Response To Ron C

The following is a repost from the lapband forum. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ron C. wrote on 2006-09-03 16:39:11 : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank-you Kabeerah! It does not suprise me that there are simular verses in the Quran. It is my understanding that at the beginning of his work, your Prophet Mohammed had great respect for the Bible, the Christians and the Jews. I know that at a certain point, he had a falling away from "the people of the book", and his thoughts went in a different direction. Are you a Muslim, Christian, Jew, etc? I am curious! I teach the Bible and write a monthly column for a local Christian Newspaper. God has blessed me with an ability to express my understanding of the things of God, although I do not have a college degree. Thank's again for your kind words. ******************************************************* Hi Ron, Yes, I am a American Muslim. I think you have a misunderstanding about the beginning and end of the message of Prophet Muhammad,peace be upon him, in relation to "the people of the book". The Jews & Christians possess God's earlier revelations in the form of the Torah [revealed to Moses (peace be upon him)] & Gospel [revealed to Jesus (peace be upon him)] respectively. When God revealed the Quran to Muhammad (peace upon him), God addressed both the people following these previous scriptures as the 'People of the Book' and called them to return to the straight path again revealed to God's final Messenger Muhammad. Islam is a religion of peace, love and tolerance. Today, however, some circles have been presenting a false image of Islam, as if there were conflict between Islam and the adherents of the two other monotheistic religions. Yet Islam's view of Jews and Christians, who are named "the People of the Book" in the Quran, is very friendly and tolerant. This attitude towards the People of the Book developed during the years of the birth of Islam. At that time, Muslims were a minority, struggling to protect their faith and suffering oppression and torture from the pagans of the city of Mecca. Due to this persecution, some Muslims decided to flee Mecca and shelter in a safe country with a just ruler. The Prophet Muhammad told them to take refuge with King Negus, the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Muslims who followed this advice found a very fair administration that embraced them with love and respect when they went to Ethiopia. King Negus refused the demands of the pagan messengers who asked him to surrender the Muslims to them, and announced that Muslims could live freely in his country. Such attitudes of Christian people that are based on the concepts of compassion, mercy, modesty and justice, constitute a fact that God has pointed out in the Quranran. A verse of the Quran states: ... You will find the people most affectionate to those who believe are those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 82) Christian and Muslim belief have many aspects in common. Judaism too shares many beliefs with Islam. All true adherents of these three great religions: believe that God has created the entire universe out of nothing and that He dominates all that exists with His omnipotence. believe that God has created man and living things in a miraculous way and that man possesses a soul granted him by God. believe that besides Jesus, Moses or Muhammad, God sent many prophets such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Joseph throughout history, and they love all these prophets. believe in resurrection, Heaven and Hell and angels, and that God has created our lives with a certain destiny. The beliefs of the People of the Book are in harmony with Muslims, not only in terms of faith-related issues, but also of moral values. Today, in a world where such immoralities as adultery, homosexuality, drug addiction and a model of egoism and self-seeking cruelty have grown widespread, the People of the Book and Muslims share the same virtues: Honor, chastity, humility, self-sacrifice, honesty, compassion, mercy and unconditional love... Muhammad, peace be upon him, lived in total commitment to the belief that God (Allah in Arabic) was truly One God, and as such, He was to be worshipped alone, without any other "gods" beside Him. This is the very first commandment in the Old Testament (Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy, chapter 5) and in the New Testament as well (Mark, chapter 12, verse 29). Muhammad, peace be upon him, ordered his followers to obey God Almighty, following the true Commandments as were revealed to him by the angel Gabriel from Almighty God. Read below, one of many similar statements from the Quran: Surely, Allah Commands absolute justice and steadfast commitment to performing your duties to Almighty Allah, in total sincerity and giving help to relatives: and He forbids evil, and disobedience and all that is prohibited by Allah (such as; illegal sexual acts, disobedience of PARENTS, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life without right, etc.), and (He Forbids) any evil (i.e. all that is prohibited by God's Law, such as: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds, etc.), and all kinds of oppression, He admonishes you, that you may take heed. (chapter 16, verse 90) Muhammad, peace be upon him, never fell into the common practice of his tribesmen to worship statues, idols or man-made "gods." He forbid his followers to ever engage in worship outside of the One True God (Allah) of Adam, Abraham, Moses and all the prophets, peace be upon them all. And the people of the Scripture Jews and Christians did not differed amongst themselves until after there came to them clear evidence. 98:4 And they were commanded only to worship Allah, and worship none but Him Alone (no gods beside God), and perform prayers and give charity: and that is the right religion. 98:5 He despised false worship to any man-made gods or images or anything in creation as a god. He hated all of the complexities and degradation to which it leads. This is in direct obedience to the second commandment in the above mentioned verses, "Thou shalt not make any graven images." Muhammad, peace be upon him, upheld the proper worship and ceremonies of his grandfathers, Abraham and Ishmail, peace be upon them. Here is something from the second chapter of the Quran. Read closely; 124. "Recall when Abraham's Lord (Allah) tested him with Commands, that he fulfilled. Allah said, "Surely, I am going to make you a leader (prophet) of mankind. (Abraham said) "And my offspring, too." (Allah) said, "My Covenant (prophethood, etc.) does not include wrong-doers (thalimun). 125. "And recall when (Allah) made the House (ka'bah in Bakkah, which later was called "Makkah") a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And it is your place of prayer, and (Allah) commanded Abraham and Ishmail to purify (God's House at Makkah) for those who are circling it, or staying there or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in worship). 126. "And when Abraham said, 'My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, for them that believe in Allah Almighty and the Last Day.' (Allah) answered, "As for him who doesn't believe, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him t the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!" 127. "And when Abraham and Ishmail were raising the foundations of the Sacred House (Ka'bah in Makkah), saying, 'Our Lord! Accept from us. Certainly! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.'" 128. "Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manasik (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage - Hajj and 'Umrah, etc.), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. 129. "Our Lord! Send amongst them a Messenger of their own (and indeed Allah answered by sending Muhammad Peace be upon him ), who shall recite unto them Your Verses and instruct them in the Book (this Qur'an) and full knowledge of (Allah's) Laws and jurisprudence, and sanctify them. Verily! You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." 130. And who turns away from the religion of Abraham (Monotheism) except him who fools himself? Truly, (Allah) chose him in this world and verily, in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous. 131. When his Lord said to him, "Submit ("Islam" means "submission")!" He said, "I have submitted myself ("Muslim" means "one who submits") to the Lord of all that exists." 132. And this (submission to Allah) was ordered by Abraham upon his sons and by Jacob; saying, "O my sons! Allah has chosen for you the (true) religion; then die not except in the Faith of Submission (like those in true submission to God's Will)." Muhammad, peace be upon him, performed these same ceremonies in worship to what we find the prophets doing before him, bowing to toward the ground and prostrating (falling on the face) while praying and worshipping. He would face Jerusalem for his devotionals and commanded his followers to do the same ****il Allah sent down the angel Gabriel with revelation to change the direction (qibal) mentioned in Quran). Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, claimed every person who is born is born in a state of ISLAM (submission to God on His Terms in Peace), as a Muslim (MU-Islam means; "one who does ISLAM" i.e.; submits to God's Will and obeys His Commandments). He further stated, God has created each person in the image that is His according to His plan, and their spirit is His. Then as they grow older they begin to distort their faith according to the influence of the prevailing society and their own prejudices. Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught his followers to believe in the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus, peace be upon them all, and to believe in them as true prophets, messengers and servants of Almighty Allah. He insisted on ranking all the prophets up at the highest level without any distinction between them, and ordered his followers to say the words, "Peace be upon him" after mentioning their names. He also taught the Torah (Old Testament), Zabur (Psalms) and Enjil (Gospel or New Testament) were originally from the very same source as the Quran, from Allah to the angel Gabriel. He asked the Jews to judge according to their own Book, and they tried to cover up some of it to hide the correct judgment, knowing he, peace be upon him, could not read. Muhammad,s (peace be upon him) mission began at the age of forty and departed from this world at the age of sixty-three. During this short period of 23 years of his prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of a people or a place before or since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES. Muhammad, peace be upon him, was nothing more or less than a human being. but he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright living, based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be. I know this was a long response but I hope you read it all. There are so many misconceptions regarding Islam, Muslims, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Allah (not a new name, but rather the true name of God. It is used by Muslims as well as Arabic-speaking Christians), and The Quran ( the literal word of God revealed to His Prophet Muhammah (pbuh), through the angel Gabriel, about fourteen hundred years ago). It is important to clear as many misconceptions as we can, so that we can all know truth from falsehood. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Oh and Ron C, not having a college degree is not how you will be judged on The Day of Juedgement, so don't even sweat it. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was an illiterate man, yet he was the deliverer of the greatest message to all of mankind. O Mankind! We have created you for a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you in the Sight of Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa (one of the Muttaqun, pious, and righteous persons who fear Allah much, abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden), and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained.) Verily Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (Ch 49:13 Quran)