TOWARD PEACE
PRESENTED BY:
AL-BALAGH FOUNDATION
STARTING POINT
Alone among the entire creation,
the human being is a thinking, rational creature, endowed with the wonderful powers of
Intellect and Will. By means of these two amazing powers, he can decide his fate and
determine his path, either choosing the way leading towards happiness or the miserable
road of tragedies and torments. He is the only one responsible for his destination, and
must therefore think deeply and search for the path of salvation. Reason and ration alone
can guarantee the human being salvation, while blind prejudice without contemplating the
environment around and heedless of the truth, is a sure path to eternal damnation.
The human race has taken great
strides in the spheres of science and technology, and is far too advanced in industrial
and productive domains, and in satisfying its material and worldly needs. But
unfortunately, the more the progress in industry and technology, the more complicated and
miserable life becomes. The truth is, although, science in itself is a great blessing
depending on its proper use, material achievements alone cannot grant happiness and
spiritual solace which a human soul in essence longs for.
On the contrary, these dizzying
heights of progress have brought in their wake, untold miseries such as psychological
depression, social breakdown and a tormentful conscience, not to speak of the curse of
wars, repression, injustice, apartheid, exploitation and abuse of the sexes In this
so-called enlightened age!
Have we ever pondered about our
fate? Just where are we headed? Let us draw a picture of contemporary human life and see
for ourselves the pathetic state around us. What should everyone of us do to stem this
tragedy which has infiltrated all aspects of our life?
ECONOMIC WOES
Researches conducted in America,
Western Europe, Soviet Union, Japan and the Third World bring out the following
statistics:
A total of 500 million people are
plagued with malnutrition. About 40 percent all over the world are deprived of hygienic
services, while 30 percent lack healthy drinking water. In addition 100 million people go
to bed hungry each night.
The infant mortality rate is so
high that reports confirm 40,000 children die every day. Out of every 1000 children in the
developing countries, 97 die from starvation.
A total of 15 million children,
whose ages were less than 5 years, died from starvation in 1978.
Compare these pathetic figures,
with what the world spends on militarization to kill fellow humans. Statistics reveal that
1 million US Dollars is spent on military industries for every minute that ticks away.
FAMILY DILEMMA
Family is the basic unit of life
and the nest which provides happiness and peace. If this is the beautiful image of the
family which we aspire to create, the true image is quite different.
Statistics depict the dim side
and draw the present terrifying picture of family life.
For 50 percent of women in the
Soviet Union adultery is a way of life, while in U K., official figures showed that one in
every 4 children born in 1988 was illegitimate. They will never know what family life
means. Figures issued by the British Office of Population Census and Survey Statistics
show a provisional U K. total for 1988 of 787,600 live births, of which 198,000 were
registered outside marriage. Compared to 1984 the figure showed a 100 percent increase.
Polls conducted for the British
women in the first six months of 1984, indicated a 27 percent rise in the number of rapes.
A report released by the British
Home Office states that 1 in every 5 British children suffers from sexual or physical
abuse. These children are victims of the breakdown of family life, marital infidelity and
the mounting use of alcohol and drugs.
An average of 4 children a week
are killed in Britain by their parents or guardians, and about 200 children each year from
parental abuse. Besides, every two weeks a child is slain in Britain by strangers or other
relatives, in most cases their mothers' live-in lovers.
The tragedy of disintegrating
family life is not confined to Britain alone, but is widespread in both the East and West.
Recent survey in the U.S. showed
that 43 percent of married women are not loyal to their husbands and often indulge in
extra-marital affairs.
The UNESCO Courier says that the
highest percentage of births out of wedlock is in the Caribbean, and in Central and South
America, where due to alcohol abuse or the inability of husbands to find work the family
breaks up, leaving the children in poverty. Moreover, women lack security, as rape and
exploitation of the fair sex are the order of the day in societies where moral values have
deteriorated to animal depths.
SEXUAL DISEASES
Inevitably, as a result of the
breakdown of the legitimate natural relationship between man and woman and the spread of
adultery, sodomy, prostitution and other kinds of sexual perversions, venereal diseases
are on the increase, including gonorrhea, syphilis and the latest terror, AIDS. They have
become as dangerous as atomic, chemical and biological weapons.
Reports released by the World
Health Organization state that 5 to 10 million people around the world are carriers of the
virus of AIDS, and the figure is likely to increase to 100 million and even 200 million by
the close of this century, unless effective measures are taken.
A report published by a scientist
in Boston affirms that 'during the next 3 or 5 years, AIDS will be the prime cause for the
death of people in the 20-29 age group'.
However, the general estimate is
that the number of carriers of HIV, the AIDS virus, is up to 100 times that of the actual
cases. The deadly scourge has even penetrated the foetus of the victims, and a report says
that in 1988, 2000 babies in the U.S. were born HIV positive.
PSYCHOLOGICAL BREAKDOWN AND DRUGS
The helpless miserable
individuals who suffer from vagrancy and chronic psychological and nervous illnesses,
resort to drunkenness and drugs to forget the dismal reality.
In 1985, figures proved that in
the Soviet Union 50 million people were alcoholics. Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev
said that alcoholic addiction is one reason behind slowness of production in the Soviet
Union.
Alcohol is also responsible for
61 percent of traffic accidents and 40 percent of divorce cases.
Drugs are becoming the bane of
modern society. Cocaine addicts in the US grew to 5,8 million last year.
A report from Japan puts the
number of those who committed suicide in Japan in 1986 at 25,524 people.
The human tragedy does not end
there, for man also suffers at the hands of fellow human beings. Injustice and political
repressions in the form of racial discrimination and narrow minded nationalist and lingual
prejudices are tearing apart the social fabric by dividing human beings into watertight
compartments.
It is clear that material
achievements and worldly pleasures have failed to grant security, happiness and peace. It
means that the great technological leap is not just enough and lacks something essential
which the human soul and psychology is in dire need of. If so, ration warrants the use of
brains, to go to the core of the problem. We, unlike other creatures, are gifted with the
amazing powers of Intellect and Will. Then let us use them to find out the Creator,
because the major problem of present day man is that he has lost his faith in the Exalted
Creator and followed ideas and thoughts which run counter to existence, universe and human
nature.
EXISTENCE
Let us search for true happiness.
Let us search and think. To start with, let us contemplate on the human existence and the
environment around us. How did the world come into existence? Where are we headed?
Is there a Creator who fashioned
this wonderful world? If so, is there any relationship that binds Him with His creatures,
especially the best of creation, the human race? What shape does this relationship take?
Let us think deeply: Since the
moment man began to think on earth, he started to find answers to these and other
questions arising in his mind.
Let us visualize this expanding
universe. Let us think of its laws and organization and the aesthetic and organizational
aspects of it. Was it created haphazardly? How does the Universe come into being?
Development of the human mind,
advance of sciences and the daily observation of life and its sentimental feelings,
present us with a rational and scientific explanation of life. Grasp of this truth will
lead us to the path of good and happiness and ward off the fits of anxiety, misery and
loss.
Human mind perceives that every
effect has a cause. Surely the universe did not come into existence all by itself.
If ever there was a 'big bang',
as the theory goes, some power was surely behind it. Does not the systematic orbit of the
earth, the moon, the planets, and life on mother earth, speak of precise planning?
Everything in the Universe,
however big or small, indicates the existence of a power behind. The blazing sun, the
serenely lit moon, the majestic mountains, the flowing rivers which end up in the roaring
sea, the colourful fauna and flora, the taste of fruits, the fragrance of flowers, and
above all the sharp senses of the human being, all vividly express the power of the
Creator, Who gave everything form, shape, law and order.
Any rational mind can perceive
that the universe is created and set in order by a Creator. Organization is the most
glorious expression of the existence of the Creator , and His Power and Knowledge.
If we see a beautiful painting
within an exquisitely wrought frame, we know there must be an artist behind. If we see an
automation that works and produces by itself, we understand that there is a designer
behind. If we come across an excellent book on medicine we realize there must be an
authority on medicine who compiled it.
The painting could not have been
painted without an artist.
The machine could not have been designed without a designer.
The book could not have been written without an author.
Can we say that the book is the
result of a freak incidence, and suddenly or gradually evolved by itself? Can one believe
if told that the wind scattered the papers and the ink, then the ink was spilled on the
papers and, behold, there was a good book on medicine?
It is obvious, that any sane mind
will never believe such an absurd idea, if not mock at it. The brain admits the existence
of the Creator and understands this fact easily and clearly.
Many enlightened scholars of
physics, medicine, botany, zoology and other sciences have covered tremendous facts
proving conclusively that the universe was created by a Wise and Powerful Creator, Who
brought it into being in this flawlessly perfect shape.
The following examples are food
for thought:
1. Oxygen is one of the gases
forming the atmosphere. It is essential for human life. Without oxygen neither human
beings nor animals can survive on earth. It constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere, that
is the most suitable percentage that can allow life on earth. Should this percentage
change, decrease or increase a little, the whole life system will go but of order and life
will come to an end.
Who set this system in order and
made oxygen in this perfect percentage to preserve life and prevent its collapse?
Could this be the work of chance?
No, certainly not. It is the work of the All-knowing, Wise Creator.
2. The temperature at the surface
of the sun, the source of light and heat, is 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,700 degree
Centigrade). The sun's distance from the earth is approximately 150,000,000 kilometres.
This distance is very suitable for the light and heat to reach earth adequately, allowing
man, plants and animals to live and flourish. If the heat of the sun doubles, we would
burn and change into ashes and if it decreases by 50 percent we would freeze to death.
3. If the waters of the ocean
were sweet they would have been bad-smelling and unhealthy, with no chance of life on
earth. It is the salt of the ocean which prevents the water from becoming putrid and
bad-smelling. Chloride and sodium combine together to form salt, without which life would
cease to exist.
Who made the water of the oceans
salty so that it remains clean? Who combined chloride and sodium to produce the edible
salt?
4. The revolving earth takes 24
hours to rotate on its axis. One rotation completes a day and night, and the speed is
ideal for plants, animals and the human species to exist on the earth's surface. If the
earth was to rotate or revolve faster than its present speed then everything would fold up
like a pack of cards.
Who made its motion suitable for
the benefit of man and other creatures?
Who set all these things in a perfectly balanced order and faultless motion?
Could this all be termed
haphazardly? Certainly not, because it all speaks of divine planning and evaluation.
The above examples are an
undeniable proof of perfection, arrangement, and wisdom which wild unpredictable nature
cannot by itself design. They point out the proof of a Creator Who is All- knowing,
Powerful and extremely Benign.
Scientists assert that oxygen
levels have remained at roughly 21% of the atmosphere for 200 million years, whereas they
should have fluctuated widely according to some geochemical models of the atmosphere. Were
oxygen levels to rise above 250/0 , spontaneous fires would break out; if they dropped
below 150/0, many higher life-forms would suffocate.
The fundamental unity of the
pattern that permeates, the entire universe, is by itself a proof of the fact that the
universe, as a whole is the handiwork of the same Designer, Creator or as Voltaire puts
it, the Cosmic Mind. It is also a proof of His Omnipotence, how gigantic is the solar
system and how tiny is an atom, yet the unity of their design and structure is simply
marvellous.
In his book 'Introduction to
Evolution' Dr. Paul Moody writes:
"The more I study science
the more I am impressed with the thought that this world and universe have a definite
design and a design suggests a designer. It may be possible to have a design without a
designer, a picture without an artist, but my mind is unable to conceive of such a
situation."
The more scientists delve into
the secrets of nature, the more they are convinced of the existence of a plan that
permeates the universe which ipsofacto implies the existence of a Planner.
Birth of a test-tube baby is no
doubt an epoch-making achievement of science; and so is man's landing on the man.
The fact however, remains that natural laws have never been transgressed. A child is the
by- product of the union of paternal sperm and maternal ova. Thus, the womb was simply
replaced by a test-tube as an artificial nursery instead of a natural one. Creation of
Adam without parents and the birth of Jesus without a father are yet par excellence
marvels of creation.
And moreover the fact remains
that the moment Armstrong imprinted, amidst the halo of a baffling spectacle, his first
step on the moon, he ejaculated: 'I see the Glory of God.' And he uttered it thrice.
DIVINE MESS AGES
So, We are convinced that the
universe has a Creator Who is Omnipotent and Possessor of all attributes of perfection.
The conviction leads us to the inevitable conclusion that the Creator has a decisive
relationship with His creatures.
From this bond emerges the fact
that the Creator did not create the human race in vain, and nor is physical death the end
of life. He, the Almighty had a firm reason for fashioning the human race as the most
advanced and excellent form of life, and to this end, endowed them with the amazing powers
called Will and Intellect. He desires their good and happiness both in this world and the
Hereafter.
To think and discern, to sift
truth from falsehood, to choose between transient and eternal pleasures, He left it to the
human's free will. Hence man is at liberty either to take the path of salvation or end up
in the dismal depths of disaster.
But of course, The Benign Creator
did not leave the human beings in dilemma, to wander about without guidance. For this
would not have been fair. And surely injustice is not one of the attributes of the
Almighty. The ultimate objective was reforming man, guiding him and saving him from
injustice, misery and loss.
To this end, the Almighty sent
Prophets in every corner of the globe as mankind started to spread out in the earth.
Their message was the same. They
preached love, brotherhood abstinence from evil, and above all how to control and harness
will power, and use intellect for the betterment of mankind. Although the medium of the
divine messages differed depending on the language spoken by the local people. the main
theme was remarkably the same: Submission to none other than the Almighty To suit the
stages of progress and the development of intellect, there were some minor differences
regarding those messages, but the goal was one, concentrated on Unity of the Almighty,
universal brotherhood, and the Day of Resurrection.
As the human race spread out
around the furthest reaches of the globe, geographical barriers separated them, making or
marring their state of development.
Undeterred, humanity continued
its forward march, and in every age and era, the benign Creator made clear His signs of
guidance. Those who believed, and used Will and Intellect for the betterment of mankind,
attained salvation, while those who misused these powers to pursue their nefarious ends,
plunged fellow humans into wars, bloodshed, slavery and all other sorts of oppression, and
themselves passed away into eternal damnation. Still there were others, who adhered to
religion simply out of superstition or some vested interests, and the likes of these did
more harm by their ignorance, distorting the scriptures and the laws revealed to them.
However, through a succession of prophets, the Merciful Creator held aloft the bright
torch of guidance and repentance. Though each following message was on a higher wrung of
ladder than its predecessor, the basic points were remarkably the same.
Each stage of progress gave birth
to new ideas. Human intellect began to grow , and to keep stride with the development, a
more comprehensive message was revealed.
Although it is our firm
conviction, that all holy books are monotheist in essence, certain scriptures have been
greatly discoloured as a result of human tampering.
Even today after centuries of
interpolations, the scriptures contain gems of wisdom. It is for us to comprehend the
truth, by using our brains and will power, and search for the shores of salvation.
Even today, despite their
polytheist way of life and idol worship, passages remain in the Hindu scriptures, or for
that matter in the Buddhist books, testifying the Oneness of the Creator. A closer
scrutiny of the Upanishad, Vedas and other books held dear by the Hindus, reveal the
startling facts that the Creator is One and Only, although the Hindus have conjured up a
myriad of gods and godesses. The other passages in these books, giving multiplicity and
weird illogical ideas, turn out to be plain fantasies and later interpolations. He, the
Creator is One and Alone, otherwise there would have been chaos all around, instead of
order. The Almighty is Self-existent, Omnipotent, Everlasting and Merciful, and has
certainly not created us in vain.
UNITY OF THE CREATOR
Let us take a look at the
scriptures of the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims to find out what common beliefs
they contain about the unity of the Creator. Later we will examine which one of the holy
books contains the ultimate Truth and has withstood the test of time.
THE OLD TESTAMENT
"And he said, that thou
mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God!"
Exodus (8:16)
"Ye shall not make with
Me gods of silver neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold."
Exodus (20:23)
"Hear, therefore, O
Israel, the Lord our God, is one Lord."
Deuteronomy (6:4)
"Unto thee it was shewed,
that thou mightest know that the Lord He is God; there is none else beside Him."
"Know therefore this day,
and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above, and upon the
earth beneath, there is none else."
Deuteronomy (4:35-39)
"Thus saith the Lord...I
am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God"
Isaiah (44:6)
"For thus saith the Lord
that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the earth and made it; He hath
established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited, I am the Lord:
and there is none else."
Isaiah (45:18)
"To whom then will ye
liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?"
Isaiah (40:18)
"I am the Lord, and there
is none else, there is no God beside Me; I girded thee though thou hast not known
Me".
"That they may know from
the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and
there is none else."
Isaiah (45:5-6)
THE NEW TESTAMENT
"And Jesus answered him,
the first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one Lord."
Mark (12:29)
"And the scribe said unto
him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is One God; and there is none other
but He."
Mark (12:32)
" ...and there is none
other God but one."
1 Corinthians (8:4)
"For there is one
God."
1. Timothy (2:5)
THE HOLY QUR'AN
"Allah is He besides Whom
there is no god, save Him, the Everliving, the Eternal."
Holy Qur'an (2:255)
"His is the creation and
the command; Blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds."
Holy Qur'an (7:54)
"Allah - there is no god
but He; His are the very best names."
Holy Qur'an (20:8)
"...nothing is like unto
Him and He is the Hearing, the Seeing."
Holy Qur'an (42:11)
"He is the First and the
Last, and the Manifest and the Hiddenmost and He is Cognizant of all things."
Holy Qur'an (57:3)
"And He made subservient
to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, all, from Himself, most
surely there are signs in this for people who reflect."
Holy Qur'an (45:13)
"And (remember) when your
Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendents and made
them bear witness against their own souls (saying) Am I not your Lord? They said yes: We
bear witness; lest (that was) you say on the day of resurrection, 'Surely we were unaware
of this."
Holy Qur'an (7:172)
TAMPERINGS WITH THE SCRIPTURES
We have seen the remarkable unity
of message in the scriptures of the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims. But the question
is why different creeds, or set of beliefs, when the source of origin is One and the Same.
To find out the answer we have to
delve deeper and scrutinize the texts concerned, whether or not ignorant human hands had
dared to tamper with their contents. Which of them embodies the ultimate truth and speaks
as the final word of the Almighty for humanity as a whole? Which one is more comprehensive
in view of man's multidimensional personality, and is universal in character transcending
barriers of race, class, language, geographical factors and...etc.? And how does it back
up its claims?
Reason and ration should be the
criteria for arriving at the ultimate truth.
Earlier, we had left out books of
other major world religions, like the Buddhists and the Hindus, for their mythological and
polytheist character, and no pretensions whatsoever to speak for humanity as a universal
whole. These are more or less regional in outlook, while the inhuman caste system preached
by the idol-worshipping Hindus is an absolute mockery of human values and nature itself.
To the above three, we can safely
add Judaism and its chauvinistic preference for only the children of Israel as the chosen
of God, which shows the havoc played by the Jews with the heavenly scriptures reducing
them to mere national sagas.
The absurdity of the Torah is all
the more evident. Chapter XIX of the Book of Genesis ascribes a serious crime to Prophet
Lot, in a bid to give the Ammonites and Moabites an illegitimate origin.
"And the firstborn said
unto the younger, Our father is old, and there is not a man in the earth to come in unto
us after the manner of all the earth: Come let us make our father drink wine, and we will
lie with him, that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink
wine that night: and the firstborn went in, and lay with her father, and he perceived not
when she lay down, nor when she arose. And it came to pass on the morrow, that the
firstborn said unto the younger, Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. let us make him
drink wine this night also, and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve seed of
our father. And they made their father drink wine that night also: and the younger arose,
and lay with him, and he perceived not when she lay down, nor when she arose. Thus were
both the daughter of Lot with child by their father. And the firstborn bare a son, and
called his name Moab: the same is the father of Moabites unto this day. And the younger,
she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children
of Ammon unto this day."
Genesis (19:31-38)
Even David and several other
upright god-fearing figures are not spared by the Old Testament. which depicts them as
weaklings succumbing to wanton desires.
The question which arises is, if
the Creator was perfect, and precisely planned the intricate Universe, was He not capable
of choosing people with firm will power and higher intellect as bearers of His message. An
analaysis reveals that He, the Glorious, did just that. but it was human envy and racial
hatred, which tried to discolour the Messages and the Messengers.
Quite evident is the
contradiction, between Monotheism and the text of these scriptures. Let us take a look at
the Evangel or the collection of books by different authors, which the Christians call the
New Testament.
WHO FOUNDED CHRISTIANITY
Christian historians and
researchers themselves assert Christianity to be the religion imagined, conjured up and
written by Paul the hellenized Jew. The creed known as Christianity they say, was emptied
by Paul of the true teachings of Jesus. For example, the doctrine of trinity can be found
in the beliefs of the pagan Persians and Indians.
Thus the religion invented by
Paul, and named Christianity by him has nothing to do with The Messiah, as is evident by
the following facts:
"If by Christianity we
understand faith in Christ as the heavenly Son of God, who did not belong to earthly
humanity, but who lived in the Divine likeness and glory, who came down from Heaven to
earth, who entered humanity and took upon himself a human form through a virgin, that he
might make propitiation for men's sins by his own blood upon the cross, who was then
awakened from death and raised to the right hand of God, as the Lord of his own people,
who believe in him, who hears their prayers, guards and leads them, who, moreover dwells
and works personally in each of them, who will come again with the clouds of heaven to
judge the world, who will cast down all the foes of God, and will bring his own people
with him unto the home of heavenly light so that they may become like His glorified body-
IF THIS IS CHRISTIANITY, THEN SUCH CHRISTIANITY WAS FOUNDED BY ST PAUL AND NOT BY OUR
LORD" (Jesus or Paul, p.122 Dr. Annold Meyer, Professor of Theology, Zurich
University).
The idea of Trinity was started
by Paul, but was given a final shape by Athanasius in about 325 A.D. Trinity is not
mentioned at all in the Bible.
The Catholic Encyclopedia says:
"The Trinity is the term
employed to signify the central doctrine of Christian religion.... in the unity of Godhead
there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these three persons
being truly distinct one from another. Thus in the words of Athanasian Creed; the Father
is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet there are not three but one
God. This doctrine was not clearly grasped even by Athanasius. He says at another place
that whenever he forced his understanding to mediate on the divinity of Jesus his toilsome
and unavailing efforts recoil on themselves, that the more he wrote the less capable was
he of expressing his thoughts. This confusion is explained away as "Mystery",
yet the Bible says "God is not the author of confusion"
Corinthian (14:33)
FACTS ABOUT GOSPELS
"The speeches in the
Fourth Gospel (even apart from the early messianic claim) are so different from those in
the Synoptics, and so like the comments of the Fourth Evangelist himself, that both cannot
be equally reliable as record of what Jesus said Literary veracity in ancient times did
not forbid, as it does now, the assignment of fictitious speeches to historical
characters; the best ancient historians made a practice of composing and assigning such
speeches in this way". (C.J. Cadoux - The Life of Jesus. P. 16).
"The Gospels which were
produced clearly reflected the conception of the practical needs of the community for
which they were written. In them the traditional material was used, but there was no
hesitation in altering it or making additions to it, or in leaving out what did not suit
the writer's purpose. (T.G. Tucker The History of the Christians in the Light of
Modern Knowledge, P. 320).
"A copyist would
sometimes put in not what was in the text, but what he thought ought to be in it. He would
trust a fickle memory, or he would make the text accord with the views of the school to
which he belonged. In addition to the versions and quotations from the Christian Fathers,
nearly four thousand Greek MSS of the Testament were known to exist. As a result, the
variety of reading is considerable." (Prof J. R. Dummelow Commentary on the Holy
Bible, P.16).
Another major defect of the
Christian creed, is the belief that Jesus is the begotten son of God. It is claimed that
Jesus was one of the Trinity because he was the only son of God, but there are other sons
of God mentioned as well in the Bible.
About David the Bible says :
"...the Lord has said
unto me Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee."
Psalm (2:7)
"...thus saith the Lord,
Israel is my son, even my firstborn."
Exodus (4:22)
"Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Mathew (5:9)
"But as many as received
him, to them gave he the power to become the sons of God..."
John (1:12)
"...son of Adam, which
was the Son of God."
Luke (3:38)
"For as many as are led
by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God."
Romans (8:14)
"The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that
we may also be glorified together."
Romans (8:16-17)
In addition to the above
mentioned discrepancies, the Old and the New Testaments are at variance with proven
scientific facts. Thus, reason dictates us to give up the hope for our quest for truth in
these two scriptures. So what should we do? Where should we turn to?
But wait, there is no need for
despair. We have yet another divinely revealed book called the Our'an.
Let us examine it. To our
amazement, as the next chapter will help unfold, the Qur'an does not contain a single
statement assailable from a modern scientific point of view.
HARMONY BETWEEN SCIENCE AND QUR'AN
In his book 'La Bible, le Coran
et la Science' translated into English under the title 'The Bible, The Qur'an And
Science', Dr. Maurice Bucaille, an eminent French surgeon, devoted himself to a thorough,
examination of the scriptures in the light of modern scientific knowledge'. In the course
of his study, he has made a valuable contribution to the understanding of the verses of
the Holy Qur'an , His observations about the authenticity of Qur'an, deserve a special
mention as it will go a long way to despel the prevailing doubt about the compatibility
between religion and science. He tells us:
"It was a totally
objective spirit, and, without any preconceived ideas that I first examined the Qur'anic
Revelation. I was looking for the degree of compatibility between the Qur'anic text and
the data of modern science. I knew from translations that the Qur'an often made allusion
to all sorts of natural phenomena but I had only a summary knowledge of it. It was only
when I examined the text very closely in Arabic that I kept a list of them at the end of
which I had to acknowledge the evidence in front of me. The Qur'an did not contain a
single statement that was assailable from a modem scientific point of view.
"I repeated the same test
for the Old Testament and the Gospels, always preserving the same objective outlook. I n
the former I did not even have to go beyond the first book, Genesis, to find statements
totally out of keeping with the cast-iron facts of modem science.
"On opening the Gospels,
one is immediately confronted with a serious problem. On the first page we find the
genealogy of Jesus, but Mathew's text is in obvious contradiction to Luke's on the same
question......the latter's data on the antiquity of man on Earth are incompatible with
modem knowledge.
"The Biblical data
concerning the antiquity of man are therefore inaccurate.
"...Mathew's phantasms,
the flat contradictions between Gospels, the improbabilities, the incompatibilities with
modem scientific data, the successive distortions of the text - all these things add up to
the fact that the Gospels contain chapters and passages that are the sole product of human
imagination. These flaws do not, however, cast doubt on the existence of Jesus' mission:
the doubt is solely confined to the course it took.
"The Old Testament
represents a vast number of literary works written over a period of roughly nine hundred
years. It forms a highly disparate mosaic whose pieces have, in the course of centuries,
been changed by man. Some parts were added to what already existed, so that today it is
sometimes very difficult indeed to identify where they came from originally.
"The inevitable result of
the multiplicity of sources is the existence of contradictions and oppositions: many
examples have been given of these. The authors of the Gospels had (when talking of Jesus)
the same tendency to magnify certain facts as the poets of French Medieval literature in
their narrative poems. The consequence of this was that events were presented from each
individual narrator's point of view and the authenticity of the facts reported in many
cases proved to be extremely dubious.
"It must be stressed that
when scientific data are discussed here, what is meant is data definitely established.
"Subsequent to the first
trials of ballistic missiles, people imagined a day when man would perhaps have the
material possibility of leaving his earthly habitat and exploring space. It was then known
that a verse existed in the Qur'an predicting how one day man would make the conquest.
This statement has now been verified.
"...if you can penetrate
the bounds of the heavens and the earth, then do penetrate (them). (But) you cannot
penetrate except with (Our) authority."
Holy Qur'an (55:33)
"... in the West, Jews,
Christians and Atheists are unanimous in stating (without a scrap of evidence however)
that Muhammad wrote the Qur'an or had it written as an imitation of the Bible. It is
claimed that stories of religious history in the Qur'an resume Bible stories. This
attitude is as thoughtless as saying that Jesus Himself duped His contemporaries by
drawing inspiration from the Old Testament during his preachings; the whole of Mathew's
Gospel is based on this continuation of the Old Testament... What expert in exegesis would
dream of depriving Jesus of his status as God's envoy for this reason? This is
nevertheless the way that Muhammad is judged more often than not in the West. It is a
summary judgement that does not take account of the fact that the Qur'an and the Bible
provide different versions of a single event.
"The above observation
makes the hypothesis advanced by those who see Muhammad as the author of the Qur'an quite
untenable. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author in
terms of literary merit, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce
truths of a scientific nature that no other human being could possibly have developed at
the time, and all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncements on
the subject? For me there can be no human explanation to the Qur'an."
Surgeon Maurice has made
extensive studies in various fields covered by the Qur'an e.g. Creation of the Heavens and
the Earth, Astronomy, Water Cycle, Earth's Relief, Earth's Atmosphere, Animal and
Vegetable Kingdoms, The Flood, Exodus and above all, Human Reproduction. His views on
human embryo after he quotes relevant verses of the Qur'an are summed up as under:
"...As for observed facts
such as the evolution of human embryo, it is quite possible to confront different stages
described in the Qur'an with the data of modern embryology and find complete concordance
between modern science and verses of the Qur'an referring to this subject."
"He created man from
(small quantity of) sperm..."
Holy Qur'an (16:4)
"The Arabic word nutfa
has been translated by the words 'small quantity (of sperm)' because we do not have the
terms that are strictly appropriate. This word comes from a verb signifying 'to dribble,
to trickle'; it is used to describe what remains at the bottom of a bucket that has been
emptied out. It therefore indicates a very small quantity of liquid. Here it is sperm
because the word is associated in another verse with the word sperm. (see Holy Qur'an
75..37-39)
"Another verse indicates
that the small quantity in question is put 'in a firmly established lodging' (qarar) which
obviously means the genital organs. (see Holy Qur'an 23:13)
"...the adjective which
in this text refers to 'the firmly established lodging' is, I think, hardly translatable,
It expresses the idea of a firmly established and respected place. However this may be, it
refers to the spot where man grows in the maternal organism.
"Once the egg is
fertilized in the Fallopian tube it descends to lodge inside the uterus; this is called
the 'implantation of the egg'. The Qur'an names the lodging of the fertilized egg (as)
womb. (see Holy Qur'an 22:5)
"The implantation of the
egg in the uterus (womb) is the result of the development of villosities, veritable
elongations of the egg, which, like roots in the soil, draw nourishment from the thickness
of the uterus necessary to the egg's growth. These formations make the egg literally cling
to the uterus. This is a discovery of modern times.
"The act of clinging is
described five times in the Qur'an..." "Something which clings is the
translation of the word 'alaq'. It is the original meaning of the word.
"The original sense of something which clings 'corresponds exactly to today's firmly
established reality.
"Chewed flesh' is the
translation of the word mudhgha; 'intact flesh' is Lahm. This distinction needs to be
stressed. The embryo is initially a small mass. At a certain stage in its development, it
looks to the naked eye like chewed flesh. The bone structure develops inside this mass in
what is called the mesenchyma. The bones that are formed are covered in muscles; the word
Lahm applies to them.
"It is known how certain
parts appear to be completely out of proportion during embryonic development with what is
later to become the individual, while others remain in proportion.
"This is surely the
meaning of the word 'mukhallaqa' which signifies 'shaped in proportion' as used in verse 5
sura 22 to describe this phenomenon.
"We
fashioned.........into something which clings....into a lump of flesh in proportion and
out of proportion. "More than a thousand years before our time, at a period when
whimsical doctrines still prevailed, men had a knowledge of the Qur'an. The statements it
contains express in simple terms truth of primordial importance which man has taken
centuries to discover."
The thesis of Surgeon Maurice
which covers more than 250 pages, may perhaps be summed up in a few words:
Changes made by men in the Old
Testament and the Gospels are responsible for contradictions, improbabilities and
incompatibilities between the scriptures and the modern scientific knowledge. This view is
shared by some other eminent scientists and writers. The Qur'an made a pointed reference
to it but Christendom refused to accept it century after century.
Such flaws in the scriptures need
not detract men from the existence of God or the mission of Jesus.
The Qur'an is, historically
speaking, the most authentic Book of Revelations; nothing in it is incompatible with the
modern scientific data which has been definitely established.
When statements contained in the
Qur'an about this life are factually true, would not the statements contained in it about
the Hereafter be taken to be equally true?
In short, the Qur'an contains
many other scientific facts, which modern knowledge is just beginning to unravel. Even its
literary aspects are beyond the reach of the best of Arabic literati, as the following
challenge stands eternally supreme today nearly a millenium and a half after its
revelation.
"Or do they say, he (the
Prophet) invented it? Bring then a Surah (chapter) like it, and call (to your aid) anyone
you can other than Allah, if you be truthful."
Holy Qur'an (10:38)
ISLAM PROPHESIED
Thus as is clear, The Almighty
never leaves a people without guidance, and never does the message come to an abrupt end
upon the passing away of a prophet. For in such a case, the very truth would be open to
doubt. As a matter of fact, every divine message has foretold in explicit terms about the
coming of the last divine message, and the final prophet, whose mission will be universal
lasting till Doomsday.
In the Holy Qur'an, The benign
Creator gave us the most comprehensive law dealing with shaping of an embyro to the
mysteries of space. But it is we who are groping in the dark. We ourselves are to blame
for our misery.
The Jews stopped obeying the
Creator more than two milleniums back. Instead of propagating the truth they disobeyed the
Creator , falling headlong into the narrow depths of nationalism and turning chauvinists.
It was a great crime indeed, for they breached the covenant and sowed discord among the
human race.
Jesus Christ came, preaching the
divine message and giving glad tidings of the final messenger to come, but he met a stormy
reception at the hands of the Jews, who mocked at and ridiculed him. His message also met
a tragic end as analyzed earlier. No sooner, had he departed, Paul, the hellenized Jew
distorted the whole contents, transforming the divine truth into the creed called
Christianity today. The few true followers of the great messenger were persecuted and for
centuries havoc was wrought with his teachings, resulting in the numerous Gospels which
are in circulation today.
None could be considered as the Almighty's own word, and are more or less books of
tradition of a very brief period of the last days of Jesus. But even despite these
distortions, some fragments remain in them, which direct any discernible reader towards
the ultimate truth. The same is true of other religions, which contain, truth peeping out
from underneath the centuries old pile of interpolation.
Let us summon our Intellect and
Will power and embark on a search for truth. Let us sift through the huge stack and cast
an analyzing glance at the parchments of truth waiting to be discovered. They are there in
the sacred books of all religions, eager to guide us to the straight path, provided we are
sincerely after the rationale truth.
The following passages leave no
doubt, as to where the ultimate truth lies, and who, we are commanded by the Creator to
follow:
According to the Old Testament,
God tells prophet Abraham:
"And I will make of thee
a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in
thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Genesis (12:2-3)
And to Hagar:
"...I will multiply thy
seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord
said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name
Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction."
Genesis (16:10-11)
And regarding Ishmael the elder
son of Abraham; in whose direct lineage Prophet Muhammad was born, the Old Testament says:
"As for Ishmael, I have
heard thee: Behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him
exceedingly. twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation."
Genesis (17:20)
And about the right of the
firstborn:
"If a man have two wives,
one beloved another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the
hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated; Then it shall be, when he maketh
his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved
firstborn, before the son of the hated which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall
acknowledge the son of the hated, by giving him the double portion of all that he hath;
for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his."
Deuteronomy (21:15-17)
Note: Ishamel was 14 years old
when Isaac was born.
Elsewhere the Old Testament
foretells to Moses the coming of a great Prophet:
"I will raise them up a
Prophet from amongst their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my word sin his mouth
and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
Deuteronomy (18:18)
"Behold my servant, whom
I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall
bring judgement to the Gentiles. He shall not cry nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be
heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking-flax shall he not
quench: he shall bring forth judgement unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged,
till he have set judgement in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.
Isaiah (42:1-4)
"Let the wilderness and
the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let the
inhabitants of the rock sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. Let them give
glory unto the Lord and declare His praise in the islands."
Isaiah (42:11-1 2)
Note: Kedar was Ishmael's eldest
son and the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad.
"...The Lord came from
Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran (Faran in
Arabic), and He came with ten thousands of saints, from His right hand went a fiery law
for them."
Deuteronomy (33:2)
"And Jacob called unto
his sons, and said, Gather unto yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall
befall you in the last days... The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver
from between his feet, until SHILLOH come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people
be."
Genesis (49:1&10)
Shilloh means peace, or Islam in
Arabic. In other words, the prediction may well be about the Almighty's final message to
mankind - Islam.
About Jesus, who was but a
Prophet only:
"And the multitude said,
This is Jesus the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee."
Mathew (21:11)
"And they said unto him,
concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before
God..."
Luke (24:19)
"We know that thou art a
teacher come from God."
John (3:2)
"Then those men, when
they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that
should come into the world."
John (6:14)
The following passages of the New
Testament lend further proof to the Prophethood of Muhammad (s.a.w.) as the final
Messenger of the Almighty:
"And this is the record
of John (the Baptist) when the Jews sent priests and levites from Jerusalem to ask him,
who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed I am not the Christ. And
they asked him, what then? Art thow Elias? And he saith I am not. Art thou THAT PROPHET?
And he answered, No. And they asked him, and said unto him, why baptizest thou then, if
thou be not the Christ, nor Elias, neither THAT PROPHET."
John (1:19,21,25)
"But when the comforter
is come, whom I shall send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of the truth, which
proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me."
John (15:26)
"Nevertheless I tell you
the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgement: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness,
because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgement because the prince of this
world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he
shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, t hat shall he speak: and he
will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall
she wit unto you."
John (16:7-14)
It is admitted that if the
correct word in the original Greek version of the New Testament was 'Proclete' then
it means "AHMAD" in Arabic from the semitic root H M D.
After centuries the translation
was changed into 'Proclytos'. The translation of this Greek word was supposed to be
'Comforter' or 'Advocate'. However it was not realised that both the terms
are the titles of Prophet Mohammed, as shown below:
Rahmat-ul-Lil-Alameen
which means the 'Comforter of this world and the next'. Shafi-ul- Mudhnibeen which
means 'Advocate of sinners'.
To sum up: The prophet after
Jesus would be: God's Elect (Mustafa). Inhabitant of the villages of Prince Kedar son of
Ishmael, from Arabia. His religion will be known as Shilloh that is peace or Islam. His
light will shine from Mount Faran in Mecca. The sceptre of Judah will pass on to him. God
will put his words in his mouth. He shall not fail. He shall be known as Ahmad, Comforter,
or Advocate.
How explicitly, the holy Qur'an
corroborates these facts, when it says:
"Those who follow the
Messenger-Prophet the Ummi, whom they find written with them in the Torah and the Evangel;
he commands them good and forbids them evil, and he made lawful to them the good things,
and prohibits to them the bad (impure) ones, and he removes from them their burden and the
yokes which were upon them. So those who believe in him and honour him, and help him, and
follow the Light which has been sent down with him: These are they the successful."
Holy Qur'an (7:157)
CONCLUSION
Thus dear readers, in the light
of these undeniable facts, it is clear that we and the wide universe have been created by
the All-wise and Omnipotent Creator Who sees and watches our every minute act. We have a
destination, and our deeds in this life span will be judged in the Hereafter, where due
retribution awaits us. Each and every sign in this wonderful universe indicates to us the
straight path of guidance, and only by using our powers of Will and Intellect, we can
reach the garden of salvation.
Our main goal is to make our
readers aware of the significance of independent, objective and rational thinking, and
awaken in them the quest for truth.
We do not want, by these few
pages to close the subject. What we want is to stir up the human mind and conscience to
obvious facts. This book is only the beginning of the road, and by sifting chaff from
grain, we discovered the eternal truth about Islam, which has a comprehensive set of laws
for each and everything.
Therefore, in order to make peace
prevail and help build a harmonious society, it is incumbent upon us to glean at the
wonderful code of human behaviour called 'Sharia'. Please look forward to our next
Book 'The Meaning of Islam' which will help you discover that Islam is a complete way of
life.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the
worlds.
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