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Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H.

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Level 1: The Companions.

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Level 6: The Sixth Generation.

Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H.

Level 1: The Companions.

Level 2: The Followers.

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Level 6: The Sixth Generation.

e) Deceitful Tradition ( Mudallas): is a tradition whose CON includes a hidden defect. If the name of one of the narrators was displaced with his nickname, this is considered “Name Deceit” ( Tadlees Ash-Shyoukh). If the narrator reported a tradition from his sheikh—which he didn’t actually hear directly from him—

using an ambiguous word like “from” or “so and so said,” instead of “so and so related to us, or told us,” this is considered “CON Deceit” ( Tadlees As-Sanad).

Deceit is identified either through the contemporaries of the narrator who testify to his fraud, or through his own admission.

f) Covertly Ascribed Tradition ( Mursal Khafey): is a tradition reported by a scholar from one of his contemporaries whom he didn’t actually meet nor studied under. This is recognized either through other coeval scholars, or through other existing CONs for that same tradition. After confirming its covered ascription, it is considered “Disconnected.”

g) Confused Tradition ( Mudtareb): is a tradition reported in different ways by the same narrator. His confusion could be in the CON or the body of the tradition itself but the latter rarely happens.

h) Denied Tradition ( Munkar): is a tradition reported by a weak narrator, and it contradicts another reported by a trustworthy narrator. The weak narrator meant here is the one who makes excessive mistakes.

i) Disregarded Tradition ( Matrook): is a weird narration reported by a distrusted narrator accused of lying.

j) Fabricated Tradition ( Mawdou‘): is a lie attributed to the prophet P.B.U.H.

for worldly life gains, e.g., the political differences that arose between the companions made some of their followers fabricate traditions aiming to strengthen a certain side, and demonize the other. The debates of the philosophical movements kindled fabrications. Story tellers fabricated a lot of traditions as well. Likewise, some ignorant ascetics and those driven by nationalism fabricated many traditions. Some proverbs and Jewish narratives were introduced into exegesis as prophetic traditions, etc. Fabrications were recognized either by the confession of their fabricators, or through the discrepancies found in their dates and the contradiction of their sequence to the real events.

The above classification makes it clear that a tradition is rejected either because of a break in its CON, or a defect in one or more of its narrators. The different kinds of breaks in the CON were simplified above. Now let’s get a glimpse at the classification of narrators, and learn how the degree of their uprightness affects the classification of traditions.

Classification of Narrators from the Strongest to the Weakest

1. Most trustworthy, usually referred to by the Arabic word “Awthaq.”

2. Highly trustworthy, usually referred to by Arabic descriptions like, “Imam Hāfiz,”

“Thiqatun thiqah,” “Thiqatun thabt,” “Hāfiz mutqin,” etc. In general, if the narrator was referred to by 2 scholarly attributes, he is considered highly trustworthy.

3. Trustworthy, usually referred to by Arabic words like, “Thiqah,” “Hāfiz,”

“Mutqin,” “Thabt.”

4. Truthful, usually referred to by Arabic descriptions like, “Sadook,” “La ba’s beh.”

5. Pious, or righteous, but of mediocre memory, usually referred to by Arabic expressions like, “Saleh al-hadith,” “Sadook lahu awham,” “Thiqah Yukhte’.”

6. Forgetful, or makes mistakes, usually referred to by the Arabic expression, “Saye’

al-hifz.”

7. Inconsistent with more reliable narrators, usually referred to by the Arabic word,

“Shādh.”

8. Extremely forgetful, or makes excessive mistakes, usually referred to by the Arabic expression, “Fahesh al-ghalat.”

9. Confused, usually referred to by Arabic words like, “Mauhum,” “Yuham.”

10. Neglectful, usually referred to by Arabic words like, “Ghāfel,” “Muhmel.”

11. Innovator, usually referred to by the Arabic word, “Mubtade‘.”

12. Immoral, usually referred to by the Arabic word, “Fāseq.”

13. Accused of lying, usually referred to by the Arabic expression, “Muttaham Bil-kadhib.”

14. Liar, usually referred to by Arabic words like, “Kadhdhāb,” “Waddā‘.”

Traditions reported by narrators of classes 1-3 are all considered authentic ( Saheeh).

Traditions reported by narrators of class 4 are considered good, well accepted ( Hassan).

Traditions reported by narrators of classes 5-6 are considered weak, but their status could be uplifted with supporting evidence from the Qur’an or the more reliable traditions; if so, then they are classified as “good by another.” Traditions reported by narrators of classes 7-13 are considered very weak; their status could only be uplifted if there was no consensus among traditionists regarding the classification of the narrator, and supporting evidence from the Qur’an or the Sunnah gave preponderance to the acceptance of the tradition under investigation. Traditions reported by narrators of class 14 are classified as lies attributed to the prophet; they are rejected altogether.

Rules pertaining to weak traditions:

1. If the narrator was a pious truthful person but a bit forgetful, makes some mistakes in his narrations, or became confused at old age, his narrations are categorized as weak, but they are usually given deeper investigation seeking to uplift their status to “good well-accepted by another.”

2. They could be adopted if they call for logically accepted good deeds, beneficial actions, or virtuous matters.

3. In matters of creed, weak traditions are rejected altogether.

4. When issuing legal rulings, weak traditions were rejected by most jurists, but accepted by Imams Ahmad, and Abu Dāwood on the following conditions: a. They are not extremely weak

b. They do not contradict another tradition of similar status.

c. They tackle matters having no mentioning in the Qur’an, the Sunnah, or the more reliable traditions.

The different kinds of traditions, status of narrators, and the methodology followed by scholars in their classification were explained in many books. The most comprehensive of which was written in the 7th century A.H. by an Iraqi scholar named ‘Othman Ibn As-Salah (577 – 643 A.H.).The book is named after its writer, “Muqaddemat Ibn As-Salah.”

The reader should know that the methodology was initially established in the second century A.H. It reached its most mature form within 100 years at the hands of dedicated scholars from the 6th generation like Bukhari and Muslim. In most of their narrations, Bukhari and Muslim mentioned 5 names between themselves and the prophet P.B.U.H.

The example given in the beginning of this section was a quick illustration of this.

Now, it’s time to move on to the base upon which Islam was built, which is the methodology of unifying The Creator who has created everything. This article of faith constitutes the major portion of the Islamic dogma. It is the orbit in which Islam revolves.

The Methodology of Monotheism

Muslims agree that the first, and most important article of faith in Islam, is to believe in the Creator who has created everything that exists. They agree that this universe couldn’t have come to exist on its own, but it must have an omniscient omnipotent creator. A creator whom they invoke, and call upon by the name “Allah.”

He is the originator and the source of everything; He is one and only; He is eternal and everlasting; He begets not nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable unto Him. He is the sustainer of all that exists; consequently, He is the only one worthy of worship, and to Him belong the attributes of exaltation.

They also agree that this creator is free from all defects or shortcomings, and this is why He is eternal and everlasting. Some philosophers explain this saying that if a system reaches its optimum and most complete state, that is to assume that it’s free from any defects or imperfections, then it shall never perish or die. This view is reasonably acceptable; the more the defects are in a certain system or regime, the faster shall it decline and be destructed. Thus, we see governments, laws, constitutions, economic systems, organizations, etc., falling every day because of the deficiencies in their systems.

The most perfect system could only be reached through an All-Knowing Omniscient entity. Muslims believe that this entity is Allah, and they believe that His message—

the Qur’an—is the final testament to all humans.

The following is an illustrative conversation between 2 friends; one of them is a skeptic called Amr, and the other is a Muslim student called Zein. This conversation was designed to help the reader find answers for many questions which we all hear on daily basis, or even ask ourselves, but sometimes fail to answer.

Amr, “If there exists a creator free from any flaws, then how come that His creation is full of them?!”

Zein, “That’s ordinary, this worldly life is nothing but a brick in a high rise building.

It’s a test in which we are initially born totally pure; thereafter, while growing up, we learn all sorts of things, some good and some bad, this is why this Creator never forsakes us for our whim and lusts, but He sends us messages and prophets to teach us how to live rightly. Those who betray, fornicate, rape, cheat, steal, lie, kill, etc., are disobeying the laws of this creator and disobeying his messengers. Their sins cause corruption and great evils, which is a horrible defect that shall eventually lead to our destruction. Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘Corruption has appeared throughout the lands and seas by reason of what the hands of people have earned so He may let them taste part of the consequences of their actions that perhaps they will desist.’ [The Qur’an (30:41)].

Prophet Muhammad also said while invoking Allah, ‘Evil is not ascribed to You.’

Every day you can see people complaining from the corruption and evils they face in this world. This worldly life is just a step that we have to take in order to reach a world in which the system is perfect and no one complains anymore. But you have to understand that only those who deserve to live in such a perfect system are the ones who shall be admitted into it. I believe that we can consider this a universal law:

Life of a system α Degree of perfection of that system

This is exactly why this creator has created another place in which everything is perfect, and life is eternal for those who abide by His laws and teachings in this defective worldly life. As for those who decline and turn their backs to His commandments, He created another place in which everything is disgustful. These flaws and iniquities are the result of creating us having free wills, able to choose and select our own deeds and actions.

How unfortunate it is that many people choose to satisfy their lusts and indulge into all sorts of sins instead of choosing a righteous life.”

Amr, “But why didn’t this creator create us compelled to obey Him like those creatures you call angels for instance? Why did He create us having lusts and free wills? It’s as if He wants us to sin!”

Zein, “This was His method in creating the most perfect creatures ever. He granted us the freedom of choice; thereafter, He gave us the chance to perform and display our characters and real-selves through our choices and actions. Proving whether we deserve to be part of the perfect system or not is totally up to us. Angels are not tested because they were created compelled to obey the creator; they are His obedient servants. This is why scholars agree that those who follow their intellect and obey Allah, though they were created with lusts and have free wills, they are better than angels. Hence, by means of perfection, those who were given the freedom of choice and chose to do what’s right, they are the most perfect creatures.”

Amr, “If this Creator is Omniscient as you claim, why didn’t He just use His vast knowledge to determine who are those who deserve to dwell in His perfect system

“Paradise,” and who are those who don’t? Surely He would have spared Himself and us this intermediate step which you call the worldly life!”

Zein, “Well, this is the covenant He decreed upon Himself. He shall not award or punish anyone before setting his or her own deeds as witnesses upon His retribution. He shall not waste any of people’s good deeds, and if they ask His forgiveness for their sins and repent sincerely, He shall forgive them. Think of this logically, if you were condemned to dwell in the hellfire for eternity without living this worldly life, wouldn’t you have wanted to get a chance to live this life and prove that you could have been among the dwellers of paradise? This worldly life is the chance that we all need. Indeed, we should seize the opportunity and do our best.”

Amr, “If this Creator was aiming to create the most perfect system from the beginning, then why is there hell? Or are you claiming that this torture pit is also a perfect system?!”

Zein, “The perfect system is the one in which justice is established firmly without any procrastination. If justice was not established, then this could never be a perfect system.

Try to imagine a thief stealing your mother’s purse, when your father tries to stop him, he shoots both your parents killing them on spot, and he gets away with his crime in this worldly life. Would it be fair that this thief never gets punished for what he has done?

What about Hitler who killed over 2,000,000 civilians, burned thousands in furnaces, and he was never punished for his crimes? What about imperialists who have killed millions inside their own homelands throughout the human history? What about traitors, rapists, thieves, murderers, drug dealers, terrorists, children abusers, thugs, bullies, and all those who never care about people’s lives and security? Would you call the system that lets them get away with their crimes a perfect system? By all means, those who hurt others should receive the appropriate punishment for what they have done either in this life or the next. As for those who get away with their crimes in this life, Allah has prepared the hell fire for their retribution.”

Amr, “If you are speaking about justice, then how come that hell is eternal and those who were sinners in this life shall dwell inside it forever?! Justice is to punish criminals in the same magnitude of their crimes, not to torture them forever.”

Zein, “Totally agree, and Allah is never unjust; on the contrary, He is most Merciful and His mercy precedes His anger. Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘On that Day (i.e. judgment day) people shall come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds; hence, whoever does one jot of good, he shall see it; and whoever does one tittle of evil, he shall see it.’ [The Qur’an (99:6-8)]. This is why the prophet P.B.U.H. told us that Allah shall bring out many people from the Hell-fire. Any person with one jot or tittle of faith shall be saved after receiving the proper punishment for his or her evil deeds. That is also why Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘No soul will bear another’s burden, nor do We punish until We have sent a messenger.’ [The Qur’an (17:15)]. Consequently, those who never received a warner or a messenger to teach them about Allah’s laws and righteous path, they shall be given the choice whether to believe or not on the judgment day. Many scholars say that even those who receive the message of Allah but in a distorted manner shall be treated in a similar way. This is why the main concern of the Qur’an is to make people believe in the existence of the mighty Creator, and warn them of His anger may they desist from disobeying His laws, or at least have the slightest portion of faith that may eventually save them after receiving their punishment. But as for those who deny reason and turn their backs out of arrogance; those who do not intend to repent from their evil deeds ever, their punishment shall be according to their intentions. This is why hell is eternal for those who don’t have any faith, nor do they intend to get to know and fear their Creator ever.”

Amr, “Why is the relation with this creator always built upon fear? If He were the most merciful as you claim, why should all people fear His wrath and torment? A relation built upon fear could never be a sound relation!”

Zein, “If this is what you understood from my words, then I apologize. I believe the context we were speaking in was about the hell fire, sinners, and the warnings directed to them. By all means the relation with Allah is not solely built upon fear. We all loved our fathers; nonetheless, we always had some fear from their anger towards us whenever we did something wrong. This fear was like a shield from erring, and a driving force that always pushed us towards being better persons. Likewise, the relation with our Creator is also built upon both love and fear. True correct worship is a combination of those two feelings, but building faith on only one of them is incomplete, and has many dangerous traps that people fall into.

Sound sincere worship = Loving Allah + Fearing Allah

The prophet P.B.U.H. said, ‘If you knew how merciful Allah is you would have relied upon His mercy, and refrain from making any efforts [in obeying Him]; and if you knew His anger, nothing of what you do could relieve your fear.’ How poor are the people who depart this life without experiencing the best of its feelings, that is Loving Allah and knowing His continuous remembrance. Allah says, ‘When My servants ask you

[O Muhammad] concerning Me, I am indeed close [to them]: I listen to the prayers of every suppliant when he calls on Me.’ [The Qur’an (2:186)]. And He says in the holy tradition, ‘I am at my servant’s expectations, and I am with him whenever he calls onto me. If he draws near me one span of hand, I draw near him a cubit; if he draws near me a cubit, I draw near him an ell; and if he approaches my path walking, I approach him hurriedly.’ The driving force behind the actions of those with sound hearts is always their love towards Allah, and their protection against relapse is their fear from Him.”

Amr, “Why are you so sure that such a creator does exist though you cannot see him, speak to him, or receive any messages directly from him?!”

Zein, “Have you ever seen a beehive?”

Amr, “Absolutely!”

Zein, “Do you think that bees are intellectual creatures?”

Amr, “Well, I’m not sure, maybe they do have some kind of a tiny brain.”

Zein, “Tiny brain! If I were to ask you to draw for me 100 hexagons without a compass, a ruler, a protractor or any external tool but a pen, on the condition that all the 100

hexagons would be similar with exactly 120 degrees angles and equal sides, will you be able to do that?”

Amr, “No.”

Zein, “Now do you think that bees have minds that enable them to build hives with hundreds or thousands of these similar hexagonal shapes and internal chambers without the need for any of those tools that you need to finish the job?”

Amr, “Okay, maybe they do, but where is this leading to?!”

Zein, “This leads to understanding that it’s enough to see the signs in order to understand that there exists an effective cause behind them. What about this complex universe with millions of constellations, planets, stars, etc., guided by physical laws that scientists have discovered, are still discovering and writing down in voluminous books? Did it come to exist merely through some kind of creative chaos without any need for organization and guidance from an intelligent, capable designer, or an Omniscient, Omnipotent Creator! Creative chaos can for example produce the sand dunes in the deserts but it cannot produce a huge self-sustaining palace by this sand, or build a pyramid. Complexity is a sign for intelligence and capability. What do you think of a much more complicated thing as the human RNA and DNA?!”

Amr, “Your logic is void, for if complexity is a sign for intelligence, then from where did that most intelligent creator come?! How can you imagine His existence?”

Zein, “The Creator is not a creature to come or happen, or comply with the laws of the creatures that need a cause for their existence. He is the source of all that exists, but our minds always stand incapable of imagining His nature. There is a huge difference between reason and imagination. Reason tells us that complexity cannot happen by coincidence. For example, if I blindfold you, give you 10 darts, and ask you to throw them all into the middle circle of the dart board, can you do this?”

Amr, “If I’m well trained, I can.”

Zein, “True. This means that the more complicated the deed is, the more training and capabilities you will need to acquire in order to accomplish it. What if I number the darts from 1 to 10, and ask you to throw them in their order of numbering?”

Amr, “I shall need to remove the blindfolds in order to see the numbers.”

Zein, “True. This means that the more the obstacles are, and the more complicated things get, the more senses and capabilities you shall need in order to accomplish the mission.

Have you ever seen the pyramids?”

Amr, “Yes.”

Zein, “Do you know that with all of the advanced modern technologies humans have today, they still can’t build a pyramid like Khufu?”

Amr, “Yes, I know that. Can you make your point clearer?”

Zein, “Can you say that Khufu was built by coincidence, by any of the sand storms or natural catastrophes that occurred in Egypt back in time, or by any form of creative chaos without the need for intelligent creatures to design and build it?”

Amr, “Absolutely not.”

Zein, “How be it with something much more complicated like a bee? Can Humans create one bee that lives, reproduces, builds hives and makes honey like the natural bee which we know?”

Amr, “I don’t think they can.”

Zein, “So you cannot draw 100 identical hexagons without geometrical tools. You need training and the use of your eyesight simply to throw 10 darts in the correct order and hit the target prescribed to you. You don’t accept it that the Pyramid could have been built through some kind of creative chaos and agree that it needs intelligent designers having more knowledge than what we have today on earth, but still you accept it that bees that are a million times more complicated, and us as humans, and all of this universe surrounding us have come to exist by coincidence through some kind of blind creative chaos; all of this is merely because you cannot imagine how the Creator who has created everything exists; where is the logic in that?!”

Amr, “Matter cannot be created from nothing. This means that matter is eternal, it has always been there in some form, and it was not preceded by a creator.”

Zein, “Have you read about nuclear fusion, Amr?”

Amr, “Yes, absolutely.”

Zein, “What does the theory say?”

Amr, “It’s a nuclear reaction in which two or more atomic nuclei collide at a very high speed and join to form a new type of atomic nucleus. During this process, matter is not conserved because some of the matter of the fusing nuclei is converted to energy.”

Zein, “Great, this means that if matter can be converted into energy, then the reaction can also be reversed and huge amounts of energy could be changed to matter. Amazingly, this is what science has come to realize in the past century. Matter and energy are two faces for the same thing. Therefore, assuming that matter was preceded by an omniscient omnipotent creator doesn’t contradict science. On the contrary, it makes more sense than assuming that inanimate matter came to exist on its own by dumb chance.”

Amr, “If this mighty creator does exist, and he is perfect as you claim, then how come that he created the universe? What was the urge behind this and why did he need to do it!

He should have been self-sufficient having no need to create anything at all.”

Zein, “You do not possess a trait unless you use it. If a person can hear, yet he doesn’t listen, we call him deaf. If a person can see yet he never opens his eyes, he’s no different from the blind. Likewise, we cannot think of a god who cannot create. If he can’t, he isn’t a god. If he can create yet halts the usage of his powers, he is deficient. The only situation that befits his supreme being is that he can create and he creates what he wills. Ability only exists in a deed, exactly as the wisdom of a wise man never appears except in a wise decision he takes. Allah is perfect and self-sufficient, and no one can reach such state except if he can do whatever he wants without having to explain his actions to those who are lesser than him. He is free to create whatever he wants. Not knowing the purpose of creation doesn’t nullify the fact that it happened, or else we will deny our own existence.

Not knowing the purpose of creation is like not understanding the purpose for which painters draw paintings, or why musicians make music; it’s a capability which they have and we can’t ask them, ‘ why do you make beautiful art?’ So is the case with the Creator, he can create beautiful marvelous creatures, this is one of his attributes, and in my opinion, it’s the most unique divine attribute; asking why He creates is meaningless. Allah created man—not because He needs him, but to distinguish clearly His Supreme peculiarity in him. If artists make art so that people would get to know them and admire their talent, then why do you deny this right to the mighty entity that has created all artists and granted them their gifts?!”

Amr, “This is apologetic.”

Zein, “If according to your measures, logical reasonable thinking is considered apologetic, then by all means it’s an honor to be an apologist.”

Amr, “I can’t see any reason in your responses, you are just repeating what you were taught since childhood.”

Zein, “Truly amazing how those who deny the existence of God, resurrection, paradise and hell, make them the token around which most of their talks revolve; thereafter, they dare speak about reason and logic.”

This debate never ends and the two friends don’t intend to back up. Of course, hundreds of questions and evidences are presented by both sides. Learning about such debates is extremely important. You should make up your mind and decide for yourself what to believe and what to renounce. Use your reason and intellect in building your faith, don’t suffice with being a follower. Learn how to defend your beliefs and stand firm for what you believe is right. The mightiest believers in this nation were the companions of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H.; may Allah be pleased with them all. When you read their stories, you get the sense that those people were not ordinary, they were extremely smart, brave and reasonable. They were determined to defend their faith no matter what.

No one can reach such a state unless he or she has acquired a firmly established faith which nothing can shake.

After we have tackled the controversial ideas of having faith in the Creator, it’s now important to know how the early Muslim generations thought of His attributes, and how they loved, glorified and exalted Him. Muslims’ unanimous creedal views regarding Allah revolve mainly around the following Qur’anic verses:

“O mankind, worship you Lord who has created you and those before you, may you

become righteous. Him who made for you the earth for dwelling and the skies as a ceiling and He sent down from the skies water with which He brought forth fruits as provision for you, so do not setup rivals unto Allah while you know.” [The Qur’an (2:21-22)].

“When My servants ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them):

I listen to the prayers of every suppliant when he calls on Me.” [The Qur’an (2:186)].

“Allah, there is no God but He, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer, No slumber or sleep

can overtake Him, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who can intercede with Him except with His permission? He knows their present and their future,

and they do not have any of His knowledge except for what He wishes. His sovereign

knowledge encompasses the heavens and the earth and it is easy for Him to preserve

them. He is the Most High, the Great.” [The Qur’an (2:255)].

“The Lord of the heavens and the earth and whatever lies between them, worship Him

and have patience for His worship, do you know anyone of His similitude?! ”

[The Qur’an (19:65)].

“Rely upon the Ever-Living who does not die and exalt Allah with His praise.”

[The Qur’an (25:58)].

“Verily, Allah is the Sustainer, the Mighty One, the Invincible.” [The Qur’an (51:58)].

“There is nothing like unto Him, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing”

[The Qur’an (42:11)].

“To Him is the kingship of the heavens and the earth. He brings life and death.

And He is capable of all things. He is the First and the Last, the Most High and the

Most Near, He is fully aware of all things. ” [The Qur’an (57:2-3)].

“It is Allah who has created seven (layers) of the skies and of the earth, the like of them.

His commandment descends among them, so that you may know that Allah is All-

Powerful over all things, and that He encompasses all matters with His knowledge.”

[The Qur’an (65:12)].

“Say (O Muhammad), ‘Allah is the Only (God), Allah is the Everlasting Self-Sufficient

(Lord), He begets not, nor was He begotten, and there is none comparable unto Him. ’”

[The Qur’an (112)].

In understanding the previous verses, Muslim scholars from all sects agreed that the verses speak of a mighty unique omniscient deity who has created this universe, created the earth amidst it, and prepared it for the dwelling of humans. He is always maintaining and sustaining the universe and watching over all creatures. There is no one we should turn to and invoke for help at times of need but Him. His knowledge encompasses the universe, and all creatures do not discover from this knowledge except what He wishes them to know. He is eternal, uncreated, and everlasting. He is the first that the universe has realized when it was created, and He is the last one to see the universe before it perishes and every soul returns to Him. There is no one comparable unto Him, nor is there anything like Him. For all of the previous, He is the only entity worthy of worship.

The creedal conflict among the Muslim sects revolves mainly around the following Qur’anic verses, which have allegorical indecisive meanings:

“Are they only waiting for Allah as well as the angels to descend upon them under canopies of clouds…” [The Qur’an (2:210)].

“To some of them (i.e. the prophets) Allah spoke” [The Qur’an (2:253)].

“And if any of the polytheists seeks your protection, grant him your protection, may he listen to the words of Allah (i.e. the Qur’an), then help him reach his sanctuary.”

[The Qur’an (9:6)].

“The Most Gracious rose above the Throne.” [The Qur’an (20:5)].

“And I endued you (O Moses) with love from Me, that you may be brought up under

My Eyes.” [The Qur’an (20:39)].

“Everything shall perish save His Face” [The Qur’an (28:88)].

“He (Allah) said, “O satan what prevented you from prostrating (in honoring) to what I have created with both My Hands?” [The Qur’an (38:75)].

“Some faces will be radiant on that Day, looking towards their Lord.” [The Qur’an (75:22-23)].

The wording of the above verses implies the following meanings apparently:

 That Allah has a body, a face and two hands.

 He speaks directly to whom He chooses and the Qur’an is His direct spoken word.

 Those who are righteous in this life shall be able to see their Creator in the hereafter.

In dealing with the previous verses, scholars were divided into 2 main groups: 1. Traditionists ( Al-Muhad-detheen): This group limited their thinking to the Qur’an, and the recorded sayings of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. They saw that creedal knowledge is confined to what Allah has sent to us in His message, and what He ordered His messenger to explain. They promoted the idea that those who have sincere faith don’t need any further investigation into other evidences.

They considered this a big risk and an innovation. Today, they are usually referred to by the term “Salafists.” They took as evidence on their opinions the Qur’anic verse which says, “It is He who has sent down the Book to you. Some of its verses are

clear and decisive in meaning—they are the foundation of the Book—while others

are allegorical and indecisive. Those with deviation in their hearts pursue the

indecisive verses, so as to create dissension by seeking to interpret them: but no one

knows their meaning except Allah. Those who are firmly grounded in knowledge

say, ‘We believe in it: it is all from our Lord.’ But only the wise take heed.”

[The Qur’an (3:7)].

2. Scholastics ( Al-Mutakal-lemeen): They pondered deeply over the attributes of Allah by contemplating on His creation. They looked attentively at the universal evidences proving His existence, and followed their reason in getting to know their Creator.

They tried to do this within the guiding frame of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

They are divided mainly into 3 sects: Mu‘tazilies, Ash‘aries and Matureedies.

Scholastics had a different understanding for the previously mentioned verse (3:7).

They said that they don’t try to interpret the indecisive verses, but they only turn the text away from the inappropriate apparent meaning to a logically accepted one.

They considered this imperative in order to protect laymen from creating and propagating wrong creedal thoughts about Allah. They took the decisive verses and the Arabic language as their guide; thereafter, they chose the meanings deemed most appropriate for the supreme rank of Allah Almighty. The main reason for refusing the apparent meanings of the indecisive verses was that they contradict the logical evidences which sound reason can accept from contemplating on the creation.

When speaking about the approach of scholastics in his book “Explaining the Monotheistic creeds” (Tawdeeh Al-‘Aqa’ed Fe ‘Elm Al-Tawheed), Sheikh Abd-Ur-Rahman Al-Jezery (1299-1360 A.H.) said, “Based on the Islamic principal:

‘Whatever is necessary for accomplishing an obligation is also obligatory,’

contemplating on the universal evidences and pondering over them in our endeavor seeking to strengthen our knowledge of our Creator should not be considered an innovation, specially that the Qur’an instigates us to ponder over the creation and seek evidences on our thoughts and beliefs.”

Please note that the main purpose of this section is to incite objective thinking towards the ideas of all sects, not to promote the ideas of any of them. Personally, I don’t consider any of them to be a straying sect casted away from main stream Muslims, though personally I refuse some of the ideas stated by each sect. When you read in their books you will instantly understand that their sole target was the glorification and exaltation of Allah, so how come that those who do this could be accused of infidelity or of being a straying sect? Let’s indulge deeper into their views so that we may grasp more knowledge about their views.

The early Muslim generations never indulged into ideas like how the creator exists, how come that He is not limited by space or time, etc. When some of the companions thought about these ideas, and spoke to the prophet about them, it is recorded that he said, “Don’t think about Allah’s nature but ponder over His creation.”

Although this tradition is categorized as weak, similar responses were recorded to have been given by companions like Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘Ali and Abu Hurayrah. The early generations exalted Allah beyond all imagination. They understood that any trial to imagine His existence is a degradation of His supreme status. They never thought of Allah as an old man sitting on a huge throne above the heavens. They never tried to embody Allah, or compare Him to whatever they see in this world, nothing of that sort. They believed in His supremacy and that there is nothing they know that could be compared to Him.

The first 4 generations treated any verse whose wording implies any embodiment for Allah as an indecisive verse. They never tried to interpret such verses or indulge into their meanings. Imam Rabi‘ah Ibn Far-roukh (Died 136 A.H.)—the teacher of Imam Mālek—

was once asked by a student attending his lesson, “How did Allah rise above the throne?”

The student was referring to the fact that if Allah moves and equilibrates or sits above a throne, then He has a body, and if He has a body that could be confined in a certain space as the throne, then His existence needs space and consequently He Himself was preceded by space; therefore, He is not the Creator. Imam Rabi‘ah immediately responded saying, “Rising [as a deed] isn’t unknown [to ask about]. Its manner [for Allah’s rank]

is unimaginable. The belief in its occurrence is an obligation, and to ask about its manner is an innovation.”

It was also reported that later on, a man asked Imam Mālek the same question, so he gave the same answer and then expelled the questioner from his class. It seems that the Imam feared that his students might be affected by the questioner or imitate his manner in comparing Allah to creatures, and indulge into the meanings of the indecisive verses.

Whenever asked about any of the indecisive verses, the early generations used to say,

“Recite them like they have been revealed without indulging into the means of their occurrence.”

Imam Abu Hanifah expressed his opinion regarding these verses in his famous book,

“The Grand Jurisprudence” ( Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar) saying, “There is nothing like Allah, He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. All of His attributes are ageless, uncreated, not like those of creatures. His knowledge is not like that of ours; His power is not like that of ours and so are His sight, hearing and speech. We speak through vocals and letters that are created while Allah speaks without the need for them both and His speech is uncreated.

He is not a body, nor is He limited by space or countered by a rival or any peer, there is nothing comparable unto him. He has a face, hands and essence and they are all attributes whose characteristics and state are unknown. No one should say that His hand is a reference to His power or blessings, as this would be a denial of the attribute, which is what the Mu‘tazilies say. His hand is an attribute whose state is unknown.”

Regarding this issue, Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal said, “Allah could only be qualified with the attributes He named for Himself, or those taught by His messenger. Nothing should be said beyond the Qur’an or the Sunnah.” And regarding the indecisive verses, he said,

“Indecisive verses are like closed safes; all one can do is to recite them as they have been revealed.”

The approach of the early generations was extremely cautious. They did not try to indulge into matters that our human minds can neither imagine nor confirm. Whenever they were faced with questions regarding the meaning of any indecisive verse, they stated that the meaning—or mode of occurrence of these verses—is something beyond our imagination.

They didn’t try to interpret any of these verses. This is the most appropriate manner of dealing with such verses. It resembles the approach described by Allah Himself in verse (3:7) mentioned earlier.

Salafists say that they follow the early generations in their methodology of monotheism.

They say, “We adopt a doctrine gathering between exaltation (At-Tanzeeh) and affirmation (Al-Ethbat),” meaning that they exalt the Creator above any resemblance to the creatures, and they affirm all of the attributes He referred to Himself with in His message, and through the teachings of His prophet, without any indulgence into the manner of their occurrence. Ibn Taymeyah (661-728 A.H.) was the founder of the Salafists’ creedal school of thought. He was a Hanbali scholar, his views were built upon Imam Ahmad’s opinions. This is why some scholars refer to them by the word

“Hanbalies.” In his book “The Intermediate Creed” ( Al-‘Aqeedah Al-Wasetiyah), Ibn Taymeyah said, “We affirm all of Allah’s attributes without any alteration, negation, attributing a state of being or likeness to any of His creation. There is nothing comparable unto Him, He is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.”

“Alteration” ( Tahreef): is to leave out the direct meaning understood from a verse or a tradition, and accept another meaning which the words do not imply, or do imply but in an indirect doubtful manner; that’s unless there is another evidence from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, or the Arabic language to justify this understanding; only then could this understanding be an acceptable possibility.

E.g., interpreting the verse and tradition which speak about Allah’s descent to this world to be referring to His commandments and judgment.

“Negation” ( Ta‘teel): is to deny any of Allah’s attributes mentioned in the Qur’an, or mentioned by the prophet P.B.U.H. Negation is considered part of alteration, wherever there is alteration, there is negation but not the contrary.

E.g., interpreting the verses which mention Allah’s hands to be referring to His Power.

“Attributing a state of being” ( Takyeef): is to define a certain state or manner for the attributes of Allah.

E.g., interpreting the verse speaking about Allah’s ascension above the throne to be referring to a throne like that of kings and that Allah is a body sitting on it.

“Attributing a state of Likeness” ( Tamtheel): is to compare the attributes of Allah to the attributes of His creatures.

E.g., interpreting the verse speaking about Allah’s hands to be referring to hands like those of humans.

Salafists accept the apparent meanings of the indecisive verses without any trial to interpret them, or think of any manner for their occurrence. They confirm that Allah has a face, hands and legs, He equilibrates above His throne, He moves, laughs, loves, gets angry and becomes content, speaks and enjoys all of the attributes He referred to Himself with in the Qur’an or through the Prophetic teachings, but His attributes are not like anything we know, nor could they be compared to the creation in any manner.

Scholastics agreed with the Salafists in the main ideas. They also said that attributing a manner or mode for Allah’s actions is wrong and against the decisive verses of the Qur’an, which state that there is nothing like Allah nor is there anyone comparable unto Him. They agreed with Salafists in prohibiting attributing a state of being or likeness to any of the creatures when reciting the verses that mention Allah’s attributes. But when it comes to alteration and negation, they had a different opinion; their views were built upon the following contemplation:

All creatures are constructed or formed of parts, these parts need one another in a certain fashion. For example our human body is formed of hands, legs, head, abdomen and torso.

We need our hands in order to eat, drink, hold all sorts of things, and move properly.

We need our legs to walk and run. We need heads which contain our brains, eyes, noses, ears and mouths; in short, it contains most of the senses and the main engine behind our functioning. Our abdomen and torso contain the rest of our internal organs like the heart, which is the main battery of our lives, our lungs and respiratory system, our kidneys and internal purification system, etc. If any of these parts suffered any malfunction, the rest of our body falls ill, and doesn’t function properly. Likewise, all creatures are formed of many parts that need one another. Planet Earth as we know it needs the sun and the moon to exist. The location of our solar system amidst the surrounding galaxy protects it from the vast supernova explosions in the rest of the locations, etc. All of these complications make it clear that life was designed, and everything related to it—from the air we breathe to the location of our solar system within our galaxy—was selected very carefully.

Every part, member, or organ has a certain specified duty that keeps life running.

Therefore, anything formed of parts that complete one another is designed and created.

From this contemplation, scholastics deduced that Allah cannot be like us, formed of parts that need one another. They said that Allah is the one who has created space and time, so He cannot be confined in a certain place or be affected by time. They said that Allah cannot have a body, for bodies need space to exist, and Allah is not preceded by anything, He described Himself to be All-Encompassing. When they encountered the indecisive verses whose apparent meanings negate the decisive evidences, their methodology of monotheism was to turn the meaning away ( Sarf Al-Ma‘na) from the inappropriate apparent one to an acceptable appropriate one that befits the rank of Allah, and coincides with the decisive verses. They built this approach upon the Arabic language and the decisive verses of the Qur’an. According to their view, this kind of necessary interpretation is different from the interpretation prohibited in verse (3:7) mentioned earlier. Its necessity emerges from the fact that if it was not done, those who are not grounded in knowledge shall either go astray in their understanding of the Islamic creed, or think that the Qur’an contradicts itself.

Example: when they encountered the verse which says, “Nay, indeed! When the earth is crushed and ground to dust, when your Lord descend with the angels standing rank upon rank.” [The Qur’an (89:21-22)]. The apparent meaning is that Allah shall come down to earth after its destruction on the judgment day, and that the angels shall be standing in ranks honoring His approach. This could only be possible if Allah has a body that could be confined inside a certain place, and so He moves from one place to another, which is impossible for it contradicts the decisive verses of the Qur’an that state clearly the following:

“It was He who created the heavens and earth in six Days [i.e. periods] and then ascended the throne. He knows what enters the earth and what comes out of it, what descends from the sky and what ascends to it. He is with you wherever you are, He sees

all that you do. ” [The Qur’an (57:4)].

“Allah is the one who has created the seven (layers of) heavens and of the earth, the like of them. His commandments descend among them, so that you may know that Allah

has power over all things, and that He encompasses all things with His knowledge. ”

[The Qur’an (65:12)].

Based on the previous verses, scholastics stated that the meaning of verses (89:21-22) should be understood in the sense that Allah’s commandments and judgment are the ones that shall descend upon mankind. They said that this is not alteration as the Salafists claim, but it’s explaining the indecisive verses in a manner that doesn’t negate the decisive verses of the Qur’an by turning the apparent illogical meaning to an acceptable logical one.

Salafists refused this approach. They said that Allah shall actually come in a manner befitting His existence and rank. They gave heed to the verse which says,

“Unquestionably, they are in doubt about the meeting with their Lord. Unquestionably,

He is of all things encompassing.” [The Qur’an (41:54)].

It was reported that Imam Mālek adopted this approach when he was asked about Allah’s descent to the heavens, he said, “His commandments are the ones that descend, not Him.

He is eternal, He doesn’t need to move.” ( Seyar A‘lām Al-Nubalā’). But many scholars denied this narration and said that it was a forgery made by Mālek’s scribe Habeeb Ibn Abi-Habeeb. It was also reported that when Imam Mālek was asked by his student Ibn Al-Qāsem (132-191 A.H.) about the traditions stating that Allah has created Adam having the same appearance as His, and that Allah shall reveal his leg on the judgment day and put it into the hell fire so that it may calm down, and that He shall put His hand into the hellfire and bring out whom He likes, Imam Mālek denied this vigorously and forbade his students from propagating such traditions ( Seyar A‘lām Al-Nubalā’).

Evidence supporting necessary interpretation ( Sarf Al-Ma‘na): Scholastics took as evidence for necessary interpretation the following: 1. It is recorded in the Holy traditions that Allah shall address one of His servants on the judgment day saying, “I fell sick and you never came to visit me.” Feeling astonished, the servant would say, “O Lord! How can You fall sick?” Allah shall respond, “My servant so and so fell sick and you did not visit him. Verily, if you had visited him, you would have found me by his side.”

Besides teaching us that visiting those who are sick is an Islamic obligation, in this tradition Allah teaches us something very important: whenever He describes Himself with something that is not befitting for His rank or status, automatically this means that it has a different interpretation from the apparent meaning, and we should seek to turn the apparent meaning to an appropriate one. Another important point that we can learn from this tradition is that no matter how difficult and critical the situation is, believers remain steadfast for their beliefs. This servant whom Allah shall address on the judgment day is going to be questioned alone about his deeds, after this, it’s either Paradise or Hell; yet still, when he heard a question that collides with his firm creed, he questioned its correctness even though it was directed by Allah Himself.

2. It is recorded that after the battle of confederates ( Al-Ahzab), Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. ordered his companions to head towards the traitorous tribe of Banu-Quraizah saying, “Whomsoever hears my words, let him not pray the after-noon prayers (Al-Asr) except at Banu-Quraizah.” Though this was a decisive order with clear words, on their way to Banu-Quraizah, Al-Asr prayer was due. Some of the companions interpreted the prophet’s words to mean, “Hurry up as much as you can,” so they stopped and prayed. The other group took the words literally, and did not pray the obligatory prayer until they reached Banu-Quraizah. Later on, when they asked the prophet which action was correct, he considered both actions correct.

Hence, he approved on the interpretation approach, and the literalism approach.

3. Allah says in the Qur’an, “And your Lord never forgets.” [The Qur’an (19:64)].

This is a decisive verse. Its meaning is understood by all Muslims and logically accepted without any difference about it. Verily, Allah cannot be accused of any short comings like forgetfulness. But there is another verse which says, “Today We shall forget you like you forgot Our meeting on this day (i.e. the judgment day).”

[The Qur’an (45:34)]. The literal wording of the second verse says that Allah shall forget like His creatures do, which is impossible for His rank. Therefore, we have to turn the apparent meaning to another one befitting for Allah. Scholastics said that the verse means, “Today We shall neglect your begging for mercy like you neglected our warnings regarding the judgment day.”

4. Allah says in the Qur’an, “The Most Gracious is high above the Throne.” [The Qur’an (20:5)] and He also says, “He is with you wherever you are, He sees all that you do.”

[The Qur’an (57:4)]. If we were to take the second verse literally, the Qur’an would contradict itself which is impossible. Scholastics said that the meaning of the second verse is, “He is with you wherever you are with his knowledge, He sees what you do.”

Their interpretation actually makes the rest of the verse more understandable and resolves the dilemma of the literal contradiction.

From the previous few examples, it becomes clear that the forbidden interpretation meant in verse (3:7) is the one related to things which our human minds can neither perceive, nor imagine, like Allah’s essence, the time of the judgment day, the future, etc.

Hence, scholastics turned Allah’s attributes mentioned in the indecisive verses towards the closest acceptable meaning found in the decisive ones. They said:

 Allah’s hands are a reference to His Power and Omnipotence. The verse which says,

“Verily those who give pledge to you (O Muhammad), they are giving pledge to Allah,

Allah’s hand is above theirs. ” [The Qur’an (48:10)] means, “Allah’s power is with them.” Likewise, verse (38:75) mentioned earlier means “Why didn’t you prostrate yourself in honoring to what I have created with my might and power?”

 The tradition stating that Allah has created Adam in His image is a reference to creating Adam capable of seeing, hearing, thinking, having intelligence, etc.

 Allah’s face is a metaphoric reference for His existence.

 Allah’s rising ( Estwa’) above the throne ( ‘Arsh) has different linguistic meanings.

The Arabic word ( Estwa’) could mean: equilibrate, rise, become high, settle, capture, or seize control of. And the Arabic word ( ‘Arsh) could mean throne, building, or construction. With some trial and error, the most appropriate meaning which does not contradict the decisive verses would be, “Allah is high above the universe,”

which is confirmed by the verses that say, “He is the Most-High, the Great.”

[The Qur’an (34:23)] and the verse, “Are you more difficult to create or the heavens

(i.e. the surrounding universe) that He has constructed, He raised it high

and organized its construction.” [The Qur’an (79:27-28)]. Scholars agree that Allah created a magnificent throne above the universe, which the angels circumambulate continuously praising and worshipping Him. So some scholastics said that the meaning is, “Allah is high above the throne that’s above the universe.”

This doesn’t mean that Allah has a physical body with which he sits on this throne, it was simply constructed as a manifestation of His magnificence.

The main controversial points around which debates ensued:

 Seeing Allah on the judgment day:

Allah says in the Qur’an, “On that day (i.e. judgment day), some faces shall be radiant and shining, looking towards their lord. ” [The Qur’an (75:22-23)].

Prophet Muhammad said, “Do you compete among one another to see the sun when the sky is clear?” the companions said, “No.” The prophet then said, “And so shall you see Allah on the judgment day.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim].

A. Based on the previous verse and tradition, Salafists affirmed that on the judgment day all believers shall be granted special abilities which will enable them to see Allah with their own eyes.

B. Mu‘tazilies denied this vigorously, and stated that seeing Allah means that He could be confined in a certain place and in a certain direction that eyes can perceive, which is impossible for His rank as this necessitates that Allah has some kind of a materialistic body like creatures. They interpreted verse (75:23) to mean “waiting for their Lord’s grace and blessings.” They said that seeing Allah could only happen spiritually and mentally but not physically. They took as evidence on their opinion the verse which says, “Vision cannot perceive Him but He perceives all vision.”

[The Qur’an (6:103)]. Salafists responded to this saying that this verse is speaking about this worldly life not the hereafter, while verse (75:23) is speaking about the hereafter that has different laws and nature.

C. Ash‘aries and Matureedies adopted the same view of Salafists in this issue, they also affirmed that believers shall be able to see their Lord with their own eyes on the judgment day. They took as evidence the logical fact that anything that exists could be seen in a certain fashion befitting its existence, and Allah shall grant the believers the ability to see Him on the judgment day, He is capable over all things.

 Do we create our own deeds:

Allah says in the Qur’an, “On the Day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be repaid according to whatever it has done, and they will not

be wronged.” [The Qur’an (16:111)].

“We shall set up scales of justice on the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul can be in the least wronged. And even if actions were as small as a mustard seed, they shall be

weighed. Sufficient are We as Reckoner [of every deed].” [The Qur’an (21:47)].

“On that Day people will come forward in separate groups to be shown their deeds:

whoever has done good, even equal to the weight of an atom, he shall see it,

and whoever has done evil even equal to the weight of an atom, he shall see it.”

[The Qur’an (99:6-8)].

Based on the previous verses, Muslim scholars agreed that people were created having free wills. Their actions are the result of their own choices, for if it weren’t so, then how come that they shall be rewarded for their good deeds, or punished for their bad ones?!

This view entailed a tough philosophical debate between the Mu‘tazilies and the Ash‘aries. It all started with this question, “Do we create our own deeds through the freewill which Allah has granted us, or do we just gain those deeds based on our intentions, while Allah is the one who actually creates them?!”

A. Mu‘tazilies divided Allah’s will into two kinds, the first is that of fate and predestination, whatever happens through fate is something that we cannot evade or control, nor do we get rewarded or punished for it. Example: the time of birth, our parents and relatives, the time of death, the manner of death, the people whom we encounter during life, the places we visit, the amount of money which we earn, our sickness and health, etc. The second kind is that of authorization, meaning that Allah authorized us to make our own actions. Based on this kind, we were entrusted to abide by Allah’s messages and obey His messengers, and we shall be judged. Later on, we shall either be rewarded or punished based on our own choices and actions. Mu‘tazilies affirmed that this is not done outside Allah’s will; on the contrary, it was His will to create us able to choose and create our own deeds in order to test us. They placed as evidence on this opinion the fact that Allah desires truthful faith and righteous lives for His servants, but He does not force them to embrace any of that. He says in the Qur’an, “Say (O Muhammad), ‘This is the truth from your Lord.

Let whoever wills believe, and whoever wills deny. ’” [The Qur’an (18:29)].

Allah also says, “Blessed is He in whose hand is the creation: He has power over all things, He created death and life so that He might test you, and find out which of

you are best in conduct. He is the Mighty, the Most Forgiving One.” [The Qur’an (67:1-2)]. Last but not least, Allah is not pleased with disbelief but still it happens, which further proves that we have freewill, and are able to create our own deeds.

B. Ash‘aries refused this opinion and said that nothing of what we do is actually created by us, but Allah is the sole creator of everything. What happens is that whenever we make a choice and have enough determination to undertake a certain action, Allah creates a temporary power in our bodies that enables us to do it ( Al-Kasb).

Consequently, we are judged based on our intentions, which is confirmed by what the prophet P.B.U.H. said, “Actions are but by intentions.” They took as evidence on their opinion the verse which says, “Allah created you and what you do. ”

[The Qur’an (37:96)]. Mu‘tazilies responded saying that the mentioned verse’s context implies another meaning, Allah says, “[Abraham’s] people came rushing towards him, but he said, ‘How can you worship things you carve with your own hands, when it is Allah who has created you and all your handiwork?” [The Qur’an (37:94-96)]. From the context, Prophet Abraham was referring to the fact that they utilized wood and stones in craving idols which they worshipped, while they denied Allah who created them and the materials they were using in carving their idols. This is made obvious in the verse which says, “Glory be to Allah, the best of creators.”

[The Qur’an (23:14)]. Of course, there is no creator but Allah; what the verse here implies is that Allah is the best creator for He created the materials and elements from which everything is made. Unlike us, we need tools and materials to invent or create anything, and all of these materials are Allah’s creation. Ash‘aries stated another verse, “That is Allah your Lord, there is no deity except Him, the Creator of all

things, so worship Him, He is the disposer of all things.” [The Qur’an (6:102)].

Mu‘tazilies responded to this verse saying that there is no conflict between it and their opinion, for Allah is the one who created us having the ability to create our own deeds.

C. Matureedies adopted a similar view to that of Ash‘aries, but they divided the effective power behind any action into two halves: the first is the power which creates the deed itself and this is from Allah, while the second is the power which affects the mode and manner of its occurrence and this one is from ourselves.

D. Salafists adopted a similar view to that of Ash‘aries in this issue. They denied any ability for humans to create their own deeds outside the will of Allah. They agreed that Allah is the one who creates our deeds and that we are judged based on our intentions. Prophet Muhammad said, “Actions are but by intentions;” hence, our main task is to adjust our intentions.

Sheikh Abd-Ur-Rahman Al-Jezery said, “Actually the verses [tackling this issue] could be understood according to all of the previous views, which makes it impossible for any of the arguing teams to make their opinion prevail.”

 Bringing the Qur’an to existence:

Allah says in the Qur’an, “To some of [the prophets] Allah spoke. ” [The Qur’an (2:253)].

“And Allah spoke to Moses directly. ” [The Qur’an (4:164)].

“And if any of the polytheists seeks your protection, grant him your protection may he listen to the words of Allah, then let him reach his sanctuary.” [The Qur’an (9:6)].

Based on the previous verses, Muslim scholars agreed that Allah speaks, and the Qur’an which we have between our hands conveys to us His speech in the form of verbal words.

They differed in understanding the second half of the previous sentence.

A. Mu‘tazilies said that the Qur’an is Allah’s speech in meaning, He created it in words and sentences to communicate with His creatures. Their evidence on this is that the verses of the Qur’an are formed of sentences, words and letters; by logic, these were created at a certain time, they are not infinitely preexistent.

B. Ash‘aries differentiated between self-speech, and the actual speech in words and sentences. They said that the actual speech in words is created because it ends as soon as the utterance of the words is finished, while self-speech is one of Allah’s eternal attributes, its existence is connected to His infinite preexistence. They said that Allah can create the ability in whomever He likes among His prophets to hear and understand this infinitely preexistent speech, and this is how they interpret verse (4:164). Their evidence on the division of any speech into self-speech and actual uttered words is that we all practice it, and the Qur’an testifies for it in the verses which say, “and inwardly they say, ‘Why doesn’t Allah punish us for what we say?’”

[The Qur’an (58:8)], and “Whether you speak inwardly or aloud, He knows what is in every heart.” [The Qur’an (67:13)].

C. Salafists did not indulge into the matter or differentiate between self-speech and verbal speech. They insisted that the Qur’an is Allah’s speech uncreated, just as anything related to Allah’s attributes cannot be created.

D. Matureedies adopted a similar view to that of the Ash‘aries, but when they interpreted verse (4:164) they said that Allah created the voice which Moses P.B.U.H. heard from the blessed tree, and this voice related to Moses Allah’s preexistent eternal speech.

 Those who commit major sins:

Allah says in the Qur’an, “Those who when they have committed atrocity or have wronged their souls, remember Allah and pray that their sins be forgiven— for who but Allah can forgive sins?—and do not knowingly persist on their misdeeds while they know.”

[The Qur’an (3:135)].

“Indeed, Allah shall not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whomever He wills. Whoever ascribes partners to Allah, he has indeed done a monstrous sin.” [The Qur’an (4:48)].

“Say [O Muhammad], ‘[Allah says], “O my servants, who have transgressed their limits by committing evil sins, do not despair of Allah’s mercy,” verily Allah forgives all sins.

He is truly the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.’ ” [The Qur’an (39:53)].

“To Allah belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. He forgives whomever He pleases, and punishes whomever He pleases. Ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.”

[The Qur’an (48:14)].

Based on the previous verses, Muslim scholars agreed that Allah forgives all sins—major or minor—for whoever repents and asks for forgiveness; the only condition is that this person is a believer who does not associate any partners with Allah. Associating partners with Allah is a fatal sin in Islam. They also agreed that the believer who dies before repenting from making major sins shall be judged by Allah, if He wills He shall punish Him, and if He wills He shall forgive Him; Allah is Most-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.

If this person was to be punished by Allah—may Allah save us all—he shall receive the proper punishment, and then he shall be brought out from the hellfire and admitted into paradise. No believer or even a person with one jot of faith in his or her heart shall remain in the hellfire forever. Mu‘tazilies had a different opinion; they said that those who commit major sins are not considered believers. If they die before repenting, they shall be admitted into the hellfire and dwell therein forever. Their punishment shall be less than that of those who never believed during their lives. The main reason behind those different opinions was the definition of faith, and whether deeds and actions are part of faith or not.

A. Ash‘aries considered faith to be an affirmation by the heart, while deeds and actions are the fruit of sincere faith.

B. Matureedies adopted the same opinion but set uttering the testimonies a condition for truthful faith.

C. Mu‘tazilies considered faith to be an affirmation by the heart, the tongue and the deeds altogether. This is why they considered the one who commits major sins to be in a middle rank between believers and deniers. If he dies before repenting sincerely, then he won’t be considered a believer and shall dwell in Hell forever.

D. Salafists adopted an intermediate position between all sects, they considered faith to be an affirmation by the heart, the tongue and the deeds altogether. They stated that submission of the heart entails submission of the body. They took as evidence the fact that Allah always describes the believers in the Qur’an through their deeds and actions, but they refused the claim of Mu‘tazilies that Allah shall punish those who commit major sins by casting them into the hellfire forever. Their opinion regarding this point was like that of Ash‘aries and Matureedies. Their opinion was built upon the Qur’anic verses alongside some prophetic traditions like the one in which Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said, “Faith has more than 60 parts, the highest of which is to confess that there is no deity but Allah, and the least of which is to remove harmful objects from the roads, and decency is part of faith.” [Recorded by Bukhari and Muslim]. In this tradition the prophet made it clear that some deeds, ethics, and morals are considered parts of faith.

I would like to conclude this point with this part of a very long tradition speaking about the judgment day. It was recorded by Imam Muslim that Companion

Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri reported that the prophet P.B.U.H. said,

“The bridge would be set up over Hell, intercession would be allowed, and believers shall keep on uttering this supplication: ‘O Lord, protect us and keep us safe’

It was asked, “O Prophet, what is this bridge?”

He said, “It’s a passageway above the void in which one is likely to slip. There would be hooks, tongs, and spits like the thorn found in Najd deserts, known as Sa‘dan.

Believers shall pass over it within the twinkle of an eye, like lightning, like wind, like a bird, like the fastest horses and camels. Some will be saved, some will be lacerated and let go, and some will be pushed into the Hellfire, until believers are rescued from the Fire. I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, there will be none more eager to invoke Allah for [saving their] brethren from the Hellfire than the believers on the Resurrection Day. They shall say, ‘O Lord, they used to fast, pray and perform pilgrimage with us.’

It will be said to them, ‘Take out those whom you recognize.’

Those people shall be saved from Fire, and they would take out a large number of people who had been overtaken by the Flames up to the middle of their shanks or up to their knees. They would then say, ‘O Lord, none remains therein from the ones whom you commanded us to bring out.’

Allah shall then say, ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find the weight of one dinar of goodness.’

So they will take out a large number of people, then they would say, ‘O Lord, not one of those whom You commanded us to save have we left therein.’

Allah would then say, ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as half a dinar of goodness.’

Then they will take out a large number of people, and would say, ‘O Lord, not one of those whom You commanded us to save have we left therein.’

Allah would then say, ‘Go back and bring out those in whose hearts you find as much as one jot of goodness.’

They would bring out a large number of people, and would then say, ‘O Lord, we have left none having any good in his or her heart.’ ”

Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri then said, “If you don’t accept this tradition, then recite if you wish the verse which says, ‘Verily Allah never wrongs [any soul], not even the weight of an atom, if it is a good deed, He multiplies it and grants from Himself a great reward.’ [The Qur’an (4:40)].

Then Allah, the Exalted, the Great, would say, ‘The angels have interceded, the apostles have interceded, and the believers have interceded, and no one remains (to grant pardon) but the Most-Merciful of all those who are merciful.’

He will then take a handful from Fire, and bring out people who never did any good

[during their lives] and had been turned into charcoal. He will cast them into a river called the river of life on the outskirts of Paradise. They will come out like the seed comes out from silt carried by flood. They will come forth like pearls with seals on their necks. The inhabitants of Paradise would recognize them [and say], ‘Those are the ones who have been saved by the Most-Compassionate One, He has admitted them into Paradise without having done any good deeds in advance.’

Then Allah shall say, ‘Enter Paradise, whatever you see in it is yours.’

They would say, ‘O Lord, You have bestowed upon us favors which You have not bestowed upon anyone else.’

He would say, ‘There is still a favor kept for you that is better than all of this.’

They would say, ‘O Lord! What could be better than all this?’

He would say, ‘It is My Content. I will never be angry with you after this.’ ”

O Allah, fill our hearts with the light of truth, and grant us your pardon in this life and the next as well. O Allah, don’t forsake us for ourselves without any guidance or we shall perish.

O Allah, grant us your blessings in each and every step we take on the righteous path, and let us not go astray till we return to You, Amen.

Finally, I would like to address the reader: The madness of accusing others of infidelity for having a different understanding from yours should stop. By all means, you cannot accuse any person of infidelity merely for having a different opinion in any of the above matters that are all hard to understand for most people, set aside the fact that they are debatable. Accept whatever opinion you see most correct, and ask Allah to enlighten your brothers and sisters, and help all people reach the truth. That would be way better than wasting your time debating and accusing others of disbelief.

Some young students say that Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal accused anyone who dared say that, “the Qur’an was brought into being” of blasphemy, and he even accused those who refused to say that they were infidels of infidelity. They take the Imam’s words as evidence on the legitimacy of accusing their opposition with this abominable accusation.

They neglect the circumstances under which Imam Ahmad said those words. For your knowledge, Imam Ahmad was imprisoned for 18 months; during which, he was flogged daily until he fainted from pain. He received this punishment because he refused to compromise his freedom of speech. Anyone in his place would have accused his torturers of disbelief; no one who tortures Allah’s servants like this could be considered a faithful believer who knows or fears Allah. Islam orders us to show mercy in our treatment to animals, how be it with human beings? By all means, the generality in the Imam’s words must be excused and understood in this context. Before his tribulation, he never accused anyone of blasphemy or disbelief. Imam Ahmad was one of the bravest and most truthful believer; those like him never issue general blasphemy judgments without an individual academic argument. You can still read his arguments with the great Imams of his time regarding lesser things in jurisprudence books.

As we respect Imam Ahmad’s stand for what he believed in, we should also respect others when they do the same, or else, we would be hypocrites. Any controversial issue can be discussed in a civilized academic manner, and the final judgment should be left for the listeners. No one can claim that he or she knows the absolute truth. We are all avid truth seekers. I hope that all sincere truth seekers will be gathered some day in a better place, no matter how different they used to be, a place in which no more arguments are heard, a place in which all people shall rejoice with Allah’s reward, Amen.

This is the end of the first section of the book.

All praises be to Al ah for granting me the ability to finish it.

I hope the reader has found it enriching and beneficial.

Section II: Preaching Islam

This section is dedicated to a very important issue that occupies the minds of sincere Muslim youths, which is “Preaching Islam.” The deterioration of the Islamic nations, and the misconceptions thrown at the faces of the youths agitates the desire of their sincere ones to learn how to preach and defend their religion. Of course this is great, but a problem emerges when this inclination takes a deviant form that makes them renounce their academic studies seeking to dedicate themselves solely to this issue.

Their sincerity is more than appreciated, but their exaggeration is not from Islam.

Islam is the religion of intermediacy. Preaching Islam needs successful engineers, doctors, scientists, writers, artists, etc., exactly like it needs knowledgeable scholars.

I hope that those youths wil find this book satisfying for their wish to learn about Islam without forsaking the other academic studies or renouncing their professional careers, which is extremely important for their nation.

*****

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The Methodology of Preaching Islam

Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said, “Convey on my behalf, even one verse.”

Unlike what many Muslims think, preaching Islam is not about converting others to Islam, making presentations about Islam, giving lessons in mosques, having the prophetic traditions hanged on billboards in non-Muslim countries, etc. Those acts neither improve people’s understanding of Islam, nor even urge them to respect it as an important religion. If by coincidence they do, it is always individual cases, and their admiration is mostly directed towards the presenter while their view of Islam remains the same.

All people understand that presenters are well trained on attracting others to what they present. Presenters usually beautify their commodity even if it were the most terrible.

Religion is not a commodity, so please don’t treat it like one. In my opinion, presenting Islam in an attractive manner is not the proper way of preaching Islam, and it has many negative impacts on the presenter him or herself. From what I have seen so far, they think so high of themselves and they can’t even notice it. Please understand that the best preachment you can give is the one you give to yourself. When you repair your own defects and immoralities, you will automatically teach others about Islam through real practice, and the outcome shall be amazing to the farthest extent.

Many Muslim youths fall in the widely spread nets of false sheikhs. They are amazed when they hear that they have converted too many people to Islam by their preachments in non-Muslim countries. They feel so small and unworthy of any reward in the hereafter for not being like those so-called sheikhs. Know that the effort you make inside your country, in your daily job sincerely while enduring all hardships, showing patience, and dealing with others in the best manner like the prophet did, serves Islam millions of times more than those ‘fancy sheikhs’ do. Islam doesn’t need preachers who speak about it, it needs preachers who practice it. An honest poor Muslim farmer preaches Islam a thousand times better than those fancy figures; an honest merchant preaches Islam a thousand times better than a sheikh on a mosque’s pulpit; a noble soldier preaches Islam, a good doctor preaches Islam, a diligent engineer preaches Islam, a sincere husband preaches Islam, a dedicated wife preaches Islam, etc.

By all means, preaching Islam is about interacting with other people honestly with noble manners and a sound heart. You don’t need to utter one word from the Qur’an or the Sunnah by your tongue. Conveying a Qur’anic verse or a prophetic tradition through your practice is what counts. This is what the tradition atop the page means; otherwise, it’s an invitation to hypocrisy, and this could never be what the prophet P.B.U.H. meant.

If in this course you were asked by a Muslim brother or sister, or a fellow non-Muslim about what Islam or the Qur’an says regarding a certain issue, only then you can open the Qur’an, recite the verses, and explain them in a brief easy manner using a language which this person understands.

Allah says in the Qur’an, “Invite (people) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in the best of manners. Surely, your Lord knows best the one who deviates from His way, and He knows best the ones who are on the right path.” [The Qur’an (16:125)].

Allah mentioned “wisdom” before “fair preaching.” Verily, it’s from wisdom to realize that if you wish to preach Islam, you should earn the respect of others first through fair interaction, good ethics, and professional expertise; otherwise, any preaching you give is going to be an extremely harmful thing to Islam. Islam needs practical preaching more than verbal preaching.

Allah says in the Qur’an, “O mankind! Be pious to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul, and from its kind He created its match, and from them He created many men and women, so fear Allah through Whom you demand (Your mutual rights), and do not sever the relations of the wombs. Verily Allah is ever an All-Watcher over you.”

[The Qur’an (4:1)].

So we are all “One Family,” and being one family means that we should be “kind & Just”

towards one another. Allah also says in the Qur’an, “O mankind, We have created you from males and females, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight are those who are most pious.

Verily Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [The Qur’an (49:13)].

Hence, Allah teaches us that we should get to know one another without any restrictions placed on race, nationality, religion, or anything else. The noblest people in Allah’s sight are not Arabs, Asians, Europeans, nothing of that sort, the noblest are those who are most pious, those who have good manners and noble characters, those who are honest and sincere. Prophet Muhammad said, “Truthful religion is sincerity.” He also said,

“There is a morsel inside your body which if you repair, your whole body becomes virtuous; verily it’s your heart.” Hence, preach Islam by repairing your heart.

It’s true that under the stresses of the world injustices we suffer from today, some semi-knowledgeable Muslims who don’t have enough understanding of Allah’s laws and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah reciprocate hatred towards other nations instead of knowledge; this is not from Islam. Actually, this contradicts the innate human nature ( Fitrah) as well as the Qur’anic teachings in a manifest way endangering its doer to be misguided in this life and deserve Allah’s wrath in the hereafter. Allah says in the Qur’an,

“Allah does not forbid you with regards to those who did not fight you on account of faith, and did not expel you from your homes (i.e. occupy your lands), that you do good to them, and deal justly with them. Verily Allah loves those who maintain justice.” [The Qur’an (60:8)].

Muslims have been inflicted for a very long time by two kinds of religious figures that try all the time to occupy their minds. Occupying lands doesn’t matter anymore, your mind is the target. The weapons of war have changed centuries ago, but unfortunately, simple people don’t realized this. The first kind of those alleged religious figures neither teaches people about their religion, nor allows them to acquire true knowledge from the proper sources which they are very keen on sabotaging through their owned TV channels, or by flooding the stores with their books. The second kind–which is more dangerous in my opinion–is more smart and smooth, it utilizes part of the previous method besides monopolizing the teaching positions in the religious institutions. They seek avidly to brainwash their students and convert them to a flock of sheep that acknowledge anything they say without any questioning. Although they claim they are serving religion, 86

both kinds aim at mobilizing people in crowds at their doors in order to use them for reasons which they never declare. Allah knows best, but sometimes I get the feeling that their aim is to drive people away from truly learning their religion and practicing it properly. Unfortunately most people follow those sheikhs like zombies. People who try to read, learn, and criticize or object to anything stated by those sheikhs are immediately cast away like lepers.

There is a great difference between true scholars and false Sheikhs. The way to distinguish between them is easier than you think, those who try to occupy your mind with their opinions, and create from you a duplicated copy of themselves are false Sheikhs; while those who try to liberate your mind and urge you to learn, think, and criticize according to logical disciplines are the ones from whom you should seek council and knowledge.

When you read about the most knowledgeable scholars in the Islamic history, you will find that they were intelligent lofty-cultured bookworms. One famous example known worldwide is Imam Ibn Rushd (520-595 A.H.)–Latinized as “Averroes”–he used to read every night at least 40 pages. It is said that he never missed any night except when he got married, and when his father died. Hence, by all means READ and LEARN, free your mind from those who love to stagger followers underneath their feet. Don’t degrade your intellectual capabilities and think that you are incapable of differentiating between wrong and right. Don’t trust any word you read simply because the one who wrote it is an acknowledged scholar. Scholars are human too, they build false opinions that could be revised and denied when found wrong. Imam Abu Hanifah allowed his students to adopt different opinions from his own, he even ordered them to write down their opinions besides his. This did not degrade the Imam’s status, on the contrary it made him the

“Grand Imam.” Imam Mālek used to say, “Anyone is subjected to make mistakes and build wrong opinions that could be questioned except the prophet P.B.U.H.” Imam Shāfe‘i used to say, “My opinion is right having a possibility of turning out to be wrong, and the other opinions are wrong having a possibility of turning out to be right.” Because of their deep knowledge and open mindedness, no one of them ever accused the other of going astray or being a heretic; on the contrary, Imam Abu Hanifah prayed behind the Mālekites in Madinah; Imam Shāfe‘i prayed in the same style of the Hanafists when he led the prayers near Abu Hanifah’s tomb; Imam Mālek told Imam Al-Layth Ibn Sa‘d, “He is truly a knowledgeable jurist,” referring to Abu Hanifah; Imam Ahmad said, “Mālek is my most beloved among all traditionists,” etc. This was the kind of respect and spiritual unity those knowledgeable early Imams had, that’s mainly because they were holding tight to the most treasured hoard in Islam, “Morals and Ethics.”

Acquiring deep knowledge about the Islamic sciences takes a life time and is not an obligation on every Muslim, but attaining the Islamic moralities is. Muslims cannot all be knowledgeable scholars, but they must all seek to be pious and noble-minded.

The prophet P.B.U.H. was a model by his ethics and morals; he taught his companions through real practice. Muslims need to stop talking and start learning and practicing immediately, or else, there won’t be any deliverance for them.

When we speak about the methodology of preaching Islam, we must look at the preacher of all preachers, the monk of all monks, the best husband, father, companion and friend; we must seek an example in Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. Let’s get a portrayal of this mighty preacher who single handedly changed the world.

There was no one more handsome than the Prophet P.B.U.H., as if the sun runs in his face, whenever he smiled, sparkles almost reflected on to the walls. His face was a little rounded, white with a red tinge. His hair was neither straight nor curly, and his forelock’s hair reached his earlobes. He had big eyes with long eyelashes. He had wide bone structure with broad shoulders. He was neither fat nor skinny, neither tall nor short, but of moderate height among the people.

He was the best in conduct, most generous, most auspicious boding well, most truthful, most easy going, best companion, and most courageous among all people. At first sight, one would fear his solemnity, but loves him when he gets to know him. It’s quiet often to read his describer saying, “I’ve never seen anyone of his like, neither before him nor after him.”

He never spoke in narrations like that of ours, but his speech was always plain and clear with separate sentences that could be memorized by the listeners. He never talked to anyone except smiling in his face. “I never saw anyone more cheerful than the Prophet P.B.U.H.,” was usually how his companions described him. He was the most pleasant and simple-hearted among all people. Whenever he was pleased with something, his face shined like the full moon. His hospitality and generosity were matchless. His gifts and endowments manifested a man who does not fear poverty.

He always joined in household work, and would at times mend his clothes, repair his footwear, and sweep the floor. He would milk, tether and feed the animals, and do the household shopping. He was always cheerful, pleasant-tempered and lenient. His broad mindedness and tolerance embraced all of his students, and entitled him to be regarded as father for them all. He was willingly and modestly obeyed by everyone. For him, all people were equal. No one was better than another except on the criterion of piety.

A favored one to him was the most pious .

His assembly was a meeting of clemency, patience, and honesty. Voices were never raised in rows or riots. He always esteemed the old, reflected mercy on the young, assisted the needy, and entertained his guests.

He always walked in solemnity. He was always modest and most shy. He was the first to cast his eyes down. He never stared at anybody’s face. He always lowered his looks.

He looked ground-wards more than he looked sky-wards. His utmost looks at people were glances. He was the most beloved person to all of his companions; whenever they saw him approaching, they wouldn’t get up in his honor only because they knew how much he hated that.

Among his ethical and moral teachings are the following:

“The one who strives on taking care of widows and the needy is like him who is serving Allah.”

“Always Show gentleness, for if gentleness is found in anything, it beautifies it, and when it is taken out from anything, it spoils it.”

“Never turn away any needy beggar from your doorstep empty-handed even if you have nothing but half a dried date. Love the poor, bring them near to you, and Allah shall bring you near to Him on the Resurrection Day.”

“Seek me among your weak ones, for you are given sustenance only by reason of their presence.”

“Spend in charity and don’t fear diminution.”

“No wealth is ever decreased by alms, and Allah never enriches the one who forgives except with glory, and no one ever acts humbly except that Allah honors him.”

“Those who are merciful are treated mercifully by the All Merciful. So be merciful to those on earth, and you shall receive mercy by the One in heavens.”

“Follow the bad deed with a good one, and it shall erase it; and treat people with good manners. The best among you are those with best manners.”

“Renounce the worldly pleasures, Allah will love you, and forsake seeking after the likes of what people have, and they will love you.”

“Maintain relations with those who have broken off relations with you, feed those who have deprived you, and pardon those who have oppressed you.”

“Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales. Do not look for other people’s faults and do not spy. Do not be jealous of one another, and do not desert (cut your relation with) one another. Do not hate one another, and be like brothers.”

“Oh People, your Creator is one. There is neither superiority for a white man on a black one, nor for a black man on a white one except by piety.”

“Love for all people what you love for yourself. No one realizes the truth about faith except when he loves for all people what he loves for himself.”

“Children are Allah’s beloved.”

“To honor those who are old is to show glorification to Allah.”

“He is not one of us him who doesn’t respect our elders, show mercy to our children, enjoin what’s right, and forbid what’s harmful.”

This was just a quick view of the prophet’s personality and teachings as a preacher.

He is our model and our hope for the better persons whom we would love to be. He is our most beloved. May the Creator’s Praises and Blessings be upon our mentor; may the Creator’s Peace and Blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad.

When Lady ‘Āʾishah described the prophet P.B.U.H. she said, “His manners were a personification of the Qur’an.” Other companions described him saying that he was a walking Qur’an. From this we can learn that a good preacher must do his or her best to abide by the same ethical and moral code of the prophet to the best of his or her capacity. Whenever you feel uncomfortable towards any action, ask yourself:

“If the prophet was in my place, would he have done that?”

Unfortunately, after we were entertained by speaking about the prophet P.B.U.H., we have to come back down to earth and take a look at the Muslim preachers of today.

Instead of adorning themselves with the prophet’s ethics and morals, they adorn themselves with the number of their followers and their twitter accounts. Instead of educating people about Islam through just fair interaction, all they do is empty verbal preaching, and presenting useless TV programs which disperse the listeners into deviant paths in this life. Instead of hating to see their students get up in their honoring, today’s false sheikhs let their followers bow down and kiss their hands. Instead of being cheerful 89

and easy going, today’s sheikhs are extremely repulsive. Instead of being courageous and having enough integrity to advance the lines defending those who cannot defend themselves, today’s sheikhs only speak, run and hide. Instead of having enough integrity to speak their hearts in the face of their opposition, today’s sheikhs only speak in closed circles amidst their followers; they never utter a word in the open. Instead of making people’s lives easier, today’s sheikhs seek each and every opportunity to complicate it, etc. How can a nation led by such figures ever prevail! It’s a mercy from Allah that this nation still exists when its tribulation is in its religious figures. It’s time to stop following those false sheikhs who have filled up the earth. It is time to start following Prophet Muhammad, learn from his example, and rebuild our faith.

Many preachers mix politics with Islam; they seek to drive people towards a certain political direction which have come to exist under the name Islamism. Islamists claim that they want to apply the Islamic Shari‘ah through today’s legitimate political channels. They propagate the idea that our societies have forsaken Islam a long time ago and we need to get back to it once more. As a person who never ever during his life joined any of those groups, and neither did most of my acquaintances, this makes me wonder: If we have forsaken Islam then why are we so distressed by its set back? Why are we trying to clear the tons of misconceptions thrown at it by extremists? Why are we accused of hypocrisy and infidelity by those who never met or dealt with us not even once during our lives? Why are those people filled with so much hatred and violence though most of them lead easy lives, are well educated, and many of them have even continued their education abroad? Why are we the first ones they are always willing to fight and kill while they always claim that they want to fight for those who are oppressed in Palestine?!

All these questions cross my mind and I continue to wonder: Was Islam really lost with time? Am I truly an infidel and I can’t realize so?! You have to pardon my thoughts, the tons of blood that had been shed by these groups—mostly Muslim blood—bewilder me and block my reason. Let’s go back to the beginning and try to think reasonably.

We stated earlier that Ibn ‘Uqail said, “Politics is every decision taken seeking to improve people’s lives and fight corruption, even if it were a decision that the prophet P.B.U.H.

never took nor is there any injunction in the Qur’an referring to it. Whoever says,

‘There is no politics except for the matters that the Shari‘ah has tackled,’ is surly mistaken and claiming that the companions were innovators.”

Prophet Muhammad was not a politician, a congressman, an ambassador or a minister.

He never held any of those positions. He never sought after them among his tribe Quraysh though they all existed in a certain fashion during his time. He never gave any fancy political speeches throughout his life, nor did he ever claim to know about politics.

When he was offered by the polytheists of Makkah to be declared as their king in return for waiving the preaching of Islam, he refused and said, “If they were to put the sun in my right palm and the moon in my left, I shall never stop preaching Islam till I see it prevail or die trying;” and he insisted on preaching his message in the face of persecution, insults, social boycott, poverty, hunger, brutal physical assaults, and being targeted to kill by most Arabs. For this reason, he became the best preacher ever.

After 13 years of preaching Islam, the prophet immigrated to Madinah. By that time, the majority of the community there had already embraced Islam, they believed in him to be a messenger from their Creator, so they obeyed him more than they would have done with any king. Consequently, any worldly life problem or complaint was automatically raised to the prophet P.B.U.H. This is why—during this stage—his prophethood took the shape of a political position. Back then, the number of people in Madinah was very few and so were their needs and problems. Through his sincerity and modesty, he succeeded in handling the political issues in an astonishing democratic manner at a time when the earth hadn’t known yet the meaning of democracy, but only knew monarchy.

When companion ‘Odai Ibn Hatem narrated the story of his faith, he described the prophet saying, “I traveled seeking to meet the prophet at Madinah. When I arrived, I found him praying in the mosque. I entered and greeted him. He looked at me and said, ‘Who is the traveler?’ I answered: ‘ ‘Odai Ibn Hatem.’ He got up welcomed me, and held my hand inviting me persistently to his house. On the way there, a very old weak woman called him by his name. He stopped and kept on listening to her demands for a very long time.

I said to myself, ‘I can swear that this is not a king.’ When she finished, we went along.

When we entered his house, he picked up a pillow made of leather stuffed with arum, and handed it to me saying, ‘Sit on this.’ Noticing it was the only one inside the room, I said, ‘No, you sit on it.’ But he insisted saying, ‘No, but you sit on it,’ and he sat on the floor. Seeing this, I said to myself, ‘I swear that this could never be the life conditions of a king.’ ” [Recorded by Ibn Ishāq, Ibn Hishām and others].

Hence, the prophet P.B.U.H. did not come to teach any of the political sciences which we know today. He was sent to educate each and every human being, whether a king, a politician, an engineer, a doctor, a nurse, a scientist, a husband, a servant, a farmer, etc., about the Creator of this universe, and how to be a truthful sincere servant to Him, whether you are a president, or a peasant.

What’s truly amazing is that some non-Muslims understand this easily when they read about Islam, while some Muslims don’t. Sarojini Naidu, The famous poetess of India said,

“It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy, for in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded, and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: ‘God Alone is Great’ I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother.”

Emirate or governorship is not a desirable position in the prophet’s teachings.

On the contrary, it was recorded by Bukhari and Muslim that two men entered on the prophet and said, “Instate us as governors O prophet.” The prophet P.B.U.H. replied saying, “We [Muslims] do not instate those who seek governorship or are desirous of it.”

They also recorded that Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. said, “Him who seeks after emirate does not receive aid [from Allah] if instated, but him who is instated without seeking after it, he shall receive Allah’s aid.”

Abu Hurayrah reported that the prophet P.B.U.H. said, “Verily you shall be keen on emirate; on the judgment day, it shall be a great remorse.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

The prophet described emirate saying, “It’s a trust, and in the hereafter, it shall be a disgrace and remorse.” [Recorded by Bukhari].

Allah orders us to improve people’s lives and preserve it, each and every person according to his or her capacity. The sweeper who cleans the streets is doing this according to his capacity, the physician who treats those who are sick is doing this according to his capacity, the wife who raises good children and takes care of her husband is doing so, the ruler who promulgates fair laws is doing so, etc. All of the previous in the general sense of the word is from Islam, but there are no specific injunctions in the Shari‘ah tackling the means and measures that should be taken in order to fulfill any of those tasks in the best manner. For instance when ‘Omar established the judicial and postal systems as a Caliph, he was not following any prescribed laws in the Shari‘ah, this was common sense, it is something which people’s lives needed in order to go on in an upright manner.

The simple man whom the prophet praised for cutting down a tree that narrowed the road was not following a prescribed injunction in Shari‘ah. Shari‘ah orders us to do what’s right and beneficial, and to fight corruption and what’s harmful wherever we may be.

Think about any of the above mentioned examples, do we actually need revelations from beyond the boundaries of the universe in order to carry them out. These are matters of common sense, they don’t need a rocket scientist to deduce their necessity. What’s the use of being created having this fascinating mind if you are going to halt its utilization and insist that you need divine revelations in order to act in worldly life matters?!

The prophet P.B.U.H. said, “You are more aware of this worldly life affairs and their disposal.” Politics is the system through which worldly life affairs could be maintained properly. And because it’s a matter of worldly life, Islam never prescribed a certain way for practicing it, nor did the companions agree on a certain fashion for practicing it after the prophet’s departure. Each and every one of the rightly guided Caliphs had his own manner of governorship. Each one of them followed a different path in instating governors and observing their performance. Each one of them followed a different path in responding to people’s complaints based on the situation at hand. The examples are endless here. Likewise, Islam doesn’t teach Muslims how to reclaim the desert, it doesn’t utter a word about how to cultivate wheat or cotton, nor does it speak of how to build up factories or develop modern technologies; there is no mentioning whatsoever of how to develop a remedy for encephalitis, carditis, hepatitis, etc. I can have a field day with this issue. What Islam orders us to do is to seek avidly after knowledge, preserve this earth and remember our Lord’s perfection for everything in each and every act we carryout.

Near the end of his life, Caliph ‘Omar Ibn Al-Khattab invoked Allah saying,

“O Lord, the number of my subjects has increased vastly, and my ability to fulfill their needs is getting weaker, so please pardon me and let me return to you without being negligent or disregardful.”

It is extremely important to understand those words, if the people’s number is few, it is easy for one man to fulfill their needs and respond to their complaints; but as this number increases, this task needs more and more men to fulfill it. Example: when the number of people increases, the need for more cultivated lands to produce enough crops shall ensue.

If the increase continues, the need to reclaim desert lands shall evolve, and consequently shall the need for specialized agricultural engineers and modern agricultural machinery.

This shall entail the need for specialized mechanical engineers, etc. Planning and coordination between all these disciplines, solving their problems, and providing their needs entail the need for governmental employees dedicated to handling such issues.

Employees need intelligent managers to handle each and every department of service required by the people; those managers are the ones we call ministers. Ministers must be supervised by a chief minister who coordinates the cooperation between them all and reports all matters to the head of the state. This head of state must be capable of managing matters of politics and war; he must take care of the people’s needs and reform their lives while protecting them from any enemy.

Therefore, the knowledge and ability of religious scholars in solving people’s problems stand ineffective in modern times because solving those problems is not a matter of religion alone, it’s a matter of science, invention, research, development, homeland security, and so many other things. This requires a team of people from different academic backgrounds to work together and contribute in handling things. What scholars should do

—besides teaching people about their religion—is to investigate what people’s lives need and preach its implementation. They should educate the youths about the importance of these tasks, and encourage them to learn and become highly educated researchers and inventors who can serve their community. Reclaiming the desert has become incumbent, so it is an Islamic obligation that scholars incite its implementation. Treating people’s pains and maladies is something necessary, so it is an Islamic obligation on preachers to urge researchers find remedies. Establishing factories that produce the necessary utilities we need in our lives is something essential, so it is an Islamic obligation that preachers instigate engineers to build those factories, etc.

The previous are necessary acts that could not be undertaken by politicians, sheikhs or jurists. Only those who are specialized in such fields can carry out such missions.

It is the politician’s duty to support, plan and facilitate the task for specialists, and secure the supplement of all their needs. It is the scholar’s duty to make investigations about people’s needs, incite their fulfillment, and invoke Allah to grant the specialists success in what they are doing. No scholar should forsake remaining close to the people and educating them about their religion to practice politics, nor should politicians ascend the mosque’s pulpits and speak about religious rites and rituals. Scholars call for reform and incite it persistently, politicians plan and facilitate the means of its implementation, and specialists carryout the task.

If the previous three figures work together for the sake of reforming people’s lives, then they are preaching Islam without uttering a word from the Qur’an or the Sunnah; they are actually living the Shari‘ah. If they decline and tear up the community amongst each other, they are all traitors to Islam and to their countries, and should be taken to court. In my opinion, specialists carry 75% of the load upon their shoulders all the time, but they are never appreciated for it, especially in the Arab countries. This is why many of their youths renounce seeking after knowledge and follow fancy figures like famous sheikhs or charismatic politicians, and those are always tearing our communities apart.

In my country Egypt, many streets, squares and bus-stations are named after army officers, politicians and rulers. Some streets are even named after notable sheikhs, but not one street named after a scientist, a doctor, or an engineer. Even the engineers who rebuilt the Egyptian army after the relapse of 1967 have no mentioning whatsoever. By all means, the country that doesn’t appreciate its knowledgeable citizens shall never prosper or find any light in its future.

Back to mixing preaching Islam with practicing politics; if you wish to practice politics with the intention to reform people’s lives, then be my guest, but don’t lie to the people and claim that there is a certain prescribed Islamic way for practicing politics. Don’t make underground schemes to smear the reputation of any governor who doesn’t belong to your group and use Islam as a ride to reach the leading position. Don’t be a traitor and take foreigners as allies against the citizens of the country. We have all seen the performance of those who raised the banner of reformation in the name of Islam ever since the ‘Abbāsids and till the moment of writing this; never were any of them truthful or sincere. Muslims have always followed anyone for uttering the word Islam or Muhammad amidst his speech; they don’t realize that their desire for the justice of Islam could only be fulfilled through their own practice. No one can repair your heart if you don’t criticize yourself and repair your intentions. No one of those Islamists has a magic stick with which he can cast a spell and change your life. No one is going to defend the weak ones by empty speeches and fancy conferences. Unless you change yourself nothing will ever happen.

Prophet Muhammad’s approach in preaching Islam was not built upon seizing power or practicing politics. It was built upon raising sound pious hearts, and planting the sense of justice, equality and fraternity among all people. If any nation, tribe or even a small bunch of people succeed in reaching such a state, surely they shall prosper and be able to accomplish anything. Preaching Islam according to my understanding is to raise sincere, well educated, pious persons with sound hearts; only then shall the state of justice that all believers dream of be established.

From the previous we should be able to deduce that preaching Islam is directly connected to the conditions of the Muslim communities. This is why it’s extremely important to tackle some points that Muslims should consider while bringing up their children. Preparing a preacher starts ever since his or her childhood. The ethics and morals upon which our children are raised form the foundation of preaching. Pondering over the history of the prophet and his companions, some features could be deduced for perfect preaching. The following is a brief summary of the most important traits that our children should be raised on.

Children should be raised on truthfulness, honesty and sincerity. Those traits are the foundation of fair preaching without which any lofty education won’t matter.

Those traits could only be implanted in kids through example and real practice. Ever since perception, our kids start gaining many of the traits that form their characters when they grow up. Narrating stories of pious people is important, it adds a lot to children’s moral hoard, but its effect is nullified if it was not accompanied by true examples which they see with their own eyes every day. There is nothing stronger in effect than what you see with your eyes. Any noble trait you want to implant in your kids should be treated in a similar manner.

Children should be trained on using reason and logic ever since their early teenage years.

There is nothing more useful for any person than attaining the ability to think about everything in a proper logical manner, “Wisdom is the long sought goal of believers.”

Reason is something which we are born with, but preserving it, and enriching it with training and education is really one tough task that needs a lot of perseverance from the mentors.

Children should be accustomed to reading on daily basis ever since their perception.

Parents must read for their children a lot; they must hold a family gathering every day for at least one hour, and read for their kids books which interest their age and are meanwhile useful. Allowing the children to choose the books that interest them must also be allowed.

Children should be allowed to incline towards Islam through their own choice. Islam should fill their hearts based on their own convictions. We should urge our kids to learn about all religions and discus all matters openly with them. This means that parents must learn about their religion and other religions as well if they want to protect their children, but they should not compel their children to embrace their own convictions. Allah forbids us from doing so in the verse which says, “Let there be no compulsion in religion.”

[The Qur’an (2:256)]. Remember that one of Prophet Noah’s sons died refusing the faith of his father. If compelling our children to embrace our religions was something lawful, Prophet Noah P.B.U.H. would have been the first to do it. By logic, how can anyone be honest, sincere and truthful if he is forced to embrace an idea he doesn’t believe in!

Muslims must understand why they believe in Allah—the Creator of all that exists, and why they believe in Muhammad—the Creator’s servant and messenger—in order to act according to the Islamic injunctions in the proper manner.

In my opinion, the previous points constitute 75% of preaching Islam. Their existence forms the fortress upon which any future preaching depends. Any Muslim characterized by the above mentioned traits is already a preacher through his or her attitude without any need to utter a word about Islam.

Fair verbal preaching by presenters needs knowledgeable well versed Muslims who have full understanding of the prophet’s history, the sequence of events in relation to the Qur’anic verses, and the prophetic traditions in relation to their context. Knowing history is about incidents and dates, but understanding it is about perceiving the lessons and wisdom in every incident.

Fair verbal preaching requires good knowledge of the Qur’an, its narratives, its injunctions and their application from the Sunnah, and finally, the wisdom behind the rational injunctions that are not related to rituals.

To have full knowledge and understanding of the prophet’s history is like living with him all the time. To have the Qur’anic verses living in your mind and conscious is like speaking with Allah all the time. Only those who are most pious can reach such level.

Always remember that piety is the key for everything, and pondering over the Qur’an is the main source for having a good grasp of such a key.

Fair preaching needs patience and perseverance in the face of tribulations, insults, and hatred. Allah says in the Qur’an, “You shall be inflicted in your possessions and in yourselves, and you shall hear from those who received the scriptures before you and the polytheists much abuse. If you be patient and pious, then verily (you shall succeed in a matter) that requires a strong will.” [The Qur’an (3:186)].

Preachers are liberators not leaders. Any preacher who seeks leadership either has no understanding of Islam or is a big liar. Those preachers who seek to lead people think of them as slaves not free human beings. No prophet or messenger scored any personal gains or worldly life benefits from his call and strife; this is the sign of truthfulness.

Fair verbal preaching is characterized by simplicity. Take a lesson from the fact that the Qur’an was revealed in 23 years to the best Muslim generation ever. How be it with the current generations. Prophet Muhammad himself said, “Facilitate all matters for people and don’t complicate them.” In simple words, a Preacher should not think of the number of sermons and the different issues he or she tackles in relation to time, but should think of the quality of those sermons and their effectiveness.

The preacher’s mission ends when he succeeds in connecting the hearts and minds of his or her listeners with the Creator, and pointing for them towards the righteous path. Walking the path is not the preacher’s duty unless his help was sought.

A Preacher should never waive any of the Islamic injunctions seeking to satisfy his or her listeners, or seeking to beautify Islam in their eyes. Allah says in the Qur’an,

“O prophet, be pious to your Lord and do not follow the deniers and the hypocrites, verily Allah is ever Omniscient and All-Wise. Follow that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, verily Allah is Ever-Acquainted with what you do.” [The Qur’an (33:1-2)].

This order was given by the High Commander (i.e. Allah) to the leader of His army (i.e. Prophet Muhammad), but the soldiers are the ones intended, and Muslims are those soldiers.

In my opinion, the previous points constitute the remaining 25% of preaching Islam. Their existence forms the main pillar upon which fair preaching is built. Any Muslim who has the ability to maintain these traits alongside the previous 75% is a professional preacher.

A professional preacher must have a respectable experience in any field of work.

He must earn his living from his own handiwork. All prophets worked for a living, none of them lived as a pauper.

A professional preacher must volunteer to contribute in all good and beneficial activities he encounters or is invited to. He should give aid to those who are trying to set things right and repair the community and this earth on which we are living.

Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. contributed in the “Oath of ethics” before Islam when he was still 20 years old, and he said, “If I were invited to it by the polytheists after Islam, I would have attended.”

A professional preacher must have a time with his Lord’s words every day, a time dedicated for the remembrance of Allah and pondering over His words. This recharges his faith with positive energy that enables him to carry out his mission.

A professional preacher must prepare very well his speech or sermon. He must repeat it out loud to himself several times as if he is standing in front of his audience and conversing with them. He must think of the possible questions that could be asked regarding each and every point he shall tackle, and prepare the proper answer.

Good intentions are never enough, good planning is the key to success. The prophet’s history is full of examples on this. One famous example is the immigration plan.

Seeking help from honest non-Muslim experts in worldly life matters which Muslims are unfamiliar with is acceptable and desirable in times of necessity. Prophet Muhammad entrusted ‘Abdullah Ibn ’Uraiqet to guide him when he was immigrating from Makkah to Madinah. Nonetheless, with the least doubts of treason, Muslims must depend on themselves and choose experts from their own.

A professional preacher must never spread hatred against anyone. On the contrary, he must always try to reconcile between all people and spare lives. Prophet Muhammad invoked Allah to bring forth righteous progeny from those who hurt him and his companions. He even accepted to sign a peace treaty with those who drove Muslims out from their lands and occupied their homes. Allah called this treaty a huge triumph in the Qur’an.

A true preacher earns the love and respect of people even from other faiths.

The previous were just general tips that devout preachers should consider when preaching Islam. Their consideration by any professional preacher makes him or her a great invincible preacher.

Now, since that the misconceptions about any religion are used to weaken it and dismantle its strong construction, it is extremely important to explain and respond to them in a logical manner that clears the dilemma, restores certainty, and incites the deniers to use their reason in issuing their judgment regarding the misconception under study.

The stronger logic often wins in the minds of those who are sincere, so let’s talk about the methodology of refuting misconceptions.

Islam means, “Believing in the soul Creator of all that exists, submitting to His will as sent in His messages, getting to know Him and follow His described righteous path in a fair manner that achieves peace of mind and tranquility of soul.”

The Methodology of Refuting Misconceptions

Unlike what many Muslims think, refuting misconceptions is not a football game in which you are trying to score as many goals as possible and make fun of your opponent.

Many accusations are rational and need logical answers and explanations, and many accusers are truly objective in their presentation of the issue. Your duty as a Muslim is to explain the matter to them in the simplest way possible, and in a language they know and understand.

Please understand that it’s easy to throw tons of accusations in a couple of minutes; however, refuting them needs a long detailed explanation. If a person was keen on understanding the truth about any issue, he or she won’t follow the attitude of throwing a lot of accusations, but would put one accusation forward in the form of a question.

This is the one whom you should converse with and explain the matter to according to your understanding. As for the other kind, don’t bother responding to them or listening to what they say; any response will only make things worse and increase their ignorance about Islam and hatred towards Muslims.

Always remember that any Muslim should be an avid truth seeker. Our intention should always be fixed upon finding the truth and clarifying it to others in the best of our capacities. If we succeed in doing so, then this shall be better for us than all the riches of this world. If we fail, then we should hope that we were not good enough, may the denier receive a better preacher who succeeds in conveying the truth about Islam to him or her in a better manner.

Allah tells the prophet in the Qur’an, “Perhaps you will destroy yourself with grief if they do not believe in this message. We have adorned the earth with attractive things, so that We may test mankind as to which are the ones best in conduct.” [The Qur’an (18:6-7)].

The verses relate to us how keen the prophet was on delivering his message to everyone, and how sad he was for their denial. This should make it crystal clear that the failure to guide others is not something easy or insignificant; on the contrary, it’s grievous and we should sincerely try to evade it as hard as we can.

It was narrated that one day, a funeral of a Jew from Madinah was passing by. On seeing it approaching, the prophet stood up. His companions said in astonishment,

“O prophet, this is a funeral of a Jew.” They were referring to the fact that the man met the prophet yet died without believing in him. The prophet P.B.U.H. responded saying,

“Isn’t it a human soul.” The prophet’s action and response teaches us that we should respect any person even those who deny Islam. If this was the kind of respect the prophet had for the man’s funeral, how be it with the man himself.

From this page and till the end of the book, the most common misconceptions shall be stated in a clear abusive manner so that our youths would be accustomed to the harsh style in which accusations are always thrown. The response to each accusation shall follow explained in a simple manner. Scholars have different opinions and responses regarding these issues, that’s something normal and beneficial. The reader can choose the best response he or she encounters; or better, dig deeper, make new researches, and build up more detailed opinions regarding the accusations deemed important.

1. Allah, the moon god, or The Only God?

Many people attack Muslims saying, “You people have no understanding whatsoever, you don’t even know who it is whom you worship. For your own good, know that you are worshipping the moon, for Allah is the name of the “Moon god.” You even follow in your traditions the lunar calendar. Can’t you understand that all this is not a coincidence? You actually worship the moon!”

Well in order to clear up this misconception we need to ask ourselves the following question, “Was Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H. the only prophet who used the name

“Allah” in referring to the creator of this amazing universe?”

The prophets of the previous nations mentioned in the Bible mostly spoke Hebrew and some spoke Aramaic. Though Moses and Aaron P.B.U.T. most probably spoke the ancient Egyptian language that was written in Hieroglyphic and Demotic letters, yet the claim of the Jewish nation is that the Torah’s original language was Hebrew.

It should be cleared here that the Hebrew language reached its most mature form in the tenth century before delivery during the reign of Prophet Solomon P.B.U.H.

Some scholars say that it was originated from an old Hebrew that was spoken by Abraham after he escaped from Egypt to Philistine (i.e. Palestine). They suggest that this is the Old Hebrew which was inherited and spoken by the Jews besides ancient Egyptian.

During Solomon’s reign P.B.U.H., Jews settled in Philistine and established their temple.

Hebrew became the formal language of their state, and consequently, the language of all Jewish prophets after that. After the demise of their kingdom under the attacks of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar 597 B.C., they were enslaved in Babylon for centuries; as a result, they were forced to speak the language of their masters, which was a subset language of the Syriac tongue. Decades later, Jews returned to Jerusalem. The dominant language in this part of the world at that time was Syriac Aramaic, especially in the area where Canaanites dwelled. Thenceforth, Aramaic became the language of the Jews, and later on, the language of Jesus P.B.U.H.

Hebrew and Aramaic are both Semitic languages. They have the same letters and are read and written from right to left like Arabic. If we were to check those two languages for the words used to refer to “God,” we will find the following:

A. In Hebrew scriptures many words are used to refer to God, some as His

attributes, some as names; but the words that are translated as God in the

English Bible are the following:

1. “לא” pronounced as “Al.” It originally means “power” as explained by Rashi (the famous French rabbi) and Onkelos (the famous Roman rabbi). It’s the smallest word which refers to God in Hebrew. For example read [Job (33:29)] where it says: רבג

“

- ע שולש םימעפ

לע

לא

פי הלא לכ

”

ןה

Pronounced as follows, “En kol ellè yef‘al al f‘amaim shalosh ‘m gaber”

Translated in English as, “Lo, all these [things] works God oftentimes with man”

2. “הלא” which is used to refer to “God.” It is pronounced as “Alah.” For example, read [Daniel (2:28)] where it says:

”ןיזר אלג אימשב

הלא

תיא םרב“

Pronounced as follows, “Beram itai Alah bishmaia galae razin”

Translated in English as, “But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets”

The book of Daniel reverts from Hebrew to Aramaic at several places, but the word is understood and translated as God throughout the book. You can easily notice its closeness to the next frequently used Hebrew word.

3. “ה.לא,” sometimes written “הולא.” It means “the one with powers,” but always translated as “God.” It is pronounced as “Aloh.” For example read [Job (33:12)]

where it says:

שונאמ

”

הו

לא ברי י

- כ ךנעא”. ..

Pronounced as follows, “… e‘eneka ki-ierbeh Aloh me’enosh.”

Translated in English as, “… I will answer you, that God is greater than man.”

4. “םיה.לא,” sometimes written as “םיהולא.” It is pronounced as “Alohim,” which is the linguistic plural of the previous word “ה.לא” and means “these with powers.” It is simply the masculine plural of the attribute. Hebrew plurals can be quantitative: more than one, or qualitative: large or great. The word was originally “Aloh,” but “םי” or

“im”—which identifies Hebrew nouns as masculine plural– was added to the attribute as a plural of respect. Its main function is to confirm that the attribute is boundless, and stress on its absoluteness. For example read [Genesis (1:1)] where it says:

” ץ

. ראה תאו םימשה תא םיה

אר

לא

ב תישארב“

Pronounced as follows, “Bereshit bara Alohim et haShamaim ve’et ha’aretz.”

Translated in English as, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

5. “הוהי” pronounced as “Yahuwah,” usually translated as “The Lord.” It was used to refer to God as His most important name or attribute after being revealed to Moses

[Exodus (6:3)]. It is always mistakenly written and pronounced in English as “Jehovah;” it’s obvious from the Hebrew letters that it has no “J” in it. Some even argue that its accurate pronunciation is unknown for sure. It is mentioned more than 6000 times in the Old Testament (OT). All Jews replace it with the word, “ינדא”

pronounced as “Adony” in recitation.

The root of the name “Yahuwah” is a big dispute among scholars, but the confirmed points here are that its roots are unknown and all Jews replace it while praying or reciting the Old Testament with the word “Adony,” which means “my master” or “my lord.” Hence, a very logical question arises here, “Why would anyone want to replace the word chosen by God to refer to himself more than 6000 times in his revealed books with another word chosen by men? How dare anyone do this thinking that he knows better than God?!”

The reason behind this mysterious replacement as explained by rabbis is that,

“This name is so holy that merely invoking it can have tremendous effects such that being uttered within the wrong circumstances, or in the wrong way can be very harmful, aside from being included in the prohibition of taking God’s name in vain.”

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According to the dictionary of the Bible, the Arabic orthodox Christian Biblical encyclopedia, “The term Yahuwah is a name among the names of Allah, it serves protect faith from two dangerous ideas: first, the idea that Allah is a thought or an imaginary being; second, the idea of pantheism and that all creation melts in Allah’s existence. The name makes Allah a specific declared God upon whom any human can call with a clear decisive term. The term Yahuwah linguistically means, ‘The one always existing.’ By the end of the 4th century B.C., fear increased for the holy name from being profaned; consequently, people were completely forbidden from uttering it. No one can say the Holy name anymore except the chief rabbi while reciting the prayers inside the temple.”

For example read [Deuteronomy (6:4)], where it says:

“דחא הו

הי וניה

הו

לא הי לארשי עמש”

Pronounced as follows, “Shema‘ Israel, Adony aloheno, Adony akhad.”

Translated in English Bibles as, “Hear O Israel: the lord is our God, the lord is one.”

Hence, “the lord” is not the translation of “Yahuwah,” but of “Adony.” The term

“Yahuwah” is probably the most important name of God given to Jews, or it’s His most important attribute.

From the above we can conclude the following:

 The translation of the word “הוהי” pronounced as “Yahuwah” doesn’t mean

“The Lord,” which is the translation of its substitute “Adony.” “הוהי” is either a name of God which He chose to refer to Himself with, or a very important attribute of His Glory. It was unknown before Moses P.B.U.H. as stated in the Old Testament

[Exodus (6:3)], where it says, “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by [the name of] Alohim, but by my name Yahuwah was I unknown to them.”

 The three words “לא,” “ה. לא” and “םיה. לא,” pronounced as (“Al,” “Aloh”

and “Alohim”) respectively, all do not literally mean “God.” Their real meanings are as explained above, “Power,” “one with powers,” “These with powers.”

Hence, their most suitable translation would be “the All-powerful,” “God Almighty,”

or “the Omnipotent.” The word “God” is usually used as their implied meaning.

 The remaining word is the one used by Daniel P.B.U.H. to refer to God, which is

“הלא,” pronounced as “Alah.” It’s almost the same word as “Aloh,” but it has the vowel

“a” amidst it instead of “o.”

That was a quick overview of the words which were most frequently used in the OT

to refer to God. Now let’s move to Aramaic, Jesus’s language.

Muslims believe that Jesus P.B.U.H. was a prophet sent to the sons of Israel, which is what he himself says in [Matthew (15:24)], “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The language which most Israelites spoke at the time when he was born was the Syriac Aramaic, besides Hebrew, the language of their holy scriptures.

It’s important here to clarify that no Aramaic scriptures were preserved for us to study and discuss except a very few scripts for the book of Daniel, whose date and authors are unknown. The church utterly destroyed all ancient manuscripts written in the original language of Jesus P.B.U.H. sometime after the ‘Council of Nicaea’ 325 CE.

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Consequently, there is only one way left, which is to check the “Peshitta” (i.e. the Eastern Aramaic Syriac bible) beside any English-Aramaic dictionary. This way we may find out the correct translation and pronunciation of the word “God.”

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