De la Turquie, vol. 2, page 277)
Is this the evaluative account about an introvert who was also a schizophrenic?

Four : Those who suffer from Schizophrenia can hardly work systematically towards the attainment of any slated objective. Such people, who are unable to accomplish anything of significance, will necessarily be a mentally and physically exhausted lot.
Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) had been the last of the messengers of God who had been sent for the guidance of humanity. He was eminently successful in that he accomplished the very purpose of his mission in a span of time which stretched roughly over two decades. Indeed, Muhammad(pbuh) managed to attract scores of people to the religion of truth by way of a disciplined method of propagation. It had been just all of twenty three years that was required to transform a people who had been nowhere in civilization and culture into a race that became the highest exemplars for the whole world. All those who have analysed history with impartiality have opined that Muhammad(pbuh) was indeed, the person who has most influenced the world.

Will those, who know even a little about the said disorder, ever accept that all this was possible by a schizophrenic patient?

Five : The Schizophrenic patient suffers from delusions as well as hallucinations. These delusion and hallucinations have no semblance or relation with reality.

The critics have attributed Schizophrenia to him by classifyng the revelations and visions which the prophet Muhammad(pbuh) received into this category. We have, however, seen that none of the other symptoms of Schizophrenia were present in the prophet. Then how will it be possible to attribute a schizophrenic disorder to him in the light these revelations alone? The ‘revelations’ to which the schizophrenic patient is subject are but a symptom of the disease. Such revelations will be related and confined only to his own personal domains. But what of the revelations which Muhammad(pbuh) had experienced? Those revelations had served to carve out an ideal community in a step by step fashion. Firstly, it inculcated, in the people, the consciousness about God and of the Hereafter. Through stage after stage, it struck at the very root of the evils that had afflicted the society. In such manner was it, therefore, that the revelations experienced by Muhammad(pbuh) were able to become the very cause behind the creation of an exemplary society. Indeed, the revolution that was wrought stands at the pinnacle of greatness. In the broad sweep of history there has not been another revolution to rival it in any way.

Is it ever possible that the delusions of a schizophrenic patient can serve as the cause of the creation of an exemplary society and of a faultless and incomparable revolution?

It is clear from all this that the allegations that Muhammad(pbuh) was a schizophrenic patient and that it is the delusions which he had heard that form the contents of the Qur'an are merely allegations that do not deserve to be considered in their own right.

Muhammed (pbuh) might have received revelation. But could it not havebeen Satanic revelations?

It has been Christian critics who have alleged that the revelation received by Muhammad(pbuh) were, in fact, from the Satan himself. It has been the endeavour of the Christian writers like C.D. Fander, Claire Tisdal, Joshmach Dowell, John Gilchrist and G. Nehless to expose the revelations received by Muhammad (pbuh) as being the insinuations of the Devil. They advocate the idea that it had been the attempt of the Devil to confine man within the pitfalls of sin by way of denying the cruicifixion of Jesus Christ and the atonement of sin through it, that stands behind the verses of the Qur'an. Can the Devil infest the human body? Can a person be afflicted with disease owing to his possession by the Devil? Will a person possessed by the Devil have the experience of revelation? Such discussions are irrelevant here. By the dictum of the Bible, then, let us consider the disorders that manifest themselves in the person possessed by the Devil :

1. Screaming aloud owing to the affliction of the brain (Mark 1:24, Luke 9:39, John 10:20)

2. Suicidal tendency (Mathew 9,18:17, 15:32, Mark 5:13, Luke 8:33)

3. Tendency to walk naked (Luke 8:2, 8:35)

4. To be pushed aside by the Devil (Mathew 17:15, Mark 1:26, 9:18, 9:20, 9:26)

5. Dumbness (Mark 9:25, 9:32, 12:22, Luke 11:14)

6. Deafness (Mark 9:25)

7. Blindness (Mathew 12:22)

8. To see that which others do not and to know that which others don’t (Mark 1:24, Luke 4:3, Mathew 8:29)

None of the symptoms of the one possessed by the Devil, which are described in the Bible, is seen in the person of Muhammad(pbuh). One of the evidences cited by those who allege that Muhammad (pbuh) was possessed by the Devil has been his own statement that the Divine revelation sometimes came to him in the form of the ringing of a bell and that that form of revelation was the hardest for him. Another evidence cited has been the saying of Aysha (r), the wife of the prophet, that she saw beads of perspiration on the forehead of the prophet when the revelation came upon him on a very cold day. Here, there is an important question that is to be considered. Does the Bible say, in any place, that the one possessed by the Devil feels the ringing of a bell in his ears or that his forehead is dampened with the wetness of perspiration even in extreme cold? If it does not, then what, indeed, is the basis on which the followers of the Bible allege satanic possession against the prophet?

Those who say that the Divine message received by the prophet was the production of a Devilish possession, are, in fact, actually forced to say that their own holy men are themselves possessed by the Devil.
‘St. Paul’ had been the one who had actively laboured to destroy Jesus as well as the ideas that he taught (Acts of the Apostles 9:1, 26:10, 8:1) as long as he remained on the earth, after which it was that he came forward with the claim that Christ had appeared to him in a vision. Observe the description in the Bible of the way in which he had received this vision of Christ: "As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’
‘Who are you, Lord ?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ He replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’

The men travelling with Saul stood there speechless, they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything." (Acts of the Apostles 9:3-9)

We have seen that the Bible indicates the falling down to the ground, seeing that which others do not see and hearing that which others do not hear as being the symptoms of a devilish possession. In the incident wherein Paul claimed that he saw Christ, he had experienced all these symptoms too. But will the Christian world accept it if it was now claimed that Paul himself had been possessed of the Devil? The Christian critics will never be able to produce even a single shred of evidence from the Bible to conclusively assert that Muhammad(pbuh) was possesed by the Devil. On the other hand, however, it can be shown, using the Bible, that Paul, the real founder of the present-day Christian faith, had been subjected to the insinuations of the Satan. Then who is it, now, who is actually possessed of by the Devil ?

Now, examine the very corner-stone of the Christian allegation that the Qur'an had come to be written because of the Satanic influences that moved Muhammad(pbuh). After all, it has been only because of the Qur'anic denunciation of the concept of salvation through the crucifixion of Jesus Christ that the Qur'an has been alleged to be a satanic creation. What, then, is the reality? Both Christians and Muslims believe that Jesus was of a pure and unblemished character. Both groups are agreed upon the fact that he had been appointed of by God, Almighty Himself. Further still, both affirm that he was not possessed by the Devil. If such is the case, then why should we not compare the teachings of Jesus Christ with those of Paul and Muhammad(pbuh) in order to analyze as to who it was - Paul or Muhammad(pbuh) - who was afflicted by the insinuations of the Satan. For any person in receipt of a revelation from the Devil must, of a necessity, be an enemy of Jesus; going by the consideration that the antagonist of a messenger from God will naturally be the antagonist of the message that he conveys.

Jesus said: "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets" (Mathew 5:17)

The Qur'an says, "It was We who revealed the Torah (to Moses): therein was guidance and light." (5:44)

"And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: ‘O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (Sent) to you, confirming the Taurat (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad.’" (61:6)

Paul had written, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law." (Galatians 3:13)

"By abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations." (Ephesians 2:15)

Jesus said that he came not to destroy the law; the Qur'an, too, says the same. As for Paul, he contends that Jesus had come to save the world from the law. Who indeed, is the one receiving the revelation of Satan here?

Jesus Christ had never taught that he was God. (Mark 12:29, Mathew 4:10). The Qur'an, too, reiterates this beyond the shadow of a doubt. (3:51). But Paul had stated thus, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with, God something to be grasped." (Philippians 2:6) and "He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation." (Colossians 1:15). Jesus had never received any revelation that stated that he himself was God. Even if he did receive such a revelation, he would certainly have made it known. But Paul seems to have received a ‘revelation’ declaring Jesus to be God. Whence, indeed, must that ‘revelation’ have proceeded ?

The Bible described the circumcision as a covenant which God had made with Abraham. The Lord had instructed Abraham about the circumcision as follows: "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generation to come.’" (Genesis 17:9-14). The Bible quotes God as having told Moses, "‘On the eighth day the boy is to be circumcised.’" (Leviticus 12:3). Jesus, too, had observed this divine commandment: "On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him ....." (Luke 2:21) Jesus had never instructed anyone against the circumcision. This had been for the simple reason that he had never received such a revelation in the first place. But observe what Paul says: ".... if you let yourselves be circumcised Christ will be of no value to you at all." (Galatians 5:2). Whence did Paul receive this ‘revelation’ ? Of a certainty, not from God. If not, then where from indeed?

The major reason behind the allegation that Muhammad(pbuh) had his revelations from the Devil has been that the Qur'an refuted the crucifixion and salvation of humanity through the sacrifice of a single individual. There are numerous verses in the Qur'an wherein Jesus and his mother have been praised and have found the most reverential mention. It may also be remembered that Maryam has been the only woman to be referred by name in the Qur'an. The Qur'an further describes even the miracle wrought through Jesus which has not been recorded in the Bible like his having breathed life into birds of clay (3:49). The incident wherein the baby Jesus had spoken from his cradle which the Qur'an describes (19:30) is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. There is nothing in the Qur'an that serve to tarnish the pure character of Jesus. Here it is especially relevant that according to the Gospel of John, the first miracle of Christ had been that he had produced wine at a marriage function in Cana (John 2:1-11). There is, however, no such reference in the Qur'an.

The Biblical concept has been that "... anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse." (Deuteronomy 21:23). The Jews had thought that they had had Jesus accursed by way of impaling him onto the cross. Paul, too, says the same thing. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’" (Galatians 3:13). It follows from this that the crucifixion has only served to make of Jesus an accursed person. But the Qur'an does not accept the idea that Jesus had become so accursed for the sins of the whole world. What is it to believe that God never heard the prayer of Jesus which he made in order that he be saved from the accursed wooden cross (Mathew 29:39) other than the very rejection of Divine mercy itself ? The Qur'an, however, teaches that God had, by way of saving Jesus from the accursed wooden cross, destroyed the plot of the Jews. (4:157,158)

The Jews contend that Jesus had become accursed by way of his being impaled upon the cross.

Paul contends that Jesus had become accursed by way of his dying upon the cross.

The Qur'an contends that God saved the chaste Jesus from the cross.

Which among these is the revelation of the Satan? Is it the one which magnifies Jesus or is it the one which makes of him an accursed person?
In short, therefore, the stark reality has been that those who strive to produce proofs to the effect that the Qur'an’s has been a satanic revelation, have kept falling into the pitfalls of their own making.

QUR'An AND ITS LITERATURE

• What is it that is implied when it is said that the Qur'an is a super natural portent?

• What is it that makes the Qur'an a super natural portent?

• What are the factors that make the Qur'an incomparable and inimitable?

• lt is said that literature becomes truly meaningful when the winds of change blow hard within the mind of the listener. In this light can it be said that the Qur'an is a work of great literary merit?

• Can it be said that the Qur'an is a Divine scripture simply on the ground of it being a work of great literary merit?

What is it that is implied when it is said that the Qur'an is a super natural portent?

It can be understood from the revealed scriptures that the messengers of God, who were appointed by God, Himself, had been given supernatural signs to convince people of the truth of their prophethood. These signs, or miracles, were intended to enable people to appreciate the fact that their claims to prophethood were, indeed, true. The staff given to the prophet Moosa (a), which would turn into a serpent, is an example.

These miracles were, however, present only during their own life times. None of these miracles ever survived after them. Nor will they do so in the future. However, the miracle that manifested itself through the last messenger is certainly not of that kind. Like his mission, it too, will survive upto the Last Day. This marvellous miracle is the Qur'an. The Qur'an may be examined by any who is to7 come upto the Last Day. The wonders within it may confirm as to whether the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh) is, in fact, true.

The Qur'an, which constitutes, at one and the same time, a religious scripture and a super natural portent, is, in itself, the ever lasting miracle of miracles that is to remain till the Last Day.

What is it that makes the Qur'an a super natural portent?

The concepts, style and language of the Qur'an are all, in themselves, wonderful. It was into the midst of the greatest exponents of Arabian literature that the Qur'an was revealed. The poetry of fourteen centuries past are, to this day, hailed as the masterpieces of Arabian literature. It was through an illiterate person from amongst them that the world first heard of the Qur'an. As for him, he was one who had shown not the slightest inclination towards literature upto the age of forty. There were also no questions raised about the undoubtedly, excellent quality of the literature of the Qur'an in the society into which it was revealed. Whether believer or unbeliever, the Arabs were all unanimous in their recognition of the high standing of the literature of the Qur'an. The unbelievers, for their part, had only refrained from accepting its Divine nature by resorting to allegations that it was sorcery and the words of the Devil himself.

It is pertinent, here, to note the words of Waleed bin Mughira, a leader of the Quraysh and himself the greatest authority in Arabian literature, who, on being asked by Abu Jahl to make a public proclamation against the Qur'an, said: "What can I say? Whether it be in prose or in poetry, the poems of the Jinns or in any other branch of Arabian literature, I possess greater knowledge than you. By God! The words brought forth by this man, are such as to be incomparable with any of the others. By God, his words possess a charming sweetness and a particular beauty all of themselves. Moreover, its branches are laden with fruit while its roots are firmly entrenched in the soil whence it proceeds. Most certainly, therefore, it is superior to all other dicourses. Furthermore, it is not possible for any other discourse to show it in poor light. For a surety it will conquer anything that comes under its own influence!"

It must be remembered that this has been the comment of a non-muslim. Indeed, a better certification of the value of the literature of the Qur'an will not be called for.

The style of the Qur'an is inimitable. This has been attested by even the most modern of the non-muslim Arab scholars. Observe the writing of the orientalist G. Sale.

"The style of the Qur'an is beautiful, it is adorned with bold figures after the eastern taste, enlivened with florid and sententious expressions and in many places where the majesty and attributes of God are described, sublime and magnificient" (G. Sale, The Koran: Commonly called Al-Qur'an, with a preliminary discourse, London, 1899, Vol.1, page 47).
A.J. Arberry, another orientalist, writes thus:

"The complex prosody, a rich repertory of subtle and complicated rhymes had been completely perfected. A vocabulary of themes, images, and figures extensive but nevertheless circumscribed, was firmly established" (A.J. Arberry, The Qur'an interpreted, London 1955, page 11).
The style, language and literature of the Qur'an are all unparalleled; all beyond imitation; are all in their refined beauty, exquisite. Anyone conversant with Arabic will easily grasp this. Each verse of the Qur'an possesses an extreme attraction and a potential so great as to cause a transformation in the mind of its listeners. This has been admitted by several modern and medieval critics who possessed a knowledge of Arabic.

A thing becomes a supernatural manifestation when it remains unconquered by man. When prophet Moses let fall his staff upon the ground, it turned into a writhing serpent. Moreover, it swallowed the staffs and ropes of the magicians of the day who had come to contest the sign of God. This has been described in the Qur'an and the Bible. (Qur'an 26:38-45, Exodus 7:11-13).

It is the contention and claim of the Qur'an that it remains unmatched in its style, structure, breadth of vision and literature and that it is impossible for any creation to ever compose a script that will , in any way, equal it. "And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, If ye are truthful. But if ye cannot-and of a surety ye cannot-then fear the Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, which is prepared for those who reject Faith. " (2:23,24). That this is, in fact, true will be admitted by all those who are learned in the language.

It has not yet been possible for any in the world of Arab literature to answer the challenge posed by the Qur'an when it dared to bring forth even a single chapter like its own. The fact of the matter then is that even the critics who are well versed in Arabic have not been able to either defend or make a convincing reply as regards their own contemptuous refutation of the claim that the Qur'an remains the supernatural sign that was revealed to prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

What are the factors that make the Qur'an incomparable and inimitable?

The linguistic style and the descriptive method that have been employed in the Qur'an are totally different from those seen in human writings. The following are some of the specialities:

1. In the matter of the subjects that they deal with, the words of the Qur'an are seen to be concise and free of overt emotions of any sort. Literature composed by human kind will, undoubtedly, reveal itself through the underlying mental currents of the individual. The words of a person in a fit of anger will natuarally betray the innate anger within himself. Indeed, in that instant no pity or commendation will be present in those words. Similar will be the case when it is a joyous mood that he finds himself in! It becomes imperative, therefore, to explain such statements only on the foundations of the extreme emotions like anger or joy on which they are based. For in these statements the domineering presence of the emotional intonations are will be easily seen. Indeed, these emotional underpinning is evident in the works of all men of letters for the simple reason that they are, after all, very human and subject to all the accompanying emotions.

In the verses of the Qur'an, however, it is not possible to detect at any place the excessive strains of emotion be it in its announcement of glad tidings, of warnings; in its explanation of laws or in its description of the blessings of God. This is so because it has been revealed by God who is Himself above emotions of any sort.

2. Whenever the Qur'an describes any subject irrespective of its nature, it maintains an eloquence and flow of language reflecting its Divine Origin.

The flow of language of the individual will, oftentimes, be confined to a few and particular topics. It may even be that in these particular topics their writings will be of a high standard. However, if they themselves were to write on other subjects, their writings would hardly succeed in maintaining even an average standard. The mindset of the writer, his family environment, emotional trappings and the state of society all combine to influence his interests and outlook.

The verses of the Qur'an in describing nature and while speaking about the world hereafter exhibit an eloquence that is one and the same.
In the glorification of the greatness of God and in the declaration of legal decrees, too, they exhibit the same flow and grandeur of language. This has been so only because they have proceeded from the Creator who is Himself above and beyond all the constraints of space and time.

3. While the verses of the Qur'an are of a high literary standing, they are, in addition, precise and truthful in their expositions.
It is the general belief that literature is made beautiful in the description of that which is imaginary. It is also said that literature cannot be beautified without the depiction of half-truths and falsehoods. That lies must be uttered in order that the poem is made good has become one of the more hallowed sayings of our time. The literary works that provide often truthful information are seen to be dull and barren. It has been for the same reason that even the men of letters who yearn to present the truth must do so only to the accompaniment of that which is false. The reason behind this can be seen in the notion that the emotional strata of the human mind can scarcely be satisfied without gloss and exaggeration.

The verses of the Qur'an stand wholly apart from this brand of mainstream literature. Nothing but the truth is entertained therein. But they are capable of maintaining a high literary standard while yet satisfying the intellect of man. Undoubtedly, this has been so because they proceed from the Omniscient Entity who is best aware of the human mind.

4. The Qur'an keeps up a high literary standard right from the beginning to the very end.
We say that a poem is beautiful on the basis that a few lines in it are actually so. All the lines of the poem need not, necessarily, be of that type. A writer is said to possess a high standing on the basis of a few of his literary works alone. His other literary works need not, necessarily, possess that standard. Indeed, each individual will have a particular age and particular circumstances under the inspiration of which his composed literary work will be of great merit. This is because the writer is influenced by age, environment and even climate.
All the verses of the Qur'an consistently maintain a high literary value. It is impossible for anyone to say with confidence that even one among the six thousand and more verses of the Qur'an are of a low standing. The Qur'an was revealed over a long period of twenty three years of the prophetic mission under differing circumstances. If it was, indeed, the work of the prophet himself, the quality which it presented would have changed according to the mental state of the prophet under the influence of varying circumstances. However, each verse of the Qur'an actually competes with its every other verse. This has been so because it is from the Almighty Himself.

5. Even when the Qur'an describes the same subject more than once, it, nevertheless, maintains a high standard on each occasion.
In the ordinary works of literature, when the same subject is described more than once, the beauy of the first depiction is lost in the second. It can be seen that an aversion to monotony becomes evident in the words of the writer as well as in the mind of the one who takes delight in the work. This is so because man - no matter how great a man of letters he might be - is constrained by the limitations of a fundamental nature which are inherent in him.

The Qur'an, however, does repeat a number of times and, that too, about a number of issues. In fact, the Qur'an repeatedly deals with topics such as creation, death, life after death, the descriptions on the greatness of God, the necessity of making all worship due unto Him alone and the like. But each time that it is repeated it appears to the listener with a feeling of newness and with the indicative strains of change and reminder within his mind. This is so because it has been revealed by that highest Entity who is far above any limitations.

6. Even though the topics dealt with in the Qur'an are such as cannot be handled by literary works, it has successfully managed to preserve that high standard, so characteristic of it, in every such issue while maintaining intact the ever accompanying beauty and grandeur of depiction.
From the viewpoint of the man of letters issues like life after death, the existence of God, rituals, legal decrees, prohibitions and commands, the encouragement towards virtue, truthful historical documentation are all dry and barren topics. The general notion, therefore, is that literature does not become meaningful when used to deal with such and similar topics. For, indeed, these are not the subjects in which the fanciful flights of imagination can he given a free hand. It is for this reason that all literary works that have dealt with such issues have not been known to possess an international reputation. Indeed, it is again the limitations of man that becomes evident here. The subject matter of the Qur'an, on the other hand, chiefly consists of such topics. Nevertheless, they maintain a lofty standard and are able to provide the one, who takes delight in them , with contentment of mind. This is so becuase it has been revealed by the Lord Creater who is above, and beyond, all matter itself.

7. The Qur'an is able to sustain its linguistic beauty even when it shifts from one subject to another.
Even when in a single literary work, there occurs a shift from one subject to another, it is oftentimes not possible to maintain the same standard as was done upto the portion when the shift occurred. The clarity with which the ideas form in the mind of the writer of literature when he deals with one subject is, however, dimmed when he begins to talk about the next subject. This is becuase new ideas take time to form and shine forth. In fact, this is like entrusting a man, who had been performing one task efficiently, suddenly with another task. This, too, is a general shortcoming in man.
In the Qur'an, too, there is a constant and persistent shift from subject to subject throughout its pages. Nevertheless, there is evident, therein, neither a loss in its clarity nor any damage to its beauty and majesty of presentation. This is so because it is from the Almighty Himself.

8. The Qur'an is a book which presents ideas pregnant with meaning and that too, with an economy of words that does not, in any way result in the loss of beauty and eloquence of description.
The ordinary works of literature contains but oceans of words ; the pearls of idea are, however, very few indeed. As for the works that were written to highlight lofty concepts, they constitute a virtual jugglery with words. Every writer will have his own idea as to the variety of methods by which the concepts in his mind are to be conveyed to the reader. As this idea is the writer’s very own, the reader might feel that many of the expressions used are unnecessary. An expression which is felt to be unnecessary by one reader will be seen as indispensable in the view of another. In order to please everybody, therefore, he will be forced to employ a large number of words. The reason for this is man’s own inability in reading the thoughts of others.
As for the Qur'an, only the most indispensable of words have been used. The idea that it wishes to convey to the one who recites it is amply communicated with the use of these words alone. The Qur'an is thus a book that employs the most limited number of words to express even the grandest of ideas and that too in a fashion which leaves any reader - no matter which the type - satisfied. This is so because it has been revealed by Him who is best aware of the intricacies of the human mind.

9. Judging by any of the standards in literary appreciation, the Qur'an remains a work of literature that is in the highest category. All works of literature are meant to appease one or the other of man’s emotions, like sorrow, joy, pity, mercy, hatred, opposition and the like. Similarly, it is difficult to find radiance, sweetness, beauty and majesty of presentation, together in a single work of literature. It is only through any one of the aspects of literature that literary works may be judged and appreciated.It is not possible to create a work of literature that includes, within itself, in equal measure, all ingredients of the ideal. This, too, is the limitation of man.

The Qur'an, however, touches all the chords of human emotion. It contains verses that serve to make one happy as well as sorrowful; to make of man one with compassion and mercy; the verses in it are capable of generating hatred and opposition. Furthermore, it prompts the human intellect into a position of functional efficiency. The aesthetic peculiarities of literature like radiance, sweetness, beauty and charm are combined together in a potent form within the Qur'an. Conforming to the lofty of literary style in which it is composed, it can be seen to have achieved the highest standard indeed.

10. The style, usages, method, and concepts in the Qur'an have not been borrowed from any.
No matter how fundamental a work any literature may turn out to be, the style and wordings of other writers will be seen to have influenced it. This is but natural. For it is impossible for a person to produce a work of literature without being influenced by the writings of the predecessors However, it must be noted that plagiarism or direct copying is not that which is meant here. It is only the influence of style and ideas that is indicated here. And without that no writing, whatsoever, is possible. This is the limitation of the human mind. Indeed, man is he who learns from his predecessors and then develops upon that learning.

The Qur'an, on the other hand, is completely free of this borrowing. The Qur'an has not borrowed for itself the style, form, method or ideas of any in the world of Arabic literature. In fact, there is no influence, whatsoever, of the writings of any other on the Qur'an. The Qur'an is, by all standards, a work of the most fundamental kind. This is so because it has been revealed from the Owner of all knowledge who is Himself free of the confines and limitations of any kind.

lt is said that literature becomes truly meaningful when the winds of change blow hard within the mind of the listener. In this light can it be said that the Qur'an is a work of great literary merit?

Tauraat is the scripture that was given to Moosa (a). Similarly, the Zaboor and the Injeel are the books that were given to Dawood (a) and Isa (a). The Qur'an introduces the scriptures as those that were revealed by the Lord Creator Himself. "It was We who revealed the Tarah (to Moses): therein was guidance and light." (5:44)

"And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light." (5:46)

From this it is abundantly clear that these scriptures were all in fact, revealed by the Lord Creator Himself. But this is not the case with the books of the Bible. They were all written centuries after the messengers. Indeed, there is extant not even a single book in the Bible which can reasonably be believed to have been revealed to the messengers. It is the traditional belief of the Jews that Moses (a), himself, had written the Pentateuch (Torah); not that it was revealed by God. However, modern research indicates that even the traditional belief that Moses had written the Pentateuch is, in itself, baseless. It is the opinion of the scholars that since the death of Moses, and the events that followed his death, have been described in the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 34:5-10), it can never be that Moses (a) had written the book himself. Similar is the case of the Book of Psalms. In actual fact, there is not in it, a single Psalm that can be authoritatively said to have been written by David. In the Gospels, too, although there is mention, therein, of the true Gospel of God which Jesus had actually preached (Mark 1:14,15), there is no clear picture about this Gospel in the four accounts in the Bible. As for the Gospel in the New testament, it was written at least five decades after Jesus. The gospels give but vastly differing and contradictory accounts of the life of Jesus. It is now clear that none of these was the true scripture that was revealed to Jesus. In short, therefore, even though the various books of the Bible do quote certain ideas from the Tauraat, the Zaboor and the Injeel, it cannot be said that they are present in the Bible in all their fullness and purity.

Can it be said that the Qur'an is a Divine scripture simply on the ground of it being a work of great literary merit?

It is not possible to say that any book is Divine simply because it is of a high literary standard. Even as it is not possible to recognize as prophets all those who change into a serpent a stick by dropping it to the ground, so is it that there exists a fundamental difference between Divine signs and human trickery. the fact’s that Divine signs challenge all the capabilities of man. Indeed, no amount of human trickery can seek to stand above it, matter how meaningful they can be. Even as the serpent of Moses swallowed up all the snakes of the other magicians, so, too, will Divine signs ever remain as a challenge to all, and every, trickery of man. That, for one thing, is a certainity.

The Qur'an does maintain a high literary standard and influencing the mind of man. Along with that, it puts forth an unparalleled challenge to mankind. This challenge is but to produce a writing that is similar to its own.

Against this challenge, however, all the other works of literature stand as helpless as the illusory snakes of the magicians before the serpent of Moses.

The Qur'an had first issued forth the challenge to bring a book like its own. The Qur'an said: "Say: ‘If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.’" (17:88)

All the Arab men of letters had bowed down before the challenge of the Qur'an to bring a book that was similar to it. Despite this, the Qur'an further challenged those who alleged that it was but forgery and witch craft: "or do they say that he has forged it? Then bring forth ten verses like thereunto. And call forth your partners besides Allah to help you thereof. If ye, indeed, speak the truth." (10:18)
None amongst its contemporaries were able to meet the challenge of the Qur'an to bring forth ten verses like its own and to prove that it was man-made as was made out by the allegations against it. But the disbelievers never ended the propaganda that Muhammad (pbuh) had written the Qur'an. To this, the Qur'an further said: "Or do they say, "He forged it"? Say: "Bring then a Sura like unto it, and call (to your aid) anyone you can, besides Allah, if it be ye speak the truth!"" (10:38)

It was not possible for any of the men of literature who lived in those times, to meet any one of those challenges. Many among them, in fact, tried, failed and withdrew. The Qur'an is to be a lasting sign for all mankind up to the Last Day. As such, it repeated once more that challenge: "And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witness or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if ye are truthful. But if ye cannot - and of a surety ye cannot - then fear the Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, which is prepared for those who reject Faith." (2:23,24)

The challenge made here is that excepting for God Himself, if all in the world were to gather together for the sole purpose of composing a work that would equal even the smallest chapter of the Qur'an, they would not succeed in their endeavour. The veterans of Arabic literature could not answer this challenge. That challenge remains very much open to the world of today also. Indeed, the challenge of the Qur'an continues to ever resound within the ears of humanity. Unlike the language of the other religious scriptures the language of the Qur'an is never a lifeless one. On the contrary, it has remained very much a language that is at the same time living, vibrant and spoken today. There are quite a large number of non Muslims who speak the Arabic language. There are also the Arabic speaking men of letters who are, in themselves, the hardest opponents of Islam. But none of them has been able to give a convincing reply to the challenge posed by the Qur'an. Nor will they be able to do so in the future either.

If the Qur'an was merely a human work of literature, it would not have been possible for it to throw open such a challenge.
How, indeed, will any sane person dare to proclaim that even if all of mankind were to join together for the purpose, they would never be able to bring forth a single chapter to compare with even the smallest of his own work?
Indeed, it is in this challenge that the superhuman nature of the Qur'an finds its most lasting and clearest expression. By implication then, had it not been for this challenge a superhuman status could never be attributed solely to the Qur'anic literature even as is the case with any other literary work.

Is not the Qur'an a literary creation like every other incomparable work of literature that form the magnum opus of each language? Is not the challenge in the Qur'an as futile as every other challenge that calls for the creation of another like it?
There is not, in the English language, another body of dramatic literature that can vie with the plays of shakespeare. In the German language, the works of Goethe and Schillec are at the very pinnacle of German literature. In Persian, Hafiz and Rumi are without equal. In Sanskrit it is the Rigveda which is peerless in its own right. Indeed, there have been masterpieces in each and every language. In the Arabic language, too, has there been the highest works of literature but it is into a wholly different class that the form, style and contents of the Qur'an falls. The dramas of Shakespeare, the works of Goethe and Homer; all fall into the category of fiction and entertainment literature. They have merely served to appease the human emotions alone.

The verses of the Qur'an, while providing for aesthetic fulfillment, also serve to create transformation. Along with joy it provides for peace; through parables it conveys lessons. The Qur'an`s is not the way of compulsion from without. It is more the way of impulsion from within; of persuasion in the way of deeds. The verses of the Qur'an seek to provide satisfaction of emotions, thereby, making people the very personification of sound, decisive action. The verses pertaining to the prohibition of intoxicants (5:90-91) is a case in point. Those who first heard of these verses had straightaway sought to put those commandments into practice in their very lives. Indeed, this was the reason why rivulets of wine flowed red in the streets of Madinah. This was truly a transformation which would never have been achieved by the literary works accomplished by man. This was not the case of one individual; nor yet of a thousand. To so change the lives of hundreds of thousands in such away as to penetrate into the very core of their hearts and to make of them a people who follow the same rites in unison, is to achieve what is well and beyond the means of human ability. It is for the Lord Creator alone, who is best aware of the rhythm, and subtleties of the human mind to author such a Book.

Examine the works of literature that is extant in any language. It is only against the backdrop of the language and knowledge that prevailed in the age in which it was written that we speak of the literary nature of the work. However, the languages of none among them are living languages today. The English of Shakespeare as well as the Sanskrit of the Rigveda: both are not living languages today. These languages were, in fact, subject to several stages of the evolutionary process. The language and beauty of the Qur'an is, however, wholly different from these. Even after the passage of fourteen centuries since its revelation the Arabic of the Qur'an has continued to exist as the standard language among the Arabs. That the Divine language, like the Divine law, withstood the ravages of fourteen centuries is, in itself, a superhuman portent. Indeed, it will be only those, who are learned in the evolution of languages and in the changes to which other languages have been subject over the past fourteen centuries, will truly grasp this unique and astonishing feature of the Qur'an.

In truth, the other works of literature are in no worthy of comparison with the Qur'an. They were all the creations of particular circumstances; all were the works of compromise with the prevailing situation of time; works that were written with the sole purpose of entertaining people. As for the Qur'an it was revealed but to move the masses. That such a book should entertain is but a remote possibility.

The verses of the Qur'an adapt themselves, at one and the same time, to the conditions prevailing at the time of its revelations as also with the conditions that may prevail in any other age. To entertain in a supeficial way has never been the objective of the Qur'an. However, the Qur'anic verses do offer contentment and peace to the mind even while the mind is wonderstruck by the sheer majesty of its contents.
What makes the Qur'an distinct from all the other books is the challenge that it poses to all and sundry. The writers of other books never had the courage to challenge all to bring forward a book like their own; nor will they ever have it in future either. Who can ever judge the ability of another? It is simply because none can do so that such a challenge can be issued by none other than the Almighty Creator Himself. Indeed, no other literary work of an international standing has ever issued such a challenge.

In short, therefore, none of the other books of literature are worthy even of the comparison with the Qur'an.

THE COMPLIATION OF QUR'AN
• Was the Qur'an received by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from God in a compiled form?

• If the Qur'an is a book that has been revealed by God Almighty for the guidance of mankind, could it not have been revealed in the form of a complete book?

• When was it that the verses of the Qur'an, revealed, as they were,at different times, came to be compiled as a complete whole?

• Was the Qur'an compiled as a complete book during the time of Muhammed (pbuh) ?

• When and under what circumstance was the Qur'an compiled as a complete book bound between two cover pages?

• Does the copy of the Qur'an which was compiled during the reign of Abu Bakr (r) exist today? If not, why?

• It was at the council of Nuchae in 325 C.E. That it was decided to burn all the other Christian writings apart from those scriptures that were accepted as canonical. Usman (r) gave the order to burn all the other existing copies of the Qur'an apart from the version which was compiled upon his instructions. What is the difference between the action of the Nicene Council and that of Usman?

Was the Qur'an received by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from God in a compiled form?

The Qur'an is the last scripture that has been revealed to mankind by the Lord Creator and Protector. It was through the last messenger, Muhammad (pbuh), that the world first heard of it. It certainly the Divine scripture that is to be accepted by all, up to the very last man.

The term ‘Qur'an’ has the meanings of ‘the recitation’, or ‘that which is to be recited’ and of ‘that which is recited.’ Indeed, the Qur'an itself has employed the connotation ‘the scripture that is recited’ in connection with this term (13:31). Unlike the earlier scriptures, the Qur'an is never a compilation of legal pronouncements or code of laws (Taurat), or hymns (Zaboor) or a collection of Gospel of good news (Injeel). It is highly probable that the Qur'an has been named as the last scripture because each one of its words is to be repeatedly read by thousands upon thousands of its believers and is to be so etched into their hearts as to mould their very lives according to its guidelines. As for the actual reason, it is the Lord Who sent it Who knows the answer thereof.

As far as its believers are concerned, the Qur'an is but the criterion to distinguish truth from falsehood. They understand that all that has been commanded therein constitute the good and all that has been prohibited therein constitute evil. In fact, the Qur'an introduces itself as Furqaan (2:53, 2:185, 3:4, 25:1) which means ‘the criterion to distinguish between truth and falsehood.’

The Qur'an also describes itself as Kitab (book), Dhikr (guidance), Burhaan (evidence), Shifa (cure), Kayyim (that which is pure), Muhaymin (that which preserves the previous scriptures) and the like. Through these attributes the reader of the Qur'an is exposed to the clear picture of the morality enshrined within. What is the meaning of ‘Book of Vedas’? The term Veda is a sanskrit word which means knowledge, learning etc. According to the vedic vision, the Vedas signify Shruthi (or ‘that which is heard’). It is believed that the contents of the Vedas comprise the words of the Lord Creator as heard by the Rishis. The RigVeda states that the Vedas originate in the Parampurush (10:90:9). In any event, the term Veda has been used in India to mean Divine Scripture. In due course of time, even the followers of the semitic religions in India have tended to describe their own religious scriptures as Vedas.

The term which the Qur'an has employed to refer to revealed scripture is Al-Kitab which, in turn, simply means ‘the Scripture’. The Qur'anic view is that the religious scripture consists of the revelations made to the messenger by the Lord Creator Himself. Divine revelations have been referred to as Wahy and as far as a revealed scripture is concerned, it contains wahy alone. However, it is not necessary that all Wahy made to all messengers should find mention in the scripture. In fact, it is only that portion of the Wahy which has been received with the special command for its inception in the scriptural text, that ultimately finds expression in it.

If the Qur'an is a book that has been revealed by God Almighty for the guidance of mankind, could it not have been revealed in the form of a complete book?

The Qur'anic view contends that the primary purpose of revealed scripture is to unite mankind. Look at what the Holy Qur'an has to say: ‘Mankind was one single nation. And Allah sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge between people in matters wherein they differed.’ (2:213)

It becomes evident from this that religious scriptures were revealed in order that a divine ruling, of a final nature, may be made in the matters in which mankind differed. Thus, the Qur'an declares that it, too, was revealed so that mankind may be freed of the dissensions that were rife amongst themselves. ‘And We sent down the Book to thee so that That thou shouldst make clear to them those things in which they differ, and that it should be a guide and a mercy to those who believe.’ (16:64)

In order that the fate of the people of the book, who had boasted of their own high status, by which they were ultimately led to dissension and anarchy, not fall upon its believers, the Qur'an exhorts them to stick fast to the last of the scriptures as well as to its practical manifestation as enshrined in the life and conduct of the prophet. "And hold fast, All together, by the Rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves." (3:103) The commentators are unanimous in their opinion that the ‘rope of Allah’ mentioned here indicates the Qur'an.

In short, therefore, the first and foremost duty of the Scripture is to lead people unto the truth and to eliminate, thereby, all dissension and anarchy.

When was it that the verses of the Qur'an, revealed, as they were,at different times, came to be compiled as a complete whole?

The Qur'an recognizes all the scriptures that had been revealed before its own time. However, the Qur'an does not, in an explicit fashion, state the total number of all such revealed scriptures. There is only the mention of the names of four other scriptures in the Qur'an. These include the Taurat which was revealed to the prophet Moosa (a), the Zaboor which was revealed to the prophet Dawood (a) the Injeel which was revealed to the prophet Isa (a) and the Qur'an itself which was revealed to the prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Qur'an further highlights the fact that besides these four scriptures, other edicts, too, were revealed by the Lord Creator.

"Say : We believe in Allah and what is revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and what was entrusted to Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord." (3:136)

"And this is in the Books of the earliest (Revelations), The Books of Abraham and Moses." (87:18,19)

The Qur'an attests the truth of all the previous scriptures. "It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Torah (Of Moses) and the Gospel (Of Jesus)." (3:3)

It is the compulsory duty of the Muslim to believe in all the scriptures that were revealed by Allah. Indeed, the Qur'an views the disbelief in the Divine nature of any of the previous scriptures as a gross perversion.

"O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the Scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray." (4:136)

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Was the Qur'an compiled as a complete book during the time of Muhammed (pbuh) ?

Tauraat is the scripture that was given to Moosa (a). Similarly, the Zaboor and the Injeel are the books that were given to Dawood (a) and Isa (a). The Qur'an introduces the scriptures as those that were revealed by the Lord Creator Himself. "It was We who revealed the Tarah (to Moses): therein was guidance and light." (5:44)

"And in their footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the Torah that had come before him: We sent him the Gospel: therein was guidance and light." (5:46)

From this it is abundantly clear that these scriptures were all in fact, revealed by the Lord Creator Himself. But this is not the case with the books of the Bible. They were all written centuries after the messengers. Indeed, there is extant not even a single book in the Bible which can reasonably be believed to have been revealed to the messengers. It is the traditional belief of the Jews that Moses (a), himself, had written the Pentateuch (Torah); not that it was revealed by God. However, modern research indicates that even the traditional belief that Moses had written the Pentateuch is, in itself, baseless. It is the opinion of the scholars that since the death of Moses, and the events that followed his death, have been described in the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 34:5-10), it can never be that Moses (a) had written the book himself. Similar is the case of the Book of Psalms. In actual fact, there is not in it, a single Psalm that can be authoritatively said to have been written by David. In the Gospels, too, although there is mention, therein, of the true Gospel of God which Jesus had actually preached (Mark 1:14,15), there is no clear picture about this Gospel in the four accounts in the Bible. As for the Gospel in the New testament, it was written at least five decades after Jesus. The gospels give but vastly differing and contradictory accounts of the life of Jesus. It is now clear that none of these was the true scripture that was revealed to Jesus. In short, therefore, even though the various books of the Bible do quote certain ideas from the Tauraat, the Zaboor and the Injeel, it cannot be said that they are present in the Bible in all their fullness and purity.

When and under what circumstance was the Qur'an compiled as a complete book bound between two cover pages?

Messengers have been sent to all communities among mankind. The Qur'an makes it so explicitly clear as to leave behind not a shadow of a doubt, that "there has not gone by a single nation wherein a warner was not sent." (35:24) Therefore, as an ancient land in which had thrived a civilization and a culture, India, too, must have had been the destination of the messengers. Further, some among those messengers must have been the recipients of scriptures also. It is not for the Muslim to take any of these messengers or their scriptures lightly or with indifference. For the Qur'an has sternly warned against showing partiality with respect to the messengers (4:150). The Qur'an therefore reveres the messengers who had come to India, as also the scriptures which were revealed to them.

But can it be said that any of the existing books on the Shruthi (the vedic compilations, Brahmanas, Aaranyas, Upanishads) has been revealed to the messengers by the Lord Creator? It is believed that these have been referred to as Shruthi because they had been heard of from God Himself.

The concept of Shruthi makes it clear that it was also the belief of the Hindus that mankind does, indeed, receive messengers from God. Even though all the above mentioned books are all Shruthis in themselves, the question as to which amongst them forms the more authoritative text is one over which there is much difference of opinion. While Dayanand Saraswathi, the founder of the Aarya Samaaj, accorded the status of authority only to the four compilation of the Vedas, others like Swami Vivekananda gave prime importance to the Upanishad.

There were also scholars of Hinduism who opined that even the most authentic of the Books of Shruthi can be prone to error. The stand of Dr. Radhakrishnan that "the Vedas are neither infallible nor all-encompassing" (Indian Religions, Page 22) and of Swami Vivekananda that "To the extent that they are supported by sound reasoning all portions of the Vedas are acceptable to me. However, some portions of the Vedas are, at first sight, self contradictory" (Vivekananda Sahitya Sarwaswam vol. 4, Issue 55) will serve in breaking the spear-head of the claim that the Vedas comprise, in their totality, the Divine message.

Generally speaking, the Shruthi form the books which present the actual and existing beliefs and practices that once prevailed in India. However, the dim light of the message of the prophets who were sent to India will may be seen in them. But the claim that these are completely Divine is, however, without foundation.

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Does the copy of the Qur'an which was compiled during the reign of Abu Bakr (r) exist today? If not, why?

The theme of the Qur'an is the salvation of man. As the only creation capable of independent action, man is to follow certain laws for his very survival and progress. All things in the universe follow the Divine laws of their own accord. Indeed, they do not possess the option of straying from this set course. In fact, the systemic functioning of the human body itself compulsorily follows the Divine laws. However, man has been granted freedom of action in certain limited domains. Even in these spheres he can attain salvation if, and only if, he obeys the Divine commandments.

It is to mankind that the Qur'an speaks. It is to his salvation that the Qur'an beckons. It convinces him of the existence of the Lord Creator by turning his attention to the varied and incredible phenomena of nature. It speaks to him of the impermanence of the life of this world and of the utter meaninglessness of wasting an entire lifetime in pursuit of the comforts herein. It makes clear to him the path which must be followed in order that he be of that blessed group which becomes worthy of the entry into Paradise as of the safety from the confines of Hell.

It invites his attention to the history of those who purchased the punishment of Hell in exchange for the comforts of this world. It tells him of those who were granted the entry into Paradise for having led a life of purity.

Briefly put, the Qur’an prepares man for attaining salvation both in this world and the next through obedience to the Divine commandments

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It was at the council of Nuchae in 325 C.E. That it was decided to burn all the other Christian writings apart from those scriptures that were accepted as canonical. Usman (r) gave the order to burn all the other existing copies of the Qur'an apart from the version which was compiled upon his instructions. What is the difference between the action of the Nicene Council and that of Usman?

The Qur'an contains within itself the words of the Lord Creator. Mankind is the subject of its exhortation and address. It is not the discursive style of the other ordinary books which the Qur'an adopts. The style the Qur'an does adopt is not merely the assertive style of scientific books or the discursive style of the history books or the expressive style of the books of literature. However, the Qur'an does accept all of these styles. The Qur'an does not assert the required point by elaborating on the branches and sub-branches of a selected central topic. The Qur'an’s has not been a method in which the subject is first determined on the foundations of which is then divided the various chapters and sub-tittles. It is in a very haphazard manner that a varied assortment of subjects are dealt within its pages.

It can be safely said that the style of the Qur'an is one by which it successfully communicates with those who are being addressed by it. The Qur'an teaches man the path of salvation. To that end, it does employ the lessons of science and history. Glad tidings as well as stern warnings - both find their way in between its other verses. It convinces one of the reward which is to be had in following the true path and of the dire consequences that ensue from going against it. It calls for man’s recognition of the truth of its message by way of his casting his eyes over his surroundings and of employing the faculties of his intelligence and reasoning. It is in an entirely mixed form that all of these injunctions have come together. It is in the interest of those who are addressed that the Lord Himself has adopted this style. Indeed, this style has proved effective in making its appeal felt within the human society which consists of both the intellectuals as well as the ordinary people. To approach the Qur'an as one would a book of science or history, without proper appreciation of this special and particular style, would be to do little justice to the satisfactory comprehension of its contents.

2011-04-26T20:04:00.000+05:30

LIFE…! CREATED OR EVOLVED………?

All the organisms in this world are originated from a simple unicellular organism by means of several influences of the nature. This principle is named as Evolution. At first the word Evolution was technically presented by a scientist named as Spencer. Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) took this concept in to Biology even though which refuses the existence of a God.

DARWINISM- THEORY OF NATURAL SELECTION
The sudden increase of organisms will create a struggle for existence in between them due to reduced availability of food, water, shelter, etc. In this struggle for existence the survival of fittest occurs. The organisms which can adapt with nature are selected by the nature (Natural selection), and the changes and abilities of these organisms are transferred in to their new generations. And after several generations the organisms will be different from their ancestor. Thus form a new species of organisms; this is the basic theory of Charles Darwin.
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection is refused by several eminent Scientists. Famous philosopher Arthur Koestler wrote,
“Once upon a time, it all looked so simple. Nature rewarded the fit with the carrot of survival and punished the unfit with the stick of extinction. The trouble only started when it come to defining fitness. Thus natural selection looks after survival and reproduction of the fittest, and the fittest are those which have the highest rate of reproduction. We are caught in a circular argument which completely begs the question of what makes evolution evolve.” (Janus: A Summing Up, 1978, p 170).
The famous Dutch botanist Hugo deVries: “Natural selection may explain the survival of the fittest, but it cannot explain the arrival of the fittest.” (Species and Varieties: Their origin by mutation, 1905, p 825).
Swedish biologist Soren Lovtrup wrote “After this step-wise elimination, only one possibly remains: the Darwinian theory of natural selection, whether or not coupled with Mendelism, is false. I have already shown that the arguments advanced by the early champions were not very compelling, and that there are now considerable numbers of empirical facts which do not fit with the theory.” (Darwinism: The Refutation of a Myth, 1987, p 352).

EMBRIOLOGY AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
The famous biologist Earnest Hackel (1834-1919) worked more for the acceptance and publicity of the Evolution theory. Development of genetics compelled Hackel to formulate biogenetic law. Hackel told, ‘Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny’, i.e.; “in the development of an organism it repeats its evolutional history.” To prove this concept he drawn the stages of embryo development of different vertebrates.
Embryological ‘evidences’ compelled people to accept Darwinism as a scientific ‘truth’. But in 1997 Michael Richardson (Embryologist at London’s St. George Hospital Medical School) presented embryological evidences to prove the Myth of Darwinism. Compare the drawings of Hackel with actual photos submitted by Michael Richardson (See Pic. 1 & 2).

Pic. 1 Picture drawn by Hackel

Pic. 2 Top row: Hackel’s drawings
Bottom raw: Actual photos

HOMOLOGY AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUATION
Homology is defined as the same organ in different animals under every variety of form and function. Scientists noticed that, within a group of related species, some structures shared similarities in form. For example, organs as a bat’s wing, a seal’s flipper, a cat’s paw and a human’s hand have a common under laying structure, with identical or very similar arrangements of bones and muscles. This homology is widely misused as an evidence for Darwinism. But it is proved that these similar organs are originated from different parts of embryo in different species. Some examples are given below,
Formation of lens of the vertebrate eye
In the common frog, Rana fusca in, in the embryo of which, if the optic cup is cut out, no lens develops at all. But in the closely related edible frog, Rana esculents, the optic cup can be cut out from the embryo, and the lens develops all the same. It cannot be doubted that the lenses of these two species of frog are homologous, yet they differ completely in the mechanism by which determination and differentiation are brought about. (Evolution: A theory in Crisis, Michel Denton, 1985, p 147, citing: Homology: An unsolved problem, G. De Beer, 1971)
Formation of Alimentary canal
The alimentary canal is formed from the roof of the embryonic gut cavity in the sharks, from the floor in the lamprey, from roof and floor in the frogs, and from the lower layer of the embryonic disc, the blastoderm, in birds and reptiles. (Evolution: A theory in Crisis, Michel Denton, 1985, p 146, citing: Homology: An unsolved problem, G. De Beer, 1971, p 13)
Formation of kidney
The development of the vertebrate kidney appears to provide another challenge to the assumption that homologous organs are generated from homologous embryonic tissues. In fish and amphibian the kidney is derived directly from an embryonic organ known as mesonephros, while in reptiles and mammals the mesonephros degenerates towards the end of embryonic life and plays no role in the formation of adult kidney, which is formed instead from a discrete spherical mass of mesodermal tissue, the metanephros, which develops quite independently from mesonephros. Even the ureter, the duct which carries the urine from kidney to the bladder, is formed in a completely different manner in reptiles and mammals from the equivalent duct in amphibian. (Evolution: A theory in Crisis, Michel Denton, 1985, p 146)

VESTIGIAL ORGANS AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUATION
The myth of vestigial organ began with Darwin. In his Origin, he described as ‘primitive’ organs that had lost their functions, or whose functions diminished. Like Darwinism’s other claims, however, this was a myth reinforced by primitive level of science at the time. As research and discoveries advanced, gradually it emerged that the organs described as ‘functionless’ were actually ones whose functions had not yet been established. The more of these functions were discovered, the shorter became the list of ‘vestigial’ organs. The list set out in 1895 by the German anatomist R. Wiedersheim contained around 100 ‘vestigial human organs,’ including the appendix and coccyx. As science progressed, it was established that all the organs on Wiedersheim’s list, and which Darwin and his followers regarded as ‘vestigial,’ actually had important functions.
Vermiform Appendix
Encyclopedia Britannica (1997) describes “The appendix does not serve any useful purpose as a digestive organ in humans, and it is believed to be gradually disappearing in the human species over evolutionary time.” (Vestigial Organs, p 491)
An examination of the appendix microscopically, shows that it contains a significant amount of lymphoid tissues. Similar aggregates of lymphoid tissue (known as Gut Associated Lymphoid Tissues, GALT) occur in other areas of gastrointestinal system. The GALT are involved in the body’s ability to recognize foreign antigens in ingested material.
In the embryology section of Gray’s anatomy, appendix is described as remains of the human ancestors or as a vestigial organ. But in the Anatomy section of same book describes appendix as, “In view of its rich blood supply and histological differentiation, the vermiform appendix is probably more correctly regarded as a specialized than as a degenerative vestigial structure. The configuration of the caecum and appendix in man and the anthropoid apes is probably less primitive than in the monkeys. (Williams, P.L. and Warwick, R., 1980. Grays Anatomy, Churchill Livingstone, 36th edition.)
Vomeronasal Organ (Jacobson’s Organ)
Some findings reveal that the sense of smell is actually divided in to two. The first sense perceives the aromas we are all familiar with, but the second, little known and generally overlooked, detects pheromones. The structure responsible is a small piece of tissue inside the nose known as the vomeronasal organ.
Evolutionist claims are based on the fact that some animals’ vomeronasal organs are much more sensitive than others. Snakes and various reptiles use their tongue for vomeronasal scent detection, and various mammals have powerful abilities to detect scents. Evolutionists maintain that our low level of vomeronasal perception stems from ‘vestigialization.’
In fact, however, if we possessed greater vomeronasal sensitivity, then we could be said to have evolved very well. Creating various scenarios by making such comparisons between living things is far from scientific. Eagles have far sharper eyes than we do, but that does not mean that we evolved from eagles, or that our vision became ‘vestigialised’ during this evolutionary process.
The Coccyx
Evolutionists also suggested that the small bone at the very end of the spinal column has no function. It is now known that the coccyx supports the bones around the pelvic bone, and did not exist; we would be unable to sit comfortably. Moreover, this bone is also stated to be fixing point for various organs and muscles in the pelvic region.
The ‘Third Eye Lid’
The tissue referred to as the ‘third eye lid’ consists of a thin fold at the inner corner of the eye. Darwin portrayed this tissue as a ‘vestigial organ,’ and commonly referred as to as a semilunar fold.
However, this tissue, with the scientific name plica semilunaris, is not a functionless structure inherited from reptiles, as Darwin believed. Researches have shown that the plica semilunaris secretes a fatty liquid that moisturizes the eye, playing an important role in protecting it from foreign bodies.

MAJOR RELIGIONS AND THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION
‘Evolution weakens faith in God, undermines the arguments for God’s existence, and is a fundamental tenet of all unbelievers. True, some people claim to believe evolution and also believe in God. But all unbelievers accept evolution. And believing evolution weakens faith in God’

What Holy Bible says?
The Bible repeatedly affirms throughout that world and the life on it are the result of Divine creation.
Genesis 1:1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. The passage proceeds to describe the creation day by day.”
Acts 17:24 – “God made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth”
Hebrews 1:1 - “You, Lord, in the beginning laid foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands”
Jeremiah 10:12 – “He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion”

What Holy Bhagvad- Gita says?
14:4 - “It should be understood that all species of life, o son of Kunthi, are made possible by birth in this material nature and that I am the seed giving father.”
10.39 - “Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving, that can exist without me.”
13.16 – “Undivided, yet appears as if divided in beings; He, the object of knowledge, is the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of (all) beings.”
13.03 – “What the creation is, what it is like, what its transformations are, where the source is, who that creator is, and what His powers are, hear all these from Me in brief.”

What Holy Qur’an says?
There must be a great power in action that created everything and keeps everything in order. Believers recognize this power as God. They call Him ‘God’ because He is the Creator of the world, the Originator of the life and the Provider of all the things in existence. He cannot be a man because no man can create anything by himself. He cannot be idol, a statue, or an image of any kind, because none of these things possess life or power of any sort. He can neither be the sun, the moon, nor any other celestial object, because all these things were created and are controlled by Him. He is the Creator and Sustainer of them all; He is the One True God and He is Only One Who truly merits our worship.
Al-Anbiyaa, V: 30 – “Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, before
Al-Mu’minoon, V: 12-16 – “Man We did create from a quintessence (of clay); then We placed him as (a drop of) sperm in the place of rest, firmly fixed; then We made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood; then of that clot We made a (fetus) lump; then We made out of that lump bones and clothed that bones with flesh; then We developed out of it another creature.”