A Commentary on Prayer

1

2

Dhikr at-Tasbih

“Subhan Allah” {glory be to Allah}

While in ruku‘ and sujud, the person praying glorifies God.

When the verse, “So celebrate the Name of your Lord, the All-supreme,”1 was revealed, the Prophet (S) thus said: “Apply this command to your ruku‘ and say:

سُبْحانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلْعَظيمِ وَ بِحَمدهِ

Subhana rabbiya’l-‘azim wa bihamdih.

“Glory be to my Lord, the Great, and praise belongs to Him.”

And when the verse, “You are laboring toward your Lord, the Most Exalted,”2 was revealed, he (S) said: “Apply this command to your sujud and say:

سُبْحانَ رَبِّيَ ٱلاَعْلىٰ وَ بِحَمدهِ

Subhana rabbiya’l-a‘la wa bihamdih.

“Glory be to my Lord, the Exalted, and praise belongs to Him.”3

The station of tasbih

Glorifying {tasbih} and exalting {tanziyyah} God are the root of all authentic Islamic beliefs and thoughts:

Tawhid means regarding God as free from any taint of polytheism: “Clear is Allah of any partners that they may ascribe {to Him}!”4

Justice {‘adl} means considering God as free from any form of injustice: “They said, ‘Immaculate is our Lord! We have indeed been wrongdoers!’”5

Prophethood {nubuwwah} and Imamate {imamah} mean treating God as immune from the lack of the purpose, the program and the means delivering the people from the sea of desire and inclination:

﴿ وَ مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِذْ قَالُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلى بَشرٍ مِّن شيْ‏ءٍ ﴾

“They did not regard Allah with the regard due to Him when they said, ‘Allah has not sent down anything to any human’.”6

The Return {ma‘ad} means knowing God not to have made creation in vain and knowing that the end of the world is not annihilation:

“O Lord, You have not created this in vain! Immaculate are You!”7

“Did you suppose that We created you aimlessly, and that you will not be brought back to Us?”8

Yes, God is guiltless of this futile and vain act.

Glorification of God is not only the fountainhead of Islamic beliefs but also the source of enormous spiritual and moral excellences:

Subhan Allah is the source of satisfaction {rida}. If we regard Him as free from any defect, it means that we are satisfied with His decrees and submit to the wisdom behind His will.

Subhan Allah is the fountainhead of tawakkul {reliance on God}. It is only logical that we have to trust and rely on the One who is free from any need and immune from any weakness and inability: “Immaculate is He! He is the All-sufficient.”9

Subhan Allah is the source of love for God. The Essence that is clear from any defect and shortcoming is loved by man.

Subhan Allah is the preliminary part of praise and eulogy to God - praise and eulogy for the Essence that is free from filth and unpleasantness. Thus, in the Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah,10 “subhan Allah” comes first before “al-hamdulillah”.

Subhan Allah is the key to salvation from all superstitions and man-made creeds: “Clear is Allah, the Lord of the Throne, of what they allege {concerning Him}.”11

Perhaps, it is for these reasons that the command for tasbih {glorification of Allah} has been mentioned more frequently compared to other adhkar {forms of remembrance to God}. The command for tasbih has been repeated 16 times; for istighfar {asking forgiveness from Allah} eight times; for the remembrance of Allah {dhikr} five times; and for takbir {to say, “Allahu akbar”} twice. Besides, the command for tasbih is meant for all times and conditions so that man should always remember God and regard Him as free from any form of defect and shortcoming:

﴿ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا وَمِنْ آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ ﴾

“And celebrate the praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before the sunset, and glorify Him in watches of the night and at the day’s ends.”12

You also glorify God at the moment of victory and joyfulness: “When Allah’s help comes with victory… then celebrate the praise of your Lord.”13

In addition, glorify God in the depths of vicissitudes and adversity for the tasbih is the source of deliverance: “And had he (Jonah) not been one of those who celebrate Allah’s glory, he would have surely remained in its belly till the day they will be resurrected.”14

Yes, on account of man’s many limitations, he can never comprehend God. So, it is better for him to admit his own weakness and say, “As You are beyond the scope of the intellect and imagination, You are guiltless of and above what others ascribe to You”: “Immaculate is He, and greatly exalted above what they say!”15

Only the sincere servants of God, through divine guidance and succor, can describe God:

﴿ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ إِلا عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ ﴾

“Clear is Allah of whatever they allege {about Him}, - {all} except Allah’s exclusive servants.”16

The reward for tasbih

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (S) said that when a servant of God utters, “Subhan Allah,” whatever is under the Divine Throne glorifies God along with him and 10 times the reward shall be given to him. When he recites, “Al-hamdulillah,” God shall grant him the blessings of the world till he meets Allah and enters into the blessings of the hereafter.17

Practical tasbih

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) said: “One of the most difficult and important things that God has made necessary for creation is “abundant remembrance” {dhikr al-kathir}.” He (‘a) then said: “What it means is not the recital of “Subhan Allahi wa’l-hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu Allahu akbar” {Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is greater} although it is also part of them. What it means is ‘to remember Allah as to what is lawful {halal} and what is unlawful {haram}’.”18

That is, to remember God when acting; if a certain task means obedience to Him, it has to be undertaken; if it earns His displeasure, it has to be abandoned.

Repetition of tasbih

Someone came to the house of Imam as-Sadiq (‘a). He saw the Imam (‘a) in a state of ruku‘glorifying God and repeating the tasbih 60 times. While in the state of sujud, the Imam repeated the tasbih 500 times.19

The repetition of tasbih is discussed not only in prayer but in the Hajj rites as well. At the time of looking at the Black Stone {hajar al-aswad}, during the sa‘i between Safa and Marwah, and in other cases, the repetition of tasbih has been recommended.

For instance, in the prayer, apart from the dhikr in ruku‘ and sujud, Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah can also be repeated in the third and fourth rak‘ahs. Based on both Sunni and Shi‘ah traditions, what is meant by the baqiyat as-salihat {“lasting righteous deeds”}20 in verse 46 of Surah al-Kahf is this Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah.21 As stated by Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a), the dhikr of Hadrat Ibrahim (‘a) at the time of constructing the Ka‘bah was “Subhan Allahi wa’l-hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu Allahu akbar”.22

Remembrance of God {dhikr Allah} in Islamic culture

Let us take a brief look at the remembrance of God {dhikr Allah} in Islamic culture:

When surprised and amazed, our faithful ancestors would say: “Masha’ Allah” {what Allah has willed!} or “subhan Allah” {glory be to Allah!}; when entering the house: “Ya Allah” {O Allah!}; when separating from each other: “Khoda hafiz” {may God protect (you)!}; when standing: “Ya ‘Ali!” {O ‘Ali!}; to remove fatigue while working: “Khoda quwwat” {may God give you power!}; in reply to the inquiry after one’s health: “Al-hamdulillah” {All praise belongs to Allah}; when offering food: “Bismillah” {In the Name of Allah!}; and at the end of a meal, they would recite appropriate prayers and thanks to God.

Grandmothers would start their storytelling: “Yeki bud; yeki nabud” {There was once nobody except Him}.

It is clear that to live in such an atmosphere and to be reared in such an environment would encourage the remembrance of God to flow in the heart and His Name to flow from the tongue at any time and in any place.

The tasbih of other creatures

All of creation - the seven heavens and the earth and whatever there is between them - glorifies God.23 The animals such as the birds, inanimate objects such as the mountains,24 thunder and storm25 do so and that too is out of consciousness and instinct!

﴿ كُلٌّ قَدْ عَلِمَ صَلَاتَهُ وَتَسْبِيحَهُ ﴾

“Each knows his prayer and glorification.”26

The tasbih of the angels is so pervasive that the Prophet (S) said: “There is not a single layer of the heavens except that therein is an angel in the state of prayer and tasbih.”27

Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says: “Whenever Hadrat Dawud (‘a) would read the Zabur, there was no mountain, stone and bird that did not recit it with him.”28

In the traditions, we are admonished not to strike a blow on the face of four-footed animals for they are glorifying God.29

گر تو را از غيب چشمى باز شد

با تو ذرّات جهان همراز شد

نطق آب و نطق خاك و نطق گل

هست محسوس حواس اهل دل

جمله ذرّات عالم در نهان

با تو مى گويند روزان و شبان

ما سميعيم و بصيريم و هوشيم

با شما نامحرمان ما خاموشيم

If you could see the unseen, to you would be revealed the secret behind every particle of the world.

The voice of water, soil and mud can be heard by the gnostics.

All the particles of the world say secretly to you during the day and night:

“We are hearing, discerning and vigilant. We are silent with you the strangers.”

A group of chirping sparrows passed by in front of Imam as-Sajjad (‘a). The Imam (‘a) turned to those who were near him and said: “Every morning the birds glorify Allah and pray for power for the day.”30

Some people have said that what is meant by the tasbih and sujud of other creatures is allegorical and not literal. Just as a beautiful painting and a collection of poems respectively testify to the enormous talent of the painter and the inborn disposition of the poet, the mysterious constitution of other creatures bears witness to the knowledge, power, wisdom, and precision of God, declaring Him immune from any sort of defect and shortcoming. This is the very meaning of the tasbih of other creatures.

This view is put forward when, in the first place, we have no proof and evidence substantiating this notion. Secondly, we have to resort to allegorical interpretation {ta’wil} and analysis when the apparent meaning of a word poses an impossibility such as the verse, “The hand of Allah is above their hands,”31 in which it is impossible for God to have a hand and so we say that what is meant by “the hand of Allah” is divine power. However, in case where we cannot comprehend the meaning, we have no right to resort to allegorical interpretation.

How could we resort to allegorical interpretation when the Qur’an itself says,

﴿ وَ إِن مِّن شىْ‏ءٍ إِلا يُسبِّحُ بحَمْدِهِ وَ لَكِن لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسبِيحَهُمْ ﴾

“There is not a thing but celebrates His praise, but you do not understand their glorification”?32

How could we resort to allegorical interpretation when the Qur’an declares,

“And you have not been given of the knowledge except a few {of you}”33 ?

We read many times in the Qur’an that the Prophet (S) who has access to eternal knowledge, said: “I do not know.”34 So what if we also say, “We do not know” and “We do not understand”?

What is interesting is that God has explicitly declared to us our ignorance and lack of knowledge: “But you do not understand their glorification.”35 But the proud man is not ready to say: “I do not understand the secret of creation among which is the tasbih of other creatures.

Does not the Qur’an categorically disclose that the hoopoe was aware of the sun-worshipping practice of the people of Sheba and reported the same to Hadrat Sulayman (‘a), saying: “The ruler of Sheba is a woman who is sitting on a large throne and her people are worshipping the sun.36

The hoopoe’s knowledge of the peculiarities of the environment and the name of the land, and its ability to distinguish woman from man, ruler from subject, polytheism from monotheism, and the like are all signs of the intelligence of other creatures.

Does not the Qur’an say that one of the ants said to the others,

“Enter your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts should trample on you while they are unaware”?37

In these verses, understanding the movement of human beings, their names (Solomon), their occupation (military), their inattention to where they step, and the ant’s concern for the other ants are among the issues that makes us aware of the capacity and power of discernment of other creatures.

Now, if we accept the existence of instinct as we have to accept the text of the Qur’an, then there is no more need to justify and analyze the tasbih of other creatures.

Notes

1. Surah al-Waqi‘ah 56:74.

2. Surah al-A‘la 87:1.

3. Tafsir al-Mizan, vol. 19, p. 160.

4. Surah at-Tur 52:43.

5. Surah al-Qalam 68:29.

6. Surah al-An‘am 6:91.

7. Surah Al ‘Imran 3:191.

8. Surah al-Mu’minun 23:115.

9. Surah Yunus 10:68.

10. Tasbihat al-Arba‘ah: literally, the four tasbihs; it refers to the recital of “Subhan Allahi wa’l-hamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu Allahu akbar” {Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah; Allah is greater}. {Trans.}

11. Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:22.

12. Surah Ta Ha 20:130.

13. Surah an-Nasr 110:1, 3.

14. Surah as-Saffat 37:143-144.

15. Surah al-Isra’ (or Bani Isra’il) 17:43.

16. Surah as-Saffat 37:159-160.

17. Wasa’il ash-Shi‘ah, vol. 7, p. 187.

18. Al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 80.

19. Al-Wafi, vol. 2, p. 107.

20. Surah al-Kahf 18:46: “Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of the world, but lasting righteous deeds are better with your Lord in reward and better in hope.”

21. Tafsir al-Mizan, vol. 13, p. 540.

22. Wasa’il ash-Shi‘ah, vol. 4, p. 1207.

23. Surah al-Jum‘ah 62:1: “Whatever there is in the heavens glorifies Allah and whatever there is in the earth, the Sovereign, the All-holy, the All-mighty, the All-wise.”

24. Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:79: “And We disposed the mountains and the birds to glorify {Him} with David, and We have been the doer {of such things}.”

25. Surah ar-Ra‘d 13:13: “The Thunder celebrates His praise.”

26. Surah an-Nur 24:41.

27. Tafsir al-Qurtubi, vol. 8, p. 5581.

28. Tafsir Nur ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 3, p. 444.

29. Tafsir Nur ath-Thaqalayn, vol. 3, p. 168.

30. Tafsir al-Mizan, vol. 13, p. 206.

31. Surah al-Fath 48:10.

32. Surah al-Isra’ (or Bani Isra’il) 17:44.

33. Surah al-Isra’ (or Bani Isra’il) 17:85.

34. This sentence was repeated four times in the Qur’an among which is in Surah al-Anbiya’ 21:109.

35. Surah al-Isra’ (or Bani Isra’il) 17:44.

36. Surah an-Naml 27:22-27.

37. Surah an-Naml 27:18.

Qunut

The word “qunut” means obedience accompanied by humility. For example, while addressing Hadrat Maryam (Mary), God says: “O Mary, be obedient {uqnuti} to your Lord.”1 What is meant by qunut in prayer is the supplication that we recite in the second rak‘ah of every prayer.

On the interpretation of the verse, “And dedicate yourself to Him with total dedication,”2 Imam as-Sadiq (‘a) says that what is meant by “tabattul” is to raise the hands in supplication during prayer.3 The word “tabattul” means cutting off hope in other than God.4

The Qur’an thus enjoins us: “Supplicate your Lord, beseechingly and secretly.”5 One of the signs of beseeching and weeping in the presence of God is to raise the hands in supplication.6 The indigent man stretches his hands toward the Absolute All-sufficient, praying to Him alone and purges his heart of other than Him.

Although qunut is only optional {mustahabb} in prayer, it has, nevertheless, been given such attention that Imam ar-Rida (‘a) thus wrote in one of his letters to Ma’mun: “Qunut is an obligatory sunnah in all the daily prayers.”7 Of course, the purpose of the Imam (‘a) is to emphasize the importance of qunut. For example, if one forgets to perform it before the ruku‘, it is recommended to perform a compensatory one after ruku‘, and if he remembers it during sujud, he may also do so after salam.

Concerning the etiquette of performing qunut, it is thus recorded: You have to raise your hands up to the level of your face; the palms of the hands must be open toward the sky; the two hands must be kept together; the fingers must be close together except the thumbs; at the time of reciting the supplication, you have to look at the palms of the hands and recite it loudly; of course, not to the extent that the leader of the congregation would hear it.8

There is no specific supplication and one may recite whatever supplication one wants. It is also not necessary that the supplication be recited in Arabic as it may also be recited in English. Of course, it is clear that the Qur’anic supplications and the supplications that the Infallibles (‘a) read in their qunut have special virtue and preeminence.

The qunut of different prayers

The number of qunut is not identical in all prayers. Each of the five daily prayers has one qunut before the ruku‘ of the second rak‘ah. But the Friday congregational prayer which has two rak‘ahs have two qunuts, one before the ruku‘ of the first rak‘ah and the other one after the ruku‘ of the second rak‘ah.

In the ‘Id al-Fitr and ‘Id al-Qurban prayers each of which has two rak‘ahs, we recite nine qunuts; five successive qunuts before the ruku‘ of the first rak‘ah and four successive qunuts before the ruku‘ of the second rak‘ah. Of course, there is a special supplication recorded for these qunuts.

Even in the salah al-ayat {prayer of natural signs} which has two rak‘ahs and five ruku‘s in every rak‘ah, it is recommended to recite the qunut before the second, fourth, sixth, and eight ruku‘s, though it is enough to have one qunut before the tenth ruku‘.

The witr prayer, which is a one-rak‘ah prayer performed at the end of the night supererogatory prayers, has a long qunut and many recorded supplications, such as istighfar {to say, for example, “astaghfirullah”} 70 times, “al-‘afwu” 300 times and supplication for 40 believers.

The prayer for rain, like the ‘Id prayers, has five qunuts in the first rak‘ah and four qunuts in the second rak‘ah.

In any case, to prolong the qunut is recommended. Abu Dharr asked the Prophet (S): “Which prayer is better?” The Prophet (S) replied: “The prayer whose qunut is longer and anyone who would recite his qunut longer will have more comfort during the time of the Day of Resurrection.”9

The qunut of the Infallibles (‘a)

Ibn Mas‘ud said that the reason behind his acceptance of Islam was his witnessing the prayer of three persons, viz. the Holy Prophet (S), Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a) and Hadrat Khadijah (r).10

In the salam that we give in the Ziyarah Al Ya Sin to Hadrat al-Mahdi (may Allah, the Exalted, expedite his glorious advent), we read: “Peace be upon you when you are standing for prayer and qunut!”

For each of the Infallibles (‘a), there has been recorded long supplications in the qunut, which we cannot quote here for lack of space. It is surprising that the qunut with all its blessings is not widely and frequently practiced. Were Hadrat ‘Ali and the Khulafa’ ar-Rashidun not reciting qunut in their prayers?

During qunut we should not think of ourselves and our requests only. We have to learn from Hadrat Zahra who said: “al-jaru thumma ’d-dar.”11

That is, “Think of your neighbor first and then your family.” God has promised to grant the personal requests of anyone who would pray for others.

In the qunut we have to pray against our enemies, asking for the victory of Islam and the Muslims.

In his qunut the Holy Prophet (S) would curse a group of people, mentioning their names and descriptions. In the qunut of his prayer, Hadrat ‘Ali (‘a) used to curse Mu‘awiyah and ‘Amru ibn al-‘As.12 At any rate, tawalla and tabarra are part of the religion, nay the foundation of our religion:

هَل الدِّين إِلاَّ ٱلْحُبّ وَ ٱلْبُغْض؟

“Is the religion other than love and hatred?”13

Notes

1. Surah Al ‘Imran 3:43.

2. Surah al-Muzzammil 73:8.

3. Wasa’il ash-Shi‘ah, vol. 4, p. 912.

4. Mufradat ar-Raghib.

5. Surah al-A‘raf 7:55.

6. Ma‘ani as-Saduq, p. 369.

7. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 82, p. 197.

8. Masa’il-e Qunut dar Tawdih al-Masa’il.

9. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 82, p. 200.

10. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 38, p. 280.

11. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 81.

12. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 82, p. 201.

13. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 68, p. 63.

Chapter 12: Does Christ Suffer For Our Sins?

"And no bearer of burden can bear the burden of another..." (The Holy Qur'an 17:15) One thing that is becoming increasingly dear with the rapid progress of science is the need to observe divine precepts. Although man has greatly benefited from the thoughts of scientists and wise men in the past, he acknowledges that he cannot fully unveil the mysteries of creation with the help of his finite mind and offer and express comprehensive, useful and unchangeable considerations regarding the problems of life.

He realizes that many laws and theories that are postulated around the globe would, after a time, display their flaws, so that the legislators and theorists are forced to abandon them.

Fortunately, some scientists have confessed that divine laws originating from the Creator of the universe, i.e. the Omniscient God, form the only program that can lead humanity towards absolute prosperity and perfection. Therefore, prophets have tried to introduce people to this progressive program and have always seriously fought with the belief that another person will be punished or sacrificed instead of the guilty party, and have openly declared that everyone is responsible for his own deeds.

In the Book of Ezekiel one can still read: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Ezek. 18:20).

Belief in suffering punishment and paying ransom instead of somebody else would have made a great number of people refuse abiding by divine precepts, for, in their opinion, another person would receive punishment in their stead. Thus apart from being prevented to develop themselves towards perfection, they would have also dealt an irreparable blow to the interest of the society.

Jesus Christ, as soon as he received his divine mission, followed the same rule and drove people towards religious obligations and stressed: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heavens and earth pass, one jot or one brittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

"Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these last commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:17-19)

But in the tide of the events, and harmful publicity launched by the Roman emperors in the early days of Christianity, the Christians, like Buddhists and Hindus, following the example of St. Paul, said: "The only Son of God, or the Lord Himself descended upon earth to expunge people from sin by dying on The Cross." They stated: "Jesus Christ was put on the Cross in order to shoulder the burden of our sins. He thus took the curse, so as to deliver us from the curse of the canon and the holy laws that we deserve."

In his epistle to Galatians, Paul writes: "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of law, being made a curse for us; for it is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).

Furthermore, in the same chapter he adds: "Before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:23 - 26).

In brief, they had thus fulfilled their last wish and said: "Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances" (Ephesians 2:15)

Obviously, they had nothing else in their minds than achieving their evil desires and irresponsibility!

Sometimes, in order to avoid any scandal, Christians base their arguments on parts of unreliable old books. For instance, they say: "When they put Christ on The Cross, he drank vinegar, just as David had foretold in Psalms, 69. So it is clear that the story of the putting Christ on The Cross in order to redeem us from our sins is based on reality."

Studying David's Psalms, Chapter 69, we notice that the verses therein do not deal with Jesus Christ at all, but with David himself. The verses are: "God save me... Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor. Mine adversaries are all before thee. Reproach hath broken my heart and I am full of heaviness; and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink."

You will notice that the above passage has nothing to do with Christ's Crucifixion to save the Christians from the restraints imposed by the canon. But since there is a mention of vinegar, and since in their belief, Christ, too, had drunken vinegar in the last hours of his life, Christians have taken them as forecasting Crucifixion and atonement. Truly, are such inferences not ridiculous?

From what has been said so far, it becomes evident that observance of divine commandments is among the most important and necessary issues; belief in shouldering someone else's sins is the greatest superstition and it is never correct to accept it just because it has been mentioned m the New Testament. Rather, one must say that the New Testament is not compatible with the Old Testament and the conduct of the prophets and Jesus Christ. This incompatibility is yet another proof of its erroneousness.

As a German author, named Ernest Die Bunsen writes:

"The Crucifixion and atonement for sins are but mere fabrications made by St. Paul and his disciples who had never seen Jesus Christ with their own eyes. Therefore one cannot maintain them as the fundaments of true Christianity." Furthermore, Barnabas flatly denies The Crucifixion of Jesus in his Gospel and states: "Judas of Iscariot, mistakenly taken for Christ, was crucified." * * * Now if you ask: "How could one discover the comprehensive divine laws that could guide human beings to happiness and prosperity?" our answer is: "by studying The Holy Qur'an, along with the words of the Holy Prophet of Islam and the impeccable leaders who succeeded him. These words and maxims are available in authoritative Shi'ite books.

The Qur'an is the only book that has addressed the basic issues and problems of life, so that it never grows out-dated and obsolete and fulfills the needs of its followers thereof. In this respect, The Qur'an is unlike the present Old and New Testaments which, apart from being distorted and containing many mistakes and superstitious passages, are short of providing precepts and would never be able to fulfill all the needs of human beings and be considered the sources of guidance and rule for life.

Briefly, what has been mentioned so far makes it clear that the subject of Christ's atonement and suffering for our sins would prevent man from his individual and social development. Inasmuch as man moves forward, he would become aware of the superstitious nature of this belief.

Chapter 13: Christmas!

Every year when the Christian New Year begins, Christians hold a celebration which is called Christmas. On Christmas, they go to nightclubs and spend a night of debauchery.

The motive behind this celebration is plausibly to mark the anniversary of the birth of Christ and to glorify that great divine man, but in reality the Christians hold the celebration in order to quench their sensual thirsts. Thus they take to actions which Christ himself detests very much.

On the Christmas evening, the Christians spare no pleasure and avoid no obscene actions including dancing, singing, drinking, sex etc. Obviously these actions have nothing to do with the glorification of the memory of Christ, the divine man. Now we can see what is Christmas Day and how it is celebrated.

After the death of Christ, his divine system became subject to alterations by profit-making Church officials who hid the real face of Jesus Christ behind the veil of obscurantism myths and superstition such as the concept of "The Father and The Son" and Christ's "Divinity". Certain traditions were established by the Holy Fathers, which resulted in nothing but shame for the Christians. Christmas, too, is one of these artificial traditions carried out in such a way.

All prophets of God, including Jesus Christ himself have banned drunkenness, debaucheries and orgies. Even in the altered Bibles there are phrases which ban such obscene actions.

The book of Isaiah, 5:11-12, says: "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! And the harp, and the viol, the tablet, and pipe, and wine are in their feasts."

But, unfortunately, with such an explicit ban, the Christians bring wine and music into their religious services, consecrating Christ in such a way. Although we have faced some facts in above lines and realized a truth, we do not intend to prevent the Christians from evil acts and disillusion them.

The intellectual Christians themselves have long abandoned the superstitious aspect of their religion and discarded it. Their leaders, however, have not stopped their desperate efforts...

Now it should be asked what name we are going to give to these acts. Is such a vain feast held in order to gain a national honor? Is it a step made towards social progress? The answers to these questions will undoubtedly be negative.

These extravaganzas at the end of the Christian year are a submission to frivolities and wantonness and a confession to a kind of defeat by unjust sensual desires. These are reactionary and incorrect imitations, the repetition of which is painful and shameful in the eyes of the far-sighted Muslims. In other words, these actions are the most vulgar "Western-orientedness" with grave consequences, exposing all our religious authorities and tradition to utter destruction and permanent extermination.

It is worthwhile explaining about the nature of Western-mindedness or Western-intoxication. It is something like being afflicted with a malady, which rots the Organism from within. You can imagine a butterfly whose shell and wings have remained intact but whose interior body is worn away.

Yes, Western-mindedness or Western-orientation is a dangerous disease the grave consequence of which is deadlier than cholera. One must attempt to avoid it because it has unfortunately spread among many people. Under the banner of Westernization, we are succumbed to estrangement from our traditional clothes, houses,

foods, and literature, press and, more dangerously of all, from our culture. We bring up Western-minded people, think Western-mindedly and look for a solution for our problems in a Westernized manner.

So every far-sighted Muslim, who has preserved his Islamic personality and mind, knows well that his participation in such feasts only results in disaster for the Muslim community.

Do our Islamic conscience and sentiment and our brotherly love allow us to cooperate with a Christianity which for centuries has been the great enemy of the Muslims, killed millions of our brothers and still continues to do so? Should we still take part in their luxurious feasts?

Finally we ask our Muslim brothers and sisters to avoid holding Christmas celebrations and any actions which are dominated by Western-mindedness and superstition and preserve their Islamic personality and purify themselves from the shameful Western- intoxication.

Imam Ali, peace is upon him, said: "He, who prevails over his sensual desires, will have preserved his real personality."

Chapter 14: Wine-making, The First Miracle of Christ

Scientific discoveries explicitly show the countless harm of alcoholic drinks. Before these discoveries, however, the divine religions, inspired with the eternal source of knowledge, that is, God the Omnipotent and the Omniscient, warned their followers against alcoholic drinks and enumerated their evils and harms.

Unfortunately, during long period of time, the Christian Holy Fathers, for various unspecified reasons (!), not only have actually prescribed the use of alcoholic drinks, but have also, by altering some passages of the Bible, fabricated verses concerning the drinking of the old prophets, which makes ashamed every wise and faithful person.

Regretfully, winemaking and wine drinking are already not only allowed and practiced among the Christians, but also have entered their rituals and religious services.

As described in Chapter 11, The Eucharist (Holy Communion), being a religious and sacred service to the church authorities, is celebrated with the taking of bread and wine and the world Christians drink in their greatest religious service millions of liters of wine for the love of Jesus, the innocent prophet of God.

The Wine and the Miracle

Worst of all, the Christians' Holy Bible considers winemaking the first miracle of Christ. The Gospel according to John, chapter 2, verses 1-11, says: "And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come.

His mother saith unto the servants, whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were sent there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them; fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear into the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants, which drew the water, knew ;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,

And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse; but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed in him."

We read in the Old Testament, Genesis, and the following lines about Noah: "And Noah began to be a husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine and was drunk; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him."

Again the Old Testament says about Lot whom his two daughters made drink wine. When he was drunk, he lay down with his daughters and conceived them who bore him two sons.

Contradictory Sentences

This is the way the Bible of the Christians introduce the divine prophets who, in reality, were the guiding lights of humanity and thus had to be pure of any corruption and evil.

Of course we do not expect more than this from these fabricated books, but what is surprising is that in these very books we come across phrases which forbid the drinking of wine. In Leviticus, Chapter 10, verses 8 and 9, we read:

"And the Lord spoke into Aaron, saying: Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, or the sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest thee die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations." The book of Isaiah, chapter 5, verse 11, says:

"Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue till night, till wine inflames them!" In the same book, chapter 28, verses 7 and 8, we also read: "But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. Tables become full of vomit and filthiness; so that no place will be left clean."

With these explicit sentences being written in the Old Testament, forbidding alcoholic drinks, it is not clear why the Gospels represent the Prophets of God as wine-makers and wine drinkers.

As for Islam

Now the world prostrates itself before the Holy Qur'an, for this Divine Book has forbidden the alcoholic drinks and devoted a special campaign against them: "O ye who believe! Strong drink and games of chance and idols and diving arrows are only an infamy of Satan's handiwork. Leave it aside in order that ye may succeed. Satan seeketh only to cast among you enmity and hatred by means of strong drink and games of chance, and to turn you from remembrance of Allah and from His worship. Will ye then have done?43"

Now it is worthwhile giving a summary of the medical theories of the twentieth century on the dangers of alcoholic drinks and then examining world religions to see which of them guarantees the happiness of mankind. Is it a religion which prohibits alcoholic drinks or a religion the precepts of which have undergone many alterations and in which winemaking is considered one of its miracles and even a religious ritual;

According to the reports made by medical and health centers and the experiences of the researchers especially the physiological and biological experts, when the alcohol enters the body, only a small portion of it dissolves and disappears and the bulk of it enters the blood circulation which sends it to all organs.

Since alcohol is a poisonous substance and, unlike nutritious elements, is extraneous to the body, it harms every body organ and attacks them in various harmful ways. Because of its evil effects especially because it coagulates albuminoid substances, it reduces perceptibly the sensitivity and activities of the cells and tissues of the body organs, corrupting as a whole the kidneys, the stomach, the liver the mouth, the gullet and the intestines.

The digestive canal and its mucous membrane are most damaged. Alcohol deprives the user's offspring from good health. It has also bad effects on respiratory organs and blood circulation, especially on the heart and the veins.

It indiscriminately results in arterio-sclerosis (which is the main cause of heart attacks and brain damages) and hardens and spoils the liver tissues. The stomach pain and intestinal pain occur in alcoholics (even those who drink beer much more than in non-alcoholic people. The nerve center, being most sensitive to alcohol, is worst damaged.

In brief, alcohol and all kinds of liquor are effective narcotic drugs, which cause nervous insensibility, destroy health, and kill the sense of honor and galantry. As a result, a person addicted to alcohol gives in to every state of humiliation and is ready to do every evil act and ends in wretchedness and misery.

It is quite right to say that the alcoholic drink is one of the major causes which have annihilated the independence, freedom, natural wealth and resources of the nations, because it diminishes the mental power and the sense of understanding of the addicted people who are led to sell their precious resources and their national and spiritual wealth and honor to a cup of wine.

There is abundant evidence to this fact, which cannot be mentioned in this book because of limited space. It was this deadly poison, which brought to an end the glory of the Spanish Muslim community.

Chapter 15: Contradictory Statements in the Gospels

Since man is liable to forgetfulness and error, his statements are not free of contradictions and thus now and then he says and writes something which contradicts his previous statements.

There are many subjects which he discusses with plausible precision, but after a time he makes suggestions opposing his previous ones.

This failure is limited to mankind as a creature who cannot avoid forgetfulness and it is utterly impossible to attribute such a failure to the creator of the universe, the Almighty God, who is omniscient and omnipotent.

A Book sent by God to guide humanity is, therefore, bound to be entirely free from contradictions and errors. A perfect example of such books is the Holy Qur'an, throughout which a single contradiction and reasoning is not found.

Therefore, we can consider this fact a sign of the heavenliness of this great Book, for, logically speaking, it is impossible for an ordinary man who has not been educated to read and write, but has been busy leading a sweeping movement and facing countless difficulties, to compose such a book without being in association with God.

Unfortunately, Christian religious Scripture, unlike the Qur'an, includes numerous contradictions and we wonder how the Holy Fathers ascribe the so- called Holy Bible to God.

What Are Contradictory Statements?

As we all know, contradictory statements are two propositions on a singe point which disagree with each other and those who speak in the language in which these statements are made cannot justify both of them. If, for example, we say: "Man has traveled to the moon" and then we say:

"Man has not traveled to the moon"; these are two contradictory statements. Wherever you come across such opposing sentences, you should realize that you are faced with contradictions. Now, let us make a brief study of the Four Gospels to see whether or not they contain contradictory statements.

1-The Abuses Made by the Thieve

The Gospel according to Matthew describes the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ as follows: "Then were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.

If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.... The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth." (Matt. 27:38- 44).

As you see, according to the Gospel of Matthew, the two thieves, being crucified, abused Jesus Christ. The Gospel according to Luke, on the other hand, writes: "And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Doth not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss." (Luke, 23:39-41).

It is true that Matthew and Luke both want to mention the crucifixion of two thieves with Jesus, but the formers statement, "Both of the thieves abused" is contrary to the latter's statement: "One of the wrong doers abused Jesus, the other rebuked him". So these two statements are considered contradictory.

2-The Staff

Recounting Christ's advice to his disciples, Mark writes: "And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats."

(Mark, 6:7-9). Take note that Mark quotes the advice concerning taking a staff and wearing shoes and does not disapprove of taking them. But the Gospel of Matthew frankly forbids this, saying: "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, (saying to them :). Provide neither gold, nor silver,

nor brass in your purses, nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat." (Matt, 10:1-10). It is obvious that the two above statements do not correspond each other.

3-Peter being investigated

Having narrated the story of Peter's escape, the Gospel of Matthew says: When Peter went among the enemies of Christ, he was suspected by them, who asked him three times whether or not he had been with Christ. He persistently denied this.

The Gospel of Matthew states that the first and the second times he was questioned by two maids. But the Gospel of Mark, contrary to Matthew's statement, says that only one maid (not two maids) asked him such a question for the first two times.

Mark writes that "as Peter was beneath in the palace, there came one of the maids of the high priest. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him and said, and thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied saying I know not, neither understands I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch, and the cock crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, this is one of them, and he denied it again…"

Moreover, the contradictions between these two Gospels and the Gospel of Luke is even more remarkable, because if these two Gospels are in disagreement with each other on the subject of the investigation made by one or two maids, they correspond in the fact that the investigators have been women not men. But the Gospel of Luke suggests that the second time a man, not a man, has questioned Peter.

(Luke, 22:55-59). It should be born in mind that Peter, as prophesied by Jesus, did not deny Jesus more than three times. So this contradiction cannot be justified by saying that different people posed this question to Peter,

who denied Jesus once in each answer to each person and that at the second time a number of people questioned him and he made a single denial in the presence of all of them, because judging from the statement, after the second question has been made,

that "the maid began to say to them that stood by", we understand no one besides the maid knew the matter, but other people became aware of the fact only after the question was made for the second time. It is true that the three Gospels intend to point out that Peter denied Christ before the cock crew, but they contradict each other in the details.

4-The Time of Mary's Arrival

The Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John specify the rime when Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to his grave as follows: "They arrived at dawn, when it was still dark." But unlike these Gospels, the Gospel of Mark says: "Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother and Jacob came to the burial place of Jesus Christ at sunrise". It goes without saying that the dawn when it is still dark is perceptibly different from the sunrise when it is already bright and therefore they cannot be the same.

5-How long did Christ remain in the grave.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, Christ said that like Jonas, who remained three days and three nights in the Whale's belly, he, too, would remain three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (St Matthew; 12, 40).

Whereas, Mark states that Jesus stayed in the grave for two nights and one day, adding that he was buried on Friday evening, the day before the sabbath, and when Mary Magdalene came to his sepulchre at the rising of the sun on Sunday, she saw that Christ had already risen from the grave. (Mark; 15:42 and 16:1-5).

At this stance, besides the contradiction between the narratives of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark, we are confronted with the attribution of a lie to Jesus Christ, who said that he would stay three days and three nights in the grave!

At any rate, these contradictions and mistakes in the Gospels are enough to convince us that the Christian's present religious literature cannot have drawn its inspirations from divine revelations; otherwise, these differences and contradictions would never have occurred.

Accordingly, the authors of these writings cannot be considered divinely inspired, since they would have been expected to be in agreement in their statements and such misrepresentations would have never occurred, had they been in contact with the Omniscient God. For this valid reason, we affirm that the Christians' existing Bible is (edited) interpolated without any shadow of doubt. It is a fake and far from proving a heavenly book.

Chapter 16: What is The Religion of the Sword?

The calumny

A malicious charge made against Islam by Christian preachers is that; "Islam has spread by the sword". They also claim that "it was the Muslims' sword which converted African and Asian peoples one by one into Islam."

It is impossible for us in this short treatise to demonstrate the actual reality as clear as possible by referring to historical events and by making a complete study of the sacred verses of the Holy Qur'an and the Bible. But we may briefly point out that the Christian preachers, without having studied the Quranic verses, he made this accusation and have not noticed that in what context Islam orders the Jihad (holy war) and what it means by making it.

In principle, war in Islam is not waged for the purpose of expansionism, conquests and blood shed. It is, however, designed to save oppressed and helpless people who have been denied their legitimate rights and are being burned in the fire of oppression, corruption, paganism, dictatorship and civil deprivations.

God says in the Qur'an: "And how should you not fight for the cause of Allah, and for the helpless old men, women and the children who say: 'Deliver us, Lord, from this city of wrongdoers; send forth to us a guardian from Your presence; send to Us one that will help us'?" (Sura "Women" verses 75).

War in Islam is also waged in order to remove wickedness and establish social justice and general peace. How gloriously are the words of God saying: "And fight against them [the unbelievers] as long as no wickedness will- remain and the religion will be for God . ." (Sura "Spoils of War", verse 39). It is evident that the Holy Qur'an prescribes a war effort for the sake of God and for the salvation of deprived masses and abolition of malignity's.

Islam is not a forced religion. The Jews and Christians can adhere to their own religions, but they have to observe conditions necessary for mutual peace and coexistence.

In Islamic warfare, poisoning, killing of women, children and old men are forbidden and even cutting down of trees and destroying of buildings are disapproved under Islamic law.

The question is whether or not it is a good deed to fight in order to end wickedness, liberate deprived masses and establish social justice. Is it, then, correct to say that in Islam the sword has been used to impose a certain belief on other people?

The answer to these questions are negative and the Christian preachers who make accusations against Islam should know that the spread of Islam is due to its simplicity, practicability sand comprehensiveness and because of these characteristics it continues to advance without possessing propaganda means and possibilities.

God sent His Messenger, the Prophet of Islam, as an act of benevolence, to the whole people of the world. As He vividly says in the Holy Qur'an: "We sent you only to be a favor to the worlds." Invitation to Islam was not made from the beginning by force and the sword, as claim the holy fathers. On the contrary, it was made by the aid of reasoning, argument, philosophy and preaching.

As God says: "Invite to the path of thy Lord God through philosophy and benevolent preaching." (Sura "The Bee" verse 125). If the Christian preachers had studied the Torah and the whole Bible, they would not have made such irrelevant assertions. In Dueteronomy we read: "Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.

And the Lord our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain" (Deuteronomy, 2:32-34).

Is the murder of women and children a justifiable action? Has this war been waged in favor of humanity and justice? Is such a war policy comparable with the war policy of Islam? Is such cruelty not based on the religion of the sword? There is no doubt that the murder of women and children is inconsistent with the principles of co-existence and humanitarianism.

Such a brief comparison makes it clear that by Jihad for God, Islam does not aim to make bloodbath, revenge and imposition of faith, but, unlike Crusaders who waged wars solely to make conquests and colonize other lands, the Muslims have sought peace, stability and welfare for the deprived people all over the world.

People embraced Islam and continue to do so because Islam fulfills their innermost needs and inherent inclinations. However, with all these freedoms offered to non-Muslim people in different countries and despite the fact that there are currently no propagating organization in Islam, the religion of Islam advances continuously in Asia and Africa, especially at a time when there have been increasing perceptible signs of decline in religious faith in recent years.

Today, it is impossible to claim that the conquerors' swords are paving the way for the spread of Islam. As a matter of fact, in the regions, which were once ruled by Islam and are now governed by non-Islamic rulers, powerful non- Islamic propagating institutions have been operating for long years among Muslim inhabitants. Nevertheless, these institutions shave not been able to detach Islam from the social and individual life of those people.

What miraculous force does underlie this religion? What inherent force of persuasion has been mingled with this religion so that thoughtful and freethinking people embrace it with great enthusiasm?

Those who say: "Islam has advanced by the sword" have no intention except malice and vindictiveness and historical facts and current events disprove such a wicked assertion.