Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

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Islamic Answer

Author: Sayyid Muhammad Hussein Jalali

www.alhassanain.org/english

Notice:

This version is published on behalf of www.alhassanain.org/english

The composing errors are not corrected.

Contents

Freedom in Islam 6

A brief history of qur'an 8

The qur'an's message 8

Translation of qur'an 9

Ramadan : The historical background 11

Ramadan throughout history 11

Revelation of the qur'an 11

Islam and fasting 12

The events of ramadan 12

Id-ul-fitr breaking the fast 13

Zakat ul-fitr 13

Jerusalem and three main religion 14

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism 14

Judaism 14

Christianity 14

Islam 14

History of Government 14

Muharram.... What is it? 15

Imam and Caliphate 15

Imam Husayn's mission 15

The just cause 16

The catastrophe 16

The holy shrine 16

The Spirit of Karbala 17

The islamic will 18

The first muslim refugees 19

The beautiful names of god 22

The meaning of " ummi" 25

The commentators 26

The miracle of ummi 27

Al-Afghani's Nationality 28

The Caliphate 29

Islamic Faith 31

Unity of god 31

Prophethood 31

Time of Prayers 32

Joining prayers 33

Postponed prayer 33

Direction of Prayers Qibla 33

Declaration of qibla 34

Finding qibla 34

The qibla in north america 34

The Islamic Tax (Khums) 36

Net Income 36

Distribution for Khums 37

Example-khums tax schedule 37

The Islamic Calendar 38

Funeral Regulations 40

I. Washing (ghusl-al-mayyit) 40

II. The shroud (kafan) 41

III. The prayer 41

IV. Burial procedure 42

V. Final call (talqin) 42

The open school of Islamic studies 44

Procedures and regulations 44

Grading system 44

Examination 44

Details of subjects 45

Unity of muslim 50

Meaning of Shi'a? 52

Shi'a basic beliefs 53

Qualification of leadership 55

Substitution for interest 57

Al-sahifa al-kamilah 58

Temporary Marriage, Mutah 60

Witnesses in marriage 62

On prophethood 62

Death in islam 64

Islamic names 65

Male female meaning 67

Free Will 71

Adoption: the islamic view 73

How to repent 74

Performance of the prayer 79

Glossary 80

Freedom in Islam

Freedom in islam is considered one of the most important elements taught and exemplified by the life of prophet Muhammad (p.) in his manners and teachings.

From the beginning of the civilization, freedom has been sought and studied by philosophers and religious thinkers. History has proven that freedom has been used and abused by the rulers of the world when they reached the peak of their power at the expense of the weak and oppressed people, regardless of the nature of the government (monarchy, democratic, socialist, etc.,). All have used the principle of divide and conquer.

On the contrary, islam has promised and fulfilled the true freedom God almighty says, "there is no compulsion in the religion [of islam] when the right has been distinguished from the wrong. (the qur'an, 2:256)".

Also, prophet Muhammad (p.) says that the best of you in the sight of god is the most righteous person.

The goal is to distinguish right from wrong. If a person realizes the righteousness and elects this path, then, he is in the sight of god the most righteous person.

People of different origin such as turks, persians, and indians accepted islam, and today when they have the freedom to choose, but they do not go back to worship idols. When arabs rulers left these people and their countries, people have chosen islam as their only religion.

This is mainly because islam is the practical way of life for people of different nationalities and races.

Freedom in islam, basically has two facids: freedom of thought and freedom of action. Tawhid, the unity of god, is an example of former. Chapter 109 kaferoon of the holy qur'an explains this principle:

". . You have your religion, and [ i have ] my religion." the qur'an 109:6.

Further, throughout the qur'an one finds many verses that encourage freedom of thought. Thus qur'an reads:

"I preach you only one thing, that is to rise up for the sake of god, jointly and singly, then think". The qur'an 34 : 46 the second facid of freedom in islam is the purification of self. The life of the prophet Muhammad (p.) explains this second principle. This principle applies to all regardless of race, gender or age. His life is an example for all nationalities with all different background such as black, white, young, old, short, tall, male or female because islam knows no discrimination.

Human reaps what he sows. Righteousness in islam means doing good deed as a muslim for the sake of god. Islam opens its wide door for every person from all walks of life because, as prophet (p.) says, "all of you are from adam and adam is from dust. " thus we all are equal in the sight of god. Islam shows no discrimination against any one.

We were taught by prophet Muhammad (p.) , who declared freedom, equality, and liberty for all mankind. With this principle of islam, the faith has become the perfect solution to the spiritual needsof human being. The prophet (p.) recited in the last sermon of his life the verse of the holy qur'an: 5:3 "today, i have completed your faith for you and bestowed upon you my blessings and chose islam as the religion". The qur'an, 5:3.

Wa assalam alaykum.

A brief history of qur'an

The month of ramadan marks the revelation anniversary of the holy qur'an. Qur'an is the revelation of the god almighty to the holy prophet Muhammad (p.), which took place from the year 609 to 633 c.e. Annually, during each month of ramadan, the ninth month of the islamic calendar, all of the revelation that prophet (p.) had received in the past years was revealed again during the laylat al-qadr, a special month of ramadan, in 609 c.e.

The qur'an was revealed within two periods, the meccian from 609 to 622 c.e.,

When prophet Muhammad (p .) was in mecca and the median, from 622 to 633 c.e., when he migrated to madina. In general, the first session deals with the islamic doctrines and faith, and the second period mainly is concerned with the islamic practical law.

There are 114 chapters in the qur'an, each deals with a variety of subjects. The qur'an was written down under prophet's (p.) supervision by the companions.

The qur'an's message

One of the main qur'anic goal is to establish equality and justice among all mankind. The qur'an says:

"We have sent you (Muhammad (p.) for all mankind " (34:28).

The qur'an liberate the human mind from ignorance and prejudice, and encourage to observe the greatness of god's creation.

The qur'an also encourages to obtain knowledge for the sake of betterment of humanity and be active throughout the life.

Therefore, imam ali (a.) states that those who read qur'an would increase their knowledge and decrease their ignorance.

The qur'an reads:

O mankind, worship your lord, who has created you and those before you, so that you may ward off evil". Qur'an 2:21 the qur'an reads:

"Surely, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of the night and day, and the ships which run on the sea with that which is of use to men, and the water which god sends down from the heaven reviving the earth after its death, and dispersing all kinds of beasts therein, and (in) the ordinance of winds, and the clouds obedient between heaven and earth, are signs for the people who reason" (2 :164).

The qur'an says :

And when it is said to them, " follow that which god has revealed, they say, we follow that wherein we found our fathers. [what!] even though if their fathers were unintelligent and were not guided ! (2 : 170).

The qur'an says :

"he is who appointed the sun a splendor and the moon a light, and measured her stages, that you might know the number of the years, and the reckoning. God created not (all) that save in truth. He details the revelation for the people who have knowledge." (10:5)

Translation of qur'an

The first and the oldest translation of the qur'an into another language was reported by al sarkhshi in his work titled "al mabsoot ".v.1:37. Al sarkhshi mentions that the persians wrote to salman (the companion of prophet Muhammad (p.)), asking him to translate the first chapter of the qur'an. This chapter is called the " fatiha ", the opening. Today the qur'an has been translated into many languages including english.

Among the english translation available in the market are:

1. Ahmed ali, mir s.v. The qur'an. Karachi: sterling printing and publishing, 1964.

2. Ali, ahmed. The qur'an. Karachi: akrash publishing,1948.

3. Amir ali, hashim. The qur'an. Tokyo: charles e. Tuttle co.inc,1974.

4. Arberry, arthur j. The qur'an. Oxford: oxford university press., 1964.

5. Asad, Muhammad. The qur'an. Gibralter: daral andalus ltd., 1980.

6. Bell, richard. The qur'an. Great britain: morrison gibb ltd., 1960.

7. Dawood,n.j. The qur'an. Middlesex: penguin books, 1972.

8. Irving, t.b. The qur'an. Battlebaro:amano books,1985.

9. Khalifa, rashad. The qur'an. Tuscon: islamic productions, 1981.

10. Muhammad ali maulana. The qur'an. Chicago: spaciality promotes co. Inc, 1973.

11. Maududi, abdul s.a. The qur'an. Lahore: islamic publication, 1978.

12. Pickthall, Muhammad m. The qur'an. New york: muslim world league, 1977.

13. Rizvi, m. Sayyed. The qur'an. Richmond : 1985.

14. Rodwell, m.j. The qur'an. London: j. M. Dent and sons ltd,1974

15. Sale, george The qur'an England : federick warner publishers, ltd.

16. Shakir, m.h. The qur'an. New york : mihrab publishers and book distributors, 1986.

17. Sher ali, maulwi. The qur'an. Rabwah : qur'an publications, 1974

18. Yousuf ali, a. The qur'an. New york : tahrike tarsile qur'an, inc,1987.

19. Zafrulla khan, Muhammad. The qur'an. Chichester : r.j. Acford ltd, 1985.

One of the most recent translation is the noble reading, by dr. Thomas ballantine irving, whose muslim name is tasleem ali. It took dr. Irving, as he told me, 23 years to accomplish his translations, while working in baghdad, iraq.

However, none of the translations present the linguistic meaning of the original qur'an. Therefore muslim scholars insist on writing the original arabic script side by side with any translation.

Qur'anic manuscripts :

The early muslims were very concerned towards reciting, writing and preserving the qur'an in fine caligraph. Some oldest copies that i was able to see are the following : at the radawi museum, in iran; the british museum, in london; the mosque of al hussain, in cairo; and the holy najaf, in iraq.

In the united states at the toledo museum of art, the following are preserved:

1. Kufic manuscripts: a page of the ninth century from persia, written in kufic, a style of writing which was used from the sixth century c.e. To the eleventh century. The name of kufic comes from kufa, a town in iraq. (this is been kept in the george w. Stevens gallery #4).

2. A leaf of manuscripts written on paper dating to the tenth or eleventh century. The manuscripts is from persia and it is decorated in the red and gold. (the george w. Stevens gallery #7)

3. A page in the kufic manuscript from the ninth century c.e. Excol (anthens uphom pope, greek roman art # 41,41).

I hope that qualified scholars research more for the manuscripts available in their areas.

May god's mercy and peace be upon all.

Wa assalam alaykum.

Ramadan : The historical background

Muslim all over the world annually commemorate this month by worship and rituals even though customs may differ from one country to another. In some islamic countries, the governments signify to the people the approaching of ramadan by firing guns This custom continues twice everyday of ramadan to indicate the 'suhur' the meal before fasting and the 'futur' the time of breaking the fast.

During ramadan, community members visit each other almost every night to have religious discussion and recite special invocations of ramadan.

Ramadan throughout history

Ramadan is the ninth month in the muslim lunar calendar. The lunar calendar has 29 days in some months and 30 days in others. The word 'ramadan', and its linguistic meaning goes back to the arab naming of months for the conditions in which they occurred. For instance, the month of 'muharram' was called as such because it was sanctified as a month when no one may enter into war. At that period of time, fighting was common among arabs as their means of survival except in month such as muharram.

Another month, 'safar', meaning empty, indicates that the arabs used to leave their dwellings, consecutively, their homes were empty, therefore the month was named accordingly. 'jamada', a colder month means 'freezing', which was common during this time.

The arabic word 'ramada', means 'severe heat', which describes the weather during this time. Therefore the month was named 'ramadan' or the month of severe h. During the month of ramadan, a person prevents himself from any evil acts in order to purify self from accumulated sins in the past years.

Revelation of the qur'an

In 609 c.e., when prophet Muhammad (p.) reached forty years of his age, he was in the practice of going to the cave of hira to contemplate on the way of life of the people who were lost in their own lust and ignorance. During one period of meditation in the month of ramadan, the angel gabriel came to prophet Muhammad and gave him a revelation of the events to come. Then, the prophet (p.) continuously received revelation on different occasions. However, every year in the month of ramadan, until the prophet's death in 633 c.e., prophet Muhammad (p.) received revelations from god for the whole past year. These revelations constitute the qur'an which was revealed in two periods called the macceian and the madinian.

The macceian revelations generally were before the prophet's migration to madina (609-622 c.e.), and the madinian verses were revealed after his migration to madina in 622 c.e. The macceian mostly speak on islamic faith, while madinian mostly concern with the details of the islamic law, emphasizing the practical aspect of the qur'an and god's plan for mankind.

The total number of chapters in the qur'an is 114, beginning with 'al-fatiha' the opening chapter. The name of this chapter proves that the holy qur'an was written and divided into chapters during the time of prophet Muhammad (p.). Ever since muslims have maintained the same text in its original arabic language, stressing the importance of leaving the qur'an unaltered.

Numerous qur'anic manuscripts are preserved at: the radawi museum in iran; the british museum in london, england; the mosque of al hussain in cairo, egypt; and the holy najaf in iraq. Some copies are dating back to the second and third islamic century.

Islam and fasting

In the second year of the 'hijrah', migration to madina in 623 c.e., god had commanded the muslims to fast.

The qur'an says :

"o you who believe! fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those who were before you. So that you may become cautious (2 :183) these verses indicate three facts :

First, that the fasting has been established in all religions.

Second, that fasting in islam differs in the intensity of its goals from other religions. Third, that in fasting, muslims accomplish 'taqwa', which leads to a complete dedication to god.

Many religions encourage fasting because through it, god's grace becomes apparent and a person's faith becomes more meaningful. Fasting is a direct aid to strengthen humans faith and train oneself to control his wimps. Fasting is a way to teach one how to keep his body and soul in balance.

The events of ramadan

To abstain from food, drink, and any foul language or action is the main practice of fasting. There are several ways fasting can be broken such as by eating or drinking during the day of ramadan.

First, ramadan begins with 'suhar', that is to eat and drink before dawn, enabling a muslim to sustain his fast throughout the day, as it was the prophet's (p.) practice.

Second, reciting the qur'an, the word of god during the days of ramadan. This helps a person to dedicate some time of his to worship, to give charity, and after each prayer recite the following invocation:

Oh god almighty, let those who have preceded us in this life have your grace and mercy.

Oh lord, help every poor person and make every hungry person full, and clothe those who are naked.

Oh god, help every indebted person pay his debts, and let every traveler be united with his loved ones.

Oh god, let every prisoner of war be liberated, and help dishonest one become pure in heart, by your grace.

Oh lord, cure every illness and fill our poverty with your fullness. Help us to change our faults and give us the beauty of your perfection.

Third, 'iftar' which means breaking the fast after sunset. The prophet (p.) says: "whoever of you feeds a hungry person, or a fasting person in this month, shall receive his reward from god and will have his sins forgiven, and shall be rewarded in the hereafter."

Muslims, at the time of breaking fast, recite the following short invocation: " oh lord almighty, only for you we fast, by your bounty we break our fast, and only upon you we rely."

Fourth, the 'lailat-ul-qadr' " the night of planning, during this night, god has planned the course of humanity. It is recommended for muslims to worship and be especially close to god during this night. The qur'an devotes to this night the whole chapter number 97. Among the nights of ramadan. The 19th, 21st and 23rd, are considered the most holy nights. Therefore, many invocations and rituals are described in the books of worship.

Id-ul-fitr breaking the fast

On the first day after the month of ramadan, muslims throughout the world celebrate after breaking the fast. It is an international muslim celebration. Members of each family gather to praise god almighty and visit each other, exchanging gifts. This day gives muslims a chance to plan their future and review their obligations. Imam ali (a) says, " it is a celebration for those who have obeyed god through fasting; and any day that a person obeys god, is a day of celebration."

Zakat ul-fitr

To fully understand the needs of the poor, every muslim, whether he or she fasts or not, is obligated to give approximately six pounds of food to a needy person. In this way, muslims share god's blessing with others who are in need.

In short, fasting and the rituals of ramadan are the ways of purification. Through self denial, charity and self control, a person would be able to come closer to perfection.

Jerusalem and three main religion

Islam, Christianity, and Judaism

Jerusalem is considered one of the sacred holy land in the history of the mankind and respected by the three main religions.

Judaism

The jewish consider jerusalem an old historical city. Since babylonian captivity upto the destruction of the temple, the events of the sinai, spending forty years after their deliberation from the pharaoh are examples of jewish history.

Christianity

Jesus was and is the focal point of the christians nation because jesus and his disciples brought the message of god to that part of the world from ramallah, town of khalil, and bethlehem. Jesus and his followers lived up to their principles in jerusalem. Christianity regards jerusalem as the center of their faith.

Islam

Islamic faith and history have strong ties to jerusalem. First, it was the direction of prayers of muslims for a period of time as commonly believed and it was the ascension point when prophet Muhammad (p.) ascended to heaven. This event is known as mi'raj.

God says," glory to god who did took his servant Muhammad for a journey during night from sacred house mecca to the farthest mosque (jerusalem) whose precincts we did bless, in order that we might show him (Muhammad) some of ours signs for he is the one who hears and sees. " the qur'an 17:1.

Also, the prophet (p.) said, " pilgrimage should not be made except to three mosques : mecca, mesjid of aksa, (jerusalem), and mosque of (madina)."

History of Government

Most of the government that ruled jerusalem, build their rules on the distraction of previous cultures without any respect for the other religions. During the islamic rule in jerusalem, however, all three religions in jerusalem were respected. Throughout the islamic period, philosophers, doctors of medicine, and poets (non arabs) enjoyed the protection provided for them by islamic rulers. In short, islam considers jerusalem as the cradle of all prophets.

Muharram.... What is it?

"do you not see that righteousness has been abandoned and evil goes unforbidden. In such condition, the true believeraspires to hasten into the presence of god.

" indeed i do not see death in such a condition but happiness, and life under shadow of tyrants but grief "

Imam Husayn (a.) (625-680 c.e.)

The memory of muharram is alive in the hearts of every muslim. It is a source of inspiration, and courage to stand against evil. Muharram is the first month of the islamic calendar during which shi'ite muslims commemorate the martyrdom of imam Husayn (a.), the grandson of prophet Muhammad(p.) from his daughter fatima al zahra (a.)

Imam Husayn (a.)

Imam Husayn (a.) was born on 3rd of sha'ban in the 4th year of the islamic calendar, 625 c.e. In the holy city of madina, arabia. His grandfather named him Husayn, a diminutive word indicating his physical attraction and suggesting his beautiful character. The holy qur'an refers to him and some other members of prophet's family, saying:

" indeed god desires to purify you; oh! the people of the house" the qur'an 33:33 thus, on many occasions, the prophet (p.) indicated that his grandson al Husayn is the most qualified imam. Once he said of him and his brother al hasan " these two are my sons; they are two imams".

Imam and Caliphate

On the other hand, contrary to the teachings of the prophet (p.), for the first time in the islamic history, mu'awiyah, the governor of damascus claimed the caliphate and changed it to a monarchy and hereditary kingship, opposing the previous system of ruling which was in practice. He thereby appointed his son yazid as his successor, who was not fit for this position according to principle of shura.

At this point, most muslims scholars of the time refused to accept the legitimacy of the shift to monarchy. Among them were abdul rahman, son of the first caliph, and abdullah, son of zubayr, but no one stood against yazid as imam Husayn (a.) did.

Imam Husayn(a.) declared the false foundation of such a change. Consequently, after the death of mu'awiyah in 60/679 c.e., most of the muslims looked toward imam Husayn (a.) as their true religious leader. Thus, creating resentment on the part of yazid, who demanded relinquishment of imam Husayn's (a.) leadership.

Imam Husayn's mission

Further, imam Husayn (a.) declared that, " we are family of the prophet (p.), and have the true message of god. Yazid is a corrupt person, and i cannot support him ".

Meanwhile, most of residents of the city of kufa, iraq, sent over 10,000 letters of support to imam inviting him to their city which was one of the largest city of that time. Therefore, imam sent hid cousin muslim, son of aqeel to review the circumstances concerning the invitation. At first, the people overwhelmingly welcomed him, but the propaganda of omayyads was able to crush the mission.

Furthermore, imam Husayn (a.) said, " i was not born an evil nor a cruel man. I am not a corrupt person. My mission is to lead the muslims nation to the right path and to correct that which is wrong. I must follow god's order to commend kindness and stop evil"

The just cause

However, imam was fully aware that yazid would never allow him to live because the life of imam Husayn (a.) was a threat to yazid's throne, which had foundation of cruelty, injustice and hypocrisy. In contrast to the true muslim leadership which was establish to protect muslim nation. Imam carried his mission as the holy qur'an says, " fight for the cause of god, those who fight against you, but do not exceed the limit. " the qur'an 2:190.

Accordingly, as imam had predicted, the army of yazid attacked imam Husayn's (a.) small party totaled 72 persons, fighting against the yazid's army of 10,000 men as it is documented. Finally, imam and his companions courageously gave their lives to very just cause and his martyrdom became the symbol of courage and bravery in the islamic history.

The catastrophe

The martyrdom of imam unveiled the true picture of yazid and awakened the muslim nation. Most muslim historians consider it a catastrophe in islamic history. After the martyrdom, there were 33 strokes of lance and 34 blows of swords on the body of imam Husayn (a.) moreover, the head of yazid's army, 'umar son of sa'd ordered his horsemen to run over the bodies, and trample them underneath the horses hoofs. Afterwards, imam's head and others martyr's heads were carried to yazid to damascus, syria. However, later the places where the head was temporarily placed, became the holy shrine. They are honored by all muslims in order to honor the mission of imam Husayn (a.).

The holy shrine

After three days, the bodies of imam Husayn (a.) and his companions were buried by the loyal followers. Today, it stands in the center of the holy city of karbala, iraq.

The 27 meter high golden dome is centered on the actual grave of imam Husayn (a.). In the interior part, one can view the precious box placed on the actual grave and covered by gold and precious stones. This box is with six angels to signify the grave of imam and his son ali al akbar. Other places of inside the tomb are covered by thousands of small mirrors, mosaic, precious stones, silver and gold.

The Spirit of Karbala

Annually, on ashura, the tenth of muharram, the first month of islamic calendar, shi'ite muslims commemorate this martyrdom. Beginning with the first until the tenth of muharram, majlis, memorial gatherings are held in almost every residence to recite the events which had taken place during these ten days in the desert of karbala, iraq. Furthermore, on this anniversary, shi'ites from all over the world go to karbala to hold or attend these gatherings in the holy city of karbala where the actual events had happened.

In short, the catastrophe of karbala cannot be described adequately with words. It changed the islamic history, and whatever course history may take, the spirit of karbala remains as a symbol of absolute loyalty to truth. Wa assalam alaykum.

The islamic will

In the name of god, the compassionate, the merciful

" will is prescribed for you when death approaches one of you. . " the qur'an, 2:180 every soul shall taste death. The qur'an, 3:184

Whoever dies without will, he would die as non muslim. The prophet (p.) declaration of faith:

It is recommended to recite the following invocation before any will:

O, lord! the creator of heaven and earth, who knows the invisible and the visible, the compassionate, the merciful.

O, lord! i declare my faith in this world and bear witness that there is no god but you alone, without any associate.

That Muhammad (peace be upon him and his house) is your servant and your messenger.

That the paradise is a verity, the hell is a verity, the resurrection is a verity, the questioning is a verity, the divine decree is a verity, the justice is a verity, the qur'an is the same as you have revealed, and that indeed you are the self evident truth.

May almighty reward Muhammad (peace be upon him and his house) the best reward, and may he keep in peace Muhammad and his house.

O, lord! the helper at the time of trouble, the sympathizer at the time of difficulty, the supporter at the time of comfort, my lord and the lord of my ancestors, do not leave me to my self, even for a moment.

Indeed, if you leave me to myself, i will be near to evil and far from virtue. Put at ease my loneliness in grave, keep for me a promise when i meet you when i am resurrected at the day of judgment.

The first muslim refugees

One of the important problems that prophet Muhammad (p.) and the first muslim community had faced was opposition of powerful people in mecca. The opposition produced many difficulties. One of which was the persecution of the early muslims. This persecution led muslims to choose a new life as refugees.

In the fifth year of the prophet's call (615 c.e.), when his followers were persecuted by the quraish, the prophet (p.) suggested to them to go abyssinia, ethiopia, in order to protect themselves. According to ibn hisham, who mentions them all by names, 83 men took up the prophet's(p.) suggestion and left for abyssina. A number of them accompanied by their wives and children. This event is known in the islamic history as the first hijrah. The first muslim group which reached abyssinia was led by jaffer ibn abi talib (the prophet's(p.) cousin).

After they had reached abyssinia, the leaders of quraish realized that the large proportion of prophet Muhammad's (p.) followers have their freedom in abyssinia, they sent some deputies to the negus, the king of abyssina, to ask for their extradition. The two delegates sent were men of outstanding capability and intelligence,

They were abdullah ibn rabia and amr ibn al 'aasi, who later became one of the most famous muslim conquerors. They were instructed on their arrival in the court to bribe the abyssinian leaders in order to persuade them to use their influence with the negus on their behalf. The delegation met with the king and accused the muslims saying, " they have forsaken our religion and not accepted yours but have introduced a new religion which they have invented. They begged negus to send them back to mecca.

The negus, however, refused to expel them until they would have an opportunity to state their case. The king summoned the muslims to the royal presence, the refugees chose jaffar ibn abi talib as their spokesman.

He commenced the difference by saying, " o king! we were a barbarous nation, worshipping idols, eating carrion, commshameful acts, killing our blood related kins, forgetting our duty towards our neighbors, the strong amongst us devouring the weak.

Such was our state until god sent to us an apostle from ourselves, with lineage, integrity, trustworthiness and purity of life we were acquainted. He called us to god, to believe in his unity, to worship him and abandon the stones and idols which we and our fathers used to worship instead. He commanded us to speak the truth, to be faithful in our trusts, to observe our duties to our kinsfolk and neighbors, to refrain from forbidden things and bloodshed,

From committing immoralities and deceits, from consuming the property of orphans and from slandering virtuous women. He ordered prayers, give alms and fast. So we trusted in his word and followed the teachings he brought us from god. Wherefore our countrymen turned against us and persecuted us and tried to seduce us from our faith, that we might abandon the worship of god and return to the worship of idols". When negus asked about jesus, jaffer, quoted appropriate verses from the holy qur'an to support his claim. The qur'an says,

" mention in the book about mary when she placed a screen from them then we sent to her our angel and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said, " i seek refuge from you to god, most gracious if you do fear god " the qur'an 19: 16,17 & 18.

Finally, negus refused to hand over the refugees to the delegation of quraysh.

In short, the period during which the refugees remained in abyssinia extended from about 615 to 628 c.e.. The most logical explanation of the sequence of events which occurred during those years might be that there refugees status probably represented a threat to quraysh and meccans. Rather, the fear of the growing political activities of muslims against quraysh from a safe base in abyssinia was the main course for such a delegation. After muslims had been establish themselves in abyssinia, the attempt to extradite the refugees make no sense unless that the fear of their growing political activity caused the meccan's to desire some control over the muslim refugees.

Are capsules forbidden?

It seems the question concerns the hard gelatin, which is technically referred to as the dry filled capsule (dfc). These capsule consist of two section, one slipping over the other, thus completely surrounding the formulation, filled with powdered material or globules into the longer end of the capsules and then slipping on the cap. These capsules are available in the different sizes. The reason for prohibition is based on the fact that, in our time , capsule is made of unlawful substance.

According to the pharmacists, it is made of " gelatin." " there are two types of gelatin. Type a, derived mainly from pork skin by processing, and type b, obtained from bone and animal skin by alkaline processing... " (see remington's pharmaceutical sciences, p 1576, chapter 89, 16th edition (1980), mack publishing co., easton, pennsylvania. Editor and chairman, arthur osol.)

On the basis of this information, one can not eat capsules unless science invents gelatin made of different substance. One can also empty the capsule and use drug only or ask the doctor for tablets instead of capsules of the prescribed drugs.

Doctrine of " Mahdi "

The doctrine of mahdi is commonly held by muslim scholars. Basically there is not much difference between sunni and shia faith about this doctrine. Both sects believe that there is a hadith from holy prophet Muhammad (p.) that the "mahdi," who is the descendant of fatima al-zahra (a.), will appear to spread justice throughout the world. The only difference is whether he is already born or will be born. The denial of this doctrine is based on the fact that it is an unusual event.

But one thing is grossly misunderstood. One cannot deny the religious believe on this basis. There are other unusual doctrines held commonly by muslims, such as the belief that prophet jesus is alive. He was not killed nor he was crucified, and even though he has been alive all this time, we do not see him. As khadr and elyas are also alive for longer period of time than jesus. The fact about prophet noah, as the holy qur'an says, he lived for 950 years, which sounds unusual. God says: " we have sent noah to his nation. He lived amongst them one thousand minus fifty years." 29:14.

In regard to people of cave, the holy qur'an says:" they lived in their cave three hundred and nine years". The qur'an 18:25. These are some of the unusual doctrines which muslims believe because the islamic sources mention them.

The doctrine of mahdi did not appear in the qur'an but it is mentioned in the hadith of the holy prophet. All muslims basically consider the saying of god or his messenger as the second islamic source.

The reason is that the holy qur'an says:

" the messenger does not speak from himself, but the things revealed to him. The qur'an 53:3. On this basis the doctrine of mahdi is held by majority of muslims.

On this subject, many hadiths are narrated from the prophet, and many books have been written by muslim scholars. Ibn hajar says," hadiths regarding mahdi are numerously reported and many eminent scholars, like abu nuaim and suyuti, have written on the subject. See al sawaiq, page 160, cairo ed. 1375 h.