Your Questions Answered Volume 2

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Publisher: Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
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Your Questions Answered

Your Questions Answered Volume 2

Author:
Publisher: Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania
English

Question: We Muslims are much blamed by non-Muslims for using Holy Book for witch-craft. What really astonishes the non-Muslims is that those sheikhs and sharifus are the leaders of such activities - especially in the Coast area. My question is: How can Islam teach both religious tenets and witch-craft?

Answer:

There are two aspects of this question which must be explained separately:

First: Is there any harm or evil in healing the people or benefiting them with the help of the name of God? Certainly not. Hadhrat Isa (a s ) used to do so; and the fact is admitted by the Christians and Muslims both. Also, it is written about his 12 disciples that “he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of diseases” (Mathew, 10:1), and he ordered them that: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils”. (Mathew, 10:8).

When he removed some evil spirit from some people afflicted by those spirits, his enemies accused him of being in league with demon, saying that “he hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils. And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?” (Mark, 3:22-23).

So you will see that healing with the name of Allah is not evil; and it is not ‘witch-craft’. If the Christians have lost that power, it is because they are not the followers of Jesus Christ. Otherwise, they would have been able to “say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and thou cast into the sea” and it would have been done (Mathew, 21:2).

Second: What is the difference between healing with the help of God and the witch-craft? It is the same difference which exists between a medicine and a poison. The poison brings harm to body, while the medicine removes the harmful effects. Therefore, if any Sheikh tries to benefit someone with the name of God, or the ayat of the Qur’an, it is like curing someone of his sickness by the medicine, and therefore, should not be ridiculed. On the other hand, if he tries to bring harm to someone, or uses methods other than the name of Allah or ayat of Qur’an, it is witch-craft, and it may be likened to poisoning someone. But this does not mean that Allah has taught the witch-craft as you have asked in your question.

But, remember that, according to true Islamic belief (i.e., of Shia faith) a man is obliged to strive to the utmost limit of his capacity to improve his condition and then he should pray to Allah to bless his efforts with success. It is no use to sit idle and pray to Allah to send him his food. He must try hard to earn his living, and side by side should pray to Allah to give ‘baraka’ in his earnings. Likewise, if a man is sick, he should go to the doctor and use the medicine prescribed by him faithfully following all his instructions, and side by side should pray to Allah to give him back his health. This praying is more important than hanging some ‘hirizi’ in the neck or binding it on the arm.

Unfortunately many Sunni Sheikhs have made this ‘hirizi’ writing a source of their income, bullying people to procure goats, or cock of such a colour, or so many yards of a cloth of such a colour, or so many shillings; certainly they have crossed the limit of religion, and deserve condemnation as exploiters and ‘mirija’. They have disgraced the name of Islam.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK (ISLAM: A UNIVERSAL RELIGION)

“And We did not send thee (Muhammad) but for the whole mankind”. (Quran, 34:28). Look at the major religions of the world minutely and you will find that it is only Islam which claimed from the beginning to be the religion for the whole mankind.

God sent, before Muhammad, thousands of prophets and apostles to different places and nations to guide their people to the right path. It should be mentioned here that the word ‘prophet’, when used by Muslims, does not mean ‘one who foretells the events’. Foretelling the events is not a very important function of a ‘prophet’. A prophet, according to Islam, is sent by God to call people to His path. He is the link between Allah and His creatures; and by following his foot-prints the followers can be sure of receiving the glory of God. Anyhow, when as a result of the efforts of these prophets, mankind reached the stage of maturity, the Holy Prophet of Islam was sent by God for the whole mankind. He reaffirmed, revived, consolidated and perfected the teachings of the earlier prophets (which by passage of time had become distorted and disfigured).

Muhammad came in the world, announcing that, “I have been sent to all people - red and black and yellow.” Among his early followers were people from Ethiopia, Iran, Rome and India.

According to the Qur’an, Allah is not a tribal god but the ‘Lord of Universe’; Qur’an is the ‘Declaration for the universe’; and the Holy Prophet is ‘The Mercy for the universe’ By sending his messengers to Asia Minor, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Umman and many other places, calling those people to come within the fold of Islam, Muhammad left an undeniable proof that his was the universal religion, unfettered with shackles of tribe, region, colour or race.

23rd January, 1970

Dear Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi,

Mr. Mwangamilo has written me in December, 1969 concerning the “Answers to my Questions” which have been sent to my home address (Kwemkole, Kizara-Korogwe).

I wrote to my brother, there, about the matter so that he may send the answers here. Up to this time I have neither received any reply from my brother concerning this, nor did I receive the answers as I hoped, because the postman at Kizara was directing all letters of mine to this centre. Have they returned the letter there? If so, please send the letter here. If not help me in getting the answers.

May Allah help you all in all matters. Yours in Islam, Dhikiri O. Muhammad Kiondo. 7th February, 1970 Dear Sir,

I enclose the passage you have asked for in your letter of 30/1/70. Concerning the letter No. BMM/40/201/69, the reply of which you are waiting for, I think is the letter signed by Mr. Mwangamilo which does not bear any date, This letter tells me that, the answers to my questions of early March, 1969 have been sent to me on my home address - Kwemkole Village, Kizara Upper Primary School, P.O. Korogwe. If at all you mean such a letter, up to this time, I have not received the answers although I have written to my brother at Kwemkole concerning this. Please help me in this matter. May Allah be with you all.

Your brother in Islam, Dhikiri O. Muhammad Kiondo. 9th February, 1970 Dear Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi,

This is to inform you that I have received the answers to my questions yesterday 8/2/70. Thanks for troubling yourself in trying to show me where the truth is. Now it is clear to me that I am lost and I should find the right path.

It has taken me a long time to realize that I am in a wrong way. I thank Allah for showing me the right way by means of your services. May He save others also. I kindly ask your service to give me more guidance so as to get more knowledge about my new and true faith.

Question: (a) Should I have a particular “Baptism” and who shall baptize me while all here are Sunnis? (b) Islam encourages much congregational prayers. Will I be allowed to pray with Sunnis and in Sunni style? (c) Much of my religious knowledge is Sunnic. How can I get much Shia knowledge. - Please give me a list of Religious books used by Shias, from the simplest to the hardest so that I can buy them, and study them if I get a teacher to teach me. (d) How can I help in the spread of Shiaism in Tanzania, East Africa, Africa or in the whole world?

May Allah bless your holy works, and reward you with heavenly rewards.

Your brother in Islam, Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo. 21st February, 1970. Dear Dhikiri Omari Moh’d Kiondo,

I was very glad to receive your letter dated 7th instant. I got your previous letter after I sent my letter on 30/1/70. I sent the copy of the replies to you per Registered Post, and from your latest letter dated 9th February, I gather that you have got that letter. I welcome you most gladly to the Shia Ithna-asheri faith of Islam. As regards your questions, please see the following:-

(1) There is no baptism in Islam. You are already a Muslim and if you believe in the tenets of Shia’ism, you are a Shia without any need of any rite. But for the purpose of our own record, I would request you to fill up the enclosed declaration form and send it to us.

(2) For the time being you may pray with the Sunnis. We will discuss it in detail when we meet, fnsha-Allah.

(3) So far as the knowledge of Shia faith is concerned, I would be glad to receive you in Dar es Salaam. Please let me know whether you can get transfer to Dares Salaam. If it is possible, then you can easily get necessary religious training in our Night Class here. But if it is not possible, then we will have to make some other plan for you. Meanwhile, I am collecting some good books for you and will send them within a week by surface mail.

(4) You have asked: “How can I help? ‘n the spread of Shia’ism in Tanzania, East Africa, Africa, or in the whole world?”

Well, people like you can do a lot because you have access to the young minds and you can influence their way of thinking even indirectly. First of all, you should yourself acquire the necessary knowledge. Secondly, you should make yourself a good model of Ithna- asheri faith, so that people are attracted first to you and then, through you, to your faith. That was the way of Tabligh of Holy Prophet and our Imams. Thirdly, you should have friendly discussions and discourses with your friends and thus help in removing the prejudice and ignorance which is prevalent in this part of the world regarding our faith. Yours in Iman,

S. S. Akhtar Rizvi. 3rd March, 1970 Dear Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi,

Thank you for accepting me in the Shia Ithna-asheri faith of Islam. Concerning the transfer to Dar es Salaam as you have asked me, is very difficult as my employer is Lushoto District Council which has no connection with Dar es Salaam. Let me buy some books of Shia faith at present. After having completed my National Service duty, I will arrange with you to send me a young teacher to teach me religion. I will be able to pay that teacher a little sum of money monthly.

My home address may change later to the one in the form, because I am building a house there, and planning to have a permanent station there.

May Allah allow us to meet and may He spread Islam all over the globe as well. Yours in Islam (Shiaism),

Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo. 9th April, 1970. Dear Dhikiri, I was in Congo for some time and came back on 28th March, 1970. The books (which I promised you) could not be sent because of my absence. Today I have despatched the following books for your perusal:-

Book of Salaat (Illustrated). Mubahela. Islam the Religion with God. Co-existence of Shia and Hanafi Muslims. Muhammad the Man. Saheefa-e-Kamelah. Discourses on Tauheed. Muhammad the Legislator.

Teachings of Islam (Unity of God). God of Muhammad (S). Bhooli Huwi Baten. Book of Islamic Part 1-11.

Husain (a.s.) The Prince of Martrys and the Saviour of Humanity. The Boundry Line between the Shias and the Sunnis. Tragedy of Hussain. The Sacrifice at Karbala, its Causes and results Also, I Would like you to wite a short article on “Why I became a Shia?” in English or Kiswahili; and if possible send us your passport size photograph. Please treat it as urgent. Thanking you Your sincerely S.S. Akhtar Rizvi 16th April 1970 Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi, Assalamo Alaikum, Maulana,

Thank you very much for the books you have sent me. I have received all 27 books. I also thank the Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania for taking so much trouble for my Islamic studies.

In order to take benefit from the books, I have concluded as follows:

(a) Because Shiaism is new to me, I must spend much time in studying it so that I may have as much knowledge as possible about it - therefore, I kindly ask you to make a syllabus equivalent to Std. XII level, covering Qur’an and Sheriat.

(b) Because I have a little knowledge in Arabic handwriting, I kindly ask you, to send lesson of “Arabic language” equivalent to English for Std. I, if possible. (c) I kindly ask you to help me in getting the best Quranic commentary ever translated into English. Let me know its price.

I am sending you the article, my picture and my questions to be answered by you, so that I may have good knowledge of Islam. (See Appendix ‘D’). I am very well here by mercy of Allah. Much greetings to you and your family from my wife. May Allah let us meet one day.

Your Brother in Islam, Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo 20th June, 1970 Dear Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi, How are you Maulana, The only purpose of this letter is to inform you that I will be out for five months. I am going for National Service at Oljoro, Arusha. I will be back in November, 1970 if Allah wills. But before I am back - I will kindly ask you to find for me a suitable teacher willing to teach me both Arabic language and Nahow at this place. I am ready to pay him a little sum of about 100/- a month according to what I can afford.

I prefer a single person; feeding and clothing will be provided by me. Please help me in this matter. Insha-allah Allah will let us meet one day and bless our good aims. Yours in Islamic faith Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo. 26th July, 1970. Dear Dhikiri,

Thank you for your letter, dated 20th June, informing me that you are going to Oljoro, Arusha, for National Service. I do not know how far this place is from Arusha; but if it is near Arusha, I may be able to see you sometime in August.

You asked about best Tafseer of the Qur’an in English. There is a very detailed Tafseer in English. In fact, its only defect is that it is too detailed. But I think you will get benefit from it. Its price is Shs. 100/-. If you want it, I may send it to you on the address you propose. About Arabic Language: I am looking out for such a Muallim as you want. I will send to you some books when you are free from National Service.

Question: How far is a Muslim allowed to entertain himself? Is he allowed to entertain himself with music?

Answer:

A Muslim is not allowed to entertain himself or herself with dance, music, gambling or drinking.

Question: What is your opinion about the Christian theory of salvation through the crucifixion (death) of Jesus? Is it justice to kill someone for another’s salvation?

Answer:

It is absolute non-sense. You have answered this question when you said: “Is it justice to kill someone for another’s salvation?’.’

Question: Is the Christian thought about the cause of the death correct? That man dies because of the disobedience of our father ‘Adam’ and ‘Eve’?

Answer:

This also is a myth. Nobody in his right sense would think like it seriously. It is a supposition to support the above mentioned theory of salvation.

Question: Did our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) deliver his message to the Jinnis? If the answer is yes, how did he do this, while the Jinnis are not usually seen by man? And how is Islam maintained among the Jinnis now?

Answer:

Yes, our Holy Prophet preached among the Jinns, and this fact is clearly described in the Sura ‘Al-Jinn’ in the 29th Juzw. The Jinns are not seen by men, as you have said, usually. But they may make themselves visible if they want. And the power of the eyes of the Holy Prophet was such that he could, and did, see the angels (who also are not seen usually by men); therefore, it is not a serious problem.

As about the maintenance of Islam among them now, it is described in our books, that they have their own scholars and preachers, as the human beings do. And it has been hinted in many traditions of our Imams that the Jinni Muslims were not misled by those who contrived to mislead the mankind; they are on right path.

Question: May I know the Dua and manner of slaughtering the following animals: Chicken; goat; cow; camel; wild animals; an animal for Aquiqua; an animal for slaying Festival, i.e. Idd-ul-Hajj.

Answer:

Chicken, cow, goat and animals like these are slaughtered by knife. Camel is first pierced in the neck by spear, and then slaughtered by knife.

In all slaughterings, except Aquiqua and Sacrifice of Idd-ul-Hajj the only dua which is wajib is ‘Bismillah’.

In Aquiqua and sacrifice, as mentioned above, it is necessary to have the ‘niyyet’ (intention) that you are slaughtering the animal for that particular purpose Qurbatan llallah (i.e., in obedience to the command of Allah).

Other necessary conditions for the slaughter of any animal are as follows:-

1. The person who slaughters must be a Muslim.

2. The knife must be of iron or steel.

3. At the time of slaughtering, the face, hands, feet and stomach of the animal must be towards Quibla. Also, the person slaughtering that animal must be facing towards Quibla.

4. Before begining the slaughter, when the knife is put on the animal’s throat, the person must say ‘Bismillah’ with intention of slaughtering it.

5. The animal should move its body or limbs after slaughter before dying. Also it is necessary that as much blood should come out of its body as normally comes out from such animals.

Aquiqua: Before slaying the animal for Aquiqua, this Dua is Sunnat:

Bismillahi wa billahi Allahumma hadhihi Aqiqatun an (name of the child and his father) Lahmuha bi lahmihi wa damuha bi damihi wa adhmuha bi adhmihi wa sh’aruha bi sh’arihi wa jilduha bi jildihi Alla-hummaj’alha waqa-an li (name of child and his father). If the child is a daughter, then after taking her name first time, the remaining Du’a will be recited as follows:-

Lahmuha bi lahmiha wa damuha bi damiha wa adhmuha bi adhmiha wa sh’aruha bish’ariha wa jilduha bi jildiha Allahummaj-alha waqa-an li (name of child and her father). Another Du’a:

Ya qaume’ Inni bari-un mimma tushrikuun Inni wajjahtu wajhiya lilladhi fataras-samaawaati wal ardha hanifam muslimanw wa ma ana minal mushrikiin Inna Swlaati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamaati lillahi Rabbil-Aalamiina La sharika lahu wa bi dhaalika umirtu wa ana minal muslimiin Allahumma minka wa laka Bismillahi wallahu Akbar. After slaughtering, say:

Allahumma Swalli ala Muhammadinw wa Aali Muhammad wa Taqabbal min (name of child and his/her father).

Sacrifice at Eid-ul-Hajj time: Before killing the animal, this Dua is Sunnat: Wajjahtu wajhiya lilladhi fatarassamaawaati wal ardha hanifam muslimanw wa ma ana minal mushrikiin Inna swalaati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamaati lillahi Rabbil-Aalamiina La sharika lahu wa bi dhaalika umirtu wa ana minal muslimiin Allahumma minka wa laka Bismillahi wallahu Akbar.

After slaughtering, say:

Allahumma Taqabbal minni. Hunting wild animals: If a wild animal whose meat is Halal, is killed by hunting, it will be Halal on the following conditions:-

1. The weapon must be sharp (like spear or arrow) which pierces the body by its sharp edge. Also, the bullets of a gun are allowed. But small gun like air-gun is not allowed.

2. The Person who uses that weapon must use it with intention of killing that animal. If, for example, an animal is killed by his bullet accidentally, its meat will not be Halal.

3. The said person must be a Muslim.

4. At the time of using that weapon, he/she must say ‘Bismillah’

5. The animal, at the arrival of the hunter, must be dead by that weapon (or so near to death that slaying it in normal way is not possible). If at the arrival of the hunter it is alive, and there is enough time to slay it in normal way, it must be slaughtered accordingly; otherwise, its meat will be Haram.

Yours sincerely, S. S. Akhtar Rizvi. 4th November, 1970. Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi, How are you Maulana ! ! ! How is your family and the Mission staff there?

I promised to write to you on the day we met in Arusha, but the situation did not allow me. We were not allowed to go out of the camp, nor were there stamps in our shop for some reasons. The first reason also has hindered me from the prayer practice you arranged for me in Arusha.

I hope to leave this wonderful place on or before 24th November. Therefore, I think it would be better if you do not send me anything by this address. I will send you my address after my arrival at home. It may be that I am transferred from Sunga. Much greetings to your family and to the Bilal Muslim Mission staff. May Allah accept our Taubas in this Holy Month of Ramadhan - Amin.

Your son in Islam, Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo. 3rd December, 1970. Dear Maulana S. S. Akhtar Rizvi, How are you Maulana? How has it been, the Idd-el-Fitr?

I am very well, by the blessings of Allah; and my family at Kwe-mkole in Korogwe District is all well.

I am glad to inform you that I will still be in this place using the same address. I hope, after few days, I will send you Shs. 15/- for the registration and first payment of the fees for the Correspondence Course. May Allah help us.

Your son

Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo. 11th December, 1970. My Dear Dhikiri, Thank you for your letter of 3rd December, 1970. You will charge. be enrolled as a student of Islamic Correspondence Course, free of The application form is enclosed, which please return duly filled. With best wishes. Yours sincerely, S. S. Akhtar Rizvi. My Dear Dhikiri, Here are the answers to your questions

Question: Have the Scientists recognised the need of a Planner and a Designer?

Answer:

You should find its answer in Unit 2 (God of Islam). Apart from other chapters, the 13 th and 14th chapters specially deal with this question.

Question: How Pascal used Hazrat Ali bin Abi Talib’s (A.S.) idea?

Answer:

I am publishing an article on it in June issue of “Light”. (Now see ‘Need of Religion’, published by this Mission). Question: How have the other sects of Islam failed to fulfil the necessary qualities of a Religion?Answer:

All right. Look into chapter 5 of ‘Need of Religion’ and start comparing:-

A) Ashaira (i.e., Sunnis) do not accept that reason or intellect has any place in religion. In fact, they do not accept any relation between a cause and its effect. And unless the relationship of cause and effect is accepted, nothing can be proved by any argument.

B) By the same reasoning, the teaching of Sunni’ism neglects ‘mind’ and thus prevents the development of a human being as a “whole”.

C) The belief in Pre-destination is enough to show how Sunni’ism fails this test.

Question: How do the Qadariyyas share with God in Legislating the Shariat?

Answer:

Qadariyyas believe that human beings are 100% independent of Allah in their actions, and Allah has no control over their deeds. They are counted as ‘Mushrik’ because, according to that belief, they treated themselves as equal to and independent of Allah in their actions. I am afraid that the sentence in ‘God of Islam’ concerning this topic is not very clear. I will make it more clear in the next edition.

Question: What were the ten intellects that the ancient Greek philosophers believed to have created the Universe?

Answer:

This thing has no existence; it was a creation of the mental luxury of Greek philosophers. They said that the Creator created the first intellect; this first intellect created the second intellect and first sky; the second intellect, in its turn, created the third intellect and the second sky; and likewise, the ninth intellect created the tenth intellect and ninth sky. The tenth intellect created this Earth. According to them, the Creator, after creating the first intellect, is powerless to do any other work.

Question: How can the name Rahim be used for others besides Allah

Answer:

The word ‘Rahim’ literally means ‘Merciful’. In Arabic language it was being used for merciful persons. And it continued to be used in that way. In the Qur’an this adjective has been used for our beloved Prophet also. But ‘Rahman’ was not used before Islam and in the Islamic terminology the difference in the meaning and usage of the two names was prescribed, as I have mentioned in the book, ‘God of Islam’.

Question: How can the belief in one God create brotherhood?

Answer:

As children of one father have a feeling of brotherhood because all are the off-springs of one father, likewise, the creatures of One God are bound to have brotherly feelings towards each other because they are the creation of One Creator.

Question: Suppose a Muslim eats something forbidden in his religion - will he need a special purification? What is it?

Answer:

There are no special purification rites. The method of cleansing by water, as described in ‘Elements of Islamic Studies’ applies here also. But one must ask forgiveness of Allah for disobeying His Sheriat. With best wishes, I am, Sincerely yours, S. S. Akhtar Rizvi.

Question: Satan was one of the Angels. Angels were not given the power of doing things according to their free will, power and intention. How did Satan come to disobey Allah while he was bound to Allah’s commandments and guidance?

Answer:

Satan was not from the angels. Qur’an repeatedly says that he is from Jinns. Jinns, like human beings, have been given free will and they are expected, like human beings, to obey, the commands of Allah by their free will and power.

Question: According to our belief (Shia), a prophet is sinless. Why should we pray for our Holy Prophet of Islam during prayers and other times, when we believe that he was Masum?

Answer:

We pray for our Holy Prophet in obedience to the command of Allah: - The benefit of ‘Salawat’ returns to us as the Holy Prophet has said: ‘Whoever among you sends one Salawat to me, I pray for him 10 times.” The Mercy and Grace of Allah is limitless. Our Holy Prophet was already bestowed with Grace of Allah more than any one else. But it does not mean that the Grace has reached its limit: it has no limit. Therefore, we pray for him so that Allah may bestow him with His ever-new Graces and Mercies.

Moreover, we praise and thank Allah and pray before him, though He has no need of our prayers, thanks and praises. But by doing so, we express and show our relation and gratitude to Him. Likewise, the Holy Prophet has no need of our ‘Salawat’; but by ordering us to recite ‘Salawat’ Allah wants us to express our relation with, and gratitude to, the Holy Prophet.

Question: How is it that there are differences in praying while the prayer was taught by our Holy Prophet himself?

Answer:

I am sending you “Light” Vol. I No.1. You read it and will find out how the system of prayer was changed.

Question: What support do the Sunnis have, that Music is allowed provided that it is not “Kufur”?

Answer:

I do not know but it seems that this rule was established to justify the music parties of the kings of Bani Ummaya and Bani Abbas Sincerely yours

S.S Akhtar Rizvi 6th September 1971 Dear Maulana S.S Akhtar Rizvi Assalam Alaykum Thank you for your letter of 19th August, 1971. I am happy that I am warmly welcomed there. My visit to Bilal Muslim Mission of Tanzania will be postponed because there will be no holiday this year for most of the schools in Tanzania. With best wishes. Yours faithfully, Dhikiri O. Mohamed Kiondo. 30th September, 1971. My Dear Dhikiri, Alaikumussalaam ! I got your letter dated 6th September; but could not reply it soon because of some other engagements. I am sorry that you will not be able to come to Dares Salaam. But I would be glad if you come here any time you are free - even for two or three days. Wish best wishes.

Question: Did the Holy Prophet pay Mahr for his first wife, Hadhrat Khadija? How much?

Answer:

There are various traditions about the ‘Mahr’ of Hadhrat Khadija: 500 Dirhams or 400 Mithqual gold or 20 camels.

Question: How was the “Black Stone” brought to Hazrat Ismail? How does it look like? What is inside it? What is the significance of the stone?

Answer:

The Black Stone was brought to earth by Hadhrat Adam. It is a stone and nothing is inside it. I am attaching its photo, and you will see that now it is covered on the rims by silver. According to Islamic traditions, in the beginning of the creation, Allah asked all the souls “Am I not your Lord?” And all the souls replied “Yes, surely”. Then Allah kept these confessions of beliefs in that stone. Now, the pilgrims recite a Dua in which they affirm that they have kept their promise and have maintained the belief that Allah is their Lord.

According to Hadith, this stone will be a witness for those who go to the pilgrimage with true faith.

Question: The ancestors of the Holy Prophet were the worshippers of one God (Allah), according to our faith. How is it that they did not discourage the idol worshipping?

Answer:

See Unit 4 page 3, where you will find that some of the prophets were sent to one man only. Also, in page 9 of that Unit you will find that the ancestors of the Holy Prophet were successors of the prophets, but not prophets themselves This much about their spiritual position. Coming to the worldly side, we know that they were not strong enough to successfully oppose idol-worship. The tribe of Quraish during the period of their disintegration and weakness had acquired all the bad habits and customs of other Arabian tribes. When they were gathered by Qusaiy, they had been idol-worshippers for many hundred years. It needed a man of the spiritual status of our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) to succeed against them and eradicate idol-worship; no other man could accomplish this task. As they realized that their voices against idols would not be heard, they remained silent, forbidding only those of whom they were sure that they would listen to them.

Question: The uncle of the Holy Prophet, Abu Talib, seemed to accept Islam, but not really a Muslim, why?

Answer:

Who said that Abu Talib was not really a Muslim? I have described at length that he kept the tribe of Quraish in suspense and doubt about his faith. But it does not mean that he was not Mumin. To keep one’s faith secret where the interest of religion depends upon that secrecy is very much appreciated in the Qur’an. Allah praises a family member of Firaun who believed in Hadhrat Musa - secretly, and thus used his influence and position to benefit Hadhrat Musa. Commending it, Allah says:

“And said a man who was a believer, from among the people of Pharaoh, who used to conceal his faith .” (Qur’an, 40:28).

The same was the position of Hadhrat Abu Talib.

Question: Some Sunni sheikhs say that when Abu Talib died, the Holy Prophet spread his saliva all over his body so that he may not be put into hell. Is this story correct?

Answer:

It is all a pack of lies; there is no trace of such thing even in Sunnis’ books.

Question: What was the reason behind Usama’s expedition? Because it is as if the Holy Prophet would encourage Muslims to take a vengeance.

Answer:

Well, when enemy is bent upon destroying you, you have to fight him. As the Ghassanide Chief with the encouragement of the Roman emperor, wanted to crush Islam, it was necessary to weaken him to protect the Muslims and Islam. So much about your question of vengeance.

Now, I better mention one thing which can easily be inferred from this event. The Holy Prophet was aware that his death was very near; also he understood very well that certain people were not happy with the announcement of Ghadeer Khum. It seems that he wanted to send all those people away from Madina, so that when his death came, these people would not be in Madina to make trouble. We find that all immigrants, including Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, etc. etc. were strictly ordered to join the army under Usama. Ali was told to remain in Madina, while others were cursed if they delayed in joining Usama and all of them delayed.

This seems to be the real “reason” behind Usama’s expedition.

Question: The Holy Prophet is recorded to have said: Treat yourself because there is no sickness without treatment. What sort of treatments should a Muslim use?

Answer:

Any medicine which does not contain any Haram thing.

Question: Are African medicines not allowed in Islam?

Answer:

I do not understand what you mean by “African medicines”. If you mean leaves and roots of trees etc., then it is all right if it cures the sickness.

Question: Suppose the disease is new and the physician uses “bao” or “Ramli” so that he may know the kind of disease, will it be Haram?

Answer:

These things are not allowed.

Question: Is it true that in Shia Ithna-asheria, only Seyids are allowed to lead in congregational prayer?

Answer:

No. - Any Shia !thna-asheri who fulfils the conditions may lead in the prayers. Question: Can an ordinary person become Seyid? How?

Answer:

The word “Seyyid” when used in Persia, India, Pakistan and Africa, means the descendent of the Holy Prophet. Now, you will realize that your question has no meaning. If a person is not from a family he cannot become a member of that family. But it does not mean that a person who is not Seyyid, is prohibited from any work or office of religion. He can rise to the highest possible status; for example he may become a Mujtahid. In fact, hundreds of our great living Mujtahids are non-Seyyids.

Question: The Jinns and men have the same obligation towards Allah. Why is that Jinns are kept in Ghaib?

Answer:

Jinns are invisible to us only. They are not invisible among themselves. They have their life and death; their family and society; their religion and belief. For example if a blind animal does not see human beings, it does not mean that human beings feel any trouble or discomfort. Likewise, if our eyes are not seeing the Jinns, it does not disturb the Jinns at all.

Question: Can Ghaib be explored?

Answer:

Only when you attain spiritual perfection.

Question: Most Arabic names start with either “Al” or “El” (a) what is the difference of the two words (b) How are they used in the Arabic language?

Answer:

“Al” or “El” is the Arabic ‘Alif and ‘Lam’. There is no difference in Arabic. Some Europeans write is as “Al” which is the correct pronunciation; others write it as “El”. ‘Al’ conveys in Arabic the following shades of meaning: (1) Each and every individual of the thing mentioned, taken separately; (2) all the individuals of the thing mentioned, taken jointly; (3) the species of the thing mentioned taken as an abstract idea. Thus it may be translated by “Each and every”, “all” and “the”

Question: Do all things have souls?

Answer:

Not all things. Question: If not, why is it said that when you steal, all things around there, will provide evidence against you before God?Answer: Well, why are you astonished? Even today soulless things give evidence for or against a man in the courts. Finger-prints, tapes, clothes, shoes, things belonging to a thief which are found near the place of theft, these and scores of such things give evidence in courts. So what is strange if the surrounding things were to provide evidence against a sinner on the Day of Judgment? 31st August 1972 My Dear Dhikiri, Here are the answers to your questions:-

Question: Suppose I have something to give for Zakat-Fitr, but I know if I do that I will have nothing to support myself with - what should I do?

Answer:

Read p. 13 of “The Fasting In Islam” to find out the conditions when Zakat-ul-Fitra is Wajib. If you fulfill those conditions, you will have to pay that Zakat, even if it means taking loan for the time being; but if it is not Wajib upon you, then you are free.

Question: What does it mean by “a poor of his faith” does it mean a Muslim of any Madhheb or he must be a Shia ithna-asheri?

Answer:

It means “poor Shia Ithna-asheri”. Question: Why does the time-table you sent me does not show time for ‘Asr and Isha prayers?Answer: In Shia Sheriat, the time of Asr starts just after finishing the prayer of Dhohr; and that of Isha just after finishing the Maghrib. (See Lesson 26 of Elements of Islamic Studies for details). Therefore, it was not necessary to mention the times of those two prayers.

Question: By cleansing with leaves - I mean, why are we Muslims not allowed to clean ourselves with leaves - let us say when we have attended the call of nature instead of using stones, clothes and such others?

Answer:

You may use clean leaves.

Question: Are ladies in Haidh and Nifas allowed to fast?

Answer:

No. See page 5 of Fasting in Islam.

Question: Please Maulana, may I know the number of days each month of Islamic Calendar is supposed to have?

Answer:

It is either 29 or 30, depending upon the visibility of the moon. With best wishes, Yours sincerely, S. S. Akhtar Rizvi. 15th February, 1974 My Dear Dhikiri, Here are the answers to your questions:-

Question: Why does not the Holy Qur’an give strong emphasis to support father-in-law and mother- in-law? Because a married woman will never be able to support her father and mother if her husband does not like it.

Answer:

Woman, married or unmarried, is never expected to support any body. She is to be supported by her father or her husband.

Question: I have seen in Unit 21 that female children are better than male ones, because they even enter the Paradise easily. Why do people, even the Muslims, want and long for male children?

Answer:

The responsibilities of women are not as easy as you think. So far as longing for male children is concerned, it must be remembered that giving a son or a daughter is entirely in the hands of Allah, and a Muslim must be happy with whatever Allah has given him.

Question: Getting education compels young men to remain unmarried for a long time, even when their sexual urge does not allow them to remain so. What advice can you give our Muslim young men concerning this problem?

Answer:

There is no other way. If a man controls himself, and is in danger of falling in Haram, then it is Wajib upon him to get married at once. If he neglects this Wajib, for whatever reason, then he should not blame the Sheriat.

Question: My mother died an hour after my birth; my aunt took care of me. This woman has no son. What are my duties towards her?

Answer:

Did she give you her milk from her breast? At least for one day and night? If so, then she is your foster-mother. You cannot marry her daughters, nor the daughters of those foster- sisters. In short, think of her as mother, and all the rules regarding mother and children of mother will apply in her case also.

Question: Why doesn’t Islam allow people to use their mothers’ surnames, like Juma bin Zainab, instead of Juma bin Hamisi? I think using mother’s name gives more honour to mother; also it is clear that mother is surely the parent of the child, while it is not so sure in case of father.

Answer:

There is no such thing as ‘surname’ in Islam. And the Islamic society is the Paternal society, not the maternal one. Moreover ,in a Islamic society there can never be so many bastards as to necessitate the use of mothers’ names instead of fathers. Also, in a Islamic society, using the name of mother, instead of father, indicates that the child is not a legitimate one (and the reason is somewhat similar to that which you have mentioned). So, the use of mother’s name is not an honour, but a disgrace for the mother.

Question: Do we Muslims believe that Allah had sent ladies as prophets, as the Christians believe in Deborah as a prophetess (Judges, 4:4) and Ruth (Ruth)?

Answer:

No. And the Christians do not believe as you think. According to Christianity, Judaism (and Sunni’ism), the woman is the root-cause of all the troubles and sufferings of mankind, and is debarred from becoming even a priest, let alone Prophethood. You think that anyone who foretells an event, is a prophet. In Islam it is not so. Read carefully Unit 4 of ICC. With best wishes,

Yours Lovingly,

S. S. Akhtar Rizvi.

Lesson 1: Why Religion?

1. Why Study Religion?

Why should we investigate about religion and study about God? What provokes us to consider religion? There are three reasons:

(A) Love of Knowledge

We all want to know the truth about the world in which we live: Did the heaven with its beautiful stars, the earth with its glorious landscapes, the beautiful birds, the colourful fish, the blue oceans and the high mountains - did all these come into being by themselves or are they the product of an All-Knowing and Powerful Creator?

Besides all this, the first question that comes to mind for all of us is the origin of ourselves: Where did we come from? Why are we in this world? Where are we heading to?

The love of knowledge and the searching spirit within us dictates that we must not rest until we find the answers to these questions.

Thus the first reason that compels us to inquire into religion is our thirst and love for knowledge.

(B) The Sense of Thankfulness

The world around us and the world within ourselves is full of marvelous things. The sun and moon, the plants and trees, the mines and minerals hidden deep in the heart of the earth; all of them are of great benefit to mankind.

Within ourselves, we have the digestive system, the respiratory apparatus, the heart and other organs of the body; but the greatest of all, however, is the intellectual ability of man himself through which he can make a mighty mountain crumble into pieces, and create from water and iron enormous power and the most delicate objects.

Now this question poses itself: Should we not engage ourselves in research and inquiry until, if there is a benefactor, we acknowledge that benefactor, to fulfill our duty and offer him our thanks?

This is the second reason why we should inquire into religion.

(C) Preventing Possible Danger

If a child were to come and tell you that he saw a poisonous snake go into the room you were in, you would immediately jump up from your chair and undertake a thorough search of every nook and cranny until you found it, or until you were satisfied that it was not there.

Similarly, while traveling by night in a dangerous country, if you learnt that bandits were waiting on the road ahead to ambush you - you would without any doubt wait until the way ahead was clear of danger, and would not take a single step forward until then.

In these two examples, we have made clear that reason compels us to investigate conceivable dangers. It is possible that some of the harmful things may turn out to be nothing at all, and that other people may not pay any attention to them; but if an inquiry carries the price of a human soul, then it cannot be ignored.

In the history of mankind, we learn of people who were famous for telling the truth and who lived an honest life. They claimed that they were messengers of God, and they called people towards God and to act in certain ways.

As a result of the efforts and the constant sufferings of these special people in all corners of the world, many groups believed in them.

Thus the birth of Jesus became the beginning of the Christian calendar and the migration of the Prophet Muhammad was taken by the Muslims as the beginning of their calendar.

Now, we see that these messengers attracted men to religion and to follow particular rules, caused them to fear punishment of their bad deeds and convinced them that they would be tried in the Great Court of Justice before the Righteous and Wise Judge.

They trembled at the hardships and perils of Resurrection and the harshness of the punishment there, and warned men of the dire consequences of evil deeds.

The question is: Do the warnings of these people make us realize the possibility of harm and danger in the same way as did the warning of the small child in the example mentioned above?

Is it right to ignore the words of the messengers of God who, after all, were men of high moral standards and who made greatest sacrifices for their cause?

Clearly, the words of the messengers - if they do not make a man certain - at least provoke him to think: perhaps what they say is true. If what they say is true, then what is our duty? What answer will we have in the Court of the Great Judge?

Common sense reckons the necessity of preventing this “possible harm”. What is more, these messengers and prophets call man to a healthy and civilized life, and they also say that after death an extensive new world and everlasting blessings await one who has performed his duty. Does reason allow us to ignore this important message?

There is a similar argument known as the “Pascal's Bet,” named so after the famous French mathematician, Pascal (d. 1662 CE). Pascal proved the importance of inquiring about religion in the following way: If you believe in the life-hereafter, you will gain everything if it really exists; and you lose nothing if it does not exist. Therefore, it is better to bet that it does exist.

The theme of this argument was presented by the Shi'a Imams long before Pascal. We also know that Pascal had read Abu Hamid al Ghazali's works.

It, therefore, seems quite possible that Pascal might have read this argument from Imam 'Ali (a.s.), the first. Shi'a Imam, as quoted in Mizdnu 'l-A’mal of al-Ghazali. Imam 'All said:

The astrologer and the physician both say, The dead will never be resurrected.

I say: ‘Keep your counsel. If your idea is correct, I will come to no harm; but if my belief is correct, then you will surely lose.’

2. Some Necessary Qualities of Religion

The religion which can fulfill the needs of mankind must have the following qualities:

(a) It must satisfy the intelligence and intellect of human beings.

Islam gives foremost importance to human intelligence. Islam emphasizes that you must understand the faith and then believe in it. Belief follows understanding, and not vice versa.

(b) It must teach and demonstrate dignity of human beings.

Islam places human beings over and above all other creations of God; it promotes equality among human beings. Islam does not allow human beings to lose their dignity by bowing down in worship to a fellow man, animal or an inanimate object.

(c) It must be a complete guide to develop the body, mind and spirit of humans as a whole.

Islam does not only develop the soul at the expense of the body; nor does it promote the care of the body at the expense of the soul.

It promotes development of all aspects of human life in a balanced way. Islam not only talks in general terms about the code of life; it gives specific details and also provides examples in the lives of the prophets and imams.

(d) It must conform with human nature.

The teachings of Islam takes the human nature into consideration. It does not promote, for example, celibacy which is completely against human nature.

(e) It should not be a tool in the hands of oppressors to suppress the masses.

Islam promotes social justice and rejects the theory of predestination. The oppression of a tyrant ruler is not predestined by God. This leaves no room for the tyrant rulers and oppressors to say that the masses have been predestined for serving the ruling class.

* * *

This lesson is based on:

Sayyid Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi, Need for Religion, Tanzania 1970.

Dar Rah-e Haq, The Roots of Religion, Qum 1982.

Nāsir Makārim Shirazi, Principles of Islamic Ideology, Tehran 1985.

It has been compiled & edited for this course by S.M. Rizvi.

Question Paper For Lesson 1

Question 1: [20 points]

True or False:

(a) Study of religion involves a sincere inquiry into the possible existence of a supreme creator.

(b) Our rational thinking provokes us to reflect upon this infinite universe and a possible creator.

(c) Religion is a set of rituals.

(d) The birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taken by Muslims as the beginning of their calendar.

(e) Religious investigation can be thought of as an investment which might generate profit in the life hereafter but guaranteed to produce no loss.

(f) Islam condones the theory of predestination.

(g) Our sense of gratitude dictates that we should offer our thanks to our creator if He exists.

(h) Islam promotes the suppression of legitimate desires.

(i) Faith has no rational basis. The truth is what one believes in.

(j) Prophets were pious people who preached good things and forbade people from doing evil things.

Question 2: [20 points]

From the statements given below, give a number (in order of preference) to the ones that best describe the essential qualities of an effective religion. If you think that a statement is completely disqualified as a quality of an effective religion, then do not assign any number to it.

(a) Preaches unity of creator and creatures.

(b) Promotes faith based on understanding.

(c) Preserves human dignity.

(d) Preaches division of society into various classes to create order, discipline and cohesion.

(e) Promotes and practically implements equality, fairness and justice.

(f) Conforms to human nature.

(g) Promotes abandonment of the material luxuries of life to elevate the soul.

(h) Promotes celibacy as a means of spiritual upliftment.

(i) Provides a complete and comprehensive code of life.

(j) Promotes suppression of natural desires to achieve closeness to God.

Question 3: [10 points]

Describe three reasons of your own (other than those discussed in this lesson) that might provoke humans to contemplate on religious matters.

Lesson 2: Ways of Knowing God

From time immemorial, man has found different ways of knowing God. Human beings of various intellectual levels have found their own ways to God. Common people have found simple ways; whereas thinkers and philosophers reached the same conclusion on a higher plane of thought. The two most common ways of knowing the Creator are:

• the inner way (which is also the closest way).

• the outer way (which is also the clearest way).

First Method: The Inner Way

God has created the inner light in each and every human being. If we go deep within ourselves and touch our souls, we hear the message of God.

History and anthropology has shown that if man is left alone and is not indoctrinated by any school of thought - then, sooner or later, his inner voice will lead him to believe in a power as the Creator and Maintainer of this world.

However, at times this natural feeling is subdued by external means. But it re-emerges when that person finds himself in difficulties - he naturally prays to a Power whom he believes to be above all powers.

This is very well portrayed in the talk which Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (a.s.), the sixth Imam of the Shi'a Muslims, had with an atheist.

Knowing that the atheist had gone on sea voyages several times, the Imam asked:

“Have you ever been caught in a fierce storm in the middle of nowhere, your rudder gone, your sails torn away, trying desperately to keep your boat afloat?” The Atheist: “Yes.”

The Imam: “And sometimes perhaps even that leaking boat went down leaving you exhausted and helpless at the mercy of the raging waves?” The Atheist: “Yes.”

The Imam: “Was not there, in all that despair, a glimmer of hope in your heart that some unnamed and unknown power could still save you?”

When the atheist agreed, the Imam said, “That power is God.” That atheist was intelligent. He knew the truth when he saw it. The “inner way,” in spite of being the natural and closest way of knowing God, is also a very personal way. It is only sufficient for the person who has seen the light within himself.

Second Method: Experiment Beyond Sensation

The second way of knowing God is by studying the signs of His presence and power in the world within us and around us. The Qur'an has mentioned both these signs as follows: “We shall show to them Our signs upon the horizons (i.e., space) and in their own selves so that it may become manifest to them that He is the Truth.”

(41:53) This method of knowing God is based on the principle of “cause” and “effect”. The signs of nature are the effects of which the ultimate cause is God.

Now, let us try to understand the nature and scope of this method more clearly.

Nature & Scope of this Method

Whenever we see a beautiful building of great splendour and design, we can easily understand that its architect was an expert in his own craft.

Similarly, by looking at a car, an airplane, a computer or any other well-designed product or artifact, we are invariably guided to well-informed and knowledgeable inventors, designers and manufacturers, and we are also made aware of their skill and learning.

In none of these instances is it necessary to actually see the builder, the manufacturer or the designer of such an artifact with our own eyes to testify to his existence.

Moreover, when observing all these things, it is not with any of our external senses that we perceive the knowledge and skill of the builders and manufacturers. But, nevertheless, we believe in his expertise and knowledge. Why?

Because the design and order which we perceived in the artifacts forces us to recognize the knowledge of their builders. And from this we reach the conclusion that it is not necessary that something whose existence we wish to believe in should be visible or tangible.

There are many things which are not perceptible to our external senses, but we become aware of them through their effects. For every wise person understands that there can be no effect without a cause, nothing orderly without a wise and knowledgeable designer.

Based on the above, we can divide the things of this world into two categories:

1. Things which are evident to one or more of the five senses; we observe visible things with the eyes, we hear sounds with the ears, we become aware of pleasant and unpleasant smells with our nose, we know bitter and sweet tastes with our tongue, and we feel hot and cold or rough and smooth with the skin of our body.

2. Things which are not perceived by any of the five senses, but whose existence we can deduce by considering their effects. These facts are not all of one kind, some are material and some are non-material. We shall mention a few of them here.

Electricity: By merely looking at two wires, one of which is electrified, we can never determine which of them has an electric current. We can only discover the existence of this current from the effect of electricity, e.g., a lamp being lit.

So electricity is something which exists although our eyes cannot directly see it. Gravity: If you let go of the book which you now have in your hand, it will fall to the ground, i.e., the ground will pull the book towards itself.

This power is something which we do not directly perceive through our senses. Gravitation is again one of those things which is not visible, but we come to know its existence by observing its effect: the falling of bodies to the ground.

Magnetism: When we place a magnet beside a piece of iron, we do not see anything except the two objects. But when the iron is pulled towards the magnet, we discover that magnetism exists around the magnet.

Invisible Radiation: If we shine white sunlight through a prism we see on the other side of the crystal six colours (the spectrum) which are: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. No more colours are to be seen on both extremes of the spectrum.

However, scientists have discovered that in the place where the eyes see no more light, further ‘colours’ exist which have heating and chemical properties. These lights' are called infra-red and ultra-violet.

Intelligence & Mental Image: All of us are aware of ourselves, i.e., we perceive that we exist; and we also arrive at concepts in a gradual manner concerning matters outside ourselves which we explain by this kind of statement: “I solved the most difficult mathematical problem.”

Also, man is aware of his own knowledge: he knows that he knows. Intelligence is not something visible or audible in the sense that man can see it with his eyes or hear it with his ears; but everyone finds it in himself.

Others cannot learn about my intelligence through the five senses, but they can deduce its presence from the effect it produces. For example, when a scientist is expounding on a problem, it becomes clear that he has understood it.

People can construct in their own minds any form that they wish, e.g., a tower similar to the Eiffel Tower whose construction in the external world required many years, a thousand sorts of different building materials and substances, and hundreds of workers; this can be built in the mind in an instant.

It is clear that others cannot be informed directly of the creations of our minds, because they are not visible and audible, but they can discover their existence from our speech.

Life: A beautiful chicken, moving towards the water, falls into a pond, and, before we can rescue it, it dies. At this very moment, what change has taken place in the chicken; and what difference has occurred that it no longer moves, plays or eats?

There surely was something in the live chicken but which does not exist in the dead - life itself. Life is not an object of the senses. We only perceive the effects of life: movement, feeding, etc., and from these effects we discover its existence.

The facts mentioned above make it thoroughly clear that over and above the beings that we perceive with our sensory organs, there are also things which we do not directly perceive, but we know about them only through the effects they produce.

Thus we draw the conclusion that it is not right for us to reject something which we do not see only because it is not visible, because invisibility is different from non-existence.

Moreover, the way of discovering something is not confined to the eyes or other external senses. The human mind can discover something by means of the effects of those things, as we saw in the examples mentioned above.

We do not wish to say that God is similar to the scientific examples mentioned above, because God is a reality above those things, nothing is equal or comparable to Him. Our intention, however, is to say that in the same way as we discover the existence of those things through their effects, we can also discover the existence of God through His signs.

Discovering the existence of God through His signs is the “outer way” of knowing Him.

Thus, those who deny the existence of God just because they cannot see Him with their eyes, are blind as far as their eyes of wisdom and contemplation is concerned - since we know that His existence can be demonstrated through the precise design and order of creation.

To these people we say, with the poet: Open thy heart's eye for your soul to see, And what is invisible will be manifest to thee.

* * *

This lesson is based on the followings:

Dar Rah-e Haq Board, The Roots of Religion, Qum 1982.

Nāsir Makārim Shirazi, Principles of Islamic Ideology, Tehran 1985.

Syed Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi, Need of Religion, Tanzania 1970.

It has been compiled & edited for this course by S.M. Rizvi.

Question Paper For Lesson 2

Question 1: [10 points]

True or False:

(a) Anything that has order or design implies a creator.

(b) Invisibility implies non-existence.

(c) The inner way is the clearest way of knowing God.

(d) We can perceive things by observing their effects.

(e) Science and reasoning cannot measure everything that exists in this universe.

Question 2: [20 points]

Name at least three things (besides the examples described in this lesson) that cannot be detected by our five common senses, i.e., vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Question 3: [20 points]

Lesson 2 states that there are two most common ways of knowing the Creator, namely (1) the inner way and (2) the outer way. Explain this idea using somewhat different terminology from that used in this lesson.

Lesson 3: Designs in The Universe

In this universe, from the smallest atom to the largest celestial body, in everything we see, we are reminded of its perfect orderliness and exact regulation, so much so that great scientists have been provoked to amazement.

One look at the world around us makes it clear that all things in it are in full coordination with one another.

The nourishment of living creatures, for example, depends on the coordination between the sun, clouds, rain, earth and its resources. All this points to the existence of one coordinated system in the universe.

There is so much orderliness in nature that the scientists, by using the immutable laws of nature, can explain the course any phenomenon will take before it occurs.

For this reason, scientists endeavour to discover these laws. For if these laws did not hold would not every kind of effort in this field be fruitless? So let us look at some examples of the order and design in the universe:

The earth in which we live, with respect to its size, its distance from the sun, the speed of its orbital movement, etc., is so arranged that it is able to act as the support for life. If the smallest change were to take place in its condition, losses of unacceptable dimensions would occur.

“The earth rotates on its axis at one thousand miles an hour; if it turned at one hundred miles an hour, our days and nights would be ten times as long as now, and the hot sun would then burn up our vegetation during each long day while in the long night any surviving sprout would freeze.

“Again, the sun, the source of our life, has a surface temperature of 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and our earth is just far enough away so that this “eternal fire1 warms us just enough and not too much! If the sun gave off only one-half of its present radiation, we would freeze, and if it gave half as much more, we would roast.

“The slant of the earth, tilted at an angle of 23 degrees, gives us our seasons; if it had not been so tilted, vapours from the ocean would move north and south, piling up for us continents of ice.

If our moon was, say, only 50 thousand miles away instead of its actual distance, our tides would be so enormous that twice a day all continents would be submerged; even the mountains would soon be eroded away.

If the crust of the earth had been only ten feet thicker, there would be no oxygen without which animal life must die. Had the ocean been a few feet deeper, carbon dioxide and oxygen would have been absorbed and no vegetable life could exist.”1

The atmosphere, most of whose constituent elements are lifegiving gases, is sufficiently viscous that it can, like a shield or armour, protect the earth from the deadly attack of 200 million meteors every day, which approach the earth with a speed of 50 km per second.

The responsibility for regulating the temperature of the earth's surface within limits which maintain life also belongs to the atmosphere, and if it did not exist, inhabited land, like the dry deserts, would become incapable of supporting life.

“Because of these, and a host of other examples, there is not one chance in millions that life on our planet is an accident.”2 But why are we taking the long way round in explaining these things?

Nearer than anything else is our own body. The mysteries of man's existence are without number, so much so that the world's scientists, after years of research and study, have not yet been able to fathom all the wonders of it.

After many years of study, Dr. Alexis Carel wrote a book called L 'homme, cet inconnue (Man, the Unknown). He confessed that biology and other sciences were still unable to discover the facts about the working of the human body, and that many problems remained to be unraveled. Now let us examine some of the marvels of our own existence. THE CELLS OF THE BODY: A human body is like a building.

It is composed of small building blocks called cells, each of which is itself a living entity. In the structure of the cells most metals such as iron, copper and calcium are used as are other elements like oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur.

The number of cells in the body of man is about 10*6 which is equivalent to ten thousand, million, million.

Each one of these living cells works in perfect cooperation with the next, and all of them follow the same aim. They are very quick to suffer, having low tolerance levels, and nourishment must be correctly supplied for their needs.

The blood, with the help of the heart, performs this duty very well. The structure of the heart is well-designed and has perfect dimensions, so that it can supply blood to the whole body through the agency of the blood vessels and the capillaries.

The blood, after it has delivered nourishment to the cells, absorbs poisonous substances which have accumulated there and returns to the heart with a dull colour.

The heart delivers this to the lungs, a filtering apparatus for the blood, whereupon it is resupplied to the whole body with a bright colour and greater freshness.

While passing through the kidneys, another part of these poisonous matters are removed, so that no kind of disturbance arises in the general working of the body.

Do we not see in the precise combination and quantity of the metals and elements from which the cell is formed, and also the amazing structure of the heart and its way of working, a plan of perfect and superior design? And if we see in the human body, a mysterious whole and at the same time a design, are we exaggerating?

Without doubt, no.

* * *

In the same way we must confess that the world of existence firmly rests on the foundation of perfect orderliness, and undoubtedly every orderliness and design is the creation and accomplishment of a wise and powerful maker.

The same argument demonstrates that design and orderliness must have originated from a source of knowledge and power, and that chance cannot be the origin of marvels having design and orderliness simply because everything produces a particular effect: it is incorrect to suppose that design and order should come from chance or mere accident. The scientific “law of probability” makes it impossible to explain the coordination in this world on the basis of chance. According to the law of probability, for example, an illiterate person can never write an essay by randomly hitting the keys of a typewriter. Similarly, the present system in our universe could never have come to exist on the basis of chance or accident.

It therefore follows that the wonderful design and order that is observed in the human body and in the universe around us constitutes complete evidence and living proof that the universe has a wise and powerful designer and creator. The more we learn about the system of creation, the more aware we become of the greatness of its Creator.

Even the things produced by human beings themselves reflect the knowledge and intelligence of the Creator, because it is not possible for someone who has no understanding and intelligence to give to His creations such understanding and intelligence.

* * *

This lesson is based on the followings:

Dar Rah-e Haq Board, The Roots of Religion, Qum 1982.

Few details have been added from S. Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi, God of Islam, Tanzania, 1969 and Nāsir Makārim Shirazi, Principles of Islamic Ideology, Tehran 1985.

It has been compiled & edited for this course by S.M. Rizvi.

Question Paper For Lesson 3

Question 1: [15 points]

Fill in the blanks:

(a) Intelligent creations are possible only by an _____________ creator.

(b) The more we come to know about the universe, the more we realize how ___________ we know.

(c) The number of cells in human body is ___________.

(d) Organization and discipline in this universe indicates a _________ and powerful ___________.

(e) Dr. Alexis Carel wrote a book called “_____ the ___________”.

Question 2: [20 points]

This lesson gives some examples of design and orderliness in the universe. Give three examples of your own observation of design and orderliness in this universe.

Question 3: [15 points]

(a) The physical meaning of the fraction 1/2 is “one part out of two parts”. What is the physical meaning of the fraction 1/0?

(b) Think about your answer in part (a). Is it possible? Relate your answer to the material you learnt in this lesson and then write one sentence that describes the essence of this lesson.

Lesson 4: More About God

1. The Eternal Need for God

Examine the following examples, and then you will realize the extent to which the creatures of this world show the presence of a Creator.

1. How do those who construct airplanes work together to produce a plane? These specialized engineers assemble the body sections in a specific manner according to exact equations so that the plane may fly, carrying passengers and cargo.

Of.course, the work of the construction engineers is to assemble the basic material according to their plans, in such a way that when their work is finished their activity ends.

As for the engines, the electronic control systems, the interior setting and decor, etc., these do not depend upon the body constructors.

2. If we want to build a house and we are in possession of all the raw materials, is that sufficient? Surely, we need a builder and his workmen, not in order to produce the raw materials, but so as to put them together according to their craft.

It is clear that we do not need the workmen for producing the materials used in the building, but that we need them only in so far as the use of these materials is concerned. In this way a house can be built from these materials.

3. A person who has never seen the Eiffel Tower can nevertheless construct it in his imagination in no time at all, merely from having heard about it. He can even construct it higher than it is, and imagine people climbing it.

The existence of the Tower in the imagination is, as the previous two examples suggest, the work of the one who has imagined it.

The basic materials of the plan and the house were not produced by their constructors, but all the materials for the imagined Tower were made by the one who imagined it, not obtained from some place or another.

That is why their size is not dependent on the quality of raw material available, and it can be made larger according to the wish of the one who imagines it. We can see that imaginary forms derive their existence from ourselves.

They remain in our minds as long as we want them to, and when we forget about them they become nothing again, and have no further existence in our imagination.

From this last example, we can conclude that anything whose existence depends on the existence of something else can not be independent, and at every moment has need of the other.

Now we can understand the condition of the created things of this world which have come into existence from nothing and which are the creation of God.

Are these created things, at every moment, in need of their creator? Some people may think that the created things of this world, after their creation, do not stand in need of their creator for their continued existence.

However, this is a completely erroneous concept, because the things in the world are the effects and creations of God and are identical with the imagined forms which we ourselves can construct in our imaginations, in that at every moment they need the One who created them in order to continue existing.

In order to understand this better, imagine a human figure, speaking, walking and working according to his will. Does this figure have any independence? Clearly his existence is due to you, for if you cease to want him to exist, he will be annihilated and returned to nothingness.

This is the condition of the entire universe of creation which is completely from God, created by Him, and in no way independent. It is always in need of God. Also, if God ceased to will its existence, it would return to nothingness.

The Qur'an says:O men, you are the ones that need God; He is the All-sufficient, the Alllaudable. If He will, He can put you away and bring a new creation. (35:15-16)

This is a subject to which Islam directs the attention of its followers. For example, it is instructed that in daily prayer when one rises one should say “bi hawli 'l-lahi wa quwwatihi aqumu wa aq’ud - with the power of Allah do I stand up and sit down.”

2. God Occupies No Space

The world we see with our eyes is a material world composed of atoms. Every object has a special place and special properties, which vary from situation to situation.

Distance plays a role in the action of these properties and the nearer the cause is to the effect the stronger the effect is; the further away it is, the weaker the effect, until a distance is reached where the cause has no action at all. To elucidate this point we shall give one or two examples.

(a) The power of a magnet is not the same at all distances: the nearer the metal is to the magnet, the stronger the power of attraction. If a nail is placed at a distance of two centimeters from a magnet, the attraction will be stronger than if it is placed at a distance of ten centimeters.

(b) The light of a lamp may reach a hundred meters, but within this distance the intensity is not uniform. The nearer to the lamp we are, the greater the intensity of its light.

These two examples show that all things which are situated in a certain place do not have an equal effect at all distance, the nearer we are to the center of something, the greater its effect will be, and vice versa.

Does God Have a Center?

Some people may possibly think that like the sun and other material things, God has a place and that He has a seat from which He exerts His influence over His creation.

However, this is not the case, because His influence on creation, which is His own work, is the same in every place, from the depths of the oceans to the furthest parts of outer space. There is no place to which His influence does not reach in sufficiency.

This influence is not such as has a center, such that the further we go from it the weaker it becomes, until we reach a point where there is no trace of his influence and chaos reigns. For if God had a place like other material things, His influence would vary throughout the universe.

Therefore we can deduce from this that the Creator of this world has no location and no center. Indeed, God is the Creator of “place” and it is impossible that the Creator should be dependent on what He has created.

God cannot be compared with an inventor, because, as we explained previously, an inventor is not a creator. His only genius is that he understands the properties of things and is successful in bringing together certain elements to make something which, in some cases, he is himself in need of. But God, who is the Creator of all creation, is not in need of what He has created.

3. Is God Visible?

Now, since we have seen that God has no place, it is clear that he has no body either, because a body needs a place, and there can be no body which has no place. Since God has no body, he cannot be seen, because our eyes can see only bodies.

4. God is in Need of Nothing

Since God is the Creator of nourishment and other necessities of life and all things, we must agree that He has no need of any of these things. God, therefore, is the entire Truth who is in need of nothing. Unlike human beings, He does not need shelter, nourishment, and the other necessities of life, rather all people and things are in need of Him.

Maybe you will now ask: “If God has no body, occupies no space and cannot be seen, then what is He and how can we say that He exists?”

To understand this, take the following example. We can say that electricity is neither solid, nor liquid, nor gas. These negations do not deny the existence of electricity, and it could never be true to say that because electricity is none of these things, therefore it does not exist. We have to admit that electricity is a fact which is not describable by any of the aforementioned conditions.

Now, when we say that God, the Self-Sufficient, has neither body, nor place, nor can He be seen, nor is He in need of anything, we mean that none of these imperfections can be found in the perfect, unlimited Being of God, who is the source of all existence.

Here there can only be Perfection and Self-Sufficiency.

These properties distinguish His Being from other beings, and this is the God in Whom we must believe. Intelligence and human nature can accept such a God. No wise and honest person can deny His existence.

The supremacy and glory of Islam can be seen when we compare this concept with the belief that God is on a level with man, having a body, children and other such attributes and appendages.

In fact, we might say that many materialists reject God because the true God has not been made known to them, and what they have considered is not the real God.

5. God's Omniscience

The grandeur and mystery of creation cannot be compared to a man-made machine. The infinite details seen in living beings and inanimate objects indicate the unlimited knowledge of God. Let us examine the following:

(a) Newton said that a study of the components of the ear and the eye would lead us to understand that the maker of the ear was thoroughly acquainted with the laws of acoustics, and that the maker of the eye was thoroughly acquainted with the laws of light and vision; a study of the heavenly bodies, he said, would lead us to understand the Truth which governs the universe.

(b) The physiology of the bat is full of amazing things. In order to be able to find its way in the dark without flying into obstacles, the animals sends out ultrasonic waves in front of itself rather like radar. If there is an obstacle in the way, the sound waves reach it and are reflected back, and thus the bat can steer clear of the obstacle.

(c) Although insects are very small, they are very delicate and wonderful in their structure. For example, some of them, instead of eyes with one lens, have compound eyes made up of individual visual units called ommatids, every one of which has three parts: a cornea, a lens and a retina.

The number of ommatids varies between insects. Glow-worms have about 2,500, but in others there can be between 10,000 and 28,000. Because insects cannot rotate their heads, they can be permitted, by these compound eyes, to see things which happen beside them or behind them Now we must ask if God knows all the things after He has created them. And the answer is, yes, of course He does.

God knows about things, whatever their place and whenever they happen. He is aware of the shinning of the furthest star in the highest heaven, of the tempestuousness of the foaming blue waves breaking on the furthest shores of the ocean, of the most mysterious hollows of the most remote valleys in the folds of the mountains, of the rustling of even one leaf in the gentle breeze, of the doleful coo of the owl in the deepest silence of the forest, of the flicker of the glow-worm among the leaves, of the innumerable fish with their infinite colours and variety in all the waters of the world, of the birth of the fawn of the honey-coloured gazelle in the depths of the forest, of the falling of the clear, pearly dew-drop from the petal of the half-opened rosebud in the recess of the rocks. He knows the height of the mountains, the covering of the sky, the expanse of the lands and the seas and the treasures of the mines, the hidden depths of the caves and of all and everything.

The Basis Of God’s Knowledge

He who creates and gives existence is aware of His creation and always attends to it, in the same way as we are not unaware of the forms we create in our own imaginations. As long as we wish them to exist, they remain in our minds, but when we turn our attention away from them, they cease to exist.

If you imagine a person, you are necessarily aware of all his movements and his resting, and his actions are never hidden from your mind, because this imaginary person is your creation, that is, he did not exist before you thought of him, and you brought him into existence by your imagination.

God, who created the world and all of creation, whose existence comes from Him, oversees it all and is never unmindful of it. Of course, the difference between us, who imagine various forms in our minds, and God, who created the universe, is that we ourselves depend on God for our existence and that our existence comes from Him. However, God is independent of all things and has given existence to all things. It is for this reason that we call only Him the real Creator.

The Difference Between Creator & Maker

The maker of a computer is not its creator and did not give it its existence; his only skill was that he gave a new’ form to what was already in existence. He was not aware of the computations and the information that will be stored in it in the future.

Similarly, other inventors, discoverers and artisans are not informed of all the minutiae of the movements and stillness of what they have made, because they have not given existence to them, they have not brought them from non-existence into existence.

The raw materials were already in existence in the world. Only, by analysing and constructing, have they changed their form.

Take the case of the airplane, which is made from raw materials in mines which were extracted, smelted and forged and made into the finished products. Clearly, then, the makers did not create what they made; they only changed the form of the materials.

For this reason, they are not permanently aware of their artifacts, and one cannot, therefore, properly call them creators. If, in some cases they have to be called creators, they have only been called so figuratively, not literally.

But God, Who has given existence to all things, is always aware and knowledgeable of their actions, because He is the real and true Creator. The Qur'an says,“Shall He not know who created?” (67:14)

Now we have understood that we ourselves and all the creatures of this world are not separated from the glorified presence of God.

Wherever we are and to whatever land we travel, in the depths of the oceans, in the outer reaches of space, in the narrow places of the valleys, we are not hidden from Him. He sees the smallest of our good or bad deeds, and will reward and punish accordingly.

Can someone who has such a God and believes in Him ever fall prey to sin? Think about it.

* * *

This lesson is based on the followings:

Dar Rah-e Haq Board, The Roots of Religion, Qum 1982.

It has been edited for this course by S.M. Rizvi.

Question Paper On Lesson 4

Question 1: [18 points]

True or False:

(a) Imaginary forms derive their existence from the external world.

(b) Independent existence implies self-sufficiency.

(c) God's influence is uniform throughout the universe.

(d) Men are capable of creating and destroying things in this universe.

(e) God's influence on a person depends upon his faith.

(f) Man can neither create nor destroy anything in this universe. He can only change the form, shape or size of things to suit his needs.

Question 2: [12 points]

Describe four essential attributes of God.

Question 3: [20 points]

Explain the difference between us as the creator of our imagination and God as the Creator of this universe.


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