Sunday 25 November 2012

REVELATION


Q.   What does revelation (Wahy) mean?
*  Revelation means that Al-lah began to reveal His commands and words to Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him).

Q.   How long did Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) remain alive after the first revelation to him?
*  He lived for twenty-three years after the first revelation. Thirteen years he spent in the holy city of Makka and the rest ten years in the hallowed city of Madina.

Q.   Why did he shift to the hallowed city of Madina?
*  When the Prophet (peace be on him) preached monotheism to the inhabitants of the holy city of Makka and exhorted them to give up idolatry and believe on One Al-lah the Almighty, all of them became his bitter enemies because they worshipped the idols. They began to tease and torture him in all possible ways. Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) continued to preach the unity of Al-lah, convey His commands to them, braving all sorts of atrocities. But when their hostility exceeded all limits and they conspired to take his life even, he left his beloved home under Al-lah’s command and migrated to the hallowed city of Madina. The people of Madina had already embraced Islam. They were anxiously waiting for the arrival of the Holy Prophet (peace be on him).
When the Holy Prophet reached Madina, the Muslims there helped him and his companions with their life, their money and property. Getting to know of the migration of the Prophet to Madina, other Muslims who were subjected to torture at the hands of the unbelievers also gradually migrated to Madina one after the other. This migration of the holy prophet is known as Hijrah (hegira). The Muslims who migrated to the hallowed city of Madina leaving their hearths and homes in the holy city of Makka are known as Muhajirs (emigrants). Those in Madina who helped the Holy Prophet and the migrated Muslims are known as Ansars (helpers).

Q.   What was the opinion of the Arabs about the Prophet before he declared his Prophethood?
*  All people believed him to be extremely truthful, pious and trustworthy. They called him Muham-mad, the Trustworthy (Amin), which means that he was quite dependable and truthful for them. All the people respected and honoured him immensely.

Q.   What is the evidence to show that Prophet Muham-mad (peace be on him) is the last Prophet and no other shall come after him?
*  First, Al-lah described him as the Khatimum-Nabiyyin (The last of the prophets). It implies that he is the last of all the Prophets. Secondly, Muham-mad (peace be on him) himself has said:

Ana Khatamun-nabiyyain La Nabiy-ya badi’
(I am the last of the Prophets. No other prophet will come after me.)

Thirdly, Al-lah says in the Holy Qur-an:

AL-YAUMA AKMALTU LAKUM DINAKUM WA ATMAMTU ‘ALAIKUM NI’MATI WA RADITU LAKUMUL-ISLAMA DINA.
(This day I accomplished the religion for you and perfected my blessings upon you and have chosen the religion of Islam for you.)

It proves that Al-lah has perfected the religion through Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) and Islam has become a complete and perfect religion for all times to come.

Q.   What is the evidence to show that Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) ranks the highest among all the prophets?
*  It is evident from many verses of the Holy Qur-an that Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) ranks the highest among the prophets. He himself sasys:
ANA SAY-YIDU WULDI ADAMA YAUMAL-QIYAMAH
(I shall be the head of all the seeds of Adam on the Day of Judgment)
        Obviously, the seeds of Adam include even the prophets and messengers (peace be on all of them). Prophet Muham-mad (peace be on him), therefore ranks the highest among all of them and is their head.

Monday 19 November 2012

PROPHETS


PROPHETHOOD (Risalah)

Q. The exact number and names of all the prophets are not known. Still mention the names of some of the prominent ones among them?
*  The names of some of the prominent prophets are:

·         Hadrat Adam                                      peace be on him
·         Hadrat Shith                                       peace be on him
·         Hadrat Nuh                (Noah)             peace be on him
·         Hadrat Ibrahim          (Abraham)      peace be on him
·         Hadrat Isma’il            (Ishmael)        peace be on him
·         Hadrat Is-haq             (Isaaq)             peace be on him
·         Hadrat Ya’qub            (Jacob)             peace be on him
·         Hadrat Yusuf              (Joseph)           peace be on him
·         Hadrat Davud             (David)            peace be on him
·         Hadrat Sulaiman        (Solomon)       peace be on him
·         Hadrat Musa               (Moses)           peace be on him
·         Hadrat Harun             (Aaron)           peace be on him
·         Hadrat Zakariy-ya      (Zacharias)      peace be on him
·         Hadrat Yahya                                     peace be on him
·         Hadrat Ilyas                (Elias)              peace be on him
·         Hadrat Yunus             (Jonah)            peace be on him
·         Hadrat Lut                  (Lot)                peace be on him
·         Hadrat Salin                                       peace be on him
·         Hadrat Hud                 (Hood)             peace be on him
·         Hadrat Shu’aib                                   peace be on him
·         Hadrat ‘Isa                  (Jesus)             peace be on him
Hadrat Muham-mad                          peace be on him, the last and the final prophet.

Sunday 18 November 2012

Muhammad's (PBUH) Life


Q.   Which family does Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) belong to?
*  He belongs to the family of Quraish. This family was the noblest of all Arab families. The members of the Quraish family were acknowledged as leaders of all others. Again, Bani-Hashim was one of the clans of the Quraish. It was the most respectable of all others. The Prophet (peace be on him) comes of this clan. That is why he is also called a Hashim (Hashimite).

Q.   Who was Hashim whose seed is known after him?
*  He was the great grandfather of Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him). His parental ancestry runs thus: Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) s/o ‘Abdul-lah s/o ‘Abdul-Mut-talib s/o Hashim s/o ‘Abd-i-Munaf.

Q.   Are there any prophets other than Hadrat Adam (peace be on him) among the ancestors of Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) ?
*  Yes, he is among the descendant of Hadrat Isma’il s/o Hadrat Ibrahim (peace be on them). Besides these two, his forefathers include Hadrat Idris and Hadrat Shith (peace be on him).

Q.   At what age was Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) invested with Prophethood?
*  He was forty years of age when he received the first revelation.

Sunday 11 November 2012

THE HOLY SCRIPTURES


THE HOLY SCRIPTURES
(The Books of Al-lah)

Q.   How did the people come to know that the Taurat (Torah), the Zabur (the Psalms of David) and the Injil (The New Testament) are Divine Books?
*  The Holy Qur-an affirms the fact of their being heavenly Books.
Of Taurat Al-lah says:
IN-NA ANZALNAT-TAURATA FIHA HUDA(N)W-WA NUR
(Verily, we revealed the Taurat, and it is true guidance and light)
And of the Zabur He says:
WA ATAINA DAVUDA ZABURA
(We bestowed the Psalms on David)
About the Injil has been said:
WA QAF-FAINA BI-‘ISA-BNI MARYAMA WA ATAINAH-UL-INJIL
(We sent ‘Isa [Jesus] the son of Maryam [Mary] and gave him the Injil [the Bible])
Thus, Muslims came to know through the Holy Qur-an that these three Scriptures are divine in descent.

Q.   What about a man who refuses to acknowledge the Taurat, the Zabur, and the Injil as the Books of Al-lah?
*  Such a person is a Kafir (unbeliever), for the Holy Qur-an testifies to their being Divine Scriptures. Anyone who denies their heavenly descent disbelieves the Holy Qur-an and one who disbelieves the Qur-an is a Kafir.

Q.   Are the texts now extant with us to be considered as genuine Taurat, Zabur and Injil?
*  No, the Holy Qur-an also testifies that men have tampered with these texts. The Old Testaments and the New Testament now extant are not in their original forms. They have undergone alterations. So, we should not have the belief that these three Scriptures are the originally revealed texts.

Q.   How did people come to know that some SAHIFAS (the Scrolls) were revealed to some of the prophets?
*  The Holy Qur-an affirms that the Scrolls were revealed to some of the prophets. We find mention of the Scrolls of Hadrat Ibrahim in the Surah
SAB-BIH-ISMA RAB-BIKA-L A’LA

Q.   Is the Holy Qur-an the Book of Al-lah or His spoken word?
*  The Holy Qur-an is both the Book of Al-lah and His Word. The Qur-an itself refers to it as the Book and the Word.

Q.   Of the Old Testament, the Holy Psalms, the New Testament and the Holy Qur-an, which one is superior?
*  The Holy Qur-an is superior to all others.

Q.   In what ways is the Holy Qur-an superior to other Scriptures?
*  It gains over others in innumerable ways. First, each and every word of the Holy Qur-an is preserved in its original form. Not even a dot has been subtracted from or added to it. Nor will there be any change in it till the Final Day, while the previous Scriptures have been tampered with by the people. The language of the Holy Qur-an is a miracle. The style is so incomparably sublime that it is beyond human faculty to compose anything like the smallest part of it in beauty. Thirdly, the Holy Qur-an has brought the final Divine Code. Hence, a number of its injunctions supersede those in the earliest Scriptures. Fourthly, the previous Scriptures were revealed, all at once. But the Holy Qur-an continued to be revealed for twenty-three years, bit by bit as and when necessity arose. On account of its being revealed in bits and according to the needs of the time, it found access to the hearts of the people and hundreds of thousands of people accepted its code and commands, and embraced Islam. Fifthly, the Holy Qur-an is preserved in the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Muslims. This preservation has continued right from the times of the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) and, if Al-lah wills, it will continue as such till the Final Day.
              By vitue of its being passed on from heart to heart, the enemies of Islam have failed to get any opportunity to effect alterations in it or destroy it, nor will they ever be able to do it till the Final Day, if Al-lah so wills. Sixthly, and finally, the tenets and laws of the Holy Qur-an are so moderate that they suit all times, places and conditions. No people on earth will find themselves hard to put to it to act upon the dictates of the Holy Qur-an, since they suit all times and people. There is no need for any other code or Divine Scriptures after the Holy Qur-an, and the Prophethood of Hadrat Muham-mad (peace be on him) has been proclaimed for all.