Religions

Introduction to Islam

Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over
one billion adherents all over the world.
Islam means "submission to the will of
God". Muslims accept the Qur’an, as the
word of God revealed to His last and final
prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Islam states that Allah sent messengers and
prophets throughout the ages with the
message of Unity of God and accountability
in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an
article of faith to believe in all the earlier
prophets, starting with Adam, and
continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John the Baptist
and Jesus amongst many others (may peace
be on them all).
Concept of God
The Most Concise Definition of God
Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of
theology
What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
By what name do we call God?
God does not take human form:
God does not perform ungodly acts:
God only performs Godly acts:
Philosophy Of Anthropomorphism
The Creator prepares the instruction
manual
Allah chooses Messengers:
Each attribute of God is unique and
possessed by Him alone:
Unity of God
Tawheed
The Most Concise Definition of God
"Say: He is Allah,
The One and Only.
"Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
"He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him."
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]
The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate.
It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be
attributed only to Allah (swt), all other
existence being temporal or conditional. It
also means that Allah (swt) is not
dependent on any person or thing, but all
persons and things are dependent on Him.
Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of
theology:
Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious
Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’
in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study.
Thus Theology means study of God and to
Muslims this four line definition of Almighty
God serves as the touchstone of the study of
God. Any candidate to divinity must be
subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the
attributes of Allah given in this chapter are
unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity
can be easily dismissed using these verses.
What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
India is often called the land of ‘god-men’.
This is due to the abundance of so-called
spiritual masters in India. Many of these
‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in
many countries. Islam abhors deification of
any human being. To understand the Islamic
stand towards such pretenders to divinity,
let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho
Rajneesh.
Let us put this candidate, ‘Bhagwan’
Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the
touchstone of theology:
1. The first criterion is "Say, He is Allah,
one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only?
No! Rajneesh was one among the
multitude of ‘spiritual teachers’
produced by India. Some disciples of
Rajneesh might still hold that Rajneesh is
one and only.
2. The second criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute
and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s
biography that he was suffering from
diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache.
He alleged that the U.S. Government
gave him slow poison in prison. Imagine
Almighty God being poisoned! Rajneesh
was thus, neither absolute nor eternal.
3. The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor
is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh
was born in Jabalpur in India and had a
mother as well as a father who later
became his disciples.
In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and
established a town called ‘Rajneeshpuram’.
He later fell foul of the West and was finally
arrested and asked to leave the country. He
came back to India and started a commune
in Pune which is now known as the ‘Osho’
commune. He died in 1990. The followers of
Osho Rajneesh believe that he is Almighty
God. At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one
can find the following epitaph on his
tombstone:
"Osho – never born, never died; only visited
the planet Earth between 11th December
1931 to 19th January 1990."
They forget to mention that he was not
granted visa for 21 countries of the world.
Can a person ever imagine ‘God’ visiting the
earth, and requiring a visa to enter a
country! The Archbishop of Greece said that
if Rajneesh had not been deported, they
would have burnt his house and those of his
disciples.
4. The fourth test, which is the most
stringent is, "There is none like unto Him".
The moment you can imagine or compare
‘God’ to anything, then he (the candidate to
divinity) is not God. It is not possible to
conjure up a mental picture of the One True
God. We know that Rajneesh was a human
being, having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a
mouth and a white flowing beard.
Photographs and posters of Rajneesh are
available in plenty. The moment you can
imagine or draw a mental picture of an
entity, then that entity is not God.
Many are tempted to make
anthropomorphic comparisons of God. Take
for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the
famous body builder and Hollywood actor,
who won the title of ‘Mr. Universe’, the
strongest man in the world. Let us suppose
that someone says that Almighty God is a
thousand times stronger than Arnold
Schwarzenegger. The moment you can
compare any entity to God, whether the
comparison is to Schwarzenegger or to King
Kong, whether it is a thousand times or a
million times stronger, it fails the Qur’anic
criterion, "There is none like unto Him".
Thus, the ‘acid test’ cannot be passed by
anyone except the One True God.
The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an
conveys a similar message:
"No vision can grasp Him
But His grasp is over
All vision: He is
Above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things."
[Al-Qur'an 6:103]
By what name do we call God?
The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme
Creator, Allah, instead of by the English
word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is
pure and unique, unlike the English word
‘God’, which can be played around with.
If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes
‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one
and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If
you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes
‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is
nothing like male Allah or female Allah.
Allah has no gender. If you add the word
‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’.
God-father means someone who is a
guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’
or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word
‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’.
There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-
mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If
you prefix tin before the word God, it
becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a
unique word, which does not conjure up any
mental picture nor can it be played around
with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the
Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty.
Sometimes, however, while speaking to the
non-Muslims we may have to use the
inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the
intended audience of this article is general
in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well
as non-Muslims, I have used the word God
instead of Allah in several places in this
article.
God does not become a human being:
God does not take human form:
Some may argue that God does not become
a human being but only takes a human form.
If God only takes a human form but does
not become a human being, He should not
possess any human qualities. We know that
all the ‘God-men’, have human qualities and
failings. They have all the human needs such
as the need to eat, sleep, etc.
The worship of God in human form is
therefore a logical fallacy and should be
abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.
That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks
against all forms of anthropomorphism. The
Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:
"There is nothing whatever like unto Him."
[Al-Qur'an 42:11]
God does not perform ungodly acts:
The attributes of Almighty God preclude any
evil since God is the source of justice, mercy
and truth. God can never be thought of as
doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot
imagine God telling a lie, being unjust,
making a mistake, forgetting things, or
having any such human failings. Similarly
God can do injustice if He chooses to, but
He will never do it because being unjust is
an ungodly act.
The Qur’an says:
"Allah is never unjust In the least
degree." [Al-Qur'an 4:40]
God can be unjust if He chooses to be so,
but the moment God does injustice, He
ceases to be God.
God does not make mistakes
God can make mistakes if He wants to, but
He does not make mistakes because making
a mistake is an ungodly act. The Qur’an
says:
"…my Lord never errs." [Holy Qur'an
20:52]
The moment God makes a mistake, he
ceases to be God.
God does not forget
God can forget if He wants to. But God does
not forget anything because forgetting is an
ungodly act, which reeks
of human limitations and failings. The
Qur’an says:
"…my Lord never errs, nor forgets." [Al-
Qur’an 20:52]
God only performs Godly acts:
The Islamic concept of God is that God has
power over all things. The Qur’an says in
several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109;
2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):
"For verily Allah has power over all things"
Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:
"Allah is the doer of all that He intends."
[Al-Qura'n 85:16]
We must keep in mind that Allah intends
only Godly acts and not ungodly acts.
PHILOSOPHY OF
ANTHROPOMORPHISMMany religions at
some point believe, directly or indirectly, in
the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e.
God becoming a human. Their contention is
that Almighty God is so pure and holy that
He is unaware of the hardships,
shortcomings and feelings of human beings.
In order to set the rules for human beings,
He came down to earth as a human. This
deceptive logic has fooled countless millions
through the ages. Let us now analyze this
argument and see if it stands to reason.
The Creator prepares the instruction manual
Suppose I manufacture a video cassette
recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR
to know what is good or what is bad for the
VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction
manual: "In order to watch a video cassette,
insert the cassette and press the play
button. In order to stop, press the stop
button. If you want to fast forward press the
FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it
will get damaged. Do not immerse it in
water or it will get spoilt". I write an
instruction manual that lists the various do’s
and don’ts for the machine.
Holy Qur’an is the instruction manual for
the human being:
Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (swt)
need not take human form to know what is
good or bad for the human being. He
chooses to reveal the instruction manual.
The last and final instruction manual of the
human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The
‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are
mentioned in the Qur’an.
If you allow me to compare human beings
with machines, I would say humans are
more complicated than the most complex
machines in the world. Even the most
advanced computers, which are extremely
complex, are pale in comparison to the
myriad physical, psychological, genetic and
social factors that affect individual and
collective human life.
The more advanced the machine, greater is
the need for its instruction manual. By the
same logic, don’t human beings require an
instruction manual by which to govern their
own lives?
Allah chooses Messengers:
Allah (swt) need not come down personally
for giving the instruction manual. He
chooses a man amongst men to deliver the
message and communicates with him at a
higher level through the medium of
revelations. Such chosen men are called
messengers and prophets of God.
Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of
anthropomorphism, followers of many
religions believe in and preach it to others.
Is it not an insult to human intelligence and
to the Creator who gave us this intelligence?
Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’
despite the faculty of hearing and sight given
to them by Allah. The Qur’an says:
"Deaf, dumb, and blind,
They will not return (to the path)." [Al-
Qur'an 2:18]
The Bible gives a similar message in the
Gospel of Matthew:
"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear
not, neither do they understand." [The
Bible, Matthew 13:13]
A similar message is also given in the Hindu
Scriptures in the Rigveda.
"There maybe someone who sees the words
and yet indeed does not see them; may be
another one who hears these words but
indeed does not hear them." 1
[Rigveda 10:71:4]
All these scriptures are telling their readers
that though the things are made so clear yet
many people divert away from the truth.
Attributes of God:
To Allah belong the most beautiful names:
The Qur’an says:
"Say: Call upon Allah, or
Call upon Rahman:
By whatever name you call
Upon Him, (it is well):
For to Him belong
The Most Beautiful Names."
[Al-Qur'an 17:110]
A similar message regarding the beautiful
names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the
Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah
Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).
The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine
different attributes to Almighty Allah. The
Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most
Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and
Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other
names. You can call Allah by any name but
that name should be beautiful and should
not conjure up a mental picture.
Each attribute of God is unique and
possessed by Him alone:
Not only does God possess unique
attributes, but also each attribute of
Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him. I
shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take
an example of a famous personality, say
Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an
astronaut. The attribute of being an
astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is
correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong
alone. So when one asks, who is an
astronaut? The answer is, there are
hundreds of people in the world who are
astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American.
The attribute of being American possessed
by Neil Armstrong is correct but not
sufficient to identify him. So when one asks,
who is an American? The answer is, there
are millions of people who are American. To
identify the person uniquely we must look
for a unique attribute possessed by none
except that person. For example, Neil
Armstrong was the first human to set foot
on the moon. So when one asks, who was
the first man to set foot on the moon, the
answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong.
Similarly the attribute of Almighty God
should be unique. If I say God is the
constructor of buildings, it is possible and
true, but it is not unique. Thousands of
people can construct a building. But each
attribute of Allah is unique and points to
none but Allah. For example, God is the
creator of the universe. If someone asks
who is the creator of the universe, the
answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the
Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are
some of the many unique attributes
possessed by none other than the Creator of
the universe, Almighty Allah:
"Ar-Raheem", the Most Merciful
"Ar-Rahman", the Most Gracious
"Al-Hakeem", the Most Wise
So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’,
(the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one
answer: "Almighty Allah".
One attribute of God should not
contradict with other attributes:
Besides the attribute being unique, it should
not contradict other attributes. To continue
with the earlier example, suppose
somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an
American astronaut who was the first human
to set foot on the moon and was an Indian.
The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong
of being the first man to set foot on the
moon, is correct. But its associated quality
of being an Indian, is false. Similarly if
someone says that God is the Creator of the
Universe and has one head, two hands, two
feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the
Universe) is correct but the associated
quality (in the form of human being) is
wrong and false.
All attributes should point to the one
and same God:
Since there is only one God, all the attributes
should point to one and the same God. To
say that Neil Armstrong was an American
astronaut who first set foot on the moon,
but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both
these unique qualities belong to one and the
same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly
to say that the Creator of the universe is one
God and the Cherisher is another God is
absurd because God possesses all these
attributes combined together.
Unity of GodSome polytheists argue by
saying that the existence of more than one
God is not illogical. Let us point out to them
that if there were more than one God, they
would dispute with one another, each god
trying to fulfill his will against the will of the
other gods. This can be seen in the
mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic
religions. If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to
defeat the others, he is surely not the one
true God. Also popular among polytheistic
religions is the idea of many Gods, each
having different responsibilities. Each one
would be responsible for a part of man’s
existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc.
This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent
of certain acts and moreover he is also
ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties,
functions and responsibilities. There cannot
be an ignorant and incapable God. If there
were more than one God it would surely
lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and
destruction in the universe. But the universe
is in complete harmony. The Glorious
Qur’an says:
"If there were, in the heavens
And the earth, other gods
Besides Allah, there would
Have been confusion in both!
But glory to Allah,
The Lord of the Throne:
(High is He) above
What they attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 21:22]
If there were more than one God, they
would have taken away what they
created. The Qur’an says:
"No son did Allah beget,
Nor is there any god
Along with Him: (if there were
Many gods), behold, each god
Would have taken away
What he had created,
And some would have
Lorded it over others!
Glory to Allah! (He is free)
From the (sort of) things
They attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 23:91]
Thus the existence of one True, Unique,
Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical
concept of God.
TAWHEED
Definition and Categories:
Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not
merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God,
but much more. Tawheed literally means
‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is
derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’
which means to unite, unify or consolidate.
Tawheed can be divided into three
categories.
1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah
2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat
3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.
A. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining
the unity of Lordship)
The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-
Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived
from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord,
Sustainer and Cherisher.
Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’
means maintaining the unity of Lordship.
This category is based on the fundamental
concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all
things to exist when there was nothing. He
created or originated all that exists out of
nothing. He alone is the sole Creator,
Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete
universe and all between it, without any
need from it or for it.
B. Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat
(maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and
attributes):
The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa
was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the
unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This
category is divided into five aspects:
(i) Allah should be referred to as described
by Him and His Prophet
Allah must be referred to according to the
manner in which He and His prophet have
described Him without explaining His names
and attributes by giving them meanings
other than their obvious meanings.
(ii) Allah must be referred to as He has
referred to Himself
Allah must be referred to without giving Him
any new names or attributes. For example
Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib
(the Angry One), despite the fact that He has
said that He gets angry, because neither
Allah nor His messenger have used this
name.
(iii) Allah is referred to without giving Him
the attributes of His creation
In a reference to God, we should strictly
abstain from giving Him the attributes of
those whom He has created. For instance in
the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for
His bad thoughts in the same way as
humans do when they realise their errors.
This is completely against the principle of
Tawheed. God does not commit any
mistakes or errors and therefore never
needs to repent.
The key principle when dealing with Allah’s
attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah
Ash-Shur
"There is nothing
Whatever like unto Him,
And He is the One
That hears and sees (all things)."
[Al-Qur’an 42:11]
Hearing and seeing are human faculties.
However, when attributed to the Divine
Being they are without comparison, in their
perfection, unlike when associated with
humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and
who are limited in their sight and hearing in
terms of space, time, capacity, etc.
(iv) God’s creation should not be given any
of His attributes
To refer to a human with the attribute of
God is also against the principle of
Tawheed. For example, referring to a person
as one who has no beginning or end
(eternal).
(v) Allah’s name cannot be given to His
creatures
Some Divine names in the indefinite form,
like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible
names for men as Allah has used them for
Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious)
and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only
be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave
of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or
‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-
Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-
Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.
C. Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the
unity of worship):
(i) Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:
‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the
unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is
derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning
slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means
servitude and worship.
(ii) All three categories to be followed
simultaneously.
Only believing in the first two categories of
Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-
Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the
examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the
Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two
aspects of Tawheed. It is mentioned in the
Qur’an:
"Say: ‘Who is it that
Sustains you (in life)
From the sky and from the earth?
Or who is it that
Has power over hearing
And sight? And who
Is it that brings out
The living from the dead
And the dead from the living?
And who is it that
Rules and regulates all affairs?’
They will soon say, ‘Allah’.
Say, ‘Will you not then
Show piety (to Him)?’ "
[Al-Qur’an 10:31]
A similar example is repeated in Surah
Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:
"If thou ask them, Who
Created them, they will
Certainly say, ‘Allah’: how
Then are they deluded
Away (from the Truth)?"
[Al-Qur’an 43:87]
The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt)
was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and
Master. Yet they were not Muslims because
they also worshipped other gods besides
Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as
‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and
‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those
who associate partners with God).
"And most of them
Believe not in Allah
Without associating (others
As partners) with Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 12:106]
Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining
the unity of worship is the most important
aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone
deserves worship and He alone can grant
benefit to man for his worship.
SHIRK
A. Definition:The omission of any of the
above mentioned categories of tawheed or
deficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of
Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'.(Please
note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the
same sound as in the English word 'ship'
and not as in the English word 'shirk',which
means 'to evade'
‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating
partners. In Islamic terms it means
associating partners with Allah and is
equivalent to idolatry.
B. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will
never forgive:
The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in
Surah Al-Nisa’:
"Allah forgives not
That partners should be set up
With Him; but He forgives
Anything else, to whom
He pleases; to set up
Partners with Allah
Is to devise a sin
Most heinous indeed."
[Al-Qur’an 4:48]
The same message is repeated in Surah Al-
Nisa’:
"Allah forgives not
(The sin of) joining other gods
With Him; but He forgives
Whom He pleases other sins
Than this: one who joins
Other gods with Allah,
Has strayed far, far away
(From the Right)."
[Al-Qur’an 4:116]
C. Shirk leads to hell fire:
The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:
"They do blaspheme who say:
‘Allah is Christ the son
Of Mary.’ But said Christ:
‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my
Lord
And your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods
with Allah –
Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the
Fire
Will be his abode. There will for the
wrongdoers
Be no one to help."
[Al-Qur’an 5:72]
D. Worship and Obedience to none but
Allah:
The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:
Say: "O people of the Book!
Come To common terms
As between us and you:
That we worship none but Allah;
That we associate no partners with Him;
That we erect not, from among ourselves,
Lords and patrons other than Allah."
If then they turn back,
Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)."
[Al-Qur’an 3:64]
The Glorious Qur’an says:
"And if all the trees on earth were pens
And the Ocean (were ink), with seven
Oceans behind it
To add to its (supply), yet would not the
Words
Of Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for
Allah
Is Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom."
[Al-Qur’an 31:27]
Our analysis of Concept of God in various
Religion shows that monotheism is an
integral part of every major religion of the
world. However, it is unfortunate that some
adherents of these religions violate the
teachings of their own scriptures and have
set up partners to Almighty God.
An analysis of the scriptures of various
religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort
mankind to believe in, and submit to One
God. All these scriptures condemn the
association of partners to God, or the
worship of God in the form of images. The
Glorious Qur’an says:
"O men! Here is
A parable set forth!
Listen to it! Those
On whom, besides Allah,
You call, cannot create
(Even) a fly, if they all
Met together for the purpose!
And if the fly should snatch
Away anything from them,
They would have no power
To release it from the fly.
Feeble are those who petition
And those whom they petition!"
[Al-Qur’an 22:73]
The basis of religion is the acceptance of
Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance
has serious implications for society. While
we have made great strides in science and
technology, true peace still eludes us. All
‘isms’ have failed to provide the much
vaunted deliverance.
The scriptures of all major religions exhort
mankind to follow that which is good and
eschew that which is evil. All scriptures
remind mankind that good will not go
unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!
The question we need to address is, which
of these scriptures provides us with the
correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to
regulate our individual and collective lives?
I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us
towards the Truth (Aameen).


……………… ......…………………………



Cheristianity

Introduction
Christianity is a Semitic religion, which
claims to have nearly 1.2 billion adherents
all over the world. Christianity owes its
name to Jesus Christ (peace be on him). The
Holy Bible is the sacred scripture of the
Christians:
a) The Bible is divided into two parts, the
Old Testament and the New Testament. The
Old Testament is the Holy Scripture of the
Jews and contains records of all the
prophets of the Jews that came before Jesus
(pbuh).
The New Testament contains records of the
life of Jesus (pbuh).
b) The complete Bible, i.e. the Old
Testament and the New Testament put
together, contains 73 books. However, the
Protestant Bible i.e. the King James Version,
contains only 66 books as they consider
7 books of the Old Testament to be
apocrypha, i.e. of doubtful authority.
Therefore the Old Testament of the
Catholics, contains 46 books and that of the
Protestants, 39 books. However the New
Testament of both these sects contains 27
books.
CONCEPT OF GOD IN
CHRISTIANITY by Dr. Zakir Naik
I) Position of Jesus (pbuh) in Islam:
(i)Islam is the only non-Christian faith, which
makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus
(pbuh). No Muslim is a Muslim if he does
not believe in Jesus (pbuh).
(ii) We believe that he was one of the
mightiest Messengers of Allah (swt).
(iii) We believe that he was born
miraculously, without any male intervention,
which many modern day Christians do not
believe.
(iv) We believe he was the Messiah
translated Christ (pbuh).
(v) We believe that he gave life to the dead
with God’s permission.
(iv) We believe that he healed those born
blind, and the lepers with God’s permission.
II) Concept of God in Christianity:
1. Jesus Christ (pbuh) never claimed
Divinity
One may ask, if both Muslims and Christians
love and respect Jesus (pbuh), where exactly
is the parting of ways? The major difference
between Islam and Christianity is the
Christians’ insistence on the supposed
divinity of Christ (pbuh). A study of the
Christian scriptures reveals that Jesus
(pbuh) never claimed divinity. In fact there
is not a single unequivocal statement in the
entire Bible where Jesus (pbuh) himself
says, "I am God" or where he says,
"worship me". In fact the Bible contains
statements attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in
which he preached quite the contrary. The
following statements in the Bible are
attributed to Jesus Christ (pbuh):
(i) "My Father is greater than I."
[The Bible, John 14:28]
(ii) "My Father is greater than all."
[The Bible, John 10:29]
(iii) "…I cast out devils by the Spirit of
God…."
[The Bible, Mathew 12:28]
(iv) "…I with the finger of God cast out
devils…."
[The Bible, Luke 11:20]
(v) "I can of mine own self do nothing: as I
hear, I judge: and my judgement is just;
because I seek not my own will, but the will
of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]
2. The Mission of Jesus Christ (pbuh) – to
Fulfill the Law
Jesus (pbuh) never claimed divinity for
himself. He clearly announced the nature of
his mission. Jesus (pbuh) was sent by God
to confirm the previous Judaic law. This is
clearly evident in the following statements
attributed to Jesus (pbuh) in the Gospel of
Mathew:
"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 tittle shall in no wise pass from the law,
till all be fulfilled.
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of
these least commandments, and shall teach
men so, he shall be called the least in the
kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven."
"For I say unto you, That except your
righteousness shall exceed the
righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of
heaven."
[The Bible, Mathew 5:17-20]
3. God Sent Jesus' (pbuh)
The Bible mentions the prophetic nature of
Jesus (pbuh) mission in the following verses:
(i)"… and the word which ye hear is not
mine, but the Father’s which sent me."
[The Bible, John 14:24]
(ii)"And this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom thou has sent."
[The Bible, John 17:3]
4. Jesus Refuted even the Remotest
Suggestion of his Divinity
Consider the following incident mentioned in
the Bible:
"And behold, one came and said unto him,
‘Good Master, what good thing shall I do,
that I may have eternal life?’
And he said unto him, ‘Why callest thou me
good? There is none good but one, that is,
God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments.’ "
[The Bible, Mathew 19:16-17]
Jesus (pbuh) did not say that to have the
eternal life of paradise, man should believe
in him as Almighty God or worship him as
God, or believe that Jesus (pbuh) would die
for his sins. On the contrary he said that the
path to salvation was through keeping the
commandments. It is indeed striking to note
the difference between the words of Jesus
Christ (pbuh) and the Christian dogma of
salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus
(pbuh).
5. Jesus (pbuh) of Nazareth – a Man
Approved of God
The following statement from the Bible
supports the Islamic belief that Jesus (pbuh)
was a prophet of God.
"Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus
of Nazareth, a man approved of God among
you by miracles and wonders and signs,
which God did by him in the midst of you,
as ye yourselves also know."
[The Bible, Acts 2:22]
6. The First Commandment is that God is
One
The Bible does not support the Christian
belief in trinity at all. One of the scribes
once asked Jesus (pbuh) as to which was the
first commandment of all, to which Jesus
(pbuh) merely repeated what Moses (pbuh)
had said earlier:
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adonai
Ikhad."
This is a Hebrew quotation, which means:
"Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord."
[The Bible, Mark 12:29]
It is striking that the basic teachings of the
Church such as Trinity and vicarious
atonement find no mention in the Bible. In
fact, various verses of the Bible point to
Jesus’ (pbuh) actual mission, which was to
fulfill the law revealed to Prophet Moses
(pbuh). Indeed Jesus (pbuh) rejected any
suggestions that attributed divinity to him,
and explained his miracles as the power of
the One True God.
Jesus (pbuh) thus reiterated the message of
monotheism that was given by all earlier
prophets of Almighty God.
NOTE: All quotations of the Bible are taken
from the King James Version.
III) Concept of God in Old Testament:
1. God is One
The following verse from the book of
Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from
Moses (pbuh):
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna
Ikhad".
It is a Hebrew quotation which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one
Lord"
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
2. Unity of God in the Book of Isaiah
The following verses are from the Book of
Isaiah:
(i) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me
there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
(ii) "I am Lord, and there is none else, there
is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45:5]
(iii) "I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
3. Old Testament condemns idol worship
(i) Old Testament condemns idol worship in
the following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth:"
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,
nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God."
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
(ii) A similar message is repeated in the
book of Deuteronomy:
"Thou shalt have none other gods before
me."
"Thou shalt not make thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water beneath the earth."
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto
them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy
God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]



……………………………………………


INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM
(I) INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM:
Judaism is one of the important Semitic
religions. Its followers are known as Jews
and they believe in the prophetic mission of
Prophet Moses (pbuh).
(II) CONCEPT OF GOD IN JUDAISM:
(i) The following verse from the book of
Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from
Moses (pbuh):
"Shama Israelu Adonai Ila Hayno Adna
Ikhad"
It is a Hebrew quotation which means:
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one
Lord"
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
The following verses are from the Book of
Isaiah:
(ii) "I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me
there is no saviour."
[The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
(iii) "I am Lord, and there is none else
There is no God besides me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 45 : 5]
(iv) "I am God, and there is none else; I am
God, and there is none like me."
[The Bible, Isaiah 46:9]
(v) Judaism condemns idol worship in the
following verses:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth."
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,
nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God."
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5]
(iv) A similar message is repeated in the
book of Deuteronomy:
"Thou shalt have none other gods before
me."
"Thou shalt not make thee any graven
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water beneath the earth."
"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto
them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy
God am a jealous God."
[The Bible, Deuteronomy 5:7-9]
In Judaism too, we find the same thread of
monotheism, that is seen in other religions.
(III) MUHAMMAD IN JEWISH
SCRIPTURES (THE OLD TESTAMENT):
1) Muhammad (pbuh) prophesised in the
book of Deuteronomy:
a) God Almighty speaks to Moses in Book
of Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 18:
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among
their brethren, like unto thee, and will put
my words in his mouth; and he shall speak
unto them all that I shall command him."
b) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is like
Moses (pbuh):
i) Both had a father and a mother.
ii) Both were married and had children.
iii) Both were accepted as Prophets by their
people in their lifetime.
iv) Both besides being Prophets were also
kings i.e. they could inflict capital
punishment.
v) Both brought new laws and new
regulations for their people.
vi) Both died a natural death.
c) Muhammad (pbuh) is from among the
brethren of Moses (pbuh). Arabs are
brethren of Jews. Abraham (pbuh) had
two sons:
Ishmail and Isaac. The Arabs are the
descendants of Ishmail (pbuh) and the Jews
are the descendants of Isaac (pbuh).
d) Words in the mouth:
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was unlettered
and whatever revelations he received from
God Almighty he repeated it verbatim.
Deuteronomy (18:18):
"I will raise them up a Prophet from among
their brethren, like unto thee, and will put
my words in his mouth; and he shall speak
unto them all that I shall command him."
2) Muhammad (pbuh) is prophesised in the
book of Isaiah:
It is mentioned in the book of Isaiah
chapter 29 verse 12:
"And the book is delivered to him that is not
learned saying, ‘Read this, I pray thee’; and
he saith, ‘I am not learned’.
"When Archangel Gabriel commanded
Muhammad (pbuh) by saying ‘Iqra’, he
replied "I am not learned".
3) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is mentioned
by name in the Song of Solomon
chapter 5 verse 16:
"Hikko Mamittakim we kullo Muhammadim
Zehdoodeh wa Zehrace Bayna Jerusalem."
"His mouth is most sweet: ye, he is
altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and
this is my friend, O daughter of Jerusalem."
All the prophecies mentioned in the Old
Testament regarding Muhammad (pbuh)
besides applying to the Jews also hold good
for the Christians (H Q. 61:6)


……………………………………………

INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM
INTRODUCTION TO HINDUISM:
The most popular among the Aryan religions
is Hinduism. ‘Hindu’ is actually a Persian
word that stands for the inhabitants of the
region beyond the Indus Valley. However, in
common parlance, Hinduism is a blanket
term for an assortment of religious beliefs,
most of which are based on the Vedas, the
Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita.
II INTRODUCTION TO HINDU
SCRIPTURES.
There are several sacred scriptures of the
Hindus. Among these are the Vedas,
Upanishads and the Puranas.
1. VEDAS:
1. The word Veda is derived from vid which
means to know, knowledge par excellence
or sacred wisdom. There are four principal
divisions of the Vedas (although according
to their number, they amount to 1131 out of
which about a dozen are available).
According to Maha Bhashya of Patanjali,
there are 21 branches of Rigveda, 9 types of
Atharvaveda, 101 branches of Yajurveda and
1000 of Samveda).
2. The Rigveda, the Yajurveda and the
Samveda are considered to be more ancient
books and are known as Trai Viddya or the
‘Triple Sciences’. The Rigveda is the oldest
and has been compiled in three long and
different periods of time. The 4th Veda is
the Atharvaveda, which is of a later date.
3. There is no unanimous opinion regarding
the date of compilation or revelation of the
four Vedas. According to Swami Dayanand,
founder of the Arya Samaj, the Vedas were
revealed 1310 million years ago. According
to other scholars, they are not more than
4000 years old.
4. Similarly, there are differing opinions
regarding the places where these books
were compiled and the Rishis to whom these
Scriptures were given. Inspite of these
differences, the Vedas are considered to be
the most authentic of the Hindu Scriptures
and the real foundations of the Hindu
Dharma.
2. UPANISHADS:
1. The word 'Upanishad' is derived from
Upa meaning near, Ni which means down
and Shad means to sit. Therefore
‘Upanishad’ means sitting down near.
Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to
learn from him the secret doctrines.
According to Samkara, ‘Upanishad’ is
derived from the root word Sad which
means ‘to loosen’, ‘to reach’ or ‘to destroy’,
with Upa and ni as prefix; therefore
‘Upanishad’ means Brahma-Knowledge by
which ignorance is loosened or destroyed.
2. The number of Upanishads exceeds 200
though the Indian tradition puts it at 108.
There are 10 principal Upanishads.
However, some consider them to be more
than 10, while others 18.
3. The Vedanta meant originally the
Upanishads, though the word is now used
for the system of philosophy based on the
Upanishad. Literally, Vedanta means the end
of the Veda, Vedasua-antah, and the
conclusion as well as the goal of Vedas. The
Upanishads are the concluding portion of
the Vedas and chronologically they come at
the end of the Vedic period.
4. Some Pundits consider the Upanishads
to be more superior to the Vedas.
3. PURANAS:
Next in order of authenticity are the Puranas
which are the most widely read scriptures.
It is believed that the Puranas contain the
history of the creation of the universe,
history of the early Aryan tribes, life stories
of the divines and deities of the Hindus. It is
also believed that the Puranas are revealed
books like the Vedas, which were revealed
simultaneously with the Vedas or sometime
close to it.
Maharishi Vyasa has divided the Puranas
into 18 voluminous parts. He also arranged
the Vedas under various heads.
Chief among the Puranas is a book known as
Bhavishya Purana. It is called so because it
is believed to give an account of future
events. The Hindus consider it to be the
word of God. Maharishi yasa is considered
to be just the compiler of the book.
4. ITIHAAS:
The two epics of Hinduism are the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
A. Ramayana:
According to Ramanuja, the great scholar of
Ramayana, there are more than 300 different
types of Ramayana: Tulsidas Ramayana,
Kumbha Ramayana. Though the outline of
Ramayana is same, the details and contents
differ.
Valmiki’s Ramayana:
Unlike the Mahabharata, the Ramayana
appears to be the work of one person – the
sage Valmiki, who probably composed it in
the 3rd century BC. Its best-known
recension (by Tulsi Das, 1532-1623) consists
of 24,000 rhymed couplets of 16-syllable
lines organised into 7 books. The poem
incorporates many ancient legends and
draws on the sacred books of the Vedas. It
describes the efforts of Kosala’s heir, Rama,
to regain his throne and rescue his wife,
Sita, from the demon King of Lanka.
Valmiki's Ramayana is a Hindu epic tradition
whose earliest literary version is a Sanskrit
poem attributed to the sage Valmiki. Its
principal characters are said to present
ideal models of personal, familial, and
social behavior and hence are considered to
exemplify Dharma, the principle of moral
order.
B. Mahabharata:
The nucleus of the Mahabharata is the war
of eighteen days fought between the
Kauravas, the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra
and Pandavas, the five sons of Pandu. The
epic entails all the circumstances leading
upto the war. Involved in this Kurukshetra
battle were almost all the kings of India
joining either of the two parties. The result
of this war was the total annihilation of
Kauravas and their party. Yudhishthira, the
head of the Pandavas, became the sovereign
monarch of Hastinapura. His victory is
supposed to symbolise the victory of good
over evil. But with the progress of years,
new matters and episodes relating to the
various aspects of human life, social,
economic, political, moral and religious as
also fragments of other heroic legends came
to be added to the aforesaid nucleus and
this phenomenon continued for centuries
until it acquired the present shape. The
Mahabharata represents a whole literature
rather than one single and unified work, and
contains many multifarious things.
C. Bhagavad Gita:
Bhagavad Gita is a part of Mahabharata. It
is the advice given by Krishna to Arjun on
the battlefield of Kurukshetra. It contains the
essence of the Vedas and is the most
popular of all the Hindu Scriptures. It
contains 18 chapters.
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most widely
read and revered of the works sacred to the
Hindus. It is their chief devotional book, and
has been for centuries the principal source
of religious inspiration for many thousands
of Hindus.
The Gita is a dramatic poem, which forms a
small part of the larger epic, the
Mahabharata. It is included in the sixth book
(Bhismaparvan) of the Mahabaharata and
documents one tiny event in a huge epic
tale.
The Bhagavad Gita tells a story of a moral
crisis faced by Arjuna, which is solved
through the interaction between Arjuna, a
Pandava warrior hesitating before battle,
and Krishna, his charioteer and teacher. The
Bhagavad Gita relates a brief incident in the
main story of a rivalry and eventually a war
between two branches of a royal family. In
that brief incident - a pause on the
battlefield just as the battle is about to
begin - Krishna, one chief on one side (also
believed to be the Lord incarnate), is
presented as responding to the doubts of
Arjuna. The poem is the dialogue through
which Arjuna’s doubts were resolved by
Krishna’s teachings.
       ..............................
Sikhism:

INTRODUCTION

Sikhism is a non-Semitic, Aryan, non-Vedic religion. It is a religion that has the sixth largest following in the world. Some consider it as an offshoot of Hinduism. It was founded by Guru Nanak at the end of the 15th century. It originated in the area of Pakistan and North West India called Punjab, meaning the land of the five rivers. Guru Nanak was born in a Kshatriya (warrior caste) Hindu family but was very strongly influenced by Islam and Muslims.

DEFINITION OF SIKH AND SIKHISM

The word ‘Sikh’ is derived from the word sisya meaning disciple or follower. Sikhism is a religion of ten Gurus, the first Guru being Guru Nanak and the tenth and the last being Guru Gobind Singh. The sacred book of Sikhism is Sri Guru Granth also called Adi Granth Sahib.

THE FIVE – ‘K’s

Every Sikh is supposed to keep the following five ‘K’s, which also serve to identify him as a Sikh:

Kesh – uncut hair.

Kanga – comb; used to keep the hair clean.

Kada – metal or steel bangle; for strength and self-restraint.

Kirpan – dagger; for self-defence.

Kaccha – special knee length underwear or under-drawer for agility. 

CONCEPT OF GOD IN SIKHISM

MULMANTRA: THE FUNDAMENTAL CREED OF SIKHISM

The best definition that any Sikh can give regarding the concept of God in Sikhism is to quote the Mulmantra – the fundamental creed of Sikhism, which occurs at the beginning of Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

It is mentioned in Sri Guru Granth Sahib, volume 1 Japuji, the first verse:

"There exists but one God, who is called The True, The Creator, Free from fear and hate, Immortal, Not begotten, Self-Existent, Great and Compassionate."

Sikhism is a monotheistic Religion

Sikhism enjoins its followers to practise strict monotheism. It believes in only One Supreme God who is, in the unmanifest form, called Ek Omkara.

In the manifest form He is called Omkara and has several attributes such as:

Kartar – The Creator
Akal – The Eternal
Sattanama – The Holy Name
Sahib – The Lord
Parvardigar – The Cherisher
Rahim – The Merciful
Karim – The Benevolent

He is also called Wahe Guru – the One true God.

Besides Sikhism being strictly monotheistic, it also does not believe in Avataravada – the doctrine of incarnation. Almighty God does not incarnate Himself in what is known as Avatara. Sikhism is also strongly against idol worship.

Guru Nanak was influenced by Sant Kabir

Guru Nanak was influenced by the sayings of Sant Kabir so much that several chapters of Sri Guru Granth Sahib contain couplets of Sant Kabir.

One of the famous couplets of Sant Kabir is:

"Dukh mein sumirana sabh karein
Sukh mein karein na koya
Jo sukh mein sumirana karein
To dukh kaye hoye?"

"In times of trouble, God is remembered by all
But none remembers Him during peace and happiness.
If God is remembered in good times of happiness
Why should trouble occur?"

Compare this with the following verse of the Qur’an:

"When some trouble toucheth man,
He crieth unto his Lord,
Turning to Him in repentance:
But when He bestoweth
A favour upon him
As from Himself,
(Man) doth forget what he cried
And prayed for before,
And he doth set up
Rivals unto Allah."
[Al-Qur’an 39:8]

The Sikh scriptures therefore emphasise monotheism and God-consciousness

          ...................................

 Atheism:

CONGRATULATING AN ATHEIST Normally, when I meet an atheist, the first thing I like to do is to congratulate him and say, " My special congratulations to you", because most of the people who believe in God are doing blind belief - he is a Christian, because his father is a Christian; he is a Hindu, because his father is a Hindu; the majority of the people in the world are blindly following the religion of their fathers. An atheist, on the other hand, even though he may belong to a religious family, uses his intellect to deny the existence of God; what ever concept or qualities of God he may have learnt in his religion may not seem to be logical to him. My Muslim brothers may question me, "Zakir, why are you congratulating an atheist?" The reason that I am congratulating an atheist is because he agrees with the first part of the Shahada i.e. the Islamic Creed, ‘La ilaaha’ - meaning ‘there is no God’. So half my job is already done; now the only part left is ‘il lallah’ i.e. ‘BUT ALLAH’ which I shall do Insha Allah. With others (who are not atheists) I have to first remove from their minds the wrong concept of God they may have and then put the correct concept of one true God. LOGICAL CONCEPT OF GOD  My first question to the atheist will be: "What is the definition of God?" For a person to say there is no God, he should know what is the meaning of God. If I hold a book and say that ‘this is a pen’, for the opposite person to say, ‘it is not a pen’, he should know what is the definition of a pen, even if he does not know nor is able to recognise or identify the object I am holding in my hand. For him to say this is not a pen, he should at least know what a pen means. Similarly for an atheist to say ‘there is no God’, he should at least know the concept of God. His concept of God would be derived from the surroundings in which he lives. The god that a large number of people worship has got human qualities - therefore he does not believe in such a god. Similarly a Muslim too does not and should not believe in such false gods. If a non-Muslim believes that Islam is a merciless religion with something to do with terrorism; a religion which does not give rights to women; a religion which contradicts science; in his limited sense that non-Muslim is correct to reject such Islam. The problem is he has a wrong picture of Islam. Even I reject such a false picture of Islam, but at the same time, it becomes my duty as a Muslim to present the correct picture of Islam to that non-Muslim i.e. Islam is a merciful religion, it gives equal rights to the women, it is not incompatible with logic, reason and science; if I present the correct facts about Islam, that non-Muslim may Inshallah accept Islam. Similarly the atheist rejects the false gods and the duty of every Muslim is to present the correct concept of God which he shall Insha Allah not refuse. (You may refer to my article, ‘Concept of God in Islam’, for more details) QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE  The methods of proving the existence of God with usage of the material provided in the ‘Concept of God in Islam’ to an atheist may satisfy some but not all. Many atheists demand a scientific proof for the existence of God. I agree that today is the age of science and technology. Let us use scientific knowledge to kill two birds with one stone, i.e. to prove the existence of God and simultaneously prove that the Qur’an is a revelation of God. If a new object or a machine, which no one in the world has ever seen or heard of before, is shown to an atheist or any person and then a question is asked, " Who is the first person who will be able to provide details of the mechanism of this unknown object? After little bit of thinking, he will reply, ‘the creator of that object.’ Some may say ‘the producer’ while others may say ‘the manufacturer.’ What ever answer the person gives, keep it in your mind, the answer will always be either the creator, the producer, the manufacturer or some what of the same meaning, i.e. the person who has made it or created it. Don’t grapple with words, whatever answer he gives, the meaning will be same, therefore accept it. SCIENTIFIC FACTS MENTIONED IN THE QUR’AN: for details on this subject please refer to my book, ‘THE QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE – COMPATIBLE OR INCOMPATIBLE? THEORY OF PROBABILITY  In mathematics there is a theory known as ‘Theory of Probability’. If you have two options, out of which one is right, and one is wrong, the chances that you will chose the right one is half, i.e. one out of the two will be correct. You have 50% chances of being correct. Similarly if you toss a coin the chances that your guess will be correct is 50% (1 out of 2) i.e. 1/2. If you toss a coin the second time, the chances that you will be correct in the second toss is again 50% i.e. half. But the chances that you will be correct in both the tosses is half multiplied by half (1/2 x 1/2) which is equal to 1/4 i.e. 50% of 50% which is equal to 25%. If you toss a coin the third time, chances that you will be correct all three times is (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2) that is 1/8 or 50% of 50% of 50% that is 12½%. A dice has got six sides. If you throw a dice and guess any number between 1 to 6, the chances that your guess will be correct is 1/6. If you throw the dice the second time, the chances that your guess will be correct in both the throws is (1/6 x 1/6) which is equal to 1/36. If you throw the dice the third time, the chances that all your three guesses are correct is (1/6 x 1/6 x 1/6) is equal to 1/216 that is less than 0.5 %. Let us apply this theory of probability to the Qur’an, and assume that a person has guessed all the information that is mentioned in the Qur’an which was unknown at that time. Let us discuss the probability of all the guesses being simultaneously correct. At the time when the Qur’an was revealed, people thought the world was flat, there are several other options for the shape of the earth. It could be triangular, it could be quadrangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, octagonal, spherical, etc. Lets assume there are about 30 different options for the shape of the earth. The Qur’an rightly says it is spherical, if it was a guess the chances of the guess being correct is 1/30. The light of the moon can be its own light or a reflected light. The Qur’an rightly says it is a reflected light. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/2 and the probability that both the guesses i.e the earth is spherical and the light of the moon is reflected light is 1/30 x 1/2 = 1/60. Further, the Qur’an also mentions every living thing is made of water. Every living thing can be made up of either wood, stone, copper, aluminum, steel, silver, gold, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, oil, water, cement, concrete, etc. The options are say about 10,000. The Qur’an rightly says that everything is made up of water. If it is a guess, the chances that it will be correct is 1/10,000 and the probability of all the three guesses i.e. the earth is spherical, light of moon is reflected light and everything is created from water being correct is 1/30 x 1/2 x 1/10,000 = 1/60,000 which is equal to about .0017%. The Qur’an speaks about hundreds of things that were not known to men at the time of its revelation. Only in three options the result is .0017%. I leave it upto you, to work out the probability if all the hundreds of the unknown facts were guesses, the chances of all of them being correct guesses simultaneously and there being not a single wrong guess. It is beyond human capacity to make all correct guesses without a single mistake, which itself is sufficient to prove to a logical person that the origin of the Qur’an is Divine. CREATOR IS THE AUTHOR OF THE QUR’AN  The only logical answer to the question as to who could have mentioned all these scientific facts 1400 years ago before they were discovered, is exactly the same answer initially given by the atheist or any person, to the question who will be the first person who will be able to tell the mechanism of the unknown object. It is the ‘CREATOR’, the producer, the Manufacturer of the whole universe and its contents. In the English language He is ‘God’, or more appropriate in the Arabic language, ‘ALLAH’. QUR’AN IS A BOOK OF SIGNS AND NOT SCIENCE  Let me remind you that the Qur’an is not a book of Science, ‘S-C-I-E-N-C-E’ but a book of Signs ‘S-I-G-N-S’ i.e. a book of ayaats. The Qur’an contains more than 6,000 ayaats, i.e. ‘signs’, out of which more than a thousand speak about Science. I am not trying to prove that the Qur’an is the word of God using scientific knowledge as a yard stick because any yardstick is supposed to be more superior than what is being checked or verified. For us Muslims the Qur’an is the Furqan i.e. criteria to judge right from wrong and the ultimate yardstick which is more superior to scientific knowledge. But for an educated man who is an atheist, scientific knowledge is the ultimate test which he believes in. We do know that science many a times takes ‘U’ turns, therefore I have restricted the examples only to scientific facts which have sufficient proof and evidence and not scientific theories based on assumptions. Using the ultimate yardstick of the atheist, I am trying to prove to him that the Qur’an is the word of God and it contains the scientific knowledge which is his yardstick which was discovered recently, while the Qur’an was revealed 1400 year ago. At the end of the discussion, we both come to the same conclusion that God though superior to science, is not incompatible with it. SCIENCE IS ELIMINATING MODELS OF GOD BUT NOT GOD  Francis Bacon, the famous philosopher, has rightly said that a little knowledge of science makes man an atheist, but an in-depth study of science makes him a believer in God. Scientists today are eliminating models of God, but they are not eliminating God. If you translate this into Arabic, it is La illaha illal la, There is no god, (god with a small ‘g’ that is fake god) but God (with a capital ‘G’). Surah Fussilat: "Soon We will show them our signs in the (farthest) regions (of the earth), and in their own souls, until it becomes manifest to them that this is the Truth. Is it not enough that thy Lord doth witness all things?" [Al-Quran 41:53]