WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE GOD'S LIGHT SHINE FORTH THROUGH THE DARKNESS AROUND US?

WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE GOD'S LIGHT SHINE FORTH 

THROUGH THE DARKNESS AROUND US?

After over fourteen hundred years of our reading, and chanting the Quran in every rhythmic style, we still hear this poignant cry:

But Most of mankind still do not know. Holy Quran 34:28

This is the concluding phrase of the verse revealed fourteen hundred years ago. It was the factual situation of the then religious world. The question which must be asked is if it is any different today? Not at all! There are today more Mushriks in the world than there are believers in the One True God.

Is there any hope of changing this situation? Allah commanded His Prophet then as He is commanding us now through the first seven verses of Sura Muddaththir (chapter 74).

1. O THOU WRAPPED UP (IN A MANTLE)! "As usual, there is these wonderful early mystical verses (including the ones that follow), a triple thread of thought:

(a) A particular occasion or person is referred to

(b) a general spiritual lesson is taught, and

(c) a more profound mystical reverie is suggested.

As to (a), the Prophet was now past the stage of personal contemplation. Wearing his mantle; he was now to go forth and boldly deliver his Message and publicly proclaim Allah The One True God. His heart had always been purified, but now all his outward doings must be dedicated to God, and conventional respect for ancestral customs or worship must be thrown aside. The work of his Messengership was the most generous that could flow from his personality, but no reward or appreciation was to be expected from his people, but quite the contrary, there would be much call on his patience, but his contentment would arise from the good pleasure of God.

As to (b), similar stages arise in a minor degree in the life of every good man, for which the Prophet's life is to be a universal pattern.

As to (c), the Sufis understand, by the mantle and outward wrappings, the circumstances of our phenomenal existence, which are necessary to our physical comfort up to a certain stage; but we soon outgrow them, and our inner nature should then boldly proclaim itself, not that it brings any credit or reward with men; the very hope of expectation of such would be inconsistent with our higher nature, which should bear all checks and rejoice in the favour of God."

2. ARISE AND DELIVER THY WARMING!

3. AND THY LORD DO THOU MAGNIFY!

4. AND THY GARMENTS KEEP FREE FROM STAIN!

5. AND ALL ABOMINATION SHUN! 

"(a) Rujz or Rijz means abomination and is usually understood to mean idolatry. It is even possible that there was an idol called RUJZ. But these days it has a wider significance as including a mental state opposed to true worship, a state of doubt or indecision."

6. NOR EXPECT, IN GIVING, ANY INCREASE (FOR THYSELF)!

"(b) The legal and commercial formula is that you give in order to receive what is worth to you a little more than you give, but expect nothing from the receiver. You serve God and God's creatures."

7. BUT, FOR THY LORD'S (CAUSE) BE PATIENT AND CONSTANT!

(c) [Remember to memorize Allah's Kalaam with its meaning] Holy Quran 74:1-7

"(c) Our zeal for God's Cause itself requires that we should not be impatient, and that we should show constancy in our efforts for His Cause. For we have faith, and we know that He is All-Good, All-Wise, and All Powerful, and everything will ultimately be right." AbdullahYusuf Ali [The English translation and the commentaries were by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Obtain your volume from the IPCI at a specially subsidised price. Ako order a volume for your non-Muslim friends.]

To the Arabs in general and to our Holy Prophet in particular "a mantle" was the protective covering used for protection against the sun, wind and sand. He was so to say girding himself, rolling up his sleeves, to accomplish his task. Although most of the Muslims in the world do not cover themselves with shawls (mantles), in their day to day living, they carry a host of mantles in the way of inferiority complexes.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE GOD'S LIGHT SHINE FORTH THROUGH THE DARKNESS AROUND US? 

 

WE MUST FIRST LET IT SHINE IN OUR OWN TRUE SELVES WITH THAT LIGHT IN THE NICHE OF OUR INMOST HEARTS WE CAN WALK WITH STEPS BOTH FIRM AND SURE: WE CAN HUMBLY VISIT THE COMFORTLESS AND GUIDE THEIR STEPS. NOT WE, BUT THE LIGHT WILL GUIDE! BUT OH! THE JOY OF BEING FOUND WORTHY TO BEAR THE TORCH, AND TO SAY TO OUR BRETHREN- 
"I TOO WAS IN DARKNESS, COMFORTLESS, AND BEHOLD, I HAVE FOUND COMFORT AND JOY IN THE GRACE DIVINE!" 

THUS SHOULD WE PAY THE DUES OF BROTHERHOOD, - - BY WALKING HUMBLY SIDE BY SIDE, IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD, WITH MUTUAL AID AND COMFORT, AND HEARTFELT PRAYER, BACKED BY ACTION, THAT GOD'S GOOD PURPOSE MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED, IN US ALL TOGETHER!

BUT MOST OF MANKIND STILL DO NOT KNOW

Thus spake, inspired our Holy prophet, Muhammad (pbuh) on whom we invoke God's blessings for ever and ever - AAMEEN!

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Towards the end

Towards the end of his earthly sojourn, when he could look back to a hectic and dangerous past, now crowned with success; he now feels that he could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his toil; he dreams of a life free from turmoil and full of satisfaction and relaxation. Not for him! There is no time to rest or relax. There is work still to be done. God Almighty reminds him - - 

WE HAVE NOT SENT THEE (O MUHAMMAD) BUT TO THE WHOLE OF MANKIND.

AS A GIVER OF GLAD TIDINGS AND AS A WARNER, BUT MOST OF MANKIND STILL DO NOT KNOW. 

Holy Quran 34:28 

[This is your last chance to memorize the text and the translation of this verse. If you are lackadaisical, we can only mourn your loss.]

How was he to respond to this new challenge in his ripening old age? There were no electronic gadgets of modern communication methods at his disposal; there were no telex and fax machines which he could exploit. What could he do? Being an ummi (unlettered), he called the scribes and dictated five letters, one each to 

• the Emperor at Constantinople, 
• the King of Egypt, 
• the Negus of Abyssinia, 
• the King of Yemen and 
• to the Emperor in Persia. 

He called forth five Sahaaba (his holy companions) with five Arab steeds and set them out in five different directions inviting the nations of the world to the universal religion of God.

I had the good fortune of seeing one of those holy epistles in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul (old Constantinople) Turkey. That letter is collecting dust! Materially the Turks have preserved the parchment. But the Message is collecting dust, as I have said.

The letter begins, "From Muhammad the Messenger of God, to Heraclius the Emperor at Constantinople: Accept Islam and be benefited." followed by this exhortation from the Book of God - - SAY: "O PEOPLE OF THE BOOK! ["People of the Book," stands for the Jews and the Christians. You will never have it so good for learning Allah's Kalaam. Don't ignore this opportunity. Memorize the verses as they occur.]

COME TO COMMON TERMS AS BETWEEN US AND YOU:

THAT WE WORSHIP NONE BUT GOD;

THAT WE ASSOCIATE NO PARTNERS WITH HIM;

THAT WE ERECT NOT, FROM AMONG OURSELVES, 
LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER THAN GOD."

IF THEN THEY TURN BACK, SAY YE: 
"BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST) ARE MUSLIMS" (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL) 

Holy Quran 3:64

After the above Quranic insertion in the letter, it is concluded with felicitation in the Prophet's own words, ending with a seal on which is inscribed - "There is no other object of worship but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger."

The letter in Turkey arouses our curiosity; and interest with regards to its preservation, but the preservation itself is lost upon the sightseer. The same Quranic Message is in almost every Muslim home; being read and re-read a thousand times over without the reader being moved to deliver its Message to the addressees!

Glance once more at the above verse. It is addressed to the "ahle-Kitaab," - the People of the Book, the Jews and the Christians. But, for over a thousand years we have utterly ignored that great directive at our own peril. We are sitting on that Message like a cobra on a pile of wealth, keeping the rightful heirs at bay. This utter neglect will continue to inflict untold suffering to the Ummah for generations to come.

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To Be Continued....

JOHN THE BAPTIST

So far, our hero has earned the unsolicited and ungrudging tributes from many non-Muslims of different religious persuasions and from varying intellectual fields of endeavour. But all this still remains incomplete without the Master's verdict; Muhammad's (pbuh) predecessor - Jesus Christ, (pbuh). We will now apply his own standard for evaluating greatness.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

• John the Baptist, ["JOHN- not to be confused with John the disciple of Jesus (pbuh). A very common name among the Jews and Arabs, even today, like Tarik Aziz the recent Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs. Real name Tarik Hanna Aziz; Hanna short for Yuhanna meaning John. No one in the non-Arab Muslim world knowing that our friend is a Christian Marxist.] Known throughout the Muslim world as Hazrat Yahya Alaihis-salaam (Peace be upon him) was a contemporary prophet of the Messiah. They were also cousins. Here is what the Master has to say of him:

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist Matthew 11:11

Every son of man is "born of women." By this very fact John the Baptist is greater than Moses, David, Solomon, Abraham or Isaiah; none of the Israelite prophets excluded. What gives John this ascendancy over every other prophet? It could not be any miracle, because the Bible records none to his credit. It could not be his teachings, because he brought no new laws or regulations. Then what makes him the greatest? Simply because he was the heralder, a pre-cursor, a harbinger of the happy news of the coming of the Messiah. This is what made John the greatest, but Jesus (pbuh) claims that he himself was even greater than the greatest (ie. John). Why?

But I have greater witness than that of John (the Baptist): For The Works which the Father hath given me to finish: (Emphasis added) John 5:36

It is the "witness," the commission which God Almighty had entrusted him with, which makes Jesus (pbuh) greater than even John. Applying these very standards as enunciated by the Master, we find that -

1. John the Baptist was the greatest of all the Israelite prophets, because he heralded the mighty Messiah (Jesus pbuh). Similarly Jesus (pbuh) would be greater than even John because he heralded "The Spirit of Truth, the Comforter," who was to guide mankind into all Truth (of the Gospel of St. John, chapter 16). [ For a detalted explanation about this prophecy, obtain today your FREE copy of the book -MUHUMMED (pbuh) the Natural Successor to CHRIST (pbuh) from the IPCI.]

2. The diocese, the mission of Jesus (pbuh), or "the works which God had given him to accomplish," was limited to the Lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matthew 15:24), whereas the mission of Muhammad (pbuh) was universal. He had been told -

And we have sent thee not (O Muhammad), but as a Mercy unto (all) the worlds. 

Holy Quran 21:107

In keeping with his grand commission, Muhammad (pbuh) consistently delivered his Message to one and all who would hear, irrespective of race, class or creed, He welcomed them all in the religion of God, without any discrimination. He had no thought of dividing the creatures of God into "dogs and pigs" (Matthew 7:6) or into "sheep and goats" (Matthew 25:32). He was the Messenger of the One True God, who was sent as a Mercy unto all mankind, nay, unto the whole universe (H.Q. 21:107 above). And, he never forgot this mission even right up to his dying day.

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To Be Continued....

MUHAMMAD'S (PBUH) CLEMENCY

MUHAMMAD'S (PBUH) CLEMENCY

Contrast the alleged forgiveness from the "cross" with the historical bloodless conquest of Makkah by Muhammad (pbuh) at the head of ten thousand "saints" [A fulfilment of another prophecy in Muhammad (pbuh). "...He came from mount Paran (that is in Arabia), and he came with ten thousand saints..." Deuteronomy 33:2.] (his companions).

"THE CITY WHICH HAD TREATED HIM SO CRUELLY, DRIVEN HIM AND HIS FAITHFUL BAND FOR REFUGE AMONGST STRANGERS, WHICH HAD SWORN HIS LIFE AND THE LIVES OF HIS DEVOTED DISCIPLES, LAY AT HIS FEET. HIS OLD PERSECUTERS RELENTLESS AND RUTHLESS, WHO HAD DISGRACED HUMANITY BY INFLICTING CRUEL OUTRAGES UPON INOFFENSIVE MEN AND WOMEN, AND EVEN UPON THE LIFELESS DEAD, WERE NOW COMPLETELY AT HIS MERCY. BUT IN THE HOUR OF HIS TRIUMPH EVERY EVIL SUFFERED WAS FORGOTTEN, EVERY INJURY INFLICTED WAS FORGIVEN, AND A GENERAL AMNESTY WAS EXTENDED TO THE POPULATION OF MAKKAH ..." Sayed Amir Ali in "The Spirit of Islam"

Calling before him the populace of the vanquished city, he addressed them with 
"What do you expect at my hands today?" 
His people had known him too well, even from his childhood so they replied, 
"Mercy, O generous brother and nephew!" 
Tears came into the eyes of the Prophet, and he said, 
"I will speak to you as Joseph spoke unto his brethren, I will not reproach you today: go you are free!"

And now a scene was enacted of which there is really no parallel in the history of the world. Hosts upon hosts came forward and adopted the religion of Islam. God Almighty testifies as to the lofty and exalted behaviour of His Messenger - 
Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct). Holy Quran 33:21

How well has Lamartine¹ unknowingly echoed these sentiments -

"AS REGARDS ALL STANDARDS BY WHICH HUMAN GREATNESS MAY BE MEASURED, WE MAY WELL ASK, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?"

In reply, we too can say once more, "No! there is no man greater than Muhammad (pbuh). Muhammad (pbuh) was the greatest man that ever lived!"

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To Be Continued....

THE QUALITY OF MERCY

THE QUALITY OF MERCY

The Christian propagandists make the wild boast that there is nothing in the history of mankind to compare with the merciful and forgiving cry of Jesus (pbuh) on the cross ... "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34

Amazing as it may sound, of the four writers of the Canonical Gospels, only St. Luke was inspired by the Holy ghost (?) to pen these words. The other three - Matthew, Mark and John never heard these words or they felt them to be too insipid or not important enough for recording. St. Luke was not even one of the twelve disciples selected by Jesus (pbuh). According to the revisers of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible, these words are not in the most ancient manuscripts which by implication means that they are an interpolation.

In "The New King James Version," (Copyrighted by the Thomas Nelson Publishers inr 1984), we are told that these words are "not in the original text" of the Greek manuscripts of St. Luke. In other words they have been fabricated by some pious gentleman. Although the quotation is unauthentic, we will still entertain it because it demonstrates great piety of loving one's enemies and of unsurpassed forgiveness as preached by the Master himself.

For forgiveness to be of any worth, the forgiver must be in a position to forgive. If the victim of injustice is still in the clutches of his enemies; in that helpless position and he would cry out, "I FORGIVE YOU!" it would be meaningless. But if the aggrieved party had turned the tables on his enemies and was in a position of taking revenge or exact retribution, and yet say "I forgive you!", only then would it mean something!

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To Be Continued....