This commercial really says it all. I think all of us, especially parents have to be aware of this. Our children look at us for examples. They learn from us. Vygotsky came up with a theory called socio-constructivist theory which says that humans learn while they interact with their peers.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Anti Islamic lectures in Windsor (this is an older one, but I found the picture now)
Anti-Islamic lecture cancelled by church
Pastor defends actions to standing-room only audience
Dalson Chen, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, January 19, 2007
A Windsor church that drew heated criticism last week for hosting the anti-Islamic lecture of a purported former Muslim terrorist cancelled his second speech Thursday night to give the church's embattled leader a chance to defend himself.
"First and foremost, I am a Christian," proclaimed Pastor Donald McKay before a capacity crowd at Campbell Baptist Church.
"As a Christian, I am also under a very heavy mandate to do my part in defending this great country of ours -- this dominion of Canada -- from any attacks, either overt or incipient," he said."
Zachariah Anani speaks to 23-year-old Windsor Muslim Gabriel Keresztes at Campbell Baptist Church Jan. 18, 2007.
Jason Kryk, Windsor Star
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McKay said he stands in defence of Canadian liberties, freedoms, "our Canadian way of life" and "our values" and promised to "jealously guard these things from being overtaken, from being overthrown."
Controversy has dogged the church since Jan. 11, when McKay arranged a lecture by 49-year-old Lebanon-native Zachariah Anani -- billed as a man who had "killed hundreds of people in the name of Allah" before converting to Christianity.
Under the title The Deadly Threat of Islam, Anani accused Islamic doctrine of advocating violence against non-believers, especially Christians and Jews. McKay himself described Islamic doctrine as "vicious" and "oppressive," and warned of its spread in Windsor.
The second lecture of the series was scheduled under the title Could Jihad Be Coming to Your Neighbourhood?
But on Thursday night, McKay announced that Anani would not speak as planned, citing "distressing comments made in the media about his citizenship."
"We certainly would not want to put his citizenship or any other person's citizenship -- Canadian citizenship -- in jeopardy," McKay said.
Instead of Anani's speech, McKay launched into a sermon on the Christian faith.
In speaking of jihad, McKay recited a list of attacks made by Islamic terrorists in the last 25 years. "There is a militant form of jihad that all Canadians -- irrespective of ethnicity, irrespective of their background -- should be concerned about."
But McKay followed by stating his focus as the "internal kind" of jihad, and the nature of man as a sinner.
"There's a lot of things we could talk about tonight," McKay said. "The issues that are ultimately important in life are spiritual issues, and eternal issues."
No question period followed McKay's sermon, and he quickly exited the hall after ending the meeting.
The change in format surprised the audience of around 550 people.
"I wanted to listen to this bad guy who created this mess," said Windsor Muslim Saeeb Chaudhary, 53. "Where's he at? Everyone has a question."
Mustafa Omar, 30, said he was left unsatisfied by the event. "I thought there was going to be some discussion, OK?" he said. "So (McKay) said what he had to say and he muted everybody by leaving. We can't talk to the wall."
But Gabriel Keresztes, a Muslim convert who attended last week's lecture, said he wasn't disappointed by the cancellation. "Everyone wanted peace. That's all we wanted," said the 23-year-old Windsor resident.
"God knows what their intentions were from the beginning. I don't think they accomplished what they wanted because the Windsor community is united." Keresztes said. "God knows best."
Anti-Islamic lecture cancelled by church
Pastor defends actions to standing-room only audience
Dalson Chen, Windsor Star
Published: Friday, January 19, 2007
For more than an hour after the sermon, scores of people continued to debate about the Christian and Muslim faiths in clusters throughout the church.
"That's what discussion should be like," Keresztes said. "Gentle, intellectual."
Although he made no speech, Anani fielded questions from members of the public in an impromptu circle in one the church's back rooms.
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Anani said he doesn't see the change in format as a concession to critics. "Not at all," he said. "I would never back down. In 32 years up until now, I have never backed down, and I never will."
According to Anani, he agreed not to lecture in order to give McKay a platform to "correct" what has been said about him. "He was attacked viciously, so he has a right to answer to that."
Asked about the future of the lecture series, which was to include a speech Jan. 25 entitled Why the Islamic Faith is Indefensible, McKay was non-committal. "People will just have to come and see."
Protesters stationed themselves outside the church before the event. Tory James carried a placard with the words "Be afraid.... Be very afraid of bigots."
James said "it goes without saying" that the lecture series preached bigotry. "It's bigotry of the highest order."
© The Winds
Monday, October 27, 2008
Open house at our mosque
Muslims reach out
Monica Wolfson, Windsor Star
Published: Monday, October 27, 2008
An open house at the Windsor Mosque on the weekend provided the public with a look at Islamic culture.
"(Muslims) are no longer just over the Atlantic," said Abdelkader Tayebi, a member of the Windsor Islamic Association's board of directors.
"They are your neighbours, your physician. About (one-fifth) of the doctors in Essex County are Muslim. The issue isn't the number, it's that they are part of the local fabric."
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ISLAMIC CULTURE: The Windsor Islamic Association held an open house on the weekend, celebrating Canadian Islamic History Month. Gabriel Keresztes, left, who embraced Islam five years ago, and Abdelkader Tayebi, a member of the board of directors, discuss display material at the mosque.
Scott Webster, The Windsor Star
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Gabriel Keresztes's deep love for God drew him to the Islamic faith. He "reverted" to the religion five years ago.
Tarik Baalbaki, an Islamic association volunteer, said the term "revert" is in reference to someone who takes up the Muslim faith after being gone for a while. Since Baalbaki believes everyone is born a Muslim, when they come back to the faith, they are reverting.
"When I was in high school, I would take books from the library and read about Islam," Keresztes said. "The more I learned, the more (I was drawn to it). There is God in each religion. They all bring the same message."
In the mosque there were displays of local and nationally renowned Muslim artists, fabrics representing the different styles of dress, posters explaining the history of Islam and it's stand on war and peace. A table was laden with Middle Eastern delicacies including humus, samosas and vegetable-stuffed grape leaves.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Christians Hand Out Pro-Christian, Anti-Muslim Pamphlets in School
Tuesday February 27, 2007
A teacher at Enloe High School in Wake County, N.C., invited a representative of the Kamil International Ministries Organization to address a class. At this time, the representative handed out literature that promoted Christianity while attacking Islam and Muslims. Does this sound like something appropriate for an official school lecture?
"First of all, it slanders, things like, Mohammed is a 'criminal,' is 'demon possessed' ... that just made my blood boil," said Triaq Butte, whose daughter, Saira, participated in a ninth grade orientation seminar... Butte is a non-practicing Muslim; he said his wife is Christian and his children are taught to accept and respect all religions. "So for a person like me to feel like that — I've never been to a mosque — to feel like that … for me to feel such hideous attacks, they were not just pointing out failures or weaknesses in Islam or Muslims, they were just attacking." ...
Among the materials handed out was a pamphlet called "Jesus not Muhammad," as well as one entitled, "Do Not Marry a Muslim Man." The latter pamphlet compares parts of the Koran with those of the Bible...
It warns women not to be lured into marrying a Muslim, even for his "dark good looks, education, financial means, and the interest he shows in you."
"You may be excited that you found the 'tall, dark, and handsome man' you have been looking for. His sweet words and attention may blind you regarding the power, importance, and influence of his culture and Islamic faith," the pamphlet says. "Because in the United States, we have freedom of religion, he may agree that you can remain a Christian and you may think there will be no problem with such a marriage. But do not be fooled and become a victim of his religion, Islam, which has very oppressive rules regarding women's status and rights. Such marriages will never be out of trouble."
Source: Fox News
The principal has acknowledged that the presentation was "inappropriate," but also seems to insist that the school is dedicated to the "exchange of ideas" — as if bigotry and hate were merely an "idea" that should be exchanged in school. Free speech is important, of course, but schools have an obligation not to become platforms for bigots to practice their craft and increase their numbers. There also isn't any "free speech" protection for government officials to invite someone to promote their religion to other people's children.
It's difficult to imagine that the teacher had absolutely no idea what would happen, but even if they did they must be held responsible for what happened — and for not stopping things as soon as it was clear what was going on. This teacher, and arguably the entire school, fell down on their responsibility to the students by favoring a bigoted version of Christianity.
Representatives of Muslim organizations ask what a Muslim student must have felt sitting there, but what about other non-Christians? The message being sent wasn't simply that Islam was disfavored and Muslims are inferior, but that Christianity is favored and Christians are superior. How should Jewish, Buddhist, or atheist students react to such a situation? Do these students need to be told that Christianity is favored by their school and teacher? Do they need to wonder if perhaps they will be next for denigration after they are finished with Islam?
A teacher at Enloe High School in Wake County, N.C., invited a representative of the Kamil International Ministries Organization to address a class. At this time, the representative handed out literature that promoted Christianity while attacking Islam and Muslims. Does this sound like something appropriate for an official school lecture?
"First of all, it slanders, things like, Mohammed is a 'criminal,' is 'demon possessed' ... that just made my blood boil," said Triaq Butte, whose daughter, Saira, participated in a ninth grade orientation seminar... Butte is a non-practicing Muslim; he said his wife is Christian and his children are taught to accept and respect all religions. "So for a person like me to feel like that — I've never been to a mosque — to feel like that … for me to feel such hideous attacks, they were not just pointing out failures or weaknesses in Islam or Muslims, they were just attacking." ...
Among the materials handed out was a pamphlet called "Jesus not Muhammad," as well as one entitled, "Do Not Marry a Muslim Man." The latter pamphlet compares parts of the Koran with those of the Bible...
It warns women not to be lured into marrying a Muslim, even for his "dark good looks, education, financial means, and the interest he shows in you."
"You may be excited that you found the 'tall, dark, and handsome man' you have been looking for. His sweet words and attention may blind you regarding the power, importance, and influence of his culture and Islamic faith," the pamphlet says. "Because in the United States, we have freedom of religion, he may agree that you can remain a Christian and you may think there will be no problem with such a marriage. But do not be fooled and become a victim of his religion, Islam, which has very oppressive rules regarding women's status and rights. Such marriages will never be out of trouble."
Source: Fox News
The principal has acknowledged that the presentation was "inappropriate," but also seems to insist that the school is dedicated to the "exchange of ideas" — as if bigotry and hate were merely an "idea" that should be exchanged in school. Free speech is important, of course, but schools have an obligation not to become platforms for bigots to practice their craft and increase their numbers. There also isn't any "free speech" protection for government officials to invite someone to promote their religion to other people's children.
It's difficult to imagine that the teacher had absolutely no idea what would happen, but even if they did they must be held responsible for what happened — and for not stopping things as soon as it was clear what was going on. This teacher, and arguably the entire school, fell down on their responsibility to the students by favoring a bigoted version of Christianity.
Representatives of Muslim organizations ask what a Muslim student must have felt sitting there, but what about other non-Christians? The message being sent wasn't simply that Islam was disfavored and Muslims are inferior, but that Christianity is favored and Christians are superior. How should Jewish, Buddhist, or atheist students react to such a situation? Do these students need to be told that Christianity is favored by their school and teacher? Do they need to wonder if perhaps they will be next for denigration after they are finished with Islam?
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
My trip to Romania part 3
Salamo Aleikum
I know I did not write about this topic for some time however here it continues:
The weather in Romania was very nice, and hot. We went to town a few times my wife and I and you should have seen the looks. My wife got very mad at a certain point and she would jokingly say "i'm gonna punch the next person who stops and gives me a look". The looks she talked about was not your average stare, it was more like STOP, TURN, FROWN, LOOK, SHAKE HEAD.
We looked strange, for most people were naked and we were dressed. I wore my curta so my wife is not the only one who looks different. It was kind of nice though, because our daughter Maryam was taking heat off, because she is cute and people would regain their vision after staring at us, and look at her and they would begin to smile. So that was nice.
I did see a Muslim sister in the town, well actually two. I was really happy and amazed. My wife was also happy. My uncle told me that there are quite a few Muslims in town mostly of Turkish origin.
We did not wait to see more, we actually embarked on a trip to a nearby city to visit a masjid. It was great. We arrived there, and we could not find it at first, only to be told that we passed by it. The building did not look like a typical masjid. Once inside it felt like home. We were welcomed by a few brothers and we spoke to the imam. We also got some islamic literature in Romanian language, and of course we returned the next Friday for jumah. It was a great experience to hear a khutbah in Romanian. I also met a convert brother there, his name was Robert. May Allah bless him.
We met another Muslim family when we went to the mountains. That was also a great experience. It shows that Muslims are everywhere and if we were to do our job properly more people should have been Muslims by now. We ask Allah to forgive us for our shortcomings.
I know I did not write about this topic for some time however here it continues:
The weather in Romania was very nice, and hot. We went to town a few times my wife and I and you should have seen the looks. My wife got very mad at a certain point and she would jokingly say "i'm gonna punch the next person who stops and gives me a look". The looks she talked about was not your average stare, it was more like STOP, TURN, FROWN, LOOK, SHAKE HEAD.
We looked strange, for most people were naked and we were dressed. I wore my curta so my wife is not the only one who looks different. It was kind of nice though, because our daughter Maryam was taking heat off, because she is cute and people would regain their vision after staring at us, and look at her and they would begin to smile. So that was nice.
I did see a Muslim sister in the town, well actually two. I was really happy and amazed. My wife was also happy. My uncle told me that there are quite a few Muslims in town mostly of Turkish origin.
We did not wait to see more, we actually embarked on a trip to a nearby city to visit a masjid. It was great. We arrived there, and we could not find it at first, only to be told that we passed by it. The building did not look like a typical masjid. Once inside it felt like home. We were welcomed by a few brothers and we spoke to the imam. We also got some islamic literature in Romanian language, and of course we returned the next Friday for jumah. It was a great experience to hear a khutbah in Romanian. I also met a convert brother there, his name was Robert. May Allah bless him.
We met another Muslim family when we went to the mountains. That was also a great experience. It shows that Muslims are everywhere and if we were to do our job properly more people should have been Muslims by now. We ask Allah to forgive us for our shortcomings.
Things really change in half a century
SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2007
Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun,
goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail
and ! never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in
for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins.
Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark.
Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal.
Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zo! mbie.
Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from sta te
because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal,
goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse.
Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang.
State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers
being abused herself and their dad goes to prison.
Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smo king dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations.
Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state.
Newspaper articles appear nationally
explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist.
ACLU files class action lawsuit against ! state school system
and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum.
&n bsp; Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up
mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
! 2007- BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called.
Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents,
siblings removed from home, comput ers confiscated,
Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list
and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job.
She faces 3 years in State Prison.
&nbs p; Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun,
goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail
and ! never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in
for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins.
Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark.
Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal.
Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zo! mbie.
Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from sta te
because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal,
goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse.
Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang.
State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers
being abused herself and their dad goes to prison.
Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smo king dock.
2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations.
Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state.
Newspaper articles appear nationally
explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist.
ACLU files class action lawsuit against ! state school system
and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum.
&n bsp; Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up
mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
! 2007- BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called.
Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents,
siblings removed from home, comput ers confiscated,
Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list
and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job.
She faces 3 years in State Prison.
&nbs p; Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Where I'm from
Where I’m from
I’m from European ghetto suburbs
I’m from fights on the way to school
I’m from give me your lunch money or I’ll beat you
I’m from a divorced family
I’m from my brother was a drug dealer
I’m from the religion that many people hate but know nothing about
I’m from those who seek the truth in life
I’m from those who try to defeat their fears.
Where are you from?
By unanimous
I’m from European ghetto suburbs
I’m from fights on the way to school
I’m from give me your lunch money or I’ll beat you
I’m from a divorced family
I’m from my brother was a drug dealer
I’m from the religion that many people hate but know nothing about
I’m from those who seek the truth in life
I’m from those who try to defeat their fears.
Where are you from?
By unanimous
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
witchcraft or religious freedom ?
September 04, 2007
Beheadings in India, apologies in America
Another horrible story about the treatment of people suspected of witchcraft. This time two women and one man were found beheaded in India, another body is yet to be found. Police say they had been accused of sorcery. Four people have confessed to the horrific crime and it has been called a revenge attack after a local village leader's son was killed by a snake bite two weeks ago.
In America, President Bush has apologised to a Wiccan widow who won a law suit to have the symbol of Wicca placed on her husband's grave - he died fighting in Afghanistan.
Beheadings in India, apologies in America
Another horrible story about the treatment of people suspected of witchcraft. This time two women and one man were found beheaded in India, another body is yet to be found. Police say they had been accused of sorcery. Four people have confessed to the horrific crime and it has been called a revenge attack after a local village leader's son was killed by a snake bite two weeks ago.
In America, President Bush has apologised to a Wiccan widow who won a law suit to have the symbol of Wicca placed on her husband's grave - he died fighting in Afghanistan.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Moment of Awakening - a hungarian orientalists embraces Islam
By Yasser Hejazi**
Apr. 12, 2006
Julius Germanus
The journey of Abdul-Karim Germanus (formerly known as Julius Germanus) to Islam transformed his life forever. He once described his conversion as his "moment of awakening."
Germanus was a university professor in Hungary who spent half of his life defending Islam and the Arabic language. After having freed himself from the troubles of youth and the oppression of traditions, he became attracted to Islam.
The Beginning of the Path
Germanus was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1884 and was raised as a Christian. Immediately after graduating from the University of Budapest, he decided to specialize in the Turkish language. So he traveled to the University of Istanbul in 1903 to study Turkish. In only two years, he was able to master the Turkish language and excelled in speaking, reading, and writing it.
During his time at the University of Istanbul, he came across an exegesis of the Qur'an in Turkish. This marked the beginning of his transformation and his interest in Islam and the Qur'an. The exegesis enabled him to understand Islam from the original sources, and he saw in the various exegeses which were available in several languages, the fallacies which were taught about Islam by Christian missionaries.
Motivated to learn the truth about Islam, he decided to conduct research in which he compared what the Christians were writing about Islam to what was really written in the Qur'an and Sunnah. He also endeavored to read Turkish translations of Hadith in order to study the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad from authentic sources.
Back to Europe
Germanus returned to Hungary from Istanbul and found his former professors, who were reputable Orientalists, speaking falsely about Islam. He argued with them about the true character of Prophet Muhammad and the many hadiths attributed to him. After clashing with his professors, Germanus decided to study the Arabic language after he found that Turkish was full of many Arabic words. He pursued Arabic and soon became proficient in it, he then went on to master Persian.
He excelled in the study of languages, and, in 1912, was appointed professor of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish as well as Islamic history at the Hungarian Royal Academy in Budapest. He was later appointed to the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Economics in Budapest.
After working for a short time at the University of Budapest, the Bengali-Indian poet, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), one of Bengal's greatest figures, invited Germanus in 1928 to teach as the chair of Islamic Studies of Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, Bengal. He stayed in India for several years and it was there he publicized his conversion to Islam in the Great Delhi Mosque. Henceforth, he was known Abdul-Karim. He was given the privilege of being able to give the weekly Friday sermon at the mosque.
Friendships with Poets
Germanus with Tagore
Picture courtesy Terebess.hu
Germanus' great desire to learn more about Islam and Muslims led him to meet one of the most prominent Muslim poets of the time. He enjoyed a friendship with the famous Pakistani Muslim poet, Muhammad Iqbal. They would have long conversations, delving into important issues facing Muslims. They also would discuss the scholarship of Orientalists and the activities of Christian missionaries.
Germanus and Iqbal differed over their views on missionary activities. Whereas Germanus believed that the propaganda spread by European Christian missionaries was a problem, Iqbal believed that the problem lay in Muslims' lack of unity and opposition to anti-Islam missionaries. Their long dialogue ended with the problem of Orientialism and the shortcomings of Orientalist scholarship.
Germanus also formed a strong relationship with the famous Egyptian writer, Mahmoud Timour. Timour wrote about Germanus' journey to Islam in one of his books:
Germanus in Egypt
Picture courtesy Terebess.hu
When I [Timour] was speaking to him, I asked [Germanus], "What is the story of your conversion, Hajji? Germanus combed his fingers through his beard and then responded, "It was a moment of awakening for me because Islam is the true religion. Enlightened minds and free thinkers find tolerance in Islam, in its doctrine and in the Shari`ah. They find truth is Islam which convinces them of its validity. With Islam, free thinkers set themselves loose from the oppression of traditions. I know many intellectuals who, as soon as they free themselves of the troubles of youth and the oppression of traditions, secretly become Muslim and conceal their faith and submission to Allah in the depths of their hearts." Timour responded, saying the following: His answer did not cure or entice me with its excessive details, I asked him "Can't you tell me about what attracted you to Islam? "He became less agitated and said, "One thing attracted me to Islam, it is the essence of all things, and that thing is the religion of purity, the religion of cleanliness, of both the body and spirit, and social behavior and manners and the human feeling.
Germanus' love of the Arabic language brought him to Cairo, Egypt, where he furthered his studies of classical Arabic. When he first arrived to the port city of Alexandria, he was surprised with the way the locals responded to him. They would laugh when he spoke Arabic because he was speaking classical Arabic! When they spoke to him in their colloquial dialect, he couldn't make out what they were saying. Germanus became very angry and screamed out, "I am here in order to learn the language of the Qur'an from you! Why do you respond with laughter and ridicule?"
Germanus found himself back in the University of Budapest and worked as a professor of history and civilization for more than 40 years. He published several research papers calling for the revival of classical Arabic in the Arab world. He wanted to bring back classical Arabic, which had died out just as Latin had in Europe. He dreamed of a time when all Arab countries would speak the same form of Arabic that would tie Arabs to their rich heritage and history.
Throughout his academic career, Germanus waged a war with European Orientalists who supported colonialism. He would use evidence and rational arguments, although he was confronted with much antagonism. As a result of his disputes with Orientalists, he was fired from the university on the grounds that his attitude was not appropriate.
Despite mounting opposition against Germanus, his students sided with him and his ideas. They praised his works and saw that his work had huge influence throughout academia in both the West and the Muslim world. Because of this support, he was able to continue in his position as a professor of history despite protest from Orientalists colleagues.
Mahmoud Timour, Germanus' good friend, wrote three plays in colloquial Egyptian Arabic that he dedicated to Germanus to inform him, in a courteous way, that he had written in the colloquial Egyptian dialect in order to educate Egyptians and to raise their level of culture.
Germanus responded to Timour, saying, "The colloquial dialect is only a modern language, it cannot express deep sentiments and emotions, nor can it reveal our innermost feelings. On the other hand, classical Arabic can best express our most minute feelings of yearning to perfection."
Germanus was calling for Timour to stop writing in colloquial Arabic and to work on refining his skills in writing literature. Eventually, Timour became a member of the Academy of Arabic Language in Cairo and improved his literary writing skills in classical Arabic.
Mahmoud Timour was fascinated by Germanus' personality and sought inspiration from him for his story, "The One Who Asked Allah for Help," in a collection of short stories called Behind the Veil. The story narrated the journeys of a traveler who went to Cairo, lived in the neighborhood of Al-Hussein, and adopted an Egyptian lifestyle. He would wear a long white robe and stroll the neighborhood in his flowing Arab clothing. He was always anxious to prayer Fajr in the mosque and to hear the voice of the muezzin (the man who calls for the prayer) in the silence of the night.
A Lifetime of Activity
Modern-day Budapest
In the mid-20th century, scholarly organizations in the Arab world were looking to catch up with the modern world. They hoped to make more connections with Western scholars and so they elected Germanus to the Scholarly Organization of Iraq in 1962 as an overseas member, he was also elected as a member of the Arabic language academies in both Cairo and Damascus.
Back home in Hungary, Germanus endeavored to bring together all of the Muslims in his country, Muslims only numbered between 1,000 to 2,000 at that time. He established an organization which ran Muslims' affairs in Hungary and which was able to convince the Hungarian government to recognize Islam as one of the official state religions.
In addition, Germanus was one of the few Europeans to ever have visited the holy sites in Makkah and Madinah when he traveled from Egypt to Saudi Arabia in 1935. He wrote a memoir of his journey to the holy sites in Hungarian called, Allahu Akbar, which was translated into several languages. He went on Hajj for a second time in 1939.
Germanus was married to a European woman who was Christian at the time of their marriage. However, his wife also eventually converted to Islam with the help of the famous author and academic Ahmed Abd Al-Ghafur Attar.
Germanus can be credited with having motivated the Egyptian writer Muhammad Huseyn Haykal to perform Hajj. Haykal recorded memoirs of his trip in In the House of Revelation, and in the introduction, he wrote the following:
I was fiddling with the radio signals on different stations until I reached the Budapest broadcast. And the very first thing I heard from the broad was the voice of the presenter say, "I was in the middle of a huge crowd of people who were circumambulating the Ka`bah. All around me I heard the phrase, 'Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar.' And when I finished the circumambulation, I walked between the two mounts of Safaa and Marwa."
So I [Haykal] said to myself, "Is this European professor, who is talking about the truth of Islam, more truthful and strong-willed than I am that he has already visited the sacred sites?
Germanus wrote about Islam in various European publications. In one article he wrote:
I am a European man who didn't find my home in being enslaved to gold, power, or domination. I was influenced by the simplicity of Islam and in the respect it had in the eyes of Muslims. … The Muslim world will keep its true essence through its spirituality and its supreme example. And Islam always preserves its foundations of freedom, fraternity, and equality between all human beings.
He also wrote the following in another article:
Islam transcends by elevating humans from an animal state to the height of refined civilization and I hope, or rather I expect, that Islam will once more be able to achieve this miracle at the time when great darkness will surround us.
Germanus wrote many books, including The Greek, Arabic Literature in Hungarian, Lights of the East, Uncovering the Arabian Peninsula, Between Intellectuals, The History of Arabic Literature, The History of the Arabs, Modern Movements in Islam, Studies in the Grammatical Structure of the Arabic Language, Journeys of Arabs, Pre-Islamic Poetry, Great Arabic Literature, Guidance From the Light of the Crescent (a personal memoir), An Adventure in the Desert, Arab Nationalism, Allahu Akbar, Mahmoud Timour and Modern Arabic Literature, The Great Arab Poets, and The Rise of Arab Culture.
Germanus passed away on November 7, 1979 after having served the cause of Islam and Muslims for nearly 50 years.
Did prophet Muhammad ever hit Aisha?
It has been a very cunning technique, of those who hate Islam for no other reason except the threat that Islam demands that they leave their desires and shady lives and become righteous, that they distort meanings and focus on certain aspects of the life of prophet Muhammad which if misunderstood could really shake the faith of Muslims and water out the interest of non Muslims in Islam. Such people have been trying to cast shadows of doubts on the character of prophet Muhammad pbuh since the beginning of his prophetic career and they are certainly making their marks today. Such an incident is when Aisha followed prophet Muhammad one night after being with him, while he did not want to awake her after being instructed by angel Gabriel to go to the grave yard and pray for his companions. What an innocent and pure event, what an amazing character of our beloved prophet, at a time when most of us are in dream land, prayer being the last thing in our dreams, the prophet used to pray. The prophet used to leave his warm bed and go out in the cold or stay for long periods of times (1000 some years before central heating) and pray. That is the character of a prophet and not a charlatan, for charlatans sleep and indulge in pleasures of life, while the prophet prayed, fasted and gave up any wealth for the sake of God.
Any way the attack of Orientalists and other ill intentioned people is that prophet Muhammad hit Aysha. We will analyze that allegation God's will. First it was reported that the prophet never hit any woman or slave, he only hit the enemies of Allah in fights. He never hit a child, he never back bit, he never spoke ill.
The hadith in question goes as such :
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2127:
Muhammad b. Qais said (to the people): Should I not narrate to you (a hadith of the Holy Prophet) on my authority and on the authority of my mother? We thought that he meant the mother who had given him birth. He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it was ''A''isha who had narrated this: Should I not narrate to you about myself and about the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? We said: Yes. She said: When it was my turn for Allah''s Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend the night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle and took off his shoes and placed them near his feet, and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He took hold of his mantle slowly and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and then closed it lightly. I covered my head, put on my veil and tightened my waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached Baqi''. He stood there and he stood for a long time. He then lifted his hands three times, and then returned and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also hastened my steps. He ran and I too ran. He came (to the house) and I also came (to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: Why is it, O ''A''isha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it. He said: Gabriel came to me when you saw me. He called me and he concealed it from you. I responded to his call, but I too concealed it from you (for he did not come to you), as you were not fully dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not like to awaken you, fearing that you may be frightened. He (Gabriel) said: Your Lord has commanded you to go to the inhabitants of Baqi'' (to those lying in the graves) and beg pardon for them. I said: Messenger of Allah, how should I pray for them (How should I beg forgiveness for them)? He said: Say, Peace be upon the inhabitants of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later on, and we shall, God willing, join you.
The explanation (by Salman on Sunni forums)
Salamu Alaikum
"Struck" is a bad translation here. The word used is 'lahaza' , which could be translated as "Push" and at most "slap with an open palm" but not a hard, violent slap (and note translating it as "slap" is weaker and less probable). A correct translation would be:
- He pushed me (lahadani) in the chest (fi sadri) with a push (lahdatan)which made me sore (awja'atni).
It is very interesting to note that "pushing" of the Prophet does indeed convey meaning - usually to drive away evil influence and thought.
- Amir ibn Raba and Sahl ibn Hunayf went out to bathe. Amir took off his woolen robe. He [Sahl] narrates: "I looked at him and I cast the evil eye on him. He went down into the water then I heard a noise coming from him. I called out to him three times but there was no answer. I went to call the Messenger of Allah who came on foot and waded his way in the water. Then he slapped/pushed his chest with his hand, saying: "O Allah! drive away from him its heat and its coolness and its harm." Then he rose up and said: "If one of you sees something that pleases him in his brother - whether in his person or property - let him invoke blessing for him, for the evil eye is a reality."
(Tafsir ibn Kathir)
Similarly, in a narration it states:
- Ubbay said: There occurred in my mind a sort of denial which did not occur even during the Days of Ignorance. When the Messenger of Allah saw how I was affected, he slapped/pushed me on the chest. I broke into a sweat and felt as if I were looking at Allah in fear.
(Sahih Muslim)
Wallahu A'lam
My comments:
There is another incident when one Quraish man was trying to kill the prophet while he was making tawaf around the kaba. He kept getting closer and closer to him, and the prophet was receiving revelation of his intentions. The prophet kept asking him about his intention while this person was denning it but persisted in his goal and would try again. When he got really close to him, the prophet hit him on his chest and all the doubts and disbelief left his heart and he became a believer.
The above examples and poofs go to show that the prophet did not hit Aysah as abuse or as wife beating as the Orientalists claim, he pushed her as to remove any ill doubts or suspicion out of her heart of HIM NOT BEING FAIR TO HER (which is proven by the question he asks her in the hadith). He did the same to some companions and to many others he would put his hand on their heart, and pray for them, push their chest, and other proximity methods in order to remove the doubts or ill thoughts from their heart.
Only ill minded people and people who go to distort the image of our prophets character can see that as abuse, while they themselves are the worst of abusers, seeking to find any kind of ambiguity in Islam so they can attack it and never ever to withdraw their claims even when proven wrong such as now. Instead of admitting that they were wrong, they move on to someone else who they can confuse with the same shady argument.
But Allah is aware of all that they do
Any way the attack of Orientalists and other ill intentioned people is that prophet Muhammad hit Aysha. We will analyze that allegation God's will. First it was reported that the prophet never hit any woman or slave, he only hit the enemies of Allah in fights. He never hit a child, he never back bit, he never spoke ill.
The hadith in question goes as such :
Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 2127:
Muhammad b. Qais said (to the people): Should I not narrate to you (a hadith of the Holy Prophet) on my authority and on the authority of my mother? We thought that he meant the mother who had given him birth. He (Muhammad b. Qais) then reported that it was ''A''isha who had narrated this: Should I not narrate to you about myself and about the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him)? We said: Yes. She said: When it was my turn for Allah''s Messenger (may peace be upon him) to spend the night with me, he turned his side, put on his mantle and took off his shoes and placed them near his feet, and spread the corner of his shawl on his bed and then lay down till he thought that I had gone to sleep. He took hold of his mantle slowly and put on the shoes slowly, and opened the door and went out and then closed it lightly. I covered my head, put on my veil and tightened my waist wrapper, and then went out following his steps till he reached Baqi''. He stood there and he stood for a long time. He then lifted his hands three times, and then returned and I also returned. He hastened his steps and I also hastened my steps. He ran and I too ran. He came (to the house) and I also came (to the house). I, however, preceded him and I entered (the house), and as I lay down in the bed, he (the Holy Prophet) entered the (house), and said: Why is it, O ''A''isha, that you are out of breath? I said: There is nothing. He said: Tell me or the Subtle and the Aware would inform me. I said: Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be ransom for you, and then I told him (the whole story). He said: Was it the darkness (of your shadow) that I saw in front of me? I said: Yes. He struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you? She said: Whatsoever the people conceal, Allah will know it. He said: Gabriel came to me when you saw me. He called me and he concealed it from you. I responded to his call, but I too concealed it from you (for he did not come to you), as you were not fully dressed. I thought that you had gone to sleep, and I did not like to awaken you, fearing that you may be frightened. He (Gabriel) said: Your Lord has commanded you to go to the inhabitants of Baqi'' (to those lying in the graves) and beg pardon for them. I said: Messenger of Allah, how should I pray for them (How should I beg forgiveness for them)? He said: Say, Peace be upon the inhabitants of this city (graveyard) from among the Believers and the Muslims, and may Allah have mercy on those who have gone ahead of us, and those who come later on, and we shall, God willing, join you.
The explanation (by Salman on Sunni forums)
Salamu Alaikum
"Struck" is a bad translation here. The word used is 'lahaza' , which could be translated as "Push" and at most "slap with an open palm" but not a hard, violent slap (and note translating it as "slap" is weaker and less probable). A correct translation would be:
- He pushed me (lahadani) in the chest (fi sadri) with a push (lahdatan)which made me sore (awja'atni).
It is very interesting to note that "pushing" of the Prophet does indeed convey meaning - usually to drive away evil influence and thought.
- Amir ibn Raba and Sahl ibn Hunayf went out to bathe. Amir took off his woolen robe. He [Sahl] narrates: "I looked at him and I cast the evil eye on him. He went down into the water then I heard a noise coming from him. I called out to him three times but there was no answer. I went to call the Messenger of Allah who came on foot and waded his way in the water. Then he slapped/pushed his chest with his hand, saying: "O Allah! drive away from him its heat and its coolness and its harm." Then he rose up and said: "If one of you sees something that pleases him in his brother - whether in his person or property - let him invoke blessing for him, for the evil eye is a reality."
(Tafsir ibn Kathir)
Similarly, in a narration it states:
- Ubbay said: There occurred in my mind a sort of denial which did not occur even during the Days of Ignorance. When the Messenger of Allah saw how I was affected, he slapped/pushed me on the chest. I broke into a sweat and felt as if I were looking at Allah in fear.
(Sahih Muslim)
Wallahu A'lam
My comments:
There is another incident when one Quraish man was trying to kill the prophet while he was making tawaf around the kaba. He kept getting closer and closer to him, and the prophet was receiving revelation of his intentions. The prophet kept asking him about his intention while this person was denning it but persisted in his goal and would try again. When he got really close to him, the prophet hit him on his chest and all the doubts and disbelief left his heart and he became a believer.
The above examples and poofs go to show that the prophet did not hit Aysah as abuse or as wife beating as the Orientalists claim, he pushed her as to remove any ill doubts or suspicion out of her heart of HIM NOT BEING FAIR TO HER (which is proven by the question he asks her in the hadith). He did the same to some companions and to many others he would put his hand on their heart, and pray for them, push their chest, and other proximity methods in order to remove the doubts or ill thoughts from their heart.
Only ill minded people and people who go to distort the image of our prophets character can see that as abuse, while they themselves are the worst of abusers, seeking to find any kind of ambiguity in Islam so they can attack it and never ever to withdraw their claims even when proven wrong such as now. Instead of admitting that they were wrong, they move on to someone else who they can confuse with the same shady argument.
But Allah is aware of all that they do
Friday, October 10, 2008
Amazing poem
Spring’s Gift
I envy the sand that met his feet
I’m jealous of honey he tasted sweet
Of birds that hovered above his head
Of spiders who spun their sacred web
To save him from his enemies
I envy clouds formed from the seas
That gave him cover from the heat
Of a sun whose light could not compete
With his, whose face did shine so bright
That all was clear in pitch-black night
I envy sightless trees that gazed
Upon his form completely dazed
Not knowing if the sun had rose
Or if the sky was one with those
Who knelt, who prayed, and fasted too
Simply because he told them to
With truth and kindness, charity
From God who gave such clarity
His mercy comes in one He sent
To mold our hearts more heaven bent
I envy all there at his side
Who watched the turning of the tide
As truth prevailed and falsehood fled
And hope restored life to the dead
And men and women found their place
With aspirations for God’s Face
I envy the cup that gave him drink
His thoughts that helped us all to think
To be one thought that passed his mind
Inspiring him to act so kind
For me this world is not one jot
If I could simple be a thought
From him to God throughout the ages
As revelation came in stages
I pity all who think it odd
To hear him say there is one God
Or he was sent by God to men
To hone their spirits’ acumen
It’s pride that blinds us from the sight
That helps good men to see his light
He taught us all to be God’s slaves
And he will be the one who saves
Humanity from sinful pride
Muhammad has God on his side
So on this day be blessed and sing
For he was born to grace our Spring
With lilies, flowers, life’s rebirth
In a dome of green like his on earth
- Sh. Hamza Yusuf
Thursday, April 21st, 2005
I envy the sand that met his feet
I’m jealous of honey he tasted sweet
Of birds that hovered above his head
Of spiders who spun their sacred web
To save him from his enemies
I envy clouds formed from the seas
That gave him cover from the heat
Of a sun whose light could not compete
With his, whose face did shine so bright
That all was clear in pitch-black night
I envy sightless trees that gazed
Upon his form completely dazed
Not knowing if the sun had rose
Or if the sky was one with those
Who knelt, who prayed, and fasted too
Simply because he told them to
With truth and kindness, charity
From God who gave such clarity
His mercy comes in one He sent
To mold our hearts more heaven bent
I envy all there at his side
Who watched the turning of the tide
As truth prevailed and falsehood fled
And hope restored life to the dead
And men and women found their place
With aspirations for God’s Face
I envy the cup that gave him drink
His thoughts that helped us all to think
To be one thought that passed his mind
Inspiring him to act so kind
For me this world is not one jot
If I could simple be a thought
From him to God throughout the ages
As revelation came in stages
I pity all who think it odd
To hear him say there is one God
Or he was sent by God to men
To hone their spirits’ acumen
It’s pride that blinds us from the sight
That helps good men to see his light
He taught us all to be God’s slaves
And he will be the one who saves
Humanity from sinful pride
Muhammad has God on his side
So on this day be blessed and sing
For he was born to grace our Spring
With lilies, flowers, life’s rebirth
In a dome of green like his on earth
- Sh. Hamza Yusuf
Thursday, April 21st, 2005
Prophet Muhammad - integrity and sincerity
For all those who doubt the prophet's sincerity and character, here is a great article summarizing his true nature and dispelling such myths.
authored by Muhammad Ali, Moslem Town, Lahore, India (1946)
From the cradle to the grave the Prophet passed through a diversity of circumstances - a diversity which can hardly be met with in the life of a single man. Orphanhood is the extreme of helplessness, while kingship is the height of power. From being an orphan he climbed to the summit of royal glory, but that did not bring about the slightest change in his way of living. He lived on exactly the same kind of humble food, wore the same simple dress, and in all particulars led the same simple life as he led in the state of orphanhood. It is hard to give up the kingly throne and lead the life of a hermit, but it is harder still that one should weild the royal sceptre yet at the same time lead a hermit's life, that one should possess power and wealth yet spend it solely to promote the welfare of others, that one should ever have the most alluring attractions before one's eyes yet should never for one moment be captivated by them.
When the Prophet actually became the ruler of a state, the furniture of his house was composed of a coarse matting of palm leaves for his bed and an earthen jug for water. Some nights he would go without food. For days no fire would be lighted in his house to prepare food, the whole family living on mere dates. There was no lack of means to live a life of ease and comfort. The public treasury was at his disposal. The well-to-do among his followers, who did not shrink from sacrificing their lives for his sake, would have been only too glad to provide him with every comfort of life, should he choose to avail himself of it. But worldly things carried little weight in his estimation. No mundane craving could ever prevail over him, neither in times of indigence nor of plenty. Just as he spurned wealth, power and beauty which the Quraish offered him when he was yet in a state of utmost helplessness, so did he remain indifferent to them when God granted him all these things out of His grace.
Not only did he himself live the simple life of a labourer, but he did not even allow wealth to have any attraction for his wives. Shortly after their immigration into Medina, the condition of the Muslims had changed, and they carried on a prosperous trade. Their conquests, later on, went further to add to the comforts of life which the Muslims enjoyed. A quite human desire crept into the hearts of the Prophet's wives that, like other Muslim families, they too should avail themselves of their share of comforts. Accordingly, they approached the Prophet in a body to prevail upon him to allow them their legitimate share of worldly comforts. Thereupon came the Divine injunction:
O Prophet ! Say to thy wives, If you desire this world's life and its ornature, come, I will give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing. And if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the latter abode, then surely Allah has prepared for the doers of good amoung you a mighty reward. [33:28,29]
Thus they were offered two alternatives. They might either have worldly finery, or remain in the Prophet's household Should they decide to have the former, they would have plenty of what they wanted, but would forthwith forfeit the honour of being the Prophet's wives. Is this the reply of a sensual man? Such a man would have done everything to satisfy the whim of the objects of his affection. Nay, he would himself have desired that his wives should wear the most beautiful dress and live in comfort. No doubt the Prophet cherished great love for his wives. He had immense regard for the rights of women and was the champion of their cause. But when his wives came to him with what was apparently a quite legitimate demand to have more finery and ornaments, they were coldly told that if they would have these things they were not fit to live in the Prophet's house. This shows beyond a shadow of doubt how free the Prophet's mind was of all base and sensual thoughts. He was prepared to divorce all his wives rather than yield to what he regarded as unworthy of his wives - an inclination towards worldly things. It shows conclusively that the object of his marriages was anything but self-indulgence.
Let us consider once more the historical facts which led the Prophet to take a number of wives within the short space of five years from the third year of Hijra to the seventh, while before that he passed nearly thirty years of his life in a monogamous state. This period coincides exactly with the period during which incessant war was carried on between the Muslims and the non-Muslims. The circle of Muslim brotherhood was at the time very narrow. The perpetual state of war; created disparity between the male and the female elements of society. Husbands having fallen on the field of battle, their widows had to be provided for. But bread and butter was not the only provision needed in such cases. Sex-inclination is implanted in human nature, and the statesman who neglects the sex requirements leads society to moral corruption, ending ultimately in the ruin of the whole nation. A reformer with whom morals were all in all could not content himself with making provision merely for the maintenance of the widows. The Prophet was anxious for their chastity to a far greater extent than their physical needs. It became therefore necessary allow polygamy. This is the reason that he himself took so many women for his wives during the period when war was raging. Nearly all his wives were widows. If self-indulgence were the motive, the choice would not have fallen on widows. It would have been an enviable privilege for any Muslim to be the father-in-law of the Prophet. But the object was a noble one - the protection of the widows of his friends. In polygamy alone lay the safety of the Muslim society.
We now come to the fourth period. With the conquest of Mecca in 8 A.H., internal warfare came practically to an end. Disturbances there were, but, on the whole, peace had been established in the country and normal conditions were restored. From the eighth year of the Flight to the end of his life we again find that the Prophet did not contract any new marriage. What is the evidence of the facts then ? The Prophet added to the number of his wives only during the time that he had to live in a state of warfare, when the number of males was reduced and many women would have been left without protection and without a home if the difficulty had not been solved by permitting a limited polygamy. Before the Prophet had to enter on a defensive war, he lived in idle company of a single wife, and when war ended, he contracted no new marriage. This sets all doubts at rest as to the motive of the Prophet. In all the marriages which he contracted during the war, there was some ulterior moral end in view. There arose situations in his life under which he could not consistently, with the moral and religious mission of his life, help taking more wives than one. In that, he only showed compassion to the weaker sex.
Living in a country in which polygamy was the rule, the Prophet had no liking for polygamy. He passed the prime of his life, up to fifty-four years of age, as the husband of a single wife, thus showing that the union of one man and one woman was the rule under normal conditions. But when abnormal conditions arose, he did not, like a sentimentalist, shirk his duty. He saw that the chashty of woman was at stake if polygamy was not allowed, and for the sake of a higher interest he permitted polygamy as an exccption to meet exceptional circumstances Exactly thus he had to revert to war, though by disposition he was averse to it. Full forty years before the Call, he had been living in a land where the sword was wielded as freely as as a stick elsewhere, where fighting and feuds were the order of the day, where men would fly at each other's throats, like wild animals, where there was no chance of survival for one who could not use the sword, yet not once during these forty years did he deal a blow at an enemy. The same was the case with him for fourteen years after the Call.
That he was peace-loving by nature is shown by the clear injunctions relating to peace in the Holy Quran:
And if they incline to peace, do thou also incline to it and trust in Allah ... And if they intend to deceive thee, then surely Allah is sufficient for thee." [8:61,62]
The Prophet's acceptance of the truce of Hudaibiya, though its conditions were humiliating for the Muslims, who were ready to lay down their lives one and all rather than accept those terms, is also a clear proof of his peace-loving nature. But when duty called him to take the field to save his community, he did not hesitate to take up the sword against an overwhelming majority. He acted as a sagacious general in all fields of battle and behaved like a brave soldier when opportunity demanded. He knew how to disperse an enemy in time before it had gained sufficient strength to deal a severe blow at the Muslims. And once, in the battle of Hunain, when his army was in flight owing to the severe onslaught of the enemy's archers, he was all alone advancing towards the enemy forces, till his soldiers rallied round him. By disposition he had no inclination for war, yet circumstances arose which dragged him into the field of battle, and he then displayed the wisdom of a general and the bravery of a soldier. So by disposition he was not inclined to polygamy, living a celibate life of unexampled purity up to twenty-five years of age and a married life of a monogamous husband up to fifty-four, but when duty called him to take more women under his shelter, he answered the call of duty.
Brief as this treatment of the Prophet's life is, it would be incomplete without a few words as to his manners and morals. When his wife, 'A'isha, the most privy to his secrets, was questioned about his morals, her reply was, "His morals are the Quran." In other words, the highest morals that were depicted in the Holy Quran were possessed by him.
Simplicity and sincerity are the keynotes of the Prophet's character. He would do all sorts of things with his own hands. He would milk his own goats, patch his own clothes and mend his own shoes. In person would he dust the house, and he would tie his camel and look after it personally. No work was too low for him. He worked like a labourer in the construction of the mosque, and again in digging a ditch round Medina. In person would he do shopping, not only for his own house-hold but also for his neighbours or for helpless women. He never despised any work, however humble, notwithstanding the dignity of his position as Prophet and King. He thus demonstrated through personal example that man's calling does not really determine his nobleness or his meanness.
His actions and movements were characterized by homely simplicity. He did not like his companions to stand up on his arrival. Once he forbade them, saying, "Do not stand up for me as do the non-Arabs;" and added that he was a humble creature of God, eating as others eat and sitting as others sit. When a certain man wanted to kiss his hand, he withdrew it remarking that that was the behaviour of the non-Arabs to wards their kings. Even if a slave sent him an invitation he accepted it. He would take his meals in the company of all classes of people, even of slaves. When seated among people, there was nothing about him to make him conspicuous.
The Prophet had a deep love for his friends. While shaking hands with them, he would never be the first to withdraw his hand. He met everybody with a smiling face. A report from Jarir ibn 'Abdullah says that he never saw the Prophet but with a smile on his face. He would talk freely, never putting on artificial reserve to give himself an air of superiority. He would take up children in arms and nurse them. He disliked back-biting and forbade his visitors to talk ill of any of his friends. He would ever take the lead in greeting his friends and shaking hands with them.
The Prophet's generosity even towards his enemies stands unique in the annals of te world. 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the head of the hypocrites, was a sworn enemy of Islam, and his days and nights were spent in plotting mischief against the Muslims. Yet at his death, the Prophet prayed to the Lord to forgive him and even granted his own shirt to enshroud his body. The Meccans, who had all along subjected him and his friends to the most barbarous tortures, were not only awarded a general amnesty but were let off even without a reproof. Twenty long years of persecutions and warfare were absolutely forgiven and forgotten. "The magnanimity with which Muhammad treated a people who had so long hated and rejected him is worthy of all admiration," says Muir. The fact is that no other example is met with in history of such magnanimous forgiveness of inveterate enemies, who had shed innocent blood, who had shown no pity for helpless men, women and children, who had exerted themselves to their utmost to kill the Prophet and to annihilate the Muslims. The prisoners of war were almost always set free even without demanding a ransom. It was only in the case of the prisoners of Badr that ransom was demanded; after that, hundreds of prisoners and in one case, in the battle with Hawazin, as many as six thousand, were released without taking a pice as ransom. At the battle of Uhud, when he was wounded and fell, down, a comrade asked him to curse his persecutors. His reply was: I have not been sent to curse but as an inviter to good and mercy. O Lord ! guide my people, for they know not." Once a Bedouin pulled him and threw his wrap round his neck. When asked why he should not be repaid in the same coin, he pleaded that he (the Prophet) never returned evil for evil.
In the administration of justice, the Prophet was scrupulously even-handed. Muslims and non-Muslims, friend and foe, were all alike in his eyes. Even before the Call, his impartiality his honesty and integrity were of household fame, and people would bring their disputes to him to settle. At Medina, tie Jews and the idolaters both accepted him as the arbitrator in all their disputes. Notwithstanding the deep-rooted malice of Jews against Islam, when a case between a Jew and a Muslim came up before him, he decreed in favour of the Jew, regardless of the fact that the Muslim, nay, even perhaps the whole of his tribe, might thereby be alienated. In his dealings with his worst enemies he was always true to the Quranic injunction which says:
"Let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety." [5:8]
On his death-bed, immediately before he breathed his last, he had it Publicly announced:
"If I owe anything to anybody, it may be claimed; if I have offended anybody, he may have his revenge."
In his dealings with others he never placed himself on a higher pedestal. Once while he held the position of a king at Medina, a Jew whom he owed some money came up to him and began to-abuse him. 'Umar was enraged, but the Prophet rebuked him, saying:
"It would have been meet for thee to have advised both of us -
me, the debtor to repay the debt with gratitude,
and him, the creditor, to demand it in a more becoming manner."
And he paid the Jew more than his due. On another occasion when he was out in the wood with his friends, the time for preparation of food came. Everybody was allotted a piece of work, he himself going out to pick up fuel. Spiritual and temporal overlord though he was, he would yet do his share of work like an ordinary man. In his treatment of his servants, he observed the same principle of equality. A report from Anas says that during the ten years that he was in the Prophet's service at Medina, where he ultimatcly became the master of the whole of Arabia, he was not once scolded by him. He never kept anybody in slavery. As soon as he got a slave, he set him free.
In charity the Prophet was simply unapproached. He never gave a flat refusal to a beggar. He would feed the hungry, himself going without food. He never kept any money in his possession. While on his death-bed, he sent for whatever there was in his house and distributed it among the poor. Even for the dumb creatures of God his heart overflowed with mercy. He spoke of one who drew water from a well to quench the thirst of a dog as having earned paradise with this act of kindness. He spoke of a deceased woman that she was undergoing punishment because she would tie up her cat and keep it hungry. Form his earliest days he had a deep sympathy for widows and orphans, the poor and the helpless. He would ever stand by the oppressed. He vindicated the rights of women over men, of slaves over their masters, of the ruled over the rulers, and of the subjects over the king. Negro slaves were accorded the same position of honour as the Quraish leaders. He was the champion of the oppressed and the ill-treated ones. He was very fond of children, and while walking along he would pat and stroke those whom he met on the way. Without fail would he visit the sick to enquire after their health and console them. He would also accompany a funeral.
Humble and meek in the highest degree, he had yet the courage of the bravest of men. Never for a moment did he harbour fear of his enemies. Even when plots to take his life were being hatched in Mecca, he moved about fearlessly day and night. He told all his companions to emigrate from Mecca, himself remaining almost alone among infuriated enemies. With his pursuers at the mouth of the cave in which he had hidden himself, he could yet console his companion, saying, "Allah is with us." On the field of Uhud when the whole of his army fell into a trap, he shouted aloud, regardless of all danger to his own person, to rally the confused soldiers. In the battle of Hunain when the Muslim rank and file took to flight, he advanced alone towards the enemy, calling aloud, "I am the Prophet." When one night a raid was suspected, he was the first to reconnoitre the outskirts of Medina, riding his horse without saddling it. On a certain journey, while resting under a tree all alone, an enemy came upon him, and unsheathing his sword shouted out: " Who can save thee now from my hands?" Calmly the Prophet replied, "Allah." And the next moment the same sword was in the Prophet's hand who put to his enemy the same question, on which he assumed a tone of abject humility, and the Prophet let him go.
The Prophet's integrity and sincerity were of universal fame throughout Arabia. His worst enemies had often to confess that he had never told a lie. When he once pledged his word, he kept it under the most trying conditions and even at a heavy lost. He faithfully observed the truce made at Hudaibiya, though he had to refuse shelter to Muslims escaping from the persecution of the Meccans. His biographers are all at one in their admiration of his unflinching fortitude and unswerving steadfastness. Despair and despondency were unknown to him. Hemmed in as he was on all sides by a gloomy prospect and severe opposition, his faith in the ultimate triumph of the truth was never for one moment shaken.
authored by Muhammad Ali, Moslem Town, Lahore, India (1946)
From the cradle to the grave the Prophet passed through a diversity of circumstances - a diversity which can hardly be met with in the life of a single man. Orphanhood is the extreme of helplessness, while kingship is the height of power. From being an orphan he climbed to the summit of royal glory, but that did not bring about the slightest change in his way of living. He lived on exactly the same kind of humble food, wore the same simple dress, and in all particulars led the same simple life as he led in the state of orphanhood. It is hard to give up the kingly throne and lead the life of a hermit, but it is harder still that one should weild the royal sceptre yet at the same time lead a hermit's life, that one should possess power and wealth yet spend it solely to promote the welfare of others, that one should ever have the most alluring attractions before one's eyes yet should never for one moment be captivated by them.
When the Prophet actually became the ruler of a state, the furniture of his house was composed of a coarse matting of palm leaves for his bed and an earthen jug for water. Some nights he would go without food. For days no fire would be lighted in his house to prepare food, the whole family living on mere dates. There was no lack of means to live a life of ease and comfort. The public treasury was at his disposal. The well-to-do among his followers, who did not shrink from sacrificing their lives for his sake, would have been only too glad to provide him with every comfort of life, should he choose to avail himself of it. But worldly things carried little weight in his estimation. No mundane craving could ever prevail over him, neither in times of indigence nor of plenty. Just as he spurned wealth, power and beauty which the Quraish offered him when he was yet in a state of utmost helplessness, so did he remain indifferent to them when God granted him all these things out of His grace.
Not only did he himself live the simple life of a labourer, but he did not even allow wealth to have any attraction for his wives. Shortly after their immigration into Medina, the condition of the Muslims had changed, and they carried on a prosperous trade. Their conquests, later on, went further to add to the comforts of life which the Muslims enjoyed. A quite human desire crept into the hearts of the Prophet's wives that, like other Muslim families, they too should avail themselves of their share of comforts. Accordingly, they approached the Prophet in a body to prevail upon him to allow them their legitimate share of worldly comforts. Thereupon came the Divine injunction:
O Prophet ! Say to thy wives, If you desire this world's life and its ornature, come, I will give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing. And if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the latter abode, then surely Allah has prepared for the doers of good amoung you a mighty reward. [33:28,29]
Thus they were offered two alternatives. They might either have worldly finery, or remain in the Prophet's household Should they decide to have the former, they would have plenty of what they wanted, but would forthwith forfeit the honour of being the Prophet's wives. Is this the reply of a sensual man? Such a man would have done everything to satisfy the whim of the objects of his affection. Nay, he would himself have desired that his wives should wear the most beautiful dress and live in comfort. No doubt the Prophet cherished great love for his wives. He had immense regard for the rights of women and was the champion of their cause. But when his wives came to him with what was apparently a quite legitimate demand to have more finery and ornaments, they were coldly told that if they would have these things they were not fit to live in the Prophet's house. This shows beyond a shadow of doubt how free the Prophet's mind was of all base and sensual thoughts. He was prepared to divorce all his wives rather than yield to what he regarded as unworthy of his wives - an inclination towards worldly things. It shows conclusively that the object of his marriages was anything but self-indulgence.
Let us consider once more the historical facts which led the Prophet to take a number of wives within the short space of five years from the third year of Hijra to the seventh, while before that he passed nearly thirty years of his life in a monogamous state. This period coincides exactly with the period during which incessant war was carried on between the Muslims and the non-Muslims. The circle of Muslim brotherhood was at the time very narrow. The perpetual state of war; created disparity between the male and the female elements of society. Husbands having fallen on the field of battle, their widows had to be provided for. But bread and butter was not the only provision needed in such cases. Sex-inclination is implanted in human nature, and the statesman who neglects the sex requirements leads society to moral corruption, ending ultimately in the ruin of the whole nation. A reformer with whom morals were all in all could not content himself with making provision merely for the maintenance of the widows. The Prophet was anxious for their chastity to a far greater extent than their physical needs. It became therefore necessary allow polygamy. This is the reason that he himself took so many women for his wives during the period when war was raging. Nearly all his wives were widows. If self-indulgence were the motive, the choice would not have fallen on widows. It would have been an enviable privilege for any Muslim to be the father-in-law of the Prophet. But the object was a noble one - the protection of the widows of his friends. In polygamy alone lay the safety of the Muslim society.
We now come to the fourth period. With the conquest of Mecca in 8 A.H., internal warfare came practically to an end. Disturbances there were, but, on the whole, peace had been established in the country and normal conditions were restored. From the eighth year of the Flight to the end of his life we again find that the Prophet did not contract any new marriage. What is the evidence of the facts then ? The Prophet added to the number of his wives only during the time that he had to live in a state of warfare, when the number of males was reduced and many women would have been left without protection and without a home if the difficulty had not been solved by permitting a limited polygamy. Before the Prophet had to enter on a defensive war, he lived in idle company of a single wife, and when war ended, he contracted no new marriage. This sets all doubts at rest as to the motive of the Prophet. In all the marriages which he contracted during the war, there was some ulterior moral end in view. There arose situations in his life under which he could not consistently, with the moral and religious mission of his life, help taking more wives than one. In that, he only showed compassion to the weaker sex.
Living in a country in which polygamy was the rule, the Prophet had no liking for polygamy. He passed the prime of his life, up to fifty-four years of age, as the husband of a single wife, thus showing that the union of one man and one woman was the rule under normal conditions. But when abnormal conditions arose, he did not, like a sentimentalist, shirk his duty. He saw that the chashty of woman was at stake if polygamy was not allowed, and for the sake of a higher interest he permitted polygamy as an exccption to meet exceptional circumstances Exactly thus he had to revert to war, though by disposition he was averse to it. Full forty years before the Call, he had been living in a land where the sword was wielded as freely as as a stick elsewhere, where fighting and feuds were the order of the day, where men would fly at each other's throats, like wild animals, where there was no chance of survival for one who could not use the sword, yet not once during these forty years did he deal a blow at an enemy. The same was the case with him for fourteen years after the Call.
That he was peace-loving by nature is shown by the clear injunctions relating to peace in the Holy Quran:
And if they incline to peace, do thou also incline to it and trust in Allah ... And if they intend to deceive thee, then surely Allah is sufficient for thee." [8:61,62]
The Prophet's acceptance of the truce of Hudaibiya, though its conditions were humiliating for the Muslims, who were ready to lay down their lives one and all rather than accept those terms, is also a clear proof of his peace-loving nature. But when duty called him to take the field to save his community, he did not hesitate to take up the sword against an overwhelming majority. He acted as a sagacious general in all fields of battle and behaved like a brave soldier when opportunity demanded. He knew how to disperse an enemy in time before it had gained sufficient strength to deal a severe blow at the Muslims. And once, in the battle of Hunain, when his army was in flight owing to the severe onslaught of the enemy's archers, he was all alone advancing towards the enemy forces, till his soldiers rallied round him. By disposition he had no inclination for war, yet circumstances arose which dragged him into the field of battle, and he then displayed the wisdom of a general and the bravery of a soldier. So by disposition he was not inclined to polygamy, living a celibate life of unexampled purity up to twenty-five years of age and a married life of a monogamous husband up to fifty-four, but when duty called him to take more women under his shelter, he answered the call of duty.
Brief as this treatment of the Prophet's life is, it would be incomplete without a few words as to his manners and morals. When his wife, 'A'isha, the most privy to his secrets, was questioned about his morals, her reply was, "His morals are the Quran." In other words, the highest morals that were depicted in the Holy Quran were possessed by him.
Simplicity and sincerity are the keynotes of the Prophet's character. He would do all sorts of things with his own hands. He would milk his own goats, patch his own clothes and mend his own shoes. In person would he dust the house, and he would tie his camel and look after it personally. No work was too low for him. He worked like a labourer in the construction of the mosque, and again in digging a ditch round Medina. In person would he do shopping, not only for his own house-hold but also for his neighbours or for helpless women. He never despised any work, however humble, notwithstanding the dignity of his position as Prophet and King. He thus demonstrated through personal example that man's calling does not really determine his nobleness or his meanness.
His actions and movements were characterized by homely simplicity. He did not like his companions to stand up on his arrival. Once he forbade them, saying, "Do not stand up for me as do the non-Arabs;" and added that he was a humble creature of God, eating as others eat and sitting as others sit. When a certain man wanted to kiss his hand, he withdrew it remarking that that was the behaviour of the non-Arabs to wards their kings. Even if a slave sent him an invitation he accepted it. He would take his meals in the company of all classes of people, even of slaves. When seated among people, there was nothing about him to make him conspicuous.
The Prophet had a deep love for his friends. While shaking hands with them, he would never be the first to withdraw his hand. He met everybody with a smiling face. A report from Jarir ibn 'Abdullah says that he never saw the Prophet but with a smile on his face. He would talk freely, never putting on artificial reserve to give himself an air of superiority. He would take up children in arms and nurse them. He disliked back-biting and forbade his visitors to talk ill of any of his friends. He would ever take the lead in greeting his friends and shaking hands with them.
The Prophet's generosity even towards his enemies stands unique in the annals of te world. 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the head of the hypocrites, was a sworn enemy of Islam, and his days and nights were spent in plotting mischief against the Muslims. Yet at his death, the Prophet prayed to the Lord to forgive him and even granted his own shirt to enshroud his body. The Meccans, who had all along subjected him and his friends to the most barbarous tortures, were not only awarded a general amnesty but were let off even without a reproof. Twenty long years of persecutions and warfare were absolutely forgiven and forgotten. "The magnanimity with which Muhammad treated a people who had so long hated and rejected him is worthy of all admiration," says Muir. The fact is that no other example is met with in history of such magnanimous forgiveness of inveterate enemies, who had shed innocent blood, who had shown no pity for helpless men, women and children, who had exerted themselves to their utmost to kill the Prophet and to annihilate the Muslims. The prisoners of war were almost always set free even without demanding a ransom. It was only in the case of the prisoners of Badr that ransom was demanded; after that, hundreds of prisoners and in one case, in the battle with Hawazin, as many as six thousand, were released without taking a pice as ransom. At the battle of Uhud, when he was wounded and fell, down, a comrade asked him to curse his persecutors. His reply was: I have not been sent to curse but as an inviter to good and mercy. O Lord ! guide my people, for they know not." Once a Bedouin pulled him and threw his wrap round his neck. When asked why he should not be repaid in the same coin, he pleaded that he (the Prophet) never returned evil for evil.
In the administration of justice, the Prophet was scrupulously even-handed. Muslims and non-Muslims, friend and foe, were all alike in his eyes. Even before the Call, his impartiality his honesty and integrity were of household fame, and people would bring their disputes to him to settle. At Medina, tie Jews and the idolaters both accepted him as the arbitrator in all their disputes. Notwithstanding the deep-rooted malice of Jews against Islam, when a case between a Jew and a Muslim came up before him, he decreed in favour of the Jew, regardless of the fact that the Muslim, nay, even perhaps the whole of his tribe, might thereby be alienated. In his dealings with his worst enemies he was always true to the Quranic injunction which says:
"Let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to piety." [5:8]
On his death-bed, immediately before he breathed his last, he had it Publicly announced:
"If I owe anything to anybody, it may be claimed; if I have offended anybody, he may have his revenge."
In his dealings with others he never placed himself on a higher pedestal. Once while he held the position of a king at Medina, a Jew whom he owed some money came up to him and began to-abuse him. 'Umar was enraged, but the Prophet rebuked him, saying:
"It would have been meet for thee to have advised both of us -
me, the debtor to repay the debt with gratitude,
and him, the creditor, to demand it in a more becoming manner."
And he paid the Jew more than his due. On another occasion when he was out in the wood with his friends, the time for preparation of food came. Everybody was allotted a piece of work, he himself going out to pick up fuel. Spiritual and temporal overlord though he was, he would yet do his share of work like an ordinary man. In his treatment of his servants, he observed the same principle of equality. A report from Anas says that during the ten years that he was in the Prophet's service at Medina, where he ultimatcly became the master of the whole of Arabia, he was not once scolded by him. He never kept anybody in slavery. As soon as he got a slave, he set him free.
In charity the Prophet was simply unapproached. He never gave a flat refusal to a beggar. He would feed the hungry, himself going without food. He never kept any money in his possession. While on his death-bed, he sent for whatever there was in his house and distributed it among the poor. Even for the dumb creatures of God his heart overflowed with mercy. He spoke of one who drew water from a well to quench the thirst of a dog as having earned paradise with this act of kindness. He spoke of a deceased woman that she was undergoing punishment because she would tie up her cat and keep it hungry. Form his earliest days he had a deep sympathy for widows and orphans, the poor and the helpless. He would ever stand by the oppressed. He vindicated the rights of women over men, of slaves over their masters, of the ruled over the rulers, and of the subjects over the king. Negro slaves were accorded the same position of honour as the Quraish leaders. He was the champion of the oppressed and the ill-treated ones. He was very fond of children, and while walking along he would pat and stroke those whom he met on the way. Without fail would he visit the sick to enquire after their health and console them. He would also accompany a funeral.
Humble and meek in the highest degree, he had yet the courage of the bravest of men. Never for a moment did he harbour fear of his enemies. Even when plots to take his life were being hatched in Mecca, he moved about fearlessly day and night. He told all his companions to emigrate from Mecca, himself remaining almost alone among infuriated enemies. With his pursuers at the mouth of the cave in which he had hidden himself, he could yet console his companion, saying, "Allah is with us." On the field of Uhud when the whole of his army fell into a trap, he shouted aloud, regardless of all danger to his own person, to rally the confused soldiers. In the battle of Hunain when the Muslim rank and file took to flight, he advanced alone towards the enemy, calling aloud, "I am the Prophet." When one night a raid was suspected, he was the first to reconnoitre the outskirts of Medina, riding his horse without saddling it. On a certain journey, while resting under a tree all alone, an enemy came upon him, and unsheathing his sword shouted out: " Who can save thee now from my hands?" Calmly the Prophet replied, "Allah." And the next moment the same sword was in the Prophet's hand who put to his enemy the same question, on which he assumed a tone of abject humility, and the Prophet let him go.
The Prophet's integrity and sincerity were of universal fame throughout Arabia. His worst enemies had often to confess that he had never told a lie. When he once pledged his word, he kept it under the most trying conditions and even at a heavy lost. He faithfully observed the truce made at Hudaibiya, though he had to refuse shelter to Muslims escaping from the persecution of the Meccans. His biographers are all at one in their admiration of his unflinching fortitude and unswerving steadfastness. Despair and despondency were unknown to him. Hemmed in as he was on all sides by a gloomy prospect and severe opposition, his faith in the ultimate triumph of the truth was never for one moment shaken.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Girl sprayed in the face with chemical
Police: No evidence of hate crime at local mosque
Related: Can of pepper spray found near mosque
By Lucas Sullivan
Staff Writer
Monday, September 29, 2008
DAYTON — A 10-year-old girl sprayed in the face with a chemical Friday, Sept. 26, while at a local Islamic mosque was not the victim of a hate crime, police Chief Richard Biehl said.
The girl was watching children whose parents and relatives had gathered at the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, 26 Josie St., to celebrate Ramadan when she noticed two men standing outside a basement window about 9:40 p.m., according to police.
One of the men then sprayed something through the open window and into the girl's face from a white can with a red top, according to a police report. The girl said she immediately felt burning on her face and felt "sick to her stomach," the report stated.
Other children and a woman in the room felt affects from the chemical and the mosque was evacuated.
"The men didn't say anything to her (before she was sprayed)," Biehl said. "There was nothing left at the scene or anything that makes us believe this is a biased crime."
HAZMAT crews called to the scene started testing for chemicals less than 20 minutes after a member of the mosque called 911, team coordinator Denny Bristow said.
"Whatever chemical was released it dissipated too quickly for us to determine what it was," Bristow said. "We can test for about 130 to 140 chemicals, including pepper spray, and all our tests came back negative."
Bristow said there were no chemicals found on the 10-year-old girl.
A few of the 300 people celebrating the last 10 days of Ramadan with dinner and a prayer session were treated for eye irritation at the scene.
Mosque board member Tarek Sabagh said many people within the mosque speculated that the incident was the result of a DVD about Islamic radicalism titled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" that was mailed to area homes by its producers and circulated as a paid advertisement with more than 70 newspapers, including the Dayton Daily News.
"We are not linking the two at all," Sabagh said.
Biehl said the incident will be assigned to a detective today, Sept. 30, since it happened over the weekend. The detective will determine if a crime was committed. The police report of the incident was filed Monday afternoon. He said a detective was at the scene Friday.
Normal prayer services were held at the mosque through the weekend and on Monday, Sabagh said. The 10-year-old girl and the woman who was in the room with her have returned to the mosque, he said.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During the month, Muslims fast (do not eat) from sunrise to sunset. In the evening and in the morning before the sun comes up, they eat small meals. During this month, they take extra time for family, inner reflection, and spiritual growth.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2494 or lsullivan@DaytonDailyNews.com
Related: Can of pepper spray found near mosque
By Lucas Sullivan
Staff Writer
Monday, September 29, 2008
DAYTON — A 10-year-old girl sprayed in the face with a chemical Friday, Sept. 26, while at a local Islamic mosque was not the victim of a hate crime, police Chief Richard Biehl said.
The girl was watching children whose parents and relatives had gathered at the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, 26 Josie St., to celebrate Ramadan when she noticed two men standing outside a basement window about 9:40 p.m., according to police.
One of the men then sprayed something through the open window and into the girl's face from a white can with a red top, according to a police report. The girl said she immediately felt burning on her face and felt "sick to her stomach," the report stated.
Other children and a woman in the room felt affects from the chemical and the mosque was evacuated.
"The men didn't say anything to her (before she was sprayed)," Biehl said. "There was nothing left at the scene or anything that makes us believe this is a biased crime."
HAZMAT crews called to the scene started testing for chemicals less than 20 minutes after a member of the mosque called 911, team coordinator Denny Bristow said.
"Whatever chemical was released it dissipated too quickly for us to determine what it was," Bristow said. "We can test for about 130 to 140 chemicals, including pepper spray, and all our tests came back negative."
Bristow said there were no chemicals found on the 10-year-old girl.
A few of the 300 people celebrating the last 10 days of Ramadan with dinner and a prayer session were treated for eye irritation at the scene.
Mosque board member Tarek Sabagh said many people within the mosque speculated that the incident was the result of a DVD about Islamic radicalism titled "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West" that was mailed to area homes by its producers and circulated as a paid advertisement with more than 70 newspapers, including the Dayton Daily News.
"We are not linking the two at all," Sabagh said.
Biehl said the incident will be assigned to a detective today, Sept. 30, since it happened over the weekend. The detective will determine if a crime was committed. The police report of the incident was filed Monday afternoon. He said a detective was at the scene Friday.
Normal prayer services were held at the mosque through the weekend and on Monday, Sabagh said. The 10-year-old girl and the woman who was in the room with her have returned to the mosque, he said.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During the month, Muslims fast (do not eat) from sunrise to sunset. In the evening and in the morning before the sun comes up, they eat small meals. During this month, they take extra time for family, inner reflection, and spiritual growth.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2494 or lsullivan@DaytonDailyNews.com
And the movie already made its impact
Muslim Children Gassed at Dayton Mosque After “Obsession” DVD Hits Ohio
Chris Rodda
Daily Kos
October 1, 2008
On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West — the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail — were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain’s supporters has led to — Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.
I read the story as reported by the Dayton Daily News, but this was after I had received an email written by a friend of some of the victims of these American terrorists. The matter of fact news report in the Dayton paper didn’t come close to conveying the horrific impact of this unthinkable act like the email I had just read, so I asked the email’s author for permission to share what they had written. The author was with one of the families from the mosque — a mother and two of the small children who were in the room that was gassed — the day after the attack occurred.
"She told me that the gas was sprayed into the room where the babies and children were being kept while their mothers prayed together their Ramadan prayers. Panicked mothers ran for their babies, crying for their children so they could flee from the gas that was burning their eyes and throats and lungs. She grabbed her youngest in her arms and grabbed the hand of her other daughter, moving with the others to exit the building and the irritating substance there.
"The paramedic said the young one was in shock, and gave her oxygen to help her breathe. The child couldn’t stop sobbing.
"This didn’t happen in some far away place — but right here in Dayton, and to my friends. Many of the Iraqi refugees were praying together at the Mosque Friday evening. People that I know and love.
"I am hurt and angry. I tell her this is NOT America. She tells me this is not Heaven or Hell — there are good and bad people everywhere.
"She tells me that her daughters slept with her last night, the little one in her arms and sobbing throughout the night. She tells me she is afraid, and will never return to the mosque, and I wonder what kind of country is this where people have to fear attending their place of worship?
"The children come into the room, and tell me they want to leave America and return to Syria, where they had fled to from Iraq. They say they like me, … , and other American friends — but they are too afraid and want to leave. Should a 6 and 7 year old even have to contemplate the safety of their living situation?
"Did the anti-Muslim video circulating in the area have something to do with this incident, or is that just a bizarre coincidence? Who attacks women and children?
"What am I supposed to say to them? My words can’t keep them safe from what is nothing less than terrorism, American style. Isn’t losing loved ones, their homes, jobs, possessions and homeland enough? Is there no place where they can be safe?
"She didn’t want me to leave her tonight, but it was after midnight, and I needed to get home and write this to my friends. Tell me — tell me — what am I supposed to say to them?"
When acting as a representative of Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that I work for, I cannot engage in political activities. The distribution of Obsession, however, although a political campaign scheme, clearly crosses over into the mission of MRFF. So, I’m going to make two statements here — one in my capacity as MRFF’s Research Director, and another as an individual whose disgust at the vile campaign tactics of John McCain’s supporters completely boiled over when I opened up the email about children being gassed.
My statement as MRFF’s Research Director:
The presidential campaign edition of the Obsession DVD, currently being distributed by the Clarion Fund, carries the endorsement of the chair of the counter-terrorism department of the U.S. Naval War College, using the name and authority of an official U.S. military institution not only to validate an attack the religion of Islam, but to influence a political campaign. For these reasons, this endorsement has been included in MRFF’s second lawsuit against the Department of Defense, which was filed on September 25 in the Federal District Court in Kansas.
My opinion as an individual and thoroughly appalled human being:
John McCain has a moral obligation to publicly censure the Clarion Fund, the organization that produced Obsession and is distributing the DVDs; to denounce the inflammatory, anti-Muslim message of Obsession; and to do everything in his power to stop any further campaign activities by his supporters that have the potential to incite violence.
Chris Rodda
Daily Kos
October 1, 2008
On Friday, September 26, the end of a week in which thousands of copies of Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West — the fear-mongering, anti-Muslim documentary being distributed by the millions in swing states via DVDs inserted in major newspapers and through the U.S. mail — were distributed by mail in Ohio, a "chemical irritant" was sprayed through a window of the Islamic Society of Greater Dayton, where 300 people were gathered for a Ramadan prayer service. The room that the chemical was sprayed into was the room where babies and children were being kept while their mothers were engaged in prayers. This, apparently, is what the scare tactic political campaigning of John McCain’s supporters has led to — Americans perpetrating a terrorist attack against innocent children on American soil.
I read the story as reported by the Dayton Daily News, but this was after I had received an email written by a friend of some of the victims of these American terrorists. The matter of fact news report in the Dayton paper didn’t come close to conveying the horrific impact of this unthinkable act like the email I had just read, so I asked the email’s author for permission to share what they had written. The author was with one of the families from the mosque — a mother and two of the small children who were in the room that was gassed — the day after the attack occurred.
"She told me that the gas was sprayed into the room where the babies and children were being kept while their mothers prayed together their Ramadan prayers. Panicked mothers ran for their babies, crying for their children so they could flee from the gas that was burning their eyes and throats and lungs. She grabbed her youngest in her arms and grabbed the hand of her other daughter, moving with the others to exit the building and the irritating substance there.
"The paramedic said the young one was in shock, and gave her oxygen to help her breathe. The child couldn’t stop sobbing.
"This didn’t happen in some far away place — but right here in Dayton, and to my friends. Many of the Iraqi refugees were praying together at the Mosque Friday evening. People that I know and love.
"I am hurt and angry. I tell her this is NOT America. She tells me this is not Heaven or Hell — there are good and bad people everywhere.
"She tells me that her daughters slept with her last night, the little one in her arms and sobbing throughout the night. She tells me she is afraid, and will never return to the mosque, and I wonder what kind of country is this where people have to fear attending their place of worship?
"The children come into the room, and tell me they want to leave America and return to Syria, where they had fled to from Iraq. They say they like me, … , and other American friends — but they are too afraid and want to leave. Should a 6 and 7 year old even have to contemplate the safety of their living situation?
"Did the anti-Muslim video circulating in the area have something to do with this incident, or is that just a bizarre coincidence? Who attacks women and children?
"What am I supposed to say to them? My words can’t keep them safe from what is nothing less than terrorism, American style. Isn’t losing loved ones, their homes, jobs, possessions and homeland enough? Is there no place where they can be safe?
"She didn’t want me to leave her tonight, but it was after midnight, and I needed to get home and write this to my friends. Tell me — tell me — what am I supposed to say to them?"
When acting as a representative of Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), the 501(c)3 non-profit organization that I work for, I cannot engage in political activities. The distribution of Obsession, however, although a political campaign scheme, clearly crosses over into the mission of MRFF. So, I’m going to make two statements here — one in my capacity as MRFF’s Research Director, and another as an individual whose disgust at the vile campaign tactics of John McCain’s supporters completely boiled over when I opened up the email about children being gassed.
My statement as MRFF’s Research Director:
The presidential campaign edition of the Obsession DVD, currently being distributed by the Clarion Fund, carries the endorsement of the chair of the counter-terrorism department of the U.S. Naval War College, using the name and authority of an official U.S. military institution not only to validate an attack the religion of Islam, but to influence a political campaign. For these reasons, this endorsement has been included in MRFF’s second lawsuit against the Department of Defense, which was filed on September 25 in the Federal District Court in Kansas.
My opinion as an individual and thoroughly appalled human being:
John McCain has a moral obligation to publicly censure the Clarion Fund, the organization that produced Obsession and is distributing the DVDs; to denounce the inflammatory, anti-Muslim message of Obsession; and to do everything in his power to stop any further campaign activities by his supporters that have the potential to incite violence.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Obsession the movie
Salamo Aleikum
I wanted to get everyone's opinion on the new movie that came out entitled OBSESSION.
Keeping in mind that at the beginning there is a line of disclaimer that says that the movie is not about those muslims who do not support terrorism (right away notice the psychological trick: they separated Islam in two camps), it is only one line which I am sure will get dissolved in the ocean of negativity about Islam which prevails in the whole movie.
Muslims really need to come around and respond to such people. Another note is that Waled Shoebat, is a very repeated figure throughout any such documentaries, which kind of leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and with many questions in my head.
I wanted to get everyone's opinion on the new movie that came out entitled OBSESSION.
Keeping in mind that at the beginning there is a line of disclaimer that says that the movie is not about those muslims who do not support terrorism (right away notice the psychological trick: they separated Islam in two camps), it is only one line which I am sure will get dissolved in the ocean of negativity about Islam which prevails in the whole movie.
Muslims really need to come around and respond to such people. Another note is that Waled Shoebat, is a very repeated figure throughout any such documentaries, which kind of leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth and with many questions in my head.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Eid Mubarak to everyone
May Allah swt accept your fasts and your deeds. Make duaa for all the Muslims around the world who could not afford an Eid, or who will keep fasting due to lack of food. We pray also for all the poor people in the world, that Allah swt opens up their hearts so they submit to Him. As long as your heart and spirit are fed with the love and mercy of Allah, with the fear and hope of Alah, your stomach matters not.
Salamo Aleikum
Salamo Aleikum
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