Tolerance In Islam
An Abridged Version of the 1927 Lecture
by MM Pickthall
http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/toleran1.html
Full Article in the E-Book
Introduction
Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall was an Englishman, an orientalist, and a Muslim who translated the meaning of the Holy Qur'an. His translation was first published in 1930 and he was supported in this effort by His Highness, the Nizam of Hyderabad (the ruler of Deccan, in the South), India. Pickthall traveled extensively to several Muslim countries, including Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Egypt, Arabia and India. He spent several years in India and had interacted with the Muslims of India.
In 1927 Pickthall gave eight lectures on several aspects of Islamic civilization at the invitation of The Committee of "Madras Lectures on Islam" in Madras, India. Parts of Pickthall's lectures were made available in India at various times. All of his lectures were published under the title "The Cultural Side of Islam" in 1961 by Sh. Muhammad Ashraf Publishers, Lahore from a manuscript provided by M.I. Jamal Moinuddin. The book has gone through several reprints since then.
An abridged version of his fifth lecture on the "Tolerance in Islam" is presented below. His long lecture frequently used quotations from the Holy Qur'an to emphasize many points and to support his analysis and conclusions. The major theme of his lecture is retained here. All of Pickthall's eight lectures draw upon his vast knowledge of Islamic history, the Western religious, political and intellectual history through the ages, and their reasons for rise and fall. His lectures are very enlightening, analytically useful, and of great value even today.
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An Abridged Version of Pickthall's Lecture
In the eyes of history, religious toleration is the highest evidence of culture in a people. It was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that they became more tolerant, and it was only when the Muslims fell away from their religious law that they declined in tolerance and other evidences of the highest culture. Before the coming of Islam, tolerance had never been preached as an essential part of religion.
If Europe had known as much of Islam, as Muslims knew of Christendom, in those days, those mad, adventurous, occasionally chivalrous and heroic, but utterly fanatical outbreak known as the Crusades could not have taken place, for they were based on a complete misapprehension.
Innumerable monasteries, with a wealth of treasure of which the worth has been calculated at not less than a hundred millions sterling, enjoyed the benefit of the Holy Prophet's (Muhammad's) Charter to the monks of Sinai and were religiously respected by the Muslims. The various sects of Christians were represented in the Council of the Empire by their patriarchs, on the provincial and district council by their bishops, in the village council by their priests, whose word was always taken without question on things which were the sole concern of their community.
The tolerance within the body of Islam was, and is, something without parallel in history; class and race and color ceasing altogether to be barriers.
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One of the commonest charges brought against Islam historically, and as a religion, by Western writers is that it is intolerant. This is turning the tables with a vengeance when one remembers various facts: One remembers that not a Muslim is left alive in Spain or Sicily or Apulia. One remembers that not a Muslim was left alive and not a mosque left standing in Greece after the great rebellion in l821. One remembers how the Muslims of the Balkan peninsula, once the majority, have been systematically reduced with the approval of the whole of Europe, how the Christian under Muslim rule have in recent times been urged on to rebel and massacre the Muslims, and how reprisals by the latter have been condemned as quite uncalled for.
In Spain under the Umayyads and in Baghdad under the Abbasid Khalifas, Christians and Jews, equally with Muslims, were admitted to the Schools and universities - not only that, but were boarded and lodged in hostels at the cost of the state. When the Moors were driven out of Spain, the Christian conquerors held a terrific persecution of the Jews. Those who were fortunate enough to escape fled, some of them to Morocco and many hundreds to the Turkish empire, where their descendants still live in separate communities, and still speak among themselves an antiquated form of Spanish. The Muslim empire was a refuge for all those who fled from persecution by the Inquisition.
The Western Christians, till the arrival of the Encyclopaedists in the eighteenth century, did not know and did not care to know, what the Muslim believed, nor did the Western Christian seek to know the views of Eastern Christians with regard to them. The Christian Church was already split in two, and in the end, it came to such a pass that the Eastern Christians, as Gibbon shows, preferred Muslim rule, which allowed them to practice their own form of religion and adhere to their peculiar dogmas, to the rule of fellow Christians who would have made them Roman Catholics or wiped them out.
The Western Christians called the Muslims pagans, paynims, even idolaters - there are plenty of books in which they are described as worshiping an idol called Mahomet or Mahound, and in the accounts of the conquest of Granada there are even descriptions of the monstrous idols which they were alleged to worship - whereas the Muslims knew what Christianity was, and in what respects it differed from Islam. If Europe had known as much of Islam, as Muslims knew of Christendom, in those days, those mad, adventurous, occasionally chivalrous and heroic, but utterly fanatical outbreak known as the Crusades could not have taken place, for they were based on a complete misapprehension. I quote a learned French author:
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"Every poet in Christendom considered a Mohammedan to be an infidel, and an idolater, and his gods to be three; mentioned in order, they were: Mahomet or Mahound or Mohammad, Opolane and the third Termogond. It was said that when in Spain the Christians overpowered the Mohammadans and drove them as far as the gates of the city of Saragossa, the Mohammadans went back and broke their idols.
"A Christian poet of the period says that Opolane the "god" of the Mohammadans, which was kept there in a den was awfully belabored and abused by the Mohammadans, who, binding it hand and foot, crucified it on a pillar, trampled it under their feet and broke it to pieces by beating it with sticks; that their second god Mahound they threw in a pit and caused to be torn to pieces by pigs and dogs, and that never were gods so ignominiously treated; but that afterwards the Mohammadans repented of their sins, and once more reinstated their gods for the accustomed worship, and that when the Emperor Charles entered the city of Saragossa he had every mosque in the city searched and had "Muhammad" and all their Gods broken with iron hammers."
That was the kind of "history" on which the populace in Western Europe used to be fed. Those were the ideas which inspired the rank and file of the crusader in their attacks on the most civilized peoples of those days. Christendom regarded the outside world as damned eternally, and Islam did not. There were good and tender-hearted men in Christendom who thought it sad that any people should be damned eternally, and wished to save them by the only way they knew - conversion to the Christian faith.
It was not until the Western nations broke away from their religious law that they became more tolerant; and it was only when the Muslims fell away from their religious law that they declined in tolerance and other evidences of the highest culture. Therefore the difference evident in that anecdote is not of manners only but of religion. Of old, tolerance had existed here and there in the world, among enlightened individuals; but those individuals had always been against the prevalent religion. Tolerance was regarded of un-religious, if not irreligious. Before the coming of Islam it had never been preached as an essential part of religion.
For the Muslims, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are but three forms of one religion, which, in its original purity, was the religion of Abraham: Al-Islam, that perfect Self-Surrender to the Will of God, which is the basis of Theocracy. The Jews, in their religion, after Moses, limited God's mercy to their chosen nation and thought of His kingdom as the dominion of their race.
Even Christ himself, as several of his sayings show, declared that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel and seemed to regard his mission as to the Hebrews only; and it was only after a special vision vouchsafed to St. Peter that his followers in after days considered themselves authorized to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. The Christians limited God's mercy to those who believed certain dogmas. Every one who failed to hold the dogmas was an outcast or a miscreant, to be persecuted for his or her soul's good. In Islam only is manifest the real nature of the Kingdom of God.
The two verses (2:255-256) of the Qur'an are supplementary. Where there is that realization of the majesty and dominion of Allah (SWT), there is no compulsion in religion. Men choose their path - allegiance or opposition - and it is sufficient punishment for those who oppose that they draw further and further away from the light of truth.
What Muslims do not generally consider is that this law applies to our own community just as much as to the folk outside, the laws of Allah being universal; and that intolerance of Muslims for other men's opinions and beliefs is evidence that they themselves have, at the moment, forgotten the vision of the majesty and mercy of Allah (SWT) which the Qur'an presents to them.
In the Qur'an I find two meanings (of a Kafir), which become one the moment that we try to realize the divine standpoint. The Kafir in the first place, is not the follower of any religion. He is the opponent of Allah's benevolent will and purpose for mankind - therefore the disbeliever in the truth of all religions, the disbeliever in all Scriptures as of divine revelation, the disbeliever to the point of active opposition in all the Prophets (pbut) whom the Muslims are bidden to regard, without distinction, as messengers of Allah.
The Qur'an repeatedly claims to be the confirmation of the truth of all religions. The former Scriptures had become obscure, the former Prophets appeared mythical, so extravagant were the legends which were told concerning them, so that people doubted whether there was any truth in the old Scriptures, whether such people as the Prophets had ever really existed. Here - says the Qur'an - is a Scripture whereof there is no doubt: here is a Prophet actually living among you and preaching to you. If it were not for this book and this Prophet, men might be excused for saying that Allah's guidance to mankind was all a fable. This book and this Prophet, therefore, confirm the truth of all that was revealed before them, and those who disbelieve in them to the point of opposing the existence of a Prophet and a revelation are really opposed to the idea of Allah's guidance - which is the truth of all revealed religions. Our Holy Prophet (pbuh) himself said that the term Kafir was not to be applied to anyone who said "Salam" (peace) to the Muslims. The Kafirs, in the terms of the Qur'an, are the conscious evil-doers of any race of creed or community.
I have made a long digression but it seemed to me necessary, for I find much confusion of ideas even among Muslims on this subject, owing to defective study of the Qur'an and the Prophet's life. Many Muslims seem to forget that our Prophet had allies among the idolaters even after Islam had triumphed in Arabia, and that he "fulfilled his treaty with them perfectly until the term thereof." The righteous conduct of the Muslims, not the sword, must be held responsible for the conversion of those idolaters, since they embraced Islam before the expiration of their treaty.
So much for the idolaters of Arabia, who had no real beliefs to oppose the teaching of Islam, but only superstition. They invoked their local deities for help in war and put their faith only in brute force. In this they were, to begin with, enormously superior to the Muslims. When the Muslims nevertheless won, they were dismayed; and all their arguments based on the superior power of their deities were for ever silenced. Their conversion followed naturally. It was only a question of time with the most obstinate of them.
It was otherwise with the people who had a respectable religion of their own - the People of the Scripture - as the Qur'an calls them - i.e, the people who had received the revelation of some former Prophet: the Jews, the Christians and the Zoroastrians were those with whom the Muslims came at once in contact. To these our Prophet's attitude was all of kindness. The Charter which he granted to the Christian monks of Sinai is extant. If you read it you will see that it breathes not only goodwill but actual love. He gave to the Jews of Medina, so long as they were faithful to him, precisely the same treatment as to the Muslims. He never was aggressive against any man or class of men; he never penalized any man, or made war on any people, on the ground of belief but only on the ground of conduct.
The story of his reception of Christian and Zoroastrian visitors is on record. There is not a trace of religious intolerance in all this. And it should be remembered - Muslims are rather apt to forget it, and it is of great importance to our outlook - that our Prophet did not ask the people of the Scripture to become his followers. He asked them only to accept the Kingdom of Allah, to abolish priesthood and restore their own religions to their original purity. The question which, in effect, he put to everyone was this: "Are you for the Kingdom of God which includes all of us, or are you for your own community against the rest of mankind?" The one is obviously the way of peace and human progress, the other the way of strife, oppression and calamity. But the rulers of the world, to whom he sent his message, most of them treated it as the message of either an insolent upstart or a mad fanatic. His envoys were insulted cruelly, and even slain. One cannot help wondering what reception that same embassy would meet with from the rulers of mankind today, when all the thinking portion of mankind accept the Prophet's premises, have thrown off the trammels of priestcraft, and harbor some idea of human brotherhood.
But though the Christians and Jews and Zoroastrians refused his message, and their rulers heaped most cruel insults on his envoys, our Prophet never lost his benevolent attitudes towards them as religious communities; as witness the Charter to the monks of Sinai already mentioned. And though the Muslims of later days have fallen far short of the Holy Prophet's tolerance, and have sometimes shown arrogance towards men of other faiths, they have always given special treatment to the Jews and Christians. Indeed the Laws for their special treatment form part of the Shari'ah.
In Egypt the Copts were on terms of closest friendship with the Muslims in the first centuries of the Muslim conquest, and they are on terms at closest friendship with the Muslims at the present day. In Syria the various Christian communities lived on terms of closest friendship with the Muslims in the first centuries of the Muslim conquest, and they are on terms of closest friendship with the Muslims at the present day, openly preferring Muslim domination to a foreign yoke....
From the expulsion of the Moriscos dates the degradation and decline of Spain. San Fernando was really wiser and more patriotic in his tolerance to conquered Seville, Murcia and Toledo than was the later king who, under the guise of Holy warfare, captured Grenada and let the Inquisition work its will upon the Muslims and the Jews. And the modern Balkan States and Greece are born under a curse. It may even prove that the degradation and decline of European civilization will be dated from the day when so-called civilized statesmen agreed to the inhuman policy of Czarist Russia and gave their sanction to the crude fanaticism of the Russian Church.
There is no doubt but that, in the eyes of history, religious toleration is the highest evidence of culture in a people. Let no Muslim, when looking on the ruin of the Muslim realm which was compassed through the agency of those very peoples whom the Muslims had tolerated and protected through the centuries when Western Europe thought it a religious duty to exterminate or forcibly convert all peoples of another faith than theirs - let no Muslim, seeing this, imagine that toleration is a weakness in Islam. It is the greatest strength of Islam because it is the attitude of truth.
Allah (SWT) is not the God of the Jews or the Christians or the Muslims only, any more than the sun shines or the rain falls for Jews or Christians or Muslims only.
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Allah: Allah is the proper name in Arabic for The One and Only God, The Creator and Sustainer of the universe. It is used by the Arab Christians and Jews for the God (Eloh-im in Hebrew; 'Allaha' in Aramaic, the mother tongue of Jesus, pbuh). The word Allah does not have a plural or gender. Allah does not have any associate or partner, and He does not beget nor was He begotten. SWT is an abbreviation of Arabic words that mean 'Glory Be To Him.'
SAS or pbuh: Peace Be Upon Him. This expression is used for all Prophets of Allah.
ra: Radiallahu Anhu (May Allah be pleased with him).
"The Meaning of the Glorious Koran," An Explanatory Translation by Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall, a Mentor Book Publication. (Also available as: "The Meaning of the Glorious Koran," by Marmaduke Pickthall, Dorset Press, N.Y.; Published by several publishers since 1930).
Pickthall writes in his foreward of 1930: "...The Qur'an cannot be translated....The book is here rendered almost literally and every effort has been made to choose befitting language. But the result is not the Glorious Qur'an, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy. It is only an attempt to present the meaning of the Qur'an-and peradventure something of the charm in English. It can never take the place of the Qur'an in Arabic, nor is it meant to do so...."
For the serious readers of the meaning of the Qur'an in English, it is recommended that it should be read along with a good commentary to comprehend the essential meaning and scope of verses. Either Yusuf Ali's or Mawdudi's commentaries are a good starting point. The former presents the meaning Ayah (verse) by Ayah with footnotes and includes a detailed index of the topics mentioned in the Qur'an, while the latter presents commentaries for each Surah (chapter) of the Qur'an.
Showing posts with label Bismillah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bismillah. Show all posts
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
About this Blog
This Blog is a repository of articles about Qur'aan; we will deal with the issues head on, especially a few verses that are presented as hateful by those whose business is to frighten people and cash in on their fears. We need people to work on goodwill and nurturing peace.
Qur'aan is the wisdom and the word of God, just as the Bible, Torah, Vedas, Jaina Kalpasutra, Avesta, Kitab al Muqaddas, Guru Granth Saheb, Tripitaka or holy book of any religion. It is a book of guidance for humans to follow to bring about peace, justice and co-existence. No one owns any book, owning any book exclusively takes it out from the realm of God to private ownership and it is wrong. No one owns any religion either. Each one of us by default or by choice subscribe to different ideas of living a balanced life. As beauty is the in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer.
If we can understand the concept of oneness of humankind, i.e. if one is hurt, we feel it, if one needs help, we step up. That is the powerful message of oneness of God, it implies that we learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 6 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
There are about 20 translations available on the market, each one is slightly different. If you have read one that gives you grief, most likely you have the wrong translation on your hand.
I urge you to read as many as you can, so you understand the intended message - that is to be peace maker.
I urge you to read the Book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong first to fully comprehend Qur'aan. That is how, I refreshed my brains.
A fresh, evenhanded biography of the founder of Islam by the author of "A History of God." "Portrays Muhammad as a passionate, complex, fallible human being."-- "Publishers Weekly"
Mike Ghouse
Qur'aan is the wisdom and the word of God, just as the Bible, Torah, Vedas, Jaina Kalpasutra, Avesta, Kitab al Muqaddas, Guru Granth Saheb, Tripitaka or holy book of any religion. It is a book of guidance for humans to follow to bring about peace, justice and co-existence. No one owns any book, owning any book exclusively takes it out from the realm of God to private ownership and it is wrong. No one owns any religion either. Each one of us by default or by choice subscribe to different ideas of living a balanced life. As beauty is the in the eyes of the beholder, faith is in the heart of the believer.
If we can understand the concept of oneness of humankind, i.e. if one is hurt, we feel it, if one needs help, we step up. That is the powerful message of oneness of God, it implies that we learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of the 6 billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.
There are about 20 translations available on the market, each one is slightly different. If you have read one that gives you grief, most likely you have the wrong translation on your hand.
I urge you to read as many as you can, so you understand the intended message - that is to be peace maker.
I urge you to read the Book "Muhammad" by Karen Armstrong first to fully comprehend Qur'aan. That is how, I refreshed my brains.
A fresh, evenhanded biography of the founder of Islam by the author of "A History of God." "Portrays Muhammad as a passionate, complex, fallible human being."-- "Publishers Weekly"
Mike Ghouse
Monday, March 24, 2008
World Muslim Mission
www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
Our Mission is driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."
Our Mission
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.
Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.
Goals
Our short term goal is to understand different faiths and let the values of Islam be understood as well. So we may know one another.
Our Long term goal is simply to bring the realization that the purpose of all religions is to bring peace and tranquility to an individual and further create a balanced relationships between the individual, society and the environment. Learning about other faiths need not imply infidelity, but rather the search will enrich one's own faith, it reaffirms the idea that the intent of every faith is to "fix" the individual as an active working and participating spoke in the wheel of life. Some get it and some don't.
Islam defined
The most precise definition of Islam: Justice for every human being.
The Qur'aan starts with the word God of Universe (not necessarily Muslims) and ends with Humankind (and again not Muslims).
We have a monumental task to repair the World, and we will do our part in working towards a World of co-existence, one person at a time. We are committed, and now help us God. Amen.
Good Deeds
Islam is a deed based non-judgmental religion, and consistently encourages individuals to do good. It emphasizes about individual responsibility towards the peace and security of society at large.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) described a good deed as an act which benefits others, such as planting a tree that serves generations of wayfarers with fruit and the shade. The world is a better place today because of a good legacy bequeathed to humanity by people of all faiths that came before us. We owe it to coming generations to leave the world a little better than we found it, to usher an era of justice and peace.
With Prejudice towards none
Almost all Muslims are cognizant and repeat the verse “God is the master of the Day of Judgment, and he alone we worship”. A fully observant Muslim recites this verse at least 50 times a day and refrains from judging others, as he or she believes God only can make that call.
Individual responsibility
Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164: I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
Citizenship
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set an example of good citizenship early on in his life. The people of Makkah, non-Muslims at that time, called him Al-Amin; the truthful, the trustworthy and the peace maker because of his unwavering commitment to honesty in word and deed. The goal of the World Muslim Congress is to instill the humane values of Islam and to aspire to be Al-Amin to all.
A Just society
Islam emerged to bring peace, tranquility and equilibrium to the multitudes of tribes at conflict with each other in the 6th century AD. In a period of 23 years, thru suffering, persecution and sacrifice a just society evolved. Diversity was it’s basis, respecting each tradition and bringing them together and appreciating the creator was the foundation stone of Islam. Justice, liberty and freedom are the core values enshrined in Islam.
Pluralism
Islam is indeed a pluralistic faith and imbues a sense of humility and ideals of equality of humankind. These values are embedded in its rituals practices. All people harvest their own deeds.
Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4: It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth.
He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will all return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts.
The Madinah pact, prescribes the rights of its Citizens and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the signatory to it as the head of the City State. It was an all inclusive agreement between the Jews, Christians, Sabeans, Quraish, Muslims and other tribes for a peaceful co-existence. An example was set for a pluralistic society in documenting the rights of individuals. Perhaps it was the first historical document that included diverse people. The Word Ummah was used in the document to mean all residents of the City.
Freedom
God could have made us all sinless angels; instead he chose to make us humans, giving guidance on one hand, temptations on the other – then giving room to make mistakes, and room for correction. Islam has not claimed monopoly to heaven; it is assured to those who do good deeds. Good deeds are defined by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as how your treat others. He told his daughter that it would be her deeds that would earn her a place in the Kingdom of God and not her relation with the Prophet. ''There is no free lunch.
Qur'an, Al-Inshiqaq, Surah 84:7-15: Each person will be given a book. Those who are given their books in their right hands (understanding the book correctly) will be judged leniently; and they will return to their people joyfully. But those who are given their books in their left hands (misunderstanding) will call their own destruction on themselves, and burn in the fire of hell. There are the people who have never cared for their neighbors; they thought they would never return to God. Their Lord watches all that people do.
For Millions of years, the physical dimension of the Universe has existed in a perfect balance as it did not have the ego to compete with each other nor had the freedom to mess with it. They do, what God intended them to do. It is the human dimension that needed religion, and every religion is meant to bring peace to individuals and balance to the world around them through free choice.
God willing, the Muslim community will be drawing the blue prints and developing a 14 year plan to find their space in the world of communities, as contributors and active participants in the peaceful co-existence for the people of the World. The Book “Muslim Vision 2020” is on the horizon.
The human desire to monopolize World resources is the root cause of all evil. The pockets of anarchy and problems of the world are born out of fear and insecurities of evil men. Religion is not the source of wars or conflict. In fact, Religion is the best Gift humans have received from God, without which the World would be chaotic.
Praise the Lord. We are pleased to announce the formation of The World Muslim Congress, A non-profit organization dedicated to promoting co-existence and contributing towards a just world. (Formed: 5/25/2006)
Our silence has done more damage to us, our faith and our World. Silent no more, God willing, we will resolutely take back our faith for our good and the good of mankind.
A Major Paradigm Shift
The world has indeed become a global community. Everyone is a neighbor to everyone else; we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home. This is a major paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would be conducting their business in the coming years.
Our upcoming website: www.WorldMuslimCongress.com will present a range of values in Islam. It is a shame that some of the translations of Qur’an contain phrases that are not in Qur’an. A dozen translations will be presented verse by verse, with the source. So you may know the truth!
Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:2-3: Believers, why do you say what you do not execute? It is most offensive in the sight of Allah when you say what you do not practice!
Speak up, silent no more ®
Mike Ghouse, President, World Muslim Congress, 2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234-
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Additional Notes
We are drawing the blue prints, and developing a 14 year plan to find our space in the world of communities, as contributors and active participants in the peaceful co-existence of the people of the World.
God willing (Insha Allah) by the September 11, we plan to role out a Seven point program achieving the mission encrusted in the press release below. We are driven by the thought "How can we make the world a better place for every one".
Nothing has ever happened without taking a step forward. The website www.WorldMuslimCongress.com is scheduled to be launched on Monday, September 11, 2006. It will be interactive and accommodative of diversity within Islam and aims to be a voice of the Majority of Muslims who chose moderation.
Islam is not a monolithic religion and has allowed diversity from its very inception. Justice, Liberty and freedom are its core values. God could have made us desire-less and sinless angels, instead he chose to make us human, giving guidance on one hand, temptations on the other – then giving room to make mistakes, and room to correct ourselves thru repentance. Forgiveness is a full cycle concept and not merely utterance of words. Hence, Islam is a deed based religion.
I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164
Our silence has done a lot more damage to us than the damage done by the extremists. We have a forum now to speak up and present the majority view to the world.
If you would like to join the discussions on any topic, please send your email request to: WorldMuslimCongress-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com
World Muslim Congress
GOOD FOR MUSLIMS – GOOD FOR THE WORLD
Dallas, Texas . Thursday, May 25th, 2006. All praise to God. We are pleased to announce the formation of The World Muslim Congress, a non-profit organization with a commitment to work towards forming a just world.
Our Mission is to create a better world for every human being, through inclusiveness and participation, as members of a diverse family. Our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain a sustainable peace and goodwill. We believe communication is a two way street. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace.
Our Prophet (pbuh) described a good deed as an act which benefits others, such as planting trees that serve generations of wayfarers with fruits and a shade. The world is a better place today because of the good legacy bequeathed to the humanity by people of all faiths that came before us. We owe it to coming generations to leave the world little better than we found, to usher an era of justice and peace.
Our goal is to inspire Muslims to be actively involved in the larger global community and be productive citizens as well as peace makers to the world.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set the example of good citizenship early on in his life. The people of Makkah, non-Muslims at that time, called him Al-Amin - the truthful and the trustworthy, because of his unwavering commitment to honesty in word and deed. The goal of the World Muslim Congress is to instill the humane values of Islam and to aspire to be Al-Amin to all.
The World Muslim Congress aims to give voice to the silent majority of Muslims, those who believe in leading a good life by contributing their time, effort and energy towards shaping a just society. A society where helping families, building bridges between communities, and foster love, justice and peace.
Through the revolution in travel and communication the world has indeed become a global community. Every one is a neighbor to every one else, we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home. This is a paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would be conducting their business in the coming years and we hope it paves way for co-existence.
Insha Allah, the organization will officially come into full operation on Tuesday, July 4th, 2006.
Contact:
Mike Mohamed Ghouse - MikeGhouse@gmail.com
Mirza Akhtar Beg - mirza.a.beg@gmail.com
99% of Muslims are moderates: they want to get along with all, they want a hassle free life and they respect all that God has created, humans as well as the environment. With the exception of 1%, all our Imams are a representation of this moderate group.
You may have encountered disbelief reading the first word of this letter. Figure out 1% of 1.3 Billion Muslims and check out the figures released by the Department of State last year in May - all combined they had figured 450,000 Muslims world wide who are possibly involved in insurgent activities. Of that, a small percent is hard core terrorists. Run the numbers, the insurgents make up 1/30th of 1% of Muslim population and terrorist possibly 1/50th of 1% or less. Statistically they are not representative of Muslims or Islam in any fashion.
The responsibility for the terrorist goof up falls squarely on Muslims as well as the media. Muslims, because they acted like the silent majority of any group, minding their own business and go on living a normal life. They have condemned them bad boys, but not enough to shut them up. The media, on the other hand feasts on terrorism, look at the TV anchors and the neocons, they come alive on television. They instantly produce terrorism experts every minute of the day. This encourages the bullies as they get the flood light, it is wrong, dead wrong to shine the light on those who are not representative of Muslims.
Then there is a flawed understanding of Muslims, and it is propagated by people with short term goals or self interests and certainly not in the interest of people or even America. In the interest of promoting co-existence which would leads to peace and security for the entire mankind, we need to identify the evil and tackle without worsening it. We have to have villains and we created evils like communism, Soviet Union etc.. when they are gone, we have started barking against Muslims, the wrong tree.
Silent no more, the World Muslim Congress is forming to represent the voice of the silent majority. we are developing a board of advisors representing every faith. Every one is a neighbor to every one else, we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home.
This is a major paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would conduct their business in the coming years. May be if all religious groups consider this alternative over living in secretive worlds, we may open up avenues, we never knew existed.
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One of the most beautiful aspects of Islam is the freedom.
Every one's opinion must be given a value. Our prophet left the book to us to interpret, he trusted in our intelligence, he trusted in our humanness to make mistakes and he trusted in our abilities to come up with Ijtihad (Consultative decisions) and get back on the track. He knew Qur’an was for all times, and as such, he did not particularly assign any Keeper or Protector for the holy book, because he did not want that Protector to usurp the individual freedom enjoined to us. Only God has the right to judge us to how we utilize our freedom. Even our prophet, peace be upon him, chose to keep out of the equation: He said something like - Here is the book, follow it, if you make mistakes, repent and get back on track, Choose the right path, it is liberation. He said the same thing to his dear daughter Fatima, it is your deeds that matters to God.
The roots of democracy were firmly planted in Islam at the time of the death of Prophet Muhammad. As the Prophet did not assign the Holy book to a protector to interpret and guard, he did not assign or designate a successor either. Had he done that, there would have been dynasties and successors. Democracy was born, a successor was discussed and elected, the one who was most capable to lead, it was the first Caliph – Leader Abu Bakr Siddique.
It reminds me of my capstone class, the final class in my MBA program at the University of Dallas which was not structured. There were 15 some clueless students turning leaders with the Professor sitting in the back with a 6 pack, the program evolved, leadership developed through consensus.
The prophet perhaps wanted people to consult and find the right leader to run their affairs on their own. Unfortunately nearly a third of Muslim population lives under such dynasties today.
I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes. -Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164
Islam is a deed based religion, salvation comes thru good deeds. Good deed, our prophet suggested was service to mankind, like planting a tree that benefits the future wayfarer with shade and fruits
The Biggest mistake you see when you open the Holy Qur'an:
We the Muslims are embarrassed about our silence and about lack of will to repair the wrongs. Silence no more. The fear you may have of Muslims has stemmed from reading the translations of Qur’an and your irresponsibility in clarifying the truth. One of my favorite verse comes from the Holy Bhagvad Gita “Finding the truth is your own responsibility” that corresponds with the quote above that it is your deeds that determine your Nirvana.
5:51, says, "Do not take the Jews and Christians as friends (auliya)." Beginning immediately with Surah Fatiha 1:1 (the opening chapter of the Qur’an) we find a translation not to be found anywhere else:
1:1-7Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who have earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)." (HK translation 1:1-7)
And the words Kafir and Infidel.
If you have read the above translations, then you must have picked up the free copy of the Qur'an with translations done by Hilali and Khan. This translation is spread all over the world, especially in the Indian sub-continent.
It is a distortion to put in parenthesis the words “such as the Jews” and “such as the Christians” So if you have a Qur'an at home with this kind of translation – DO NOT READ IT IS INCORRECT. I recommend translation by Muhammed Asad, “The Message of the Qur'an.”
I don’t blame your for how you feel when you read the above. It is certainly confusing to you and even Muslims. Thanks God, there are 14 available translations now, and more are popping. So which one is the right one? This has created a lot of misunderstanding among people who read the Qur'an, Muslims as well as people of other faiths.
God willing we will fix the problem. Our website will present all the translations, verse by verse including the one that frightens you.
Indeed, the people referred to in the above verse were specific individuals, i.e., the individuals who were in that conflict and not any one else. It does not apply to –all Jews and Christian of today or even that day when the verse was revealed. There are hundreds of verses that were addressed to a specific situation and individuals.
One more area where readers get mislead is 5:51, “Do not take the Jews and Christians as your friends.” The Arabic word “auliya” is incorrectly translated as “friends.” The correct word in the context of the full meaning of that particular line should be, “savior.”
Hence the translation should be read as, “ Do not take the Jews and Christians as your saviors with small ‘s’ not capital ‘s’. Explanation should be given to explain, savior is one who is not only your protector of the most vital interests but one who is also religiously and spiritually well grounded to meet the needs of the individual as well as the entire society. Some one who is also a guide to living a righteous life as well as physically who protects you.
This is to clarify to our Christian believers that, the word savior is not in any way related to Jesus. Using friends in place of auliya, in the past was done by some scholars incorrectly because the Quran which is interfaith friendly scripture allows inter-marriages among the People of the Book and admonishes readers to be good to people of the book.
Iftekhar Hai of United Muslims of America. Interfaith Alliance.
Sister Sheila Musa aptly pointed out the difference in interpretations and Waleed Kavalec about the availability of 14 translations, which would take away the servitude to one translation over the other. She will address most of the words and phrases that may have frightened or saddened you, from sheer mis-translation, rather dis-translation.
This can only give the impression to any non-Muslim or Muslim who either does not have fluency in Arabic or access to individuals with competency in Classical Qur'anic Arabic that the Qur’an denounces all Jews and Christians. This is a great untruth. There are a lot of verses like that.
Most Muslims do not pay attention to the translation, as most all can read the Arabic (may not understand) and go on with their lives. The ones who understand Arabic know the words such as Jews and Christian in the first chapter do not exist. Take your book to any one and have them read it. But that 1% of fanatic Muslims who read the translation and pay attention, developed the reckless mentality of arrogance. Finally, the silent Majority of Muslims have discovered where the problem is coming and we hope to remove all copies of Qur’an that are mistranslated.
In God's wisdom Qur’an is for all times, (as all other holy books are to the believer) it unequivocally applies to our times, as it did in their time. I would like to see more translations as it enhances our range of understanding of the values, it is an inclusive approach. It frees us from the bondage of singular interpretations, and it frees us from divining up Yousuf Ali, Pickthall and all the great translators. In Islam individuals are not divine, every one is on par. They and us would stand shoulder to shoulder in prayers. It builds self esteem within the community knowing that we can respect all the great scholars but not demean ourselves. Prophet Muhammad did not leave some one else to interpret the holy book for us, he left the book to us, he trusted in our collective wisdom, he trusted in our abilities and after all, individuals are responsible for their own deeds.
The word Kafir / Infidel would fade away into oblivion in the next two decades, instead of the current meaning to point non-Muslims. it would come to mean only those who do not believe in divine "intelligence" or some power behind creation. It would become truly inclusive, as it was meant to be everyone between an Atheist and Zoroastrian. As all of them believe in creation and a creator (call it intelligence or God) and not randomness.
Here is: Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4
It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth. He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will al
return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts. -Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4
By the way, there are over 50 Islamic websites run by mischievous people. We hope to identify such websites and list them all on our website.
THERE IS HOPE: All religions are meant to bring a social order and make us better humans, in the pursuit of that goal all religions have done their best. It is not the religion; it is the individuals who are bad. Without religion there would have been more chaos. You will always find an individual behind all the mess, let’s blame them and nail them not their religion.
Send your comments to: WMCArchives@Gmail.com
Subject line write: Our Mission
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The World Muslim Congress is driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware." Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. No one should have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it. Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator. www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
Our Mission is driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."
Our Mission
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.
Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.
Goals
Our short term goal is to understand different faiths and let the values of Islam be understood as well. So we may know one another.
Our Long term goal is simply to bring the realization that the purpose of all religions is to bring peace and tranquility to an individual and further create a balanced relationships between the individual, society and the environment. Learning about other faiths need not imply infidelity, but rather the search will enrich one's own faith, it reaffirms the idea that the intent of every faith is to "fix" the individual as an active working and participating spoke in the wheel of life. Some get it and some don't.
Islam defined
The most precise definition of Islam: Justice for every human being.
The Qur'aan starts with the word God of Universe (not necessarily Muslims) and ends with Humankind (and again not Muslims).
We have a monumental task to repair the World, and we will do our part in working towards a World of co-existence, one person at a time. We are committed, and now help us God. Amen.
Good Deeds
Islam is a deed based non-judgmental religion, and consistently encourages individuals to do good. It emphasizes about individual responsibility towards the peace and security of society at large.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) described a good deed as an act which benefits others, such as planting a tree that serves generations of wayfarers with fruit and the shade. The world is a better place today because of a good legacy bequeathed to humanity by people of all faiths that came before us. We owe it to coming generations to leave the world a little better than we found it, to usher an era of justice and peace.
With Prejudice towards none
Almost all Muslims are cognizant and repeat the verse “God is the master of the Day of Judgment, and he alone we worship”. A fully observant Muslim recites this verse at least 50 times a day and refrains from judging others, as he or she believes God only can make that call.
Individual responsibility
Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164: I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
Citizenship
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set an example of good citizenship early on in his life. The people of Makkah, non-Muslims at that time, called him Al-Amin; the truthful, the trustworthy and the peace maker because of his unwavering commitment to honesty in word and deed. The goal of the World Muslim Congress is to instill the humane values of Islam and to aspire to be Al-Amin to all.
A Just society
Islam emerged to bring peace, tranquility and equilibrium to the multitudes of tribes at conflict with each other in the 6th century AD. In a period of 23 years, thru suffering, persecution and sacrifice a just society evolved. Diversity was it’s basis, respecting each tradition and bringing them together and appreciating the creator was the foundation stone of Islam. Justice, liberty and freedom are the core values enshrined in Islam.
Pluralism
Islam is indeed a pluralistic faith and imbues a sense of humility and ideals of equality of humankind. These values are embedded in its rituals practices. All people harvest their own deeds.
Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4: It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth.
He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will all return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts.
The Madinah pact, prescribes the rights of its Citizens and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the signatory to it as the head of the City State. It was an all inclusive agreement between the Jews, Christians, Sabeans, Quraish, Muslims and other tribes for a peaceful co-existence. An example was set for a pluralistic society in documenting the rights of individuals. Perhaps it was the first historical document that included diverse people. The Word Ummah was used in the document to mean all residents of the City.
Freedom
God could have made us all sinless angels; instead he chose to make us humans, giving guidance on one hand, temptations on the other – then giving room to make mistakes, and room for correction. Islam has not claimed monopoly to heaven; it is assured to those who do good deeds. Good deeds are defined by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as how your treat others. He told his daughter that it would be her deeds that would earn her a place in the Kingdom of God and not her relation with the Prophet. ''There is no free lunch.
Qur'an, Al-Inshiqaq, Surah 84:7-15: Each person will be given a book. Those who are given their books in their right hands (understanding the book correctly) will be judged leniently; and they will return to their people joyfully. But those who are given their books in their left hands (misunderstanding) will call their own destruction on themselves, and burn in the fire of hell. There are the people who have never cared for their neighbors; they thought they would never return to God. Their Lord watches all that people do.
For Millions of years, the physical dimension of the Universe has existed in a perfect balance as it did not have the ego to compete with each other nor had the freedom to mess with it. They do, what God intended them to do. It is the human dimension that needed religion, and every religion is meant to bring peace to individuals and balance to the world around them through free choice.
God willing, the Muslim community will be drawing the blue prints and developing a 14 year plan to find their space in the world of communities, as contributors and active participants in the peaceful co-existence for the people of the World. The Book “Muslim Vision 2020” is on the horizon.
The human desire to monopolize World resources is the root cause of all evil. The pockets of anarchy and problems of the world are born out of fear and insecurities of evil men. Religion is not the source of wars or conflict. In fact, Religion is the best Gift humans have received from God, without which the World would be chaotic.
Praise the Lord. We are pleased to announce the formation of The World Muslim Congress, A non-profit organization dedicated to promoting co-existence and contributing towards a just world. (Formed: 5/25/2006)
Our silence has done more damage to us, our faith and our World. Silent no more, God willing, we will resolutely take back our faith for our good and the good of mankind.
A Major Paradigm Shift
The world has indeed become a global community. Everyone is a neighbor to everyone else; we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home. This is a major paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would be conducting their business in the coming years.
Our upcoming website: www.WorldMuslimCongress.com will present a range of values in Islam. It is a shame that some of the translations of Qur’an contain phrases that are not in Qur’an. A dozen translations will be presented verse by verse, with the source. So you may know the truth!
Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:2-3: Believers, why do you say what you do not execute? It is most offensive in the sight of Allah when you say what you do not practice!
Speak up, silent no more ®
Mike Ghouse, President, World Muslim Congress, 2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234-
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Additional Notes
We are drawing the blue prints, and developing a 14 year plan to find our space in the world of communities, as contributors and active participants in the peaceful co-existence of the people of the World.
God willing (Insha Allah) by the September 11, we plan to role out a Seven point program achieving the mission encrusted in the press release below. We are driven by the thought "How can we make the world a better place for every one".
Nothing has ever happened without taking a step forward. The website www.WorldMuslimCongress.com is scheduled to be launched on Monday, September 11, 2006. It will be interactive and accommodative of diversity within Islam and aims to be a voice of the Majority of Muslims who chose moderation.
Islam is not a monolithic religion and has allowed diversity from its very inception. Justice, Liberty and freedom are its core values. God could have made us desire-less and sinless angels, instead he chose to make us human, giving guidance on one hand, temptations on the other – then giving room to make mistakes, and room to correct ourselves thru repentance. Forgiveness is a full cycle concept and not merely utterance of words. Hence, Islam is a deed based religion.
I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
-Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164
Our silence has done a lot more damage to us than the damage done by the extremists. We have a forum now to speak up and present the majority view to the world.
If you would like to join the discussions on any topic, please send your email request to: WorldMuslimCongress-Subscribe@yahoogroups.com
World Muslim Congress
GOOD FOR MUSLIMS – GOOD FOR THE WORLD
Dallas, Texas . Thursday, May 25th, 2006. All praise to God. We are pleased to announce the formation of The World Muslim Congress, a non-profit organization with a commitment to work towards forming a just world.
Our Mission is to create a better world for every human being, through inclusiveness and participation, as members of a diverse family. Our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain a sustainable peace and goodwill. We believe communication is a two way street. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace.
Our Prophet (pbuh) described a good deed as an act which benefits others, such as planting trees that serve generations of wayfarers with fruits and a shade. The world is a better place today because of the good legacy bequeathed to the humanity by people of all faiths that came before us. We owe it to coming generations to leave the world little better than we found, to usher an era of justice and peace.
Our goal is to inspire Muslims to be actively involved in the larger global community and be productive citizens as well as peace makers to the world.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set the example of good citizenship early on in his life. The people of Makkah, non-Muslims at that time, called him Al-Amin - the truthful and the trustworthy, because of his unwavering commitment to honesty in word and deed. The goal of the World Muslim Congress is to instill the humane values of Islam and to aspire to be Al-Amin to all.
The World Muslim Congress aims to give voice to the silent majority of Muslims, those who believe in leading a good life by contributing their time, effort and energy towards shaping a just society. A society where helping families, building bridges between communities, and foster love, justice and peace.
Through the revolution in travel and communication the world has indeed become a global community. Every one is a neighbor to every one else, we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home. This is a paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would be conducting their business in the coming years and we hope it paves way for co-existence.
Insha Allah, the organization will officially come into full operation on Tuesday, July 4th, 2006.
Contact:
Mike Mohamed Ghouse - MikeGhouse@gmail.com
Mirza Akhtar Beg - mirza.a.beg@gmail.com
99% of Muslims are moderates: they want to get along with all, they want a hassle free life and they respect all that God has created, humans as well as the environment. With the exception of 1%, all our Imams are a representation of this moderate group.
You may have encountered disbelief reading the first word of this letter. Figure out 1% of 1.3 Billion Muslims and check out the figures released by the Department of State last year in May - all combined they had figured 450,000 Muslims world wide who are possibly involved in insurgent activities. Of that, a small percent is hard core terrorists. Run the numbers, the insurgents make up 1/30th of 1% of Muslim population and terrorist possibly 1/50th of 1% or less. Statistically they are not representative of Muslims or Islam in any fashion.
The responsibility for the terrorist goof up falls squarely on Muslims as well as the media. Muslims, because they acted like the silent majority of any group, minding their own business and go on living a normal life. They have condemned them bad boys, but not enough to shut them up. The media, on the other hand feasts on terrorism, look at the TV anchors and the neocons, they come alive on television. They instantly produce terrorism experts every minute of the day. This encourages the bullies as they get the flood light, it is wrong, dead wrong to shine the light on those who are not representative of Muslims.
Then there is a flawed understanding of Muslims, and it is propagated by people with short term goals or self interests and certainly not in the interest of people or even America. In the interest of promoting co-existence which would leads to peace and security for the entire mankind, we need to identify the evil and tackle without worsening it. We have to have villains and we created evils like communism, Soviet Union etc.. when they are gone, we have started barking against Muslims, the wrong tree.
Silent no more, the World Muslim Congress is forming to represent the voice of the silent majority. we are developing a board of advisors representing every faith. Every one is a neighbor to every one else, we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home.
This is a major paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would conduct their business in the coming years. May be if all religious groups consider this alternative over living in secretive worlds, we may open up avenues, we never knew existed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the most beautiful aspects of Islam is the freedom.
Every one's opinion must be given a value. Our prophet left the book to us to interpret, he trusted in our intelligence, he trusted in our humanness to make mistakes and he trusted in our abilities to come up with Ijtihad (Consultative decisions) and get back on the track. He knew Qur’an was for all times, and as such, he did not particularly assign any Keeper or Protector for the holy book, because he did not want that Protector to usurp the individual freedom enjoined to us. Only God has the right to judge us to how we utilize our freedom. Even our prophet, peace be upon him, chose to keep out of the equation: He said something like - Here is the book, follow it, if you make mistakes, repent and get back on track, Choose the right path, it is liberation. He said the same thing to his dear daughter Fatima, it is your deeds that matters to God.
The roots of democracy were firmly planted in Islam at the time of the death of Prophet Muhammad. As the Prophet did not assign the Holy book to a protector to interpret and guard, he did not assign or designate a successor either. Had he done that, there would have been dynasties and successors. Democracy was born, a successor was discussed and elected, the one who was most capable to lead, it was the first Caliph – Leader Abu Bakr Siddique.
It reminds me of my capstone class, the final class in my MBA program at the University of Dallas which was not structured. There were 15 some clueless students turning leaders with the Professor sitting in the back with a 6 pack, the program evolved, leadership developed through consensus.
The prophet perhaps wanted people to consult and find the right leader to run their affairs on their own. Unfortunately nearly a third of Muslim population lives under such dynasties today.
I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes. -Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164
Islam is a deed based religion, salvation comes thru good deeds. Good deed, our prophet suggested was service to mankind, like planting a tree that benefits the future wayfarer with shade and fruits
The Biggest mistake you see when you open the Holy Qur'an:
We the Muslims are embarrassed about our silence and about lack of will to repair the wrongs. Silence no more. The fear you may have of Muslims has stemmed from reading the translations of Qur’an and your irresponsibility in clarifying the truth. One of my favorite verse comes from the Holy Bhagvad Gita “Finding the truth is your own responsibility” that corresponds with the quote above that it is your deeds that determine your Nirvana.
5:51, says, "Do not take the Jews and Christians as friends (auliya)." Beginning immediately with Surah Fatiha 1:1 (the opening chapter of the Qur’an) we find a translation not to be found anywhere else:
1:1-7Guide us to the Straight Way. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who have earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)." (HK translation 1:1-7)
And the words Kafir and Infidel.
If you have read the above translations, then you must have picked up the free copy of the Qur'an with translations done by Hilali and Khan. This translation is spread all over the world, especially in the Indian sub-continent.
It is a distortion to put in parenthesis the words “such as the Jews” and “such as the Christians” So if you have a Qur'an at home with this kind of translation – DO NOT READ IT IS INCORRECT. I recommend translation by Muhammed Asad, “The Message of the Qur'an.”
I don’t blame your for how you feel when you read the above. It is certainly confusing to you and even Muslims. Thanks God, there are 14 available translations now, and more are popping. So which one is the right one? This has created a lot of misunderstanding among people who read the Qur'an, Muslims as well as people of other faiths.
God willing we will fix the problem. Our website will present all the translations, verse by verse including the one that frightens you.
Indeed, the people referred to in the above verse were specific individuals, i.e., the individuals who were in that conflict and not any one else. It does not apply to –all Jews and Christian of today or even that day when the verse was revealed. There are hundreds of verses that were addressed to a specific situation and individuals.
One more area where readers get mislead is 5:51, “Do not take the Jews and Christians as your friends.” The Arabic word “auliya” is incorrectly translated as “friends.” The correct word in the context of the full meaning of that particular line should be, “savior.”
Hence the translation should be read as, “ Do not take the Jews and Christians as your saviors with small ‘s’ not capital ‘s’. Explanation should be given to explain, savior is one who is not only your protector of the most vital interests but one who is also religiously and spiritually well grounded to meet the needs of the individual as well as the entire society. Some one who is also a guide to living a righteous life as well as physically who protects you.
This is to clarify to our Christian believers that, the word savior is not in any way related to Jesus. Using friends in place of auliya, in the past was done by some scholars incorrectly because the Quran which is interfaith friendly scripture allows inter-marriages among the People of the Book and admonishes readers to be good to people of the book.
Iftekhar Hai of United Muslims of America. Interfaith Alliance.
Sister Sheila Musa aptly pointed out the difference in interpretations and Waleed Kavalec about the availability of 14 translations, which would take away the servitude to one translation over the other. She will address most of the words and phrases that may have frightened or saddened you, from sheer mis-translation, rather dis-translation.
This can only give the impression to any non-Muslim or Muslim who either does not have fluency in Arabic or access to individuals with competency in Classical Qur'anic Arabic that the Qur’an denounces all Jews and Christians. This is a great untruth. There are a lot of verses like that.
Most Muslims do not pay attention to the translation, as most all can read the Arabic (may not understand) and go on with their lives. The ones who understand Arabic know the words such as Jews and Christian in the first chapter do not exist. Take your book to any one and have them read it. But that 1% of fanatic Muslims who read the translation and pay attention, developed the reckless mentality of arrogance. Finally, the silent Majority of Muslims have discovered where the problem is coming and we hope to remove all copies of Qur’an that are mistranslated.
In God's wisdom Qur’an is for all times, (as all other holy books are to the believer) it unequivocally applies to our times, as it did in their time. I would like to see more translations as it enhances our range of understanding of the values, it is an inclusive approach. It frees us from the bondage of singular interpretations, and it frees us from divining up Yousuf Ali, Pickthall and all the great translators. In Islam individuals are not divine, every one is on par. They and us would stand shoulder to shoulder in prayers. It builds self esteem within the community knowing that we can respect all the great scholars but not demean ourselves. Prophet Muhammad did not leave some one else to interpret the holy book for us, he left the book to us, he trusted in our collective wisdom, he trusted in our abilities and after all, individuals are responsible for their own deeds.
The word Kafir / Infidel would fade away into oblivion in the next two decades, instead of the current meaning to point non-Muslims. it would come to mean only those who do not believe in divine "intelligence" or some power behind creation. It would become truly inclusive, as it was meant to be everyone between an Atheist and Zoroastrian. As all of them believe in creation and a creator (call it intelligence or God) and not randomness.
Here is: Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4
It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth. He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will al
return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts. -Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4
By the way, there are over 50 Islamic websites run by mischievous people. We hope to identify such websites and list them all on our website.
THERE IS HOPE: All religions are meant to bring a social order and make us better humans, in the pursuit of that goal all religions have done their best. It is not the religion; it is the individuals who are bad. Without religion there would have been more chaos. You will always find an individual behind all the mess, let’s blame them and nail them not their religion.
Send your comments to: WMCArchives@Gmail.com
Subject line write: Our Mission
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The World Muslim Congress is driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware." Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. No one should have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it. Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator. www.WorldMuslimCongress.com
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Bismillah
1:1 In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Dispenser of Grace:
Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi
بِسْÙ…ِ اللّÙ‡ِ الرَّØْمـَÙ†ِ الرَّØِيمِ (1:1) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
1:2 All praise is due to God alone, the Sustainer of all the worlds,
Alhamdu lillahi rabbi alAAalameena
الْØَÙ…ْدُ للّÙ‡ِ رَبِّ الْعَالَÙ…ِينَ (1:2) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
1:3 The Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace,
Alrrahmani alrraheemi
الرَّØْمـنِ الرَّØِيمِ (1:3) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
1:4 Lord of the Day of Judgment!
Maliki yawmi alddeeni
Ù…َـالِÙƒِ ÙŠَÙˆْÙ…ِ الدِّينِ (1:4) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
1:5 Thee alone do we worship; and unto Thee alone do we turn for aid.
Iyyaka naAAbudu waiyyaka nastaAAeenu
Ø¥ِÙŠَّاكَ Ù†َعْبُدُ وإِÙŠَّاكَ Ù†َسْتَعِينُ (1:5) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
1:6 Guide us the straight way.
Ihdina alssirata almustaqeema
اهدِÙ†َــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَÙ‚ِيمَ (1:6) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
1:7 The way of those upon whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,
not of those who have been condemned [by Thee], nor of those who go astray!
Sirata allatheena anAAamta AAalayhim ghayri almaghdoobi AAalayhim wala alddalleena
صِرَاطَ الَّØ°ِينَ Ø£َنعَمتَ عَÙ„َيهِÙ…ْ غَيرِ المَغضُوبِ عَÙ„َيهِÙ…ْ Ùˆَلاَ الضَّالِّينَ (1:7) Baset - Hussari - Minshawi
Courtesy of http://www.islamicity.com/QuranSearch/
This blog is managed by the World Muslim Congress
Our Mission is driven by the Qur'an, Al-Hujurat, Surah 49:13: "O mankind! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. The noblest of you, in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware."
Our Mission
Our Mission is to work for a world of co-existence through inclusiveness and participation. As a member of diverse family of faiths, our efforts will be directed towards justice and equity to attain peace for the humankind with a firm grounding in commonly held values. We cannot have advantages at the cost of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslims has got to be good for the world, and vice versa, to sustain it.
Indeed we aspire to promote goodwill amongst people of different affiliations, regardless of their faith, gender, race, nationality, culture or any other uniqueness blessed by the creator.
Goals
Our short term goal is to understand different faiths and let the values of Islam be understood as well. So we may know one another.
Our Long term goal is simply to bring the realization that the purpose of all religions is to bring peace and tranquility to an individual and further create a balanced relationships between the individual, society and the environment. Learning about other faiths need not imply infidelity, but rather the search will enrich one's own faith, it reaffirms the idea that the intent of every faith is to "fix" the individual as an active working and participating spoke in the wheel of life. Some get it and some don't.
Islam defined
The most precise definition of Islam: Justice for every human being. Justice is the foundation stone of Islam.
The Qur'aan starts with the word God of Universe (not necessarily Muslims) and ends with Humankind (and again not Muslims).
We have a monumental task to repair the World, and we will do our part in working towards a World of co-existence, one person at a time. We are committed, and now help us God. Amen.
Good Deeds
Islam is a deed based non-judgmental religion, and consistently encourages individuals to do good. It emphasizes about individual responsibility towards the peace and security of society at large.
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) described a good deed as an act which benefits others, such as planting a tree that serves generations of wayfarers with fruit and the shade. The world is a better place today because of a good legacy bequeathed to humanity by people of all faiths that came before us. We owe it to coming generations to leave the world a little better than we found it, to usher an era of justice and peace.
With Prejudice towards none
Almost all Muslims are cognizant and repeat the verse “God is the master of the Day of Judgment, and he alone we worship”. A fully observant Muslim recites this verse at least 50 times a day and refrains from judging others, as he or she believes God only can make that call.
Individual responsibility
Qur'an, Al-An'am, Surah 6:163-164: I ask whether I should seek any god besides God--when he is the Lord of all things. All people will reap the harvest of their own deeds; no one will bear another’s burden. Ultimately, all of you will return to your Lord, and he will resolve your disputes.
Citizenship
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) set an example of good citizenship early on in his life. The people of Makkah, non-Muslims at that time, called him Al-Amin; the truthful, the trustworthy and the peace maker because of his unwavering commitment to honesty in word and deed. The goal of the World Muslim Congress is to instill the humane values of Islam and to aspire to be Al-Amin to all.
A Just society
Islam emerged to bring peace, tranquility and equilibrium to the multitudes of tribes at conflict with each other in the 6th century AD. In a period of 23 years, thru suffering, persecution and sacrifice a just society evolved. Diversity was it’s basis, respecting each tradition and bringing them together and appreciating the creator was the foundation stone of Islam.
Justice, liberty and freedom are the core values enshrined in Islam.
Pluralism
Islam is indeed a pluralistic faith and imbues a sense of humility and ideals of equality of humankind. These values are embedded in its rituals practices. All people harvest their own deeds.
Qur'an, At-Taghabun, Surah 64:2-4: It was God who created you; yet some of you refuse to believe, while others have faith. He is aware of all your actions. He created the heavens and the earth to manifest the truth.
He fashioned each one of you--and each one of you is beautiful. To God you will all return. He knows all that the heavens and the earth contain. He knows all that you hide and all that you reveal. He knows your deepest thoughts.
The Madinah pact, prescribes the rights of its Citizens and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the signatory to it as the head of the City State. It was an all inclusive agreement between the Jews, Christians, Sabeans, Quraish, Muslims and other tribes for a peaceful co-existence. An example was set for a pluralistic society in documenting the rights of individuals. Perhaps it was the first historical document that included diverse people. The Word Ummah was used in the document to mean all residents of the City.
Freedom
God could have made us all sinless angels; instead he chose to make us humans, giving guidance on one hand, temptations on the other – then giving room to make mistakes, and room for correction. Islam has not claimed monopoly to heaven; it is assured to those who do good deeds. Good deeds are defined by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) as how your treat others. He told his daughter that it would be her deeds that would earn her a place in the Kingdom of God and not her relation with the Prophet. There is no free lunch.
Qur'an, Al-Inshiqaq, Surah 84:7-15: Each person will be given a book. Those who are given their books in their right hands (understanding the book correctly) will be judged leniently; and they will return to their people joyfully. But those who are given their books in their left hands (misunderstanding) will call their own destruction on themselves, and burn in the fire of hell. There are the people who have never cared for their neighbors; they thought they would never return to God. Their Lord watches all that people do.
For Millions of years, the physical dimension of the Universe has existed in a perfect balance as it did not have the ego to compete with each other nor had the freedom to mess with it. They do, what God intended them to do. It is the human dimension that needed religion, and every religion is meant to bring peace to individuals and balance to the world around them through free choice.
God willing, the Muslim community will be drawing the blue prints and developing a plan to find their space in the world of communities, as contributors and active participants in the peaceful co-existence for the people of the World.
The human desire to monopolize World resources is the root cause of all evil. The pockets of anarchy and problems of the world are born out of fear and insecurities of evil men. Religion is not the source of wars or conflict. In fact, Religion is the best Gift humans have received from God, without which the World would be chaotic.
Our silence has done more damage to us, our faith and our World. Silent no more, God willing, we will resolutely take back our faith for our good and the good of mankind.
A Major Paradigm Shift
The world has indeed become a global community. Everyone is a neighbor to everyone else; we aspire to nurture the concept of good neighborliness in the world. Our advisory board will be represented by individuals from every faith. It is time for us to be equal citizens of one world, our home. This is a major paradigm shift in how the religious organizations would be conducting their business in the coming years.
Qur'an, As-Saff, Surah 61:2-3: Believers, why do you say what you do not execute? It is most offensive in the sight of Allah when you say what you do not practice!
Speak up, silent no more ®
Mike Ghouse,
World Muslim Congress,
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
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