WOMENS’ RIGHTS IN ISLAM
– MODERNISING OR OUTDATED? – PART 1

There are many social traumas, problems and conflicts… women in society face today, and we sincerely need to find viable holistic and humanistic solutions to them.
In this context, the subject of ‘Women’s Rights’ is of much contemporary analytical relevance, and human interest.
A reason enough, for all of us to have gathered here today, inspite of options of other pre occupations.
On behalf of the Islamic Research Foundation… I, Dr. Mohammed Naik, the co-ordinator for the programs, today welcome you all with earnest pleasure, and sincere appreciation from the heart.
We begin today’s program formally with the Qiraat by Brother Ashraf Mohammey, which will be followed by the reading of its English translation.
(Ashraf Mohammedy) Asalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahai Wabarakatuhu.
(Arabic)…
The translation … ‘I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed
In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful’.
‘O Humankind reverence your Guardian Lord who created you from a single person, created of like nature his mate and from them twain scattered like seeds countless men and women, Reverence God through whom you demand your mutual rights and reverence the wombs that bore you.
For God ever watches over you
To orphans restore their property when they reach their age nor substitute your worthless things for their good ones and devour not their substance by mixing it up with your own, for this is indeed a great sin.
Verily Allah speaks the Truth’.
(Dr. Mohammed) Assalaamu Alaikum… Thank, you brother Ashraf.
For those who may be introduced new to the IRF and its activities, I would like to briefly outline the IRF, and its work.
The IRF was initially started in February 1991, to cater to the need for proper Islamic knowledge amongst the educated Muslim youth - Youth who may be ignorant about Islamic teachings, youth who may tend to be wrongly apologetic about Islam, and youth who may not know how to properly present and practice Islam, for the whole world at large, to appreciate and look up to.
Now the IRF has been growing in many other deserving areas of its other objectives, specially in humanitarian relief activities and educational upliftment.
Amongst its popular services, IRF has a collection of more than 1,300 Video cassettes and more than 4,000 Audio cassettes, on Islam and Comparative Religion, available for free hire in Bombay.
It also has to its credit, more then 50 publications on Islam and Comparative Religion, which are available free on request, all over India.
To promote education, the need of the day, amongst our people, the IRF Educational Trust was established 1½ year back of which Dr. Zakir happens to be the chairman.
Today Dr. Zakir will be speaking on the topic… ‘Women’s Rights in Islam – Modernizing or Outdated?’
This would be followed by a Question and Answer session, in which you all have a right to question and cross examine him, on the topic and the matter presented in a very open format.
When we consider the rights and justice for women in this open court of ours today, in context of Islamic laws and views, it is very befitting, and our esteemed pleasure to have amongst us the eminent Judge, Honorable Justice Muhammad Mujeebuddin Qazi, to preside over this programme.
Justice Qazi has been for 13 years from 1968 to 1981, the government pleader at the Nagpur Branch of the Bombay High Court, being the highest law officer of the Government of Maharashtra, there of.
Then, Justice Qazi became the first Muslim, after Justice M. C. Chagra to be elevated from the Bar to the Bench, as a Judge of the Bombay High Court, where he has been delivering judgment, from 1981 till 1992.
On the eve of his retirement in 1992, a very leading Newspaper of Central India ‘The Hitwada’, had this to say about him… ‘Justice Qazi belongs to the fast vanishing breed of gentlemen Judges’.
Justice Qazi, is at present a member of the Minorities Commission, and earlier has been a member of the advisory board Islamic and Comparative Law Journal, in New Delhi.

After his retirement as a high court Judge, Justice Qazi has been fortunate, and been honoured with the elevation, to the position of Chairman, Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal, opposed equal to that of the rank of the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
This high powered Tribunal, is the substitute and bifurcation of the Bombay High Court for all government service matters.
To top it all, his hand bill… ‘Demeanor’ and manners as well as a deep anguish and care for real human progress, make him an make him an apt personality, to precede… to preside over today’s proceedings.
He would be introducing the importance and significance of the topic for the day, as well as introduce Dr. Zakir Naik, who he is well acquainted with.
Brothers and sisters… Justice M. M. Qazi
(Justice M.M. Qazi) The distinguished speaker Dr. Zakir Naik, Dr. Mohammed Naik, former Governor and Ambassador Mr. Talyar Khan, the foreign dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen.
At the outset, I would like to thank the organizers of Islamic Research Foundation, for having invited me to preside over this function.
I would also like to thank Dr. Mohammed Naik, for having said few good words about me.
As you are already aware, the subject of the talk this morning is… ‘Women’s Rights in Islam - Modernizing or Outdated?’
Modernizing means… ‘Something which is not antiquated, but in the context of the subject it would mean - the rights given to women in Islam, fourteen centuries back, are relevant even today’.
The debate, on the position of women in social spectrum, has been going on since centuries - but of late, it has assumed somewhat alarming proportions in certain matters.
Issues such as Talaq, Polygamy, participation of Muslim women in
Socio-political activities, are subject of regular comment and discussion in the media.
There may have been problems, but at the same, time it is a fact that some of the issues were over played by the Media.
No doubt, the Western woman has today obtained, Socio-economic and
Lego-political rights, through hectic struggle, which was carried on for over 200 years.
But friends, I would like to tell you, that in the struggle, in the process, she has lost everything.
She has lost, if you have closely observed the Western society… you will agree with me that she has lost her family life, she has lost peace of mind, she has lost even her honour and womanhood.
On the contrary… Islam has given, has bestowed on women innumerable rights, fourteen centuries back, when contemporary civilizations were still considering whether women could be regarded as a human being.
We are therefore to examine objectively, dispassionately and coolly, whether the rights, so given in Islam are really adequate, and therefore relevant even today.
You are fortunate to have an eminent speaker Dr. Zakir Naik, who is going to deal with the subject exhaustively, and therefore it is not necessary for me to refer to all those verses in the Holy Qur’an, and the number of traditions of the holy… of the Prophet of Islam, pertaining to the rights of women.
However I will refer to the two verses, in order to demonstrate that woman has been given a dignified position in Islam - Verse No. 228, Chapter 2, Surah Baqarah, as translated by Abdullah Yusuf Ali, whose work is supposed to be the most standard work, reads as under….
‘And Women shall have rights, similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable, but men have a degree of advantage over them’.
I would like you to bear in mind, every word of this Verse - It has unequivocally being declared, that men and women have similar rights against each other.
These words… this part of the verse has no where been diluted anywhere in the Qur’an, however the verse further says that men have a degree of advantage over women.
It is really these words which we have to be… we have to be sure about, because it is here that most of the people have faltered, and even some of the commentators have misconceived these words.
But at the outset I would like to tell you, that these words have nothing to do with the rights between the parties… rights as I have already… we have already seen just now, have been unequivocally declared in the earlier portion of this Verse that… ‘Men and women have similar rights against each other’.
In order to fully appreciate this Verse, these words namely that… ‘Men have a degree of advantage over women’, we will have to refer also to another Verse - Verse No. 34, Chapter 4, Surah Nisa.
It reads… its translation reads as under… ‘Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one (more) into bracket (strength) bracket close than the other, and because they support them for their means’.
This Verse… Verse again lays down that… ‘Men are the protectors and maintainers of women’.
It further says that… ‘God has given one more than the other’.
Admittedly, a woman is a weaker sex and she has got to be given special protection in certain matters.
Anthropologically, man is stronger and also different, which is also a biological truth.
No doubt nature has given him this advantage, for which no credit goes to man, and no discredit to women on that account - But I would like to tell you that this advantage, is also being given to men in order, so that he is.. he is able to effectively discharge his functions.
Honorees task has been cast on him, that of a protector and maintainer and therefore this advantage which has been given to him, has nothing to do with the rights, as I have already said earlier.
In fact this advantage, in no way reduces the rights of women … nor it, her importance.

Therefore the real question that would arise, would be… I would request you to ponder over, and think about the state of affair, in the social set up today.
According to me, this is one of the most important and delicate function of the men… to give protection to women.
It is in a very… you see, in a very deep sense, which has to be understood - It is not wholly an ordinary protection, in the sense of saving one’s life - Please try to understand and appreciate.
I would request you to… to think over, whether men are discharging their functions… and if you closely examine, I have no doubt, you will come to this conclusion, that… that… that men have abdicated their most important function… that of giving protection to women, and therefore have neglected their… their elementary duty.
I do not want to enter into a dialogue or a debate at this time, because there is no time at my at my disposal, as to who is responsible for bringing about this tragic situation.
May be that women may… may have also been responsible for this… bringing about this situation.
But the fact remains, that this has exposed women to forces of crime and oppression, leading to widespread cases of violation of her honour and dignity. *** 16 Sec
In the back drop of Indian ethos, we shall sanctify womanhood.
No woman would like to bargain for such liberty, and no man would like to give up his… agree to give up his role as a ‘protector’.
This extremely delicate aspect of relationship between man and woman, has been explained by one of the great thinkers and the… and Poet… Doctor Iqbal, in a poem titled - ‘Women’s Protection’.
Of course the poem is in Urdu – It … it consists of three couplets… but I will translate them… these three couplets… there after I have recited these three couplets.
Iqbal says… ‘Ek Zinda Haqiqat Mere Seene Mein Hai Mastoor, Ek Zinda Haqiqat Mere Seene Mein Hai Mastoor, Kya Jaanega Woh Jiske Ragon Main Hai Lahoo Sard, Kya Janega Woh Jiske Ragon Main Hai Lahoo Sard, Na parda Na Taleem, Nai Ho Ke Purani, Nisfaniyat E Zan Ka NigeBaan Hai Faqat Mard, Jis Kaum Ne Zinda Haqi Jis Qaum Ne Is Zinda Haqiqat Ko Na Paya, Us Qaum Ka Kursheed Bahut Jald Huwa Zard’.
The translation would be that… ‘Jis Kaum Ne Ye Zinda haqiqat Kon Na Paya’ - The nation which has not realised this truth …sorry.
‘Ek Zinda haqiqat Mere Seene Mein Hain Mastoor’ - a living truth lies deep into my heart.
‘Kya Samjhegan Woh Jiske Ragon Mein Hai Lahoo Sard’- It is not for those whose senses are frozen.
‘Na Parda Na Taleem, Nai Ho Ke Puranee’ - It is neither veil nor education… new or old.
‘Niswaniyat e Zan Ka Nigeban Hai Faqat Mard’ - The protector of the dignity of women, is man alone.
‘Jis Qaum Ne Ye Zinda Haqiqat Ko Na Paya’ - A nation which has not discovered this… this truth.
‘Us us Kaum ka Kurshid Bahot Jald Huwa Zard’ - It’s sun is bound to fade away.

Friends, as I have already said… that I have extremely limited time at my disposal, and Dr. Zakir is already there, who is going to deal with the subject exhaustively… exhaustively, sufficiently suffice.
I have… non the less; I would like to tell you, that woman has been given a very dignified position, in Qur’an.
And the real problem is only, one of our own ignorance, of Quran’s real spirit
Therefore the real solution would be, to educate and enlighten the people.

May I remind you at this moment, the great words of Thomas Jefferson that… ‘A nation which expects… which expects to be ignorant and also free, it expects what never was, and never will be’.
‘Wo Mauzis The Zamane Mein Musalman Hokar, Aur Tum Khwar Piye Tarike Qur’an Hokar’.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have amids’t us, Bombay’s young but brilliant and irradiate speaker, Dr. Zakir Naik.
Though he is a doctor by profession, but he has dedicated himself to the cause of propagation… propagation of Islam, in it’s right perspective.
He is founder General Secretary of Islamic Research Foundation, which was established in 1991.
He is… he has widely traveled within and outside country, and has delivered number of lectures.
At such a young age, he has developed deep insight into Qur’an - which reminds us what Tagore has said that… ‘A lamp cannot light another lamp, unless it continues to burn it’s own flame’.
It would be most unfair, if on this occasion, I ignore, I do not mention the distinguished parents of Dr. Zakir Naik, but for whose guidance and blessings, he would not have been what he is today.
I once again thank you very much - Thank you very much.
(Clapping)...
(Dr. Mohammad) The talk by Dr. Zakir Naik, on today’s topic - Dr. Zakir Naik.
(Dr. Zakir) (Arabic
Honorable Justice M. M. Qazi, respected elders and my dear brothers and sisters, I welcome all of you with the Islamic greetings… ‘As-salaamu Alaikum Warahamatullahi Wabarakatuhu’… meaning… ‘May peace blessing and mercy of Almighty Allah, be on all of you’.
The topic of today’s day is - ‘The Women’s Rights in Islam - Modernising or Outdated?’
According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘Women’s Rights are the rights, that promote a position of social and legal equality, of women to men’
According to the Oxford dictionary, ‘they are the rights, claimed for the women, equal to those of men, as regards to suffrage that right to vote, as regards to property, etc’.
‘Modernising’, according to the Oxford dictionary means, ‘to make modern, to adapt to modern needs or habits’.
And according to the Webster’s dictionary it means… ‘To make modern, or to give a new character or appearance - e.g., to modernise ones ideas’.
In short, modernising is a process of updating or opting for the betterment of the present status itself - It is not the present modern status itself.
Can we modernise ourselves, to master our problems, and to realize a new way of life, for the whole human race?
I am not concerned about the modern ideas, the conclusions and the categorical statements made by scientists and inexperienced armchair experts, as how a life should be lived by a woman.
I am going to base my conclusions and considerations on truth, which can be proved by experience
Experience and unbiased factual holistic analysis, are the sure test, between the gold of truth, and the glitter of theory.
We have to check our thinking against reality, otherwise many a times, our mental process will go astray - Indeed the great brains of one time, believed that the world was flat.
If we agree with the ‘Women’s rights in Islam’, as portrayed by the Western media, you have no option, but to agree that the ‘Women’s rights in Islam’ are outdated.
The Western talk of women’s liberation, is actually a disguised form of exploitation of her body, deprivation of her honour and degradation of her soul.*** 10 Sec
The Western society which speaks of upgrading the status of women in Islam, have actually reduced her status to concubines, to mistresses, to society butterflies, which are mere tools in the hands of sex marketers and pleasure seekers, which are disguised behind the colorful screen of art and culture.
Islam’s radical revolutionary support, gave women their due right and status in the days of ignorance… 1,400 years ago.
Islam’s objective was and continues to be, to modernise our thinking, our living, our seeing, our hearing, our feeling and striving for the women’s upliftment and emancipation in the society.
Before I dwell further with the topic, I would like you to make note of a few points.
The first point is that, ‘approximately one fifth of the world’s population, consists of Muslims’
There are different Muslim societies - Some may be close to Islam, some may be far away from Islam
The ‘Women’s rights in Islam’ should judged according to the authentic sources, and not what individual Muslims do, or what the Muslim society does.

The authentic sources of Islam, are the Qur’an, which is the word of God, and the authentic Sunnah, and the traditions of our beloved Prophet (may peace be upon him).
Point number four - the Qur’an will never contradict itself, nor will the Shahih Hadith contradict itself… neither will these two authentic sources, contradict each other.

Point number five – ‘Sometimes the scholars differ, and many a times, these differences can be removed by analyzing the Qur’an as a whole, and not just by quoting one particular Verse’.
Because if one particular verse of the Qur’an if its ambiguous many a times the answer is given somewhere else in the Qur’an - Some people quote one source and neglect all the other sources.
And the last point is – ‘It is the duty of every Muslim, male or female, to seek the pleasure of Allah (SWT), and to act as His trustee on this world, and not to try and gain fame or satisfy one’s own ego.
Islam believes in equality of men and women – ‘Equality’ does not mean ‘Identicality’.
In Islam, the role of a man and woman… it is complimentary, it is not conflicting - It is that of a partnership - it is not contradictory, so as to strive for supremacy.
Where ‘Women’s rights in Islam’ is concerned, I have divided into 6 broad categories.
The first are ‘the Spiritual rights’, second are ‘the Economical rights’, third are ‘the Social rights’, fourth are ‘the Educational rights’, fifth are ‘the Legal rights’, and last are ‘the Political rights’.
Let us analyze ‘the Spiritual rights’ of women in Islam
The greatest misconception that the West has about Islam, is that they think… ‘Paradise in Islam, is only meant for the male - it is not meant for the female’.
This misconception can be removed by quoting from Surah Nisa, Ch. No. 4, Verse No 124, which says.
(Arabic)...
Which means – ‘If any of you do deeds of righteousness, whether it be male or a female and has faith, they shall surely enter Paradise and not the least injustice shall be done to them’
A similar thing is… a similar thing is repeated in Surah Nahl, Ch.16, Verse No.97 which says… ‘If any of you perform good deeds, be it a man or a women and is a believer, We shall give you good life and We should reward you for all your good works’ .
Just because in Islam, sex is not the criteria to enter Paradise… will you call such rights in Islam as modernising or outdated?
Another misconception is that, which the Western media has, that… ‘The woman has no soul’.
In fact, it was in the seventeenth century, when the Council of wise men… when they gathered at Rome, and they unanimously agreed that the woman had no soul.
In Islam, man and woman have the same spiritual nature, and that was clarified by our young Qari, Brother Ashraf Mohammedy, who recited the Verse from Surah Nisa, Ch.4, Verse No.1.
(Arabic)…
Which that… ‘O humankind reverence your guardian lord, who has created you from a single person and created like nature his mate’ .*** 15 Sec
A similar thing is mentioned in Surah Nahl, Ch.16, Verse No.72, which says that… ‘We have made for you companions and mates of your own nature’
Again in Surah Al-Shura, Ch.42, Verse No.11, it says… (Arabic)…
‘He is the one who has created the heavens and the earth and has made for you pairs from among yourselves’
Just because the spiritual nature of a man and woman is the same in Islam, will you call such rights in Islam, as modernizing or outdated?
The Qur’an clearly mentions that… ‘Allah (SWT) has breathed somewhat of His spirit into the human beings’.
If you read Surah Hijr, Ch.15, Verse No.29, it says… ‘When I have fashioned you in due proportion and have breathed into you something of my spirit, fall ye down in obeisance’
A similar thing is repeated in the Qur’an, in Surah Sajdah, Ch. 32, Verse No.9, which says...
( Arabic)…
Means… ‘We have fashioned you in due proportion and have breathed into you something of My spirit’ .
Here, when Allah (SWT) refers to… ‘As something of My Spirit, is breathed into the human beings’ - it does not mean, a sort of incarnation or a pantheistic form.
It means that Allah has given to every human being something of His spiritual Nature, and the Knowledge of God Almighty, and coming closer towards Him
Here it refers to both Adam and Eve (may peace be upon them) - Both were breathed something of Allah (SWT)’S Spirit.
Again we read in the Qur’an, that Allah has appointed the human being as His vicegerent, as His trustee, as is mentioned in Surah Isra, Ch.17, Verse No.70, which says….
(Arabic)…
That… ‘We have honoured the children of Adam and bestowed on them special favours’.
Sorry… Here all the children of Adam have been honoured, male as well as female.
There are some Religious scriptures, for example the Bible, which puts the blame on Eve for the downfall of humanity.
In fact if you read the Qur’an in Surah Araf, Ch.7, Verse No.19 to 27, Adam and Eve (may peace be upon them both) are addressed, more than a dozen of times.
Both disobeyed God, both asked for forgiveness, both repented, and both were forgiven.
In the Bible, if you read Genesis, Ch. 3, only Eve is held responsible (May peace be upon her) for the downfall of humanity.
And according to the doctrine of ‘Original Sin’, because of Eve (may peace be upon her) the whole of humanity is born in sin.
If you read the Bible in Genesis, Ch. 3, Verse No.16, it states that the God of… ‘the Bible’ it is saying ‘Unto the woman you shall bear in conception and in sorrow shall you give birth and your desire shall be of your husband and he shall rule over you’

Continue...

FOCUS ON ISLAM
By Dr. Zakir Niak

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. The purpose of this blog is to give all our Non-Muslims friends here, an opportunity to learnsomething about Islam, from one who is competent and knowledgeable in the subject, with a view to dispelling wrong ideas from notions, and prejudices. The distinguished speaker we have this evening, is Dr. Zakir Naik, to my right. Dr. Zakir Naik hails from Bombay; he is a doctor and a medical practitioner by training, by education, and by profession. But for the last several years, Dr. Zakir Naik has specialized in the mission of speaking, on various aspects of Islam. He has distinguished himself in this work, and he has spoken in several places all over the world, and his tapes, his talks, his lectures, his cassettes, are very much in demand. You can secure some of them over here. He is the founder of Islamic Research Foundation of Bombay, an organization which does a great deal, to spread the true knowledge of Islam, among Non-Muslims and Muslims too, with a view to dispelling as I said earlier... false ideas, prejudices and wrong notions, perpetuated and propagated, against Islam and Muslims with a view to disrupting communal harmony. The programme for this evening will be as follows. The meeting proper will open with recitation by the Master Kabeel Abdullah. It will be followed... it will be followed, by our President, the honorable Mr. Justice Laxmanan’s address, followed by our brother Mohammed Abdul Ali... principal in talks and remarks, and thereafter Dr. Zakir Naik will speak. Before Dr. Zakir Naik speaks, I shall spell out, as desired by the organizers, the rules and knobs, whereby this meeting will conduct itself. Now, with permission of the President, I now request Master Kabeel Abdullah, to recite verses from the Holy Qur’an. (Arabic)... I now request the honorable Mr. Justice Laxmanan, of the Madras High Court, to deliver his address. His highness, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik, President of Islamic Research Foundation, Mumbai, Mr. Muhammed Abdullah Badshah, Mr. Nizam A. Erris, my revered friend Mr. Faizur Rehman, other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen... at the outset I thank the organizers of this function, for having given me the opportunity to be in your midst and preside over this evenings function. The preannual to our Constitution of India provides that we are secular in nature and character. The word ‘secular’ has been introduced by our Constitution’s 42nd amendment, with effect from 3rd January 1997. Our secularism has always meant the concept of equal respect, for all faiths and Religion. It is also provided in the constitution of India, that no citizen shall be discriminated, inter believed. On the basis of the Religion... right of Religions, minority has been recognized in the article 30 of the Constitution. Right of belief and propagation of Religion, has been given to the citizen, in article 25 of Constitution. Thus our Constitution recognizes the concept of equality, integrity and unity of Religious peace. I am sure the conference like this, would go a long way in bringing about mutual respects and regard, for persons following different Religions in the longer interest of the great nation. Before I resume, I once again thank the organizers, for having given me this opportunity to be in your midst, this evening. When I was in Mysore, I was asked to be there by our highness, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali. I was asked to be the chief guest. He as my revered good friend immediately agreed. He told me that... ‘Our Dr. Zakir Abdul Karim Naik will speak on ‘Focus on Islam, and Universal brotherhood’. I have to this morning... I told him, that I have another commitment by 8 o’clock - so I told him, that I have to deny the pleasure of hearing his speech on ‘Focus on Islam and Universal brotherhood’. Please pardon me Dr. Zakir Naik, and my friend Faizur Rehman, and our Mohammed Abdul Ali, for not being able to be present here, till the meeting is over. Any how, I have requested our Dr. Zakir Naik and I am told, he is one of the very excellent, and very fine speaker on Islam and he is going to make his speech... Focus on Islam and Universal brotherhood. I have requested him to give me an audiocassette so that I can hear the speech and give my opinion on that, with this few words I thank the organizers for having given me this opportunity and the people who are present here in this evening’s function. Thank you all. We thank the honorable Mr. Justice Laxmanan, for a thought provoking and insight full speech, which gives us much food for thought and reflection. On behalf of the organizers I should like to make a request to our Muslims friends if they could please kindly cooperate and please make room for our non-Muslims friends and guests. This seminar intended primarily for them if they could cooperate and make available some seats for our Non-Muslims friends to comfortably sit down please. Thank you very much. The purpose of this meeting this evening is to promote inter Religious understanding. India being a country where many different kinds of people with different Religious faith live. It is of the utmost important we at the very minimum understand each other. The purpose of this evenings meeting is to enable our non-Muslims friends at least some of them to understand what exactly Muslims believe why they believe in what they believe and why their action are to be explained very largely in terms of their Religion belief. The distinguished speaker Dr. Zakir Naik will speak very shortly on the topic being Focus on Islam and Universal brotherhood. His talk will be followed by a Question and Answer session. This Question and Answer session is intended exclusively for our non-Muslims friends. To our Muslims friends I apologize for this, this is due to the extreme shortage of time. You have had opportunities in the past, when Dr. Zakir Naik visited, and God willing you will have opportunities again, when Dr. Zakir Naik will visit again. But this evenings meeting…Question and Answer session is exclusive, for the benefit of our non-Muslims friends, who are free to ask the questions they wish. With these words, I now request Dr. Zakir Naik to please deliver his speech, on Islam and Universal brotherhood.
(Dr. Zakir) Auz Billahi Minash Shaitan Ir Rajim, Bismillahi Ar Rahman Ar Raheem…. (Arabic)… 49:13) (Arabic)… 20:25-27) Honorable Mr. Justice Laxmanan, Nawab Mohammed Ali, brother Fayyaz, my respected elders, and my dear brothers and sisters, I welcome you all with the greeting of peace… Islamic greetings: Assalam Alaikum, Wa Rahmatullahi, Wa Barakatuhu… May Peace, Blessings, and Mercy of Almighty Allah, be on all of you. The topic of this evening is - Focus On Islam. ‘Islam’ comes from the root word ‘Salam’, which means peace. Islam also means… Submitting your will, to Almighty God. Any one who submits his or her will, to Almighty God, is called Muslims. Many people have a misconception that Islam is a new Religion, which was founded by Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him). In fact, Islam is there, for time immemorial -since man first put foot on earth. Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), is not the founder of the Religion of Islam. In fact, Qur’an says in Surah Fatir, Ch. 35, Verse 24... (Arabic)... ‘There is not a nation or a tribe…there has never been a nation or a people, to whom a warner has not been sent’. The Qur’an says in Surah Raad, Ch.13, Verse 7 ... ‘And to every nation and to every people have we sent a guide’. That means, there were messengers and guides, send to all the nations of the world. But by name, only 25 Prophets of Almighty God are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an by name. For example Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, David, Solomon, Jesus, Muhammed (Peace be upon him). By name, only 25 Messengers are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. But our beloved Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), is mentioned in the Hadith, has said that… ' There were more than 1,24,000 Messengers sent on the face of the earth.' By name, only 25 are mentioned in the Qur’an. But all the messengers that came before Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) -they were only sent for their people, and their message was only meant for a particular time period. The messengers that came were sent for their own people, and their message was meant for a particular time period. But Holy Qur’an says in Surah Ahzab, Ch. 33, Verse 40... (Arabic)... ‘Muhammed is not the father of any of your men, but he is the messenger of Allah (SWT). He is the messenger of Almighty God, and the seal of the Prophets - and Allah is all knowing and full of knowledge’. Holy Qur’an says... ‘Muhammed (Peace be upon him) is last and final messenger, sent on the face of the earth, and Muhammed (Peace be upon him) was not sent, only for the Muslims or the Arabs’. But the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Ambiya, Ch. 21,Verse 107...(Arabic)... ‘That We have sent thee… that is, Prophet Muhammed, as a mercy to all the creatures’ -As a mercy to all the world, as a mercy to the whole of humanity. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Saba, Ch. 34, Verse 28...(Arabic)... ‘That We have sent thee…that is, Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), as a universal Messenger giving them glad tidings, and warning them against sin. But most of the human kind do not know Muhammed (Peace be upon him) were only sent for their people, and their message was only meant for a particular time period. The messengers that came were sent for their own people -their message was meant for a particular time period. But the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Ahzaab, Ch. 33, Verse 40... (Arabic)… Muslims or the Arabs. But the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Ambiya, Ch. 21, Verse 107... (Arabic)... ‘That We have sent thee Muhammed (Peace be upon him) as a mercy to all the creatures, as a mercy to all the world, as a mercy to the whole of humanity’. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Sabah, Ch. 34, Verse 28... (Arabic)... ‘That we have sent thee…that is Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), as a universal messenger, giving glad tidings and warning them against sin -But most of the human kind yet do not know. So, Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) was not only sent for the Muslims or the Arabs, but was sent for the whole of humanity’. Many Non-Muslims they give another name for Islam - which they think is synonymous, and they say the word… Muhammedanism, for Islam, and they call the Muslims as Muhammedans. Islam and Muhammedanism… is not the same. The Religion of Islam, cannot be as Muhammedanism…because, it was not a Religion, that was brought by Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) - As I said it was there since time immemorial. The first Prophet, was Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him) -Muhammed (Peace be upon him) was not the first Prophet, but he was the last Prophet. And the word Muhammedan means, a person who worships Muhammed (Peace be upon him). We Muslims, we respect him -but there is not a single Muslims, who worships Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) - It is not allowed in Islam. So the word Muhammedan, is a misnomer. The right word for the Religion, is Islam…and the people, who follow the Religion of Islam, is one called as Muslims. Muslims means, a person who submits his will, to Almighty God -We worship Almighty God, and no one else. There were several Revelations sent on the face of the earth to various nations and people - By name, only 4 are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an…the Torah, the Zaboor, the Injeel and the Furqan. Furqan, is the Holy Qur’an. The Torah is the Waheeh…the Revelation, which was given to Prophet Moses (Peace be upon him). The Zaboor is the Waheeh…the Revelation, which was given to Prophet David (Peace be upon him). The Injeel is the Waheeh…the Revelation, which was given to Prophet Jesus (Peace be upon him). And Furqan …that is Qur’an, is the last and the final Revelation, which was revealed to Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), who was the last and final Messenger to the whole of human kind. By name, only 4 are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. However, the Qur’an says that... ' There were several Revelations sent down, on the face of the earth.' - For example, Sauf-e-Ebrahim. Several…By name, only 4 are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. All the Revelations that came before the Holy Qur’an, they were only meant for a particular group of people, and the message was supposed to be followed only for a particular time period. But the Holy Qur’an, it is mentioned in… it is in Surah Ibrahim, Ch. 14, Verse 52,' There is a message for the whole of humankind.' Let them take warning there from, and let them know that there is only one God, and let the man of understanding take heed . The Qur’an says in Surah Baqarah, Ch. 2, Verse 185... ‘Ramadhan was the month in which the Qur’an was revealed, as a guidance to the whole of human kind, as a criteria to judge right from wrong’. The Qur’an says in Surah Zumur, Ch. 39, Verse 41... ‘We have revealed to thee this book, that is, Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), to instruct the human kind’. The Holy Qur’an does not say, to instruct only the Muslims or the Arabs, but the Qur’an says...' It was revealed for the whole of human kind. This is the last and final Revelation, of Almighty God.' But there are many people who may not agree, that the Holy Qur’an is the Revelation, from the God Almighty. The Qur’an says in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse 82... (Arabic)... ‘Do they not consider the Qur’an with care. Had it been from any other besides Allah (SWT)... Had it been from any other besides Almighty God, there would surely have been contradictions in it.' And I have given a talk in Bombay, ‘Is the Qur’an the Word of God’. And it is available for sale outside…where I have proved to Muslims andNon-Muslims alike, that the Holy Qur’an is the Word of Almighty God. Even to an Atheist, I have proved it, scientifically. But since an Atheist does not believe in God Almighty, how will he agree that Qur’an is the Word of God Almighty? If he does not believe in God, where does the question arise, whether he believes that Qur’an is the Word of God. Normally when an Atheist comes and tells me, that I do not believe in Almighty God, the first thing I do is, I congratulate him. I congratulate the Atheist…you know why? -Because he is not thinking, like the other people. The Christians…most of the Christians, are Christians, because their parents are Christians - he is a Muslims because his father is a Muslims, he is a Hindu because his father is a Hindu. They are just following blindly, the Religion of their fathers -this Atheist is thinking. What he thinks…'That see - what is the concept of the God, told by my father, is not right.' So he does not believe God Almighty. I congratulate him, because he said the first part of Islamic creed…the first part of the Islamic Shahada…‘La ilaha’ -That, there is no god. He has agreed with the first part of the Islamic creed, which says... ‘La ilaha’ - That, there is no god. Now my job, is to convince him on the other part, ‘Ill Allaah’ - but Allah. Islamic creed is ‘Lailaha-Ill Allaah - Muhammed-ur-Rasull Allah’. That… 'There is no god, but Allah and Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) is the messenger of Allah(SWT). And since the Athiest has said the first part, I congratulate him. Now it is my job, to convince him about the second part…about Almighty God - which I shall do InshaAllah. When you ask a person who does not believe in God Almighty, that if an object…a machine is brought in front of him, which no human being in the world have ever seen…an unidentified machine, which no one in the world has seen before, is brought in front of him. And if he is asked that…'Who is the first person, who will be able to tell the mechanism, of that machine? What is the answer, that Atheist will give. Some Atheists will say that… ' The first person, who will be able to tell you the mechanism of the unidentified machine, which no one in this world has seen…is the Creator, some may say Manufacturer, some may say Producer, some may say Maker -whatever they say, keep it in mind…it will be somewhat similar. The first person who will be able to tell you the mechanism of this machine, which no one in this world has seen, is the Creator or the Maker or Manufacturer or Producer… it will be somewhat similar. If you ask the question to an Atheist, who believes that science is ultimate, that…' How did our world came into existence? He will tell you that…' According to the Big Bang Theory, first the whole universe was primary nebula. Later on there was a secondary separation, which gave rise to galaxies, the planets, the sun, the moon, and the earth that we live in. In a nut shell, the theory is called as the Big bang theory. The same message is given in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Al-Ambiya, which says that ... (Arabic)...Do not the unbelievers see, that the heavens and the earth were joined together, and We clove them as under’. So when you ask the Atheist, that…' Who could have written this Big bang theory, which we have discovered yesterday - in the Holy Qur’an 1400 years ago?' He may say…' It is a guess'. Can be possible that someone guessed, or some intelligent man has wrote it. No problem. Today science tells us that…' The Universe… initially the celestial matter was in the form of gas.' The Qur’an says in Surah Fussilat, Ch. 41, Verse 11, that... ‘Allah (SWT) had turned to the heavens, when it was smoke, and He said to it, and the earth… Come together, willingly or unwillingly, and they came together in willing obedience’. So Qur’an says...' First the celestial matter was in the form of Dukhan. The Arabic word Dukhan means, smoke… which science today tells us that smoke is the more appropriate word then so as who could have mentioned that initially the celestial matter was in the form of smoke. The Atheist will say… 'Okay, someone has guessed it'. No problem. Previously, we thought the world we live in, it was flat -and people were afraid to venture too far, lest they would fall over. You ask the Atheist, that…' What is the shape of the earth.' So he will tell you…' The shape of the earth is spherical.' If you ask him when did you come to know about this? He will tell you just 50 years back… 100 years back… means, yesterday in science. 50 years means, yesterday in science. Who was the first person? If he has good knowledge about science he will tell you that…'The first person who discovered, that the world spherical, was Sir Francis Dave, in 1597… when he sailed around the earth, and he proved that it was spherical.' The Qur’an says in Surah Luqman, Ch. 31, Verse 29, and in Surah Al-Zumur, Ch. 39, Verse 5, that…' Allah merges the nights into the day, and merges the days into the night’. Allah overlaps the days into the night, and overlaps the night into the day. This overlapping and merging, which is a gradual slow process, of day changing to night and night changing to day is only possible if the shape of the earth is spherical. It is not possible if it is flat, otherwise there would have been a sudden change. So Qur’an speaks about the spherical nature of the earth, 1,400 years ago. Qur’an further says in Surah Naziat, Ch. 79, Verse 30... (Arabic)... ‘And thereafter We have made the earth, egg shaped’.
The Arabic word dahaha, also means expand -and it comes from the root word dohea, which means egg. It does not refer to a normal egg -It refers to the egg of an Ostrich and if analyse the shape of the earth… it is not round like a ball -it is flattened from the top, and bulging from the centre. Similar to the egg of an Ostrich, which is too flattened from the top, and bulging from the centre. It is geo spherical in shape. So if you ask the Atheist, that…' Who could have mentioned, that the earth is geo spherical… 1400 years ago -which we discovered just 300 or 400 years ago? The person will say that…' May be your Prophet… he was an intelligent man -he wrote it. Do not argue - Continue. Previously we thought that the light of the moon, was its own light. It is recently discovered that the light of the moon, is reflected light. Qur’an says in Surah Furqan, Ch. 25, Verse 61, that... ‘Blessedth is He, who has made the constellation in the sky, and therein placed a lamp, a sun having a light of its own, and a moon having borrowed light. So the Qur’an says that... ‘The light of the sun, is its own light - but the moonlight, the light of the moon, is not its own light’. The light of the moon is described as muneer, or noor, which means, borrowed light or reflection of light. The sunlight is described as siraj, or wahaj, or duja, which means the light of its own, meaning a torch, or a glowing lamp. Always moonlight is described as muneer, or noor. Imagine, we discovered it just yesterday in science, 50 years back…100 years back, and the Qur’an mentions this 1400 years ago. When I was in school I had learnt, that the sun was stationary… it did not rotate about its own axis -whereas the moon and the earth, they rotate about their own axis. But there is a verse in Holy Qur’an, in Surah Al-Ambiya, Ch. 21, Verse 33… (Arabic)…‘It is Allah who has created the night and the day, the sun and the moon, each one travelling in the orbit, with its own motion’. So Qur’an says... ‘The sun and the moon, besides revolving, they also rotate about their own axis’. While later on, we come to know recently after I passed school, that science has discovered that the sun rotates about its own axis -which was mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, 1,400 years ago. Who could have mentioned it? Now he will hesitate to say… 'It is a fluke, or it is just by chance.' The Qur’an speaks about the water cycle. The person to describe the coherent water cycle, was Sir Bernard Plassey, in 1580. Qur’an describes the details of water cycle in Surah Al-Zumur, Ch. 39, Verse 21; in Surah Rum, Ch. 30, Verse 24; in Surah Mominun, Ch. 23, Verse 18… Holy Qur’an, in Surah Hijr, Ch. 15, Verse 22. In several places, the Qur’an describes the water cycle in great detail. How does the water evaporate? How does it form in to the clouds? How does the clouds move into the interior, and how does it fall down as rains? And goes back into the ocean? The water cycle has been described in great detail, in the Holy Qur’an -which was just discovered yesterday. Previously we did know that there were two types of water… salty and sweet water. The Holy Qur’an tells us in Surah Furqan, Ch. 25, Verse 53, that... ‘It is Allah, who has created two bodies of flowing water, one sweet and palpable… the other sweet and bitter. Between them is the barrier, which is forbidden to be trespassed.' The same message is repeated in Surah Rehman, Ch. 55, Verse 19 and 20, that …(Arabic)... ‘It is Allah who has led flow two bodies of flowing water, and between them is a barrier, which is forbidden to be trespassed’. Today science tells us that... ‘The sweet and salt water, though they meet, they do not mix’. There is a slanting barrier between them, which the Qur’an describes 1,400 years ago. Then you ask the Atheist…' Who could have mentioned this? He will hesitate to say, that it is a fluke. The Qur’an speaks about Biology. It says in Surah Al-Ambiya, Ch. 21, Verse 30, that ...(Arabic).... ‘We have created every living thing from water’. Will you not imagine… in the deserts of Arabia, where there is scarcity of water, the Qur’an says... ‘Every living thing is made from water’. Who would have believed in this fairy tale? Where there was scarcity of water, the Qur’an says... ‘every living thing is made from water’. Today we have come to know, that the basic unit of cell… the cytoplasm, it consists of 80% water. Every living creature contain 50 to 90% water. Qur’an says that... ‘The plants were created in males and females, in sexes’…which we discovered today. Qur’an speaks about Zoology…about the lifestyles of the birds, lifestyle of the ants, of the spider, of the bees…which we discovered today. Qur’an speaks about medicine in the honey -there is a healing, which we discovered today. Qur’an speaks about Embryology, the various stages of embryological development of the human being, which we discovered today. Qur’an speaks about genetics. If you ask the Atheist, that…' Who could have mentioned all this?… he cannot say…' It is by chance'… because there is a theory, known as theory of Probability. The chances of it being a guess work, it becomes less… the moment you give more correct answers - Theory of Probability. So surely, the only answer that is remaining, is the first answer. He gave… Who can tell the mechanism of the universe?… is ‘The Creator’, is the Manufacturer, is the Producer, is the Maker. You can call him by any name, but there is a Creator, which we call as Allah (SWT), or Almighty God. How to prove that Qur’an is the revelation of Allah (SWT)? How to prove scientifically the existence of Allah (SWT). You can refer to my Video cassette ‘Qur’an and Modern Science - Conflict or Conciliation?’, where I have spoken in detail. Our beloved Muhammed(Peace be upon him) said -It is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Vol. 1, Hadith No.2, that... ‘Islam is based on five principals, five pillars. The first is the Tawheed: ‘La ilaha Ill Allah, Muhammed ur Rasulullah’ -that… There is no god but Allah, and Prophet Muhammed(Peace be upon him) is the messenger. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al-Baqarah, Ch. 2, Verse 177... ‘It is not righteous that you turn your face to the east or west, but it is righteousness that you believe in Allah (Almighty God), you believe in the hereafter, you believe in the angels, you believe in the messengers, and you believe in the Books’. The best definition that a Muslims can give you of Almighty God… Allah (SWT), is in the Holy Qur’an Surah Ikhlas, Ch. 112, Verse 1 to 4, which says... (Arabic)... ‘Say: Allah, He is one and only’...(Arabic)... ‘Allah, the absolute and eternal’...(Arabic)... ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’...(Arabic)... ‘And there is nothing like Him’. This is a four line definition of Allah (SWT)… of Almighty God. What we Muslims say…. 'If any person, any entity who claims him to be Almighty God, if he fits in this four line definition of God, then we Muslims have no objection in accepting that candidate, as Almighty God. But the Holy Qur’an also says in Surah Isra, Ch. 17, Verse 110, it says... (Arabic)... ‘Say, call upon Him, by Allah or by Rahman, by whichever name you call upon Him, to Him belongs the most beautiful names’. That means you can call Allah (SWT)… Almighty God by any name, but it should be a beautiful name. It should not conjure up a mental picture, and the Qur’an gives not less than 99 different attributes to Almighty God…. Ar Rahim, Ar Rahman, Al Jabbar, Al Kahar, Al Kuddus, no less than 99 attributes to Almighty God. He is Merciful, He is Beneficient and, etc. But the crowning one is, The Allah. Now, why we Muslims prefer calling Almighty God by the Arabic word Allah, instead of the English word God... the reason we Muslims prefer calling Allah (SWT) by the Arabic word Allah, because the English word God -it can be played around with. You can play mischief with the English word God. For example, if you add an ‘s’ to the God, it becomes Gods. In Islam, there is nothing like Allahs, there is no plural of Allah. Ch 112, Verse 1...(Arabic)... ‘Say He is Allah, one and only’. If you add ‘dess’ to god, it becomes goddess… meaning a female god. In Islam, there is nothing like male Allah, or female Allah. Allah (SWT) has got no gender. He is unique. If you add father to god, it becomes godfather -that he is my godfather, he is my guardian. There is nothing like Allah-father, or Allah-abba, in Islam. Allah, is a unique word. If you add a mother, to Allah… to God, it becomes godmother. There is nothing like Allah- ammi, or Allah-mother, in Islam. If you prefix a tin before God, it becomes tin-god… meaning fake. There is nothing like tin Allah, in Islam. We Muslims prefer calling Allah (SWT), by the Arabic word Allah… than by the English word God. Otherwise Qur’an says... ‘You call Him by any name besides’ Surah Isra, Ch. 17, Verse 110. It is also mentioned in Surah Araf, Ch. 7, Verse 180, in Surah Taha, Ch. 20, Verse 20, and Surah Al-Hashr, Ch. 59, Verse 24, that... ‘You can call Allah, by any name but to Him belongs the most beautiful name’. It should be a beautiful name. It should not conjure up a mental picture, and the Holy Qur’an further says in Surah Anam, Ch. 6, Verse 108, that... ‘Revile not those who worship God besides Allah’, that means… Abuse not these who worship gods besides Allah, lest in their ignorance, they will revile they will abuse Allah (SWT). So a Muslims is prohibited from abusing those people who worship gods besides Allah, lest in their ignorance they will abuse Allah (SWT). The second pillar of Islam, is Salaah. Many people translate the word Salaah, as ‘prayer’. To pray, is to ask for help… to beseech -how a person beseeches in the court of law, to ask for help. Prayer does not denote the complete meaning of the Arabic word, Salaah, because in Salaah… besides asking for help, we also praise Allah (SWT), we also get guidance in the Salaah, so therefore the English word prayer, does not denote the complete meaning of the Arabic word Salaah. The more appropriate meaning that I say, I verily prefer calling it as programming, because we Muslims… we are programmed in our Salaah. We are programmed in what is wrong, and what is right -do the good things, do not do the bad things, do not rob, do not cheat, do the good things, love your neighbour, etc, etc. We are being programmed. Out if someone tells…' Where am I going'… and if I say….' I am going for programming, I am going for brain washing'… it may sound odd. So if someone uses the word prayer, for Salaah… I have no objection, though it does not denote the Arabic word, Salaah. But if someone says… 'Where are you going? 'And instead of saying…' For prayers' -I am going for programming, I am going for brain washing, it might sound a bit odd. So if any one uses the word prayer, for Salaah… I have got no objection. We Muslims are supposed to pray 5 times a day -in the morning before sunrise, it is the Fajr Salaah -the Zohar Salaah, after the sun reaches highest, that is early in the afternoon -the Asr Salaah, late in the afternoon… that is before the sunsets -the Maghrib Salaah, after the sun sets immediately, and the Isha Salaah, that is late in the evening or the early in the night. We have to pray minimum 5 times a day. How… for a healthy body, the doctor will tell you -You should have three meals a day. Similarly for a spiritual soul, you should offer Salaah, 5 times a day, minimum. And whenever we offer Salaah, when we enter the Mosque, we remove our footwear -this was the commandment given to prophet Moses (Peace be upon him). It is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Taha, Ch. 20, Verse 11 and 12, that…'' When he approached the fire he heard a voice... ‘Oh! Moses verily I am your Lord ; take off thy shoes for thou art in the sacred valley of Dua’. This was the commandment given to Moses(Peace be upon him) which we Muslims follow -We take off our footwear when we offer Salaah. Besides that, we are hygienic people, who want to see our place of worship is clean. And since we do prostration, we do not want to prostate in mud, dirt and filth which comes along with the footwear -We are hygienic people. Before offering Salaah, the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Maidah, Ch. 5, Verse 5...(Arabic)... ‘O ye believe, when you prepare yourself for Salaah, when you prepare yourself for prayers, wash your face, and your hands, and arms, up to the elbow -rub your head with water, wash your feet upto the ankle’. It is the ablution -In Arabic, it is called as wudhu. It is compulsory that before we offer Salaah, we should do ablution, we should wash ourselves. Because we are hygienic people, we want to be clean before we appear in front of the Lord. And besides that, it is also a mental preparation -that mentally we are being prepared, that now we are going to appear in front of Allah (SWT), in front of Almighty Lord. Our believed Prophet said -it is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari, Vol. No. 1, in the Book of Adhan, Ch. No. 75, Hadith No. 692. Our prophet said... ‘When you stand for Salaah, stand shoulder to shoulder’. In another Hadith, it says that... ‘When you stand for Salaah, stand shoulder to shoulder, so that the devil does not come in between you’. Our prophet was not talking about the devil which you see in the Onida T.V. add. You Know the Onida T.V. add it has the devil with two horn and a tail. Our Prophet was not talking about the devil which you see in the Onida T.V. add or in the comic strip with two horns and a tail. He was referring to the devil of rascism, devil of casteism, devil of colour, of wealth mean irrespective of whether you are rich or poor, whether you are black or white, whether you are from America or from China or from India or from Pakistan, whether you are from a noble family, or you are not from a noble family. When you offer Salaah, stand shoulder to shoulder, so that it shows the best Universal brotherhood, five times a day. Five times a day when we offer Salaah, irrespective from which ever part he is coming, whether he is rich or poor, whether he is black or white, when they stand for Salaah, we Muslims, we stand shoulder to shoulder. Universal brotherhood… the best example, practical example …so that the devil of racsism, the devil of colour, the devil of cast, the devil of wealth does not come in between the brothers. And the best part of the Salaah, is the sujud… is the prostration. The Arabic word sujud, is mentioned in the Qur’an, no less than 92 different times. And the Psychologists, they tell us, that the mind is not directly under our control. The body, it is directly under our control but our mind, keeps on wandering. It is not directly under our control… It keeps on wandering -the body is under our control. So to humble the mind, you have to humble your body -And which is the better way, than the way we Muslims do. We put the highest part of the body… that is the forehead, to the lowest part of the ground, and then say…' Glory be to Allah (SWT), Who is the most greatest, glory be to Allah, Who is the most highest. And if you analyse, that when we offer Salaah there various benefits of the Salaah (i.e. prayers). Normally, throughout the day, there are electrostatic charges given out from the brain. When we do sujud, these charges get grounded -there is grounding of the frontal lobe, there is grounding of these charges. How, we have a three pin plug and a two pin plug... Three pin plug grounds. That does not mean, that if you put your hand below the head you will find, you will get a shock. It is not that grounding as the electric grounding, but it is dominance of the frontal lobe. Normally when you live, you always stand erect -blood is being pumped by the heart to the brain, but it is not sufficient for a very healthy brain. So when you do sujud, extra blood flows from the heart to the brain, due to gravity. This extra flow of blood, is a requirement for a very healthy brain. So when we do sujud, extra blood flows in to the brain, which is very good for a healthy brain. When we do sujud, there is extra blood supply to the skin of the face, which prevents ‘Chill bane’. When we do sujud, the secretion of the synuses… the ‘Aismodal’ synus, Magniotal synus, they get drained- there are less chances of a person suffering from Synusitis. Normally when you breath, only 2/3rd of your lungs capacity is utilised. The remaining 1/3rd is known as residual air. But when we do the sujud, and when your breath in the sujud, the abdominal vicra, it presses against the diaphram. The diaphram presses against the lower part of the lungs, and even the residual air… the 1/3rd air is exhaled out, so more fresh air enters in to the lungs, in which there are less chances of that person suffering from lung diseases. When we do sujud, there is drainage of secretion of the Brocheal tree, in which there are less chances of a person suffering from Bronchitis. When we so sujud, there is increased vynus return, to the Abdominal vicra… when we do sujud there is less chances of having Hamroid. There are several benefits. When you do kayaam, ruku, sujud… when you stand up, and when you get up from the sitting position, the calf muscles are being activated. The calf muscles are referred to as peripheral heart, because they supply blood to the lower part of the body. So when you do kayaam, ruku, sujud… when you stand up, sit up, prostate, get up… the calf muscles are activated, and it increases the blood supply to the lower part of the body when you stand up bow down and prostrate the vertebrae is being exercised you have less chances of having disease of vertebrae. There are several medical benefits only of salah -You can give a talk only on that. But we Muslims, we do not offer salah, for these medical benefits -these are only side dishes. We offer salah, to praise Allah (SWT) to thank…Allah (SWT). That is our main dish…that is a biryani. The medical benefits are side dishes -we do not pray for these medical benefits. It may attract a person, who does not believe in Islam -that okay, you get medical benefits… he may come closer to salah. But we Muslims offer salah, to thank Allah (SWT)… to praise Him -That is our main biryani. This is the additional benefit that Allah (SWT) gives us. The third pillar is Zakah. The Arabic words Zakah, means purification… it means growth. In Islam every rich person who has a saving of more than the nesaab level, more than the minimum wealth, that is seven and a half tola of gold. He should give 2.5% of that saving every lunar year, in charity -and the criteria to do the charity is given in Surah Tauba Ch. 9, Verse 60, which says... ‘It can be given to the fukra, to the poor people, to the masakeen who are needy, whose heart is bent towards Islam, to those who are in debt, those in freeing of slave, a way farer who gets scanted in a foreign land, and those who spend in the way of Allah(SWT)’. These are 8 categories given in Surah Tauba, Ch.9,V 60, to whom this Zakat can be given. It is compulsory for every rich Muslim, who has saving of more than the nisaab level, he should give 2.5% of that saving, every lunar year, in charity. I ask a question, that if every human being in the world gives Zakat, gives 2.5 % of his excess wealth in charity… poverty will be eradicated form this world. There will not be a single human being who will die of hunger. That is why the Holy Qur’an says, in Surah Hashr, in Ch. 59, Verse 7, that... ‘It prevents the wealth from circulating among the rich -is that, that the rich will not become more richer’. It prevents the wealth from circulating amongst the rich. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Taubah, Ch. 9 Verse 34, that... ‘Those who bury gold and silver, and spend it not in the way of Allah (SWT), do not give charity, announce to them a grievous penalty. That on the day of Judgement, heat will be produced from this wealth, from fire of hell, and they will be branded on their fore heads, on their flanks, and on their back. And it will be told to them, that you hoarded the wealth- now have a taste of your wealth’. Hoarding of wealth, is prohibited in the Holy Qur’an -You cannot hoard wealth. The fourth pillar is Hajj. Every Adult Muslim who has the means to perform Hajj, that is pilgrimage to the Holy city of Makkah, should at least do it once in his life time. And I say that the Hajj is the best practical example in the world, of Universal brotherhood -There is not a better example. In Hajj, there are 2.5 million Muslims who gather in Mecca. In Mina, in Arafat… the holy land, 2.5 million Muslims from various part of the world, from America, England, Japan, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore and various part of the world. And the men, they dress up in two pieces of unsewen cloth preferably white -so that the person standing next to you, when he is performing the pilgrimage, you cannot make out whether the person standing in front of you is a king or a popper. You cannot come to know, whether he is rich or poor. All of the Muslims from various parts of the world …they collect -It is the biggest annual gathering of the world. 2.5 million Muslims, 25 lakhs Muslims, they gather there and they perform their pilgrimage, and they are dressed in the same simple unsewen pieces of cloth -Best example of Universal brotherhood. I started my talk by quoting a Verse from the Holy Qur’an, Surah Hujurah, Ch.49, Verse 13, which says... (Arabic)... ‘O human kind, We have created you from a single pair of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye shall recognize one another, and not that you shall despise one another’. And the most honoured in the sight of Allah (SWT) is the one who has taqwaa, who has righteousness, who has God-consciousness, who has piety. The Holy Qur’an says that... ‘The whole of the human kind, has been created from a single pair of a male and a female’. And God Almighty has divided them into nations and tribes, so that they shall recognise each other not that they shall despise each other -That I am superior to you… or you are superior to me. And the Prophet said that... ‘No Arab is superior to a Non-Arab, neither a Non-Arab superior to an Arab, neither a White superior to a Black, nor a Black superior to a White’. The Qur’an says -the only criteria for judgement in Surah Hujrat, Ch. 49, Verse 13... ‘The only criteria for judgement in the sight of Allah (SWT) is not sex, it is not caste, it is not colour, it is not wealth, it is not age, it is taqwaa, it is God-consciousness, it is peity, it is righteousness, it is by God-consciousness… not by wealth, colour or nobility’. These are the guidance given by the Holy Qur’an, for Universal brotherhood. The fifth pillar in Ramadhan, is saum. That every adult Muslims should fast, should abstain from having food and drink, from sunrise to sunset, in the complete lunar month of Ramadhan. The Holy Qur'an says in Surah Al-Baqarah, Ch. 2, Verse 183, that... ‘Ramadhan has been prescribed to you, as it was prescribed earlier, to the people who came early before you, so that you may learn self restrain’. The reason for fasting has been described in the Holy Qur’an, for self restraint. And the Psychologists, they tell us today, that if you can control your hunger, you can control almost all your desires. That is what Qur’an says, that... ‘Ramadan has been prescribed to you, so that you may learn self restrain, you may control your desire. If you can control your hunger, you can control almost all your desires. And there are various benefits, that if a person can abstain from having alcohol, from sunrise to sunset, he can very well abstain from having alcohol, from the cradle to the grave. If he can abstain from smoking from sunrise to sunset, he can very well abstain from smoking, from the cradle to the grave. It gives an opportunity to improve yourself. I call it the over hauling -like how your machine requires servicing…like you service your car every three months, every four months… your motor cycle every five month, etc. If you allow me to call the human being a machine, I would say… It is the most complicated machine on the face of the earth. Ramadhan is a servicing of the human body -one lunar month, every lunar year… servicing. There are several medical benefits even of the Salaah. I would not like to go in to detail. But it also improve, increases the intestinal absorption when you fast, it increases your intestinal absorption. These were in a nutshell the five pillars of Islam. If you remember the Prophet said these are the pillars of Islam, these are the principles of Islam. This does not constitute the complete Islam. Many people have a misunderstanding that if they do these 5 things they become very good Muslims. These are only the 5 pillars, and any engineer will tell you, that if the pillar is strong, then hopefully the structure will be strong. If the foundation is strong, then the structure will be strong, so if we follow these 5 pillars correctly, then InshaAllah the structure will be correct. And the other structure, the do’s and dont’s are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. How a person should lead his life, is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Dhariyat, Ch. 51, Verse 56...(Arabic)... ‘That We have created the jinn and the men, not but to worship Me’. That means, God Almighty created the jinn and the men, only to worship Him. What is the meaning of the Arabic word Ibadah? It comes from the root word ‘Abd’ which means, following His commandment. Many people have a misconception that Salaah… prayer is the only form of Ibadah. Salaah is one of the high forms of Ibadah -But it is the not the only form of Ibadah. Whatever commandments of Allah (SWT) -if you are following them you are doing Ibadah. If you abstain from prohibited food like Alcohol, Qur’an says in Surah Al-Maidah, Ch. 5, Verse 90, that... ‘Alcohol is prohibited’. You are doing Ibadah of Allah (SWT) Almighty God, if you are honest in your business, you are doing Ibadah… you are doing worship of Allah(SWT). If you love your neighbours, as the Qur’an says in Surah Al-Maun, Ch. 107, Verse 127... ‘Provide neighbourly needs', you are doing Ibadah of Allah (SWT). If you abstain from back biting, speaking ill about people behind their back, you are doing worship of Allah (SWT). Qur’an says in Surah Al-Humuza, Ch. 104...(Arabic)... ‘Woe to every kind of scandal, monger and backbiter. Qur’an says in Surah Hujurat, Ch. 49, Verse 11 to 12, that... ‘Do not defame others, do not be sarcastic, do not call others by nickname, avoid suspicion for suspicion in many cases is a crime. Do not speak ill about others behind their back, are you ready to eat the dead meat of your brother, means if you backbite, if you speak ill about any body else it is as though your are eating the dead meat of your brother.' What does it mean? -Eating dead meat had been prohibited in the Holy Qur’an. Eating dead meat of your brother, is double crime. Even the animals that eat human being, they do not the dead meat of their own brother. So the Qur’an says... ‘If you backbite, if you speak ill about other people behind their back, it is a double crime. First speaking ill about any one without proof is a crime… speaking ill about any one without proof, behind their back is double crime, because he cannot support himself. Eating dead meat is a crime, eating dead meat of your brother is a double crime. The Qur’an says that... ‘If you backbite… are you ready to eat the dead meat of your brother’? And Allah gives the reply… "Nay, you will abhor it?' So if you abstain from backbiting, you are doing worship of Allah (SWT)… you are doing Ibadah. Qur’an says in Surah Isra, Ch. 17, Verse 23 to 24, that... ‘I have ordained for you that you should worship none but Me, and that you should be kind to your parents’. After worshipping Allah (SWT) -Allah says... ‘We should be kind to our parents. And if any one of them, or both of them reach their old age, do not say a word of contempt -do not even say uff to your parents. But lower to them your wings of humility, and address them with honour, and pray to Almighty God, that… Bless them, as they cherished me in childhood’. You have to love and respect your parents... If you love and respect your parents, you are doing worship of Allah (SWT). Monasticism, celibacy is prohibited in Islam. Our beloved Prophet said in Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Ch. 3, in the Book of Nikaah, Hadith No. 4... ‘Oh young people whoever has the means to get married, should get married. That will help to lower your gaze, and guard your modesty’. The Prophet said... ‘Whoever does not marry, is not of me’. It is compulsory in Islam, to marry. If you are marrying, you are doing worship of Allah (SWT). If you have sex with your wife, and abstain from adultery, you are doing worship of Allah (SWT). Because Qur’an says in Surah Isra, Ch. 17, Verse 32, that... ‘Come not close to adultery, for it is an evil deed, an unjust deed, and an evil opening roads to other evils. It is a shameful deed, an evil opening roads to other evils, so if you have sex with your wife and abstain from adultery, you are doing Ibadah. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Nisa, Ch. 4, Verse 19, that... ‘Treat your wives on a footing of equity and kindness, even if you dislike her’. That even if you dislike your wife. Qur’an says... ‘You should love her and treat her with equity’. If you dress up modestly, that is Ibadah, that is worship of Allah (SWT). In short, any commandments you follow of Allah (SWT), that is worship of Almighty God. If you abstain from those things that Allah has prohibited, you are doing Ibadah, you are doing worship of Allah (SWTsss). Islam has got a dual role -It caters to the body as well as the soul. There is not a single teaching of Islam, which is against humanity. People may think… 'This teaching of Islam is wrong' -due to lack of knowledge. They may have less information either about Islam, or about the statistics of the world. Therefore they may think this teaching of Islam that marrying more than one wife okay it is a wrong teaching. But if you have the correct information, correct knowledge of Islam and the correct statistics of the world, there is not a single teaching of Islam which is against humanity. Every teaching of Islam, is either beneficial to the body or to the soul, of the being. The Holy Qur’an says in Surah Mulk, Ch. 67, Verse 2... ‘Allah has created death and life to test which of you is good is deed’. This life that you are leading, is a test for the Hereafter. It is a test that we are undergoing -If we fail, you go to hell. And the criteria for salvation, was recited by our young Kari, brother Kaamil, in beginning of the talk. He recited Surah Al-Asr, Ch. 103, Verse 1 to 3... (Arabic)... ‘By the token of time, man is verily in a state of loss, except for those who have faith, who have righteous deeds, those who exhort people to the truth… that do dawah and islaah… those who exhort to patience, and perseverance’. These are the minimum 4 criteria for any human being, to go to heaven. He should have faith, he should have righteous deeds, he should exhort people to the truth, and should exhort people to patience and perseverance. Only having for two or three of these criteria, will not transport you to the heaven -you should have all the four criteria, for a human being to enter Jannah. Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al-Baqarah, Ch. 2, Verse 25... (Arabic)... ‘There is no compulsion in Religion’. But many people quote this and stop. The complete verse says... ‘There is no compulsion in Religion, truth stands out clear from error’. You have to present the truth. You cannot force anyone on the point of sword, at the point of the gun -that is not allowed in Islam. You have to present the truth -if he agrees Alhamdolillah, well and fine. If he does not agree, you can not force anyone. Truth stands out clear from error. But we have to present the truth to them. I was asked by the organiser… 'As far as possible to give a short talk, and spend more time for the Question and Answer session -there are many misconceptions of Islam, amongst Non-Muslims… even among the Muslims.' Today, the gathering is specially for the Non-Muslims -so whatever misconceptions they have, however stupid it may sound, however illogical it may sound, however offensive it may sound… No problem, I can take it. You are most welcome to ask any question about Islam… You are welcome to criticize Islam -No problem. I will only ask you… 'Why do you… why do you say that the Qur’an is wrong?' If you know something about the Qur’an, you are most welcome to clarify any doubts -this is your opportunity. Normally we do not have Religious gatherings, after which there is an open Question and Answer session. I normally prefer having a Question and Answer session… whatever doubts are there. Some people may think -Why do Muslims have more than one wife?… Why do not they have pork?… Why are they circumcised?… Why do they have Non-Veg., etc.,etc. Whichever doubts they may have, this is an opportunity to clarify -Believe me, I will not get offended. You are most welcome to ask any question. If you feel that this teaching of Islam is not right, speak it up. You are most welcome to ask any question, clarify any doubts. This is your best opportunity… so that even if you want to criticize, I can take it. I am young, but I can take it -that is my job… it is my field. I would like to end my talk, with the Verse from the Holy Qur’an from Surah Nahl, Ch. 16, Verse 125...(Arabic)... ‘Invite all to the way of thy Lord, with wisdom and beautiful teachings, and argue with them, and reason with them, in ways that are best and most gracious'.

Continue....

Presented By:
Muhammad Danish Mahboob Khan,
Pakistan.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT MUHAMMAD (PEACE BE UPON HIM) THE PROPHET OF ISLAM
A lecture by Ahmed Deedat

SAY: "DO YOU SEE? WHETHER THIS MESSAGE BE FROM ALLAH (God Almighty), AND YET YOU REJECT IT, AND A WITNESS FROM AMONG THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL1 BORE WITNESS OF ONE LIKE HIM..." (SURA AHQAF) Holy Qur’ân 46:10.
1. This refers to Moses. See Yusuf Ali's commentaries Nos. 4783/4 to this verse.

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, The subject of this evening's talk* - "What the BIBLE says about MUHAMMAD (Peace be upon him)" - will no doubt come as a surprise to many of you because the speaker is a Muslim. How does it come about that a Muslim happens to be expounding prophecies from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures?
As a young man, about 30 years ago, I attended a series of religious lectures by a Christian theologian, a certain Rev. Hiten, at the "Theatre Royal", Durban in South Africa.
* This is the text of a lecture delivered by the author in the early 1970's.
Pope or Kissinger?
This Reverend gentleman was expounding Biblical prophecies. He went on to prove that the Christian Bible foretold the rise of Soviet Russia, and the Last Days. At one stage he went to the extent of proving that his Holy Book did not leave even the Pope out of its predictions. He expatiated vigorously in order to convince his audience that the "Beast 666" mentioned in the Book of Revelation the last book of the New Testament was the POPE, who was the Vicar of Christ on earth. It is not befitting for us Muslims to enter into this controversy between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. By the way, the latest Christian exposition of the "Beast 666" of the Christian Bible is Dr. Henry Kissinger1. Christian scholars are ingenious and indefatigable in their efforts to prove their case.
Rev. Hiten's lectures led me to ask that if the Bible foretold so many things - not even excluding the "Pope" and "Israel" - then surely it must have something to say about the greatest benefactor of mankind 2, the Holy Prophet Muhammed (may the peace of Allah be upon him).
As a youngster I set out to search for an answer. I met priest after priest, attended lectures, and read everything that I could lay my hands relating to the fields of Bible prophecies. Tonight I am going to narrate to you one of these interviews with a dominee3 of the Dutch Reformed Church.
1. Christian exegesists give progressive numerical values by sixes, to the English alphabet and add up to get the total 666. i.e. A=6,B=12,C=18, D=24 and so on. Progression by 6's because the number of the Beast in the Bible is "666". Try it for Dr.Kissinger.
2. The writer has just delivered another talk in the City Hall, Durban on the 10th December 1975 on the subject "Muhammad the Greatest".
3. "Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of priest, parson and predikant.
Lucky Thirteen
I was invited to the Transvaal1 to deliver a talk on the occasion of Birthday celebration of the Holy Prophet Muhammed. Knowing that in that province of the Republic, the Afrikaans language is widely spoken, even by my own people, I felt that I ought to acquire a smattering of this language so a s to feel a little "at home" with the people. I opened the telephone directory and began phoning the Afrikaans-speaking Churches. I indicated my purpose to the priests that I was interested in having a dialogue with them, but they all refused my request with "Plausible" excuses. No.13 was my lucky number. The thirteenth call brought me pleasure and relief. A dominee Van Heerden agreed to meet me at his home on the Saturday afternoon that I was to leave for Transvaal.
He received me on his verandah with a friendly welcome. He said if I did not mind, he would like his father-in-law from the Free State (a 70 year old man) to join us in the discussion. I did not mind. The three of us settled down in the dominee's library.
1. One of the Provinces of the Republic of South Africa.
Why Nothing?
I posed the question: "What does the Bible say about Muhammed?" Without hesitation he answered, "Nothing!" I asked: "Why nothing? According to your interpretation the Bible have so many things to say about the rise of Soviet Russia and about the Last Days and even about the Pope of the Roman Catholics?" He said, "Yes, but there was nothing about Muhammed!" I asked again, "Why nothing? Surely this man Muhammed who had been responsible for the bringing into being a worldwide community of millions of Believers who, on his authority, believe in:
(1) The miraculous birth of Jesus,
(2) that Jesus is the Messiah, 1
(3) that he gave life to the dead by God's permission, and that he healed those born blind and the lepers by God's permission.
Surely this book (the Bible) must have something to say about this great Leader of men who spoke so well of Jesus and his mother Mary?" (Peace be upon them both).
The old man from the Free State replied. "My son, I have been reading the Bible for the past 50 years, and if there was any mention of him, I would have known it."
1. The word "Messiah" comes from the Arabic and Hebrew word masaha, which means to rub, to massage, to anoint. The religious significance is "the one who is anointed" - priests and kings were anointed in consecration to their offices. Messiah translated Christ does not mean God. Even the heathen Cyrus is called "Christ" in the Bible, (Isaiah 45:1)
Not one by name!
I enquired: "According to you, are there not hundreds of prophecies regarding the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament." The dominee interjected: "Not hundreds, but thousands!" I said, "I am not going to dispute the 'thousand and one' prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the coming of Jesus Christ, because the whole Muslim-world has already accepted him without the testimony of any Biblical prophecy. We Muslims have accepted the de facto Jesus on the authority of Muhummed alone, and there are in the world today no less than 900,000,0001 followers of Muhummed who love, respect and revere this great Messenger of God -Jesus Christ- without having the Christians to convince them by means of their Biblical dialectics. Out of the 'thousands' of prophecies referred to, can you please give me just one single prophecy where Jesus is mentioned by name? The term 'Messiah', translated as 'Christ', is not a name but a title. Is there a single Prophecy where it says that the name of the Messiah will be JESUS, and that his mother's name will be MARY, that his supposed father will be JOSEPH THE CARPENTER; that he will be born in the reign of HEROD THE KING, etc. etc.? No! There are no such details! Then how can you conclude that those 'thousand' Prophecies refer to Jesus (Peace be upon him)?"
1. This was first written in 1976.
What is Prophecy?
The dominee replied: "You see, prophecies are word-pictures of something that is going to happen in the future. When that thing actually comes to pass, we see vividly in these prophecies the fulfillment of what had been predicted in the past." I said: "What you actually do is that you deduce, you reason, you put two and two together." He said: "Yes." I said: "If this is what you have to do with a 'thousand' prophecies to justify your claim with regards to the genuineness of Jesus, why should we not adopt the very same system for Muhummed?"1 The dominee agreed that it was a fair proposition, a reasonable way of dealing with the problem.
I asked him to open up Deuteronomy, chapter 18, verse 18, which he did. I read from memory the verse in Afrikaans, because this was my purpose in having a little practice with the language of the ruling race in South Africa.2
'N PROFEET SAL EK VIR HULLE VERWEK UIT DIE MIDDE VAN HULLE BROERS, SOOS JY IS, EN EK SAL MY WOORDE IN SY MOND LE, EN HY SY SAL AAN HULLE SE ALLE WAT EK HOM BEVEEL. Deut.18: 18.
The English translation reads as follows:-
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him."
(HOLY BIBLE) Deuteronomy 18:18.
1. Muhummed is mentioned by name in the Song of Solomon 5:16. The Hebrew word used there is Muhammuddim. The end letters IM is plural of respect majesty and grandeur. Minus "im" the name would be Muhamud translated as "altogether lovely" in the Authorised Version of the Bible or 'The Praised One' 'the one worthy of Praise' i.e. MUHUMMED! (P.B.U.H)
2. If this booklet is translated into any language, please change the Afrikaans words into the local dialect; and do not try a free hand translation of the Biblical quotation. Obtain a Bible in the language in which translation is being made and transcribe exactly as the words occur in that Bible.
Prophet Like Moses
Having recited the verse in Afrikaans, I apologised for my uncertain pronunciation, The dominee assured me that I was doing fine. I enquired: "To whom does this prophecy refer?" Without the slightest hesitation he answered: "JESUS!" I asked: "Why Jesus?... his name is not mentioned here." The dominee replied: "Since prophecies are word-pictures of something that is going to happen in the future, we find that the wordings of this verse adequately describe him. You see the most important words of this prophecy are 'SOOS JY IS' (like unto thee), - LIKE YOU - like Moses, and Jesus is like Moses. I questioned: "In which way is Jesus like Moses?" The answer was: "In the first place Moses was a JEW and Jesus was also a JEW; secondly, Moses was a PROPHET and Jesus was also a PROPHET - therefore Jesus is like Moses and that is exactly what God had foretold Moses - "SOOS JY IS". "Can you think of any other similarities between Moses and Jesus?" I asked. The dominee said that he could not think of any. I replied: "If these are the only two criteria for discovering a candidate for this prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:18, then in that case the criteria could fit any one of the following Biblical personages after Moses:- Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Malachi, John the Baptist etc., because they were also ALL "Jews" as well as "Prophets". Why should we not apply this prophecy to any one of these prophets, and why only to Jesus? Why should we make fish of one and fowl of another?" The dominee had no reply. I continued: "You see, my conclusions are that Jesus is most unlike Moses, and if I am wrong I would like you to correct me."
Three Unlikes
So saying, I reasoned with him:
"In the FIRST place Jesus is not like Moses, because, according to You - 'JESUS IS A GOD', but Moses is not God. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses!
"SECONDLY, according to You - 'JESUS DIED FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD', but Moses did not have to die for the sins of the world. Is this true?" He again said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!"
"THIRDLY, according to You - 'JESUS WENT TO HELL FOR THREE DAYS', but Moses did not have to go there. Is this true?" He answered meekly: "Y-e-s." I concluded: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses!"
"But dominee," I continued: "these are not hard facts, solid facts, they are mere matters of belief over which the little ones can stumble and fall. Let us discuss something very simple, very easy that if your little ones are called in to hear the discussion, would have no difficulty in following it, shall we?" The dominee was quiet happy at the suggestion.

CHAPTER TWO
Eight Irrefutable Arguments
Father and Mother
(1) "Moses had a father and a mother. Muhummed also had a father and a mother. But Jesus had only a mother, and no human father. Is this true?" He said: "Yes." I said: "DAAROM IS JESUS NIE SOOS MOSES NIE, MAAR MUHUMMED IS SOOS MOSES!" Meaning: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses!" (By now the reader will realise that I was using the Afrikaans language only for practice purposes. I shall discontinue its use in this narration).
Miraculous Birth
(2) "Moses and Muhummed were born in the normal, natural course, i.e. the physical association of man and woman; but Jesus was created by a special miracle. You will recall that we are told in the Gospel of St. Matthew 1:18 ".....BEFORE THEY CAME TOGETHER,(Joseph the Carpenter and Mary) SHE WAS FOUND WITH CHILD BY THE HOLY GHOST." And St. Luke tells us that when the good news of the birth of a holy son was announced to her, Mary reasoned: "...HOW SHALL THIS BE, SEEING I KNOW NOT A MAN? AND THE ANGEL ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HER, THE HOLY GHOST SHALL COME UPON THEE, AND THE POWER OF THE HIGHEST SHALL OVERSHADOW THEE..." (Luke 1:35). The Holy Qur’ân confirms the miraculous birth of Jesus, in nobler and sublimer terms. In answer to her logical question:
" O MY LORD! HOW SHALL I HAVE A SON WHEN NO MAN HATH TOUCHED ME? "
The angel says in reply: "EVEN SO: ALLAH CREATETH WHAT HE WILLETH:
WHEN HE HATH DECREED A PLAN, HE BUT SAITH TO IT "BE,"
AND IT IS " 1 (HOLY QUR'AN, 3:47).
It is not necessary for God to plant a seed in man or animal. He merely wills it and it comes into being. This is the Muslim conception of the of birth of Jesus. (When I compared the Qur’ân and the Biblical versions of the birth of Jesus to the head of the Bible Society in our largest City, and when I enquired: "Which version would you prefer to give your daughter, the QUR'ANIC version or the BIBLICAL version?" The man bowed his head and answered: "The Qur’ânic.") In short, I said to the dominee: "Is it true that Jesus was born miraculously as against the natural birth of Moses and Muhummed?" He replied proudly: "Yes!" I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses. And God says to Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE" (Like You, Like Moses) and Muhummed is like Moses."
1. Please open the Holy Qur’ân 3:42 and 19:16 where the birth of Jesus is spoken about; read it with the commentary, note the high position which Jesus and his mother occupy in Islam.
Marriage Ties
(3) "Moses and Muhummed married and begat children, but Jesus remained a bachelor all his life. Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses, but Muhummed is like Moses."
Jesus Rejected by his People
(4) "Moses and Muhummed were accepted as prophets by their people in their very lifetime. No doubt the Jews gave endless trouble to Moses and they murmured in the wilderness, but as a nation, they acknowledged that Moses was a Messenger of God sent to them. The Arabs too made Muhummed's life impossible. He suffered very badly at their hands. After 13 years of preaching in Mecca, he had to emigrate from the city of his birth. But before his demise, the Arab nation as a whole accepted him as the Messenger of Allah. But according to the Bible: 'He (Jesus) CAME UNTO HIS OWN, BUT HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.' (John 1:11). And even today, after two thousand years, his people- the Jews, as a whole, have rejected him. Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I said: "THEREFORE JESUS IS NOT LIKE MOSES, BUT MUHUMMED IS LIKE MOSES."
"Other-Wordly" Kingdom
(5) "Moses and Muhummed were prophets as well as kings. A prophet means a man who receives Divine Revelation for the Guidance of Man and this Guidance he conveys to God's creatures as received without any addition or deletion. A king is a person who has the power of life and death over his people. It is immaterial whether the person wears a crown or not, or whether he was ever addressed as king or monarch: if the man has the prerogative of inflicting capital punishment - HE IS A KING. Moses possessed such a power. Do you remember the Israelite who was found picking up firewood on Sabbath Day, and Moses had him stoned to death? (Numbers- 15:13). There are other crimes also mentioned in the Bible for which capital punishment was inflicted on the Jews at the behest of Moses. Muhummed too, had the power of life and death over his people.
There are instances in the Bible of persons who were given gift of prophecy only, but they were not in a position to implement their directives. Some of these holy men of God who were helpless in the face of stubborn rejection of their message, were the prophets lot, Jonah, Daniel, Ezra, and John the Baptist. They could only deliver the message, but could not enforce the Law. The Holy Prophet Jesus (Peace p.b.u.h) also belonged to this category. The Christian Gospel clearly confirms this: when Jesus was dragged before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, Charged for sedition, Jesus made a convincing point in his defence to refute the false charge: JESUS ANSWERED, "MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD': IF MY KINGDOM WERE OF THIS WORLD, THEN WOULD MY SERVANTS FIGHT, THAT I SHOULD NOT BE DELIVERED TO THE JEWS; BUT NOW IS MY KINGDOM NOT FROM HENCE" (John 18:36) This convinced Pilate (A Pagan) that though Jesus might not be in full possession of his mental faculty, he did not strike him as being a danger to his rule. Jesus claimed a spiritual Kingdom only; in other words he only claimed to be a Prophet. Is this true?" The dominee answered: "Yes." I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
No New Laws
(6) "Moses and Muhummed brought new laws and new regulations for their people. Moses not only gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, but a very comprehensive ceremonial law for the guidance of his people. Muhummed comes to a people steeped in barbarism and ignorance. They married their step-mothers; they buried their daughters alive; drunkenness, adultery, idolatry, and gambling were the order of the day. Gibbon describe the Arabs before Islam in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", THE HUMAN BRUTE, ALMOST WITHOUT SENSE, IS POORLY DISTINGUISHED FROM THE REST OF THE ANIMAL CREATION.' There was hardly anything to distinguish between the "man" and the "animal" of the time; they were animals in human form.
"From this abject barbarism, Muhummed elevated them, in the words of Thomas Carlysle, "into torch-bearers of light and learning.' 'TO THE ARAB NATION IT WAS AS A BIRTH FROM DARKNESS INTO LIGHT. ARABIA FIRST BECAME ALIVE BY MEANS OF IT. A POOR SHEPHERD PEOPLE, ROAMING UNNOTICED IN ITS DESERTS SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. SEE, THE UNNOTICED BECOMES WORLD NOTABLE, THE SMALL HAS GROWN WORLD-GREAT. WITHIN ONE CENTURY AFTERWARDS ARABIA WAS AT GRANADA ON ONE HAND AND AT DELHI ON THE OTHER. GLANCING IN VALOUR AND SPLENDOUR, AND THE LIGHT OF GENIUS, ARABIA SHINES OVER A GREAT SECTION OF THE WORLD. ..." The fact is that Muhummed gave his people a Law and Order they never had before.
As regards Jesus, when the Jews felt suspicious of him that he might be an impostor with designs to pervert their teachings, Jesus took pains to assure them that he had not come with a new religion - no new laws and no new regulations. I quote his own words: 'THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO DESTROY THE LAW, OR THE PROPHETS: I AM NOT COME TO DESTROY, BUT TO FULFIL. FOR VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, TILL HEAVEN AND EARTH PASS, ONE JOT OR ONE TITLE SHALL IN NO WISE PASS FROM THE LAW, TILL ALL BE FULFILLED.'(Mathew 5:17-18). In other words he had not come with any new laws or regulation he came only to fulfil the old law. This what he gave the Jews to understand- unless he was speaking with the tongue in his cheek trying to bluff the Jews into accepting him as a man of God and by subterfuge trying to ram a new religion down their throats. No! This Messenger of God would never resort to such fo ul means to subvert the Religion of God. He himself fulfilled the laws. He observed the commandments of Moses, and he respected the Sabbath. At no time did a single Jew point a finger at him to say, 'why don't you fast' or 'why don't you wash your hands before you break bread',which charges they always levied against his disciples, but never against Jesus. This is because as a good Jew he honoured the laws of the prophets who preceded him. In short, he had created no new religion and had brought no new law like Moses and Muhummed. Is this true?" I asked the dominee, and he answered: "Yes." I said: "Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
How they Departed
(7) "Both Moses and Muhummed died natural deaths, but according to Christianity, Jesus was violently killed on the cross.1 Is this true?" The dominee said: "Yes." I averred: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
Heavenly Abode
(8) "Moses and Muhummed both lie buried in earth, but according to you, Jesus in heaven. Is this true?" The dominee agreed. I said: "Therefore Jesus is not like Moses but Muhummed is like Moses."
1. For a full exposition of this topic, see "CRUCIFIXION OR CRUCI-FICTION?".

CHAPTER THREE
Further Proofs
Ishmael The First Born
Since the dominee was helplessly agreeing with every point, I said, "Dominee, so far what I have done is to prove only one point out of the whole prophecy- that is proving the phrase 'LIKE UNTO THEE' - 'Like You' - 'Like Moses'. The Prophecy is much more than this single phrase which reads as follows : "I WILL RAISE THEM UP A PROPHET FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN LIKE UNTO THEE......." The emphasis is on the words- "From among their brethren." Moses and his people, the Jews, are here addressed as a racial entity, and as such their 'brethren' would undoubtedly be the Arabs. You see, the Holy Bible speaks of Abraham as the "Friend of God". Abraham had two wives - Sarah and Hagar. Hagar bore Abraham a son - HIS FIRST-BORN- '......And Abraham1 called HIS SON'S name, which Hagar bare Ishmael.' (Genesis 16:15). 'And Abraham took Ishmael HIS SON......" (Genesis 17:23). 'And Ishmael HIS SON was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin.'(Genesis 17:25). Up to the age of THIRTEEN Ishmael was the ONLY son and seed of Abraham, when the covenant was ratified between God and Abraham. God grants Abraham another son through Sarah, named Isaac, who was very much the junior to his brother Ishmael.
1. According to the Bible, Abraham's name was Abram before it was changed by God to Abraham.
Arabs and Jews
If Ishmael and Isaac are the sons of the same father Abraham, then they are brothers. And so the children of the one are the BRETHREN of the children of the other. The children of Isaac are the Jews and the Children of Ishmael are the Arabs - so they are BRETHREN to one another. The Bible affirms, 'AND HE (ISHMAEL) SHALL DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS BRETHREN.' (Genesis 16:12). 'AND HE (ISHMAEL) DIED IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS BRETHREN.(Genesis 25:18). The children of Isaac are the brethren of the Ishmaelites. In like manner Muhummed is from among the brethren of the Israelites because he was a descendant of Ishmael the son of Abraham. This exactly as the prophecy has it- 'FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN'.(Deut.18:18). There the prophecy distinctly mentions that the coming prophet who would be like Moses, must arise NOT from the 'children of Israel' or from 'among themselves', but from among their brethren. MUHUMMED THEREFORE WAS FROM AMONG THEIR BRETHREN!
Words in the Mouth
"The prophecy proceeds further:'.......AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS INTO HIS MOUTH.......' What does it mean when it is said 'I will put my words in your mouth'? You see, when I asked you (the dominee) to open Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18, at the beginning, and if I had asked you to read, and if you had read: would I be putting my words into your mouth?" The dominee answered: "No." "But," I continued: "If I were to teach you a language like Arabic about which you have no knowledge, and if I asked you to read or repeat after me what I utter i.e.

(I read them in Arabic )
Would I not be putting these unheard words of a foreign tongue which you utter, into your mouth?" The dominee agreed that it was indeed so. In an identical manner, I said, the words of the Holy Qur’ân, the Revelation vouchsafed by the Almighty God to Muhummed, were revealed.
History tells us that Muhummed was forty years of age. He was in a cave some three miles north of the City of Mecca. It was the 27th night of the Muslim month of Ramadaan. In the cave the Archangel Gabriel commands him in his mother tongue: 'IQRA' which means READ! or PROCLAIM! or RECITE! Muhummed is terrified and in his bewilderment replies " MA ANA BEQARA which means I AM NOT LEARNED! The angel commands him a second time with the same result. For the third time the angel continues.

Now Muhummed, grasps, that what was required of him was to repeat! to rehearse! And he repeats the words as they were put into his mouth:

These are the first five verses, which were revealed to Muhummed, which now occupy the beginning of the 96th chapter of the Holy Qur’ân.
The Faithful Witness
Immediately the angel had departed, Muhummed rushed to his home. Terrified and sweating all over he asked his beloved wife Khadija to 'cover him up!' He lay down, and she watched by him. When he had regained his composure, he explained to her what he had seen and heard. She assured him of her faith in him and that Allah would not allow any terrible thing to happen to him. Are these the confessions of an impostar? Would impostars confess that when an angel of the Lord confronts them with a Message from on High, they get fear-stricken, terrified, and sweating all over, run home to their wives? Any critic can see that his reactions and confessions are that of an honest, sincere man, the man of Truth- 'AL-AMIN' - THE Honest, the Upright, the Truthful.
During the next twenty-three years of his prophetic life, words were 'Put into his mouth', and he uttered them. They made an indeliable impression on his heart and mind: and as the volume of the Sacred Scripture (Holy Qur’ân) grew, they were recorded on palm-leaf fibre, on skins and on the shoulder-blades of animals; and in the hearts of his devoted disciples. Before his demise these words were arranged according to his instructions i n the order in which we find them today in the Holy Qur’ân.
The words (revelation) were actually put into his mouth, exactly as foretold in the prophecy under discussion: 'AND I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH.' (Deut. 18:18).
Un-lettered Prophet
Muhummed's experience in the cave of Hira, later to be known as Jabal-un Noor - The Mountain of Light, and his response to that first Revelation is the exact fulfillment of another Biblical Prophecy. In the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 29, verse 12, we read: "AND THE BOOK" (al-Kitaab, al-Qur’ân the 'Reading', the 'Recitation') "IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT IS NOT LEARNED," (Isaiah 29:12) "THE UNLETTERED PROPHET " (Holy Qur’ân 7:158) and the biblical verse continues : "SAYING, READ THIS, I PRAY THEE:" (the words "I pray thee", are not in the Hebrew manuscripts; compare with the Roman Catholics' "Douay Version and also with the "Revised Standard Versions") "AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED." ("I am not learned." is the exact translation of the Arabic words MA ANA BEQARA which Muhummed uttered twice to the Holy Ghost - the Archangel Gabriel, when he was commanded : IQRAA "READ!").
Let me quote the verse in full without a break as found in the "King James Version," or the "Authorised version" as it is more popularly known "AND THE BOOK IS DELIVERED TO HIM THAT IS NOT LEARNED, SAYING, READ THIS I PRAY THEE: AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT LEARNED." (Isaiah 29:12).
Important note:
It may be noted that there were no Arabic Bibles in existence in the 6th Century of the Christian Era when Muhummed lived and preached! Besides, he was absolutely unlettered and unlearned. No human had ever taught him a word. His teacher was his Creator:

Without any human learning, 'he put to shame the wisdom of the learned'."
(12) There are today Arabic Bibles in Fourteen different scripts and dialects for the Arabs alone. See "The Gospels in many tongues".
Grave Warning
"See!" I told the dominee, "how the prophecies fit Muhummed like a glove. We do not have to stretch prophecies to justify their fulfillment in Muhummed."
The dominee replied, "All your expositions sound very well, but they are of no real consequence, because we Christians have Jesus Christ the "incarnate" God, who has redeemed us from the Bondage of Sin!"
I asked, "Not important?" God didn't think so! He went to a great deal of trouble to have His warnings recorded. God knew that there would be people like you who will flippantly, light-heartedly discount his words, so he followed up Deuteronomy 18:18 with a dire warning: "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, " (it is going to happen) "THAT WHOSOEVER WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME, I WILL REQUIRE IT OF HIM. (in the Catholic Bible the ending words are - "I will be the revenger", I will take vengeance from him - I will take revenge!) "Does not this terrify you? God Almighty is threatening revenge! We shake in our pants if some hoodlum threatens us, yet you have no fear of God's warning?"
"Miracle of Miracles! in the verse 19 of Deuteronomy chapter 18, we have a further fulfillment of the prophecy in Muhummed! Note the words-'.....MY WORDS WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME," In whose name is Muhummed speaking?" I opened Yusuf Ali's translation of the Holy Qur’ân, at chapter 114- 'Sura Nas', or Mankind - the last chapter, and showed him the formula at the head of the chapter:

And the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL." And the heading of chapter 113:

And the meaning: "IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL". And every chapter downwards 112, 111, 110...was the same formula and the same meaning on every page, because the end SURAS (chapters) are short and take about a page each.
"And what did the prophecy demand?' ...WHICH HE SHALL SPEAK IN MY NAME and in whose name does Muhummed speak? 'IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCIFUL.' The Prophecy is being fulfilled in Muhummed to the letter
"Every chapter of the Holy Qur’ân except the 9th begin with the formula:

IN THE NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACIOUS, MOST MERCIFUL.' The Muslim begins his every lawful act with the Holy formula. But the Christian begins: "In the name of the Father, son and Holy Ghost.'"1
Concerning Deuteronomy chapter eighteen, I have given you more than 15 reasons as to how this prophecy refers to Muhummed and NOT to Jesus.
1. The Christian theologians are ignorant of even the "name of God. Because "God" is not a name, and "Father" is also not a name. See "WHAT IS HIS NAME?"

CHAPTER FOUR
New Testament Also Confirms
Baptist Contradicts Jesus
In New Testament times, we find that the Jews were still expecting the fulfilment of the prophecy of 'ONE LIKE MOSES', refer John 1:19-25. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah of the Jews, the Jews began to enquire as to where was Elias? The Jews had a parallel prophecy that before the coming of the Messiah, Elias must come first in his second coming. Jesus confirms this Jewish belief:
"...ELIAS TRULY SHALL FIRST COME, AND RESTORE ALL THINGS. BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT ELIAS IS COME ALREADY, AND THEY KNEW HIM NOT...THEN THE DISCIPLES UNDERSTOOD THAT HE SPAKE UNTO THEM OF JOHN THE BAPTIST." (Matthew 17:11-13).
According to the New Testament the Jews were not the ones to swallow the words of any would-be Messiah. In their investigations they underwent intense difficulties in order to find their true Messiah. And this the Gospel of John confirms: "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." (This was only natural because there can't be two Messiahs1 at the same time. If Jesus was the Christ then John couldn't be the Christ!) "AND THEY ASKED HIM, WHAT THEN? ART THOU ELIAS? AND HE SAITH, I AM NOT." (Here John the Baptist contradicts Jesus! Jesus says that John is "Elias" and John denies that he is what Jesus ascribes him to be. One of the TWO (Jesus or John), God forbid!, is definitely not speaking the TRUTH! On the testimony of Jesus himself, John the Baptist was the greatest of the Israelite prophets: "VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, AMONG THEM THAT ARE BORN OF WOMEN THERE HAS NOT RISEN A GREATER THAN JOHN THE BAPTIST:... "(Matthew 11:11).
We Muslims know John the Baptist as Hazrut YAHYAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him). We revere him as a true prophet of Allah. The Holy Prophet Jesus known to us as Hazrut ISAA Alai-his-salaam (peace be upon him), is also esteemed as one of the mightiest messenger of the Almighty. How can we Muslims impute lies to either of them? We leave this problem between Jesus and John for the Christians to solve, for their "sacred scriptures" abound in discrepancies which they have been glossing over as the "dark sayings of Jesus"(15). We Muslims are really interested in the last questions posed to John the Baptist by the Jewish elite- "ART THOU THAT PROPHET? AND HE ANSWERED, NO." (John 1:21)
1. The Jews were expecting a single Messiah not two.
2. See the "TIMES" Magazine December 30th, 1974, article "How true is the Bible?" And also see "50,000 Errors in the Bible?" a reproduction from the Christian Magazine "AWAKE!" September 8, 1957.
Three Questions!
Please note that three different and distinct questions were posed to John the Baptist and to which he gave three emphatic "NO'S" as answers. To recapitulate:-

1) ART THOU THE CHRIST?
2) ART THOU ELIAS?
3) ART THOU THAT PROPHET?
But the learned men of Christendom somehow only see two questions implied here. To make doubly clear that the Jews definitely had T-H-R-E-E separate prophecies in their minds when they were interrogating John the Baptist, let us read the remonstrance of the Jews in the verses following:
"AND THEY ASKED HIM, AND SAID UNTO HIM, WHY BAPTIZEST THOU THEN, IF THOU BE
a) NOT THAT CHRIST,
b) NOR ELIAS,
c) NEITHER THAT PROPHET?" (John 1:25)
The Jews were waiting for the fulfillment of THREE distinct prophecies: One, the coming of CHRIST. Two the coming of ELIAS, and Three, the coming of THAT PROPHET.
"That Prophet"
If we look up any Bible which has a concordance or cross-references, the we will find in the marginal note where the words "the Prophet", or "that Prophet" occur in John 1:25, that these words refer to the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. And that 'that prophet' - 'the prophet like Moses' - "LIKE UNTO THEE", we have proved through overwhelming evidence that he was MUHUMMED and not Jesus!
We Muslims are not denying that Jesus was the "Messiah", which word is translated as "Christ".1 We are not contesting the "thousand and one prophecies" which the Christians claim abound in the Old Testament foretelling the coming of the Messiah. What we say is that Deuteronomy 18:18 does NOT refer to Jesus Christ but it is an explicit prophecy about the Holy Prophet MUHUMMED!"
The dominee, very politely parted with me by saying that it was a very interesting discussion and he would like me very much to come one day and address his congregation on the subject. A decade and half has passed since then but I am still awaiting that privilege.
I believe the dominee was sincere when he made the offer, but prejudices die hard and who would like to loose his sheep?
1. How the word Messiah was transmuted to Christ?. See "Christ in Islam"
The Acid Test
To the lambs of Christ I say, why not apply that acid test which the Master himself wanted you to apply to any would be claimant to Prophethood? He had said: "BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. DO MEN GATHER GRAPES FROM THE THORNS, OR FIGS FROM THE THISTLES? EVERY GOOD TREE WILL BEAR GOOD FRUIT AND EVERY EVIL TREE WILL BEAR EVIL FRUIT.... BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM. (Matthew 7:16-20).
Why are you afraid to apply this test to the teachings of Muhummed? You will find in the Last Testament of God - the Holy Qur’ân - the true fulfillment of the teachings of Moses and Jesus, which will bring to the world the much-needed peace and happiness. "IF A MAN LIKE MOHAMED WERE TO ASSUME THE DIC TATORSHIP OF THE MODERN WORLD, HE WOULD SUCCEED IN SOLVING ITS PROBLEMS THAT WOULD BRING IT THE MUCH NEEDED PEACE AND HAPPINESS." (George Bernard Shaw)
The Greatest!
The Weekly Newsmagazine "TIME" dated July 15, 1974, carried a selection of opinions by various historians, writers, military men, businessmen and others on the subject: "Who Were History's Great Leaders?" Some said that it was Hitler; others said - Gandhi, Buddha, Lincoln and the like. But Jules Masserman, a United States psychoanalyst put the standards straight by giving the correct criteria wherewith to judge. He said:
"LEADERS MUST FULFIL THREE FUNCTIONS:-
(1) Provide for the well-being of the led,
(2) Provide a social organization in which people feel relatively secure and
(3) Provide them with one set of beliefs."
With the above three criteria he searches history and analyses - Hitler, Pasteur, Gaesar, Moses, Confucius and the lot, and ultimately concludes:
"PEOPLE LIKE PASTEUR AND SALK ARE LEADERS IN THE FIRST SENSE. PEOPLE LIKE GANDHI AND CONFUCIUS, ON ONE HAND, AND ALEXANDER, CAESAR AND HITLER ON THE OTHER, ARE LEADERS IN THE SECOND AND PERHAPS THE THIRD SENSE. JESUS AND BUDDHA BELONG IN THE THIRD CATEGORY ALONE. PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL TIMES WAS MOHAMMED, WHO COMBINED ALL THREE FUNCTIONS. To a lesser degree, MOSES DID THE SAME."
According to the objective standards set by the Professor of the Chicago University, whom I believe to be Jewish, - JESUS and BUDDHA are now - here in the picture of the "Great Leaders of Mankind", but by a queer coincidence groups Moses and Muhummed together thus adding further weight to the argument that JESUS is not like MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like MOSES: Deut.18:18 "LIKE UNTO THEE" - Like MOSES!
Reverend James L. Dow in Collins Dictionary of the Bible gives further proof, that JESUS is not like MOSES, but MUHUMMED is like Moses: "AS A STATESMAN AND LAWGIVER MOSES IS THE CREATO