Islam. Part 1 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:83 Archive-name: islam-faq/part1 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 1 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to 'Islam' every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 1: Welcome & Index Contents --Articles-- 1. Welcome ................................................................... 2. 1-800-662-ISLAM ........................................................... 3. Islam on Phone ............................................................ 4. Archive Info .............................................................. 5. Credits ................................................................... 6. History of FAQ ............................................................ Articles ..................................................................... 1. Welcome ................................................................... This series of FAQ provides basic introductory information on Islam. This information has been collected in response to the questions asked on the USENET forum, Islam. It is hoped, by providing this basic information, a lot of common misconceptions are answered. In addition, those who wish to read beyond the basic introduction, information is provided on how to find Islamic literature on internet and in bookstores. In this part of the series, the information specific to this FAQ is provided. This includes the credits to the sources & the information on where this FAQ is archived. 2. 1-800-662-ISLAM ........................................................... Non-Muslims interested to learn about Islam can now dial toll-free 1-800-662-ISLAM The phone number has been set up by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) exclusively for non-Muslims. The number became operational on August 30, 1994. Note: The last letter 'M' in the telephone number is optional. 3. Islam on Phone ........................................................... (312) 777-0767 Ask for a list of questions and codes. Provided by III&E. 4. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 5. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777- 7199; or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Multi-part FAQ V3.1 -- Contributions by: Margaret Ahmed, Zafar Hasan, Altaf Bhimji, Sharaaz Khan & Masood Cajee. -- Original FAQ -- The following people contributed towards the original one part FAQ. Ishaq Zahid, Suhail Farooqi, Masud Khan, Salman Shaikh, Basalat Ali Raja, Iraj Mughal, Kent Landfield, Ahmad Hashem & Asadullah K. Japanwala, ,Daniel Faigin, Abdullah Haydar, Ahmed Abd-Allah, Nabil Rehman. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) 6. History of FAQ ............................................................ The following is history of this FAQ in ascending order: V 3.2 Released Feb 01, 1995 Changed to 'Islam FAQ' V 3.1 Released Jan 10, 1995 Split into 15 parts, internet guides & III&E articles added. V 3.0 Released Aug 14-28,1994, FAQ Split into 10 parts, III&E articles included V 2.9 Released July 04,1994, updated #2 #5 #9 #12 V 2.8 Released May 01, 1994, New item # 20 V 2.7 Released Apr 04, 1994, New Item # 3, update #8, #9. V 2.6 Released Feb 26, 1994, New items # 11, # 17, # 18. Updated: #4,#7,#8 V 2.5 Released Jan 31, 1994, New item # 15. Item # 5 updated. V 2.4 Released Jan 25, 1994, New item # 14 V 2.3 Released Jan 20, 1994, SRI mods updated. V 2.2 Released Jan 19, 1994, Item 4 expanded, Trimmed Item 5 V 2.1 Released Jan 07, 1994, Minor touchup V 2.0 Released Jan 05, 1994, Items 8-14 added V 1.5 Released Jan 02, 1994. Item 1 expanded V 1.0 Released Dec 25, 1993. 7 Items. HISTORY & CREDITS FOR MERGED 'alt-newsgroup' FAQ: HISTORY: V 1.0 April 25, 1994 Total Items # 13 V 1.2 June 08, 1994 Items #3, #13,#14 are new. #15 Edited V 1.3 June 26, 1994 New Item #15 V 1.4 Sept 05, 1994 New Item # 16, #1,#13,# 15 updated CREDITS: Ahmed Helmy, Muhammad Ridha, Hussain Helmy, Salahuddin Ahmad, Abdulrahman Al-Ali, Blake Ross, Pat St Jean, I Hussain # End of Islam FAQ Part 1 # du References: Islam. Part 2 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:84 Archive-name: islam-faq/part2 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 2 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 2: Info on Islamic News Groups This part lists the detailed info on Islamic News Groups on USENET. PART A: Info on bit.listserv.muslims - Will be added in the next revision - - Will be added in the next revision - Contents --Articles-- 1. Guidelines for Posting .................................................... 2. Email Addresses for S.R.I. ................................................ 3. List of Moderators & History .............................................. 4. Moderator Selection Procedure ............................................. 5. Guidelines & Rules for Moderators ......................................... 6. Direct Submissions, Resubmissions & Format ................................ 7. Acknowledgment Process .................................................... 8. Grievance Process ......................................................... 9. E-mail Submissions ........................................................ 10. Proper USENET format ...................................................... 11. Test Messages ............................................................. 12. Anonymous Submissions ..................................................... --Announcements-- 13. Archive Info .............................................................. 14. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Guidelines for Posting .................................................... This forum is for discussions on Islam as a religion. The submissions to this forum must: 1. Discuss Islam: directly related. Includes theology, comparative studies with other religions, announcements of Islamic conferences & sources of information for muslims, Ramadan,Eid etc. 2. Academic language must be used. No verbal abuse, personal attacks, flames, profanity or insults. Rejected items will be returned back to the sender with a note from the reviewing moderator. 2. Email Addresses for S.R.I. ................................................ Although one may post to Soc.Religion.Islam Forum using News Software, it is possible to send submissions as an email message. Please use any of the following email addresses: 1. sri@gnu.ai.mit.edu 2. religion-islam@ncar.ucar.edu 4. soc-religion-islam@cs.utexas.edu 3. List of Moderators & History .............................................. ACTIVE MODERATORS: mysorenk@gnu.ai.mit.edu Nauman Mysorewala csulaima@gnu.ai.mit.edu Cynthia Sulaiman HISTORY: 1989 : Soc.Religion.Islam established. FOUNDER: gwydion@gnu.ai.mit.edu Basalat Ali Raja Moderators voted in Fall 1989: ------------------------------ bes@cco.caltech.edu Behnam Sadeghi Fall '89 - 11.15.91 naim@eecs.nwu.edu Naim Abdullah Fall '89 - 11.15.91 shari@wpi.WPI.EDU Shari Deiana VanderSpeck Fall '89 - 11.15.91 Moderators Selected in 1991: --------------------------- mughal@iago.caltech.edu Asim Mughal 11.15.91 - csulaima@copper.Denver.Colorado.EDU Cynthia Sulaiman 11.15.91 - 4.02.92 hanan@mcs213k.cs.umr.edu Hanan Lutfiyya 11.15.91 - 11.19.92 azhar@duke.cs.duke.edu Salman Azhar 11.15.91 - 9.15.93 jodar%girtab.usc.edu@usc.edu Nick Jodar 11.15.91 - 2.12.92 Moderators Selected in 1992: --------------------------- gwydion@gnu.ai.mit.edu Basalat Ali Raja 4.02.92 - 2.20.94 majeed@math.utexas.edu Zartaj Majeed 4.02.92 - 6.05.92 sadeka@binkley.cs.mcgill.ca Sadeka Hedaraly 12.04.92 - 2.14.93 zeeshan@occs.cs.oberlin.edu Zeeshan Hasan 12.04.92 - 9.08.93 Moderators Selected in 1993: --------------------------- dina@mentor.cc.purdue.edu Dina Wooten 5.04.93 - 6.08.93 ahmad@cs.umb.edu Ahmad Hashem 5.04.93 - 2.05.94 iraj@gnu.ai.mit.edu Iraj Mughal 12.25.93 - csulaima@student.umass.edu Cynthia Sulaiman 12.25.93 - 1.20.94 Moderators Selected in 1994: --------------------------- mysorenk@ucunix.san.uc.edu Nauman Mysorewala 3.01.94 - Current cynthia@gnu.ai.mit.edu Cynthia Sulaiman 3.01.94 - Current Coordinator Selected on MAY 22, 1992: ------------------------------------ mughal@alumni.caltech.edu Asim Mughal 4. Moderator Selection Procedure ............................................. The current moderators post an announcement for new moderators on S.R.I. All interested applicants are sent a copy of guidelines and a list of questions. References from others are appreciated. Each new moderator has unanimous vote of current moderators. The new moderators must: 1. Have some understanding of Islam (not necessarily a Muslim). 2. Agree with guidelines of Soc.Religion.Islam. 3. Be able to recognize flames/insults. 4. Have experience with USENET, preferrably a reader of SRI and have taken some participation in discussions. 5. Be willing to volunteer at least 2-4 hrs of time for S.R.I. per week. 6. Secure unanimous vote from all current moderators. As an additional step, the incoming moderators will be requested to sign an affidavit, declaring their intent to abide by the guidelines of Soc.Religion.Islam, Guidelines & Rules for the SRI moderators & acceptance to a unanimous no-confidence motion. 5. Guidelines & Rules for Moderators ......................................... IMPORTANT NOTE: The following guidelines are the lastest ones available. At the time of selection,the current moderators pledged to uphold & consider the following guidelines binding on them. Appended is also the 'affidavit-b' which the current moderators signed. Any changes in the guidelines will be done at the request of the moderators. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- By: Asim Mughal Dated: 1/11/94 SRI MODERATOR RULES: This does not cover all the established rules for moderators of SRI but gives a clear picture of need for such rules. These rules have developed over time & voted by the moderators. A. CONFIDENTIALITY: 1. Internal discussion among the moderators must not be revealed to a third party. All votings will be confidential as well. B. BEHAVIOR: Professional language & behavior is expected when addressing the readers & moderator colleagues. C. SUBMISSIONS: i. To: religion-Islam-request: Any articles sent to religion-islam-request@ncar.ucar.edu reaches all moderators. Such articles will be reviewed by the coordinator only, to avoid duplications. It will not be regarded as an official submission to SRI. D. COORDINATOR: One of the moderators will be fully dedicated for for this positions. The responsibilities include: i. Take care of duplications ii. Review cases of 'lost articles' iii. Handle grievances from readers iv. Write, update & maintain FAQ. v. Represent SRI moderator panel vi. Log activities of SRI, moderators, violations etc vii. Communicate with third parties, e.g USENET, NCAR viii. Call for votes on the issues at request of moderators. ix. Conduct survey/poll of readers x. Conduct interviews for new moderators. E. SUBMISSIONS: i. Review of submissions be held within 48 hrs (weekdays) and 72 hrs for holidays or weekends. ii. Acknowledgment must be made at the time of receipt and at the time of posting of an article. iii. Not sure: If not sure on making a decision, get a vote/opinion from other colleagues. iv. Common Questions: can be resolved consulting 'reference guide.' v. Rejection Notices: All rejection notices will be Bcc' or CC'd to the rest of the moderators, along with a rational of rejection. vi. Approval Notices: All approved articles when posted will be sent to the author with a cc the coordinator. F. GUIDELINES: i. Submitted articles must be: - Directly or indirectly related to Islam - No flames/personal attacks or insults ii. Assumptions: - Proper USENET format (79 column in width,less quoted text) - Not a 'test message' or a blank message G.PROBLEMS: i. Lost Articles: or 'Second Attempts' will be forwarded to the coordinator. ii. Administrative: queries on SRI, asking for status on the article submitted will be forwarded to the coordinator. iii. Rejections: If a reader differs with a moderator. The moderator must give it a second review. If the differences persist,forward the case to the coordinator to a peer review. H.VOTING: i. Issues:For status of an article and for SRI related issues, a majority voting decides the outcome. ii. Change of Status: of a moderator. For a no-confidence vote, or for new moderators, unanimous vote is a must. iii.Voting will be initiated by the coordinator. All votes will be send to him within 48 hrs (72 hrs weekends/holidays) or 'Abstain' will be recorded. Votes will be tallied and results will be announced by the coordinator. iv. Binding: All majority voting decisions are binding on the moderators strictly. I.NEW MODERATORS: i. Initiate: Coordinator may initiate the selection procedure by making a solicitation on SRI or as a result of a request for a reader. ii. Criteria: Some knowledge of Islam, fairness, honest, willing to work with a team, spare time, working knowledge of USENET,willing to work in accordance to the parameters of the forum. iii.Questionnaire:A questionnaire is sent to all the applicants with some basic questions based upon above criteria iv. Affidavit: An affidavit is obtained to ensure in writing the intentions to abide by the guidelines and agree to be accept a unanimous vote against him/her. v. Final voting: is conducted among the moderators. Unanimous voting is required in favor of the applicant. úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) vi.There will be probationary period of upto 3 months, during which a majority voting can remove the new moderator. J:EMERGENCIES: i. If coordinator can not be on-line for more than 48 hrs due to an emergency situation. One of the predesignated moderator,will temporarily assume the role of the coordinator. If predesignated moderator is also not available, any other moderator may take up the role of a coordinator. K:LEAVE RULES: i. After a leave of 3 months, a moderator must be reconfirmed for the position. ii. One may take upto three weeks (cumulative) of leave every six months. iii. Other moderators must be notified in advance. * AFFIDAVIT * AFFIDAVIT which all moderators of SRI agree to sign. ___ Affidavit -B _________________________________________________________ I agree that I will abide by the guidelines of the SRI newsgroup while I am a moderator for the newsgroup. These guidelines can be voted upon further by the moderators and after they have passed these will also be obeyed by all current moderators. Repeated violations of the guidelines may result is removal from the moderator position if voted so uanimously by the moderators of SRI. If a no-confidence vote is passed against me, at any time, it shall be final, acceptable & binding for me. I agree to step down from the position of moderator SRI if requested after such a no-confidence vote. I hereby, give up the right to contest such a decision in front of any third party, in public or private. Signed, Dated: =========================================================== 6. Direct Submissions, Resubmissions & Format ................................ Please be reminded, in order to make this group efficient and to fairly distribute the load on the moderators your cooperation is needed. We would like to request the following. 1. Please do NOT send direct submissions to the moderators' accounts. [Routing software distributes more or less equal number of articles to each of the moderator.Sending direct upsets this balance unfairly] 2. Please do not re-submit articles again and again. Just ONCE is sufficient. [This leads to duplication and waste of time & energy] 3. Please keep your column length less than 80. 4. Please 'Spell-check' your articles. [Moderators are for reviewing the contents of the submission, NOT to format it or spell check it] 5. Please Keep them within the guidelines 1) Relevance to Islam 2) Academic/prof. language 7. Acknowledgment Process .................................................... It has always been our best effort to make this newsgroup run smoothly & efficiently. In spite of it, there have been cases where readers feel their articles were lost or never posted. Effective *immediately* we have decided to send acknowledgment to each & every message we receive in our mailboxes. We ask for your cooperation in implementing the logistics. Once your message is received by the moderator of SRI, you will be sent a copy of your message back with the statement. "Your posting for Soc.Religion.Islam appended below has been received in the mailbox of moderator ____ ______" o This will let you know 1. Your posting has been received. 2. Which moderator is reviewing it. o If you don't get an acknowledgment back within 48 hrs. Please send it again with a header "Second Attempt." Acknowledgment of "Second Attempt" will be circulated to co-moderators as well. o In an unfortunate case of "Third Attempt." It should be sent directly to the email address of Coordinator SRI* o Your article will be posted on Soc.Religion.Islam from anywhere between 1 hrs to 48 hrs. o If you don't see your posting on Soc.Religion.Islam within 72 hrs of receiving a return receipt - send a copy of your article with time stamped headers to the Coordinator SRI. WE REQUEST YOU TO COOPERATE BY: o Not posting to Soc.Religion.Islam's email address unless you have absolutely no way of posting thru USENET. o Not posting your same article again & again. Just ONCE is enough. o Not inquiring every day about your articles or your friends'. Lets try to make this new system a success. P.S. The present guidelines do not require the moderators of SRI to send acknowledgments or handle the cases of lost articles. 8. Grievance Process ......................................................... This is an effort to establish a procedure for handling grievances. The purpose is to make sure due attention is paid to concerns, objections & criticism from the readers while at the same time it prevents unncessary hassling of moderator(s). The final decision rests on majority voting among the moderators. SUMMARY o If your article is rejected, you may ask the same moderator for a review. o If still unsatisfied, request a peer review. o The moderator in question must decide whether to hold a peer review. o Majority voting among moderators decides the outcome. 9. E-mail Submissions ........................................................ The address : religion-islam-request@ncar.ucar.edu is only to be used in extreme case. Any email sent to this address goes to ALL moderators. This may lead to: 1. No moderator posting the article (thinking others may be doing so) 2. All moderators posting the article. The usual case is (2) which causes duplication and waste of time translating into one less article from other readers posted on S.R.I. Hence, we discourge sending articles to this address. 10. Proper USENET format ...................................................... C O L U M N W I D T H: The submissions must be trimmed to 79 characters in width. Without it, the posting software does NOT post the article. <------------- This makes 79 characters in width -----------------------------> 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 12345678 9 Additional time it takes to format postings translates into unfair advantage against other readers, whose article face delays. Q U O T E D T E X T: The current NetNews software will not post an article if the quoted text is more than the response. Please trim the quoted text from your submissions for Soc.Religion.Islam. Again, please submit your articles in proper USENET format. Thanks. 11. Test Messages ............................................................. o "Test Message" will be acknowledged but not posted. This will ensure the sender knows his/her article made it to the moderators. It is assumed their article or submission will follow. o Repeated Test Messages: Will be acknowledged only once. - Please don't abuse the system - 12. Anonymous Submissions ..................................................... o Submission from anonymous servers and personal requests from readers to remain anonymous are acceptable. o The guidelines apply to anonymous submissions, with regards, to submission & contents. o Anonymous postings may not be acknowledged. Announcements ................................................................ 13. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 14. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777- 7199; or Tel: (312) 777-7443 or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of Soc.Religion.Islam (Br.Nauman Mysorewala) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) o Moderator(s) of Soc.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 2 # bedfellow.mit.edu faqserv References: Islam. Part 3 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:85 Archive-name: islam-faq/part3 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 3 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 3: Introduction to Islam III&E Brochure Series; No. 1 (published by The Institute of Islamic Information and Education (III&E) and reproduced with permission) Contents --Articles-- 1. Islam & Muslims ................................................ from III&E 2. Muslims & Arabs ................................................ from III&E 3. Allah The One & The Only God ................................... from III&E 4. Muhammad (PBUH) ................................................ from III&E 5. Source of Islam ................................................ from III&E 6. Some Islamic Principles ........................................ from III&E 7. Practices of Islam ............................................. from III&E 8. Other Related Aspects .......................................... from III&E 9. Non-Muslims .................................................... from III&E --Announcements-- 10. Archive Info .............................................................. 11. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Islam & Muslims ................................................ from III&E The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of the beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. It means more than that: submission to the One God, and to live in peace with the Creator, within one's self, with other people and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total system of living. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the Universe. 2. Muslims & Arabs ................................................ from III&E The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities. An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any language. While there are one billion Muslims in the world there are about 200 million Arabs. Among them, approximately ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world. 3. Allah The One & The Only God ................................... from III&E Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others. He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and others. Muslims worship God whose name is Allah. They put their trust in Him and they seek His help and His guidance. 4. Muhammad (PBUH) ................................................ from III&E Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He was born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted with the Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he received is called the Qur'an, while the message is called Islam. Muhammad is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of Jesus, Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teaching of the Qur'an. 5. Source of Islam ................................................ from III&E The legal sources of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. The Qur'an is the exact word of God; its authenticity, originality and totality are intact. The Hadith is the report of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet's sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings of followers of Muhammad about the life of the Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for Muslims. 6. Some Islamic Principles ........................................ from III&E A. Oneness of God: He is One and the Only One. He is not two in one or three in one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of trinity or such a unity of God which implies more than one God in one. B. Oneness of mankind: People are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another. God made us of different colors, nationalities, languages and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others. No one can claim that he is better than others. It is only God Who knows who is better. It depends on piety and righteousness. C. Oneness of Messengers and the Message: Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind. All came with the same message and the same teachings. It was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them. Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. The Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets of Islam. D. Angels and the Day of Judgment: Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such as angels created by God in the universe for special missions. Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgment when all people of the world throughout the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to be brought for accounting, reward and punishment. E. Innocence of Man at Birth: Muslim believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the responsibility for the sins of others. However, the door of forgiveness through true repentance is always open. F. State and Religion: Muslims believe that Islam is a total and a complete way of life. It encompasses all aspects of life. As such, the teachings of Islam do not separate religion from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are under the obedience of Allah through the teachings of Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as well as educational and political systems are also part of the teachings of Islam. 7. Practices of Islam ............................................. from III&E God instructed the Muslims to practice what they believe in. In Islam there are five pillars, namely: A. Creed (Shahada): The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, is considered to be the Creed of Islam. B. Prayers (Salat): The performance of the five daily prayers is required of Muslims. C. Fasting (Saum): Fasting is total abstinence from food, liquids and intimate intercourse (between married couples) from dawn to sunset during the entire month of Ramadan. D. Purifying Tax (Zakat): This is an annual payment of a certain percentage of a Muslim's property which is distributed among the poor or other rightful beneficiaries. E. Pilgrimage (Hajj): The performance of pilgrimage to Makkah is required once in a life time if means are available. Hajj is in part in memory of the trials and tribulations of Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar and his eldest son Prophet Ishmael. 8. Other Related Aspects .......................................... from III&E A. Calendar: Islamic practices are based on the lunar calendar. However, Muslims also use the Gregorian calendar in their daily religious lives. Hence, the Islamic calendar includes both the common era and the migration (Higra) year of the Prophet of Islam from Makkah to Madinah in the year of 623 C.E. B. Celebrations (Eid): Muslims have two celebrations (Eid); namely, Eid of Sacrifice and Eid of =46ast-Breaking. The Eid of Sacrifice is in remembrance of the sacrifice to be by Prophet Abraham of his son. The Eid of Fast-Breaking comes at the end of the month of fasting, Ramadan. C. Diets: Islam allows Muslims to eat everything which is good for the health. It restricts certain items such as pork and its by-products, alcohol and any narcotic or addictive drugs. D. Place of Worship: The place of worship is called Mosque or Masjid. There are three holy places of worship for the Muslims in the world. These are: Mosque of Kaaba in Makkah, Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Madinah, and Masjid Aqsa, adjacent to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. A Muslim may pray any where in the world whether in a Mosque, a house, an office, or outside. The whole world is a place of worship. It is preferable that Muslims pray in a congregation, however, he/she may pray individually anywhere. E. Holidays: The holy day of the Muslims is Friday. It is considered to be sacred and the Day of Judgment will take place on Friday. Muslims join together shortly after noon on Friday for the Friday congregational prayer in a Mosque. A leader (Imam) gives a sermon (Khutba) and leads the congregational prayer. F. Distribution of Muslims in North America: There are approximately five million Muslims in North America and are distributed in its major cities such as New York, Detroit, Boston, Toledo, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Cedar Rapids (Iowa), Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Windsor, Winnipeg, Calgary, and others. G. Contributions in North America: Muslims are not established in North America. Sears Tower and the John Hancock buildings in Chicago were designed by a Muslim chief architect, originally from Bangladesh. Muslims have established academic institutions, community centers and organizations, schools and places of worship. They live in peace and harmony among themselves and among other groups of people in the society. The rate of crime among Muslims is very minimal. Muslims in North America are highly educated and they have added to the success of American scientific and technological fields. The Muslims of the early period of the Islamic era were pioneers in medicine, chemistry, physics, geography, navigation, arts, poetry, mathematics, algebra, logarithms, calculus, etc. They contributed to the Renaissance of Europe and world civilization. úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) 9. Non-Muslims .................................................... from III&E Muslims are required to respect all those who are faithful and God conscious people, namely those who received messages. Christians and Jews are called People of the Book. Muslims are asked to call upon the People of the Book for common terms, namely, to worship One God, and to work together for the solutions of the many problems in the society. Christians and Jews lived peacefully with Muslims throughout centuries in the Middle East and other Asian and African countries. The second Caliph Umar, did not pray in the church in Jerusalem so as not to give the Muslims an excuse to take it over. Christians entrusted the Muslims, and as such the key of the Church in Jerusalem is still in the hands of the Muslims. Jews fled from Spain during the Inquisition, and they were welcomed by the Muslims. They settled in the heart of the Islamic Caliphate. They enjoyed positions of power and authority. Throughout the Muslim world, churches, synagogues and missionary schools were built within the Muslim neighborhoods. These places were protected by Muslims even during the contemporary crises in the Middle East. Announcements ................................................................ 10. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 11. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777- 7199; or Tel: (312) 777-7443 or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of Soc.Religion.Islam (Br.Nauman Mysorewala) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) o Moderator(s) of Soc.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 3 # bedfellow.mit.edu faqserv References: Islam. Part 4 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:86 Archive-name: islam-faq/part4 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 4 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 4: God & Worship Contents --Articles-- 1. CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM ........................................ from III&E 2. God's Attributes ............................................... from III&E 3. The Oneness of God ............................................. from III&E 4. The Believer's Attitude ........................................ from III&E 5. CONCEPT OF WORSHIP IN ISLAM .................................... from III&E --Announcements-- 6. Archive Info .............................................................. 7. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM ........................................ from III&E It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used in reference to God and sometimes to lesser deities. This is not the case with Allah. Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word god which can be made plural, gods, or feminine, goddess. It is interesting to notice that Allah is the personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic. The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with God. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to nothing and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from God Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112 which reads: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Say (O Muhammad) He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone." Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God who demands to be obeyed fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can be farther from truth than this allegation. It is enough to know that, with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran begins with the verse: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate." In one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) we are told that "God is more loving and kinder than a mother to her dear child." But God is also Just. Hence evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment and the virtuous, His bounties and favors. Actually God's attribute of Mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of Justice. People suffering throughout their lives for His sake and people oppressing and exploiting other people all their lives should not receive similar treatment from their Lord. Expecting similar treatment for them will amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby negating all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world. The following Quranic verses are very clear and straightforward in this respect: "Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord. Shall We then treat the people of Faith like the people of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge you?" (68:34-36) Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him as favoring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. He created the human-beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves and get His favor through virtue and piety only. The concept that God rested in the seventh day of creation, that God wrestled with one of His soldiers, that God is an envious plotter against mankind, or that God is incarnate in any human being are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view. The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is a reflection of Islam's emphasis on the purity of the belief in God which is the essence of the message of all God's messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a deadly sin which God will never forgive, despite the fact He may forgive all other sins. The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because if he is of the same nature as they are, he will be temporal and will therefore need a maker. It follows that nothing is like Him. If the maker is not temporal, then he must be eternal. But if he is eternal, he cannot be caused, and if nothing outside him causes him to continue to exist, which means that he must be self-sufficient. And if the does not depend on anything for the continuance of his own existence, then this existence can have no end. The Creator is therefore eternal and everlasting: 'He is the =46irst and the Last.' He is Self-Sufficient or Self-Subsistent or, to use a Quranic term, Al-Qayyum. The Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things into being, He also preserves them and takes them out of existence and is the ultimate cause of whatever happens to them. "God is the Creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything. Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth." (39:62, 63) "No creature is there crawling on the earth, but its provision rests on God. He knows its lodging place and it repository." (11:6) 2. God's Attributes ............................................... from III&E If the Creator is Eternal and Everlasting, then His attributes must also be eternal and everlasting. He should not lose any of His attributes nor acquire new ones. If this is so, then His attributes are absolute. Can there be more than one Creator with such absolute attributes? Can there be for example, two absolutely powerful Creators? A moment's thought shows that this is not feasible. The Quran summarizes this argument in the following verses: "God has not taken to Himself any son, nor is there any god with Him: For then each god would have taken of that which he created and some of them would have risen up over others." (23:91) And Why, were there gods in earth and heaven other than God, they (heaven and earth) would surely go to ruin." (21:22) 3. The Oneness of God ............................................. from III&E The Quran reminds us of the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made objects, it asks: "Do you worship what you have carved yourself?" (37:95) "Or have you taken unto you others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?" (13:16) To the worshippers of heavenly bodies it cites the story of Abraham: "When night outspread over him he say a star and said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set he said, 'I love not the setters.' When he saw the moon rising, he said, 'This is my Lord.' But when it set he said, 'If my Lord does not guide me I shall surely be of the people gone astray.' When he say the sun rising, he said, 'This is my Lord; this is greater.' But when it set he said, 'O my people, surely I quit that which you associate, I have turned my face to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth; a man of pure faith, I am not of the idolaters.'" (6:76-79) 4. The Believer's Attitude ........................................ from III&E In order to be a Muslim, i.e., to surrender oneself to God, it is necessary to believe in the oneness of God, in the sense of His being the only Creator, Preserver, Nourisher, etc. But this belief - later on called "Tawhid Ar-Rububiyyah is not enough." Many of the idolaters knew and believed that only the Supreme God could do all this. but that was not enough to make them Muslims. To tawhid ar-rububiyyah one must add tawhid al'uluhiyyah, i.e., one acknowledges the fact that is God alone Who deserves to be worshipped, and thus abstains from worshipping any other thing or being. Having achieved this knowledge of the one true God, man should constantly have faith in Him, and should allow nothing to induce him to deny truth. When faith enters a person's heart, it causes certain mental states which result in certain actions. Taken together these mental states and actions are the proof for the true faith. The Prophet said, "Faith is that which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by deeds." Foremost among those mental states is the feeling of gratitude towards God, which could be said to be the essence of 'ibada' (worship). The feeling of gratitude is so important that a non-believer is called 'kafir,' which means 'one who denies a truth' and also 'one who is ungrateful.' A believer loves, and is grateful to God for the bounties He bestowed upon him, but being aware of the fact that his good deeds, whether mental or physical, are far from being commensurate with Divine favors, he is always anxious lest God should punish him, here or in the Hereafter. He, therefore, fears Him, surrenders himself to Him and serves Him with great humility. One cannot be in such a mental state without being almost all the time mindful of God. Remembering God is thus the life force of faith, without which it fades and withers away. The Quran tries to promote this feeling of gratitude by repeating the attributes of God very frequently. We find most of these attributes mentioned together in the following verses of the Quran: "He is God; there is no god but He, He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible; He is the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. He is God, there is no God but He. He is the King, the All-Holy, the All- Peace, the Guardian of Faith, the All-Preserver, the All-Mighty, the All- Compeller, the All-Sublime. Glory be to God, above that they associate! He is God the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." (59:22-24) "There is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His throne comprises the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-High, the All-Glorious." (2:255) "People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, 'Three.' Refrain; better is it for you. God is only one God. Glory be to Him - (He is) above having a son." (4:171) 5. CONCEPT OF WORSHIP IN ISLAM .................................... from III&E The concept of worship in Islam is misunderstood by many people including some Muslims. Worship is commonly taken to mean performing ritualistic acts such as prayers, fasting, charity, etc. This limited understanding of worship is only one part of the meaning of worship in Islam. That is why the traditional definition of worship in Islam is a comprehensive definition that includes almost everything in any individual's activities. The definition goes something like this: "Worship is an all inclusive term for all that God loves of external and internal sayings and actions of a person." In other words, worship is everything one says or does for the pleasure of Allah. This, of course, includes rituals as well as beliefs, social activities, and personal contributions to the welfare of one's fellow human-beings. Islam looks at the individual as a whole. He is required to submit himself completely to Allah, as the Quran instructed the Prophet Muhammad to do: "Say (O Muhammad) my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death belong to Allah; He has no partner and I am ordered to be among those who submit, i.e.; Muslims." (6:162, 163) The natural result of this submission is that all one's activities should conform to the instructions of the one to whom the person is submitting. Islam, being a way of life, requires that its followers model their life according to its teachings in every aspect, religious or other wise. This might sound strange to some people who think of religion as a personal relation between the individual and God, having no impact on one's activities outside rituals. As a matter of fact Islam does not think much of mere rituals when they are performed mechanically and have no influence on one's inner life. The Quran addresses the believers and their neighbors from among the People of the Book who were arguing with them about the change of the direction of Qibla in the following verse: "It is not righteousness that you turn your faces toward the East or the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Prophets, and gives his beloved money to this relatives and the orphans and the needy and for the ransoming of captives and who observes prayer and pays the poor-due; and those who fulfill their promises when they have made one, and the patient in poverty and affliction and the steadfast in time of war; it is those who have proved truthful and it is those who are the God-fearing." (2:177) The deeds in the above verse are the deeds of righteousness and they are only a part of worship. The Prophet told us about faith, which is the basis of worship, that it "is made up of sixty and some branches; the highest of which is the belief in the Oneness of Allah, i.e., there is no God but Allah and the lowest in the scale of worship is removing obstacles and dirt from people's way." Decent work is considered in Islam a type of worship. The Prophet said: "Whoever finds himself at the nightfall tired of his work, God will forgive his sins." Seeking knowledge is one of the highest types of worship. The Prophet told his companions that "seeking knowledge is a (religious) duty on every Muslim." In another saying he said: "Seeking knowledge for one hour is better than praying for seventy years." Social courtesy and cooperation are part of worship when done for the sake of Allah as the Prophet told us: "Receiving your friend with a smile is a type of charity, helping a person to load his animal is a charity and putting some water in your neighbor's bucket is a charity." It is worth noting that even performing one's duties is considered a sort of worship. The Prophet told us that whatever one spends for his family is a type of charity; he will be rewarded for it if he acquires it through legal means. Kindness to members of one's family is an act of worship as when one puts a piece of food in his spouse's mouth. Not only this but even the acts we enjoy doing very much, when they are performed according to the instructions of the Prophet, are considered as acts of worship. The Prophet told his companions that they will be rewarded even for having sexual intercourse with their wives. The companions were astonished and asked: "How are we going to be rewarded for doing something we enjoy very much?" The Prophet asked them: "Suppose you satisfy your desires illegally; don't you think that you will be punished for that?" They replied, "Yes." "So," he said, "by satisfying it legally with your wives you are rewarded for it." This means they are acts of worship. Thus Islam does not consider sex a dirty thing that one should avoid. It is dirty and sinful only when it is satisfied outside marital life. It is clear, from the previous discussion that the concept of worship in úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Islam is a comprehensive concept that includes all the positive activities of the individual. This of course is in agreement with the all inclusive nature of Islam as a way of life. It regulates human life on all levels: individual, social, economic, political and spiritual. That is why Islam provides guidance to the smallest details of one's life on all these levels. Thus following these details is following Islamic instructions in that specific area. It is a very encouraging element when one realizes that all his activities are considered by God as acts of worship. This should lead the individual to seek Allah's pleasure in his actions and always try to do them in the best possible manner whether he is watched by his superiors or he is alone. There is always the permanent supervisor, who knows everything, namely, Allah. Discussing the non-ritual worship in Islam first does not mean undervaluing the importance of the ritual ones. Actually ritual worship, if performed in true spirit, elevates man morally and spiritually and enables him to carry on his activities in all walks of life according to the Guidance of God. Among ritual worships, Salah (ritual prayer) occupies the key position for two reasons. Firstly, it is the distinctive mark of a believer. Secondly, it prevents an individual from all sorts of abominations and vices by providing him chances of direct communion with his Creator five times a day, wherein he renews his covenant with God and seeks His guidance again and again: "You alone we worship and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path." (1:5,6) Actually Salah is the first practical manifestation of Faith and also the foremost of the basis conditions for the success of the believers: "Successful indeed are the believers who are humble in their prayers." (23:1-2) The same fact has been emphasized by the Prophet (PBUH) in a different way. He says: "Those who offer their Salah with great care and punctuality, will find it a light, a proof of their Faith and cause of their salvation on the Day of Judgment." After Salah, Zakah (poor-due) is an important pillar of Islam. In the Quran, Salah and Zakah mostly have been mentioned together many times. Like Salah, Zakah is a manifestation of faith that affirms that God is the sole owner of everything in the universe, and what men hold is a trust in their hand over which God made them trustees to discharge it as He has laid down: "Believe in Allah and His messenger and spend of that over which He made you trustees." (57:7) In this respect Zakah is an act of devotion which, like prayer, brings the believer nearer to his Lord. Apart from this, Zakah is a means of redistribution of wealth in a way that reduces differences between classes and groups. It makes a fair contribution to social stability. By purging the soul of the rich from selfishness and the soul of the poor from envy and resentment against society, it stops up the channels leading to class hatred and makes it possible for the springs of brotherhood and solidarity to gush forth. Such stability is not merely based on the personal feelings of the rich; it stands on a firmly established right which, if the rich denied it, would be exacted by force, if necessary. Siyam (fasting during the day time of the month of Ramadan) is another pillar of Islam. The main function of fasting is to make the Muslim pure from "within" as other aspects of Shariah make him pure from "without." By such purity he responds to what is true and good and shuns what is false and evil. This is what we can perceive in the Quranic verse: "O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may gain piety." (2:183) In an authentic tradition, the Prophet reported Allah as saying: "He suspends eating, drinking, and gratification of his sexual passion for My sake." Thus his reward is going to be according to God's great bounty. Fasting, then, awakens the conscience of the individual and gives it scope for exercise in a joint experience for all society at the same time, thus adding further strength to each individual. Moreover, fasting offers a compulsory rest to the over-worked human machine for the duration of one full month. Similarly fasting reminds an individual of those who are deprived of life's necessities throughout the year or throughout life. It makes him realize the suffering of others, the less fortunate brothers in Islam, and thus promotes in him a sense of sympathy and kindness to them. Lastly, we come to Al-Hajj (pilgrimage to the House of God in Makkah). This very important pillar of Islam manifests a unique unity, dispelling all kinds of differences. Muslims from all corners of the world wearing the same dress, respond to the call of Hajj in one voice and language; LABBAIK ALLAHUMMA LABBAIK (Here I am at your service O Lord!). In Hajj there is an exercise of strict self-discipline and control where not only sacred things are revered, but even the life of plants and birds is made inviolable so that everything lives in safety: "And he that venerates the sacred things of God, it shall be better for him with his Lord." (22:30) "And he that venerates the waymarks of God, it surely is from devotion of the heart." (22:32) Pilgrimage gives an opportunity to all Muslims from all groups, classes, organizations, and governments from all over the Muslim world to meet annually in a great congress. The time and venue of this congress has been set by their One God. Invitation to attend is open to every Muslim. No one has the power to bar anyone. Every Muslim who attends is guaranteed full safety and freedom as long as he himself does not violate its safety. Thus, worship in Islam, whether ritual or non-ritual, trains the individual in such a way that he loves his Creator most and thereby gains an unyielding will and spirit to wipe out all evil and oppression from the human society and make the word of God dominant in the world. Announcements ................................................................ 6. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 7. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777- 7199; or or Tel: (312) 777-7443 or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 4 # bedfellow.mit.edu faqserv References: Islam. Part 5 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:87 Archive-name: islam-faq/part5 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 5 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 5: Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Contents --Articles-- 1. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ISLAM ...................................... from III&E 2. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE QUR'AN ................................. from III&E 3. QUR'AN ON QUR'AN ............................................... from III&E 4. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MUHAMMAD (PBUH) ............................ from III&E 5. THE SWORD OF ISLAM ............................................. from III&E 6. Has the sword gone Blunt? No, far from it. ..................... from III&E 7. CHOOSING ISLAM: ONE MAN'S TALE ................................. from III&E 8. Who can I ask questions on Islam? ......................................... 9. Indroductory Publications ...................................... from III&E --Announcements-- 10. Archive Info .............................................................. 11. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ISLAM ...................................... from III&E The Islam that was revealed to Muhammad (PBUH), is the continuation and culmination of all the preceding revealed religions and hence it is for all times and all peoples. This status of Islam is sustained by glaring facts. Firstly, there is no other revealed book extant in the same form and content as it was revealed. Secondly, no other revealed religion has any convincing claim to provide guidance in all walks of human life for all times. But Islam addresses humanity at large and offers basic guidance regarding all human problems. Moreover, it has withstood the test of fourteen hundred years and has all the potentialities of establishing an ideal society as it did under the leadership of the last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was a miracle that Prophet Muhammad could bring even his toughest enemies to the fold of Islam without adequate material resources. Worshippers of idols, blind followers of the ways of forefathers, promoters of tribal feuds, abusers of human dignity and blood, became the most disciplined nation under the guidance of Islam and its Prophet. Islam opened before them vistas of spiritual heights and human dignity by declaring righteousness as the sole criterion of merit and honor. Islam shaped their social, cultural, moral and commercial life with basic laws and principles which are in conformity with human nature and hence applicable in all times as human nature does not change. It is so unfortunate that the Christian West, instead of sincerely trying to understand the phenomenal success of Islam during its earlier time, considered it as a rival religion. During the centuries of the Crusades this trend gained much force and impetus and a huge amount of literature was produced to tarnish the image of Islam. But Islam has begun to unfold its genuineness to the modern scholars whose bold and objective observations on Islam belie all the charges leveled against it by the so-called unbiased orientalists. Here we furnish some observations on Islam by great and acknowledged non-Muslim scholars of modern time. Truth needs no advocates to plead on its behalf, but the prolonged malicious propaganda against Islam has created great confusion even in the minds of free and objective thinkers. We hope that the following observations would contribute to initiating an objective evaluation of Islam: "It (Islam) replaced monkishness by manliness. It gives hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind, and recognition of the fundamental facts of human nature." --Canon Taylor, Paper read before the Church Congress at Walverhamton, Oct. 7, 1887; Quoted by Arnoud in THE PREACHING OF ISLAM, pp. 71-72. "Sense of justice is one of the most wonderful ideals of Islam, because as I read in the Qur'an I find those dynamic principles of life, not mystic but practical ethics for the daily conduct of life suited to the whole world." --Lectures on "The Ideals of Islam;" see SPEECHES AND WRITINGS OF SAROJINI NAIDU, Madras, 1918, p. 167. "History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated." --De Lacy O'Leary, ISLAM AT THE CROSSROADS, London, 1923, p. 8. "But Islam has a still further service to render to the cause of humanity. It stands after all nearer to the real East than Europe does, and it possesses a magnificent tradition of inter-racial understanding and cooperation. No other society has such a record of success uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity, and of endeavours so many and so various races of mankind . . . Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of East and West is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition. In its hands lies very largely the solution of the problem with which Europe is faced in its relation with East. If they unite, the hope of a peaceful issue is immeasurably enhanced. But if Europe, by rejecting the cooperation of Islam, throws it into the arms of its rivals, the issue can only be disastrous for both." --H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, London, 1932, p. 379. "I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion for from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today." --G.B. Shaw, THE GENUINE ISLAM, Vol. 1, No. 81936. "The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue." --A.J. Toynbee, CIVILIZATION ON TRIAL, New York, 1948, p. 205. "The rise of Islam is perhaps the most amazing event in human history. Springing from a land and a people like previously negligible, Islam spread within a century over half the earth, shattering great empires, overthrowing long established religions, remoulding the souls of races, and building up a whole new world - world of Islam. "The closer we examine this development the more extraordinary does it appear. The other great religions won their way slowly, by painful struggle and finally triumphed with the aid of powerful monarchs converted to the new faith. Christianity had its Constantine, Buddhism its Asoka, and Zoroastrianism its Cyrus, each lending to his chosen cult the mighty force of secular authority. Not so Islam. Arising in a desert land sparsely inhabited by a nomad race previously undistinguished in human annals, Islam sallied forth on its great adventure with the slenderest human backing and against the heaviest material odds. Yet Islam triumphed with seemingly miraculous ease, and a couple of generations saw the Fiery Crescent borne victorious from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas and from the desert of Central Asia to the deserts of Central Africa." --A.M.L. Stoddard, quoted in ISLAM - THE RELIGION OF ALL PROPHETS, Begum Bawani Waqf, Karachi, Pakistan, p. 56. "Islam is a religion that is essentially rationalistic in the widest sense of this term considered etymologically and historically. The definition of rationalism as a system that bases religious beliefs on principles furnished by the reason applies to it exactly . . . It cannot be denied that many doctrines and systems of theology and also many superstitions, from the worship of saints to the use of rosaries and amulets, have become grafted on the main trunk of Muslim creed. But in spite of the rich developments, in every sense of the term, of the teachings of the Prophet, the Quran has invariable kept its place as the fundamental starting point, and the dogma of unity of God has always been proclaimed therein with a grandeur, a majesty, an invariable purity and with a note of sure conviction, which it is hard to find surpassed outside the pale of Islam. This fidelity to the fundamental dogma of the religion, the elemental simplicity of the formula in which it is enunciated, the proof that it gains from the fervid conviction of the missionaries who propagate it, are so many causes to explain the success of Muhammadan missionary efforts. A creed so precise, so stripped of all theological complexities and consequently so accessible to the ordinary understanding might be expected to possess and does indeed possess a marvelous power of winning its way into the consciences of men." --Edward Montet, "La Propagande Chretienne et ses Adversaries Musulmans," Paris, 1890; Quoted by T.W. Arnold in THE PREACHING OF ISLAM, London, 1913, pp. 413-414. "I am not a Muslim in the usual sense, though I hope I am a "Muslim" as "one surrendered to God," but I believe that embedded in the Quran and other expressions of the Islamic vision are vast stores of divine truth from which I and other occidentals have still much to learn, and 'Islam is certainly a strong contender for the supplying of the basic framework of the one religion of the future.'" --W. Montgomery Watt, ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY TODAY, London, 1983, p. ix. 2. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT THE QUR'AN ................................. from III&E Humanity has received the Divine guidance through two channels: firstly the word of Allah, secondly the Prophets who were chosen by Allah to communicate His will to human beings. These two things have always been going together and attempts to know the will of Allah by neglecting either of these two have always been misleading. The Hindus neglected their prophets and paid all attention to their books that proved only word puzzles which they ultimately lost. Similarly, the Christians, in total disregard to the Book of Allah, attached all importance to Christ and thus not only elevated him to Divinity, but also lost the very essence of TAWHEED (monotheism) contained in the Bible. As a matter of fact the main scriptures revealed before the Qur'an, i.e., the Old Testament and the Gospel, came into book-form long after the days of the Prophets and that too in translation. This was because the followers of Moses and Jesus made no considerable effort to preserve these Revelations during the life of their Prophets. Rather they were written long after their death. Thus what we now have in the form of the Bible (The Old as well as the New Testament) is translations of individuals' accounts of the original revelations which contain additions and deletions made by the followers of the said Prophets. On the contrary, the last revealed Book, the Qur'an, is extant in its original form. Allah Himself guaranteed its preservation and that is why the whole of the Qur'an was written during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself though on separate pieces of palm leaves, parchments, bones, etc... Moreover, there were tens of thousands of companions of the Prophet who memorized the whole Qur'an and the Prophet himself used to recite to the Angel Gabriel once a year and twice in the year he died. The first Caliph Abu Bakr entrusted the collection of the whole Qur'an in one volume to the Prophet's scribe, Zaid Ibn Thabit. This volume was with Abu Bakr till his death. Then it was with the second Caliph Umar and after him it came to Hafsa, the Prophet's wife. It was from this original copy that the third Caliph Uthman prepared several other copies and sent them to different Muslim territories. The Qur'an was so meticulously preserved because it was to be the Book of guidance for humanity for all times to come. That is why it does not address the Arabs alone in whose language it was revealed. It speaks to man as a human being: "O Man! What has seduced you from your Lord." The practicability of the Qur'anic teachings is established by the examples of Muhammad (PBUH) and the good Muslims throughout the ages. The distinctive approach of the Qur'an is that its instructions are aimed at the general welfare of man and are based on the possibilities within his reach. In all its dimensions the Qur'anic wisdom is conclusive. It neither condemns nor tortures the flesh nor does it neglect the soul. It does not humanize God nor does it deify man. Everything is carefully placed where it belongs in the total scheme of creation. Actually the scholars who allege that Muhammad (PBUH) was the author of the Qur'an claim something which is humanly impossible. Could any person of the sixth century C.E. utter such scientific truths as the Qur'an contains? Could he describe the evolution of the embryo inside the uterus so accurately as we find it in modern science? Secondly, is it logical to believe that Muhammad (PBUH), who up to the age of forty was marked only for his honesty and integrity, began all of a sudden the authorship of a book matchless in literary merit and the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators of highest calibre could not produce? And lastly, is it justified to say that Muhammad (PBUH) who was known as AL-AMEEN (The Trustworthy) in his society and who is still admired by the non-Muslim scholars for his honesty and integrity, came forth with a false claim and on that falsehood could train thousands of men of character, integrity and honesty, who were able to establish the best human society on the surface of the earth? Surely, any sincere and unbiased searcher of truth will come to believe that the Qur'an is the revealed Book of Allah. Without necessarily agreeing with all that they said, we furnish here some opinions of important non-Muslim scholars about the Qur'an. Readers can easily see how the modern world is coming closer to reality regarding the Qur'an. We appeal to all open-minded scholars to study the Qur'an in the light of the aforementioned points. We are sure that any such attempt will convince the reader that the Qur'an could never be written by any human being. "However often we turn to it [the Qur'an] at first disgusting us each time afresh, it soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our reverence... Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern, grand, terrible - ever and anon truly sublime -- Thus this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence." --Goethe, quoted in T.P. Hughes' DICTIONARY OF ISLAM, p. 526. "The Koran admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of the world. Though the youngest of the epoch- making works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardly any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious organizations of the Muhammadan world which are one of the great forces with which Europe and the East have to úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) reckon today." --G. Margoliouth, Introduction to J.M. Rodwell's, THE KORAN, New York: Everyman's Library, 1977, p. vii. "A work, then, which calls forth so powerful and seemingly incompatible emotions even in the distant reader - distant as to time, and still more so as a mental development - a work which not only conquers the repugnance which he may begin its perusal, but changes this adverse feeling into astonishment and admiration, such a work must be a wonderful production of the human mind indeed and a problem of the highest interest to every thoughtful observer of the destinies of mankind." --Dr. Steingass, quoted in T.P. Hughes' DICTIONARY OF ISLAM, pp. 526-527. "The above observation makes the hypothesis advanced by those who see Muhammad as the author of the Qur'an untenable. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author, in terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human being could possibly have developed at that time, and all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject?" -- Maurice Bucaille, THE BIBLE, THE QUR'AN AND SCIENCE, 1978, p. 125. "Here, therefore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and aesthetic taste, but by the effects which it produced in Muhammad's contemporaries and fellow countrymen. If it spoke so powerfully and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well-organized body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes, and shot a fresh woof into the old warp of history." --Dr. Steingass, quoted in T.P. Hughes' DICTIONARY OF ISLAM, p. 528. "In making the present attempt to improve on the performance of my predecessors, and to produce something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms which - apart from the message itself - constitute the Koran's undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind... This very characteristic feature - 'that inimitable symphony,' as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book, 'the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy' - has been almost totally ignored by previous translators; it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull and flat indeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated original." --Arthur J. Arberry, THE KORAN INTERPRETED, London: Oxford University Press, 1964, p. x. "A totally objective examination of it [the Qur'an] in the light of modern knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Muhammad's time to have been the author of such statements on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of what gives the Qur'anic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which calls solely upon materialistic reasoning." --Maurice Bucaille, THE QUR'AN AND MODERN SCIENCE, 1981, p. 18. 3. QUR'AN ON QUR'AN ............................................... from III&E "Hence, indeed, We made this Qur'an easy to bear in mind: who, then is willing to take it to heart?" --Chapter 54: Verses 17, 22, 32, 40 (self-repeating) "Will they then not meditate on the Qur'an, or are there locks on their hearts?" --Chapter 47: Verse 24 "Surely this Qur'an guides to that which is most upright and gives good news to the believers who do good works that they shall have a great reward." --Chapter 17: Verse 9 "Surely We have revealed the reminder (Qur'an) and We will most certainly guard it (from corruption)." --Chapter 15: Verse 9 "Praise be to Allah Who has revealed the Book (Qur'an) to His slave (Muhammad) and has not placed therein any crookedness." -- Chapter 18: Verse 1 "Will they not then ponder on the Qur'an? If it had been from other than Allah they would have found therein much discrepancy." Chapter 4: Verse 82 "And certainly We have explained in this Qur'an every kind of example; and man is most of all given to contention. And nothing prevents men from believing when the guidance comes to them, and asking forgiveness of their Lord, except that what happened to the ancients should overtake them, or that the chastisement should come face to face with them." --Chapter 18: Verses 54-55 "And We reveal (stage by stage) of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy for believers, and to the unjust it causes nothing but loss after loss." --Chapter 17: Verse 82 "And if you are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave (Muhammad) then produce a surah (chapter) of the like thereof, and call your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful." --Chapter 2: Verse 23 "And this Qur'an is not such as could be forged by those besides Allah, but it is a verification (of revelations) that went before it and a fuller explanation of the Book - there is no doubt - from the Lord of the Worlds." --Chapter 10: Verse 37 "So when you recite the Qur'an, seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast." --Chapter 16: Verse 98. 4. WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT MUHAMMAD (PBUH) ............................ from III&E During the centuries of the crusades, all sorts of slanders were invented against Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). But with the birth of the modern age, marked with religious tolerance and freedom of thought, there has been a great change in the approach of Western authors in their delineation of his life and character. The views of some non-Muslim scholars regarding Prophet Muhammad, given at the end, justify this opinion. But the West has still to go a step forward to discover the greatest reality about Muhammad and that is his being the true and the last Prophet of God for the whole humanity. In spite of all its objectivity and enlightenment there has been no sincere and objective attempt by the West to understand the Prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh). It is so strange that very glowing tributes are paid to him for his integrity and achievement but his claim of being the Prophet of God has been rejected explicitly or implicitly. It is here that a searching of the heart is required, and a review of the so-called objectivity is needed. The following glaring facts from the life of Muhammad (pbuh) have been furnished to facilitate an unbiased, logical and objective decision regarding his Prophethood. Up to the age of forty, Muhammad was not known as a statesman, a preacher or an orator. He was never seen discussing the principles of metaphysics, ethics, law, politics, economics or sociology. No doubt he possessed an excellent character, charming manners and was highly cultured. Yet there was nothing so deeply striking and so radically extraordinary in him that would make men expect something great and revolutionary from him in the future. But when he came out of the Cave (HIRA) with a new message, he was completely transformed. Is it possible for such a person of the above qualities to turn all of a sudden into 'an impostor' and claim to be the Prophet of Allah and invite all the rage of his people? One might ask: for what reason did he suffer all those hardships? His people offered to accept him as their King and he would leave the preaching of his religion. But he chose to refuse their tempting offers and go on preaching his religion single-handedly in face of all kinds of insults, social boycott and even physical assault by his own people. Was it not only God's support and his firm will to disseminate the message of Allah and his deep-rooted belief that ultimately Islam would emerge as the only way of life for humanity, that he stood like a mountain in the face of all opposition and conspiracies to eliminate him? Furthermore, had he come with a design of rivalry with the Christians and the Jews, why should he have made belief in Jesus Christ and Moses and other Prophets of God (peace be upon them), a basic requirement of faith without which no one could be a Muslim? Is it not an incontrovertible proof of his Prophethood that in spite of being unlettered and having led a very normal and quiet life for forty years, when he began preaching his message, all of Arabia stood in awe and wonder and was bewitched by his wonderful eloquence and oratory? It was so matchless that the whole legion of Arab poets, preachers and orators of the highest calibre failed to bring forth its equivalent. And above all, how could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature contained in the Qur'an that no other human being could possible have developed at that time? Last but not least, why did he lead a hard life even after gaining power and authority? Just ponder over the words he uttered while dying: "We the community of the Prophets are not inherited. Whatever we leave is for charity." As a matter of fact, Muhammad (pbuh) is the last link of the chain of Prophets sent in different lands and times since the very beginning of the human life on this planet. Read the following writings of the Western authors: "If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls. . . his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with words. "Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?" --Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276- 277. "It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder, the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Mecca and Medina is preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran. . . The Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object of their faith an devotion to a level with the senses and imagination of man. 'I believe in One God and Mahomet the Apostle of God,' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honours of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue, and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." --Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay, HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRE, London, 1870, p. 54. "He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammed, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports." --Bosworth Smith, MOHAMMAD AND MOHAMMADANISM, London, 1874, p. 92. "It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher." --Annie Besant, THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD, Madras, 1932, p. 4. "His readiness to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad." --W. Montgomery Watt, MOHAMMAD AT MECCA, Oxford, 1953, p. 52. "Muhammad, the inspired man who founded Islam, was born about A.D. 570 into an Arabian tribe that worshipped idols. Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of the poor and needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the downtrodden. At twenty, he was already a successful businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five, his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she lived, remained a devoted husband. "Like almost every major prophet before him, Muhammad fought shy of serving as the transmitter of God's word, sensing his own inadequacy. But the angel commanded 'Read.' So far as we know, Muhammad was unable to read or write, but he began to dictate those inspired words which would soon revolutionize a large segment of the earth: 'There is one God.' "In all things Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred, and rumours of God's personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, 'An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being. "At Muhammad's own death an attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to become his administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches in religious history: 'If there are any among you who worshipped Muhammad, he is dead. But if it is God you worshipped, He lives forever." --James A. Michener, "Islam: The Misunderstood Religion," in READER'S DIGEST (American edition), May 1955, pp. 68-70. "My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level." --Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33. 5. THE SWORD OF ISLAM ............................................. from III&E The first few who embraced the "new" religion in Makkah in the Arabian Peninsula at the hands of the Prophet, were his wife Khadijah, his servant Zaid and his eleven-year-old cousin Ali. Among the ones who later joined this faith were the honest merchant, Abu Bakr; the iron man of Arabia, Umar the Great; the shy businessman, Uthman; the Prophet's brave uncle Hamza and a slave of a pagan, Bilal. They simply couldn't resist the MAGIC SWORD of a humble and lonely Prophet! The negligible minority of the believers in this new Faith was soon exiled from Makkah and they arrived in the city called Yathrab which later became known as MADINAH. The Muslim emigrants to Madinah brought their SWORD with them. The SWORD continued to "pull" people towards it until the whole of Arabia joined the Faith. Compared to the population of the rest of the world at that time, the Arabs constituted a tiny minority. A fraction of this minority decided to take the SWORD beyond the boundaries of the Arabian desert to the mighty empires of Rome and Persia, the shores of the Mediterranean, the coast of Malabar and the far away East Indies Islands. People after people continued surrendering to this SWORD and joining the Faith. So sharp was the edge of the SWORD! It simply conquered the hearts; bodies yielded automatically. It is the SWORD OF TRUTH, whose mere shine eliminates falsehood just like light wipes away darkness. 6. Has the sword gone Blunt? No, far from it. ..................... from III&E It continues to pierce the hearts of countless men and women even today - in spite of the relentless efforts by persons with vested interests who like darkness to prevail, so that they may rob people of their good things. Read below the impressions of some who were recently conquered by the same SWORD. They are from different countries, speak different languages and have different backgrounds. Their present addresses are also given. Perhaps you may like to ask them how it feels to be struck by the SWORD OF TRUTH. 1. LEOPOLD WEISS (now Mohammad Asad): Austrian statesman, journalist, former foreign correspondent for the Frankfuerter Zeitung; author of ISLAM AT THE CROSSROADS and ROAD TO MECCA and translator of the Qur'an. He embraced Islam in 1926. (1) "Islam appears to me like a perfect work of Architecture. All its parts are harmoniously conceived to complement and support each other. Nothing is superfluous and nothing lacking, with the result of an absolute balance and solid composure." 2. AHMED HOLT: British Civil Contractor, traveler in search of the Divine truth, spent much of his time in research and comparative study of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He embraced Islam in 1975. (2) úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) "The SWORD OF ISLAM is not the sword of steel. I know this by experience, because the sword of Islam struck deep into my own heart. It didn't bring death, but it brought a new life; it brought an awareness and it brought an awakening as to who am I and what am I and for what am I here?" 3. BOGDAN DOPANSKI (now Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski): Originally Polish, now American; Ph.D. in history and politics, had a very interesting journey to Islam and faced severe hardships; was imprisoned twice by the Polish communist regime (1968, 1981-82). He embraced Islam in 1974. (3) "When I was 12 years old I rejected illogical and contradictory faith of the Church. Two years later in 1962 - I was fascinated by victorious struggle of the Algerian Muslim mujahideen against French colonialism. It was the first ARROW of Islam.... The high school and earliest days of my education in the University, I was a typical example of 'rebel generation' of Reds.... My way to the truth of Al-Qur'an was slow and unpaved.... In 1974 I visited Turkey, I wrote my M.A. dissertation about Sultan and Caliph Suleiman Kanuni's policy towards the Polish Kingdom. There, I was hit by the most beautiful voice of mankind, the ADHAN, the call to prayer. My hair stood up. An unknown powerful force led me to old masjid in Istanbul. There, old smiling Turkish, bearded men taught me WUZU, ablution. I confessed to tears SHAHADAH and I prayed my first SALAH Maghrib.... I swept out the rubbish ideologies.... The first time in my life, my mind was relaxed and I felt pleasure of Allah's love in my heart. I was a Muslim...." 4. VENGATACHALAM ADIYAR (now Abdullah Adiyar): Indian, noted Tamil writer and journalist; worked as a news editor in Dr. M. Karunanidhi's daily MURASOLI for 17 years; assisted 3 former Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu. Received Kalaimamani Award (Big Gem of Arts) from Tamil Nadu Government in 1982. He embraced Islam in 1987. (4) "In Islam I found suitable replies to nagging queries arising in my mind with regard to the theory of creation, status of woman, creation of the universe, etc. The life history of the Holy Prophet attracted me very much and made it easy for me to compare with other world leaders and their philosophies." 5. HERBERT HOBOHM (now Aman Hobohm): German diplomat, missionary and social worker. An intellectual who has been serving the German diplomatic missions in various parts of the world. Presently working as Cultural Attache in German Embassy in Riyadh. He embraced Islam in 1941. (5) "I have lived under different systems of life and have had the opportunity of studying various ideologies, but have come to the conclusion that none is perfect as Islam. None of the systems has got a complete code of a noble life. Only Islam has it; and that is why good men embrace it. Islam is not theoretical; it is practical. It means complete submission to the will of God." 6. CAT STEVENS (now Yousuf Islam): British; formerly a Christian and a world famous pop singer. He embraced Islam in 1973. (6) "It will be wrong to judge Islam in the light of the behavior of some bad Muslims who are always shown on the media. It is like judging a car as a bad one if the driver of the car is drunk and he bangs it into the wall. Islam guides all human beings in the daily life - in its spiritual, mental and physical dimensions. But we must find the sources of these instructions, the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet. Then we can see the ideal of Islam." 7. MS. MARGARET MARCUS (now Maryam Jamilah): American, formerly a Jewess, essayist and an author of many books. She embraced Islam in 1962. (7) "The authority of Islamic Morals and Laws proceeds from Almighty God. Pleasure and happiness in Islam are but the natural byproducts of emotional satisfaction in one's duties conscientiously performed for the pleasure of God to achieve salvation. In Islam duties are always stressed above rights. Only in Islam was my quest for absolute values satisfied. Only in Islam did I at last find all that was true, good, beautiful and which gives meaning and direction to human life and death." 8. WILFRIED HOFMAN (now Murad Hofman): Ph.D. in law (Harvard); German social scientist and diplomat; presently German Ambassador in Algeria. He embraced Islam in 1980. (8) "For some time now, striving for more and more precision and brevity, I have tried to put on paper, in a systematic way, all philosophical truths, which in my view, can be ascertained beyond reasonable doubt. In the course of this effort it dawned on me that the typical attitude of an agnostic is not an intelligent one; that man simply cannot escape a decision to believe; that the createdness of what exists around us is obvious; that Islam undoubtedly finds itself in the greatest harmony with overall reality. Thus I realize, not without shock, that step by step, in spite of myself and almost unconsciously, in feeling and thinking I have grown into a Muslim. Only one last step remained to be taken: to formalize my conversion. As of today I am a Muslim. I have arrived." 9. CASSIUS CLAY (now Muhammad Ali): American; three times World Heavyweight Champion, formerly a Christian. He embraced Islam in 1965. (9) "I have had many nice moments in my life. But the feelings I had while standing on Mount Arafat on the day of HAJJ (Muslims' pilgrimage), was the most unique. I felt exalted by the indescribable spiritual atmosphere there as over a million and a half pilgrims invoked God to forgive them of their sins and bestow on them His choicest blessings. It was an exhilarating experience to see people belonging to different colors, races and nationalities, kings, heads of states and ordinary men from very poor countries all clad in two simple white sheets praying to God without any sense of either pride or inferiority. It was a practical manifestation of the concept of equality in Islam." (Speaking to the daily "Al-Madinah," Jeddah, 15 July, 1989.) These were the impressions of a few persons who had themselves been struck by the SWORD OF TRUTH, that is, the Message of Islam. AS FOR THE PROPAGANDA THAT IT WAS THE SWORD OF STEEL, THAT IS, FORCE, WHICH WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE UNIVERSAL EXPANSION OF ISLAM, WE GIVE BELOW QUOTATIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF SOME OF THE PROMINENT NON- MUSLIM SCHOLARS AND LEADERS REFUTING THIS BASELESS ACCUSATION. 1. M.K. GANDHI: "....I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These, and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble." YOUNG INDIA, 1924. (10) 2. EDWARD GIBBON: "The greatest success of Mohammad's life was effected by sheer moral force without the stroke of a sword." HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRE, London, 1870. 3. A.S. TRITTON: "The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a sword in one hand and the Qur'an in the other is quite false." ISLAM, London, 1951, page 21. (12) 4. DE LACY O'LEARY: "History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims, sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated." ISLAM AT CROSSROADS, London, 1923, page 8. 5. K.S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO: "My problem to write this monograph is easier because we are not generally fed now on that (distorted) kind of history and much time need not be spent on pointing out our misrepresentations of Islam. The theory of Islam and sword, for instance, is not heard now in any quarter worth the name. The principle of Islam, there is no compulsion in religion, is well known." MOHAMMED THE PROPHET OF ISLAM, Riyadh, 1989, page 4. 6. JAMES A MICHENER: "No other religion in history spread so rapidly as Islam... The West has widely believed that this surge of religion was made possible by the sword. But no modern scholar accepts that idea, and the Qur'an is explicit in support of the freedom conscience." ISLAM - THE MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION, READERS' DIGEST (American Edition) May 1955. 7. LAWRENCE E. BROWNE: "Incidentally these well-established facts dispose of the idea so widely fostered in Christian writings that the Muslims, wherever they went, forced people to accept Islam at the point of the sword." THE PROSPECTS OF ISLAM, London 1944. IF YOU TOO POSSESS A SOFT, TENDER HEART AND AN OPEN MIND, DO WRITE TO US FOR SOME BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE WAY OF LIFE CALLED "ISLAM." DO NOT BELIEVE IN HEARSAY AND LEARN FROM THE DIRECT SOURCES. WE ARE READY TO HELP. 7. CHOOSING ISLAM: ONE MAN'S TALE ................................. from III&E I became a Muslim when it seemed I had already accepted Islam in my bones, as if beyond choice, and I only had to make a leap to embrace it formally. Outwardly I was content; inwardly I was coasting. My three-year-old theatre company was disbanded after a hilariously chaotic production for a Tim Leary Benefit at the Family Dog in San Francisco, circa '68 -- naturally the orange juice everyone had passed around was spiked, so that chorus members were doing the final scene in the first ten minutes -- and for six months I had been methodically typing out poetry manuscripts in my attic in Berkeley preparatory to a big publishing peak. I considered myself a Zen Buddhist. But I was other things as well. My normal routine was to get up, sit zazen, smoke a joint, do half an hour of yoga, then read the "Mathnawi" of Rumi, the long mystical poem of that great Persian Sufi of the thirteenth century. Then I met the man who was to be my guide to our teacher in Morocco, Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib, may Allah be pleased with him. At first the meeting was simply remarkable, and my guide simply a remarkable man. But soon our encounter was to become extraordinary, leading to a revolution in my life from which I have never recovered and never hope to. The man looked like an eccentric Englishman. He too had only recently come out of the English version of the Hippie Wave. He was older, refined in his manners, spectacularly witty and intellectual, but of that kind prevalent then who had hobnobbed with the Beatles and knew the Tantric Art collection of Brian Jones firsthand. He had been on all the classic drug quests -- peyote in the Yucatan, mescaline with Laura Huxley -- but with the kif quest in Morocco he had stumbled on Islam and then the Sufis, and the game was up. A profound change had taken place in his life that went far beyond the psychedelic experience. =46or the three days following our meeting, two other Americans and I listened in awe as this magnificent storyteller unfolded the picture of Islam, of the perfection of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, of the Sufis of Morocco, and of the 100-year-old plus Shaykh, sitting under a great fig tree in a garden with his disciples singing praises of Allah. It was everything I'd always dreamed of. It was poetry come alive. It was the visionary experience made part of daily life, with the Prophet a perfectly balanced master of wisdom and simplicity, an historically accessible Buddha, with a mixture of the earthiness of Moses, the otherworldliness of Jesus, and a light all his own. The prophetic knowledge our guide talked about was a kind of spiritual existentialism. It was a matter of how you enter a room, which foot you entered with, that you sipped water but gulped milk, that you said, "Bismillah" (In the Name of Allah) before eating or drinking, and "Al-hamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah) afterwards, and so on. But rather than seeing this as a burden of hundreds of "how-to's," it was more like what the LSD experience taught us, that there is a "right" way to do things that has, if you will, a cosmic resonance. It is a constant awareness of courtesy to the Creator and His creation that itself ensures and almost visionary intensity. It is hard to put forward any kind of explanation of Islam, to try to suggest the beauty of its totality, through the medium of words. The light of Islam, since it is transformational and alchemical in nature, almost always comes via a human messenger who is a transmitter of the picture by his very being. Face to face with our guide, what struck us most was his impeccable, noble behavior. He seemed to be living what he was saying. Finally the moment came, as a surprise, when he confronted me with my life. "Well," he said one morning after three full days of rapturous agreement that what he was bringing to us was the best thing we'd ever heard, "What do you think? Do you want to become a Muslim?" I hedged. "It's the most beautiful thing I've heard about so far. After all my Zen Buddhism, all my yoga, Tibetan Buddhism and Hindu gurus, this is certainly it! But I think I would like to travel a little, see the world, go to Afghanistan (then unoccupied), maybe meet my Shaykh in a mountain village far off somewhere." "That's not good enough. You have to decide now. Yes or no. If it's yes, then we start on a great adventure. If it's no, then no blame, I've done my duty. I'll just say goodbye and go on my way. But you have to decide now. I'll go downstairs and read a magazine and wait. Take your time." When he had left the room I saw there was no choice. My whole being had already acquiesced. All my years up to that moment simply rolled away. I was face-to-face with worship of Allah, wholly and purely, with the Path before me well-trodden, heavily signposted, with a guide to a Master plunk in front of me. Or I could reject all of this for a totally self-invented and uncertain future. It was the day of my birthday, just to make it that much more dramatic. I chose Islam. -- Abd al-Hayy Moore Mr. Abd al-Hayy Moore has two books of poetry published by City Lights under the name Daniel Moore. He's traveled extensively, living in England, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria and Spain. Mr. Moore is a talented writer and poet, and has turned his talents in writing for Islam. He is a contributor to "The Minaret" and other publications. His more recent publications are "The Chronicles of Akhira," "Halley's Comet" and Holograms. His writings and publications may be obtained from Zilzal Press, 126 North Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93103, U.S.A. Published with the permission of: 1) Whole Earth Review 27 Gate Five Road Sausilito, CA 94965 2) Abd al-Hayy Moore The III&E is grateful for his kind permission. Reprinted from Whole Earth Review No. 49, Winter 1985 8. Who can I ask questions on Islam? ......................................... A- The Institute of Islamic Information and Education P.O. Box 41129 Chicago, IL 60641-0129 U.S.A. Fax: (312) 777-7199 Tel: (312) 777-7443 B- The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Non-Muslims interested to learn about Islam can now dial toll- free 1-800-662-ISLAM The phone number has been set up by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) exclusively for non-Muslims. The number became operational on August 30, 1994. Note: The last letter 'M' in the telephone number is optional. C- Islam on Phone Islam-on-the-Phone (312) 777-0767 Ask for a list of questions and codes. Provided by III&E. WRITE TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING: 1. (deceased) 2. Ahmad Holt, 23 Welland Garden Perivale, Middlesex UB6 8SZ, U.K. 3. Bogdan Ataullah Kopanski, 3013 Harrel Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75051. 4. Abdullah Adiyar, 1 Ashok Avenue, Rangarajapuram, Kodambakkam, Madras,India. 5. Aman Hobohm, Cultural Attache, P.O. Box 8974, Riyadh 11492, Saudi Arabia. 6. Yousuf Islam, Chairman, Muslim Aid, 3 Furlong Road, London, N7, U.K. 7. Maryam Jamilah, c/o Mohammad Yusuf Khan, Sant Nagar, Lahore, Pakistan. 8. Murad Hofman, Ambassador, Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, BP 664, Alger-gare, Algeria. 9. Muhammad Ali, c/o Masjid Al-Faatir, 1200 East 49th Street, Chicago, IL 60615. NOTE: 10. Twentieth century champion of non-violence who lead the Indian movement of freedom from British colonization. 9. Indroductory Publications ...................................... from III&E RECOMMENDED: 1. III&E Brochure Series may be obtained from the address given below. 2. WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM AND MUSLIMS by Suzanne Haneef, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL. 3. ISLAM IN FOCUS by H. Abdulati, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN. 4. THE BIBLE, THE QUR'AN AND SCIENCE by Maurice Bucaille, American Trust Publications, Indianapolis, IN. 5. QUR'AN, AN INTRODUCTION by A.R. Doi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL. 6. HADITH, AN INTRODUCTION by A.R. Doi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL. 7. MUHAMMAD, HIS LIFE BASED ON THE EARLIEST SOURCES by Martin Lings, Inner Traditions International, Rochester, VT. 8. LIFE OF MUHAMMAD by A.H. Siddiqi, Kazi Publications, Chicago, IL. 9. HISTORY OF ISLAM by Masud-ul-Hasan, Islamic Publications, Lahore, Pakist= an. 10. THE CULTURAL ATLAS OF ISLAM by I.R. al-Faruqi and Lois L. al- Faruqi, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, NY. Announcements ................................................................ 10. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 11. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777- 7199; or or Tel: (312) 777-7443 or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 5 # bedfellow.mit.edu faqserv References: Islam. Part 6 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:88 Archive-name: islam-faq/part6 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 6 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 7: Marriage Laws In Islam Contents --Articles-- 1. Marriage ........................................................ from IINN 2. Whom to Marry ................................................... from IINN 3. Mahr ............................................................ from IINN 4. Intimacy ........................................................ from IINN 5. Walima .......................................................... from IINN 6. Duties & Rights After Marriage .................................. from IINN 7. Advices to Husbands ............................................. from IINN 8. Advices to Wives ................................................ from IINN --Announcements-- 9. Archive Info .............................................................. 10. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Marriage ........................................................ from IINN Spouses: Allah, most Gracious says about spouses in Quran: Among His signs is [the fact] that He has created spouses for you among yourselves so that you may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has planted love and mercy between you; In that are signs for people who reflect. Qur'an [30 : 21] He has planted affection and mercy between you. Qur'an [30: 12] and says: They are a garment for you and you are a garment to them. Qur'an [2 : 187] Consider this in conjunction with the following verse: The best garment is the garment of God-consciousness Qur'an [7 : 26] It requires that a husband and wife should be as garments for each other. Just as garments are for protection, comfort, show and concealment for human beings, Allah expects husbands and wives to be for one another. And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends of one another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger; as for those, Allah will have mercy on them; Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise. Allah hath promised to believers - men and women - gardens underwhich rivers flow, to dwell therein, and beautiful mansions in gardens of everlasting bliss; but the greatest bliss is the good pleasure of Allah: This is the supreme felicity. Qur'an [9 : 71 - 72] 2. Whom to Marry ................................................... from IINN Allah also gives us freedom and urges us to: ...Marry the women of your choice... Qur'an [4 : 3] Similarly, for the women: "A girl came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and informed him that her father had married her to her cousin against her wishes, whereupon the Prophet allowed her to exercise her choice. She then said, 'I am reconciled to what my father did but I wanted to make it known to women that fathers have no say in this matter'". - Hadith narrated by Ibn Majah Narrated Abdullah: "We were with the Prophet, peace be upon him, while we were young and had no wealth whatever. So Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `O young people! Whoever among you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty, and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power.'" Narrated Abu Huraira: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `A woman is married for four things, i.e., her wealth, her family status, her beauty, and her religion. So you should marry the religious woman [otherwise] you will be a loser.'" 3. Mahr ............................................................ from IINN Mahr is the gift that is given by the husband to his wife at wedding. It can be anything in any amount, as agreed by the bride and bride- groom. Allah says about Mahr in the Chapter `Woman' in Quran: And give the women (on marriage) their Mahr as a free gift. Qur'an [4 : 4] If you had given the latter a cantar (of gold i.e. a great amount) for dower (Mahr) take not the least bit of it back ... Qur'an [4 : 20] Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to a man, `Marry, even with (a Mahr equal to) an iron ring.'" 4. Intimacy ........................................................ from IINN Intimacy is seen as an act of procreation. An eye for the what is about to come is kept open in this respect as well. The following prayer reminds us of God, results of our actions and reminds us of our commitment to train our offspring. Narrated Ibn Abbas: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `If anyone of you, when having a sexual intercourse with his wife says: In the name of Allah! O Allah! Protect me from Satan and protect what you bestow upon us (i.e. an offspring) from Satan. and if it is destined that they should have a child, then Satan will never be able to harm him.'" 5. Walima .......................................................... from IINN Walima is the wedding reception given to friends and family after the consummation of marriage. It is given by the husband on this auspicious occassion, showing his happiness and sharing it with the friends and family. Abdur Rahman bin Auf said, "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to me, `Give a wedding banquet, even with one sheep.'" Narrated Abu Musa: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `Set the captives free, accept the invitation (including to a wedding banquet), and pay a visit to the patients.'" By this saying of the Prophet, peace be upon him, it is also enjoined upon us to join in the happiness of our brothers. 6. Duties & Rights After Marriage .................................. from IINN Duties and Rights of Husband and Wife after marriage: Allah informs us about the just rights of each other on us: But, in accordance with justice, the wife's rights (with regard to their husbands) are equal to the (husband's) rights with regard to them, although men are a degree above them; and Allah is Almighty, Wise. Qur'an [2 : 228] The statement that men are a degree above women means that authority within the household has been give to the husband in preference to the wife because a heavier burden has been placed on his shoulders by another verse of the Quran which says: Men shall take full care of women, because Allah has given the one more strength than the other, and because they support them from their means. Qur'an [4 : 34] 7. Advices to Husbands ............................................. from IINN Jabir Narrated that the Prophet, peace be upon him, gave these instructions in his sermon during Farewell Pilgrimage: "Fear God regarding women; for you have taken them [in marriage] with the trust of God." [Mishkat] Narrated Aisha, God's messenger said: "Among the believers who show most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition, and are kindest to their families." [Tirmidhi] Narrated Abu Huraira, God's messenger said: "The believers who show the most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition and the best of you are those who are best to their wives." [Tirmidhi] Aisha has related that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, would enter the house with a pleasing disposition and a smile on his lips. [Uswa-i-Hasana] Narrated Al-Aswad: "I asked Aisha, `What did the Prophet, peace be upon him, do at home?' She said, `He used to work for his family and when he heard the call for the prayer, he would go out.'" [Bukhari] Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `The woman is like a rib; if you try to straighten her, she will break. So if you want to get benefit from her, do so while she still has some bent.'" [Bukhari] Narrated Abu Huraira: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should not hurt (trouble) his neighbor. And I advise you to take care of women, for they are created from a rib and the most crooked portion of the rib is its upper part; if you try to straighten it, it will break, and if you leave it, it will reamin crooked, so I urge you to take care of women. [Bukhari] Narrated Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `O Abdullah! Have I not been informed that you fast all the day and stand in prayer all night?' I said, `Yes, O Allah's Apostle!' He said, `Do not do that! Observe the fast sometimes and also leave them at other times; stand up for the prayer at night and also sleep at night. Your body has a right over you and your wife has a right over you.'" [Bukhari] Narrated Ibn Umar: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a guardian and the man is a guardian of his family; the lady is a guardian who is responsible for her husband's house and his offspring; and so all of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards.'" Men should forbear any shortcomings of women in view of the following verse of Quran: Live with them in kindness; even if you dislike them, perhaps you dislike something in which God has place much good. Qur'an [4 : 19] 8. Advices to Wives ................................................ from IINN Anas reported God's messenger as saying, "When a woman observes the five times of prayer, fasts during Ramadan, preserves her chastity and obeys her husband, she may enter by any of the gates of paradise she wishes (in other words nothing will prevent her from entering paradise)." [Mishkat] Um Salma reported God's messenger as saying, "Any woman who dies when her husband is pleased with her will enter Paradise." [Tirmidhi] Abu Huraira told that when God's messenger was asked which woman was best, he replied, "The one who fills [her husband] with joy when he sees her, obeys him when he directs and does not oppose him by displeasing him regarding her person or property." [Mishkat] Providing for wife and family: Quran teaches us to be reasonable and fair to our wives and family. House women wherever you reside, accoding to your circumstances, and do not harass them in order to make life difficult for them. Qur'an [65 : 6] The statement of Allah in the chapter `Woman': `Men are protectors and maintainers of women.' Qur'an [4 : 34] Bukhari quotes the following verse under the heading: .. the superiority of providing for one's family: (O Mohammed!) They ask you what they ought to spend. Say: That which is beyond your needs. Thus Allah make clear to you His Signs in order that you may give thought (to it) in this worldly life and the Hereafter. Qur'an [2 : 219-220] Narrated Abu Masud Al-Ansari: "The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, `When a Muslim spends something on his family intending to receive Allah's reward, it is regarded as Sadqa (spending in the name of God) for him.'" We should always remember that Allah is the one who gives us, we are mere trustees of the funds. Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `Allah said, O the son of Adam! Spend, and I shall spend on you.'" Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle, peace be upon him, said, `The best alms is that which you give when you are rich, and you should support your dependants first.'" [Bukhari] Abu Huraira reported God's messenger, peace be upon him, as saying: "Of the dinar (unit of currency) that you spend as a contribution in God's path, or to set free a slave, or as charity given to a needy, or to support your family, the one yielding the greatest reward is that which you spent on your family. [Muslim] úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Announcements ................................................................ 9. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 10. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777- 7199; or or Tel: (312) 777-7443 or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 6 # References: Islam. Part 7 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:89 Archive-name: islam-faq/part7 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 7 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 7: Women In Islam Contents --Articles-- 1. Hijab (Veil) and Muslim Women ...................... from Ms.Naheed Mustafa 2. Women In Islam .................................................. from IINN 3. Women's Liberation through Islam ............................... from III&E 4. Human Rights - Equality ........................................ from III&E 5. Civil Rights - Freedom of Choice & ............................. from III&E 6. Social Rights .................................................. from III&E 7. Political Rights ............................................... from III&E 8. Economic Rightrs ............................................... from III&E 9. Rights of a Wife ............................................... from III&E 10. Duties of a Wife ............................................... from III&E 11. Conclusion - Rights of Women ................................... from III&E 12. Who Practices Polygamy? ........................................ from III&E --Announcements-- 13. Archive Info .............................................................. 14. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Hijab (Veil) and Muslim Women ...................... from Ms.Naheed Mustafa "My body is my own business" by Naheed in The Globe >Dated: 25 Sep 1993 16:35:02 -0500 MULTICULTURAL VOICES: A Canadian-born Muslim woman has taken to wearing the traditional hijab scarf. It tends to make people see her as either a terrorist or a symbol of oppressed womanhood, but she finds the experience LIBERATING. I OFTEN wonder whether people see me as a radical, fundamentalist Muslim terrorist packing an AK-47 assault rifle inside my jean jacket. Or may be they see me as the poster girl for oppressed womanhood everywhere. I'm not sure which it is. I get the whole gamut of strange looks, stares, and covert glances. You see, I wear the hijab, a scarf that covers my head, neck, and throat. I do this because I am a Muslim woman who believes her body is her own private concern. Young Muslim women are reclaiming the hijab, reinterpreting it in light of its original purpose -- to give back to women ultimate control of their own bodies. The Qur'an teaches us that men and women are equal, that individuals should not be judged according to gender, beauty, wealth, or privilege. The only thing that makes one person better than another is her or his character. Nonetheless, people have a difficult time relating to me. After all, I'm young, Canadian born and raised, university-educated -- why would I do this to myself, they ask. Strangers speak to me in loud, slow English and often appear to be playing charades. They politely inquire how I like living in Canada and whether or not the cold bothers me. If I'm in the right mood, it can be very amusing. But, why would I, a woman with all the advantages of a North American upbringing, suddenly, at 21, want to cover myself so that with the hijab and the other clothes I choose to wear, only my face and hands show? Because it gives me freedom. -o-o-o- WOMEN are taught from early childhood that their worth is proportional to their attractiveness. We feel compelled to pursue abstract notions of beauty, half realizing that such a pursuit is futile. When women reject this form of oppression, they face ridicule and contempt. Whether it's women who refuse to wear makeup or to shave their legs, or to expose their bodies, society, both men and women, have trouble dealing with them. In the Western world, the hijab has come to symbolize either forced silence or radical, unconscionable militancy. Actually, it's neither. It is simply a woman's assertion that judgment of her physical person is to play no role whatsoever in social interaction. Wearing the hijab has given me freedom from constant attention to my physical self. Because my appearance is not subjected to public scrutiny, my beauty, or perhaps lack of it, has been removed from the realm of what can legitimately be discussed. No one knows whether my hair looks as if I just stepped out of a salon, whether or not I can pinch an inch, or even if I have unsightly stretch marks. And because no one knows, no one cares. Feeling that one has to meet the impossible male standards of beauty is tiring and often humiliating. I should know, I spent my entire teen-age years trying to do it. It was a borderline bulimic and spent a lot of money I didn't have on potions and lotions in hopes of becoming the next Cindy Crawford. The definition of beauty is ever-changing; waifish is good, waifish is bad, athletic is good -- sorry, athletic is bad. Narrow hips? Great. Narrow hips? Too bad. Women are not going to achieve equality with the right to bear their breasts in public, as some people would like to have you believe. That would only make us party to our own objectification. True equality will be had only when women don't need to display themselves to get attention and won't need to defend their decision to keep their bodies to themselves. Naheed Mustafa graduated from the University of Toronto last year with an honours degree in political and history. She is currently studying journalism at Ryerson Polytechnic University NOTE: This article appeared in IINN (Islamic Information & News Network) publications. The Permission of Reprinting granted by "Islamic Information & News Network" (Muslims @ Asuacad.Bitnet). 2. Women In Islam .................................................. from IINN Source: Islamic Center of Southern California Typed in by: Ms.Iraj Ali SEPARATING FACTS FROM FICTION o Islam gave woman the right to reject a marriage proposal free from pressure and by mutual agreement to specify in the marriage contract that she has the right to divorce. If she deems the marriage to have failed beyond repair. o Islam does not require woman to change her name at marriage. o Islam protects the family and condemns the betrayal of marital fidelity. It recognize only one type of family, husband and wife united by authentic marriage contract. o "Heaven is at the feet of mothers" is a basic Islamic teachings. This article appeared in IINN (Islamic Information & News Network) publications. The Permission of Reprinting granted by "Islamic Information & News Network" (Muslims @ Asuacad.Bitnet). 3. Women's Liberation through Islam ............................... from III&E Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that the women's liberation movement began in the 20th century. Actually, the women's liberation movement was not begun by women but was revealed by God to a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad (peace be upon him), who is known as the last Prophet of Islam. The Qur'an and the Traditions of the Prophet (Hadith or Sunnah) are the sources from which every Muslim woman derives her rights and duties. 4. Human Rights - Equality ........................................ from III&E Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to God in glorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her humanity with men. In the Qur'an, in the first verse of the chapter entitled "Women," God says, "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul and from it its mate and from them both have spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah in Whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah has been a Watcher over you." (4:1) Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are equal in their humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil (as some religious believe) or then men would be evil also. Similarly, neither gender can be superior because it would be a contradiction of equality. 5. Civil Rights - Freedom of Choice & ............................. from III&E In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom of choice and expression based on recognition of her individual personality. First, she is free to choose her religion. The Qur'an states: "There is no compulsion in religion. Right has been made distinct from error." (2:256) Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas. There are many traditions of the Prophet (pbuh) which indicate women would pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning religion, economics and social matters. A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her name after marriage. A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legal disputes. In fact, in areas in which women are more familiar, their evidence is conclusive. 6. Social Rights .................................................. from III&E The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Seeking knowledge is a mandate for every Muslim (male and female)." This includes knowledge of the Qur'an and the Hadith as well as other knowledge. Men and women both have the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it is also their obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all spheres of life, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural talents and interests. While maintenance of a home, providing support to her husband, and bearing, raising and teaching of children are among the first and very highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the skills to work outside the home for the good of the community, she may do so as long as her family obligations are met. Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men and women despite their equality. Some types of work are more suitable for men and other types for women. This in no way diminishes either's effort nor its benefit. God will reward both sexes equally for the value of their work, though it may not necessarily be the same activity. Concerning motherhood, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "Heaven lies under the feet of mothers." This implies that the success of a society can be traced to the mothers that raised it. The first and greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security, affection, and training received from the mother. Therefore, a woman having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a skillful parent. 7. Political Rights ............................................... from III&E A right given to Muslim women by God 1400 years ago is the right to vote. On any public matter, a woman may voice her opinion and participate in politics. One example, narrated in the Qur'an (60:12), is that Muhammad (pbuh) is told that when the believing women come to him and swear their allegiance to Islam, he must accept their oath. This established the right of women to select their leader and publicly declare so. Finally, Islam does not forbid a woman from holding important positions in government. Abdur-Rahman Ibn Auf consulted many women before he recommended Uthman Ibn Affan to be the Caliph. 8. Economic Rights ................................................ from III&E The Qur'an states: "By the creation of the male and female; Verily, (the ends) ye strive for are diverse." (92:3-4) In these verses, God declares that He created men and women to be different, with unique roles, functions and skills. As in society, where there is a division of labor, so too in a family; each member has different responsibilities. Generally, Islam upholds that women are entrusted with the nurturing role, and men, with the guardian role. Therefore, women are given the right of financial support. The Qur'an states: "Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend of their wealth (for the support of women)." (4:34) This guardianship and greater financial responsibility is given to men, requires that they provide women with not only monetary support but also physical protection and kind and respectful treatment. The Muslim woman has the privilege to earn money, the right to own property, to enter into legal contracts and to manage all of her assets in any way she pleases. She can run her own business and no one has any claim on her earnings including her husband. The Qur'an states: "And in no wise covet those things in which Allah hath bestowed His gifts more freely on some of you than on others; to men is allotted what they earn, and to women, what they earn; but ask Allah of His bounty, for Allah hath full knowledge of all things." (4:32) A woman inherits from her relatives. The Qur'an states: "For men there is a share in what parents and relatives leave, and for women there is a share of what parents and relatives leave, whether it be little or much úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) - an ordained share." (4:7) 9. Rights of a Wife ............................................... from III&E The Qur'an states: "And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect." (30:21) Marriage is therefore not just a physical or emotional necessity, but in fact, a sign from God! It is a relationship of mutual rights and obligations based on divine guidance. God created men and women with complimentary natures, and in the Qur'an, He laid out a system of laws to support harmonious interaction between the sexes. "...They are your garments and you are their garments." (2:187) Clothing provides physical protection and covers the beauty and faults of the body. Likewise, a spouse is viewed this way. Each protects the other and hides the faults and compliments the characteristics of the spouse. To foster the love and security that comes with marriage, Muslim wives have various rights. The first of the wife's rights is to receive mahr, a gift from the husband which is part of the marriage contract and required for the legality of the marriage. The second right of a wife is maintenance. Despite any wealth she may have, her husband is obligated to provide her with food, shelter and clothing. He is not forced, however, to spend beyond his capability and his wife is not entitled to make unreasonable demands. The Qur'an states: "Let the man of means spend according to his means, and the man whose resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah puts no burden on any person beyond what He has given him." (65:7) God tells us men are guardians over women and are afforded the leadership in the family. His responsibility for obeying God extends to guiding his family to obey God at all times. A wife's rights also extend beyond material needs. She has the right to kind treatment. The Prophet (pbuh) said: "The most perfect believers are the best in conduct. And the best of you are those who are best to their wives." God tells us He created mates and put love, mercy, and tranquillity between them. Both men and women have a need for companionship and sexual needs, and marriage is designed to fulfill those needs. For one spouse to deny this satisfaction to the other, temptation exists to seek it elsewhere. 10. Duties of a Wife ............................................... from III&E With rights come responsibilities. Therefore, wives have certain obligations to their husbands. The Qur'an states: "The good women in the absence of their husbands guard their rights as Allah has enjoined upon them to be guarded." (4:34) A wife is to keep her husband's secrets and protect their marital privacy. Issues of intimacy or faults of his that would dishonor him, are not to be shared by the wife, just as he is expected to guard her honor. A wife must also guard her husband's property. She must safeguard his home and possessions, to the best of her ability, from theft or damage. She should manage the household affairs wisely so as to prevent loss or waste. She should not allow anyone to enter the house whom her husband dislikes nor incur any expenses of which her husband disapproves. A Muslim woman must cooperate and coordinate with her husband. There cannot, however, be cooperation with a man who is disobedient to God. She should not fulfill his requests if he wants her to do something unlawful. A husband also should not take advantage of his wife, but be considerate of her needs and happiness. 11. Conclusion - Rights of Women ................................... from III&E The Qur'an states: "And it becomes not a believing man or a believing women, when Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) have decided on an affair (for them), that they should (after that) claim any say in their affair; and whoso is rebellious to Allah and His Messenger, he verily goes astray in error manifest." (33:36) The Muslim woman was given a role, duties and rights 1400 years ago that most women do not enjoy today, even in the West. These are from God and are designed to keep balance in society; what may seem unjust or missing in one place is compensated for or explained in another place. Islam is a complete way of life. -- Mary Ali and Anjum Ali 12. Who Practices Polygamy? ........................................ from III&E Polygamy has been practiced by mankind for thousands of years. Many of the ancient Israelites were polygamous, some having hundreds of wives. King Solomon (peace be upon him) is said to have had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. David (Dawood) had ninety-nine and Jacob (Yacub, peace be upon them both) had four. Advice given by some Jewish wise men state that no man should marry more than four wives. No early society put any restrictions on the number of wives or put any conditions about how they were to be treated. Jesus was not known to have spoken against polygamy. As recently as the seventeenth century, polygamy was practiced and accepted by the Christian Church. The Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) has allowed and practiced polygamy in the United States. Monogamy was introduced into Christianity at the time of Paul when many revisions took place in Christianity. This was done in order for the church to conform to the Greco-Roman culture where men were monogamous but owned many slaves who were free for them to use: in other words, unrestricted polygamy. Early Christians invented ideas that women were "full of sin" and man was better off to "never marry." Since this would be the end of mankind these same people compromised and said "marry only one." In the American society many times when relations are strained, the husband simply deserts his wife. The he cohabits with a prostitute or other immoral woman without marriage. Actually there are three kinds of polygamy practiced in Western societies: (1) serial polygamy, that is, marriage, divorce, marriage, divorce, and so on any number of times; (2) a man married to one woman but having and supporting one or more mistresses; (3) an unmarried man having a number of mistresses. Islam condones but discourages the first and forbids the other two. Wars cause the number of women to greatly exceed the number of men. In a monogamous society these women, left without husbands or support, resort to prostitution, illicit relationships with married men resulting in illegitimate children with no responsibility on the part of the father, or lonely spinsterhood or widowhood. Some Western men take the position that monogamy protects the rights of women. But are these men really concerned about the rights of women? The society has so many practices which exploit and suppress women, leading to women's liberation movements from the suffragettes of the early twentieth century to the feminists of today. The truth of the matter is that monogamy protects men, allowing them to "play around" without responsibility. Easy birth control and easy legal abortion has opened the door of illicit sex to woman and she has been lured into the so-called sexual revolution. But she is still the one who suffers the trauma of abortion and the side effects of the birth control methods. Taking aside the plagues of venereal disease, herpes and AIDS, the male continues to enjoy himself free of worry. Men are the ones protected by monogamy while women continue to be victims of men's desires. Polygamy is very much opposed by the male dominated society because it would force men to face up to responsibility and fidelity. It would force them to take responsibility for their polygamous inclinations and would protect and provide for women and children. Among all the polygamous societies in history there were none which limited the number of wives. All of the relationships were unrestricted. In Islam, the regulations concerning polygamy limit the number of wives a man can have while making him responsible for all of the women involved. "Marry women of your choice, two or three or four; but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with them, then only one or one that your right hands possess. That will be more suitable, to prevent you from doing injustice." (Qur'an 4:3) This verse from the Qur'an allows a man to marry more than one woman but only if he can deal justly with them. Another verse says that a person is unable to deal justly between wives, thus giving permission but discouraging. "You will never be able to deal justly between wives however much you desire (to do so). But (if you have more than one wife) do not turn altogether away (from one), leaving her in suspense..." (Qur'an 4:129) While the provision for polygamy makes the social system flexible enough to deal with all kinds of conditions, it is not necessarily recommended or preferred by Islam. Taking the example of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is instructive. He was married to one woman, Khadijah, for twenty-five years. It was only after her death when he had reached the age of fifty that he entered into other marriages to promote friendships, create alliances or to be an example of some lesson to the community; also to show the Muslims how to treat their spouses under different conditions of life. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was given inspiration from Allah about how to deal with multiple marriages and the difficulties encountered therein. It is not an easy matter for a man to handle two wives, two families, and two households and still be just between the two. No man of reasonable intelligence would enter into this situation without a great deal of thought and very compelling reasons (other than sexual). Some people have said that the first wife must agree to the second marriage. Others have said that the couple can put it into the marriage contract that the man will not marry a second wife. First of all, neither the Qur'an nor Hadith state that the first wife need be consulted at all concerning a second marriage let alone gain her approval. Consideration and compassion on the part of the man for his first wife should prompt him to discuss the matter with her but he is not required to do so or to gain her approval. Secondly, the Qur'an has explicitly given permission for a man to marry "two or three or four." No one has the authority to make a contract forbidding something that has been granted by Allah. The bottom line in the marriage relationship is good morality and happiness, creating a just and cohesive society where the needs of men and women are well taken care of. The present Western society, which permits free sex between consenting adults, has given rise to an abundance of irresponsible sexual relationships, an abundance of "fatherless" children, many unmarried teenage mothers; all becoming a burden on the country's welfare system. In part, such an undesirable welfare burden has given rise to bloated budget deficits which even an economically powerful country like the United States cannot accommodate. Bloated budget deficits have become a political football which is affecting the political system of the United States. In short, we find that artificially created monogamy has become a factor in ruining the family structure, and the social, economic and political systems of the country. It must be a prophet, and indeed it was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who directed Muslims to get married or observe patience until one gets married. 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported Allah's messenger as saying, "Young man, those of you who can support a wife should marry, for it keeps you from looking at strange women and preserves you from immorality; but those who cannot should devote themselves to fasting, for it is a means of suppressing sexual desire." (Bukhari and Muslim) Islam wants people to be married and to develop a good family structure. Also Islam realizes the requirements of the society and the individual in special circumstances where polygamy can be the solution to problems. Therefore, Islam has allowed polygamy, limiting the number of wives to four, but does not require or even recommend polygamy. In the Muslim societies of our times, polygamy is not frequently practiced despite legal permission in many countries. It appears that the American male is very polygamous, getting away with not taking responsibility for the families he should be responsible for. --Mary Ali (NOTE: In this article polygamy has been used to mean polygyny meaning having two or more wives. Islam forbids polyandry meaning having two or more husbands.) Announcements ................................................................ 13. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 14. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Tel: (312) 777- 7443 Fax: (312) 777-7199; or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 7 # bedfellow.mit.edu faqserv rights in Islam References: Islam. Part 8 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:90 Archive-name: islam-faq/part8 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 8 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 8: Life after Death,Moral System & Human Rights in Islam Contents --Articles-- 1. Life After Death ............................................... from III&E 2. Moral System In Islam .......................................... from III&E 3. God Consciousness .............................................. from III&E 4. Social Responsibilities ........................................ from III&E 5. Parents & others ............................................... from III&E 6. Human Rights In Islam .......................................... from III&E 7. Human Rights in an Islamic State ............................... from III&E --Announcements-- 8. Archive Info .............................................................. 9. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Life After Death ............................................... from III&E The question whether there is a life after death does not fall under the jurisdiction of science, as science is concerned only with classification and analysis of data. Moreover, man has been busy with scientific inquiries and research, in the modern sense of the term, only for the last few centuries, while he has been familiar with the concept of life after death since times immemorial. All the prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death. They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt in it meant denying God and made all other beliefs meaningless. The very fact that all the prophets of God have dealt with this metaphysical question of life after death so confidently and so uniformly - the gap between their ages being thousands of years - goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of life after death as proclaimed by them all, was the same, i.e., Divine revelation. We also know that these prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of life after death, as their people thought it impossible. But in spite of opposition, the prophets won many sincere followers. The question arises: what made those followers forsake the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers, notwithstanding the risk of being totally alienated from their own community? The simple answer is: they made use of their faculties of mind and heart and realized the truth. Did they realize the truth through perceptual consciousness? Not so, as perceptual experience of life after death is impossible. Actually, God has given man, besides perceptual consciousness, rational, aesthetic and moral consciousness too. It is this consciousness that guides man regarding realities that cannot be verified through sensory data. That is why all the prophets of God while calling people to believe in God and life after death, appeal to the aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness of man. For example, when the idolaters of Makkah denied even the possibility of life after death, the Quran exposed the weakness of their stand by advancing very logical and rational arguments in support of it: "And he has coined for us a similitude, and has forgotten the fact of his creation, saying: who will revive these bones when they have rotted away? Say: He will revive them Who produced them at first, for He is the Knower of every creation, Who has appointed for you fire from the green tree, and behold! you kindle from it. Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth, able to create the like of them? Yes, and He is indeed the Supreme Creator, the All-Knowing." (36:78-81) At another occasion, the Quran very clearly says that the disbelievers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death. It is based on pure conjecture: "They say, 'There is nothing but our present life; we die, and we live, and nothing but Time destroys us.' Of that they have no knowledge; they merely conjecture. And when our revelations are recited to them, their only argument is that they say, 'Bring us our fathers, if you speak truly.' (45:24-25) Surely God will raise all the dead. But God has His own plan of things. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed and then again the dead will be resurrected to stand before God. That day will be the beginning of the life that will never end, and that Day every person will be rewarded by God according to his or her good or evil deed. The explanation that the Quran gives about the necessity of life after death is what the moral consciousness of man demands. Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes irrelevant, or even if one believes in God, that would be an unjust and indifferent God: having once created man and not concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants whose crimes are beyond count: having killed hundreds of innocent persons, created great corruptions in the society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc. Man's having a very short span of life in this world, and this physical world's too being not eternal, punishments or rewards equal to the evil or noble deeds of persons are not possible here. The Quran very emphatically states that the Day of Judgment must come and God will decide about the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds: "Those who disbelieve say: The Hour will never come unto us. Say: Nay, by my Lord, but it is coming unto you surely. (He is) the Knower of the Unseen. Not an atom's weight, or less than that or greater, escapes Him in the heavens or in the earth, but it is in a clear Record. That He may reward those who believe and do good words. For them is pardon and a rich provision. But those who strive against our revelations, challenging (Us), theirs will be a painful doom of wrath." (34:3- 5) The Day of Resurrection will be the Day when God's attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation. God will shower His Mercy on those who suffered for His sake in the worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them. But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state. Drawing a comparison between them, the Quran says: "Is he, then, to whom We have promised a goodly promise the fulfillment of which he will meet, like the one whom We have provided with the good things of this life, and then on the Day of Resurrection he will be of those who will be brought arraigned before God?" (28:61) The Quran also states that this worldly life is a preparation for the eternal life after death. But those who deny it become slaves of their passions and desires, make fun of virtuous and God-conscious persons. Such persons realize their folly only at the time of their death and wish to be given a further chance in the world but in vain. Their miserable state at the time of death, and the horror of the Day of Judgment, and the eternal bliss guaranteed to the sincere believers are very beautifully mentioned in the following verses of the Holy Quran: "Until, when death comes unto one of them, he says, 'My Lord send me back, that I may do right in that which I have left behind! But nay! It is but a word that he speaks; and behind them is a barrier until the day when they are raised. And when the Trumpet is blown there will be no kinship among them that day, nor will they ask of one another. Then those whose scales are heavy, they are successful. And those whose scales are light are those who lose their souls, in hell abiding, the fire burns their faces and they are glum therein." (23:99-104) The belief in life after death not only guarantees success in the Hereafter but also makes this world full of peace and happiness by making individuals most responsible and dutiful in their activities. Think of the people of Arabia. Gambling, wine, tribal feuds, plundering and murdering were their main traits when they had no belief in life after death. But as soon as they accepted the belief in One God and life after death they became the most disciplined nation of the world. They gave up their vices, helped each other in hours of need, and settled all their disputes on the basis of justice and equality. Similarly the denial of life after death has its consequences not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. When a nation as a whole denies it, all kinds of evils and corruptions become rampant in that society and ultimately it is destroyed. The Quran mentions the terrible end of 'Aad, Thamud and the Pharaoh in some detail: "(The tribes of) Thamud and 'Aad disbelieved in the judgment to come. As for Thamud, they were destroyed by the lightning, and as for 'Aad, they were destroyed by a fierce roaring wind, which He imposed on them for seven long nights and eight long days so that you might see the people laid prostrate in it as if they were the stumps of fallen down palm trees. "Now do you see remnant of them? Pharaoh likewise and those before him and the subverted cities. They committed errors and those before him, and they rebelled against the Messenger of their Lord, and He seized them with a surpassing grip. Lo, when the waters rose, We bore you in the running ship that We might make it a reminder for you and for heeding ears to hold. So when the Trumpet is blown with a single blast and the earth and the mountains are lifted up and crushed with a single blow, then on that day, the Terror shall come to pass, and the heaven shall be split for upon that day it will be very frail. Then as for him who is given his book in his right hand, he shall say, 'Here take and read my book! Certainly I thought I should encounter my reckoning.' So he shall be in a pleasing life in a lofty garden, its clusters nigh to gather. "'Eat and drink with wholesome appetite for that you did long ago, in the days gone by.' "But as for him who is given his book in his left hand, he shall say: 'Would that I had not been given my book and not known my reckoning! Would that it had been the end! My wealth has not availed me, my authority is gone from me.'" (69:4-29) Thus, there are very convincing reasons to believe in life after death. First, all the prophets of God have called their people to believe in it. Secondly, whenever a human society is built on the basis of this belief, it has been the most ideal and peaceful society, free of social and moral evils. Thirdly, history bears witness that whenever this belief is rejected collectively by a group of people in spite of the repeated warning of the Prophet, the group as a whole has been punished by God even in this world. Fourthly, moral, aesthetic and rational faculties of man endorse the possibility of life after death. Fifthly, God's attributes of Justice and Mercy have no meaning if there is no life after death. 2. Moral System In Islam .......................................... from III&E Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances. To achieve these rights Islam provides not only legal safeguards but also a very effective moral system. Thus whatever leads to the welfare of the individual or the society is morally good in Islam and whatever is injurious is morally bad. Islam attaches so much importance to the love of God and love of man that it warns against too much of formalism. We read in the Quran: "It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask; and for the freeing of captives; to be steadfast in prayers, and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-conscious." (2:177) We are given a beautiful description of the righteous and God- conscious man in these verses. He should obey salutary regulations, but he should fix his gaze on the love of God and the love of his fellow men. We are given four heads: a) Our faith should be true and sincere, b) We must be prepared to show it in deeds of charity to our fellow-men, c) We must be good citizens, supporting social organizations, and d) Our own individual soul must be firm and unshaken in all circumstances. This is the standard by which a particular mode of conduct is judged and classified as good or bad. This standard of judgment provides the nucleus around which the whole moral conduct should revolve. Before laying down any moral injunctions Islam seeks to firmly implant in man's heart the conviction that his dealings are with God who sees him at all times and in all places; that he may hide himself from the whole world but not from Him; that he may deceive everyone but cannot deceive God; that he can flee from the clutches of anyone else but not from God. Thus, by setting God's pleasure as the objective of man's life, Islam has furnished the highest possible standard of morality. This is bound to provide limitless avenues for the moral evolution of humanity. By making Divine revelations as the primary source of knowledge it gives permanence and stability to the moral standards which afford reasonable scope for genuine adjustments, adaptations and innovations, though not for perversions, wild variation, atomistic relativism or moral fluidity. It provides a sanction to morality in the love and fear of God, which will impel man to obey the moral law even without any external pressure. Through belief in God and the Day of Judgment it furnishes a force which enables a person to adopt the moral conduct with earnestness and sincerity, with all the devotion of heart and soul. It does not, through a false sense of originality and innovation, provide any novel moral virtues nor does it seek to minimize the importance of the well-known moral norms, nor does it give exaggerated importance to some and neglect others without cause. It takes up all the commonly known moral virtues and with a sense of balance and proportion it assigns a suitable place and function to each one of them in the total scheme of life. It widens the scope of man's individual and collective life - his domestic associations, his civic conduct, and his activities in the political, economic, legal, educational, and social realms. It covers his life from home to society, from the dining- table to the battlefield and peace conferences, literally from the cradle to the grave. In short, no sphere of life is exempt from the universal and comprehensive application of the moral principles of Islam. It makes morality reign supreme and ensures that the affairs of life, instead of dominated by selfish desires and petty interests, should be regulated by norms of morality. It stipulates for man a system of life which is based on all good and is free from all evil. It invokes the people, not only to practice virtue, but also to establish virtue and eradicate vice, to bid good and to forbid wrong. It wants that the verdict of conscience should prevail and virtue must not be subdued to play second fiddle to evil. Those who respond to this call are gathered together into a community and given the name "Muslim". And the singular object underlying the formation of this community ("Ummah") is that it should make an organized effort to úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) establish and enforce goodness and suppress and eradicate evil. Here we furnish some basic moral teachings of Islam for various aspects of a Muslim's life. They cover the broad spectrum of personal moral conduct of a Muslim as well as his social responsibilities. 3. God Consciousness .............................................. from III&E The Quran mentions it as the highest quality of a Muslim: "The most honorable among you in the sight of God is the one who is most God-conscious." (49:13) Humility, modesty, control of passions and desires, truthfulness, integrity, patience, steadfastness, and fulfilling one's promises are moral values which are emphasized again and again in the Quran. We read in the Quran: "And God loves those who are firm and steadfast." (3:146) "And vie with one another to attain to your Sustainer's forgiveness and to a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, which awaits the God-conscious, who spend for charity in time of plenty and in time of hardship, and restrain their anger, and pardon their fellow men, for God loves those who do good." (3:133-134) "Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong; and bear patiently whatever may befall you; for this is true constancy. And do not swell your cheek (with pride) at men, nor walk in insolence on the earth, for God does not love any man proud and boastful. And be moderate in your pace and lower your voice; for the harshest of sounds, indeed, is the braying of the ass." (31:18-19) In a way which summarizes the moral behavior of a Muslim, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "My Sustainer has given me nine commands: to remain conscious of God, whether in private or in public; to speak justly, whether angry or pleased; to show moderation both when poor and when rich, to reunite friendship with those who have broken off with me; to give to him who refuses me; that my silence should be occupied with thought; that my looking should be an admonition; and that I should command what is right." 4. Social Responsibilities ........................................ from III&E The teachings of Islam concerning social responsibilities are based on kindness and consideration of others. Since a broad injunction to be kind is likely to be ignored in specific situations, Islam lays emphasis on specific acts of kindness and defines the responsibilities and rights of various relationships. In a widening circle of relationship, then, our first obligation is to our immediate family - parents, husband or wife and children, then to other relatives, neighbors, friends and acquaintances, orphans and widows, the needy of the community, our fellow Muslims, all our fellow human beings and animals. 5. Parents & others ............................................... from III&E Respect and care for parents is very much stressed in the Islamic teaching and is a very important part of a Muslim's expression of faith. "Your Sustainer has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your lifetime, do not say to them a word of contempt nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say: My Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." (17:23-24) OTHER RELATIVES "And render to the relatives their due rights, as (also) to those in need, and to the traveler; and do not squander your wealth in the manner of a spendthrift." (17:26) NEIGHBORS The Prophet (PBUH) has said: "He is not a believer who eats his fill when his neighbor beside him is hungry"; and: "He does not believe whose neighbors are not safe from his injurious conduct." Actually, according to the Quran and Sunnah, a Muslim has to discharge his moral responsibility not only to his parents, relatives and neighbors but to the entire mankind, animals and trees and plants. For example, hunting of birds and animals for the sake of game is not permitted. Similarly, cutting trees and plants which yield fruit is forbidden unless there is a very pressing need for it. Thus, on the basic moral characteristics, Islam builds a higher system of morality by virtue of which mankind can realize its greatest potential. Islam purifies the soul from self-seeking egotism, tyranny, wantonness and indiscipline. It creates God-conscious men, devoted to their ideals, possessed of piety, abstinence and discipline and uncompromising with falsehood, It induces feelings of moral responsibility and fosters the capacity for self control. Islam generates kindness, generosity, mercy, sympathy, peace, disinterested goodwill, scrupulous fairness and truthfulness towards all creation in all situations. It nourishes noble qualities from which only good may be expected. 6. Human Rights In Islam .......................................... from III&E Since God is the absolute and the sole master of men and the universe, He is the sovereign Lord, the Sustainer and Nourisher, the Merciful, Whose mercy enshrines all beings; and since He has given each man human dignity and honor, and breathed into him of His own spirit, it follows that, united in Him and through Him, and apart from their other human attributes, men are substantially the same and no tangible and actual distinction can be made among them, on account of their accidental differences such as nationality, color or race. Every human being is thereby related to all others and all become one community of brotherhood in their honorable and pleasant servitude to the most compassionate Lord of the Universe. In such a heavenly atmosphere the Islamic confession of the oneness of God stands dominant and central, and necessarily entails the concept of the oneness of humanity and the brotherhood of mankind. Although an Islamic state may be set up in any part of the earth, Islam does not seek to restrict human rights or privileges to the geographical limits of its own state. Islam has laid down some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed and respected under all circumstances whether such a person is resident within the territory of the Islamic state or outside it, whether he is at peace or at war. The Quran very clearly states: "O believers, be you securers of justice, witness for God. Let not detestation for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable - that is nearer to God-fearing." (5:8) Human blood is sacred in any case and cannot be spilled without justification. And if anyone violates this sanctity of human blood by killing a soul without justification, the Quran equates it to the killing of entire mankind. "...Whoso slays a soul not to retaliate for a soul slain, nor for corruption done in the land, should be as if he had slain mankind altogether." (5:32) It is not permissible to oppress women, children, old people, the sick or the wounded. Women's honor and chastity are to be respected under all circumstances. The hungry person must be fed, the naked clothed and the wounded or diseased treated medically irrespective of whether they belong to the Islamic community or are from among its enemies. When we speak of human rights in Islam we really mean that these rights have been granted by God; they have not been granted by any king or by any legislative assembly. The rights granted by the kings or the legislative assemblies, can also be withdrawn in the same manner in which they are conferred. The same is the case with the rights accepted and recognized by the dictators. They can confer them when they please and withdraw them when they wish; and they can openly violate them when they like. But since in Islam human rights have been conferred by God, no legislative assembly in the world or any government on earth has the right or authority to make any amendment or change in the rights conferred by God. No one has the right to abrogate them or withdraw them. Nor are they basic human rights which are conferred on paper for the sake of show and exhibition and denied in actual life when the show is over. Nor are they like philosophical concepts which have no sanctions behind them. The charter and the proclamations and the resolutions of the United Nations cannot be compared with the rights sanctioned by God; because the former are not applicable on anybody while the latter are applicable on every believer. They are a part and parcel of the Islamic Faith. Every Muslim or administrator who claims himself to be Muslim, will have to accept, recognize and enforce them. If they fail to enforce them, and start denying the rights that have been guaranteed by God or make amendments and changes in them, or practically violate them while paying lip service to them, the verdict of the Holy Quran for such government is clear and unequivocal: "Those who do not judge by what God has sent down are the disbelievers." (5:44) 7. Human Rights in an Islamic State ............................... from III&E 1. THE SECURITY OF LIFE AND PROPERTY: In the address which the Prophet delivered on the occasion of the Farewell Hajj, he said: "Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection." The Prophet has also said about the dhimmis (the non-Muslim citizens of the Muslim state): "One who kills a man under covenant (i.e., dhimmi) will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise." 2. THE PROTECTION OF HONOR: The Holy Quran lays down: i) "You who believe, do not let one (set of) people make fun of another s= et." ii) "Do not defame one another." iii) "Do not insult by using nicknames." iv) "Do not backbite or speak ill of one another." (49:11-12) 3. SANCTITY AND SECURITY OF PRIVATE LIFE: The Quran has laid down the injunction: i) "Do not spy on one another." (49:12) ii) "Do not enter any houses unless you are sure of their occupant's consent." (24:27) 4. THE SECURITY OF PERSONAL FREEDOM: Islam has laid down the principle that no citizen can be imprisoned unless his guilt has been proven in an open court. To arrest a man only on the basis of suspicion and to throw him into a prison without proper court proceedings and without providing him a reasonable opportunity to produce his defense is not permissible in Islam. 5. THE RIGHT TO PROTEST AGAINST TYRANNY: Among the rights that Islam has conferred on human beings is the right to protest against government's tyranny. Referring to it the Quran says: "God does not love evil talk in public unless it is by someone who has been injured thereby." (4:148) In Islam, as has been argued earlier, all power and authority belong to God, and with man there is only delegated power which becomes a trust; everyone who becomes a recipient of such a power has to stand in awful reverence before his people toward whom and for whose sake he will be called upon to use these powers. This was acknowledged by Hazrat Abu Bakr who said in his very first address: "Cooperate with me when I am right but correct me when I commit error; obey me so long as I follow the commandments of Allah and His Prophet; but turn away from me when I deviate." 6. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Islam gives the right of freedom of thought and expression to all citizens of the Islamic state on the condition that it should be used for the propagation of virtue and truth and not for spreading evil and wickedness. The Islamic concept of freedom of expression is much superior to the concept prevalent in the West. Under no circumstances would Islam allow evil and wickedness to be propagated. It also does not give anybody the right to use abusive or offensive language in the name of criticism. It was the practice of the Muslims to enquire from the Holy Prophet whether on a certain matter a divine injunction had been revealed to him. If he said that he had received no divine injunction, the Muslims freely expressed their opinion on the matter. 7. FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION: Islam has also given people the right to freedom of association and formation of parties or organizations. This right is also subject to certain general rules. 8. FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE AND CONVICTION: Islam has laid down the injunction: "There should be no coercion in the matter of faith." (2:256) On the contrary, totalitarian societies totally deprive the individuals of their freedom. Indeed, this undue exaltation of the state authority curiously enough postulates a sort of servitude, of slavishness on the part of man. At one time slavery meant total control of man over man - now that type of slavery has been legally abolished but in its place totalitarian societies impose a similar sort of control over individuals. 9. PROTECTION OF RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS: Along with the freedom of conviction and freedom of conscience, Islam has given the right to the individual that his religious sentiments will be given due respect and nothing will be said or done which may encroach upon his right. 10. PROTECTION FROM ARBITRARY IMPRISONMENT: Islam also recognizes the right of the individual not to be arrested or imprisoned for the offenses of others. The Holy Quran has laid down this principle clearly: "No bearer of burdens shall be made to bear the burden of another." (35:18) 11. THE RIGHT TO BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE: Islam has recognized the right of the needy people for help and assistance to be provided to them: "And in their wealth there is acknowledged right for the needy and the destitute." (51:19) 12. EQUALITY BEFORE LAW: Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law. 13. RULERS NOT ABOVE THE LAW: A woman belonging to a high and noble family was arrested in connection with theft. The case was brought to the Prophet, and it was recommended that she might be spared the punishment of theft. The Prophet replied: "The nations that lived before you were destroyed by God because they punished the common man for their offenses and let their dignitaries go unpunished for their crimes; I swear by Him Who holds my life in His hand that even if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, had committed this crime, I would have amputated her hand." 14. THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE AFFAIRS OF STATE: "And their business is (conducted) through consultation among themselves." (42:38) The "Shura" or the legislative assembly has no other meaning except that the executive head of the government and the members of the assembly should be elected by free and independent choice of the people. Lastly, it is to be made clear that Islam tries to achieve the above mentioned human rights and many others not only by providing certain legal safeguards but mainly by inviting mankind to transcend the lower level of animal life to be able to go beyond the mere ties fostered by the kinship of blood, racial superiority, linguistic arrogance, and economic privileges. It invites mankind to move on to a plane of existence where, by reason of his inner excellence, man can realize the ideal of the Brotherhood of man. Announcements ................................................................ 8. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 9. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Tel: (312) 777- 7443 Fax: (312) 777-7199; or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 8 # References: Islam. Part 9 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:91 Archive-name: islam-faq/part9 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 9 __________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 9: Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Contents --Articles-- 1. Prophethood In Islam ........................................... from III&E 2. Is Jesus Really God? ........................................... from III&E 3. God is All Knowing... Jesus was not ............................ from III&E 4. God is All-Powerful... Jesus was not ........................... from III&E 5. God does not have a God ........................................ from III&E 6. God is Invisible ............................................... from III&E 7. No one is Greater than GOD ..................................... from III&E 8. Conclusion on Jesus ............................................ from III&E 9. Word of God about Jesus ........................................ from III&E 10. Who Invented Trinity? .......................................... from III&E 11. Trinity in the Bible ........................................... from III&E 12. Doctrine Takes Shape ........................................... from III&E 13. Formal Doctrine is Drawnup ..................................... from III&E 14. Church Puts its Foot down ...................................... from III&E 15. Debate Continues ............................................... from III&E 16. Islam and the Matter of The Trinity ............................ from III&E --Announcements-- 17. Archive Info .............................................................. 18. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Prophethood In Islam ........................................... from III&E Prophethood is not unknown to heavenly revealed religions, such as Judaism and Christianity. In Islam, however, it has a special status and significance. According to Islam, Allah created man for a noble purpose: to worship Him and lead a virtuous life based on His teachings and guidance. How would man know his role and purpose of his existence unless he received clear and practical instructions of what Allah wants him to do? Here comes the need for prophethood. Thus Allah had chosen from every nation a prophet or more to covey His Message to people. One might ask: How were the prophets chosen and who were entitled to this great honor? Prophethood is Allah's blessing and favor that He may bestow on whom He wills. However, from surveying the various messengers throughout history, three features of a prophet may be recognized: 1. He is the best in his community morally and intellectually. This is necessary because a prophet's life serves as a model for his followers. His personality should attract people to accept his message rather than drive them away by his imperfect character. After receiving the message he is infallible. That is, he would not commit any sin. He might make some minor mistakes which are usually corrected by revelation. 2. He is supported by miracles to prove that he is not an impostor. Those miracles are granted by the power and permission of God and are usually in the field in which his people excel and are recognized as superiors. We might illustrate this by quoting the major miracles of the three prophets of the major world religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Moses' contemporaries were excellent in magic. So his major miracle was to defeat the best magicians of Egypt of his days. Jesus' contemporaries were recognized as skillful physicians. Therefore, his miracles were to raise the dead and cure the incurable diseases. The Arabs, the contemporaries of the Prophet Mohammed, were known for their eloquence and magnificent poetry. So Prophet Muhammad's major miracle was the Quran, the equivalent of which the whole legion of the Arab poets and orators could not produce despite the repeated challenge from the Quran itself. Again Muhammad's miracle has something special about it. All previous miracles were limited by time and place, i.e., they were shown to specific people at a specific time. Not so the miracle of Muhammad, the Quran. It is a universal and everlasting miracle. Previous generations witnessed it and future generations will witness its miraculous nature in terms of its style, content and spiritual uplifting. These still can be tested and will thereby prove the divine origin of the Quran. 3. Every prophet states clearly that what he receives is not of his own but from God for the well-being of mankind. He also confirms what was revealed before him and what may be revealed after him. A prophet does this to show that he is simply conveying the message which is entrusted to him by the One True God of all people in all ages. So the message is one in essence and for the same purpose. Therefore, it should not deviate from what was revealed before him or what might come after him. Prophets are necessary for conveying God's instructions and guidance to mankind. We have no way of knowing why we were created. What will happen to us after death? Is there any life after death? Are we accountable for our actions? In other words, is there any reward or punishment for our deeds in this life? These and so many other questions about God, angels, paradise, hell, etc. can not be answered without revelation from the Creator and Knower of the unseen. Those answers must be authentic and must be brought by individuals whom we trust and respect. That is why, messengers are the select of their societies in terms of moral conduct and intellectual ability. Hence, the slanderous Biblical stories about some of the great prophets are not accepted by Muslims. For example, Lot is reported to have committed fornication while drunk, with his daughters; or David sent one his leaders to death to marry his wife. Prophets to Muslims are greater than what these stories indicate. These stories can not be true from the Islamic point of view. The prophets are also miraculously supported by God and instructed by Him to affirm the continuity of the message. The content of the prophets' message to mankind can be summarized as follows: a) Clear concept about God: His attributes, His creation, what should and should not be ascribed to Him. b) Clear idea about the unseen world, the angels, jinn (spirits), Paradise and Hell. c) Why has God created us? What does He want from us and what is the reward or punishment for obeying or disobeying Him? d) How to run our societies according to His will? That is, clear instructions and laws that, when applied correctly and honestly, will result in a happy and ideal society. It is clear from the above discussion that there is no substitute for prophets. Even today with the advancement of science, the only authentic source of information about the supernatural world is revelation. Guidance can be obtained neither from science nor from mystic experience. The first is too materialistic and too limited; the second is too subjective and frequently too misleading. Now one might ask: How many prophets has God sent to humanity? We do not know for sure. Some Muslim scholars have suggested 240 thousand prophets. We are only sure of what is clearly mentioned in the Quran, that is, God has sent a messenger (or more) to every nation. That is because it is one of God's principles that He will never call a people to account unless He has made clear to them what to do and what not to do. The Quran mentions the names of 25 prophets and indicates that there have been others who were not mentioned to the Prophet Mohammed. These 25 include Noah, the man of the Ark, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. These five are the greatest among God's messengers. They are called 'the resolute' prophets. An outstanding aspect of the Islamic belief in prophethood is that Muslims believe in and respect all the messengers of God with no exceptions. Since all the prophets came from the same One God, for the same purpose - to lead mankind to God - belief in them all is essential and logical; accepting some and rejecting others has to be based on misconceptions of the prophets' role or racial bias. The Muslims are the only people in the world who consider the belief in all the prophets of God an article of faith. Thus the Jews reject Jesus Christ and Muhammad; the Christians reject Muhammad and in reality reject Moses because they do not abide by his laws. The Muslims accept them all as messengers of God who brought guidance to mankind. However, the revelation which those prophets brought from God has been tampered with in one way or the other. The belief in all the messengers of God is enjoined on the Muslims by the Quran. "Say (O Muslims): we believe in Allah and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael, and Isaac and Jacob, and their children, and that which Moses and Jesus received and that the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them and unto Him we have surrendered." (2:136) The Quran continues in the following verses to instruct the Muslims that this is the true and impartial belief. If other nations believe in the same, they are following their own whims and biases and God will take care of them. Thus we read: "And if they believe in what you believe, then they are rightly guided. But if they turn away, then they are in disunity, and Allah will suffice you against them. He is the Hearer, the Knower. This is God's religion and Who is better than God in religion?" (2:137-38) There are, at least, two important points related to prophethood that need to be clarified. These points concern the roles of Jesus and Muhammad as prophets who are usually misunderstood. The Quranic account of Jesus emphatically rejects the concept of his 'Divinity' and 'Divine Sonship' and presents him as one of the great prophets of God. The Quran makes it clear that the birth of Jesus without a father does not make him son of God and mentions in this respect Adam who was created by God without a father and mother: "Truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then said He unto him, 'Be', and he was." (3:59) Like other prophets Jesus also performed miracles. For example, he raised the dead and cured the blind and lepers, but while showing these miracles he always made it clear that it was all from God. Actually the misconceptions about the personality and mission of Jesus found a way among his followers because the Divine message that he preached was not recorded during his presence in the world, rather it was recorded after a lapse of about hundred years. According to the Quran he was sent to the children of Israel; he confirmed the validity of the Torah which was revealed to Moses and he also brought the glad tidings of a final messenger after him. "And when Jesus son of Mary said, 'Children of Israel, I am indeed the Messenger to you, confirming the Torah that is before me, and giving good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name shall be the PRAISED ONE." (61:6) (The capitalized portion is the translation of Ahmad which is Prophet Muhammed's name.) However, the majority of the Jews rejected his ministry. They plotted against his life and in their opinion crucified him. But the Quran refutes this opinion and says that they neither killed him nor crucified him, rather he was raised up to God. There is a verse in the Quran, which implies that Jesus will come back and all the Christians and Jews believe in him before he dies. This is also supported by authentic sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) The last prophet of God, Muhammad, was born in Arabia in the sixth century C.E. Up to the age of forty, people of Makkah knew him only as a man of excellent character and cultured manners and called him AL- AMEEN (the trustworthy). He also did not know that he was soon to made a prophet and receiver of revelation from God. He called the idolaters of Makkah to worship the only one God and accept him as His prophet. The revelation that he received was preserved in his life-time in the memory of his companions and was also recorded in pieces of palm leaves, leather etc... Thus the Quran that is found today is the same that was revealed to him; not a syllable of it has been altered as God Himself has guaranteed its preservation. This Quran claims to be the book of guidance for the whole humanity for all times, and mentions Muhammad as the last Prophet of God. 2. Is Jesus Really God? ........................................... from III&E Without a doubt, you have often heard the claim that Jesus is God, the second person in the "Holy Trinity." However, the very Bible which is used as a basis for knowledge about Jesus and as the basis for doctrine within Christianity clearly believes this claim. We urge you to consult your own Bible and verify that the following conclusions are not drawn out of context: 3. God is All Knowing... Jesus was not ............................ from III&E When speaking of the Day of Judgment, Jesus clearly gave evidence of a limitation on his knowledge when he said, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in Heaven, neither the son, but the father." (Mark 13:32, and Matt. 24:36) But God knows all. His knowledge is without any limitations. That Jesus, of his own admission, did not know when the day of judgment would be, is clear proof that Jesus is not all-knowing, and that Jesus is therefore not God. 4. God is All-Powerful... Jesus was not ........................... from III&E While Jesus performed many miracles, he himself admitted that the power he had was not his own but was derived from God when he said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the father do..." (John 5:19) Again he said, "I can of mine own self do nothing: As I hear I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not mine own will but the will of the Father which has sent me." (John 5:30) But God is not only All-Powerful, He is also the source of all power and authority. That Jesus, of his own admission, could do nothing on his own is clear proof that Jesus is not all- powerful, and that therefore Jesus is not God. 5. God does not have a God ........................................ from III&E GOD DOES NOT HAVE A GOD.....BUT JESUS DID HAVE A GOD God is the ultimate judge and refuge for all, and He does not call upon nor pray to any others. But Jesus acknowledged that there was One whom he worshipped and to Whom he prayed when he said, "I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." (John 20:17) He is also reported to have cried out while on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matt. 27:46) If Jesus were God, then couldn't this be read, "Myself, myself, why hast thou forsaken me?" Would that not be pure nonsense? When Jesus prayed the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:2-4), was he praying to himself? When in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed, "O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: Nevertheless, not as I will but as thou wilt." (Matt. 26:36- 39) Was Jesus praying to himself? That Jesus, of his own admission and by his own actions, acknowledged, worshipped, and prayed to another being as God is clear proof that Jesus himself is not God. úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) 6. God is Invisible ............................................... from III&E ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE GOD IS AN INVISIBLE SPIRIT.... BUT JESUS WAS FLESH AND BLOOD While thousands saw Jesus and heard his voice, Jesus himself said that this could not be done with God when he said: "No man hath seen God at any time." (John 1:18) "Ye have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His shape." (John 5:37) He also said in John 4:24: "God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." That Jesus would say that no one had seen or heard God at any time, while his followers both saw and heard him, is clear proof that Jesus was not God. 7. No one is Greater than GOD ..................................... from III&E NO ONE IS GREATER THAN GOD AND NO ONE CAN DIRECT HIM.... BUT JESUS ACKNOWLEDGED SOMEONE GREATER THAN HIMSELF WHOSE WILL WAS DISTINCT FROM HIS OWN Perhaps the clearest indication we have that Jesus and God are not equal, and therefore not one and the same, come again from the mouth of Jesus himself who said in John 14:28: "My Father is greater than I." When someone referred to him as good master in Luke 18:19, Jesus responded: "Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God..." furthermore, Jesus drew clear distinctions between himself and God when he said, "I proceeded forth and came from God, neither came I of myself but He sent me." (John 8:42) Jesus gave clear evidence of his subordination to God, rather than his equality with God, when he said in Luke 22:42, "not my will but Thine be done" and in John 5:30, "I seek not mine own will but the will of the Father which has sent me." That Jesus would admit that he did not come into the world on his own initiative but was directed to do so, that he would acknowledge another being as greater than himself, and that he would negate his own will in deference to affirming the will of another, give clear proof that Jesus is not the Supreme One and therefore Jesus is not God. 8. Conclusion on Jesus ............................................ from III&E The Church recognizes the Bible as the primary source of knowledge about God and Jesus. But since the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is not the Supreme Being and the Supreme Being is not Jesus, upon what basis have you come to believe otherwise? My brother or sister, the belief that the Supreme Being is a Trinity is false and completely inconsistent with the words of Jesus as presented in the Bible. God is one, not three. He is a perfect unity. If you are interested in the truth about God and your relationship to Him, we invite you to investigate the religion of Islam. 9. Word of God about Jesus ........................................ from III&E REGARDING THE SONSHIP OF JESUS: "That is Jesus, son of Mary, in word of truth, concerning which they are doubting. It is not for God to take a son unto Him. Glory be to Him! When He decrees a thing, He but says to it 'Be', and it is." (Qur'an 19:34, 35) "And they say, 'the All-Merciful has taken unto Himself a son.' You have indeed advanced something hideous. The heavens are well nigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the mountains well nigh fall down crashing for that they have attributed to the All-Merciful a son; and it behooves not the All-Merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and earth but he comes to the All-Merciful as a servant." (Qur'an 19:88-93) "Truly the likeness of Jesus, in God's sight, is as Adam's likeness; He created him of dust, then said He unto him, 'Be', and he was." (Qur'an 3:59) "People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the Truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He committed to Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not, 'Three.' Refrain; better is it for you. God is only One God. Glory be to Him - that He should have a son! To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth; God suffices for a guardian." (Qur'an 4:171) B. REGARDING JESUS BEING GOD: "And when God said, 'O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say unto men, "Take me and my mother as gods, apart from God?"' He said, 'To You be glory! It is not mine to say what I have no right to. If I indeed said it, You knew it, knowing what is within my soul, and I do not know what is within Your soul; You know the things unseen. I only said to them what You did command me: "Serve God, my Lord and your Lord." And I was a witness over them, while I remained among them; but when You did take me to Yourself the Watcher over them; You are the witness of everything.'" (Qur'an 5:116, 117) C. REGARDING CRUCIFIXION OF JESUS "And for their unbelief, and their uttering against Mary a mighty calumny, and for their saying, 'We slew the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God'...yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them. Those who are at variance concerning him surely are in doubt regarding him, they have no knowledge of him, except the following of surmise; and they did not slay him of certainty...no indeed; God raised him up to Him; God is Almighty, All-Wise. There is not one of the People of the Book but will assuredly believe in him before his death, and on the Resurrection Day, he will be a witness against them." (Qur'an 4:156-159) 10. Who Invented Trinity? .......................................... from III&E The three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - all purport to share one fundamental concept: belief in God as the Supreme Being, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Known as "tawhid" in Islam, this concept of the Oneness of God was stressed by Moses in a Biblical passage known as the "Shema," or the Jewish creed of faith: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." (Deuteronomy 6:4) It was repeated word-for-word approximately 1500 years later by Jesus when he said: "...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord." (Mark 12:29) Muhammad came along approximately 600 years later, bringing the same message again: "And your God is One God: There is no God but He, ..." (The Qur'an 2:163) Christianity has digressed from the concept of the Oneness of God, however, into a vague and mysterious doctrine that was formulated during the fourth century. This doctrine, which continues to be a source of controversy both within and without the Christian religion, is known as the Doctrine of the Trinity. Simply put, the Christian doctrine of the Trinity states that God is the union of three divine persons - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - in one divine being. If that concept, put in basic terms, sounds confusing, the flowery language in the actual text of the doctrine lends even more mystery to the matter: "...we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity... for there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Ghost is all one... they are not three gods, but one God... the whole three persons are co-eternal and co-equal... he therefore that will be save must thus think of the Trinity..." (excerpts from the Athanasian Creed) Let's put this together in a different form: one person, God the Father + one person, God the Son + one person, God the Holy Ghost = one person, God the What? Is this English or is this gibberish? It is said that Athanasius, the bishop who formulated this doctrine, confessed that the more he wrote on the matter, the less capable he was of clearly expressing his thoughts regarding it. How did such a confusing doctrine get its start? 11. Trinity in the Bible ........................................... from III&E References in the Bible to a Trinity of divine beings are vague, at best. In Matthew 28:19, we find Jesus telling his disciples to go out and preach to all nations. While the "Great Commission" does make mention of the three persons who later become components of the Trinity, the phrase "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" is quite clearly an addition to Biblical text - that is, not the actual words of Jesus - as can be seen by two factors: 1) Baptism in the early Church, as discussed by Paul in his letters, was done only in the name of Jesus; and 2) The "Great Commission" was found in the first gospel written, that of Mark, bears no mention of Father, Son and/or Holy Ghost - see Mark 16:15. The only other reference in the Bible to a Trinity can be found in the Epistle of I John 5:7, Biblical scholars of today, however, have admitted that the phrase "...there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" is definitely a "later addition" to Biblical test, and it is not found in any of today's versions of the Bible. It can, therefore, be seen that the concept of a Trinity of divine beings was not an idea put forth by Jesus or any other prophet of God. This doctrine, now subscribed to by Christians all over the world, is entirely man-made in origin. 12. Doctrine Takes Shape ........................................... from III&E While Paul of Tarsus, the man who could rightfully be considered the true founder of Christianity, did formulate many of its doctrines, that of the Trinity was not among them. He did, however, lay the groundwork for such when he put forth the idea of Jesus being a "divine Son." After all, a Son does need a Father, and what about a vehicle for God's revelations to man? In essence, Paul named the principal players, but it was the later Church people who put the matter together. Tertullian, a lawyer and presbyter of the third century Church in Carthage, was the first to use the word "Trinity" when he put forth the theory that the Son and the Spirit participate in the being of God, but all are of one being of substance with the Father. 13. Formal Doctrine is Drawnup ..................................... from III&E When controversy over the matter of the Trinity blew up in 318 between two church men from Alexandria - Arius, the deacon, and Alexander, his bishop - Emperor Constantine stepped into the fray. Although Christian dogma was a complete mystery to him, he did realize that a unified church was necessary for a strong kingdom. When negotiation failed to settle the dispute, Constantine called for the first ecumenical council in Church history in order to settle the matter once and for all. Six weeks after the 300 bishops first gathered at Nicea in 325, the doctrine of the Trinity was hammered out. The God of the Christians was now seen as having three essences, or natures, in the form of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 14. Church Puts its Foot down ...................................... from III&E The matter was far from settled, however, despite high hopes for such on the part of Constantine. Arius and the new bishop of Alexandria, a man named Athanasius, began arguing over the matter even as the Nicene Creed was being signed; "Arianism" became a catch-word from that time onward for anyone who did not hold to the doctrine of the Trinity. It wasn't until 451, at the Council of Chalcedon that, with the approval of the Pope, the Nicene/Constantinople Creed was set as authoritative. Debate on the matter was no longer tolerated; to speak out against the Trinity was now considered blasphemy, and such earned stiff sentences that ranged from mutilation to death. Christians now turned on Christians, maiming and slaughtering thousands because of a difference of opinion. 15. Debate Continues ............................................... from III&E Brutal punishments and even death did not stop the controversy over the doctrine of the Trinity, however, and the said controversy continues even today. The majority of Christians, when asked to explain this fundamental doctrine of their faith, can offer nothing more than "I believe it because I was told to do so." It is explained away as "mystery" - yet the Bible says in I Corinthians 14:33 that "... God is not the author of confusion..." The Unitarian denomination of Christianity has kept alive the teachings of Arius in saying that God is one; they do not believe in the Trinity. As a result, mainstream Christians abhor them, and the National Council of Churches has refused their admittance. In Unitarianism, the hope is kept alive that Christians will someday return to the preachings of Jesus: "...Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve." (Luke 4:8) 16. Islam and the Matter of The Trinity ............................ from III&E While Christianity may have a problem defining the essence of God, such is not the case in Islam. "They do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity, for there is no god except One God." (Qur'an 5:73) It is worth noting that the Arabic language Bible uses the name "Allah" as the name of God. Suzanne Haneef, in her book WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ISLAM AND MUSLIMS (Library of Islam, 1985), puts the matter quite succinctly when she says, "But God is not like a pie or an apple which can be divided into three thirds which form one whole; if God is three persons or possesses three parts, He is assuredly not the Single, Unique, Indivisible Being which God is and which Christianity professes to believe in." (pp. 183-184) Looking at it from another angle, the Trinity designates God as being three separate entities - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. If God is the Father and also the Son, He would then be the Father of Himself because He is His own Son. This is not exactly logical. Christianity claims to be a monotheistic religion. Monotheism, however, has as its fundamental belief that God is One; the Christian doctrine of the Trinity - God being Three-in-One - is seen by Islam as a form of polytheism. Christians don't revere just One God, they revere three. This is a charge not taken lightly by Christians, however. They, in turn, accuse the Muslims of not even knowing what the Trinity is, pointing out that the Qur'an sets it up as Allah the Father, Jesus the Son, and Mary his mother. While veneration of Mary has been a figment of the Catholic Church since 431 when she was given the title "Mother of God" by the Council of Ephesus, a closer examination of the verse in the Qur'an most often cited by Christians in support of their accusation, shows that the designation of Mary by the Qur'an as a "member" of the Trinity, is simply not true. While the Qur'an does condemn both trinitarianism (the Qur'an 4:17) and the worship of Jesus and his mother Mary (the Qur'an 5:116), nowhere does it identify the actual three components of the Christian Trinity. The position of the Qur'an is that WHO or WHAT comprises this doctrine is not important; what is important is that the very notion of a Trinity is an affront against the concept of One God. In conclusion, we see that the doctrine of the Trinity is a concept conceived entirely by man; there is no sanction whatsoever from God to be found regarding the matter simply because the whole idea of a Trinity of divine beings has no place in monotheism. In the Qur'an, God's Final Revelations to mankind, we find His stand quite clearly stated in a number of eloquent passages: "...your God is One God: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner." (Qur'an 18:110) "...take not, with God, another object of worship, lest you should be thrown into Hell, blameworthy and rejected." (Qur'an 17:39) "...Because, as God tells us over and over again in a Message that is echoed throughout All His Revealed Scriptures: "...I am your Lord and Cherisher: therefore, serve Me (and no other)..." (Qur'an 21:92) -- Aisha Brown Announcements ................................................................ 17. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 18. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Tel: (312) 777- 7443 Fax: (312) 777-7199; or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 9 # References: Islam. Part 10 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:92 Archive-name: islam-faq/part10 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 10 ___________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 10: Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Contents --Articles-- 1. COMPARISON: Islam & Farrakhanism ............................... from III&E 2. - God/Allah Alone .............................................. from III&E 3. - Prophet/Messenger ............................................ from III&E 4. - Last Day/Life Hereafter ...................................... from III&E 5. - The Qur'an ................................................... from III&E 6. - The Bible .................................................... from III&E 7. - Shahadah ..................................................... from III&E 8. - Salah ........................................................ from III&E 9. - Zakah ........................................................ from III&E 10. - Sawm ......................................................... from III&E 11. - Hajj ......................................................... from III&E 12. - Lawful (halal); Unlawful (haram) ............................. from III&E 13. - Authentic Hadith ............................................. from III&E 14. Knowing the True Islam ......................................... from III&E 15. AL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ: MALCOM X ............................. from III&E 16. His Pilgrimage to Makkah ....................................... from III&E 17. Islamic Brotherhood ............................................ from III&E 18. Legacy of Malcolm X ............................................ from III&E --Announcements-- 19. Archive Info .............................................................. 20. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. COMPARISON: Islam & Farrakhanism ............................... from III&E ISLAM, and so-called "NATION OF ISLAM," are two different religions. The only thing common between them is the jargon, the language used by the both. "The Nation of Islam" is a misnomer; this religion should be called Farrakhanism, after the name of its propagator. The religion of Elijah Muhammad and W.D. Fard died with their death because their officially and popularly elected successor, W.D. Muhammad, integrated the community with the Muslim community at-large, following the Qur'an and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Louis Farrakhan joined W.D. Muhammad and gave his pledge of allegiance to him after Elijah Muhammad's death; he later rebelled and broke his oath with impunity, or without paying any expiation, and restarted "The Nation of Islam." Examine the following comparisons between Islam and Farrakhanism with regard to the belief or practice in each: Belief/Practice 2. - God/Allah Alone .............................................. from III&E ISLAM: One Unique, never appeared in any physical form; hence, no physical representation is possible. He is recognized through his 99 names. FARRAKHANISM: "...Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard Muhammad, July 1930; the long awaited 'Messiah' of the Christians and the 'Mahdi' of the Muslims." 3. - Prophet/Messenger ............................................ from III&E ISLAM: Muhammad (S) is the last Prophet and the last Messenger. No messenger or prophet will come after Muhammad (S). FARRAKHANISM: Elijah Muhammad was a "Messenger of Allah." Are there any more messengers or prophets to come? Not clear. 4. - Last Day/Life Hereafter ...................................... from III&E ISLAM: The life on earth as we know it will come to an end; it will be followed by the life hereafter which includes physical resurrection of the entire humankind, judgement and the life of paradise or hell. FARRAKHANISM: "...BELIEVE in the resurrection of the dead - not in physical resurrection, but in mental resurrection." "No already physically dead person will be in the Hereafter; that is slavery belief, taught to slaves to keep them under control." "When you are dead, you are DEAD." 5. - The Qur'an ................................................... from III&E ISLAM: It was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S) between 610 and 632 C.E. It is the last revelation of Allah to mankind. FARRAKHANISM: Contradictory beliefs. On one side, "...BELIEVE in the Holy Qur'an and in the scriptures of all the Prophets of God," and on the other side, "We, the original nation of the earth ... are the writers of the Bible and Qur'an. We make such history once every 25,000 years ... it is done by twenty-four of our scientists." "Both the present Bible and the Holy Qur'an must soon give way to the Holy Book..." 6. - The Bible .................................................... from III&E ISLAM: It was revealed to prophets and messengers from Moses (alaihis salam) to Jesus (A) but was corrupted. Authenticity of statements in the Bible are judged by the Qur'an. FARRAKHANISM: (See their beliefs above regarding the Qur'an) 7. - Shahadah ..................................................... from III&E ISLAM: It means what it says, that is, Allah is Unseen, He is the Creator, the Sustainer. Mankind is accountable to Him Alone, and Prophet Muhammad (S) of Arabia is the final and ultimate ROLE MODEL; no one can substitute for him. FARRAKHANISM: A cover up to deceive gullible Muslims. "Allah (God) appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad," and Muhammad of Arabia (S) was one of the prophets, not a role model for our times. The real role model and lawgiver for our times is Elijah Muhammad. 8. - Salah ........................................................ from III&E ISLAM: Five times a day is required; SALAH (prayer) includes QIYAM (standing), RUKU' (bowing), SAJDA (prostration), JALSA (sitting on the floor) and recitations. FARRAKHANISM: No five times daily SALAH (prayer); prayer, when done has no RUKU' or SAJDA. Friday is a major congregational prayer day, not for SALAH, but to say DU'A and to listen to a Minister. 9. - Zakah ........................................................ from III&E ISLAM: Required on accumulated wealth after having in possession for one year above the NISAB (certain limits), as defined in SHARI'A (Islamic law). FARRAKHANISM: It is a tax as "poor due" on income, similar to income tax. Who benefits? 10. - Sawm ......................................................... from III&E ISLAM: Fasting is required in the month of Ramadan, ninth month of Islamic calendar. FARRAKHANISM: Fasting is required in December only. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is optional. 11. - Hajj ......................................................... from III&E ISLAM: Required once in a lifetime if conditions of finances, health, and safety of travel are met. FARRAKHANISM: No Hajj requirement. Farrakhan and his cronies take trips to Saudi Arabia, and by the way, to Makkah for the main purpose of image building and to raise funds from gullible rich Arabs. 12. - Lawful (halal); Unlawful (haram) ............................. from III&E ISLAM: Determined by Allah, the God Alone, announced in the Qur'an or by the Prophet Muhammad (S), recorded in the authentic Hadith sources. FARRAKHANISM: Determined by W.D. Fard and announced by Elijah Muhammad. The Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (S) have no relevance nor authority with regard to lawful and unlawful. 13. - Authentic Hadith ............................................. from III&E ISLAM: An indispensable source of Islamic beliefs and practices, the only source after the Qur'an. Indispensable for the understanding of the Qur'an itself. FARRAKHANISM: Ignored, if not totally rejected by Farrakhanis. However, the leadership, including Farrakhan himself, may invoke Hadith if it suits their purpose to fool gullible Muslims. [ -- M. Amir Ali, Ph.D. References for Farrakhanism quotes are given in the author's article: ISLAM OR FARRAKHANISM. ] 14. Knowing the True Islam ......................................... from III&E There are many groups in America who claim to represent Islam and call their adherents Muslims. Any serious student of Islam has a duty to investigate and find the true Islam. The only two authentic sources which bind every Muslim are, (1) the Qur'an and (2) authentic or sound Hadith. Sometimes, Fiqh is quoted as a source. However, only that part of fiqh is a true source and binding which quotes directly Qur'an and authentic Hadith. All other parts of fiqh are opinions of learned scholars. Since scholars are not prophets or messengers of Allah, they are fallible people. Hence their opinions may be correct or may not be correct; they do not become binding. Any teachings under the label of "Islam" which contradict or are at variance with the direct understanding of fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam from the Qur'an and authentic Hadith should be rejected, and such a religion should be considered a PSEUDO- ISLAMIC CULT. In America there are many pseudo-Islamic cults, Farrakhanism being one of them. An honest attitude on the part of such cults should be not to call themselves Muslims and their religion Islam. Such an example of honesty is Bahaism which is an off-shoot of Islam, but Bahais do not call themselves Muslims nor their religion, Islam. In fact, Bahaism is not Islam just as Farrakhanism is not Islam. The foundation of Islam consists of TAWHEED, RISALAH, and AAKHIRAH. And "five pillars" of Islam are SHAHADAH, SALAH, ZAKAH, SAWM and HAJJ. The rest of the building of Islam consists of SHARI'A which includes HARAM and HALAL, RIGHTS and DUTIES, MORAL CODE, CONVEYING THE MESSAGE, IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RULE OF ALLAH and EXCELLENCE in everything Muslims do. Any claims of Islam should be judged on the criteria given in this paragraph. If the foundation and pillars of a building are demolished there is no building left. Such is the case with pseudo-Islamic cults, including Farrakhanism. For details request the booklet, HOW TO PRESENT ISLAM, A RATIONAL APPROACH by the author of this brochure. 15. AL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ: MALCOM X ............................. from III&E Twenty-five years after his death, Malcolm X, Al-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz, still towers above the statue of liberty. He refuses to die. Wherever injustice and oppression takes place, his smiling face and uncompromising message fill the atmosphere. Yes, they killed the body but not the spirit. When he was alive, Brother Shabazz was the most feared man in America. And, the most loved. The situation hasn't changed. For the deprived and the oppressed African-Americans, Brother Shabazz continues to be the hero, the inspiration that makes it possible for them to maintain their sanity and dignity in a vile society which can't stop despising them. We, as Muslims, are often angered to see Br. Shabazz identified as a Black Nationalist rather than a Muslim. While the anger is justified, we must understand that people generally emphasize the aspect of a leader's life which is in harmony with their own aspirations. While some African-Americans will continue to invoke the nationalist side of Br. Shabazz, it is for us to see that his Islamic personality is projected to the world! 16. His Pilgrimage to Makkah ....................................... from III&E When he was in Makkah, Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz wrote a letter to his loyal assistants in Harlem... from his heart: úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) "Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors. "I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca, I have made my seven circuits around the Ka'ba, led by a young Mutawaf named Muhammad, I drank water from the well of the Zam Zam. I ran seven times back and forth between the hills of Mt. Al-Safa and Al Marwah. I have prayed in the ancient city of Mina, and I have prayed on Mt. Arafat. "There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white. "America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white - but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color. "You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth. "During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept on the same rug - while praying to the same God - with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of the white Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana. "We were truly all the same (brothers) - because their belief in one God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from their attitude. "I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man - and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their 'differences' in color. "With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so- called 'Christian' white American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to save America from imminent disaster - the same destruction brought upon Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves. "Each hour here in the Holy Land enables me to have greater spiritual insights into what is happening in America between black and white. The American Negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities - he is only reacting to four hundred years of the conscious racism of the American whites. But as racism leads America up the suicide path, I do believe, from the experiences that I have had with them, that the whites of the younger generation, in the colleges and universities, will see the handwriting on the walls and many of them will turn to the spiritual path of truth - the only way left to America to ward off the disaster that racism inevitably must lead to. "Never have I been so highly honored. Never have I been made to feel more humble and unworthy. Who would believe the blessings that have been heaped upon an American Negro? A few nights ago, a man who would be called in America a white man, a United Nations diplomat, an ambassador, a companion of kings, gave me his hotel suite, his bed. Never would I have even thought of dreaming that I would ever be a recipient of such honors - honors that in America would be bestowed upon a King - not a Negro. "All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds. "Sincerely, "Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz" (Malcolm X) (From the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X with assistance from Alex Haley, the author of ROOTS) Malcolm X saw and experienced many positive things. Generosity and openheartedness were qualities which were impressed on him by the welcome which he received in many places. He saw brotherhood and the brotherhood of different races and this led him to disclaim racism and to say: "I am not a racist... In the past I permitted myself to be used... to make sweeping indictments of all white people, the entire white race, and these generalizations have caused injuries to some whites who perhaps did not deserve to be hurt. Because of the spiritual enlightenment which I was blessed to receive as the result of my recent pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, I no longer subscribe to sweeping indictments of any one race. I am now striving to live the life of a true Sunni Muslim. I must repeat that I am not a racist nor do I subscribe to the tenets of racism. I can state in all sincerity that I wish nothing but freedom, justice and equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people." Malcolm X was vehemently anti-White. That's the way he was taught as a 'Black Muslim.' But his trip for Hajj changed all of that. He came to see that all men are equal, regardless of their color. True anti- racism is color blindness. That is what he preached on his return to the United States. And that is why he was assassinated. While he preached separatism, keeping people aware of color differences, that was OK. Blacks vs. Whites is an acceptable dialect. But when Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz started to preach the Oneness of God and the equality of races, and was prepared to act in any lawful (halal) means necessary, he had to go: Truth vs. Falsehood is an unacceptable dialect. Islam believes in the unity of the human race. Islam says that all mankind are the creatures of One God, they are all equal. Division of color, class, race or territory are sheer illusions; and ideologies which are based on such distinctions are the greatest menace on earth. Humanity is one single family of God, there can be no sanction for these barriers. Men are one and not White or Black, Aryan of Non- Aryan, Occidental or Oriental. Islam is based on the universal brotherhood of man and practices universal brotherhood of man. But the importance of this concept is of great value as it is the only solution to national and international problems. This is said to be the age of freedom and restoring unto every man his dignity, and despite all the phenomenal changes in the political stage of the world, our age is still unable to think in terms of human dignity, and this is the dark specter of social concern of our time. For, despite man's conquest of space and mastery over the forces of nature, man has not been able to rid himself of the primeval prejudice of race and color. The stark reality of our time has brought in its trail a great desolation and frustration as we find ourselves face to face with chaos, wars, the miserable conditions of living of the masses of mankind and the exploitation of one nation by another, and this leads to selfishness, fear, hatred; class, tribe and race discrimination; and subsequently the division of man against man is the order of the day, even in the so-called Socialist countries. Islam's greatest contribution to mankind was the abolition and extinction of distinction based on race and color. The Holy Qur'an declared: "Mankind were one community, then they differed among themselves, so God raised Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners..." (Al- Qur'an 2:213) "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female; and made you into nations and tribes, that you might get to know one another. The noblest of you, in the sight of God, is he who is the most righteous. God is All-Knowing and Wise." (Al-Qur'an 49:13) >From the above verses, it is clear that the whole of humanity from its diverse races, was originally one, deriving its existence from One Creator and that all barriers that separate humanity by race and color must vanish and the superiority of a person be judged by his conduct only. A good Muslim considers himself a fusion of all races. Anyone who enters into the fold of Islam becomes part and parcel of this fraternity, forgetting all pride and prejudice. On the basis of this principle, Islam seeks to build an intellectual, moral, ideological and international society, as against the existing tribal, racial, linguistic and national societies, which have turned the world into a racio-color holocaust. 17. Islamic Brotherhood ............................................ from III&E "No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality of status, of opportunity and endeavour so many and so varied races of mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia, perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam has still the power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an indispensable condition." (H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, p. 379) "The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam and in the contemporary world there is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic virtue..." (A.J. Toynbee, CIVILIZATION ON TRIAL, New York, p. 205) "How, for instance, can any other appeal stand against that of the Moslem who, in approaching the pagan, says to him, however obscure or degraded he may be 'Embrace the faith, and you are at once equal and a brother.' Islam knows no color line." (S. S. Leeder, VEILED MYSTERIES OF EGYPT) 18. Legacy of Malcolm X ............................................ from III&E Malcolm X was born into Christianity as Malcolm Little and died in Islam as Malik Shabazz. This is something to think about and is an expression of his legacy. Malcolm X went through the transition period of the religion of the "Nation of Islam," a religion of American origin borrowing some terms from the Muslim culture of the East. For information about differences between Islam and the so-called "Nation of Islam" request the brochure "Islam and Farrakhanism Compared" and the booklet "Islam or Farrakhanism" (for a donation ) from III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129. It appears that Malik Shabazz went through five stages in his short life. The first stage was his childhood under the shadows of his religious parents. The second stage was his adolescence to youth until his moving out to Harlem, NY. This was a rowdy and irresponsible stage of his life which eventually landed him in prison. The fourth stage of his life was in the "Nation of Islam" which was not real Islam. In the "Nation of Islam," on one side, Malcolm was a very disciplined man; on the other side he became a black racist, a separatist and a demagogue. In the fifth and final stage of his youthful life, Malik Shabazz reached the apex which he could only achieve in real Islam, not in the cultist "Nation of Islam." Malik Shabazz entered the real Islam as a result of his journey to Makkah (Mecca is a misspelling). In Islam he became moderate and conciliatory. He shed his racism. The legacy of Malcolm X is the real Islam taught to us by the Prophet Muhammad of Arabia, not the racist cult of the "Nation of Islam," presently lead by Louis Farrakhan and others who branched out of the old following of Elijah Muhammad. However, Elijah's son, Wallace D. Muhammad, now known as Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, moved away from his father's religion. He is coming to the real Islam adopted by Malik Shabazz for which Malcolm was assassinated. Malik Shabazz shall be remembered by all Muslims as a martyr for the cause of Allah. If you want to know more about the real Islam followed by Malik Shabazz in his last days, call or write to III&E. P.O. Box 41129 Chicago, IL 60641-0129 Fax. (312) 777-7199 Announcements ................................................................ 19. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 20. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Tel: (312) 777- 7443 Fax: (312) 777-7199; or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 10 # Resources on Internet References: Islam. Part 11 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:93 Archive-name: islam-faq/part11 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 11 ___________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods _____________________________________________________________ PART 11: Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Contents --Articles-- 1. Introduction .............................................................. 2. Retrieving files using FTP ................................................ 3. Major FTP Sites for Islamic Material on Internet .......................... 4. FTP Sites for Holy Quran .................................................. 5. FTP Sites for Hadith ...................................................... 6. FTP Sites for Islamic Literature .......................................... 7. Using Gopher .............................................................. 8. Gopher Sites with Islamic Literature ...................................... 9. Holy Quran & Hadith Available Thru Gopher ................................. 10. About World-Wide-Web ...................................................... 11. Web Servers with Islamic Material ......................................... 12. LISTSERV Lists on Islam ................................................... 13. Islamic Newsgroups on USENET .............................................. 14. Software: Islamic Prayer Timers ........................................... --Announcements-- 15. Archive Info .............................................................. 16. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Introduction .............................................................. The Islamic resources available on the network have increased many folds and continue to increase. This document attempts to cover almost all the know resources. The listing is sorted by protocols. An information site may be accessible by several protocols and provide pointers to other sites. Hence, there may be some duplication. In addition, all resources listed were verified as of August 25, 1994. and Jan 10, 1995. Holy Quran & Hadith: Please use the translations on your own risk. No claim on authencity of the text is guaranteed. Caltech MSA has undertaken the task verifying the text of Holy Quran translations against the published & authenticated translations. This task is expected to take several months, starting August 1994. Any additions/changes to the resources cited are welcome. 2. Retrieving files using FTP ................................................ Anonymous File Transfer Protocol: This is a standard setup on internet. It allows a user to use 'ftp' command to connect to a site and download files. The following may be help to the new users. How to down load files using FTP: ________________________________ % ftp _name_of_the_site Login: anonymous Password: _your_email_address_ Dir: From the listing provided. File Extensions: .Z or .zip or .tar ____________________________________ The files may be in different formats. A file maybe an executable program or just a text file. Most files are compressed to save the disk storage space. Here is a list to identify the files. .zip DOS compression .Z UNIX compression .tar UNIX file bundle .gz GNU zip File Transfer Mode: __________________ it is a good idea to use 'binary' transfer, especially for .tar files. To set the 'binary' mode at 'ftp' prompt type: "binary" ftp> binary To Retrieve a File: ftp> get _file_name_ To Change Directory: ftp> cd _directory_path_ 3. Major FTP Sites for Islamic Material on Internet .......................... This index is by site name, index by subject follows later. A- Name: Caltech MSA Site -1- Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Directory: /pub/calmsa B- Name: Caltech MSA Site -2- Site: ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu Directory: /pub/calmsa C- Name: Boston University Site: cs-ftp.bu.edu Directory: /amass/Islam/Quran/ D- Name: Islam Net (on Rahut.net) Site: ftp.rahul.net Direcotry: /pub/islamnet 4. FTP Sites for Holy Quran .................................................. MAJOR SITES: Hosting Several Translations of Holy Quran. ___________________________________________________________ Boston University FTP Site ___________________________________________________________ SITE:cs-ftp.bu.edu DIRECTORY: /amass/Islam/Quran/ README arabic-by-eyler.hqx trans- pickthal.text.gz and-translations.text.Z arabic-by-eyler.text trans- yousufali.text.gz ___________________________________________________________ Caltech UGCS FTP Site (Caltech MSA/IINN FTP Site-2-) ___________________________________________________________ SITE:ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu DIRECTORY: /pub/cms/Quran/ Quran-Picthall.Z System-7.01-&-Arabic.sea.#1.hqx Quran-Shakir.tar.Z System-7.01-&-Arabic.sea.#2.hqx Quran-and-trans.sea.#1.hqx pickthal.txt.sea.hqx Quran-and-trans.sea.#2.hqx yusufali.txt.sea.hqx Quran.sea.hqx ___________________________________________________________ Caltech CCO FTP Site (Caltech MSA/IINN FTP Site-1-) ___________________________________________________________ SITE:ftp.cco.caltech.edu DIRECTORY: /pub/cms/Quran/ Quran-Picthall.Z Quran-Shakir.tar.Z Quran.readme ___________________________________________________________ FILE: Quran.tar.Z etlport.etl.go.jp /pub/NeXT/Literature/working/Quran.tar.Z nova.cc.purdue.edu /pub/next/Literature/working/Quran.tar.Z roxette.mty.itesm.mx /pub/next/Literature/working/Quran.tar.Z sonata.cc.purdue.edu /pub/next/Literature/working/Quran.tar.Z ftp.uu.net /doc/literary/obi/Religion/Quran.tar.Z unix.hensa.ac.uk /pub/uunet/doc/literary/obi/Religion/Quran.tar.Z ftp.princeton.edu /pub/Quran.tar.Z OTHER FORMAT: gatekeeper.dec.com /.8/misc/scripture/quran/ phoenix.oulu.fi /pub/quran/quran.tar slopoke.mlb.semi.harris.com /pub/doc/quran.tar.Z ftp.rahul.net /pub/islamnet/quran/trans-pickthal.text.Z Courtesy: Islamic Information & News Network (IINN) Muslims @ Asuacad.BITnet 5. FTP Sites for Hadith ...................................................... ___________________________________________________________ Caltech UGCS FTP Site (Caltech MSA/IINN FTP Site-2-) ___________________________________________________________ SITE:ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu DIRECTORY: /pub/cms/Hadith/ Bukhari.Z hadith.2.Z hadith.qudsi.2.Z hadith.1.Z hadith.Z hadith.qudsi.Z ___________________________________________________________ Caltech CCO FTP Site (Caltech MSA/IINN FTP Site-1-) ___________________________________________________________ SITE:ftp.cco.caltech.edu DIRECTORY: /pub/cms/Quran/ Bukhari hadith.1.Z hadith.qudsi.2.Z Hadith.2.cr.Z hadith.2.Z hadith.qudsi.Z ___________________________________________________________ IslamNet FTP Site ___________________________________________________________ SITE: ftp.rahul.net DIRECTORY: /pub/islamnet/hadith hadith.1.Z hadith.qudsi.2.Z Bukhari.Z hadith.2.Z hadith.qudsi.Z Courtesy: Islamic Information & News Network (IINN) Muslims @ Asuacad.BITnet 6. FTP Sites for Islamic Literature .......................................... ___________________________________________________________ Boston University FTP Site ___________________________________________________________ SITE: cs-ftp.bu.edu DIRECTORY: /amass/Islam Contact Person(s): Mohammad Jamil Sawar (sawar@cbl.leeds.ac.uk) Images/ crescent-93.text ramadan-boston94.ps Prayer-scheds/ crescent-sighting.text ramadan-boston94.tex Praytimer/ fatiha-stack.doc takbyr.dvi Quran/ fatiha-stack.hqx takbyr.ps Sounds/ praytimer.tar.Z crescent-92.text ramadan-boston94.dvi ___________________________________________________________ Caltech CCO FTP Site (Caltech MSA/IINN FTP Site-1-) ___________________________________________________________ SITE: ftp.cco.caltech.edu DIRECTORY: /pub/calmsa Contact Person(s): Asim Mughal & Asif Khaliq (calmsa@cco.caltech.edu) 33windows.creator emaan islamic.centers DSS_ascii.1QH.txt environment istiqamat Hadith/ faq.ari kashmir.pns94 ITimer21.README faq.bit.muslims knowledge ITimer21.exe faq.iinn last.sermon ITimer21.shar faq.iinn.muslims mercy.ayat IslamicTimer-2.0.shar faq.sri.2.3 miracles Muhammad.prophet finality.1 mosque.why Quran/ finality.2 muhammed.bible README.FIRST finality.3 perseverance.job README.OLD finality.4 political.order README.OLD.2 fundamentals prayer.f README.calmsa hijab.protect praytime.zip README.cms humanrights quotron/ README.instruct iiie/ ramadan.meaning arafat.day iinn.survey94 resurrection belief.unbelief ijtihad revelation books index.quran ritual.prayers booksellers.list index.surah sahaba bosnia/ info.amana status.women bosnia.aid.info introtoislam tawhid cfv.bosnia islam-faq/ treatise.nature cfv.scm islam-rc.92 treatise.quran cfv.tri islam-rc.old way.to.quran christ.islam islam.focus wedding.in.islam consequences islam.glance worldly.gain cybermuslim.v2.0 islam.is.future educators islam.west ___________________________________________________________ Caltech UGCS FTP Site (Caltech MSA/IINN FTP Site-2-) ___________________________________________________________ SITE:ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu DIRECTORY: /pub/cms Contact Person(s): Asim Mughal (calmsa@cco.caltech.edu) CMS.README README.calmsa emaan.Z CMS.README.OLD README.cms forums.Z Hadith/ Shakir-suras/ ijtihad.Z ITimer21.README bonsia.Z islam-rc.1.1.Z ITimer21.exe books.Z islam-rc.1.1a.Z ITimer21.shar books.list.2.Z marriage.Z Islam.introduction.Z bosnia.Z prayer.f.Z IslamicTimer-2.0.shar.Z bosnia.video.Z think.Z úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Quran/ cms.readme.Z treatise.Z README.FILES educators.Z ___________________________________________________________ IslamNet FTP site ___________________________________________________________ SITE:ftp.rahul.net DIRECTORY: /pub/islamnet/articles christ.islam.Z islamic.centers.txt.Z ritual.prayers.Z cybermuslim.guide.Z last.sermon.Z sahaba.Z emaan.Z marriage.Z science.Z food.halal.Z muhammed.bible.Z status.women.Z fundamen.txt.Z praytime.zip tawhid.Z humanrig.txt.Z ramadan.meaning.Z way.to.quran.Z Courtesy: Islamic Information & News Network (IINN) Muslims @ Asuacad.BITnet 7. Using Gopher .............................................................. The "Gopher" is a client/server based information delivery setup. Gopher clients connect to a Gopher Server loaded with information. A Gopher Server may be connected to hundreds of other Gopher servers. This connection is transparent to the user. To use the gopher system, you should have 'Gopher client' on your local system. TO Access Gopher with Gopher Client: Type: % gopher server_name 70 To Access Gopher without Gopher Client: You may wish to use a public telnet gopher site. You may use any of the following: Hostname Login Area ------------------------- ------------- consultant.micro.umn.edu gopher North America ux1.cso.uiuc.edu gopher North America gopher.msu.edu gopher North America gopher.ebone.net gopher Europe 8. Gopher Sites with Islamic Literature ...................................... A- GOPHER LATIF.COM 70 As of December 01, '93 Islamic material is available thru gopher services as well. To access: % gopher latif.com 70 Contact Name: Br. Yaakob Abdullah (yaakob@latif.com) B- GOPHER GOPHER.CALTECH.EDU 70 The ftp site maintained by Caltech MSA carrying files archived by Islamic Information & News Network (muslims@asuacad.bitnet) is now accessible thru gopher. The gopher server is: gopher.caltech.edu \Computing Information \CCO anonymous FTP site \pub \calmsa For Quick Access: % gopher gopher.caltech.edu 70 gopher.caltech.edu is linked to world-wide network of gophers. Contact Name: (Asim Mughal) calmsa@cco.caltech.edu [MSA Acct] mughal@alumni.caltech.edu C- GOPHER WINGS.BUFFALO.EDU 70 The gopher server is: wings.buffalo.edu and choose #10 from the first menu (Student Life and Services/) #12 from the second (Undergraduate Student Association/) #2 from the third (The Muslim Student Association/) Contact Name: hkhalak@ren.hwi.buffalo.edu (Hanif Khalak) COURTESY: Islamic Information & News Network (MUSLIMS@PSUVM.BITnet) 9. Holy Quran & Hadith Available Thru Gopher ................................. HADITH AVAILABLE THRU GOPHER: TO ACCESS: % gopher This will connect to your root gopher. If gopher is NOT setup on your site, go to the end of the document for 'Public Telnet Sites for Gopher.' SITE-1- % gopher cwis.usc.edu Please select the following in sequence: --> 4. Campus Life/ --> 5. Student Organizations/ --> 3. Muslim Students Association/ SITE-2- % gopher umicc.umich.edu --> 2. UMCC FTP archives and user's gopher entries/ --> 6. users/ --> 4. Abdullah Haydar's Stuff/ or --> 7. Omar Haydar, MSA/ SITE-3- % gopher gopher.caltech.edu --> 4. Computing Information/ --> 1. CCO anonymous ftp archive/ --> 6. pub/ --> 12. calmsa/ SITE-4- % gopher wings.buffalo.edu --> 10. Student Life and Services/ --> 12. Undergraduate Student Association/ --> 2. The Muslim Student Association/ 10. About World-Wide-Web ...................................................... World-Wide-Web (WWW) makes it possible to browse thru resources and fetch documents using hypertext. Hypertext is a text with pointers to other text. Selecting hypertext opens up the text listed in the pointer. With a WWW browser, one may browse thru information in several protocols, e.g. FTP, gopher, telnet. etc. This is achieved by calling up information using 'Unified Resource Locators' (URL). Breakdown of URL: protocol://machinename:port:/path/filename e.g. http://info.cern.ch:80/default.html ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/mirrors WWW provides 'integrated services.' Common WWW interface is 'Mosaic.' A new WWW interface is 'Netscape.' 11. Web Servers with Islamic Material ......................................... SITE-1: http://latif.com/welcome.html Maintainer: yakkob@latif.com SITE-2: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa Maintainer: calmsa@cco.caltech.edu SITE-3: http://www.clark.net/pub/murple/home.html SITE-4: gopher://wings.buffalo.edu/hh/student-life/sa/muslim Maintainer: MSA Buffalo,NY 12. LISTSERV Lists on Islam ................................................... LIST-1: MUSLIMS@ASUACAD & MUSLIMS@PSUVM Name: Islamic Information & News Network (IINN) Info: Weekly or Bi-weekly Digest containing news, info and articles on Islam. Subscription: 800+ OWNER: pakowner@asuacad.bitnet (Nauman Mysorewala). LIST-2: ISLAM-L@ULKYVM Name: History of Islam Info: A discussion list. Subscription: 380+ OWNER: jacock01@ulkyvm (Jim Cocks) LIST-3: ISLAMIAT@SAKAAU03 Name: Islamic Information and Issues Discussion Group. Info: A discussion list. Subscription: unknown OWNERS: ENF3006@SAKAAU03 (Abu baker Essahak & Muhammad Moula) LIST-4: NAHIA-L@MSU.EDU Name: North American Historians of Islamic Art Info: A discussion list. Subscription: 101 OWNERS: alan@ah2.cal.msu.edu (Alan Fisher) 13. Islamic Newsgroups on USENET .............................................. NEWSGROUP-1: Soc.Religion.Islam (moderated) Contact Addresses: religion-islam-request@ncar.ncar.edu sri@gnu.ai.mit.edu NEWGROUP-2: Bit.Listserv.Muslims (moderated) Islamic Information & News Network gatewayed from MUSLIMS@PSUVM.BITnet Contact Address: Muslims@Psuvm.Bitnet NEWSGROUP-3: Alt.Religion.Islam (un-moderated) -No contact address- Courtesy: Islamic Information & News Network (MUSLIMS@PSUVM.BITNET) 14. Software: Islamic Prayer Timers ........................................... A number of software programs have been written by Muslims to make it easier for others to calculate the prayer timings in their areas. This is a brief listing of prayer software availale thru Caltech MSA/IINN anonymous FTP sites: _____________________________________________ Islamic Timer 2.1 (Released August 1994) _____________________________________________ Location: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /home/pub/calmsa ITimer21.shar, ITimer21.exe, ITimer.README Runs on DOS and UNIX Machines. Provided by: _____________________________________________ Prayer Timer (Released August 1994) _____________________________________________ Location: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /home/pub/calmsa praytime.zip Prayer Timer for DOS machines _____________________________________________ Prayer Time Table (Released 1991) _____________________________________________ Location: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /home/pub/calmsa prayer.f Runs on UNIX machines Provided by: t. djamaluddin _____________________________________________ Prayer Time Table (Released 1991) _____________________________________________ Location: ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu Dir: /home/pub/cms prayer.c Runs on UNIX machines Provide by: Waqar Malik (Caltech MSA) calmsa@cco.caltech.edu Courtesy: Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@Asuacad.BItnet) Announcements ................................................................ 15. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 16. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 11 # Internet References: Islam. Part 12 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:94 Archive-name: islam-faq/part12 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 12 ___________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 12: Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Contents --Articles-- 1. Introduction .............................................................. 2. Cyber Muslim 2.0 .......................................................... 3. Islamic Resource Guide .................................................... --Announcements-- 4. Archive Info .............................................................. 5. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Introduction .............................................................. AssalaamOalaikum, It is a pleasure to note that there are other brothers who have also done an excellent job of making information pertaining to Islam & Muslims available on voluntary basis. Each internet guide compiled has its own unique flavor. Specifically, CyberMuslim informs us of Muslim forums and organizations on internet while Islamic Resource guide emphasizes on the quran, hadith, prayer and miscellaneous software packages available. In this section of FAQ, both CyberMuslim & Islamic Resource Guide have been included verbatim with permission from the authors. Both guides are also available independently on Caltech MSA FTP Site-1- (ftp.cco.caltech.edu dir:/pub/calmsa). Jazakallah Khairun. 2. Cyber Muslim 2.0 .......................................................... #*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =* #* (* * #* Mas'ood Cajee's * #* CYBERMUSLIM 2.0 * #* >>>The Guide to Islamic Resources on the Internet<<< * #* * #* AS LISTED IN ED KROL'S "WHOLE INTERNET CATALOG" * #* AND OTHER FINE RESOURCE GUIDES TO THE INTERNET! * #*-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- =* Compiled by Mas'ood Cajee [mcajee@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu], 7 April 94. Additions/comments welcome. Copyleft (c) Mas'ood Cajee 1994. Permission to reprint & distribute granted only if this heading included, and maintainer notified. This list is available via: gopher://latif.com:70/ >ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/mcgee/african/islam/cybermuslim.guide >mail://mcajee@aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu >http://www.uoknor.edu/www/ou_info/mc_info.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - PURPOSE: to list resources available on the Internet that contain a significant amount of information related to Islam & Muslims. AUDIENCE: this file is useful for educators, scholars, and students of the Muslim World. ASSUMPTIONS: to access the information sources listed here you must have access to and know how to use anonymous ftp,telnet, e-mail, gopher, usenet, and www. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Section =1= INTERNET/BITNET MAILING LISTS Listservs, Publications, and Discussion Groups Section =2= ANONYMOUS FTP SITES Quran Sites Sites for Software, Graphics, etc. Section =3= TELNET/GOPHER/WWW SITES Section =4= USENET GROUPS Section =5= ORGANIZATIONS ON-LINE Section =6= INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY Internet Links in CyberMuslimLand Section =7= BIBLIOGRAPHY ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - <<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - (The Internet has revolutionised the way people can communicate and discuss Muslim, Arab, and Third World issues. Using e-mail, anyone can tap into the wealth of information that exists. This section includes lists or services that require only e-mail.) ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: AFRICAN NEWS & INFO SERVICE Content: Daily News about and from Africa. Maintainer: Faraz Rabbani (frabbani@epas.utoronto.edu) How to Subscribe: send this one line message to LISTSERV@UTORONTO.BITNET SUBSCRIBE AFRICA-N Your_Full_Name ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: ALGERIA-NET Content: News and discussion of Algeria. How to Subscribe: send this one line message to algeria-net-request@monte.svec.uh.edu SUBSCRIBE ALGERIA-N Your_Full_Name ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: ALGERIA NEWS LIST Content: News about Algeria in French and some English. How to Subscribe: send this one line message to listserv@gwuvm.gwu.edu SUBSCRIBE ALGNEWS Your_Full_Name ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of service: ALJAZIRAH-LIST@CS.WASHINGTON.EDU Content: Discuss issues of interest to students from Saudi Arabia, and Arab Gulf countries in general, studying in the US and Europe. The issues to be discussed include (but are not limited to) problems pertaining to one's studies and one's life in a different society, student and community activities, etc. Maintainer: badr@cs.washington.edu How to Subscribe: send a message to Aljazirah-list-request@cs.washington.edu ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: ARABIC LINGUISTICS AND LANGUAGE TEACHING Content: Discussion and resources for linguists and teachers of Arabic. How to Subscribe: send e-mail to MAILSERV@vtvm2.cc.vt.edu with the message subscribe ARABIC-L your_full_name ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: AR-RASSED Content: A news and analysis weekly with biting commentary from a Muslim perspective. How to subscribe: send e-mail to EABDELR@UOFT02.UTOLEDO.EDU ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: AWAIR Educator's Network Content: Quarterly on-line newsletter MIDDLE EAST RESOURCES, as well as other informational mailings for pre-collegiate educators from AWAIR, or Arab World and Islamic Resources, Berkeley, California. How to subscribe: send e-mail to awair@igc.apc.org ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: AZERBAIJAN NEWS SERVICE Content: News from Turan News Agency in Baku, Azerbaijan. This list is run by the Azerbaijan Aydinlig Association, Berkeley, California. Maintainer: F. H. Miandoab (farid@mem.odu.edu) How to Subscribe: send e-mail to farid@mem.odu.edu ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Name of Service: BERITA (MALAYSIAN ISLAMIC LISTSERV) Content: Malay/Islamic issues and topics discussed in Malay & English. 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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- - [The Holy QUR'AAN can be downloaded from numerous sites via FTP. Be aware, however, of the translation you are getting. While a majority of sites carry the M.H. Shakir translation, the more accepted Yusuf Ali and M.M. Pickthall translations can be had at and at . Islamic and Arabic SOFTWARE, along with sounds, graphics, and documents, are also available via FTP. The above- mentioned sites for the Qur'aan are also the best sites for software. An excellent for Islamic and Arab GIFS is . Resources are listed by Uniform Resource Locater: (protocol://site_name:port/directory/file). THE QUR'AN: UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATERS (URLs) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ftp://ariel.unm.edu/pub/misc ftp://cs.bu.edu/amass/quran ftp://cs.ubc.ca/mirror1/next/Literature/working/ ftp://etlport.etl.go.jp/pub/NeXT/Literature/working/ ftp://ftp.mcs.kent.edu/pub/islam/ ftp://ftp.uu.net/doc/literary/obi/Religion ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com/.8/misc/scripture/quran ftp://nova.cc.purdue.edu/pub/next/Literature/working/ ftp://ocf.berkeley.edu/pub/religion/quran ftp://phoenix.oulu.fi/pub/quran ftp://pinus.slu.se/pub/etext/misc/ ftp://princeton.edu/pub/quran.tar.Z ftp://roxette.mty.itesm.mx/pub/next/Literature/working/ ftp://slopoke.mlb.semi.harris.com/pub/doc/quran ftp://sonata.cc.purdue.edu/pub/next/Literature/working/ ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/docs/books/religious/ ftp://unix.hensa.ac.uk/pub/uunet/doc/literary/obi/Religion/ ftp://uxc.cso.uiuc.edu/pub/quran.tar.Z ISLAMIC & ARABIC SOFTWARE URLs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ftp://cs.arizona.edu/pub/icon/ QuranRef ftp://cs.bu.edu/amass/ Mac software, sounds, Amer-Arab Scientific Society newsletter ftp://cs.dal.ca/comp.archives/ USENET docs: ftp://cs.ubc.ca/pub/local/arabtex ArabTeX 2.07: ftp://csd4.csd.uwm.edu/pub/bashar/ Arabic&Islamic software,GIFs: ftp://ftp.cse.psu.edu/pub/jamoussi/TSS Tunisian Scientific Society info and documents ftp://ftp.mcs.kent.edu ArabTeX,Kateb,music,GIFs,poetry,software 3. Islamic Resource Guide .................................................... ********************************************************************** ** The Islamic Computing Resource Guide Release 2.0 December 1992 A Software and Network Resources Directory ********************************************************************** ** by Basil Hashem R E L E A S E N O T E S 2.0 12/10/92 Developed the new format, updated Internet information, added QuranBase Mac, Al-Munad, Alim 1.5, IslamicTimer and re-ordered the sections. 1.1c 7/16/92 Fixed some information regarding the Islamic School. 1.1b 7/12/92 Spell-checked, corrected some miscellaneous information, found a home. 1.1a 6/24/92 Made a couple of corrections on network services, no new entries. 1.1 6/2/92 Added several new software packages and some Internet resources. 1.0a 5/22/92 Fixed a few typographical mistakes. 1.0 5/15/92 Initial release. P R E F A C E After attending the Second International Conference on Computer Technology in Service of Islam in San Jose, CA (April 1992), I decided that there was a need to compile a list of various computing resources available to the Muslim community. This resource guide will serve as a listing for software and major network resources such as electronic mailing lists, forums and newsgroups related to discussion of Islamic topics. I have limited the scope of the guide to software published in the English language in order to maintain a focus and keep the guide at a manageable size. I realize that there are many Arabic language software packages available. I have consciously omitted them. Perhaps someone else will pick up the slack in this area. This guide is provided as a free service to the Muslim community, I did my best to secure its accuracy but in no way do I guarantee its authenticity. Please do not hold me liable for anything. I would also like to thank the many individuals that provided me with much of the information listed here, may Allah reward their efforts. You may distribute this guide electronically as you wish, but if you wish to publish it in any print media, e.g. newsletters or magazines, please contact me first. I will most certainly grant you permission; I simply would like to keep track of how and where this guide is used. Please send any additions, corrections or comments to me via e-mail at hashem@netcom.com. The latest copy of this guide is available via file transfer (FTP) from the AMASS Software Library at Boston University. Thanks go to Abdelsalam Heddaya. Inshallah, you will find this guide useful. S O F T W A R E A. ON-LINE DATABASES - QURAN Al-Quran Database ----------------- A program which displays side-by-side text of the Quran in Arabic and English. Yusuf Ali and M. Pickthall translations. Searchable English text by keyword and subject with Boolean operators. Includes background information about the suras. Complements Al-Hadith Database. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM and 10MB free on a hard disk Price: $99 Islamic Computing Centre Islamic Book Service 73, St. Thomas's Road 10900 W. Washington Street London N4 2QJ U.K Indianapolis, IN 46231- 2080 A.K. Barkatulla (317)839-8150/7669 The Alim 1.5 ------------ An Islamic study toolkit which includes: the Quran in Arabic, Yusuf Ali and M. Pickthall Translations and Concordances, Yusuf Ali Commentary, a Transliteration, Sahih Bukhari Hadith, Hadith Qudsi database, Islamic Subjects database, Maududi Sura Information, Chronological History of Islam, Biographies of the Companions of the Prophet, and Islamic Terms Dictionary. Every database is searchable via keywords (with Boolean operators) or by subject, regular expressions, and word series. Background searching and "save search" features. Multiple window operations and GUI menus and dialog boxes. Some of the enhancements in Version 1.5 include support for faster searches and searching in Arabic, sound support (English only) via speech synthesis (with a sound board), a new Sahih Bukhari subjects database, and miscellaneous bug fixes. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM, 1.5MB to 15MB free on a hard disk and EGA or better display for Arabic Price: $99 (less for upgrades from Version 1.0) Speech Synthesis Module - $24.95 ISL Software Corp. IQRA Bookcenter (800)397-5561/(512)690-5973 (800)521-4272 Holy Quran (English) -------------------- A program to display the Yusuf Ali translation of the Quran. Keyword search capability with Boolean operators. Thesaurus and theme index. Ability to display Arabic script as well. This is one of a series of programs (mostly Arabic) which run under the Sakhr DOS system. Databases of the Quran, Al-Bukhary hadith, and Al-Mawarith (inheritance) expert system also available. The system requires a DOS Arabization package. Price: Holy Quran (English) - Unknown DOS Arabization - $40 Requires: IBM PC or compatible with Sakhr DOS Arabization, VGA display and 20MB free on a hard disk Available: June 1992 Al Alamiah Electronics Company Heliopolis, Cairo P.O. Box: 5189 H. West Code 11771 EGYPT IslamicWare: The Holy Koran & Explanation v7.0 ---------------------------------------------- "Koran: Contemporary Text" displays searchable text of a new English translation of the Quran by Ahmad Darwish. Subject index and concordance (word index) also available. "Explanation Koran: Contemporary Text", a commentary on the above translation. Also available "Koran: Academic Text", "Quran: Yusuf Ali text translation", "Koran: Yusuf Ali revised text", and "Koran: Muhammad Pickthall text revised", each available with index and concordance. Koran CD and the first electronic Islamic encyclopedia are due in December 1992. Requires: IBM PC or compatible, 10MB free on a hard disk (for text), 4MB free on a hard disk (for concordance) Price: Suras 1 & 2 available for free "Koran: Contemporary Text" - $80, with Index - $180, with Concord - $280 "Explanation Koran: Contemporary Text" - $80, with Index - $180, with Concord-$280. Other programs follow the same pricing structure. Ahmad Darwish & M. K. P.O. Box 8279 Fremont, CA 94537-8279 (510)794-9363 QuranBase --------- A database program of the Yusuf Ali translation of the Quran. Fully searchable by keyword, chapter, verse and subject. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 256K RAM, mono, CGA, EGA or VGA display and 1.5MB free on a hard disk Price: $179 Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 QuranBase Mac ------------- A database program of the Yusuf Ali translation of the Quran. Fully searchable by keyword, chapter, verse, and subject. Requires: Macintosh SE or higher (min. 2 MB RAM), 2.5MB free on a hard disk and Hypercard software Price: $179 Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 Quranic Text ------------ Text of the M. H. Shakir English translation of the Quran as published by Tahrike Tarsile Quran, Inc. Price: Free Requires: Any text editor or word processor Access: The filename is "Quran.tar.Z" and is available via file transfer (FTP) from the following locations on the Internet. Host Directory ariel.unm.edu /pub/misc cs.ubc.ca /mirror1/next/Literature/working etlport.etl.go.jp /pub/NeXT/Literature/working ftp.uu.net /doc/literary/obi/Religion gatekeeper.dec.com /.0/data hp5.mcs.kent.edu /pub nova.cc.purdue.edu /pub/next/Literature/working pinus.slu.se /pub/etext/misc princeton.edu /pub roxette.mty.itesm.mx /pub/next/Literature/working slopoke.mlb.semi.harris.com /pub/doc snake.mcs.kent.edu /pub and /pub/quran sonata.cc.purdue.edu /pub/next/Literature/working sunsite.unc.edu /pub/docs/books/religious unix.hensa.ac.uk /pub/uunet/doc/literary/obi/Religion B. ON-LINE DATABASES - HADITH Al-Hadith Database ------------------ A program to search the Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Al- Muwatta, Tirmidhy and Nasa'i hadith sources in English. Cross-referencing between the Al-Quran Database & Islamic LawBase. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM and 20MB free on a hard disk Price: $199 Islamic Computing Centre Islamic Book Service 73, St. Thomas's Road 10900 W. Washington Street London N4 2QJ U.K Indianapolis, IN 46231- 2080 A.K. Barkatulla (317)839-8150/7669 Hadith on CD ------------ Collections of hadith databases on CD ROM. Over 15 languages supported. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with CD-ROM drive Price: Unknown M.M. Al-Azami & Aqil M. Azmi Center for Hadith Analysis 805 29th Street, #552-N Boulder, Colorado 80303 (303)938-1211 HadithBase ---------- A database program of Sahih al-Bukhari hadiths. Fully searchable by keyword and subject with Boolean operators. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM, mono, CGA, EGA or VGA display and 3 MB free on a hard disk Price: $195 Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 C. ON-LINE DATABASES - OTHER Islamic LawBase --------------- A program to search the following legal literature: Fiqh al-Sunnah, Majellah al-ahkam, Hedaya al-Marghinani, Fatawa-e-Qazi Khan, Al Halal Wal Haram, Muwatta of Imam Malik, al Risala al-Qairawaniya, Criminal Law of Islam, and Kitab-ul-Kharaj in English. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM and 20MB free on a hard disk Price: $199 Islamic Computing Centre Islamic Book Service 73, St. Thomas's Road 10900 W. Washington Street London N4 2QJ U.K Indianapolis, IN 46231- 2080 A.K. Barkatulla (317)839-8150/7669 úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Nahjul Balaagha Version 2.0 --------------------------- A database program of the sayings and letters of Imaam Ali. Provides the ability to search, display and print sayings by keyword. Requires: IBM PC or compatible Price: Unknown Al-Mahdi Islamic Software Centre (MISC) P.O. Box 45844 Nairobi, Kenya D. EDUCATIONAL/GAMES Al-Qari ------- A program designed to teach children and adults to recite the Quran in Arabic. Uses sounds and text in Arabic and English. Requires: Macintosh Price: Unknown Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 Hijrah ------ Small game written in BASIC which quizzes the player regarding the flight of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from Mecca to Medina. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with BASIC interpreter (such as BASICA) Price: $5 (Shareware) Available: AmNet BBS (see entry) Islamic Scholar I ----------------- Written in an artificial intelligence language, this menu-driven educational program covers more than 60 topics in fiqh and aqeedah; basics of Islam; and "how to"s - the basic duties of Muslims. The English meaning and transliteration of small chapters from the Quran is also included. Requires: IBM PC or compatible Price: $39 Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 pcIQ ---- A "trivia type" quiz game on topics such as the Qur'an, seerah, the ummah, events and fiqh. Multiple choice answers. Also includes a facility to learn to read the last hizb of the Quran in Arabic and display color Islamic art. Requires: IBM PC or compatible with 512K RAM, EGA or VGA display Price: $69 Islamic Computing Centre Islamic Book Service 73, St. Thomas's Road 10900 W. Washington Street London N4 2QJ U.K Indianapolis, IN 46231- 2080 A.K. Barkatulla (317)839-8150/7669 E. PRAYER TIME CALCULATION An-Nida' 2.1 ------------ Calculates prayer time schedules for any month of any year (up to 2050); for any location in the world. Comes preset for more than 550 locations world wide. Other locations may be used as well. Options include printing in Arabic or English, calculation using Hijrah or Christian calendars, Shafi'i or Hanafi prayer times, Qibla direction and more. Requires: Macintosh and Hypercard software Price: $39 Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 calendrical.l ------------- A Common Lisp program to calculate the Hijri, Gregorian and Julian calendars. Includes definitions of some important events. Requires: LISP interpreter Price: Free Author(s): Nachum Dershowitz and Edward Reingold Available: On the Internet, via file transfer (FTP) from the AMASS Software Library (see entry) IslamicTimer ------------ A software package for calculating Islamic (Hijri) Calendar, prayer time schedules and the direction of the Qiblah. Requires: UNIX C Compiler Price: Free with suggested donation to a worthy cause Author: Waleed Muhanna Available: On the Internet. Minaret 1.3 ----------- A menu-driven program to calculate prayer times for many cities in the world. New cities can be added by providing location and timing data. Shows the direction of the Qibla, and various data related to the Hijri calendar (date conversion). Produces text and TeX output of prayer schedules. Requires: Macintosh Price: $10 (Shareware) Kamal Abdali P.O. Box 65207 Washington, DC 20035 Available: On the Internet, via file transfer (FTP) from the AMASS Software Library (see entry) and sumex-aim.stanford.edu Praytimer --------- A C language computer program to calculate prayer schedules given selected parameters. A program based on Minaret 1.3 but can operate in batch mode. Requires: C compiler Price: Free Kamal Abdali P.O. Box 65207 Washington, DC 20035 Available: On the Internet, via file transfer (FTP) from the AMASS Software Library (see entry) Prayer Time Table ----------------- FORTRAN-language computer routines to calculate prayer times and moon sighting data given selected parameters. Requires: FORTRAN compiler Price: Free T. Djamaluddin Department of Astronomy, Kyoto University Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606, Japan Available: On the Internet Prayer Time Table (1988) ------------------------ FORTRAN-language computer routines to calculate prayer times and moon sighting data given selected parameters. Requires: FORTRAN compiler Price: Free Moustafa Baraka Available: On the Internet Prayer Timing Ver 1.1 --------------------- FORTRAN-language computer routines to calculate prayer times and moon sighting data given selected parameters. Requires: FORTRAN compiler Price: "Free" with a request for donation to MSA-UMR MSA-UMR 202 Rolla Building Rolla, MO 65401 Available: On the Internet Taqwim 3.0 ---------- A program which converts dates from the Gregorian calendar to the Islamic calendar. Requires: IBM PC or compatible Price: $20 Mark Woodworth & John Woods University of Chicago Department of Middle Eastern Studies F. MISCELLANEOUS Al-Munad -------- Calculates prayer times for any day of any year (up to 2050); or any location in the world. Comes preset for more than 800 locations world wide. Other locations may be used as well. System Extension reminds you when prayer times are due. Also allows you to tell it to remind you after some time has passed. Calculation using Shafi'i or Hanafi prayer times, astronomical times, Qibla direction, and more. Requires: Macintosh Price: $39 Sound Vision 843 W. Van Buren, Suite 411 Chicago, IL 60607 (800)432-4262 Clip Art Collection #1: Calligraphic Designs -------------------------------------------- Thirty calligraphic images in Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) format. Requires: Macintosh with an application to read EPS formatted files and a Postscript printer or imagesetter Price: $54.95 Sakkal Design 1523 175th Place SE Bothell, WA 98012 (206)484-8830 Daily Ayat ---------- A program to automatically display an ayat of the Quran each time you start your computer. Requires: IBM PC or compatible Price: $19.95 ISL Software Corp. San Antonio, TX (800)397-5561/(512)690-5973 Daily Hadith ------------ A program to automatically display a short hadith each time you start your computer. Requires: IBM PC or compatible Price: $19.95 ISL Software Corp. San Antonio, TX (800)397-5561/(512)690-5973 Miscellaneous Sounds -------------------- Macintosh sound samples of the Athan (call to prayer) and the first sura of the Quran. Requires: Macintosh and a sound utility (e.g. SoundEdit or SoundMaster) or System 7 Price: Free Available: Via file transfer (FTP) from the AMASS Software Library (see entry) PrayerMinder ------------ Allows for the creation and saving of prayer time tables. A memory- resident program with a five-alarm clock which reminds you of the times to pray. Requires: IBM PC or compatible Price: $29.95 ISL Software Corp. San Antonio, TX (800)397-5561/(512)690-5973 Quranref -------- A word/reference/pattern lookup program based on the Icon programming language (probably only runs on UNIX systems). It uses the Quranic text of the M. H. Shakir English translation of the Quran (see entry). Requires: Icon version 8 (A programming language), Icon Program Library, and a C compiler Price: Free Available: On the Internet. Icon available via file transfer (FTP) from cs.arizona.edu N E T W O R K R E S O U R C E S A. NEWSGROUPS AND MAILING LISTS History of Islam Mailing List ----------------------------- A mailing list to discuss the history of Islam. Requires: A connection to the Internet and an e-mail package Price: Free Subscriptions: Send a message to LISTSERV@ULKYVM.BITNET with the line SUBSCRIBE ISLAM-L Submissions: ISLAM-L@ULKYVM.BITNET Malaysian Islamic Study Group Mailing List ------------------------------------------ A mailing list to discuss Islamic research in the Malay language Requires: A connection to the Internet and an e-mail package Price: Free Subscriptions: Send a message to LISTSERV@PSUVM.BITNET with the line SUBSCRIBE MISG-L Submissions: MISG-L@PSUVM.BITNET MSA-NET Mailing List -------------------- A mailing list to discuss Muslim Student Association (MSA) issues. Requires: A connection to the Internet and an e-mail package Price: Free Subscriptions: msa-request@eleceng.ee.queensu.ca Submissions: msa@eleceng.ee.queensu.ca Muslim News Network Mailing List -------------------------------- MNN is a moderated forum dedicated to educate the network communities on issues relating to the Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Submissions are compiled in the form of a newsletter and mailed to the subscribers. Requires: A connection to the Internet and an e-mail package Price: Free Subscriptions: Send a message to LISTSERV@ASUACAD.BITNET with the line SUB MUSLIMS úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Submissions: MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITNET Muslim Student Association Mailing List --------------------------------------- A mailing list to discuss Muslim Student Association (MSA) issues. Requires: A connection to the Internet and an e-mail package Price: Free Subscriptions: Send a message to LISTSERV@PSUVM.BITNET with the line SUBSCRIBE MSA-L Submissions: MSA-L@PSUVM.BITNET --------------------------- A moderated newsgroup discussing Islamic topics. Price: Free Requires: A connection to the Internet and a Usenet newsreader such as rn or nn Other Usenet news groups which may discuss Islam peripherally are the following: talk.politics.mideast B. ARCHIVES AND REMOTE SITES American Arab Scientific Society (AMASS) Software Library --------------------------------------------------------- An archive site with a collection of software including this resource guide, Minaret 1.3, calendrical.l, praytimer, and other items. Host: cs.bu.edu (128.197.2.1) Username: ftp Password: Requires: A connection to the Internet and file transfer (FTP) software Price: Free Questions: Abdelsalam Heddaya AMnet Bulletin Board System --------------------------- A bulletin board system setup by the American Muslim Council (AMC), a lobby group for American Muslims. News reports, electronic mail, and miscellaneous files are available. Access Number: (202)789-2527 Parameters: 2400 Baud, No Parity, 8 Bit, 1 Stop Location: Bethesda, Maryland Requires: Macintosh or IBM PC or compatible and terminal emulation software Price: Free Contact: Ammad-Ad-Dean Ahmed Phone: (301)951-0539 (voice) CalTech Muslims Group Archive ----------------------------- The on-line text of the Quran was made available but is temporarily being corrected. Miscellaneous documents, FORTRAN and C programs for prayer time calculations and this guide. Host: ftp.ugcs.caltech.edu (131.215.128.6) Username: ftp Password: Directory: /pub/cms Requires: A connection to the Internet and file transfer (FTP) software Price: Free Questions: Waqar Malik Asim Mughal CompuServe - Religion forum - Islam subject area ------------------------------------------------ On CompuServe, there is a subject area within the Religion forum which discusses Islamic topics It has a file archive area as well. Access: "Islam" Subject Area in the Religion Forum (GO RELIGION). Requires: A subscription to CompuServe and CompuServe Information Manager or terminal emulation software Price: CompuServe on-line charges The Islamic School ------------------ An Islamic subject area at the Cleveland Free-Net Community Computer System. Introductory information on Islam, many of the areas are under development including frequently asked questions and information about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Hosts: free-net-a.cwru.edu (29.22.8.82) free-net-b.cwru.edu (129.22.8.75) free-net-c.cwru.edu (129.22.8.76) Requires: A connection to the Internet and virtual terminal software such as telnet Price: Free Questions: Eusat Mercan (Sysop) (aa755) Sukru Gultop (Co-sysop) (sxg12) Mesut Sahin (Co-sysop) (mxs44) All addresses are on Cleveland Free-net. Access: Upon connecting you will be asked whether you are a registered user or a visitor. Select 2 to indicate a visitor. Then, select 2 to "Explore the system". Upon being presented with the main menu, type "go islam" to access the Islamic School. <=========================== CUT HERE ==============================> Announcements ................................................................ 4. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 5. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) Permission to include CyberMuslim V2.0 was obtained from its author Br.Mas'ood Cajee. Permission to include Islamic Resource Guide was obtained from its author Br.Basil Hashem. # End of Islam FAQ Part 12 # References: Islam. Part 13 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:95 Archive-name: islam-faq/part13 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 13 ___________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 13: Islamic Literature: Books & Video Contents --Articles-- 1. Introduction .............................................................. 2. Introductory Material on Islam ............................................ 3. Free Books on Islam ....................................................... 4. List of Islamic Book Sellers .............................................. --Announcements-- 5. Archive Info .............................................................. 6. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Introduction .............................................................. This covers some books recommended by Islamic Centers for those seeking more insight or further reading of Islam. Books & videos from Islamic Centers are available at a subsidized cost. A number of places offer free Islamic books as documented. Should you like to talk to someone about the questions on Islam, the Institute of Islamic Information & Education has offered to help. They can be contacted at: Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Fax: (312) 777-7199; Email queries to the author of this FAQ (mughal@caltech.edu) will be forwarded to III&E for a response. 2. Introductory Material on Islam ............................................ Introductory Book on Islam: ISLAM IN FOCUS by Hammudah Adbalati Available from: Islamic Center of Southern California 434 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90020 (213) 384-5783 English Translation of Holy Quran: By Yusuf Ali, also available from Islamic Center (above). Video: Story of Islam: "The Message" Parts 1 & 2 Available from Islamic Center (above). 3. Free Books on Islam ....................................................... SOURCE-1: The Islamic Propagation Center 45/47/49 Madressa Arcade Durban 4001 Repuplic of South Africa Tel : (031) 32-9518 List of Free books : |) What the Bible says about Mohammed. 2) What was the sign of Jonah? 3) Who moved the stone? 4) Resurrection or resuscitation? 5) Is the Bible God's word? 6) What is His name? 7) The god that never was. 8) Islam's answer to the racial problem. 9) Christ in Islam. 10) Crucifixion or crucifiction? 11) The Muslim at prayer. 12) Mohammed-The Prophet of Islam. SOURCE-2: Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Brochures on Islam are available. SOURCE-3: World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) WAMY P.O. Box. 8096 Falls Church, VA 22041 They give out most of the books for free. (Courtesy: IINN) 4. List of Islamic Book Sellers .............................................. By: John E Hinton (jhinton@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) The following is a list of publishers, organizations and booksellers that deal in books on Islam or the Middle East or sell Arabic and Persian books. I invite additions to this list, which I will update periodically. Adab Books 47 Newnham Road Cambridge CB39E4, England Aman Books 58 Elliot Street Brattleboro, VT 05301 Americans for Middle East Understanding Room 771, 475 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10115 tel. 212-870-2149 Anthony C. Hall Antiquarian Bookseller 30, Staines Road Twickenham, Middlesex, England Antiquariea Bookseller 152 Queens Road Buckhurst Hill Essex, England Al-Arab Bookshop 28, Faggalah Street Cairo, Egypt tel. 908025 Al Saqi Books 26 Westbourne Grove London W2 5RH, England Al-Hawadeth 529 14th Street Suite 1070 Washington, DC 20045 A.M.S. Press, Inc. 56 East 13th Street New York, NY 10003 Arabic World and Islamic Resources and School Services 2095 Rose St., Suite 4 Berkeley, CA 94709 Tel. 510-704-0517 Arthur Probsthaim Oriental Bookseller 41 Ct Russel Street London, England WCL Bibliotheca Islamica, Inc. Box 1536 Chicago, Illinois 60690 Bisan Press and Publication PO Box 3396 San Mateo, CA 94403 Blackwell's Broad Street Oxford, England tel. 49111 Books International Imports, Inc. PO Box 6096 Mclean, VA 22106 Tel. 703-821-8900 Books on Islam, Ltd. 240 West 72nd Street New York, NY 10023 The Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine 2435 Virginia Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20037 Tel. 202-338-1290 Curyon Press Grays Inn Road London, England WC1 Cyclamen Books PO Box 69 Leicester LE1 9EW England Dar Majhar PO Box 56 Cambridge, MA 02238 Danesh Ltd. 21 Rostam Road Azadi Avenue Tehran, Iran Database Project on Palestinian Human Rights 220 S. State Street #1308 1 Quincy Court Chicago, IL 60604 312-987-1830 David D. Bundy, Secretary Bulletin d'Arabe Chretien Schepererstraat, 2 3000 Louvain Belgium David Loman Ltd. 12 Suffolk Road London SW13 9NB England D.K. Agencies (P) Ltd. International Booksellers, Publsihers and Subscription Agents H-12, Bali Nagar New Delhi - 110015 India E.J. Brill Oriental Booksellers 41 Museum Street London WC1A 1LX England Foundation for Iranian Studies 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 200016 Frank Cass and Company Ltd. International Scholarly Book Services Inc. PO Box 555 Forest Grove, Oregon 97116 Ferozoono Ltd. 60 Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Ayam Lahore, Pakistan Free Islamic Literatures, Inc. PO Box 35844 Houston, TX 77235 George's Bookshop PO Box 220 Cairo, Egypt Green Street Book Shop 5 Green Street Cambridge, CB2 3JU England The Gulf Printing Press House Kuwait Haydarabad Historical Society PO Box 1771 Cambridge, MA 02238 Hosains Books 25 Connaught Street London W2 England (Mrs. Yasmin Hosain) I.A.P. Information office P.O. Box 741805 Dallas, TX 75374-1805, U.S.A. For books on Palestinian issues. International Book Centre PO Box 295 Troy, MI 48099 tel. 313-879- 8436 International Book Exchange 35-16 Ditmars Blvd. Sutie 111 Astoria, NY 11105 1-800-7432 FAX 718-278-8026 International Institute of Islamic Thought PO Box 669 Herndon, VA 22070 Institute for Research and Islamic Studies PO Box 35844 Houston, TX 77235 713-721-1980 Ishk Book Service PO Box 176 Los Altos, CA 94022 Islamic Book Service 10900 W. Washington Street Indianapolis, IN 46231 317-839-8150 Islamic Books A.R. Bullock 62 Kelburne Road Oxford, England OX4 3SH Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia & Africa Tokyo University of Foreign Studies 4-chome Ni shi gahara Kita-ku, Tokyo 114 Japan Institute for Women's Studies in Beirut University College 475 Riverside Dr. Room 1846 New York, 10115 Inter Documentation Company Poststrasse 14 6300 Zug, Switzerland International Centre for Research in Islamic Economics PO Box 16711 Jeddah 21474 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The Islamic Foundation Markfield Dawah Centre Ratby Lane Markfield Leicester LE6 0RN England The Islamic Progatation Organization International Relations Department PO Box 2782 Tehran, Iran Islamic Texts Society 5 Green Street Cambridge CB2 3TU England, UK Jahan Book Co. 116 Greenbank Avenue Piedmont, CA 94611 Joppa Books Ltd. 29 Milner Drive Cobham, Surrey KT11 2EZ England Knightsbridge Books Ltd. 32 Store Street London WC1E 7BS England Al-Majid Co. Ltd. 18-24 Westbourne Grove London W2 5RH England Markaz al-Malik Faysal lil-Buhuth wa-al-Dirasat al-Islamiyah PO Box 51049 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Mazda Publishers PO Box 2603 Costa Mesa, CA 92626 M.G. Noura 88o6 Parkview Ave. St. Paul, MN 55117 800-438-5048 Microform Review PO Box 1297 Weston, CT 06880 Middle East Bibliographic Services 12077 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 605 Los Angeles, CA 90025 MEBSI PO Box 7823 Austin, Texas 78713 The Middle East Institute 1761 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Mizan Press PO Box 4065 Berkeley, CA 94705 Navrang Publishers & Booksellers RB-7 Inderpluri, New Delhi, 11012 India New Pen Bond Publishers 3050 K Street NW, Suite #210 Washington, DC 20007 202-944-4444 800-959-BOND FAX 202-944-4443 New Rhine Publishers Nieuwe Rijn 83 2301 DA Leiden, PO Box 3023 The Nederalnds Nour E-Sham Book Centre PO Box 249 Damascus, Syria Orient Press 26 Central Square Topkapi Cambridge, MA 02139 Otto Harrassowitz Internationale Buchhandlung Asien-Abteilung 6200 Wiesbaden, Germany Oxford University Press Ely House 37 Dover Street London W1X 4AH Palestine Human Rights Campaign 6902 North Clark Street Suite 2-A Chicago, IL 60626 312-274-8686 Persian Book Mart PO Box 241574 Memphis, TN 38124 PHRIC-International 4753 North Broadway, Suite 930 Chicago, IL 60640 312-271-4492 FAX 312-271-3377 Press Office American University in Cairo 113 Kasr El Aini Street Cairo, Egypt Prints India Booksellers and Publishers 11, Darya Ganj New Delhi, 110002 India Rashid Sales Co. 191 Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11201 212- 852-3295 Records and Cassettes. Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture PO Box 16, Gayrettepe Istanbul, Turkey úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Secretary Islam & the Modern Age Society Jamia Nagar, New Delhi, 110025 India Sheba Press 4085 Chain Bridge Road Suite 100 Fairfax, VA 22030 703-385-5454 Smyrna Press PO Box 841 Suyvesant Station NY, New York 10009 SOLIPSIST PRESS PO Box 544 Sebastopol, CA 95473 707-874-1501 Specializes in books on Islamic art and archaeology, and the historical Islamic world. Sorayya Publishers, Inc. 317 14th Ave., SE Minneapolis, MN 55414 South Asia Books PO Box 502 Columbia, MO 65205 314-474-0116 South Asia Press Box 1771 Cambridge, MA 02238 617-924-0809 Tehran Book Processing Centre PO Box 11-1126 Tehran, Iran United Arab Bureau PO Box 471438 Forestville, MD 20747 Variokum 21a Pembridge London W11 3EQ, England Vedams Books (P) Ltd. 12A/11 W.E. Area New Delhi, 110005 India W.B. O'Neill Old and Rare Books 11609 Hunters Green Court Reston, VA 22091 William H. Allen, Bookseller 2031 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 215-563-3398 William Schneider Books 212 Seventeenth Street Pacific Grove, California 93950 Announcements ................................................................ 5. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 6. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 13 # for 1994 References: Islam. Part 14 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:96 Archive-name: islam-faq/part14 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 14 ___________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 14: Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Contents --Articles-- 1. Introduction .............................................................. 2. Islamic Calendar for 1994 ................................................. 3. Prayer Schedule for 1994 .................................................. --Announcements-- 4. Archive Info .............................................................. 5. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Introduction .............................................................. The Islamic Calendar is for 1994. Please make adjustments for 1995. This year's calendar will be included soon. The Prayer Time Table is for Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. You may wish to use the prayer softwares mentioned in Part 11 of this FAQ to determine Prayer Timing in your city. 2. Islamic Calendar for 1994 ................................................. This Calendar is applicable to North America and provided as a reference. Please consult your local Islamic Center or Mosque for proper Islamic date. SOURCE: gopher cwis.usc.edu January 1994 C.E. / Rajab - SHa`baan 1414 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/18 2/19 3/20 4/21 5/22 6/23 7/24 8/25 9/26 10/27 11/28 12/29 13/ 1 14/ 2 15/ 3 16/ 4 17/ 5 18/ 6 19/ 7 20/ 8 21/ 9 22/10 23/11 24/12 25/13 26/14 27/15 28/16 29/17 30/18 31/19 February 1994 C.E. / SHa`baan - RamaDHaan 1414 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/20 2/21 3/22 4/23 5/24 6/25 7/26 8/27 9/28 10/29 11/30 12/ 1 13/ 2 14/ 3 15/ 4 16/ 5 17/ 6 18/ 7 19/ 8 20/ 9 21/10 22/11 23/12 24/13 25/14 26/15 27/16 28/17 March 1994 C.E. / RamaDHaan - SHawwal 1414 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/18 2/19 3/20 4/21 5/22 6/23 7/24 8/25 9/26 10/27 11/28 12/29 13/30 14/ 1 15/ 2 16/ 3 17/ 4 18/ 5 19/ 6 20/ 7 21/ 8 22/ 9 23/10 24/11 25/12 26/13 27/14 28/15 29/16 30/17 31/18 April 1994 C.E. / SHawwal - Thw al-Qi`dah 1414 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/19 2/20 3/21 4/22 5/23 6/24 7/25 8/26 9/27 10/28 11/29 12/ 1 13/ 2 14/ 3 15/ 4 16/ 5 17/ 6 18/ 7 19/ 8 20/ 9 21/10 22/11 23/12 24/13 25/14 26/15 27/16 28/17 29/18 30/19 May 1994 C.E. / Thw al-Qi`dah - Thw al-Hijjah 1414 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/20 2/21 3/22 4/23 5/24 6/25 7/26 8/27 9/28 10/29 11/30 12/ 1 13/ 2 14/ 3 15/ 4 16/ 5 17/ 6 18/ 7 19/ 8 20/ 9 21/10 22/11 23/12 24/13 25/14 26/15 27/16 28/17 29/18 30/19 31/20 June 1994 C.E. / Thw al-Hijjah 1414 - MuHarram 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/21 2/22 3/23 4/24 5/25 6/26 7/27 8/28 9/29 10/30 11/ 1 12/ 2 13/ 3 14/ 4 15/ 5 16/ 6 17/ 7 18/ 8 19/ 9 20/10 21/11 22/12 23/13 24/14 25/15 26/16 27/17 28/18 29/19 30/20 July 1994 C.E. / MuHarram - Safar 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/21 2/22 3/23 4/24 5/25 6/26 7/27 8/28 9/29 10/ 1 11/ 2 12/ 3 13/ 4 14/ 5 15/ 6 16/ 7 17/ 8 18/ 9 19/10 20/11 21/12 22/13 23/14 24/15 25/16 26/17 27/18 28/19 29/20 30/21 31/22 August 1994 C.E. / Safar - Raby` al-awal 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/23 2/24 3/25 4/26 5/27 6/28 7/29 8/30 9/ 1 10/ 2 11/ 3 12/ 4 13/ 5 14/ 6 15/ 7 16/ 8 17/ 9 18/10 19/11 20/12 21/13 22/14 23/15 24/16 25/17 26/18 27/19 28/20 29/21 30/22 31/23 September 1994 C.E. / Raby` al-awal - Raby` al-THaany 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/24 2/25 3/26 4/27 5/28 6/29 7/ 1 8/ 2 9/ 3 10/ 4 11/ 5 12/ 6 13/ 7 14/ 8 15/ 9 16/10 17/11 18/12 19/13 20/14 21/15 22/16 23/17 24/18 25/19 26/20 27/21 28/22 29/23 30/24 October 1994 C.E. / Raby` al-THaany - Jumaada al-awal 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/25 2/26 3/27 4/28 5/29 6/30 7/ 1 8/ 2 9/ 3 10/ 4 11/ 5 12/ 6 13/ 7 14/ 8 15/ 9 16/10 17/11 18/12 19/13 20/14 21/15 22/16 23/17 24/18 25/19 26/20 27/21 28/22 29/23 30/24 31/25 November 1994 C.E. / Jumaada al-awal - Jumaada al-THaany 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/26 2/27 3/28 4/29 5/ 1 6/ 2 7/ 3 8/ 4 9/ 5 10/ 6 11/ 7 12/ 8 13/ 9 14/10 15/11 16/12 17/13 18/14 19/15 20/16 21/17 22/18 23/19 24/20 25/21 26/22 27/23 28/24 29/25 30/26 December 1994 C.E. / Jumaada al-THaany - Rajab 1415 A.H. Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1/27 2/28 3/29 4/ 1 5/ 2 6/ 3 7/ 4 8/ 5 9/ 6 10/ 7 11/ 8 12/ 9 13/10 14/11 15/12 16/13 17/14 18/15 19/16 20/17 21/18 22/19 23/20 24/21 25/22 26/23 27/24 28/25 29/26 30/27 31/28 3. Prayer Schedule for 1994 .................................................. SOURCE: gopher cwis.usc.edu 1994 C.E. Prayer Schedule for Los Angeles, CA Latitude = 34 03' N Longitude = 118 15' W Zone Time = GMT - 8h Qiblah = 23 52' E (From N) January Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 5:29 6:59 11:57 2:37 4:55 6:24 2 5:30 6:59 11:57 2:37 4:56 6:25 3 5:30 6:59 11:58 2:38 4:56 6:26 4 5:30 6:59 11:58 2:39 4:57 6:26 5 5:30 6:59 11:59 2:40 4:58 6:27 6 5:30 6:59 11:59 2:40 4:59 6:28 7 5:30 6:59 11:59 2:41 5:00 6:28 8 5:31 6:59 12:00 2:42 5:00 6:29 9 5:31 6:59 12:00 2:43 5:01 6:30 10 5:31 6:59 12:01 2:44 5:02 6:31 11 5:31 6:59 12:01 2:44 5:03 6:32 12 5:31 6:59 12:01 2:45 5:04 6:32 13 5:31 6:59 12:02 2:46 5:05 6:33 14 5:31 6:59 12:02 2:47 5:06 6:34 15 5:30 6:58 12:03 2:48 5:07 6:35 16 5:30 6:58 12:03 2:49 5:08 6:36 17 5:30 6:58 12:03 2:49 5:09 6:36 18 5:30 6:58 12:04 2:50 5:10 6:37 19 5:30 6:57 12:04 2:51 5:11 6:38 20 5:30 6:57 12:04 2:52 5:12 6:39 21 5:29 6:56 12:04 2:53 5:13 6:40 22 5:29 6:56 12:05 2:54 5:14 6:41 23 5:29 6:56 12:05 2:55 5:15 6:42 24 5:28 6:55 12:05 2:55 5:16 6:42 25 5:28 6:55 12:05 2:56 5:17 6:43 26 5:28 6:54 12:06 2:57 5:18 6:44 27 5:27 6:53 12:06 2:58 5:19 6:45 28 5:27 6:53 12:06 2:59 5:20 6:46 29 5:26 6:52 12:06 3:00 5:20 6:47 30 5:26 6:52 12:06 3:00 5:21 6:47 31 5:25 6:51 12:06 3:01 5:22 6:48 February Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 5:24 6:50 12:07 3:02 5:23 6:49 2 5:24 6:49 12:07 3:03 5:24 6:50 3 5:23 6:49 12:07 3:04 5:25 6:51 4 5:23 6:48 12:07 3:04 5:26 6:52 5 5:22 6:47 12:07 3:05 5:27 6:53 6 5:21 6:46 12:07 3:06 5:28 6:53 7 5:21 6:45 12:07 3:07 5:29 6:54 8 5:20 6:45 12:07 3:08 5:30 6:55 9 5:19 6:44 12:07 3:08 5:31 6:56 10 5:18 6:43 12:07 3:09 5:32 6:57 11 5:17 6:42 12:07 3:10 5:33 6:58 12 5:16 6:41 12:07 3:10 5:34 6:58 13 5:16 6:40 12:07 3:11 5:35 6:59 14 5:15 6:39 12:07 3:12 5:36 7:00 15 5:14 6:38 12:07 3:13 5:37 7:01 16 5:13 6:37 12:07 3:13 5:38 7:02 17 5:12 6:36 12:07 3:14 5:39 7:03 18 5:11 6:35 12:07 3:14 5:40 7:03 19 5:10 6:34 12:07 3:15 5:41 7:04 20 5:09 6:32 12:07 3:16 5:41 7:05 21 5:08 6:31 12:07 3:16 5:42 7:06 22 5:07 6:30 12:06 3:17 5:43 7:07 23 5:06 6:29 12:06 3:17 5:44 7:08 24 5:05 6:28 12:06 3:18 5:45 7:08 25 5:03 6:27 12:06 3:19 5:46 7:09 26 5:02 6:25 12:06 3:19 5:47 7:10 27 5:01 6:24 12:06 3:20 5:48 7:11 28 5:00 6:23 12:06 3:20 5:48 7:12 March Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:59 6:22 12:05 3:21 5:49 7:12 2 4:58 6:21 12:05 3:21 5:50 7:13 3 4:56 6:19 12:05 3:22 5:51 7:14 4 4:55 6:18 12:05 3:22 5:52 7:15 5 4:54 6:17 12:04 3:23 5:53 7:16 6 4:53 6:15 12:04 3:23 5:53 7:17 7 4:51 6:14 12:04 3:23 5:54 7:17 8 4:50 6:13 12:04 3:24 5:55 7:18 9 4:49 6:12 12:04 3:24 5:56 7:19 10 4:47 6:10 12:03 3:25 5:57 7:20 11 4:46 6:09 12:03 3:25 5:58 7:21 12 4:45 6:08 12:03 3:25 5:58 7:22 13 4:43 6:06 12:02 3:26 5:59 7:22 14 4:42 6:05 12:02 3:26 6:00 7:23 15 4:40 6:04 12:02 3:26 6:01 7:24 16 4:39 6:02 12:02 3:27 6:02 7:25 17 4:38 6:01 12:01 3:27 6:02 7:26 18 4:36 6:00 12:01 3:27 6:03 7:27 19 4:35 5:58 12:01 3:27 6:04 7:27 20 4:33 5:57 12:00 3:28 6:05 7:28 21 4:32 5:55 12:00 3:28 6:05 7:29 22 4:30 5:54 12:00 3:28 6:06 7:30 23 4:29 5:53 12:00 3:29 6:07 7:31 24 4:27 5:51 11:59 3:29 6:08 7:32 25 4:26 5:50 11:59 3:29 6:08 7:33 26 4:25 5:49 11:59 3:29 6:09 7:33 27 4:23 5:47 11:58 3:29 6:10 7:34 28 4:22 5:46 11:58 3:30 6:11 7:35 29 4:20 5:45 11:58 3:30 6:11 7:36 30 4:19 5:43 11:57 3:30 6:12 7:37 31 4:17 5:42 11:57 3:30 6:13 7:38 April Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:16 5:40 11:57 3:30 6:14 7:39 2 4:14 5:39 11:57 3:30 6:15 7:40 3 5:13 6:38 12:56 4:31 7:15 8:41 4 5:11 6:36 12:56 4:31 7:16 8:42 5 5:09 6:35 12:56 4:31 7:17 8:43 6 5:08 6:34 12:55 4:31 7:18 8:44 7 5:06 6:32 12:55 4:31 7:18 8:45 8 5:05 6:31 12:55 4:31 7:19 8:45 9 5:03 6:30 12:55 4:31 7:20 8:46 10 5:02 6:28 12:54 4:31 7:21 8:47 11 5:00 6:27 12:54 4:31 7:21 8:48 12 4:59 6:26 12:54 4:32 7:22 8:49 13 4:57 6:25 12:53 4:32 7:23 8:50 14 4:56 6:23 12:53 4:32 7:24 8:51 15 4:54 6:22 12:53 4:32 7:24 8:52 16 4:53 6:21 12:53 4:32 7:25 8:53 17 4:51 6:20 12:53 4:32 7:26 8:54 18 4:50 6:18 12:52 4:32 7:27 8:55 19 4:48 6:17 12:52 4:32 7:27 8:57 20 4:47 6:16 12:52 4:32 7:28 8:58 21 4:46 6:15 12:52 4:32 7:29 8:59 22 4:44 6:14 12:51 4:32 7:30 9:00 23 4:43 6:13 12:51 4:32 7:31 9:01 24 4:41 6:11 12:51 4:32 7:31 9:02 25 4:40 6:10 12:51 4:32 7:32 9:03 26 4:38 6:09 12:51 4:33 7:33 9:04 27 4:37 6:08 12:51 4:33 7:34 9:05 28 4:36 6:07 12:50 4:33 7:34 9:06 29 4:34 6:06 12:50 4:33 7:35 9:07 30 4:33 6:05 12:50 4:33 7:36 9:08 May Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:32 6:04 12:50 4:33 7:37 9:09 2 4:30 6:03 12:50 4:33 7:38 9:11 3 4:29 6:02 12:50 4:33 7:38 9:12 4 4:28 6:01 12:50 4:33 7:39 9:13 5 4:26 6:00 12:50 4:33 7:40 9:14 6 4:25 5:59 12:50 4:33 7:41 9:15 7 4:24 5:58 12:49 4:33 7:41 9:16 8 4:23 5:57 12:49 4:33 7:42 9:17 9 4:21 5:56 12:49 4:33 7:43 9:18 10 4:20 5:55 12:49 4:33 7:44 9:19 11 4:19 5:55 12:49 4:34 7:45 9:20 12 4:18 5:54 12:49 4:34 7:45 9:22 13 4:17 5:53 12:49 4:34 7:46 9:23 úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) 14 4:16 5:52 12:49 4:34 7:47 9:24 15 4:15 5:51 12:49 4:34 7:48 9:25 16 4:13 5:51 12:49 4:34 7:48 9:26 17 4:12 5:50 12:49 4:34 7:49 9:27 18 4:11 5:49 12:49 4:34 7:50 9:28 19 4:10 5:49 12:49 4:34 7:51 9:29 20 4:10 5:48 12:49 4:34 7:51 9:30 21 4:09 5:48 12:50 4:34 7:52 9:31 22 4:08 5:47 12:50 4:35 7:53 9:32 23 4:07 5:46 12:50 4:35 7:53 9:33 24 4:06 5:46 12:50 4:35 7:54 9:34 25 4:05 5:45 12:50 4:35 7:55 9:35 26 4:04 5:45 12:50 4:35 7:55 9:36 27 4:04 5:44 12:50 4:35 7:56 9:37 28 4:03 5:44 12:50 4:35 7:57 9:38 29 4:02 5:44 12:50 4:36 7:57 9:39 30 4:02 5:43 12:50 4:36 7:58 9:40 31 4:01 5:43 12:51 4:36 7:59 9:41 June Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:01 5:43 12:51 4:36 7:59 9:42 2 4:00 5:42 12:51 4:36 8:00 9:42 3 4:00 5:42 12:51 4:36 8:00 9:43 4 3:59 5:42 12:51 4:37 8:01 9:44 5 3:59 5:42 12:51 4:37 8:01 9:45 6 3:58 5:41 12:52 4:37 8:02 9:45 7 3:58 5:41 12:52 4:37 8:02 9:46 8 3:58 5:41 12:52 4:37 8:03 9:47 9 3:57 5:41 12:52 4:38 8:03 9:47 10 3:57 5:41 12:52 4:38 8:04 9:48 11 3:57 5:41 12:53 4:38 8:04 9:49 12 3:57 5:41 12:53 4:38 8:05 9:49 13 3:57 5:41 12:53 4:38 8:05 9:50 14 3:57 5:41 12:53 4:39 8:06 9:50 15 3:57 5:41 12:53 4:39 8:06 9:51 16 3:57 5:41 12:54 4:39 8:06 9:51 17 3:57 5:41 12:54 4:39 8:07 9:51 18 3:57 5:41 12:54 4:39 8:07 9:52 19 3:57 5:42 12:54 4:40 8:07 9:52 20 3:57 5:42 12:55 4:40 8:07 9:52 21 3:57 5:42 12:55 4:40 8:08 9:52 22 3:57 5:42 12:55 4:40 8:08 9:53 23 3:58 5:42 12:55 4:41 8:08 9:53 24 3:58 5:43 12:55 4:41 8:08 9:53 25 3:58 5:43 12:56 4:41 8:08 9:53 26 3:59 5:43 12:56 4:41 8:08 9:53 27 3:59 5:44 12:56 4:41 8:08 9:53 28 3:59 5:44 12:56 4:42 8:08 9:53 29 4:00 5:44 12:56 4:42 8:08 9:53 30 4:00 5:45 12:57 4:42 8:08 9:53 July Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:01 5:45 12:57 4:42 8:08 9:52 2 4:02 5:46 12:57 4:42 8:08 9:52 3 4:02 5:46 12:57 4:42 8:08 9:52 4 4:03 5:47 12:57 4:43 8:08 9:52 5 4:03 5:47 12:58 4:43 8:08 9:51 6 4:04 5:47 12:58 4:43 8:08 9:51 7 4:05 5:48 12:58 4:43 8:08 9:50 8 4:06 5:49 12:58 4:43 8:07 9:50 9 4:06 5:49 12:58 4:43 8:07 9:50 10 4:07 5:50 12:58 4:44 8:07 9:49 11 4:08 5:50 12:58 4:44 8:06 9:48 12 4:09 5:51 12:59 4:44 8:06 9:48 13 4:10 5:51 12:59 4:44 8:06 9:47 14 4:10 5:52 12:59 4:44 8:05 9:47 15 4:11 5:53 12:59 4:44 8:05 9:46 16 4:12 5:53 12:59 4:44 8:04 9:45 17 4:13 5:54 12:59 4:44 8:04 9:44 18 4:14 5:55 12:59 4:44 8:03 9:44 19 4:15 5:55 12:59 4:44 8:03 9:43 20 4:16 5:56 12:59 4:44 8:02 9:42 21 4:17 5:56 12:59 4:44 8:02 9:41 22 4:18 5:57 12:59 4:44 8:01 9:40 23 4:19 5:58 12:59 4:44 8:01 9:39 24 4:20 5:59 12:59 4:44 8:00 9:38 25 4:21 5:59 12:59 4:44 7:59 9:37 26 4:22 6:00 12:59 4:44 7:59 9:36 27 4:23 6:01 12:59 4:44 7:58 9:35 28 4:24 6:01 12:59 4:44 7:57 9:34 29 4:25 6:02 12:59 4:44 7:56 9:33 30 4:26 6:03 12:59 4:44 7:55 9:32 31 4:27 6:03 12:59 4:43 7:55 9:31 August Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:28 6:04 12:59 4:43 7:54 9:29 2 4:29 6:05 12:59 4:43 7:53 9:28 3 4:30 6:06 12:59 4:43 7:52 9:27 4 4:32 6:06 12:59 4:43 7:51 9:26 5 4:33 6:07 12:59 4:42 7:50 9:24 6 4:34 6:08 12:59 4:42 7:49 9:23 7 4:35 6:09 12:59 4:42 7:48 9:22 8 4:36 6:09 12:59 4:42 7:47 9:21 9 4:37 6:10 12:58 4:41 7:46 9:19 10 4:38 6:11 12:58 4:41 7:45 9:18 11 4:39 6:11 12:58 4:41 7:44 9:16 12 4:40 6:12 12:58 4:40 7:43 9:15 13 4:41 6:13 12:58 4:40 7:42 9:14 14 4:42 6:14 12:58 4:40 7:41 9:12 15 4:43 6:14 12:57 4:39 7:40 9:11 16 4:44 6:15 12:57 4:39 7:39 9:09 17 4:45 6:16 12:57 4:38 7:38 9:08 18 4:46 6:17 12:57 4:38 7:36 9:07 19 4:47 6:17 12:57 4:37 7:35 9:05 20 4:48 6:18 12:56 4:37 7:34 9:04 21 4:49 6:19 12:56 4:36 7:33 9:02 22 4:50 6:19 12:56 4:36 7:32 9:01 23 4:51 6:20 12:56 4:35 7:30 8:59 24 4:52 6:21 12:55 4:35 7:29 8:58 25 4:53 6:22 12:55 4:34 7:28 8:56 26 4:54 6:22 12:55 4:34 7:27 8:55 27 4:55 6:23 12:54 4:33 7:25 8:53 28 4:56 6:24 12:54 4:32 7:24 8:52 29 4:57 6:24 12:54 4:32 7:23 8:50 30 4:58 6:25 12:54 4:31 7:21 8:49 31 4:59 6:26 12:53 4:30 7:20 8:47 September Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 5:00 6:26 12:53 4:30 7:19 8:45 2 5:00 6:27 12:53 4:29 7:17 8:44 3 5:01 6:28 12:52 4:28 7:16 8:42 4 5:02 6:29 12:52 4:28 7:15 8:41 5 5:03 6:29 12:52 4:27 7:13 8:39 6 5:04 6:30 12:51 4:26 7:12 8:38 7 5:05 6:31 12:51 4:25 7:11 8:36 8 5:06 6:31 12:51 4:25 7:09 8:35 9 5:07 6:32 12:50 4:24 7:08 8:33 10 5:07 6:33 12:50 4:23 7:07 8:32 11 5:08 6:33 12:50 4:22 7:05 8:30 12 5:09 6:34 12:49 4:21 7:04 8:28 13 5:10 6:35 12:49 4:21 7:02 8:27 14 5:11 6:35 12:48 4:20 7:01 8:25 15 5:12 6:36 12:48 4:19 7:00 8:24 16 5:12 6:37 12:48 4:18 6:58 8:22 17 5:13 6:37 12:47 4:17 6:57 8:21 18 5:14 6:38 12:47 4:16 6:55 8:19 19 5:15 6:39 12:47 4:15 6:54 8:18 20 5:16 6:40 12:46 4:15 6:53 8:16 21 5:16 6:40 12:46 4:14 6:51 8:15 22 5:17 6:41 12:46 4:13 6:50 8:13 23 5:18 6:42 12:45 4:12 6:48 8:12 24 5:19 6:42 12:45 4:11 6:47 8:10 25 5:20 6:43 12:45 4:10 6:46 8:09 26 5:20 6:44 12:44 4:09 6:44 8:07 27 5:21 6:44 12:44 4:08 6:43 8:06 28 5:22 6:45 12:44 4:07 6:41 8:05 29 5:23 6:46 12:43 4:06 6:40 8:03 30 5:23 6:47 12:43 4:05 6:39 8:02 October Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 5:24 6:47 12:43 4:04 6:37 8:00 2 5:25 6:48 12:42 4:04 6:36 7:59 3 5:26 6:49 12:42 4:03 6:35 7:58 4 5:26 6:50 12:42 4:02 6:33 7:56 5 5:27 6:50 12:41 4:01 6:32 7:55 6 5:28 6:51 12:41 4:00 6:30 7:53 7 5:29 6:52 12:41 3:59 6:29 7:52 8 5:29 6:53 12:40 3:58 6:28 7:51 9 5:30 6:53 12:40 3:57 6:27 7:50 10 5:31 6:54 12:40 3:56 6:25 7:48 11 5:32 6:55 12:40 3:55 6:24 7:47 12 5:32 6:56 12:39 3:54 6:23 7:46 13 5:33 6:56 12:39 3:53 6:21 7:44 14 5:34 6:57 12:39 3:52 6:20 7:43 15 5:35 6:58 12:39 3:51 6:19 7:42 16 5:36 6:59 12:38 3:51 6:18 7:41 17 5:36 7:00 12:38 3:50 6:16 7:40 18 5:37 7:00 12:38 3:49 6:15 7:39 19 5:38 7:01 12:38 3:48 6:14 7:37 20 5:39 7:02 12:38 3:47 6:13 7:36 21 5:39 7:03 12:38 3:46 6:12 7:35 22 5:40 7:04 12:37 3:45 6:11 7:34 23 5:41 7:05 12:37 3:44 6:09 7:33 24 5:42 7:05 12:37 3:44 6:08 7:32 25 5:42 7:06 12:37 3:43 6:07 7:31 26 5:43 7:07 12:37 3:42 6:06 7:30 27 5:44 7:08 12:37 3:41 6:05 7:29 28 5:45 7:09 12:37 3:40 6:04 7:28 29 5:45 7:10 12:37 3:39 6:03 7:27 30 4:46 6:11 11:37 2:39 5:02 6:27 31 4:47 6:12 11:37 2:38 5:01 6:26 November Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 4:48 6:13 11:37 2:37 5:00 6:25 2 4:49 6:13 11:37 2:37 4:59 6:24 3 4:49 6:14 11:37 2:36 4:58 6:23 4 4:50 6:15 11:37 2:35 4:57 6:22 5 4:51 6:16 11:37 2:34 4:57 6:22 6 4:52 6:17 11:37 2:34 4:56 6:21 7 4:53 6:18 11:37 2:33 4:55 6:20 8 4:53 6:19 11:37 2:33 4:54 6:20 9 4:54 6:20 11:37 2:32 4:53 6:19 10 4:55 6:21 11:37 2:31 4:53 6:18 11 4:56 6:22 11:37 2:31 4:52 6:18 12 4:57 6:23 11:37 2:30 4:51 6:17 13 4:57 6:24 11:37 2:30 4:51 6:17 14 4:58 6:25 11:37 2:29 4:50 6:16 15 4:59 6:26 11:38 2:29 4:49 6:16 16 5:00 6:26 11:38 2:28 4:49 6:15 17 5:01 6:27 11:38 2:28 4:48 6:15 18 5:01 6:28 11:38 2:28 4:48 6:15 19 5:02 6:29 11:38 2:27 4:47 6:14 20 5:03 6:30 11:39 2:27 4:47 6:14 21 5:04 6:31 11:39 2:27 4:46 6:14 22 5:05 6:32 11:39 2:26 4:46 6:13 23 5:05 6:33 11:39 2:26 4:45 6:13 24 5:06 6:34 11:40 2:26 4:45 6:13 25 5:07 6:35 11:40 2:26 4:45 6:13 26 5:08 6:36 11:40 2:25 4:45 6:12 27 5:09 6:37 11:41 2:25 4:44 6:12 28 5:09 6:38 11:41 2:25 4:44 6:12 29 5:10 6:39 11:41 2:25 4:44 6:12 30 5:11 6:39 11:42 2:25 4:44 6:12 December Fajr SHurwwQ DHuhr `ASir MaGHrib `ISHaa' Date Dawn Sunrise Noon Afternoon Sunset Evening 1 5:12 6:40 11:42 2:25 4:44 6:12 2 5:13 6:41 11:42 2:25 4:43 6:12 3 5:13 6:42 11:43 2:25 4:43 6:12 4 5:14 6:43 11:43 2:25 4:43 6:12 5 5:15 6:44 11:44 2:25 4:43 6:12 6 5:15 6:44 11:44 2:25 4:43 6:12 7 5:16 6:45 11:44 2:25 4:43 6:13 8 5:17 6:46 11:45 2:25 4:44 6:13 9 5:18 6:47 11:45 2:26 4:44 6:13 10 5:18 6:48 11:46 2:26 4:44 6:13 11 5:19 6:48 11:46 2:26 4:44 6:13 12 5:20 6:49 11:47 2:26 4:44 6:14 13 5:20 6:50 11:47 2:26 4:45 6:14 14 5:21 6:50 11:48 2:27 4:45 6:14 15 5:22 6:51 11:48 2:27 4:45 6:15 16 5:22 6:52 11:49 2:27 4:45 6:15 17 5:23 6:52 11:49 2:28 4:46 6:15 18 5:23 6:53 11:50 2:28 4:46 6:16 19 5:24 6:54 11:50 2:29 4:47 6:16 20 5:24 6:54 11:51 2:29 4:47 6:17 21 5:25 6:55 11:51 2:30 4:48 6:17 22 5:25 6:55 11:52 2:30 4:48 6:18 23 5:26 6:56 11:52 2:31 4:49 6:18 24 5:26 6:56 11:53 2:31 4:49 6:19 25 5:27 6:56 11:53 2:32 4:50 6:19 26 5:27 6:57 11:54 2:32 4:50 6:20 27 5:28 6:57 11:54 2:33 4:51 6:21 28 5:28 6:58 11:55 2:34 4:52 6:21 29 5:28 6:58 11:55 2:34 4:52 6:22 30 5:29 6:58 11:56 2:35 4:53 6:23 31 5:29 6:58 11:56 2:36 4:54 6:23 Announcements ................................................................ 4. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 5. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- Courtesy: Islamic Information & News Network (IINN) -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) # End of Islam FAQ Part 14 # References: Islam. Part 15 of 15. bit.listserv.muslims:97 Archive-name: islam-faq/part15 Copyright 1993,1994,1995 Asim Mughal (mughal@caltech.edu) Redistribution for profit, or in altered content/format prohibited without explicit written permission of the author. Any other redistribution must include this copyright notice and attribution. Frequently Asked Questions: Part 15 ___________________________________ This message is automatically posted to every month and when updated. This lists answers to most commonly asked questions on the forum. Contributions & changes are requested and should be directed to: mughal@caltech.edu OVERVIEW: The Frequently Asked Questions document for Islam has been divided in parts. Below is the index. Part 1 - Welcome & Index Part 2 - Info on Islamic News Groups Part 3 - Introduction to Islam Part 4 - God & Worship Part 5 - Islam, Quran & Muhammad (PBUH) Part 6 - Marriage Laws in Islam Part 7 - Women In Islam Part 8 - Life after Death, Moral System & Human rights in Islam Part 9 - Islam: Prophethood, Jesus & Trinity Part 10 - Islam: Farrakhism & Malcom X Part 11 - Islamic Internet Guide: Islamic Resources on Internet Part 12 - Other Islamic Resource Guides on Internet Part 13 - Islamic Literature: Books & Video Part 14 - Islamic Calendar & Prayer Time Table for 1994 Part 15 - Misc: List of Halal Foods ________________________________________________________ PART 15: Misc: List of Halal Foods Contents --Articles-- 1. Introduction .............................................................. 2. List of Halal Foods ....................................................... --Announcements-- 3. Archive Info .............................................................. 4. Credits ................................................................... Articles ..................................................................... 1. Introduction .............................................................. This part of FAQ is for miscellaneous topics of interest to Muslims. Currently, it has only the list of halal foods. This list is a quick reference guide for Muslims and enables them to follow their dietary laws. 2. List of Halal Foods ....................................................... ============================================================= INFORMATION ABOUT INGREDIENTS ON FOODS, TOOTHPASTE, SOAP ETC. ======================================= *** INTRODUCTION *** The following information was extracted from the Muslim Consumer Guide (which was published in the newsletter of MSA Ann Arbor, Jan- Feb. 90), then was posted by Muhammad B. Setiawan (Dept. of Eng. Physics McMaster University), and finally collected, edited and distributed by MSA of the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg. We hope that it be of great use to you and that you will read the ingredient on every product before you make your purchase. If in doubt, you may write to the company, they have been very helpful in provinding the requested information. *** CONSULTATION OF COMPANIES *** Here are the results of consultations done by MSA with various food companies. No particular questions were asked on products that may contain alcohol. 1. L.D.Schrieber Cheese Company: No shortening, lard, gelatin or lecithin used. Cow products are used = Good 2. Burger King Corp.: Shortening used is from swine = BAD. Lard is used in buns and apple pie = BAD. Lecithin is used in buns = BAD/GOOD because you are not sure. Shakes = GOOD 3. General Foods : Lard is used on SWAN DOWN cake mixes. Gelatin (from collagen- bearing tissues on any animal) is used in many products including Jell-O Brand Gelatin Desert = BAD 4. Knox Gelatin Inc. : "Knox Gelatin is prepared from the protein collagen, which is extracted from either beef (bones and skin) or PORK (skins)" = BAD 5. American Lecithin Company : "Our Lecithin is derived from Soybeans and is sold under the trade name Alcoles" = GOOD 6. Nestle : A list was sent to MSA confirming that their products do not contain any animal by-product. Lechithin used in their products is derived from Soybeans = GOOD 7. General Mills Inc.: Shortening similar to lard is used, also Soya lechithin is used = BAD (because it does not say Soya or lard and you don't know so it is better to avoid). 8. Quaker Oats : Soyabeans Lecithin is used. Shortening used is from Swine. Some of the products are MAsa Trigo, Flako pie crust and cup cake mix. ______________________________________________________________________ ___ *** SEVERAL TERMS *** A. Derived from pork or other animals: 1. bacon 2. ham 3. sausage 4. lard 5. fat 6. gelatin 7. shortening (animal). B. Avoid - doubtful (may be derived from animal or vegetable): 1. lechitin 2. emulsifier 3. dough conditioners 4. mono and diglyceriders 5. enzymes or rennet in cheese C. You can use - Good: 1. soyolecithin 2. soybean lecithin 3. vegetable lecithin 4. vegetable shortening 5. vegetable mono and diglyceriders 6. vegetable enzimes or rennetless cheese. 7. fish D. Avoid - may contain alcohol 1. Artificial and imitation extracts and flavorings E. When you see these letters : "U" or "K" they may mean that the produce does not contain anything from an animal. *** MISCELLANEOUS FOOD ITEMS *** ====================================================================== === Manufacturer Brand Coagulant Use ====================================================================== === Kellog Co. Frosted Pop-tarts Type-B gelatin (from veal/beef) Good Unfrosted Pop-tarts No gelatin Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Frank Foods QT Frosting Mix Vegetable fat Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ General Mills Inc. Ready-to-spread Vegetable fat Frosting and/or Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Proctor & Gamble Duncan Hines ake Mix Vegetable fat Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Great Atlantic & A & P Creamer Coconut & Palm Pacific Co. Oil Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Creamer Vegetable fat Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Penn Maid Food Inc. Natural Yogurt No gelatin Good Swiss Yogurt Gelatin from calf skin Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Jolly Rancher Candies Palm & Coconut Oil Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ M & M Co. Starburst Fruit Gelatin from Chews Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ American Home Foods Crunch 'n Munch Vegetable fat Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ *** BREAD AND PASTRY *** ====================================================================== === Vendor Product Ingredients Use ====================================================================== === Drake Bakeries Div. of Borden Foods Inc. Honey bun Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Entenmans All Products Vegetable Shortening Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Giants Goods Bread Vegetable Shortening Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Huber Baking Co. Bakers of sunshine Bread Roman Meal Bread Soybean Salad Oil Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Keebler All Products Vegetable Shortening, Oleo and Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Nabisco All products Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Pepperidge Farm Rolls, Bread, Butter or Cakes Vegetable Shortening Good _________________________________________________ Layer Cakes NOTE: even though this cake is made with good sortening the GELATIN USED is made from PIGSKIN BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Pillsbury Co. 1896 Brand Butter milk Biscuit Vegetable shortening Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Stroehmann Brothers Co Hilibilly Bread; White Bread Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ __ Sunshine Biscuit Co. All Products Vegetable shortening Good ______________________________________________________________________ __ *** ICE CREAM *** ====================================================================== === MANUFACTURER PRODUCT USE ====================================================================== === Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Good Sherberts Good Water ice Good Baskin Robbins Ice cream and those flavors containing miget marshmallow BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Pensupreme Ice Cream BAD Pensupreme Schraff Ice Cream (available at Safeway) Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Meadow Gold Ice Cream Good Meadow Gold Louis Sherry Ice Cream (all Natural) Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Abbotts Ice Cream Good erts Good Water Ice Good ______________________________________________________________________ __ Pantry Price Ice Cream Good Breyers Ice Cream Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ *** CHEWING GUM *** ====================================================================== === Manufacturer Products Ingredients Use ====================================================================== ======== ================================== GM Co. Rescue 11 Soap pads Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Purex Corporation Brillo Soap pads Lard BAD ___________________________________________ Supreme Steel pink & green bars per carton) Beef Tallow Good ___________________________________________ Dobie Pads Beef Tallow Good ______________________________________________________________________ ___ Miles Laboratory S.O.S Soap Pads Lard __ Tf Plastic Mesh Balls Lard BAD ______________________________________________________________________ ___ -- compiled by Sysops of The Islamic School aa755 sxg12 mxs44 ====================================================================== ===== Announcements ................................................................ 3. Archive Info .............................................................. This FAQ is archived at several sites and is available for public retrieval thru anonymous FTP, E-MAIL, Gopher & World Wide Web. -- Anonymous FTP -- Login: anonymous Password: Your e-mail address úÿ úÿ(Continued from last message) Site: rtfm.mit.edu Site: ftp.uu.net Site: ftp.cco.caltech.edu Dir: /pub/calmsa/islam-faq/ -- E-MAIL -- Send E-mail to: mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu Text of E-mail Message: quit -- GOPHER -- Site: gopher.caltech.edu 70 CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ islam-faq/ Site: latif.com 70 Soc.Religion.Islam -- World-Wide-Web (WWW) -- One recommended interface is 'mosaic,' below are mosaic 'home pages.' URL at USENET Archive site: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-faq/faq.html URL at Caltech MSA site: http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~calmsa/links.html 4. Credits ................................................................... The author wishes to thank all those who contributed in any capacity for the original one part FAQ or this multi-part FAQ. -- SOURCES -- The basic introduction and literature presented in the FAQ is from brochures on Islam distributed by Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E). These brochures were typed in electronic form by Ms.M.Ahmed. has been compiled from USENET archives and administrative logs of Soc.Religion.Islam moderator panel. What is III&E? III&E is an acronym for the Institute of Islamic Information & Education which was established in Chicago, Illinois in 1985. The III&E is registered in the State of Illinois and recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a not-for-profit religious organization. More information can be obtained by contacting Dr. M. Amir, III&E, P.O. Box 41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129, U.S.A.; Tel: (312) 777- 7443 Fax: (312) 777-7199; or contact Sr. Margaret Ahmed. -- FORMAT -- The format of the FAQ series has been done by utilizing resources of Islamic Information & News Network (IINN). A custom program, Nebula, written by editors of IINN for generating newsletters has been used. What is IINN? Islamic Information & News Network is a forum dedicated to educate the network community on issues relating to Islam and Muslims in an academic & non-political environment. Weekly digest is available on internet by subscribing to MUSLIMS@ASUACAD.BITnet (A Bitnet listserv list) and on USENET: bit.listserv.muslims. -- Permissions -- Permission to post this multi-part FAQ has been obtained by the following: o Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) o Islamic Information & News Network (Muslims@PSUVM.bitnet) o Moderator(s) of News.Answers (Thomas Khoenig & P.Huang) # End of Islam FAQ Part 15 #