VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

VOICE OF GLOBAL UMMAH

(Your window to complexities facing the the Muslim World Today)

Volume 23, April 14, 2008

Editor: Hajji. Mohamed Ziauddin

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent and the Most Merciful.

ARE EXTREMISTS OF ALL RELIGIONS A THREAT TO HUMANITY ?

GEMS OF ISLAM PERTANING TO KNOWLEDGE:

(1) Prophet Mohamed (SAW): ""Acquire knowledge. It enables its possessor to distinguish right from wrong. It lights the way to Heaven: it is our friend in the desert, our society in solitude, our companion when friendless, it guides us to happiness: it sustains us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends; and armor against enemies”.

(2) "SEEK KNOWLEDGE FROM CRADLE TO GRAVE"

(3) "SEEK KNOWLEDGE EVEN IN CHINA"

(4) "THE INK OF A SCHOLAR'S PEN IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN THE BLOOD OF A MARTYR"

PRAYER:

OH ALLAH, PLEASE HAVE MERCY AND FORGIVE THE IGNORANT. OH ALLAH, PLEASE BLESS THE IGNORANT TO SEEK GENUINE KNOWLEDGE OF ISLAM AND GUIDE THEM TO THE RIGHT PATH. OH ALLAH, PLEASE DON'T BLIND THEM AND THEREBY PREVENT THEM TO SEE THE BEAUTY AND TRANQUILITY OF WHAT THE PEACEFUL RELIGION OF ISLAM HAS TO OFFER.

PART A:

EXPECTED OUTCOME #1:

WHEN NON-MUSLIM(S) DELIBERATELY REFUSE TO RESEARCH ISLAM OBJECTIVELY IN THEIR QUEST TO SEEK KNOWLEDGE, BELOW IS THE UNFORTUNATE SAD AND PATHETIC OUTCOME:

(A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS AND BELOW PICTURE REFLECTS NOTHING BUT IGNORANCE AND IS AN INDICATOR OF UTTER HATE AND CONTEMPT FOR ISLAM):

(www.freerepublic.com)

Common characteristics of extremists of all religions - "Hoots to value of human life and aggressive actions either in thought or deed (Eg. 9/11 and above fictional photo) Below reviewer's "comment"(amazon.com) to Michael Hart's book (refered below -"The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History"). speaks for itself in terms of the reviewer's ignorance, hate and contempt for Islam.

"Further Proof of the Atheist Commie Gay Liberal Media Conspiracy, November 29, 2005. By renato "rynato" "Muhammad is ranked 1st, Jesus only 3rd, and George W. Bush not at all? Michael H. Hart is clearly an islamofascist who loves Saddam and Osama bin Laden, and I bet he is as fat as Michael Moore as well."

PART B:

EXPECTED OUTCOME # 2:

WHEN A NON-MUSLIM PRACTICES ABOVE IMPORTANCE OF SEEKING GENUINE KNOWLEDGE AS IT RELATES TO UNDERSTANDING ISLAM:

American author Michael H. Hart, out of his ranking Top 100 Worlds most successful, most influential, and greatest people who have ever lived has ranked the Prophet Muhammad to be NUMBER ONE. (Issac Newton - 2nd and Jesus Christ - 3rd).

He says: "My Choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.

" Michael H. Hart: (The Greatest 100 Influential Persons in History, NY. 1978, p.33)

Other notable quotes from the author are indicated below:

"It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder; the same pure and perfect impression which he engraved at Mecca and Madina is preserved, after the revolutions of twelve centuries by the Indian, the African and the Turkish proselytes of the Koran... The Mahometans have uniformly withstood the temptation of reducing the object of their faith and devotion to a level with the senses and imagination of man. "I believe in One God and Mahomet is the Apostle of God' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honors of the prophet have never transgressed the measure of human virtue; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion."

A SECOND COMMENT BY A READER OF ABOVE BOOK BY MICHAEL HART. (amazon.com)

By A. Tynyshov (KL, Malaysia)

"When I heard about this book I went to book shop and bought a copy for myself. The reason I bought this book was the No.1 placement of Prophet Muhammad. I was surprised as well as moved by this man's work (by the way he is not a Muslim). First of all, why I was surprised? Because by placing Prophet Muhammad to No.1 he is proving to everybody out there that he has really done a good job, why? Because I believe if he didn't know much about Prophet Muhammad and has not done enough research, he would probably put Jesus Christ or Issac Newton to first place. So being a non-Muslim and putting a Muslim Prophet on No.1 means that he just had to present the truth in correct way, whether people oppose it religiously or politically and whether we like it or not. Prophet Muhammad indeed was the Most Influential Man in History (and in Future).

For every person who does not agree with Mr. Hart's placement of Prophet Muhammad to No.1, I would suggest that they search Amazon and pick up a book on Prophet Muhammad and read it, upon completion of the book I am sure you will have some idea why he is the No.1. Because what most Westerners know of Prophet Muhammad is far from truth, for years Islam has been misinterpreted by Orientalists. And when they (people who have been influenced by Orientalist's works) see books like this one, they just cannot believe or accept it. But at the end: Truth Prevails!......"

What do notable non-Muslims say about Muhammad?

Just who was Muhammad? According to all accounts, which are authentic and accepted by all Muslim scholars,up until the age of forty he was known to his people as a decent man. He was not a statesman, a preacher, or an orator. He was never seen discussing principles or theories associated with metaphysics, ethics, law, politics, economics, or sociology. He possessed an excellent character, charming manners, and was highly cultured. But his characteristics are not so deeply striking and so radically extraordinary that people would expect something great and revolutionary from him in the future. Before forty, he led a life void of ambition for greatness, or aspirations for conquest with leadership, honor and praise of humanity. As a youth he spent his days, hour after hour, shepherding sheep in the dessert wilderness of Arabia. So what led him to forever change the world as we know it? What made the person of Muhammad so incomparably successful and triumphant? Was it the message he taught? What made his Light shine so brightly, effecting all who came in contact with him. Was it his Message?

The message that humanity's purpose is to live a life of gratitude, to show thanks to God for his endless favors A path of obedience and worship of the creator alone; that Salvation is in submitting our wills to the will of the Almighty (i.e. Islam). His message was not new. To the oneness of God he called. He taught the belief in Moses, Jesus Christ, and all of the other Prophets of God as a basic requirement of the Islamic Faith. Is it not an incontrovertible proof of his prophethood that, despite being unlettered (illiterate) and having led a very normal and quiet life for forty years, that all of Arabia stood in awe and wonder of his wonderful eloquence and oratory (i.e. his speech, which was the Qur'an) when he began to preach Islam? It was so matchless that legions of Arab poets, preachers, and orators of the highest caliber failed to produce a composition that could compare with or equal it. And, above all, how could he state scientific truths that would not be known to the rest of humanity for centuries and that he could not learn about in any other way except through divine revelation. Now to avoid any possible bias, let's hear what those of other faiths have said about Muhammad (pbuh). Below is a list of the sayings of several of the worlds greatest thinkers, scholars and in various fields of academics in the West. Let's see what they have said about this extraordinary man.

Lamartine, the world famous French Author and Statesmen has the following to say about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):

"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modem history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers, which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then-inhabited world; and more than that he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls.... His forbearance in victory, his ambition which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death-all these attest not to an imposture, but to a firm conviction, which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two fold: the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words. Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he."

George Bernard Shaw, one of the greatest playwrights that ever lived had the following to say about Muhammad (pbuh):

"I believe that if a man like him were to assume the leadership of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring to this world much needed peace and happiness." Bernard Shaw: (The genuine Islam, Vol. I P. 8)

Famous historian DIVAN had the following to say about Prophet Mohamed (SAW):

"He is a prophet and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as a divine law and not as a human being, made for education or entertainment." (Divan, WA I, 7, 32)

Edward Gibbon and Simon Ocklay History of the Saracen Empire, London 1870, p 54.

"He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope's pretensions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports."

Bosworth Smith: "Mohammad and Mohammadanism", London 1874, p 92.

"It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher."

PART 3:

IF PRIORITY IS GIVEN FOR CONTINUED POSITIVE INTERFAITH WORK BY THE SILENT MAJORITY OF ALL FAITHS, WOULD THE WORLD SUCCEED TO KEEP THE MINORITY EXTREMISTS IN CHECK ?

While the extremists of all religions and affiliations (political & secular) are feeding themselves with hate and literally fighting like cats and dogs in our mother earth, if they only realize that in the eyes of that SPECIAL HIGHER POWER, the whole earth with population of billions of people is nothing but a PALE BLUE DOT or a spec in the cosmos as seen in below picture.

Seen from 6.4 billion kilometers away, Earth is a dot obscured in a beam of scattered sunlight (pinpointed by artificial blue circle).

Extremists of all religions have five common points:

(1) Myopic in global vision of peace and extremely narrow minded.

(2)Their form of communication with people of other faiths or political opponents is dominated by aggression and destruction be it the fantasy of blowing up the Kaaba as in above picture, 9/11, train bombings in Spain, bombing abortion clinics, communal violence perpetrated by extremist Hindus towards Christians and Muslims in India et.c.

(3) Pigeon holed in the box of their individual religion WITH WISH THAT INTERFAITH RELATIONS NEVER EXIST because it undercuts the dominance of their particular religion over others.

(4) Utopian belief that their faith is the ONLY RIGHT FAITH and people of every other faith are doomed and bound to be destined to HELL.

(5) They believe that they have all the answers to the world’s problems and that IF ONLY the whole world follows their particular religion, ONLY THEN there will be world peace.

Most of the people of all faiths are essentially good human beings and have a moral conscience. It is high time that the silent majority of all faiths (who unfortunately are passive in asserting themselves compared to the aggressive & destructive extremists) get together and work for the common good of humanity.

We should be careful and avoid labeling an entire faith due to the mistake of few bad apples (the extremist minority). For example in the picture above with simulation of blowing up the Kaaba, it would be more accurate to state that it was drawn from a site of “Jewish extremists” rather than just a general “Jewish site” because of the fact that the majority of the Jews would disapprove above destructive act. There are hundreds if not thousands of Jews who condemn the expression and actions of extremist Jews in whatever forms it may be and it is UNFAIR to label all the Jews under one umbrella. There are currently several Jewish organizations that support an independent Palestinian State and have reached out to the Muslims to explore joint inter-faith partnerships for the common good of both faiths.

The same mistake (of giving blanket label to an entire religion) has already been done by the non-Muslims by labeling the actions of few extremist Muslim terrorists to all MUSLIMS. LET NOT THE MUSLIMS REPEAT THE SAME MISTAKE AS THE NON-MUSLIMS. An example of Islamic-Jewish Partnership that was published today is indicated below.

(Huffington Post - 4/14/2008) Nice Jewish Girl Attends JUMA'S Before Shabbat:

In an effort to improve Muslim-Jewish relations in New York City, the city's most prominent mosque and the flagship seminary of the Jewish Conservative movement have reached out to one another. Last month, Imam Shamsi Ali of the Islamic Cultural Center, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, gave a sermon after minha (afternoon prayer) at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Returning the favor, Rabbi Burton Visotzky, a JTS professor of Interreligious Studies, spoke at the ICC (also known as the 96th Street Mosque) last Friday after jum'a (Friday noon prayer).

………Imam Ali delivered his khutba (sermon). He told the worshippers that Muslims need to reach out and live harmoniously with other people because all people are servants of Allah. If someone chooses another path, he said, Muslims have a responsibility to show them the right way. However, one may not force others to follow the Islamic way. "We must show respect and dignity to all children of Adam," he said. "Everyone is dignified by Allah." It is human nature, he continued, that different people have different opinions, and Allah knows this. "But this difference of opinions does not make us hate each other. This diversity is seen in Islam as good," Imam Ali declared, and all of us must "make an effort to get to know one another."

……..Then it was the Rabbi's turn. Dr. Rabbi Visotzky thanked the Imam for inviting him to speak in this "beautiful house of God." He recalled when Jews and Muslims lived together relatively harmoniously in medieval Muslim rule and then as co-minorities under Christian rule. He lamented that the relationship today has deteriorated and called on both communities to come together as New Yorkers to help people in need. He announced that JTS and the Mosque have agreed to a joint social action program that will include students from both institutions volunteering side by side at a Manhattan soup kitchen. Imam Ali presented the Rabbi with a Qur'an, and everyone was all smiles....."

We urge all Masjids to if feasible be actively involved in INTERFAITH RELATIONS. CAIR (Council of American Islamic Relations) in the US is doing a wonderful job in this respect and they are also an advocate for the entire American Ummah. There are many other Muslim Organizations working on the same footing.

We urge all Muslims to open a dialogue with their non-Muslim friends. Let people of all faith focus on being “humanity centric” rather than “centric” on their particular faith when interacting with people of other faith.

Ideally it would have been good that the Ummah has its doors open for any non-Muslim who is curious to learn or clarify on issues pertaining to Islam. On an organizational level, some Islamic Centers have scheduled OPEN HOUSES for non-Muslims on specific days and times. This is a positive step in the right direction. However on a personal level, there is room for improvement for the Muslims to improve their communication with non-Muslims in a variety of ways.

THERE IS TOO MUCH AT STAKE HERE. THE AGGRESSIVE EXTREMISTS OF ALL RELIGIONS ARE WORKING OVERTIME TO INTENSIFY THE HATE BETWEEN THEIR SPECIFIC RELIGION AGAINST OTHER RELIGIONS AND WE THE PEACE-LOVING NON-EXTREMIST PRACTICING PEOPLE OF OUR RESPECTIVE FAITHS AND ALSO THE “SILENT MAJORITY” SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO BE PASSIVE ANYMORE AND NEED TO ASSERTIVELY RAISE UP AND REACH OUT TO THE MODERATE MAJORITIES OF ALL OTHER FAITHS AND FOCUS ON THE COMMON POINTS WE ALL HAVE, WHICH BY DEFAULT ENHANCES THE GENERAL WELL BEING OF HUMANITY.

THROUGH INTERFAITH RELATIONS WE NEED TO FOCUS AND HIGHLIGHT ON OUR COMMON HUMANISTIC GOALS AND WORK TOGETHER ON ACHIEVING SUCH GOALS. REGARDLESS OF RELIGION, WE NEED TO UNITEDLY CONDEMN ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST CIVILIANS AND INNOCENTS BE IT BY TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS OR THE STATE AND ALSO UNITEDLY CONDEMN ALL ACTS OF DESTRUCTION, VERBAL & PHYSICAL AGGRESSION ON ANY OF OUR INTERFAITH MEMBERS DUE TO HATE (the value loved and obsessed by the extremists).

The writer had very good friends who were Jewish, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists and would like to assure everybody that people of other faiths are not as bad as our extremist Muslims would portray them to be. WE MUSLIMS NEED TO BE ROLE MODELS TO LEAD ON THIS ISSUE. On the same note as above, when a Jewish, Christian, Hindu or Buddhist tells to people of their respective faith that they have good Muslim friends, the first to literally attack them would be the extremists of their respective religions accusing them of “befriending people who are terrorists (Muslims)”.

On a personal note, if there is any Jew or Christian who challenges the Media’s negative stereotype of Muslims and would like to visit the home of a Muslim family out of curiosity and/or to visit an Islamic Center, please contact the writer at below e-mail address. The writer offers his own home as the first choice for a visit with a possible interfaith dialogue on a personal 1 to 1 level. The writer would also be happy to co-ordinate with the local Islamic Center for a tour. Writer has no qualms to state that besides the UMMAH, on the level of humanity, he also loves the Jews and Christians, the PEOPLE OF THE BOOK and the PEOPLE OF THE ABRAHAMIC FAITH. Writer is fully cognizant that the Muslim extremists may be upset and possibly send angry e-mails. It’s perfectly okay. The writer would defend to death their right to express their views however different it may be from the writer.

Let’s remind ourselves that Allah DID NOT say in the Holy Quran that “MUSLIMS ARE BUT ONE COMMUNITY”. Instead Allah states: “MANKIND IS BUT ONE COMMUNITY” which includes people of all faiths.

Having said all the above, nobody is preventing the Muslims to be devout in their Islamic practice. When writer talks about extremist Muslims, he is referring to those group of Muslims who have harbored nothing but hate and contempt for non-Muslims and the West and whose actions reflect aggression, death and destruction and THIS IS NOT WHAT THE PEACEFUL RELIGION OF ISLAM IS ABOUT.

As Muslims we need to clearly distinguish between an extremist (violent and aggressive) Muslim and a practicing peace loving Muslim. REACHING OUT TO PEOPLE OF OTHER FAITHS TO BUILD A BRIDGE OF UNDERSTANDING IN NO WAY COMPROMISES OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO PRACTICE OUR FAITH IN ALL ITS DETAILS. All Muslims should continue to be free to practice their religion to the best of their ability. For example, besides performing the basic fard prayers five times a day, there is always room for improvement by including the Sunnat and Nafeel prayers. They can also do the Tahajud prayers in the wee hours before the morning begins, increase the time spent on Zikr, on social services to the needy Muslims in their local community. The room for individual Islamic growth is limitless. As they say, ONLY THE SKY IS THE LIMIT.

In short, just because one talks of INTERFAITH and GLOBAL PEACE, this in no way should deter a Muslim to BRING OUT THE BEST IN HIM OR HER.

SO GO AHEAD AND MAKE MY DAY: “Build further on strengthening your Islamic faith while at the same time, work for the good of humanity through building on INTERFAITH WORK in your local community at the grass roots level”.

Feel free to contribute your valuable feedback by e-mail to info@mehrunyusuficds.com.