Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The Bible and Christianity (An Islamic View)

Author:Sayyid Muhammad Reza Al-Shirazi

Fountain Books

www.alhassanain.org/english

ImamShirazi World Foundation

www.ImamShirazi.com

Second English edition, 2002

Third English edition, 2003

ISBN 1-903323-10-X

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Thisworkis published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

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Table of Contents

Foreword 8

Part 1: ENCOUNTERS 10

Introduction 10

The Migration to Abyssinia 12

The Negus Embraces Islam 17

A Delegation of Abyssinian Priests 17

ART 2: ISLAM – CHRISTIANITY DEBATES 19

Author’s Foreword 21

Knowledge In Islam 23

Is Jesus The Son of God? 26

Position of Jesus and Christians in Islam 29

Excellences of Islam over other Religions 32

Islamic Teachings 36

The Spread of Islam 41

Trinity 44

PART 3: ATTRIBUTES OF GOD AND HIS PROPHETS ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE 48

Foreword 50

God According to the Bible 52

Prophets of the Bible 56

Prophet Jesus Christ 56

Prophet David 57

Prophet Lot 59

Prophet Jacob 59

Prophet Solomon 60

Prophet Moses 60

Prophet Isaiah 62

Prophet Ezekiel 62

Prophet Hosea 63

Prophet Aaron 64

Prophet Jeremiah 66

Prophet Noah 66

An Old Prophet 66

Prophet Elisha 66

PART 4: JESUS ACCORDING TO THE HOLY QUR’AN 68

Foreword 70

The Conception, Birth and Naming of Mary 71

Protection of Mary and her Progeny 71

Mary and her trustee Zechariah 71

Allah Chooses Mary 71

Mary the Truthful 71

Preparation of Mary for the Task 71

Sustenance (Provision) of Mary 71

Mary the Devout 72

Mary's Honour and Virtue 72

The good tidings of Jesus to Mary 72

Mary's reaction to the news of bearing Jesus 72

Conception and birth of Jesus 72

Bearing of Jesus 72

Mary's seclusion from the people 72

Labour pain 72

Birth of Jesus 72

After the birth of Jesus 73

Jesus advises his mother on how to address the people 73

Mary addresses the people 73

Jesus defends his mother 73

Jesus is kind and polite to his mother 73

Jesus and his mother were not Divine 73

Jesus and his mother are Miracles of Allah 73

Jesus denies being Divine 73

Those who attribute Divinity to Jesus commit heresy 73

Jesus is Not Allah 74

Jesus is Not the Son of Allah 75

Jesus is Allah's Word and a Spirit from Him 75

Jesus and his mother are salves and servants of Allah 75

Jesus is a human being chosen by Allah 75

Jesus is not but a Messenger of Allah 75

Jesus is a Messenger to the Children of Israel 76

Jesus confirms the Torah and brings the Engeel 76

The Miracles of Jesus 76

Spoke from birth 76

Created a bird from clay 76

Cured the born blind and the sick 77

Raised the dead 77

Feast from the Heavens: Jesus requests Allah’s leave for the miracle 77

Jesus is supported by Archangel Gabriel 77

Jesus Curses the Unbelievers amongst the Israelites 77

Jesus never died 77

Allah Rescues Jesus from the Jews 77

Ascension of Jesus to the Heavens 77

Jesus is amongst those who Inherit the Earth 78

Jesus promises the coming of Prophet Muhammad 78

The Author 79

1. What is Islam? Beliefs, principles, and a way of life 80

2. Fundamentals of Islam 80

3. The Family 80

5. If Islam were to be established 81

6. War, Peace and Non-violence: An Islamic Perspective 81

7. The Islamic System of Government 81

8. Islamic Beliefs for All 82

9. Husayn - The Sacrifice for Mankind 82

10. The rights of prisoners according to Islamic teachings 82

11. Aspects of the political theory of Imam Shirazi 83

Notes 84

Of the People of the Book, there are those who indeed believe in Allah and in what has been revealed to you, and in what has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah and not selling Allah’s revelations for a small price. Those will have their reward with their Lord; indeed Allah’s reckoning is swift.

The Holy Qur’an, The Family ofEmran (3): 199

Foreword

In the search for the truth, two main approaches may be adopted to help reach the goal aspired, one is to purely use reason and clear rationale to arrive at what one is reaching for, or, two, sift through the various beliefs, ideologies, and schools of thought, checking one against another - with the aid of reason and rationale - to identify the set of teachings or the school of thought that gives, beyond any reasonable doubt, the best means to access the truth.

Presented in this book, are brief works of the author concerning the two religions, each of which muster some two billion followers - Islam and Christianity.

In the first part, a few examples of encounters between the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, as well as the Imams of his progeny, and other individuals are presented. These reflect the conduct and approaches the prophet had towards others.

In the second part of the book, debates and discussions the author had with Christians are presented. In these debates the author adheres to the same approach and adopts the same attitude as those of the prophet of Islam and the Imams of his progeny, briefly referred to in part one of this book. Various issues of concern, ranging from general and legal, to historic and scientific are addressed, in a calm and a rational environment, taking lead form theQur’anic verse {Invite (the people) to the Way of your Lord (Islam) with wisdom and good exhortation, and argue with them in a manner that is best.} 16:125 Those who had come with an acquired perception of Islam, which usually was distorted and incorrect, were in a better position to see the truth of Islam at the end of these debates with the author, so much that they were able to embrace Islam as their own way of life.

The Muslim side in these debates was the most eminent authority on Islam in recent times, the late Ayatollah al-Udhma Imam MuhammadShirazi .

The debates presented here were conducted at the time when he was in Iraq. Needless to say that the late ImamShirazi continued this approach of rational debate and scientific dialogue with others throughout his life, and throughout his stay in Kuwait (1970-1979) and in Iran (1980-2001) during which thousands entered into debates with him about Islam, many of whom subsequently embracedislam , not to mention those who embraced Islam through listening to his lectures or reading his many books that vi exceed 1000. Reports of those embracing Islam also usually echoed in the press, and this continued until his death on 17th December 2001.

This part was first published in Arabic as a separate small book in the seventies, and it has been translated into English to present those dialogues to the English reader in an effort to present Islam, however limited this may be. Islam is a religion of rationale and reason, which encourages the seeking of knowledge, and is in harmony with the nature of mankind. Its teachings are suitable and applicable to every time, place and generation, and it would therefore be beneficial for us to learn about the teachings of Islam and its laws, help others to learn about it so that the teachings of Islam are adhered to and implemented for the common good, and greater enlightenment of mankind.

In the third part of this book, the author carries out a brief and concise investigation into the contradictions of the Bible, some of which are in the form of false attributes to God, and also the false and immoral attributes to the messengers of God. This work was first published in Arabic as a separate book.

The author rejects the notion that the Prophets of God, who are amongst the most righteous and pious individuals of the community of mankind could possibly commit such acts as deception, adultery and even coldblooded murder. Decent members of a community would not resort to such acts let alone the most noble of all. They have reached such status of self-discipline, selflessness, devotion, and piety that it would even be improbable for them to contemplate to commit such acts.

The conclusion the author draws is that the ‘Bible’ we have today within our disposal has been distorted and tampered with, and thereby unreliable as a reference and a source of guidance for mankind.

In the fourth part of this book, some of the teachings of the holy Qur’an are presented about Jesus Christ and his mother Mary, peace be upon them. These teachings address various aspects of Jesus and his mother; as to who Jesus was, and who he was not, his teachings and his mission, and eventually his ascension to the heavens.

Z.Olyabek (Editor)

October 2002

Enco

Part 1: ENCOUNTERS

Invite (the people) to the Way of your Lord – Islam – with wisdom and good exhortation and argue with them in a manner that is best.

The Holy Qur'an, The Bee (16): 125

Introduction

Islam always relied on dialogue and reason to promote its stance and disseminate its teachings. Contrary to theIslamophobics who falsely assert that Islam spread its message by the sword, Islam attracted devout followers from the four corners of the world through reason, by encouraging the other side to ponder and reflect on what Islam had to say. This approach takes its lead from Allah’s instructions in theQur’anic verse, {Invite (the people) to the Way of your Lord - Islam - with wisdom and good exhortation . .}1

Armed with reason and logic, the Muslim faithful addresses any debate with an open mind and without any prejudice, for he is only interested in the Truth. Thus the starting point for a Muslim faithful and his attitude in such debates would be based on theQur’anic verse, {and we or you are either rightly guided or in manifest error}2

It is on this basis that the author conducted his debates with non-Muslims, as can be seen from the presentation in this book.

Coupled with this approach of wisdom and reasoning, is another means that complements the first, and that is tolerance, leniency, perseverance and forgiveness. Taking lead from suchQur’anic verses as {and argue with them in a manner that is best}3 , this approach too is highly encouraged in Islam, and is manifested in the teachings and conducts of the final messenger of Allah, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and his progeny, as well as in those of the impeccable Imams of this progeny.

Imam Ali peace be upon him, reports, “The holy prophet Muhammad personally owed a Jew some money, and one morning the Jew came to the prophet and demanded his money. The prophet told him that he does not have any money so that he could give him any of his dues. The Jew said, “I am not going to leave you alone, until you give me the money”. The Jew effectively confined and restricted the prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Since the Jew imposed that restriction upon the prophet and the latter owed the former, he complied with him. This is at a time when the prophet Muhammad was not only the Messenger of God; he was also a ruler and a head of the Islamic state, commanding considerable power and influence. When it was time for the midday prayers the prophet performed the prayers, and this standby continued when the prophet performed the prayers for other times, and until the following day, the Jew remained alongside the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family. The companions of the prophet were enraged by the conduct of the Jew, and they started to threaten him. Objecting to theirbehaviour , the prophet asked them, “What are you doing?” they replied, “O Messenger of Allah! A Jew has detained you!”

Prophet Muhammad replied, “My Lord has not sent me to wrong one who is under the protection of the Islamic state, nor anyone else!” By midday of the following day, having seen the conduct of the prophet of Islam, the Jew said, “I testify there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger . and I give half of my money in the cause of Allah . .”4

Taking lead from theQur’anic verse {and if the ignorant address them they reply (in) peace}5 , when a Christian man came to ImamBaqir and said to him mockingly, “Are youBaqar (meaning cow)?” The Imam peace be upon him replied, “I amBaqir (literally meaning the splitter of knowledge, i.e. being the most knowledgeable of his time, as he then known).” He said, “are you not the son of a cook?” The Imam replied, “That is her skill.”

The Christian man then went on to say to the Imam, “are you not the son of the obscene Negro?” The Imam calmly replied, “If you are saying the truth, then may Allah forgive her, and if you are saying lies, then may Allah forgive you.” The calm, courteous and non-violent replies of the Imam lead the Christian man to the truth that the Imam had, and embraced Islam whole-heartedly. It was in such ways that prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his pure family, used to deal with others; through leniency and compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, and magnanimity, such that he managed to attract the hearts and minds of the people. In this respect Allah Almighty states, {It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them. Were thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee . .}6

In this way, Islam has today attracted some two billion followers, and this is despite all the atrocities that have been committed by so-called Muslims in the name of Islam over many centuries.

What follows is the script of one of many encounters between muslins and non-Muslims at the outset of dawn of Islam some 1400 years ago.

The Migration to Abyssinia

When the trials became too severe for the Muslims at the beginning of the mission of prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, he gave permission for a group of them to migrate to Abyssinia saying: ‘In that land there is a king7 who does not wrong the people. It is a land of sincerity, and you should go there until Allah brings about a relief from what you are suffering.’

Eighty-three men and eighteen women from the tribe ofQuraysh , led byJa’far ibn AbuTalib leftMakkah .Ja‘far , who was the cousin of the prophet Muhammad, was chosen by the prophet for his bravery and eloquence in dialogue, not to mention his knowledge of and adherence to the teachings of Islam.

When the leaders ofQuraysh , who were the determined opponents and persecutors of the Muslims and the prophet Muhammad inMakkah , saw that the migrants were safe in their land of asylum, together with the Negus’s good patronage of them, they gathered in the House of Assembly and said: ‘We have a cause for revenge in those who are with the Negus. So let us gather some money and gift it to the Negus so that he might give the Muslims over to us, and let two men of your choice be assigned to the task.’ So they sent ‘Amr ibn al-‘As and ‘Ammarah ibn al-Walid with the gift, and they sailed to Abyssinia.

When they entered upon the Negus, they prostrated to him and greeted him and said: ‘Our people give you sincere counsel. They have sent us to warn you of those who have come to you for they are the associates of a liar, of a man who has come out and claimed that he is the Messenger of Allah, and none has followed him but the foolish. So we blockaded them into an area in our land where no one enters and no-one leaves, and hunger and thirst kills them. When things became severe, he sent his nephew to corrupt your religion and kingdom. So beware of them and hand them over to us so we might relieve you of them. The proof of this is that when they enter upon you they do not prostrate to you and they do not greet you with the traditional greeting out of distaste for your religion.’ When the Negus summoned them and they were present,Ja’far ibn Abi -Talib hailed at the door saying: ‘The party of God ask your permission to enter.’

The Negus said: ‘Let him say that again . .’Ja’far repeated his words and the Negus said: ‘Indeed, then let them enter with the safety of God and His protection.’ They entered but did not prostrate to him.

The Negus said: ‘What prevented you from prostrating to me?’ They said: ‘We prostrate only to Allah who created you and gave you your dominion. Wepractised prostration as a greeting when we were idolaters but Allah sent a true Prophet to us and ordered us to use the greeting, which He sees fit, which is ‘Peace’, the greeting of the people of Paradise. The Negusrealised that this was the truth and it was in the Torah and the Evangel, and he asked: ‘Which of you called for permission to enter?’Ja’far said: ‘It was I.’

The Negus said: ‘Then speak.’Ja’far said: ‘You are a king and long speeches are not fitting in front of you. I wish to speak on behalf of my companions so let one of those men speak and you will hear our conversation.’ ‘Amr ibn al-‘As said: ‘Then speak.’

Ja’far said to the Negus: ‘Ask him whether we are slaves or free men, and if we are slaves who have escaped from our masters then return us to them.’

‘Amr said: ‘Nay, they are free and noble men.’Ja’far said: ‘Have we spilt blood unjustly to warrant retaliation against us?’

‘Amr said: ‘Not a drop.’Ja’far said: ‘Have we taken people’s wealth unjustly which we must repay?’

‘Amr said: ‘Not a penny.’

The Negus said: ‘Then what is it you want from them?’ ‘Amr said: ‘Us and them were on one religion, the religion of our forefathers, but they have left that and followed another.’ The Negus said toJa’far : ‘What was the religion you followed and what do you follow now? Tell me the truth.’

Ja’far said: ‘As for the religion we left, that was the religion of Satan; we used to deny Allah and worship stones. As for the religion which we have changed to, it is the religion of Allah, Islam, brought to us from Allah by a messenger, with a book like the book of the son of Mary and in concord with it.’

The Negus said: ‘You have spoken of a momentous matter so be at ease.’ Then the Negus ordered that the bell be rung and every priest and monk gathered in his presence. Then he said to them: ‘I ask you by God who sent down the Evangel upon Jesus, do you find between Jesus and the Day of Rising another prophet sent?’

They said: ‘Aye by God, Jesus gave us tidings of him and said: ‘Whoever believes in him has believed in me but whoever denies him has denied me.’

The Negus said toJa’far : ‘What does this man say to you? And what does he order you to do and forbid you from?’

Ja’far said: ‘He recites to us the book of Allah and enjoins the good and forbids the evil. He orders us tohonour ourneighbour , our kin and the orphans, and he orders us to worship Allah alone no partner has He.’ The Negus said: ‘Recite some of what he recites to you.’ So he recited the chapter of the Spider from the holy Qur’an:8

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the BeneficentAlif Lam Mim9 .

Do men think that they will be left alone in saying, “We believe,” and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false.

Do those whopractise evil think that they will get the better of Us? Evil is their judgment!

For those whose hopes are in the meeting with Allah (in the Hereafter, let them strive); for the Term (appointed) by Allah is surely coming: and He hears and knows (all things). And if any strive (with might and main), they do so for their own souls: for Allah is free of all needs from all creation. Those who believe and work righteous deeds, from them shall We blot out all evil (that may be) in them, and We shall reward them according to the best of their deeds.

We have enjoined on man kindness to parents: but if they (either of them) strive (to force) thee to join with Me (in worship) anything of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not. Ye have (all) to return to Me, and I will tell you (the truth) of all that ye did. . . . The parable of those who take protectors other than Allah is that of the Spider, who builds (to itself) a house; but truly the flimsiest of houses is the Spider's house; if they but knew. . . . Then he went on to recite the chapter of the Romans from the holy Qur’an:10

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the BeneficentAlif LamMim .

The Roman Empire has been defeated11 ,

In a land close by: but they, (even) after (this) defeat of theirs, will soon be victorious, Within a few years. With Allah is the Decision. In the Past and in the Future: on that Day shall the Believers rejoice,12 With the help of Allah. He helps whom He will, and He is Exalted in Might, Most Merciful.

(It is) the promise of Allah. Never does Allah depart from His promise: but most men understand not. They know but the outer (things) in the life of this world: but of the End of things they are heedless.

Do they not reflect in their own minds? Not but for just ends and for a term appointed, did Allah create the heavens and the earth, and all between them: yet are there truly many among men who deny their meeting with their Lord (at the Resurrection)! Do they not travel through the earth, and see what was the End of those before them? They were superior to them in strength: they tilled the soil and populated it in greater numbers than these have done: there came to them their messengers with Clear (Signs). (Which they rejected, to their own destruction): it was not Allah who wronged them, but they wronged their own souls.

In the long run evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do evil; for that they rejected the Signs of Allah, and held them up to ridicule.

It is Allah Who begins (the process of) creation; then repeats it; then shall ye be brought back to Him. …

The eyes of the Negus and his companions had flooded with tears. The Negus said: ‘Recite more of this excellent speech.’ SoJa‘far recited the chapter of the Cave from the holy Qur’an:13

In the Name of Allah the Compassionate the Beneficent Praise be to Allah, Who hath sent to His Servant the Book, and hath allowed therein no Crookedness:

(He hath made it) Straight (and Clear) in order that He may warn (the godless) of a terrible Punishment from Him, and that He may give Glad Tidings to the Believers who work righteous deeds, that they shall have a goodly Reward, Wherein they shall remain forever: Further, that He may warn those (also) who say, “Allah hath begotten a son”:

No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying: What they say is nothing but falsehood! Thou wouldst perchance fret thyself to death with grief, sorrowing after them, if they believe not in this Message. That which is on earth We have made but as a glittering show for the earth, in order that We may test them, as to which of them are best in conduct.

Verily what is on earth We shall make but as dust and dry soil (without growth or herbage). . . . ‘Amr then wanted to anger the Negus and said: ‘They insult Jesus and his mother.’Ja’far then read to Negus the chapter of Mary from the holy Qur’an:

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

She said: “I seek refuge from thee to (Allah) the Most Gracious: (come not near) if thou dost fear Allah.” He said: “Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.”

She said: “How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?”

He said: “So (it will be): thy Lordsaith , 'That is easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us': it is matter (so) decreed.”

So she conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree: she cried (in her anguish) “Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!”

But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): “Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; “And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree; it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.

“So eat and drink and cool (thine ) eye. And if thou dost see any man, say, 'I have vowed a fast to (Allah) Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being'“

At length she brought the (baby) to her people, carrying him (in her arms). They said: “O Mary! truly an amazing thing hast thou brought!

“O sister of Aaron! thy father was not a man of evil, nor thy mother a woman unchaste!” But she pointed to the baby. They said: “How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?”

He said: “I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; “And He hath made me blessedwheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live: “(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable;

“So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)!” Such (was) Jesus the son of Mary: (it is) a statement of Truth, about which they (vainly) dispute.

It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be,” and it is.

Verily Allah is my Lord and your Lord: Him therefore serve ye: this is a way that is straight. . .

When he had finished, the Negus said: ‘By God, the Messiah did not say an iota more than what these people are saying.’ Then he turned toJa’far and the Muslims and said to them: ‘Go as you please, for you are safe in my land. Whoever insults you will be fined. Even if I were given a mountain of gold in exchange for hurting a single one of you, I would not do so.’ Then he said: ‘Return their gifts to them for I have no need of them. By God, He did not take a bribe from me when he returned my kingdom to me, so I would take bribe in this kingdom. So the twoQurayshites left in disgrace and with the returned gifts they had come with.

According to certain exegeses, the followingQur’anic verse was revealed about the Negus and his companions: {And if they hear what was sent down to the Messenger you will see their eyes flooding with tears}14

The Negus Embraces Islam

The Negus accepted Islam and believed in the Prophet secretly. He said: ‘If I was able to visit the Prophet I would do so.’ The Prophet wrote to him suggesting to him to marry UmmHabibah the daughter of AbuSufyan .

She had made the migration to Abyssinia with her husband ‘Ubeidullah ibn Jahsh who had died there. The Prophet married the Negus to UmmHabibah and set the dower at four hundred dinars (gold coins). Khalidibn Sa’id ibn al-‘As took care of the marriage. The Prophet also wrote to the Negus asking him to send back the remainder of his companions. He transported them in two ships with ‘Amr ibn Ummayah , and they reached the Messenger of Allah when he had liberatedKhaybar , in 7 H, 628 CE.

When the Negus died, in the 9th year afterHijra - around 630 CE, the Prophet announced it on the same day, went to the Mosque and made fivetakbirs . Turning to his companions he said: ‘Seek the forgiveness of Allah for your brother’, then Holy Prophet performed the prayers-for-thedeceased for him.

A Delegation of Abyssinian Priests

It is known that while the Messenger of Allah was inMakkah , he was visited by about twenty Christians from Abyssinia who had heard news of the Prophet. They found him in the sacred mosque and sat with him and spoke to him and questioned him in the presence of theQuraysh who were in their usual gatherings around the Ka’bah15 .

After they finished questioning the Messenger of Allah, he summoned them and recited the Qur’an for them. When they heard the Qur’an their eyes flowed with tears. They then answered his call and believed in him, as they hadrecognised him from the descriptions found in their own books of him.

When they rose and left, AbuJahl and a group of theQuraysh detained them and said to them: ‘What a sorry party you are, you were sent by the people of your religion on a reconnaissance mission for them and to bring them information about the man Muhammad, but hardly had you sat down with him but you leave your religion and believe in what he says. I have never seen a more foolish delegation than you.’

They answered him: ‘Peace be upon you, we will not vie with you in ignorance, to you your way and to us ours, we do not wish to neglect what is good.’ Then the following verses were revealed:

{Those who were given the book previously, they are believers in it. And when it is recited to them, they say: “We believe therein, for it is the Truth from our Lord: indeed we have beenmuslims (surrender to Allah's Will) from before this.” Twice will they be given their reward, for that they have persevered, that they avert Evil with Good, and that they spend (in charity) out of what We have given them. And when they hear vain talk, they turn awaytherefrom and say: “To us our deeds, and to you yours; Peace be upon you we do not wish to consort with the ignorant.”}16 * * *

In modern times, people continue to adopt Islam as their way of life, after studying the teachings of Islam andrealising the truth of its message.

Many go on to express their new findings and the significant impact Islam had on their lives. The following are a few examples of their expressions. Why they chose Islam as their way of life?

The renowned French thinker, professor RogerGaroudi tells of the greatness of Islam and the secret behind the transformation in his life Only in following Islam can the world find a way out of its crisis. Islam holds the key to reform. It has two important attributes: sublimation and the spirit of the group.

The Qur'an teaches us to find in any occurrence, and in everything a sign of Allah and a symbol of a higher existence moving us, nature and society. The main goal of religion is the achievement of harmony and unity which issues from Allah and returns to Him. His will to achieve the Will of Allah is what grants man his humanity.

The West is now much in need of Islam more than at any other time. Islam can give life a meaning and history a sense. It can alter the West's method of separating science from wisdom, thinking from the means, and thinking from the results. Islam never erects a wall between science and faith. On the contrary, it ties them together as being an inseparable whole... Islam calls man to search and seek the final end and his fate. In our western societies, split apart by individuality, Islam can revive the hope in our world which is heading toward suicide.

Marmaduke (Muhammad)Pickthall (1836-1936), the renowned Englishman of letters, who translated the meanings of the Qur'an Never is there a worldly grace every enjoyed by man greater than that of being happy and content after being guided to Islam by Allah: to see, by the light of Islam, the truths of the world and the Hereafter and to distinguish between right and wrong and the path of happiness from that of misery. I prostrate myself gratefully to Allah, for this great grace He endowed me with, which flooded my being with true happiness and made me stand in the shade of this great fruitful tree which is the tree of Islamic brotherhood and family.

Dr.Murad Hofmann, former German ambassador to Algeria & Morocco Nobody at least halfway alert to cultural phenomena, regardless of geographic location, will deny that the future development of his world is going to be influenced, if not determined, by what will happen in the Muslim world and to Islam itself. Could Islam, as a consequence, turn out to be the very therapy that could save the West from itself?

ART 2: ISLAM – CHRISTIANITY DEBATES

Translated by M.Luqman

O People of the Book! Come to a word common between you and us that we worship none but God and shall not associate anything with Him and some of us take not any others for lords other than God! And if they turn back, then say: “Bear witness that we aremuslims (submitted to God).”

The Holy Qur’an, The Family of ‘Emran (3): 64