Climbing back to our Lord

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Allah has created made man very special. He has given man tremendous capacity such that He did not give any other create, even the highest of angels. He says in Surah Tiin;

‘We have indeed created man in the best of moulds, then do We abase him (to be) the lowest of the low, except those who believe and do righteous deeds:’

Allah has created us as He says ‘in the best of moulds’. However He has placed us at the ‘bottom of the ladder’ here on earth, so our mission is to ‘climb’ back up to Him. In order to achieve this ‘climb’ He says that we must believe in His Oneness and engage in righteousness.

We have been given the capacity and capability of returning to our Lord and according to some scholars we will even have the opportunity of greeting Him and He will respond.

In this context we can see that the Mir’aj of our dear leader is the manifestation of the achievement of mans’ mission. We have this as an example and as a motivator. A physical creature was able to purify his personality to the extent where he had no problem to ascend back where he came from and even higher.

Prophet (saw) went right up and he bears witness to what Allah mentions in the Holy Qur’an. His status is higher than all and his visit to the heavens was a grand occasion.

So man has tremendous capacity. For example everyday 70’000 angels’ descend to earth and roam the land searching for those who send darood on our beloved. And when they return to the heaven they never return and the other day another 70’000 angles descend, and this cycle goes on and on. We have the opportunity of sending darood anytime we wish, so Allah has truly been favourable to us.

It is Satan who manipulates some to an extent that they behave worst than some animals. Believers are not like this. Our leader is different and unique and as such his followers must also be of a higher standard. He is reported to have said in hadith “people become like their leaders”. So we have been blessed with a most beautiful, universal model and we should work hard to live up to this expectation.

Allah wants us to become enlightened. And we can see this from the very first revelation He gave Prophet (saw); read. Prophet (saw) gave us a lot of ahadith of the importance of becoming enlightened. “The ink of the scholar is holier than the blood of the martyr”. “One learned man is harder on the devil than a thousand worshippers”.

The way of enlightenment is to have Mir’aj, and this is not haram, bidah, shirk as the masses unfortunately propagate. If you engage in spirituality properly it is possible for you to actually see Jannah in this life, and many of the Masheikhs have taught this. The next stage in spirituality is ascent. Allah through His grace and mercy makes matters of the unseen known. This is why it is written in the Qur’an that some ‘have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not’.

Struggle and strive to achieve the potential Allah has afforded you. The days behind are lost and we may hold some form of regret. However we need to make use of the days ahead. Use the bounties Allah has blessed you with to ‘climb’ back up to Him, and insha Allah the meeting will be a most pleasant one.

Keeping a sound heart

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

The goal of every pious believer is to stand in the presence of Allah, seeking His Divine Countenance. We see this in the Holy Qur’an and we should try to work towards this every single day. Take for example our Salaat, where we are actually meeting Allah face to face. Before we begin we say;

'Inni -y wajjahtu wajh -e li- 'alladhe fat.ara as- samaawaat wa- al- 'ard hanef (an) wa- maa 'anaa min al-mushriken '

"For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him(Who is facing me) Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah."

Islamic sprituality teaches a person to aspire to attain this feeling of being in the Divine Presence. In order to attain this one must purify himself. Allah says in His Holy Words;

‘The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, but only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart’. (26 : 88-89)

Only those who ‘bring to Allah a sound heart’, free from ‘blemishes’ will be among the successful ones. Allah is pure and as such only those whose personality is clean and pure will be able to feel himself standing in the Divine Presence. One example of such a person is Prophet Abraham (as) as Allah mentions in the Qur’an;

‘Verily among those who followed His way was Abraham. Behold! He approached His Lord with a sound heart’. (37 : 83-84)

Abraham (as) was one who purified himself from the impurities of this world, thus Allah refers to him as one who followed the rightous path.

It is important to note that purification from impurities also implies purifying the environment and the company we keep. Allah advises us that we should interact or socialize with the true believers. There was this one time where some Jews came to see Prophet Muhammad (saw) while he was in the company of his Companions. The Jews requested private meeting with him, away from his Companions. As such Allah revealed the following ayat;

‘and keep thy soul content with those who call on Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face; and let not thine eyes pass them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this life; no obey any whose heart have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own whose case has gone beyond all bounds’. (18:28)

It is better for us to stay in the company of believers who engages in those activities that leads to seeking the Divine Countenance of Allah. Running after the world and idolizing the wealthy and powerful serves no benefit to you.

Works towards feeling yourself in the Divine Presence of our Lord and Master and through this process Allah will grant you success. Be mindful of what is inside the heart and the company you keep, as Allah is All Seeing and He knows what our true status are. May Allah bless us and take care of our affairs.

Culturing the Ruh

In order to light a fire you must first have a source of light, for example you must first strike a match; and the conditions for allowing the spark to ignite, must be present, such as the quality of the wood, the amount of moisture and oxygen present. When combined the little spark from the match will be able to ignite, spread and grow.

In every human being Allah has placed a tiny spark, like that which comes from the lighter, in the physical shell of the body. The mission of life is to prepare the conditions in that physical shell, so that the spark can increase in brightness and spread to all parts of the body.

The human personality comprises of a physical dimension and non-physical dimension. The body with the nafs is the physical and the soul or ruh is the non-physical. The ruh is the ‘spark of light’ Allah has put into human beings; and it is expected that every single person will make the conditions right so that it can increase in brightness and spread to every physical cell. The conditions which will permit it to grow and spread are called in the Holy Qur'an maruf. So, by upholding maruf, the soul will become brighter and brighter.

On the other hand, if a person instead of upholding maruf, does what is called munkar i.e. prohibited things, the ruh becomes soiled and will not spread. In reference to this Allah says:

Nay, but that which they have earned is rust on their hearts. (83:14)

Allah gives us the formula for our ‘spark of light’ to spread. He says in Surah Imran;

Enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong: (3:104)

Allah gives us a clear understanding of the do’s and don’ts in Islam. If we adhere to the do’s our ‘spark of light’ will be able to grow and spread because the conditions will be present. One of the best of actions which will cause the light of the soul to increase in brightness is the performance of Salaat. The Messenger of Allah (saw) is reported to have said, “Salat is the best of all that has been ordained by Allah.” In Salaat we are standing facing our Lord, in doing so the Light of Allah will have an impact on our light.

He also mentions in Surah Hijr;

“and serve Thy Lord until there come unto Thee the Hour that is Certain.” (Chapter 15, verse 99)

Some scholars are of the opinion that ‘certainty’ means death; others argue that it means ‘religious experiences’. Regardless of the philosophical debates Allah clearly indicates in the first part of the ayat that we must submit to Him, whole heartedly; and throughout our entire lives. When our beloved Prophet (saw) returned from the Mir’aj he still remained submissive and obedient to Allah, although he had the greatest of experiences. So we must continue striving on the right path; even when we believe that we may have had something of certainty in the form of religious experience.

Those who are generally against ‘spirituality’ or tassawuf may do so because of the lack of understanding of what is actually done in any one of the meditation sessions. This is because it is something that one has to experience and not simply read about from a book.

Imam Ghazali (ra) writes “those who choose to travel upon the path of Truth, know that it is essential for you to attach yourself to a Spiritual Guide and Teacher who, through his spiritual instructions, will purify yourself from evil tendencies and replace them with nobility of character. And the definition of this “spiritual instruction” may be likened to that of the husbandman who removes the thorns and plucks out the weeds from the young plantation so that it may grow to perfection.”

Spirituality is something that reason and logic cannot explain because it is outside the realm of space and time. Allah makes mention of those who are blind to the truth;

“Many are the Jinns and men we have made for Hell: they have hearts wherewith they understand not, eyes wherewith they see not, and ears wherewith they hear not. They are like cattle,- nay more misguided: for They are heedless (of warning).” (Chapter 7, verse 179)

In another ayat He says;

“and say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah "they are dead." Nay, They are living, though ye perceive (it) not.” (Chapter 2, verse 154)

How can you explain these things using scientific reason and logic? Or how can you learn about these matters from just picking up a book and reading? You can’t and it is indeed unfortunate that some people fall into the trap of using their limited knowledge to explain matters that can only be experienced through the Mercy and Grace of Allah . And then they argue “haram, bidah, shirk”. It is so unfortunate and we must sympathise with them and ask Allah to open their hearts.

Spirituality is truly a beautiful thing. It allows you to realise every second of the day how close and loving your Lord really is, and how He is always willing to bestow His compassion, mercy and forgiveness upon His devotees.

Let us make a conscious effort, every single day, to make right the conditions surrounding us that will allow our ruh to grow and spread. We beg Allah to make this exercise easy for us and may He keep us far away from the ‘heedless ones’ and the ones who understand not. May Allah bless us and protect us.

Reliance on Allah

Complete reliance in Allah

We cannot judge whatever happens to us and to others on the basis of reason and logic. We cannot fully comprehend the workings of Allah . He gives examples of man's lack of understanding when it comes to His workings. For example He makes mention of the meeting between Hazrat Musa (as) and Khidr in Surah Kahf. At that particular juncture in Musa’s life he assumed that he was the most knowledgeable person on the face of the earth. When Allah brought to Musa’s attention that there was someone (Khidr) who had more knowledge than him, Musa set out to meet and learn from Khidr. During their journey Khidr did certain actions that appeared to be harmful and ‘senseless’. For example he scuttled a boat that was owned by Masaakin (poor people). Musa (as) using reason and logic was of the opinion that Khidr intended to cause the owners of the boat to drown. However as Khidr would later reveal it was to safe guard their boat from the unjust ruler. The full story of Musa (as) and Khidr is recorded in Surah Kahf, ayats 65 to 82.

So Allah has means and ways that He takes care of His servants. Some of these may be apparent to us and others may not. Remember there is wisdom in whatever Allah allows to take place, even though we may not fathom it. As Allah mentions in His Holy Words;

                     
“but it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. but Allah knoweth, and ye know not.” (Chapter 2, verse 216)

When Prophet Muhammad was informed by Angel Jibriel that his grandson, Imam Hussain (ra), would have been martyred he didn’t pray to Allah to prevent it even though he was saddened. Prophet knew that he could not alter the plan of Allah .

Allah takes care of us whether we are aware of it or not. Our success is to put our faith in Him and submit humbly and whole heartedly. We need to try to develop this reliance on our Lord. No one will do it for us; as Allah says in Surah Ar Ra'd;
            
“Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)”. (Chapter 13, verse 11)

Even the ability to ‘try’ comes from Allah . Whenever something happens that we may not understand just resign yourself to your Lord. This is what faith is. He is the one who protects us, sustains us and guides us. He has made Islam complete and perfect. Once Prophet Muhammad , while walking with his companions saw a mother being most loving to her baby. Upon seeing this he told his companions “Allah loves his servants more than this mother loves her baby.”

If Prophet says that Allah loves you and he is one that never told a lie, do you think Allah will cause you to be destroyed? What we have to do is to try to keep our covenant with Him and insha Allah He will take care of everything else. Remember if you go to Allah walking He will come to you running. So willing He is to help us that He says in Surah Ahzab that He and His angles send salaat on all of us so that we can move out of ‘darkness’ and into ‘light’;

              
“He it is who Sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of darkness into Light: and He is full of Mercy to the believers” (Chapter 33, verse 43)

If He is doing all of this for us then all we need to do is to put our faith and trust in Him. Yes we will experience challenges and difficulties but if we have faith in our Lord then He will never let us down.

Total reliance on Allah is something easier said than done, especially when the trials and tribulations come our way, and the ones who we would have expected to help us and ‘be there’ for us reveal their true personalities.

A beautiful example of faith in Allah was when Prophet Abraham (as) was ordered to leave his wife, Hajar and his son, Ishmael in a barren valley. Imagine Abraham (as), after so many years of begging Allah for a son finally got Ishmael, and soon afterwards he was commanded by His Lord to led them and leave them to an uncultivated valley having no fruit, no trees, no food, no water and no sign of life. Imagine how he would have felt. And what did he beg Allah for when he was leaving them? He didn’t ask Allah to provide food or water for them. Instead he made this beautiful plea;

                  ••     •     •                  
“O Our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy sacred House; in order, O Our Lord, that they may establish regular prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that They may give thanks. O Our Lord! truly Thou dost know what we conceal and what we reveal: for nothing whatever is hidden from Allah, whether on earth or In heaven.” (Chapter 14, verse 37 – 38)

We are all dependant on Allah and He bestows His abundance of Mercy on whomever He wishes. When you understand this your outlook on life will change and you will demonstrate more humility, tolerance and patience. We have to strive and work hard in order to make our ruh shine and, insha Allah, Allah will elevate us in this life and the next.

We all aspire to improve our personalities and one way of achieving this is to have complete reliance on Allah . We are completely dependent on Him. This is why the 5th stage in spirituality is called ‘realization’. When you realize that you are nothing and that Allah is everything, you will understand that your importance is solely because of His Mercies on you, and that your success is because He has been gracious to you.

We beg Allah to increase us in tawakkul and may He, out of His Grace and Mercy, look after our affairs and provide for us a ‘way out’ in times of need.

CAN A WOMAN BE A LEADER

CAN A WOMAN BE A LEADER?
By
Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

Some Muslims are confused as to what they should do in the up coming General Elections of Trinidad and Tobago. The reason for being uncertain as to whether they should vote or not, is because of the opinion of some scholars that Muslims should not put a woman in a leadership position.

Those who are propagating this belief base their authority on the Hadith of Prophet (pboh) as is reported by Abu Bakrah, and is recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Hadith No. 4425. According to this Hadith, the Prophet (pboh) is reported to have said: A nation which placed its affairs in the hands of a woman shall never prosper.

Those who claim that the leadership of women is un-Islamic rely on this Hadith for so doing. It is interesting to know that there was never unanimity on this matter among the scholars, past and present, regarding the authenticity of this Hadith; as the disenfranchisement of women in politics is suspicious.

Upon close examination of the Hadith, it is found that, even those who rely on it as guidance, are not clear regarding the position of the part of it which says: placing the affairs in the hands of women.

Some scholars prohibit women to hold any public office. However, Imam Abu Hanifa is of the view that a woman can hold any public office including that of a judge on all cases except where fixed penalties (hudud and qisas) are to be prescribed.

There are scholars that permit women to hold any office including that of the head of the State. Hafiz Ibn Hajr indicates in Fathul Bari that Imam Ibn Jarir al Tabari, that not only can a woman be appointed as a judge, but can also be appointed as the Head of the State. A similar view is expressed by Imam Malik and adopted by some of the Maliki Scholars.

From what has been said so far, one can conclude that there is no unanimity regarding the position taken by even the earlier scholars on this matter. It is not true to believe that leadership in politics is a recent western inclusion, as, in the past there were many Muslim women who became the Head of State and they were accepted by all, including the Muslim scholars of the time.

In recent times there were a number of Muslim women voted in power by their respected people either as president or prime minister. All these women had the blessings of even the renowned scholars of their respective countries. Some of these women are:

• Fatima Ali Jinnah: Prime Minister was selected by the Scholars of Pakistan in 1965 to contest the election for President against Ayyub Khan.
• Benazir Bhutto: Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988-90; 1993-1996
• Tansir Ciller: Prime Minister of Turkey 1993-1996
• Hasina Wajed: Prime Minister of Bangladesh 1996
• Khaleda Zia: Prime Minister 1994 and 1996

Ibn Batuta writes in his book that the Maldives were ruled by queens, for many years, the first being Sultana Khatija. There were similar situations in Indonesia for many years. (Art. Women and Political Leadership in Muslim Thought. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: Taken from the internet).

The permission to allow women to be leaders in Islam seems to oppose the Hadith reported by Abu Bakrah. Some of the reasons for doing so are as follows:

1. Abu Bakrah was a former slave who accepted Islam because he was promised to be set free.
2. He fought along with Hazrat Ayesha against Hazrat Ali, in the battle of the camel, and did not narrate the Hadith all the time he was fighting under the leadership of Hazrat Ayesha.
3. It was only when she lost the battle that he reported the Hadith to Hazrat Ali.
4. He reported that he heard the Hadith from the Prophet (pboh) many years before but never narrated it to anyone.
5. He was hopeful to be appointed as a Governor of province by Hazrat Ali.
6. Abu Bakrah had a questionable past, as he was ordered to be flogged by Hazrat Umar for false testimony. (The Veil and the Male Elite: Mernissi)
7. Some scholars (Justice Aftab Hussain) are of the view that Abu Bakrah did not really understand the Hadith narrated, otherwise he would not have accepted Hazrat Ayesha as his leader in battle.
8. The particular Hadith was a prediction relating to the Kingdom of Persia and not a general prediction; as the Prophet (pboh) was predicting that the Chosroe's dynasty will not prosper.

Allah endorses the capability of some women to successfully rule their people in the Holy Qur'an. One example given is the Queen of Sheba, the female ruler who was very successful and prosperous. He says:

I found a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite, and she has a magnificent throne. (27:28-44)

It will be seen from the above presentation that the issue of having a woman as a political leader is acceptable in Islam; and the basis of authority by those who oppose it may have some amount of uncertainty attached to it.

Muslims are required to: Help one another in righteousness and piety; and not to help one another in sin and rancour. (5:2)

Therefore if something appears to be unjust and corrupt it should not be supported.

The Last Days of Jesus on Earth

THE LAST DAY
OF JESUS ON EARTH
Text of TV Script
Summary:

In our last program, we saw where Jesus was preaching moral principles, and while he was popular with the multitude of the Israelites, the Chief priest and the Scribes were not favouring him very much. They considered him to be a problem as he was criticising their behaviour and teachings.

They were violating the laws of Moses, and he was trying to restore them; so they wanted to get rid of him.

Jesus had real problem to get dedicated workers for the cause of Allah, as he preached and taught the people. They listened to him but were not prepared to sacrifice their lives for the cause of Allah. Even his disciples were not very dedicated to his mission.

We saw this in his saying to them that all of them were going to forsake him in that crucial night. This included even Peter. So he said to them, after they had a meal together. All of you shall be offended because of me tonight.

Why did Jesus tell Peter that he (Peter) will forsake Jesus?

Jesus was aware that there was plan to take hold of him and to try to get rid of him. He was also aware of the fact that while his disciples were with him all the time they were not fully dedicated to his mission and did not really learn much from him.

For example, he once told Peter:

Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me; for thou
savorest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. (Mt.17:23).

But was Peter the only one about whom Jesus was disappointed?

Jesus was not happy with the dedication to his mission from his disciples. Look at what he told them all:

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me. (Mt.17:24)

Again he said to them:

O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I suffer you? (Mt.17:17)

We see the lack of dedication among the disciples when they were given some major responsibilities to undertake. Take for example while Jesus was praying in the garden.

While Jesus was in the garden worshipping Allah, what were the disciples who were with him doing?

Jesus went to worship the Lord in the garden of Gethsemane. He took with him three of the disciples and with a heavy heart, he ordered them to sit and keep watch while he went a little further and prayed as Muslims pray.

When Jesus made his supplications to the Lord, he came back and found the three of them asleep. He was not happy with them and said to them:

What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. (Mt.26:40-41)

Then he went back again to worship, hoping that his disciples would listen to him and stay alert; but when he was finished and came back; he again found them asleep. He gave up on them and went back and continued to worship Allah. He said to them:

Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of the sinners. (Mt.26:45)

Was Jesus really betrayed by one of his disciples?

The Qur'an has not mentioned anything about what happened to him, from the time of his preaching, his encounter with the chief priests and scribes, his arrest and trial. All it has mentioned is about the crucifixion.

What we know about the incidents which led to his end or disappearance can be understood from what is contained in the Gospels.

For example, he was identified by Judas, who betrayed him for a fee. Upon his betrayal, he was arrested; one of his disciples resisted his arrest; but Jesus ordered him to put away his sword.

Jesus was disappointed with the way the multitude was behaving against him so he said to them:

Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. (Mt.26:55)

What made the chief priests and scribes angry with Jesus?

Jesus was teaching humility; something the chief priests and scribes did not have. Look at what he taught them:

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Mt.18:3-4)

Another example of how he dealt with them: They came to him and ask him something. Jesus replied as follows:

Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying: This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips but their heart is far from me but in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men…..
Then came the disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

So Jesus was all the time highlighting their evil and telling the multitude how their leaders were evil, and they did not like that at all.

What happened when he was arrested?

First of all, the disciples forsook him and fled.

Then all the disciples forsook him and fled. (Mt.26:56)

He was taken to the high priest, who was with the scribes and the elders.

And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. (Mt.26:57)
Peter followed and sat among the people; and the authorities were trying to find false witnesses to accuse him of treason, so that they can kill him. They found two false witnesses and as a result they began to torture him.

What did Peter do when he saw the people humiliating Jesus?

Peter found himself in trouble, as some of the women identified him as being one from among Jesus disciples. But Peter denied ever knowing Jesus and began to curse, as if he was cursing Jesus.

He said: I do not know the man. …Then began he to curse and swear, saying, I know not the man. Mt.26:74)

When he realised that Jesus had predicted that he will forsake his master, he went out and wept for what he did.

Was Jesus tried for whatever he was accused?

The Bible tells us about his trial as follows:

When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death; and when they bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor. (Mt.27:1-2)

He was taken before the governor; but he did not answer any of the questions that were posed to him. Instead of condemning him the governor was surprised that Jesus was able to hold his peace in spite of all the accusations that were levelled against him by the high priest and his men.

The governor realised that Jesus was a just person and that he was envied. To add to his own conviction, his wife sent a message to him telling him that he should have nothing to do with the condemnation of Jesus.

When the governor questioned the multitude as to who was the one to be released from prison the chief priest and his men urged the multitude to say Barabas, and not Jesus. The multitude did not want to hear anything about justice, etc. they simply said let him be crucified. Pilate washed his hands off the matter

But he was not tried for anything?

No, the high priest and his men just wanted to get rid of Jesus and the way they selected was to crucify him. So they began torturing him and began making preparation for his crucifixion.

They then proceeded to take him to the place where he was to be crucified. But he was unable to carry the cross, so they forced Simon to take the cross and carry it for Jesus. There is no record in the Bible that Jesus took back the cross.

Also, there is no record that he was kept close to Simon. As a matter of fact, he turned around and began speaking to the ladies who were following him. This is recorded in Luke 23:28, as follows:

Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children….

It because of all the turmoil and confusion, no one knows exactly who was put on the cross.

But there were guards and soldiers, and the high priests, etc. how could they have made a mistake and crucify another person?

There are many Christian sects that believe that Jesus was not crucified. Some of these are:

• The Basilidians, in the very beginning of Christianity denied that Christ himself suffered, but asserted that it was Simon who was crucified.
• The Corinthians also are of the same view.
• The Carpocrations also are of this view.

All those who believe that it was not Jesus who was crucified believe that it was one of his disciples, or some other person.

What does the Qur'an say about his crucifixion?

Allah tells us in the Holy Qur'an, the following:

They (Jews) boastfully say: We killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. But they killed him not, nor crucified him. But so it appeared to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with not certain knowledge; but only conjecture to follow; for a surety they did not kill him. (4:157)

Why were there some doubts as to who was actually put on the cross?

There were some unusual developments at the time of the crucifixion. These are recorded in the Bible as follows:

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. (Mt.27:45)

Behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose. (Mt.27:51ff.)
But they would have known who was actually crucified, when they would have taken down the body?

The body of the one that was crucified was secretly taken away and buried in a private tomb. We find reference of this in Mathew. It says:

When the even had come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciple. He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Mt. 27:57-61)


Is it true then that no physical body was put in the tomb which was guarded by the high priests?

No body was put in the tomb in which the crucified person was supposed to be put. What Joseph did was to put a stone in front of it as though some one was put inside it.

Although the chief priest and the guards were there when they opened the tomb there was no one in it. So the guards were bribed to stay quiet about the whole matter. Mathew tells us about this in the following verses:

They gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (Mt.28:12-15)

No one could have attested to the fact that it was Jesus who was crucified, as there was no evidence that he was put in the tomb, and when they finally went to open it, they found it opened with no one inside of it.

The Qur'an makes it absolutely clear that they did not harm Jesus although they believe they did; and the truth of this matter will one day come to light. Allah says:

They said: We killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah; but they did not kill him; nor did they crucify him; but so it was made to appear to them. And those who differ therein are full of doubts, with no certain knowledge; but only conjecture to follow. For a surety they did not kill him. Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself; and Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise. And there is none of the People of the Book but must believe in him before his death. (4:157-159)

For us the important thing to keep in mind is what Jesus taught and what he stood for. This, unfortunately is not taken into consideration by those who claim to believe in him and love him.

The Mission of Jesus

THE MISSION OF JESUS

Part of a Series of Program
Presented on IBN TV

About whom was Jesus referring?

Jesus was referring to someone who was not to be from the tribes of Israel, as he said to them:

The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you (O Israelites) and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof. (Mt.21:43)

In another place he told them:

The stone which the builder rejected, the same is become the head of the corner, this is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. (Mt.21:42)
It appears as though Jesus was indicating to the Israelites that they were no longer to be the custodians of the religion which God wanted to establish on earth; can you comment on this?

If we re-examine the prediction that Moses gave to the people about the one that was to come; he said to them:

(God spoke to him and said) I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. Deut.18:18)

The promise of God had to be fulfilled. But what we see in the saying of Jesus was that the expected one was not him and he, that is the expected one, still had to come. And it would not be from among the Israelites. That is why he told them:

The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you.

But the promised one was to come from the progeny of Abraham as everyone regarded Abraham as the father of the revealed religions.

If everyone accepts Abraham, his faith and works, why are there differences between the religions that came from the teachings of him?

First of all, there is a problem about the recognition of Ishmael as a son of Abraham in every sense of the word.

Ishmael was acknowledged as the first son of Abraham. He (Abraham) was the biological father of both Ishmael and Isaac.

Like Isaac, the Lord gave the name Ishmael to the boy that was to be born to Hagar. He told her that the meaning of the name Ishmael was "he shall be blessed". It is recorded in the Bible about the Lord's promise to the boy in the following verse:

As for Ishmael, I have heard thee. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful. (Gen.16:20)

If in the Bible Ishmael is recognized as the blessed son, then why is he not accepted by the Jews and Christians?

In order to project the superiority of the Israelites who came from the second son of Abraham through Sarah, over the Ishmaelites, the upholders teach that he is a biological son but not one through which the promise of God shall be fulfilled. In this connection Paul wrote as follows:

But he (i.e. Ishmael) of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but he (i.e. Isaac) of the freewoman was by promise…. Nevertheless, what saith the Scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of a bondwoman shall not be the heir with the son of the freewoman. (Gal.4:22)

So the problem does not lie with what God wanted, it is based on what the Church teaches?

Paul does not believe that Ishmael must be considered to be a son in every sense of the word. As a result he says:

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children. They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God. (Rom.9:7)

The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary, the one and the other. (Gal.5:17)

Both Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of Abraham, and both were from the prayers of the old man. When he prayed for an offspring, in the beginning, Sarah offered her handmaid Hagar to him so that he can have a offspring, and later on she also became pregnant. Up to that time Ishmael was his only hope for carrying on his mission that is why when he left them in the wilderness upon the insistence of Sarah, he prayed as follows:

O my Lord, I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Thy Sacred House; in order, O My Lord, that they may establish regular prayer; so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them. And feed them with fruits, so that they may give thanks. Qur'an 14:37)

Are we to believe that Paul regarded the progeny of Ishmael to be inferior to those from Sarah?

What Paul is saying is that Hagar and her son are not people of God, although God guided them, fed them and protected them in every way, while they were cast away in the wilderness.

Because of his position regarding the second wife of Abraham and his son they are called Gentiles, meaning: pagan and heathen.

But as we know, they were humble and submissive to God, just as Jesus and his mother Mary were humble and submissive to God. On the other hand Sarah had an attitude problem, and looked at things on the basis of reason and logic. That is why when the angel told her that she was going to have a son she laughed at the idea and questioned the rationality of it.

How was Paul able to discourage the Israelites from accepting Ishmael and his progeny?

Paul has misinformed the readers about the true status, in the sight of God, between both the wives and their children. He says:

He that is born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it was now. (Gal.4:29)

This is contrary to what happened then; and is still happening today, between the progeny of Ishmael and Isaac as some of the Israelites are slaughtering the Palestinians who are from Ishmael.

But who really did the torturing?

Hagar was tortured by Sarah while in her home. So severe was it that she ran away in the wilderness in order to escape her mistress's punishment. This is recorded in the Bible as follows:

And when Sarah dealt harshly with her, she fled from her face. ……And he (i.e. the angel of the Lord) said: Hagar, Sarai's maid whence camest thou? And whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the "angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. (Gen.16:6-9)

In the beginning, the persecution was because Hagar became pregnant for Abraham and Sarah could not have a child, but later on when Isaac was born, it was no longer envy, rather, Sarah did not want Abraham to give to Ishmael any of the inheritance. As a result she said to him:

Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. (Gal.4:30)

So the issue then, according to the Bible, was inheritance, and not any other matter which caused the separation.

The Israelites were from the progeny of Isaac; what about the progeny of Ishmael. Did not God tell Abraham something about them?

Abraham was righteous person, and is accepted by Jews, Christians and Muslims to be a person of high status in Paradise. In the Bible there is the indication that the righteous shall dwell in the bosom of Abraham. It says:

And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels in the bosom of Abraham. (Lk.16:22)

It means that whatever Abraham did was not evil, and so, his having a son with Hagar was not an evil act. It is because it was a thing ordained by God that He guided the woman and spoke to her and made a promise to Abraham concerning Ishmael.

According to the Bible, God said to Hagar:

And God hears the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar, out of the heavens, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not, for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand, for I will make him a great nation. (Gen.21:17-18)

Up to the time of the coming of Jesus that promise of God contained in the Bible was not yet fulfilled. So Jesus came to announce to the Israelites that God was about to fulfil that promise.

What was the promise God made to Abraham concerning Ishmael?

According to the Biblical records, God said to Abraham:

As for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. (Gen.17:20)

So that from Ishmael was to come a great nation; that was not yet fulfilled.

We see that Jesus was telling the Israelites two things; viz.

• The mission for the messengers was not yet complete as some one still had to come.
The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you (O Israelites) and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof (Mt.21:43)

• The stone that was rejected by the Israelites was to become the corner stone. They had rejected the progeny of Ishmael calling them the children of the flesh. But God, in His wisdom was about to transfer the responsibility of upholding the laws which Moses had brought and uniting the entire humanity under one law, as one big happy human family. This is recorded in the Bible in the following verse:
Jesus saith unto them: Did ye never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes. (Mt.22:42)

Abu Huraira narrated that Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

My similitude in comparison with the other prophets before me is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of one brick, in a corner. The people go about it and wonder at its beauty, and say: Would that this brick be put in place. So I am that brick, and I am the last of the prophets. (Bukhari)

The progeny of Ishmael became the Arab people; did the Israelites recognise them at any time at all?

There were some interactions between them. For example, we have in 11 Chron. 9:11, where the kings of Arabia and governors brought gold and silver to Solomon.

Also in 17:11, the Arabians gave to Jehoshaphat flocks of goats and sheep; and he accepted them.

So they had communication, but one thing remained outstanding and that is, they were not entitled to the inheritance of anything that came from the assets of Abraham.

Had they been recognised as legitimate from the progeny of Abraham, then they would have been religiously entitled to inherit something from him.

Jesus was not speaking about inheritance of land and wealth; he was speaking about upholding the law; what was the people's reaction to what he was telling them?

Jesus tried patiently to get the Israelites to believe in God and uphold the law. But all the time they kept disobeying and were only looking for their material benefits. It pained him to see how they were behaving. Look at what he said to them:

If God were your Father you would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (Jn.8:42-47)

So Jesus kept struggling to get the Israelites to listen to him and change their ways, but they never took him on. They were only interested in using him for their own benefit, as they did with all the messengers that came before him.

But did Jesus receive any help from his disciples in propagating his teachings?

Jesus had trouble with his disciples just as he had with the people. Take for example, when he was walking on the water, Peter requested Jesus to allow him to walk with him on the water too. And Jesus said come.

As Peter began walking he got scared and began to sink. Jesus took him by the hand and said to him:

O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? (Mt.14:28-31)

Again Jesus said to the people:

O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, how long shall I suffer you? (Mt.17:17)

The Israelites knew that he was a special person with special powers, did they heed his teachings?

The Israelites were troubled in their minds whenever Jesus used to condemn them for their wrongs. Take for example, he was telling them of their lack of faith in the message from God, and they decided to throw him out of the temple. This is recorded in Lk. 4:28-29. It says:

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath. And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built; that they might cast him down headlong.

On another occasion he chased them all out of the temple, as they were using it as a market place and not a place of worship. We find this recorded in the Bible as follows:

And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; saying unto them. It is written, My house is the house of prayer; but you had made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the scribes and the chief of the people sought to destroy him, and could not find what they might do; for all the people were very attentive to hear him. (Lk.19:41-42)

What we are seeing is that the leaders of the Israelites were opposed to the teachings of Jesus, even though the masses were listening to him.

If the leaders of the temple, the chief priests and scribes were all against his teachings, did they try to kill him?
Jesus used to teach the people in the temple during the day and in the night he used to go up in the mountain and pass it with his Lord. This is recorded in Luke 21:37 as follows:

And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the Mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.

Jesus was becoming more and more popular with the masses; and this was some cause for concern among the leaders of the Israelites.

Did the chief priests and scribes like what was going on; or were they planning against Jesus; surely, they would have become concerned about his growing popularity?

The chief priests and scribes were trying to find ways and means of killing him without the knowledge of the masses. Most of them did not really know who he was but were only hearing about him.

Jesus was becoming too popular for them. Take for example when he was entering Jerusalem, the people lined up along the pathway and a great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strewed them in the way….. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying: Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. (Mt.21:6-10)

They i.e. the chief priests began putting together a plot to get rid of him.

Is there any record of the plot that they were able to hatch against him?

The fame of Jesus was growing, and he was helping more and more people; he healed their sick, he fed the multitude in the desert with five loaves of bread and two fishes; again he fed the multitude with seven loaves and a few small fishes, and so he was getting the masses of Israelites to believe in what he was preaching and teaching.

Knowing that they would not be able to do him harm in front of the multitude of people the leaders tried to embarrass him by asking him all kinds of questions. For example, they came to him and demanded a sign.

But Jesus was very alert, and knowledgeable and answered them by wisely telling them of the evil that was in them. He said to them: A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah. (Mt.16:1-5)

But were they satisfied with what he was telling them?

They became more and more confused with the answers that he was giving them to their questions; as his answers were in parables which were very difficult for them to unfold.

Some of these were:

The parable of the lost sheep.
Of a brother who sins
Of the unforgiving servant.

In addition to his answers in parables he also gave advises based on the commands that God had revealed.

For example he told the rich young ruler:
Do not commit murder
Do not commit adultery
Do not steal
Do not bear false witness
Honour thy father and thy mother
Love thy neighbour as thy self
Give your wealth in charity.

Jesus continued to preach the law and the commandments directly and by examples in order that the people may take heed.

Does the Qur'an bear testimony to the preaching and teaching of Jesus?

Allah tells us in the Qur'an that Jesus said to the Israelites:

I have come to you to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was before forbidden unto you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah and obey me. It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him: this is a Way that is Straight. (3:50-51)

Jesus was very pious and saintly, and did everything possible to get the people to turn to God, for guidance and sustenance; but the detractors were not happy with the impact his message was having on the people and they wanted to put an end to it.

More so as he was not consulting with the chief priests and the rulers, but went about with his mission by himself, and with the few half hearted scribes that followed him.

Was Jesus fearful about the plots that were being hatched to kill him?

Jesus informed his disciples that there was a plan to crucify him. He said to them:
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified. (Mt.26:1-2)

Jesus also informed his disciples that they were not really dedicated to the cause for which he was sent; because when the real test will come upon them they will manifest their weakness of faith. For example, he told Peter:

Jesus said unto him (i.e. Peter), Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. (Mt.26:24)

Did Jesus inform the Israelites about the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pboh)?

According to what is revealed in the Holy Qur'an, Jesus said to the Israelites the following:

O Children of Israel, of a truth I am God's Apostle to you to confirm the law which was given before me; and to give Glad Tidings of an apostle that shall come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad (61:6)

So Jesus was telling them that he was upholding the law and connecting himself with Prophet Muhammad (pboh) who was to follow him.

Why did Jesus tell Peter that he (Peter) will forsake Jesus?

Jesus was aware that there was plan to take hold of him and to try to get rid of him. He was also aware of the fact that while his disciples were with him all the time they were not fully dedicated to his mission and did not really learn much from him. So he said to them, after they had a meal together. All of you shall be offended because of me tonight.

Then Jesus went to worship the Lord in the garden of Gethsemane. He took with him three of them and with a heavy heart, he ordered them to sit and keep watch while he went a little further and prayed as Muslims pray.

While Jesus was in the garden worshipping Allah, what were the disciples who were with him doing?

When Jesus made his supplications to the Lord, he came back and found the three of them asleep. He was not happy with them and said to them:

What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation. (Mt.26:40-41)

Then he went back again to worship, hoping that his disciples would listen to him and stay alert; but when he was finished and came back he again found them asleep. He gave up on them and went back and continued to worship Allah. He said to them:

Sleep on now, and take your rest; behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of the sinners. (Mt.26:45)

Was Jesus really betrayed by one of his disciples?

The Qur'an has not mention anything about what happened to him, from the time of his preaching, his encounter with the chief priests and scribes, his arrest and trail. All it has mentioned is about the crucifixion.

What we know about the incidents which led to his end or disappearance can be understood from what is contained in the Gospels.

For example, he was identified by Judas, who betrayed him for a fee. Upon his betrayal, he was arrested; one of his disciples resisted his arrest; but Jesus ordered him to put away his sword.

Jesus was disappointed with the way the multitude was behaving against him so he said to them:

Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. (Mt.26:55)

What happened when he was arrested?

First of all, the disciples forsook him and fled. (Mt.26:56)

He was taken to the high priest, who was with the scribes and the elders. (Mt.26:57)

Peter followed and sat among the people; and the authorities were trying to find false witnesses to accuse him of treason, so that they can kill him. They found two false witnesses and as a result they began to torture him.

What did Peter do when he saw the people humiliating Jesus?

Peter found himself in trouble, as some of the women identified him as being one from among Jesus disciples. But Peter denied ever knowing Jesus and began to curse, as if he was cursing Jesus. When he realised that Jesus had predicted that Peter will forsake him, he went out and wept for what he did.

Was Jesus tried for whatever he was accused?

He was taken before the governor; but he did not answer any of the questions that were posed to him. Instead of condemning him the governor was surprised that Jesus was able to hold his peace in spite of all the accusations that were levelled against him by the high priest and his men.

The governor realised that Jesus was just person and that he was envied. To add to his own conviction, his wife sent a message to him telling him that he should have nothing to do with the condemnation of Jesus.

When the governor questioned the multitude as to who was the one to be released from prison the chief priest and his men urged the multitude to say Barabas, and not Jesus. The multitude did not want to hear anything about justice, etc. they simply said let him be crucified. Pilate washed his hands off the matter

But he was not tried for anything?

No, the high priest and his men just wanted to get rid of Jesus and the way they selected was to crucify him. So they began torturing him and began making preparation for his crucifixion.

They then proceeded to take him to the place where he was to be crucified. But he was unable to carry the cross, so they forced Simon to take the cross and carry it for Jesus. There is no record in the Bible that Jesus took back the cross.

Also, there is no record that he was kept close to Simon. As a matter of fact, he turned around and began speaking to the ladies who were following him. This is recorded in Luke 23:28, as follows:

Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children….

It because of all the turmoil and confusion, no one knows exactly who was put on the cross.

But there were guards and soldiers, and the high priests, etc. how could they have made a mistake and crucify another person?

There are many Christian sects that believe that Jesus was not crucified. Some of these are:

• The Basilidians, in the very beginning of Christianity denied that Christ himself suffered, but asserted that it was Simon who was crucified.
• The Corinthians also are of the same view.
• The Carpocrations also are of this view.

All those who believe that it was not Jesus who was crucified believe that it was one of his disciples, or some other person.

What does the Qur'an say about his crucifixion?

Allah tells us in the Holy Qur'an, the following:

They (Jews) boastfully say: We killed the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, the messenger of Allah. But they killed him not, nor crucified him. But so it appeared to them, and those who differ therein are full of doubts, with not certain knowledge; but only conjecture to follow; for a surety they did not kill him. (4:157)

But they would have known who was actually crucified, when they would have taken down the body?

The body of the one that was crucified was secretly taken away and buried in a private tomb. We find reference of this in Mathew. It says:

When the even had come, there came a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus disciple. He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. (Mt. 27:57-61)

Although the chief priest and the guards were there when they opened the tomb there was no one in it. So the guards were bribed to stay quiet about the whole matter. Mathew tells us about this in the following verses:

They gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and sole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. (Mt.28:12-15)

No one could have attested to the fact that it was Jesus who was crucified, as there was no evidence that he was put in the tomb, and when they finally went to opened it, they found it opened with no one inside of it.

The Birth of Jesus

THE BIRTH OF JESUS


Allah prepared Mary, the mother of Jesus to undertake the sacred mission of bringing into the world someone who was to be special. This was nothing new in the plan of the Lord, as He did this with the majority of the messengers He sent before. Take for example; He made the birth and survival of Moses possible and even got Pharaoh to appoint his mother to take care of him in the palace.

He allowed Mary to grow up free from any kind of blame or accusations as she was known to have guarded her chastity, and had no kind of interaction with any male human being, except for her caretaker Zakariah, who was a very old man.

Because her son Jesus was to be a unique person Mary underwent all the exercises which made her fit to undertake the special mission of bringing Jesus into the world. In this connection Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

Behold, the angels said: O Mary, Allah hath chosen thee and purified thee and chosen thee above the women of all nations. (3:42)

We know that Allah created the body of Adam; give it life and then cause the soul (Ruh or spirit) to enter into it. It is necessary to know that the soul is a special creation of the Lord; and not a part of any thing found in the entire universe. It is not something physical. As a result it is outside our capacity to comprehend on the basis of rational thinking. Allah tells us about this in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an:

And they will ask thee concerning the Ruh, say; it is from the Command of my Lord; and I (Allah) have not given you knowledge (of it) except a little. (17:85)

The soul does not die with the body, but leaves and will re-enter it when the body is resurrected on the Day of Judgment.

Because the soul came from a Command of Allah and did not grow from any created thing in the universe Allah calls it My Spirit. For example He says about the creation of Adam the following:

Behold, the Lord said to the angels; I am about to create man from sounding clay; from mud moulded into shape. So, when I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit; fall down in obeisance unto him. (15:28-29)

When Allah calls the soul "My Spirit", He does not mean that the soul is part of His own being as some religions believe. It means that it is something special which came into existence from a process different from the way He created the universe and all that is in it.

We can understand something about this if we take an example by saying, for example, to a person: You are a part of my heart. It means that such a one is very dear to me, but is not actually a piece of the flesh of my heart.

So too, when Allah singles out the soul and calls it "My Spirit" or "My Word", it does not mean that it actually came out as a piece of His Being. Take for example, the Qur'an is the Word of Allah, that does not mean that it is actually something from His Divine Being, but something that came from Him.

So when He says about Adam, And We breathed into him of Our Spirit, He means that Adam's soul is a special creation.

The difference between the creation of Adam and Jesus is that Adam's body was created first and then the soul was breathed into it, but in the case of Jesus, the soul was created first, placed into the womb of Mary and then the body was formed around it.

Such a thing is possible with Allah, and perhaps, one reason for doing so is to let mankind, now and the Children of Israel then know that Allah is capable of doing anything. This was one reason why He told Mary's mother that Allah knows what she brought forth. (3:25). Allah knew that He was about to give her daughter Mary a special mission.

Spiritual experiences are outside the realms of reason and logic, and one should not attempt to try to explain such experiences by using mundane arguments. For example, it is not possible to explain rationally how the creation of a person like Jesus is in a way different from the normal process of conception and growth of the zygote into a full human being.

It is therefore incorrect for Maulana Muhammad Ali to say the following:

Jesus was conceived in the ordinary manner and that Mary became a wife and mother in the ordinary way. (Fn. 422)

Allah tells us two things about Mary. These are:

• Allah purified her private part. (69:12) Purification here means that no types of impurities were allowed to enter into her sexual organ. Muslims believe that sperm is a type of impurity and when it comes out of the body that person has to take a bath. Also if it touches the garment, at least, that portion of the garment has to be purified. So that no such a thing was allowed to enter into Mary, as her sexual organ was specially purified against the entry of an impure fluid.
Allah tells us about seminal discharge being impure in the following verse of the Holy Qur'an: O you who believe, go not near to prayer when you are intoxicated until you know what you say, nor after sexual intercourse, except you are merely passing by (the mosque) until you have taken a bath. (4:43). Or, If you are sexually defiled then purify yourself. (5:6)
So Allah preserved Mary from becoming sexually defiled; a process from which a person can conceive.
• The other important thing to understand is what exactly did the angel do to Mary, when he was putting the soul of Jesus into her? According to the Bible, Mary was conceived in the following way: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee. (Lk.1:35) This means that Mary was physically overpowered by a being which was not human. Islam does not uphold this particular belief.
There was no need for the angel to have any type of physical contact for the soul of Jesus to enter into her. Allah caused the soul of Adam to enter his body without any kind of contact from the angel. We know that light—x-ray—can pass through the body without any kind of actual contact, or radiation can enter the body without any one actually putting it into the person.

There are angels that enter and leave the body at the will and command of Allah so that Allah can direct any angel to do whatever He wishes.

Allah sent the soul of Adam into his body after the whole body was formed and fashioned. He says: So when I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My Spirit. (15:29). The question is: How did Allah breathed His Spirit into Adam? The Qur'an did not elaborate.

In the same way Allah says about the entry of the soul of Jesus into Mary. He says: And Mary, the daughter of Imran, who guarded her private part (in other words, she made it inaccessible for any man): so We breathed into it, (i.e. her private part) from Our Spirit. (69:12)

There was no need for the angel to have any form of contact with Mary in order to do what he had to do. According to some of the scholars he blew into her; he could have stood in front of her and blew into her. There was no need for any physical posture from Mary etc. in order for the angel to blow into her; he blew into the space between her legs.

The soul that entered the body of Mary was not a complete person. So it is not correct when Christians say that God came in the flesh in Mary as the son. What came in Mary was the soul or the Spirit, which was a special creation, just as the soul of Adam was a special creation; and so too the souls of every human being.

Sending the soul of Jesus into Mary, and not creating him completely as a special entity was in order to make Jesus part of the human species. In this way he is part of the progeny of Adam, but only with what he got from his mother.

Perhaps one of the reasons why Jesus was created in this unique way was because of the mission to which he was to be assigned, viz. he came into the world, he was taken up by Allah and he is due to return.

Allah tells us in the Qur'an that Jesus is similar to Adam is some ways: He says:

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

Mary resided in the temple from the age of about three years old to when she was a little more than thirteen. As she grew older and older she became more conservative and never allowed herself to be seen by anyone. When she became pregnant, she kept herself secluded until it was time for to give birth to the one who was designated to be a Sign unto mankind. Allah says:

That We (Allah) may appoint him as a Sign unto men, and in a mercy from Us; it is a thing decreed (19:22)

Mary left the temple a few days before the birth of Jesus, and according to the Qur'an, she went eastwards. Allah says:

And mention in the book of Mary, when she withdrew in seclusion from her family to a place facing east. (19:16)

According to some of the Commentators of the Qur'an, Mary went to a place called Bethlehem. For example, Wahab bin Munabbih said that Mary left and went to a village eight miles away called Bethlehem.

But is this Bethlehem the same as the one mentioned in the Bible. When we look back at the records we will see that at that time there were two places called Bethlehem; one was Bethlehem of Judea and the other is Bethlehem of Galilee (a place near Nazareth).

Bethlehem of Judea, according to archaeological findings did not exist at the time of the birth of Jesus; it existed long before his birth. The other Bethlehem is the one of Galilee. This was a busy Jewish centre, just a few miles from where Mary was while she was in the temple.

Jesus is commonly known as Jesus of Nazareth, that is the place near Bethlehem of Galilee and not the other one. It seems practical that it could have been the Bethlehem of Galilee as the one of Judea is more than a hundred miles away from the temple in which Mary was residing and it would have been impossible for her to travel that distance in a short space of time with her condition.

But there are differences of opinion between the Church's position regarding where Jesus was actually born and that of the Scholars; or among the Conservatives and Liberal thinkers.

The conservative thinkers of the Church uphold that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. This is because both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke support this position. In these Gospels we find the following:
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. (Mt.2:1)

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea unto the city of David, which is called the city Bethlehem. (Lk.2:4)

The reason for supporting this position is because of the prediction in the Old Testament of the coming of the one who will rule over Israel. It says:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah.5:2)

Scholars of the Bible agree that there was no place called Bethlehem Ephrathah, as Ephrathah is the name of a clan of Judah and not the name of a place.

The liberals among the scholars do not accept the Church's position that Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem of Judea. That is why a lot of the Evangalists commonly say Jesus of Nazareth, this being a place near the Bethlehem of Galilee.

The Gospels of Mark and John seem to support this view as in both Gospels there is the belief that Jesus came from Nazareth and not from the Bethlehem of Judea. We find in them the following;

And he went out from there and came to his own country (i.e. Nazareth), and his disciples follow him. (Mk.6:1)

Others said, this is the Christ. But some said: Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him. (Jn.7:41-43)

There is a lot of discussion regarding the location of Mary when Jesus was born. Allah did not give any detail in the Holy Qur'an regarding the exact place. All He says is that she went "to a place facing east".

What is important for us to know at this point in time is that Mary was alone when she was to give birth to Jesus, and it was only the Lord Who was with her, and He assisted her through His angels to have this special person, a Sign to mankind to come into the world.

Establishing a connection with the Prophet (pboh)

Establishing a connection with Prophet


The Christians believe that Prophet Jesus (as) was the ‘son of God’ and part of their creed concerning Jesus (as) is the ‘Harrowing of Hell’, which states that Jesus (as) descended into hell.

Islam on the other hand gives us such a beautiful concept of Prophet Muhammad . Muslims do not associate any divinity to Prophet , instead we adhere to what Allah says in Surah Kahf “Say: I am but a man like yourselves”.

We should never forget one important thing about Prophet Muhammad and that is he is extremely special, even though he was a humble human being. Those who aspire to get close to him, they too are special.

Since Prophet came back from the Miraj; from then onwards, he brought back a piece of Paradise with him. Proof of this can be found in the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah (ra) in which he heard Prophet Muhammad say:

“The area between my house and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise (ar-Rawdah an-Nabawiyah), and my minbar is on my cistern (hawd)”.

Allah has been really favourable to the Believers. What exactly is the benefit of the Rawdah in Masjid al-Nabawi? Those who were blessed to have been there would tell you the feeling they experienced. It is a feeling of total peace and tranquility.

Imagine that you are sitting in the Rawdah which is part of Paradise and on your left is your leader and role model. If you can get so near to him in this world what about the hereafter?

Allah has provided us with an opportunity to rehearse what will happen to the true believers in the hereafter. He shows us that in reality there is a place called Jannah. True, you cannot access the facilities of Paradise in the Rawdah of the Prophet (pboh), but you can get that feeling of peace and tranquility. If you are there and Prophet is to the left of you and his body is one that will never decay and Allah reunites his soul and his body in order for him to respond to the daroods’ being sent, what kind of feeling will you get? Imagine you are actually in the presence of the Habibullah .

If we can build a relationship here in this world and be in his company in this life what will happen in the next. Allah says in Qur’an “take note that amongst you is the Mesenger of Allah.” No other Messenger was given this blessing and no where else in this universe you will find a piece of Jannah. That is why it is truly a blessing to visit Madinah.

Establish and build a connection with your leader and insha Allah you will be amongst those who will be considered ‘special’. And one of the many benefits to be derived is that on the Day of Judgement when everyone will be worried and concerned about the state of their affairs the Chief Intercessor will be looking for you. You won’t have to look for him because you have already established a relationship with him. We beg Allah to forgive us and guide us.

THE VIRGIN MARY

THE VIRGIN MARY
(Text of a TV Script)

Mary, the mother of Jesus is called Mariam in the Holy Qur'an; and one Chapter of that Holy Book is named after her. She was a Jewish woman, from the Levites. She is acknowledged by both Christians and Muslims to be the mother of Jesus. The Qur'an calls Jesus the son of Mary; and not the son of god.

The Holy Qur'an mentions Mary with honour and dignity. Allah says:

We made the son of Mary and his mother as a sign. We gave both of them shelter on high ground, furnished with springs, affording them rest and security. (23:50)

Neither Jesus nor his mother Mary was taken care of by any human being. It was Allah Who sustained both of them from infancy right on. Mary was special among the Israelites. She was the special child born after her mother made a vow during her pregnancy to dedicate the unborn child to Allah. Allah tells us about this in the Holy Qur'an in the following verse:

Behold, a woman of Imran said; O my Lord, I do dedicate unto Thee what is in my womb, for Thy special service. So accept this from me; for Thou hearest and know all things. (3:33)

When the child was born the mother realised that it was a girl whom she named Mary. She then supplicated to Allah as follows:

O my Lord, behold, I am delivered of a female child; and Allah knows best what she brought forth; and no wise is the male like the female. I have named her Mariam (Mary); and I commend her and her offspring to Thy protection, from the Evil One (Satan) the rejected (3:36)
So Mary was dedicated to Allah. As a result she had to stay in the temple.

It must be understood that while Mary's mother was disappointed with the birth of a daughter; as she thought a female would not be able to do all that is required to be done in the temple. Normally most of the rituals were performed by the male priests.

What she did not know was that Allah had a plan for Mary. Perhaps, one of the reasons for her growing up in a spiritual environment was to ensure that no blame was to be made against her son that was to be born many years later. Also it was to show to the Israelites that Allah is capable of doing anything.

Look how He brought the human species into existence; He created Adam, and from Adam He made Eve, and now He was to bring into existence a young boy Jesus from a woman who had no relation with any male. Allah was showing the Israelites then and mankind at large now, that He Allah has power over all things.

This was one reason why when she expressed disappointment with the birth of a daughter, Allah said: Allah knew best what she brought forth. Allah had His plan which was to become manifest later.

In the Hebrew language the name Mary means, star of the sea, exalted, pious worshipper, the loved one. In Islam Allah has given her many titles. For example He says about her:

She was one of the devout servants. (66:12)

She was a woman of truth. (5:75)

She was a devout worshipper of Allah. (3:43)

She was a pure woman (3:42)

She was the chosen one for a special mission. (3:42)

She was given a status above all women (3:42)

She was the only woman to give birth without any male connection even though she was a virgin. (3:45)

As Mary had to live in the temple, she had to be taken care of by someone. Lots were cast among the elders as to who should be responsible for her. It was finally agreed that Zakariah would be the one. Zakraiah was the husband of her aunt and was an old man. Later on when he was finally given a son after much prayers, the boy John and Jesus were cousins.

Mary grew to be pure and beautiful; Allah says about her the following:

Rightly gracious, did her Lord accept her. He made her grow in purity and beauty. (3:37)

Mary spent her time worshipping Allah and glorifying His Holy Name. She was not dependant on any one for any thing. Zakariah had her in a room all by herself, and he alone had the key for the lock of the door to her room. He used to find something strange about her, i.e. whenever he went into her room, she always had a supply of fresh fruits and food. She used to have summer fruits in winter and winter fruits in summer. Whenever he would ask her from where she got those fruits and food she always replied from Allah. The Qur'an records about this in the following verse:

Every time he entered her chamber to see her, he found her supplied with sustenance. He said: O Mary, from where did this come? She said: from Allah; for Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure. (3:37)

The only time when Mary used to come out of her room was to take a bath or to fetch water from the nearby well. One day while she was out, the angel appeared to her in the form of a young handsome man. Allah tells us about this incident in the following verses:

Relate in the Book, (the story of) Mary; when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them. Then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. (19:16-17)

It is possible that, at the time when the angel appeared unto her she was in one of the niches of the temple, where she was worshipping.

Some people doubt that it is not possible to see an angel, and what Mary saw was a vision, or she had a dream. Muslims know that Allah can do anything, and recall the incident when the angel Gabriel came to the Prophet (pboh) in the form of a man, in the presence of many of the companions, and asked him some questions. The Prophet (pboh) told the companions after he had left that it was angel Gabriel who came to teach them something of Islam.

When Mary saw this person standing before her, she got scared and said:

I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) most Gracious. And if you are a God-fearing person, you will not come near me. (19:18)

Mary was aware that she had a special mission, as she was already told by Allah about the birth of her son Jesus who was to be a special person. This is recorded in the Qur'an in the following verses:

Behold, the angels said: O Mary, Allah gives you the good news of a Word from Him; (of one) whose name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, worthy of regards in this world and in the Hereafter; and of (the company of) those who are nearest to Allah. He shall speak to the people in the cradle and when of old age. And he shall be one of the righteous. (3:45-6)

Christians believe that Mary conceived Jesus miraculously after she was engaged to Joseph. In Luke 1:27 it is mentioned as follows: A virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph. Then the announcement was made to her that she shall be the mother of Jesus.

According to the decision of the Council of Ephesus in 431, she was given the title of Mother of God. Both the Catholic and Greek Orthodox Churches believed that she lived a sinless life. Some of them attribute special attributes and functions to her.

Mary was also given many other titles, e.g. morning star, queen of angels, queen of all saints, gate of heaven, mother of divine grace, etc.

So Mary knew that the time had come when her special mission was to begin, i.e. to bring forth into the world a special person who was designated to be the last prophet to be sent to the Israelites. In the verse quoted above Allah told Mary the name of the boy and some of the unique qualities with which he was to be blessed.

Some people translate the Arabic word, Al Masih as Christ. But this is not correct, as we shall discuss in another program later one. But what we should know at this point in time is that Al Masih means the Messiah.

According to the dictionary meaning, this word Messiah means the promised liberator of the Jews; or the liberator of oppressed people.

Allah continued to educate Mary about the coming events in her life and in the life of her son Jesus. He told her when she inquired from Him about how that could be possible when she did not have a man. He, the Lord explained it to her. The Qur'an records about this in the following verses:

She (Mary) said: O my Lord, how shall I have a son when no man hath touched me? He (Allah) said: Even so; Allah creates what He pleases. When He decrees a matter He says to it: Be; and it is (or it comes into being). And Allah will teach him the Book and the Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel. And appoint him a Messenger to the Children of Israel. (3:47-49)

Allah did not inform Mary at that time how He will be giving her the righteous son; He did not tell her that He was going to command angel Gabriel to appear before her as a male human being. So when the angel appeared in front of Mary, she was not able to know who this person was. It was only when he explained to her that he was sent by the Lord that she realised what was happening. The angel said to her:

Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son. (19:19)

Mary was naturally puzzled, as she is being told that she was to have a son; so she enquired from the angel who was in front of her by asking him:

How shall I have a son, when no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste? (19:20)

Mary, like other human beings, was looking at the issue purely on the basis of reason and logic. She could not understand that Allah can do anything. She did not recall at that time that Allah created Adam from clay, and created Eve from Adam. So that if He wanted her to have a son; that was possible for Him to do. So upon asking the angel the question he replied as follows:

He said: So (it will be). Thy Lord says: It is easy to Me; and that We may make him a sign to men and a mercy from Us; And it is a matter decreed. (19:21)

So, as a virgin, Mary conceived.

A lot of people cannot understand that anything is possible with Allah; look how He can destroy whole towns without being present, or He can cause lands to appear or disappear, etc. We all must be informed that Allah has power over all things, and as He says: If He wants something to come into being, He says; Be and it comes into being.

Contrary to what Christians preach, the virgin birth of Jesus was no favour to the Children of Israel. And while he himself was an exceptionally pious messenger of God; his coming in the world as a virgin birth, was an unusual method used by the merciful Lord to impress upon the progeny of Isaac that they should hearken to the call from the Divine.

There is no doubt about the fact that the Jews were a chosen people. The Qur’an confirms this as follows:

O Children of lsrael! Call to mind the special favour which I bestowed upon you, and that I preferred you to all others (for My Message). (2:47)

More Prophets were sent to them than to any other nation; in addition they were given food, drink and other amenities from God, in a way He did not give to any other nation in the world. (Ex.13:21, 22; 16:1-36)

From the very beginning they had, a succession of divinely appointed messengers, viz. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Later on, there was a continuous succession of Messengers to them the last being Prophet Jesus.

These Messengers had very little impact on the twelve tribes of Israel, who lived a morally corrupt life. Paul says:
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, back-biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful. (2 Rom.1:29-31)

The Qur’an says:
They (the Jews) went on rejecting the Signs of Allah and slaying His Messengers without just cause. They were rebellious and continued transgressing. (2:61)

Many scandalous accusations were made against the messengers of God whenever they tried to get the Jews to conform to the Divine teachings. God had used “every method in the Book” to impress upon them the need to submit to His Laws, with little result. He therefore decided to send a last Israelite prophet in a special way to them, in order that they may understand that He is the controller of the universe, and to Him is the return of man. Some of the outstanding facts connected with the virgin birth of Jesus, are:
1. His mother grew up in a room in the church under the watchful eye of Zachariah who was very old.
2. No one knew her to be immoral.
3. She suddenly appeared with a baby boy.
4. The boy was special, he spoke in the cradle.

Jesus was bestowed with special qualities; e.g.
1. He performed many miracles, even from his youth
2. He preached the Kingdom of the Hereafter, although the Jews were more concerned with this world.
3. Because he was able to cure many people of their physical ailment, many people gathered around him for personal reasons rather than to follow his teachings. Today “faith healing” is used to attract people into the fold of Christianity.
4. The Jews wanted Jesus to be their political leader rather than to tell them about the “kingdom of God”.
5. Many things, which he never preached, are attributed to him. God knew that Jesus would have to return to clarify the misunderstanding they had about Him. That is why his birth was extra-ordinary, his disappearance (supposedly death) confusing, and his return promised.

THE NAME ALLAH

THE NAME ALLAH

The recent turn of events in Malaysia where the Christian Churches are fire-bombed is unfortunate. It could have been avoided, however, if the Christian community did not insist in using the word Allah as the Arabic translation for the word God wherever this term is used in the Bible.

Everyone knows that Muslims are very particular regarding the use of the word Allah, as, it connotes a special meaning which is only for the Creator of the universe, the God of Abraham. Any attempt therefore to associate a meaning which may compromise the one accepted by those who follow the Holy Qur'an will be met with opposition, which may sometimes be unfortunately harsh.

The name Allah conveys a particular concept to the minds of human beings. According to the Qur'anic definition, when this Name is used, it conveys a concept of a Being Who is not part of creation, and there is nothing like Him. He says about Himself the following:

Allah is He, than whom there is no other god, Who knows all things: the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme; Glory be to Allah (Who is on High); above the partners they attribute to Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver and the Bestower of Forms; to Him belong the most Beautiful Names. (59:22-24)

There is nothing like Him. (42:11)

Nothing can be compared with Him. (112:3)

It is because this term for "God" conveys a unique meaning that Muslims object when it is used to convey any other. What could have been used instead is the Arabic term "Ilaah" which means deity or god.

In many other religions there are words used to convey something of the meaning of the term Allah. For example, in the Bible the terms Jehovah (the self-existing one, the Eternal) and Elohim, (the Eternal One with his attributes) convey such a meaning.

In Hinduism, the term Brahman is used to mean unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. He is superior to any manifestation and there is none like him.

It will not be correct if these terms are used to refer to a being different from what is commonly accepted to be the universally accepted one of the concept which is conveyed to one's mind whenever such a term referring to God is used.

Some scholars take refuge in justifying the use of the word Allah to mean God because, as they say, it was so used in pre-Islamic times. But such an argument may not necessarily be correct, as when Islam came, many of the misconceptions about God, etc. were clarified in the Holy Qur'an. This was climaxed when Allah revealed the following verse:

This day I have perfected for you your religion, and completed My favours on you. (5:3)

As part of the clarification of the concept of Allah in the minds of the believers, Allah informs them of the following:

No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all visions; He is above all comprehension, yet, He is acquainted with all things. (6:103)

Some people argue that the Bible supports the term Allah to mean the One True God; the God of Abraham. They use as support for taking such a position the following verses:

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. (Deut. 6:4)

Jesus said; my Father, all things are possible for you. (Mk.14:32-35)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen.1:1)

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Ex.20:3)

But when we summarise the Biblical concept of God, we see that it means, in some places the One True God, the God of Abraham; and in other places manifestations as creatures. For example, we find in the Bible such a manifestation in the following verse:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (Jn.1:1)

The Arabic translation of this verse as can be found in the Bible in Arabic is as follows:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with Allah and the Word was Allah.

Here we see that the Word, in addition to being a separate entity, is used to mean god, although later on in the same book, the Word became flesh. (Jn.1:14). This is an indication that the Word (God) became a finite being, and is not the original One True God, i.e. the God of Abraham.

Another verse which conveys a similar meaning of God, different from the one referring to the God of Abraham is: I and the Father are one. (Jn.10:30)

The references to the concept of God in Christianity are different to what is conceived to be the Supreme Creator (Allah) in Islam. So when the word god which means any other than the One True God is to be translated in the Arabic language, the best word to convey the required meaning is Ilaah (deity).

The typical meaning of the word God in the New Testament is that it is the projection of a "triune being" each being distinct but not separate. They are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost.

While it may appear to be so; or while it may be projected to be so; the truth is that the Biblical record shows that each being is distinct and separate. This is found in the Bible in Mt.3:15-17. Here it show that while Jesus was in the water, the voice of the Father was heard in the heaven; and the Spirit was descending in the form of a dove.

In addition to these differences of the concept of God in Christianity and the concept of Allah in Islam, the Christian Creed further separates the connotation of the term from what is acceptable in Islam. The Creed is as follows:

We believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of all things both visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God, begotten, that is of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made, both things in heaven and things on earth, who for us men and for our salvation came down and was made flesh, was made man, suffered, and rose again the third day, ascended into heaven, and cometh to judge the quick and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit. But those who may say that there was one when he was not, or contend that the son of God is a different substance or essence, or created, or morally alterable or mutable—these doth the Catholic Church anathematise.

The Qur'an refutes such a belief about the Creator of the Universe, and calls it blasphemous. It says:

They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity, for there is no god but One God. If they do not desist from their word of blasphemy, verily, a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them……. Christ the son of Mary was no more than a Messenger. Many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth. They both had to eat their daily food. (5:73-75)

No matter how careful the Church will want to be regarding the projection of the correct meaning of the term Allah in the Arabic translation of the Bible, it will not be possible to use this term to mean the Biblical god.

Perhaps the solution to this problem can be to use the word Ilaah meaning god, rather than the word Allah.

It is unfortunate that Muslims are using a violent way to have this matter resolved. Perhaps, a more refined and effective way is to have dialogue and a conclusion based on a common understanding acceptable to both sides.