Ambassadors of Islam

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Umm Haram bint Milhan, a Sahabiya, (a companion of the Prophet) was married to Ubadah ibn as-Samit Ansari. Along with her husband she undertook several trips to foreign countries. Now her grave is in Cyprus, and is called the grave of the pious woman (Hayat As-Sahaba 1/592). The grave of Khalid ibn al-Walid, who was born in Mecca, is in Hims (Syria).

The same is the case with the majority of the Companions of the Prophet. At the time of the Prophet’s demise, his companions numbered more than one hundred thousand. However it is worth noting that if you go to Mecca and Medina you will find only a small number of graves there. The reason for this is that these companions left Arabia and spread to various countries far and beyond its borders. The majority of them breathed their last in various Asian and African countries, where their graves still exist.

Why did this happen? It was because during his last days the Prophet gathered his companions together in the mosque in Medina and addressed them in these words: God has sent me as his messenger for the entire world. So you do not differ with one another. And spread in the land and communicate my message to people inhabiting other places besides Arabia. (Seerat Ibn Hisham 4/279).

It was this injunction of the Prophet that led to the Sahaba (companions of the Prophet) settling in foreign lands. In those countries either did business or earned their living by hard work, all the while communicating to their non-Muslim compatriots the message of monotheism which they had received from the Prophet. Every one of them thus became a virtual ambassador of Islam. This resulted in Islam spreading across the globe. Its evidence can still be seen in the inhabited world of that time.

I feel history is repeating itself in modern times. New circumstances, produced in the wake of industrial revolution, have resulted in Muslims leaving their homelands to spread all over the world. Today, whichever part of the globe you visit, you will find Muslims there. Mosques and Islamic institutions have come up everywhere. Muslims have settled in these countries either for work or for business. However, in respect of their religion, their actual position is that of Islam’s representatives. It is as if each one of them is an ambassador of God. Now the need of the hour is to awaken the missionary spirit in these Muslims settled in foreign lands, so that they may effectively communicate the message of Islam—a task of universal magnitude made incumbent upon them by their new sets of circumstances.

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Da‘wah Activism

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

I received a letter dated December 31, 1995 by fax from Birmingham written by Shamshad Mohammad Khan, Secretary, Islamic Propagation Centre International, 481 Coventry Road, Birmingham, B10 0JS, UK, Tel. 0121-7730137, Fax: 0121-7668577.

This letter, seeking authoritative guidance on the nature and purpose of missionary activism, or da‘wah activism of Islam, is recorded, below along with our reply to it.

The Notes Received from Birmingham:
Birmingham has been the scene of various developments in recent times. We are therefore in need of your guidance in this regard. On the one hand, there is the campaign of al-Khilafah, its members being hard core extremists. I am faxing two leaflets of this movement for your kind perusal. They teach their extremist philosophy to our students as well, that is why they have been expelled from colleges and universities. In some cases, curbs are being placed also on Muslim societies organized by our students.

Besides, we fear for obstacles being created here between local people and da‘is. Therefore, I would request you to publish an article or a pamphlet with some such title as: "Moral Code of Conduct for Muslims Living in Non-Muslims Lands."

We do not want any direct confrontation with these extremists. However, if we are able to communicate the message to the people, it will be very beneficial and opportune to do so. Perhaps some material is available on how the Sahabah led their lives during the time of the Prophet when a group of Sahabah had taken asylum in Abyssinia.The members of al-Khilafa insist on not forming any friendly relationship either with Jews or Christians, as they claim their stand has express commandments in support of it.

It is clear that their claim, out of context, is unsubstantiated as the Qur’an has even allowed Muslims to enter into matrimony with them, as per verse 5:50. They also hold that the law of God deserves more importance and respect than the law of the land. Therefore, we should not insure our cars, etc., as it is un-Islamic.

It is clear that such activities as they are engaged in are not going to yield any good result.

Shamshad M. Khan, Birmingham

Islamic Activism:
Islam is a way of life. Its philosophy demands that man not only follow it in his personal life, but that he also communicate it to others. In this respect, Islam, as well as being a personal matter, assumes the character of a universal mission.

Now what is the correct way to communicate this message of Islam to others? That is, what in effect is Islamic activism? Islamic activism means da‘wah activism, which entails a total avoidance of confrontation and a strict adherence to persuasion as a means of carrying conviction. This concept of Islamic activism is clearly laid down in the Qur’an and Hadith, the principle of which has been described in the Qur’an is these words:

Therefore give warning. Your duty is only to warn them: you are not their keeper. (88: 21-22).

This shows that the responsibility of the people of Islam, or the target of the Islamic mission is not a mere matter of the practical implementation of the Islamic system. It is rather a question of making people aware of the message of Islam whilst we ourselves remain within a sphere of tranquillity and pacifism. While it is the responsibility of the preacher of Islam to communicate the message, it is the responsibility of the mad‘u whether to accept or reject that message.The same point has been made in the hadith. Whenever the Prophet Muhammad had before him two options, he almost always chose the easier one. (Al-Bukhari). To most problems, there are generally two or more solutions, some easier of execution, some harder. According to a hadith, the way of the Prophet was to opt for the easiest course.It is clear then that in social matters, persuasion is an easier course to adopt than that of clash and confrontation. It should be emphasized that this does not indicate a preference for facility. What it does indicate is a deliberate avoidance of the impracticable in favor of the practicable and sustainable. That is why, on all fronts, it is the policy of Islam to adopt the course which is comparatively easier.In present times, it has been accepted throughout the world that striving towards worthy goals by peaceful methods is a fundamental human right. Conversely, there is no instance in which violence is justifiable. It follows then that the Islamic method is that of confining oneself totally to the peaceful sphere and using the approved, peaceful means of the time, for the use of violence for the attainment of social and religious goals will be held to be un-Islamic.So far as khilafat, or the political system of Islam is concerned, this is a conditional, not an absolute injunction. Engaging in war and violence in order to establish it is in no way sanctioned in Islam. This is because, whenever violent activism is resorted to, it will clash with the existing system, which will, in turn, resort to force in order to suppress the movement. In this way, what had earlier been a lesser evil will now assume the proportions of a greater evil.

Moreover, head-on collisions will prove to be the ruination of all the means and resources used so profitably into he peaceful sphere. All such moves, in the words of the Qur’an, will amount to "committing evil in the land." (2:205). Measures of this nature, far from being Islamic activities, are little better than crimes.

It must be stressed that the political system of Islam invariably establishes itself by the consent of the public rather than by force; coercion is neither possible nor desirable.

According to the Qur’an, starting a war, regardless of the circumstances, is unlawful (13:9). War in Islam is only for defense, never for aggression (2:190). Furthermore, even if any group wants actively to engage in hostilities, all efforts will still be made to avoid this course of action. Even defensive war in Islam is allowed only when the aggressive behavior of an antagonist has left the believer no option but to fight.

Whether Muslims live in a Muslim or a non-Muslim country, they have to abide by the law and the constitution of that country. Violating the law and the constitution of the country, or involving oneself in illegal activism in the name of Islam is in no way lawful for a Muslim. The limit of the law sets the limit to our activities, and when that limit is reached, our only option is patience, not clash and confrontation, which would mean breaking the law.

Muslims living in a non-Muslim country, i.e. one in which a non-Muslim majority has established its non-political system, have the moral status of having entered into an unwritten contract guaranteeing their good behavior, and this should be as binding upon them as a written contract. Thus it is incumbent upon Muslims living in such countries to abide by the law of the land and comply with all other rules and regulations. On no pretext whatsoever is the breaking of rules a lawful course for Muslims to take.

In every Muslim country, there are a constitution and a legal system. This constitution and set of laws distinguish between what is lawful and what is unlawful. Whenever a Muslim enters a country, he becomes subject to its legal system. So that between that Muslim and the country of his adoption, there must be a tacit agreement that he will abide by the system of the country in letter and spirit. Under no circumstances will he violate it, either overtly or covertly.commandments in relation to his personal Muslims residing in a non-Muslim country have only one of two options—either they live there in total obedience to the law of the land, or, in the case of disagreement, they leave the country without public protest or demonstration. The third option, remaining in residence there, but flouting the law is non-Islamic conduct and legally untenable. Those who favor this third alternative are criminals according to Islamic principles, and will certainly merit God’s punishment in the Hereafter.If, as a result of legal infringement, a clash with the system ensues, this will not fall into the category of defense, but will be considered a criminal act. In such matters, the Shari‘ah ordains that Muslims end the conflict by unilateral surrender, rather than call it defense and continue to combat the system.

In short, true Islamic activism is only that which is achieved through da‘wah and carried out in the names da‘wah .

The only struggle which deserves divine succor is one which is peaceful and conducted in true da‘wah style. No struggle carried on in any other manner can be crowned with success in this world of God, even if it goes by the name of Islamic, or Qur’anic activism.

According to the Qur’an, the true mission of Muslims is to be witnesses to the truth. Those who rise to this task will be entitled to divine succour. When God Himself has linked success and succor to da‘wah and bearing testimony, how can the Islamic mission be achieved in any other way? It must be remembered that God comes to the assistance of those who tread the path of God—a unique path of struggle based on the principle of da‘wah .

If an individual feels that the system of an established government is not to his liking, and he does not even want to engage in peaceful da‘wah work, he may opt, in the light of the Shar‘iah, not for jihad but for hijrah—emigration. It is impermissible for him to make his dislike for the system an excuse for attacking it. What he must do instead is separate himself, as far as possible, from that system.There are two forms of this separation or Hijrah. One is emigration in terms of leaving the place. The other is emigration in terms of moving from one arena to another. The latter entails removing oneself from the field of politics and committing oneself to non-political pursuits, while the former means leaving the country altogether and settling elsewhere.

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Da‘wah Explosion

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The battle of Cesmi is a significant event in the history of the Turkish caliphate. In this battle, fought in July 1770, the Ottoman naval establishment was destroyed by a Russian fleet at the harbor of Cesmi on the Aegean sea. (13/784)

A few years later, in May 1799, the British forces defeated and killed the Muslim ruler Tipu Sultan of South India. This was the beginning of the end. Subsequently, the European Christian nations conquered, directly or indirectly, all of the Muslim countries one after the other, thus establishing their own political supremacy.

Now, at this stage, the entire Muslim world reverberated with the call of jihad which was considered to be the only solution to its problems. It was felt that it was only by following this path that Muslims could regain their lost political power and glory. Therefore, the process of jihad (in the sense of militancy) was set in motion everywhere. It was a kind of explosion, the impact of which was felt all over the Muslim world. This militant jihad is still being pursued in different regions in one form or the other.

Now in the last quarter of the 20th century another revolution has occurred, but on a vaster scale. Over the last few years there has been a rapid spread of D''''awah work. In any town or country, wherever you go you will witness D'awah activity. Its increase has been so great that it would not be an exaggeration to call it a Dawah explosion.

Now let us compare the d'awah of the last twenty years to the jihad of 200 years. You will find a significant difference between the two so far as the result is concerned. During this prolonged and all-out war Muslims unilaterally brought down destruction upon themselves. Even after political defeat Muslims had had great resources at their disposal. But now they have lost all these in the process of continuing militancy.

On the other hand, Muslims have lost nothing in D'awah work. In fact, there have been positive gains, for every day and everywhere people are leaving their flawed, imperfectly preserved religions to enter the fold of Islam, which has been preserved in its pristine form. This is plain for all to see. A glance at the journal Al-Ilamul Islami issued from Mecca, will suffice to prove this statement.

This D'awah explosion has been so sudden that it seems as though set in motion by God Himself. This is an all-encompassing movement in which both sincere as well insincere people are taking part. Even non-Muslims are playing their part in carrying this mission forward at a great speed. Both Muslims as well as non-Muslims are publishing Islamic literature on a large scale, and Islamic conferences are being held by non-Muslims as well as by Muslims. Big institutions are being established for this purpose. This is a historical process in which even anti-Islamic elements such as Salman Rushdie have also had a hand. It is because this age is marked by the spirit of enquiry. This is why, when the opponents of Islam publish a book against Islam, they inadvertently awaken the desire in millions of people to make a thorough study of the subject.

The truth is that the D'awah explosion is no simple matter. It is a historical process which started at the proper time, as predicted by the Prophet, so that with the approach of Doomsday, the message of Islam would be brought by God to every home. It seems quite obvious that this process has been set in motion according to the prediction. First of all, propitious circumstances have been produced towards this end. For instance, modern communications; the urge to study different religions; freedom of religious expression; commercial value in religion etc. By creating such a variety of favorable conditions, God has Himself arranged for the successful outcome of D'awah work. This is a historical process which will keep advancing on its own. It will be our great good fortune to become a conscious part of it thus securing for ourselves the blessings of Allah. While others are working for it under the pressure of historical process, we must perform this noble task by our own conscious decision.

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Islam: The Ideological Super Power

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Muslims number more than one billion today. If you go round the world to study the minds of Muslims inhabiting various regions you will probably come to the conclusion that Muslims all over the world share the feeling that the history of Islam had reached an impasse. Despite enormous sacrifices no way out is in sight.

It is our firm belief that Islam offers guidance at all times and in all situations. Therefore it must certainly be able to offer us a clear guidance as regards the present state of affairs. I must say that it does exist in a very clear form. The history of Islam provides us two very clear examples of bringing into play the da‘wah power of Islam.

1. The first guiding example recorded in the early period of Islamic history is that of Sulh-e-Hudaybiyya. As we all know, the Prophet of Islam was compelled to migrate from Mecca to Medina. The majority of Muslims followed him Consequently Medina became a center of Muslims. However, afterwards the event took a more serious turn. The opponent of Islam now started armed onslaughts against the Muslims. Yet after several full scale wars and so many minor armed conflicts the balance failed to tip on any side. Apparently the history of Islam reached an impasse.

At this critical juncture, according to the Qur’an, the Prophet of Islam was shown the straight path in this matter (48:3-4). This straight path was to create a conducive atmosphere for peaceful da‘wah work by ceasing armed conflicts altogether. Accordingly the Prophet in the 19th year of his prophethood entered into a peace treaty with his Arab opponents. This step put an end to the state of war. This event is referred to in the history of Islam as Sulh-e-Hudaybiyya. This peace treaty diverted the field of encounter between Islam and its rivals from the battlefield to Da‘wah field.

This peaceful activism brought incredibly revolutionary results.

The power of peace proved itself far superior to the power of war. This treaty rendered a widespread interaction between Muslims and the opposing group possible in normal atmosphere. In this way the peace treaty cleared the path for the direct propagation of Islam to take place. The opponents came to accept Islam in great numbers, ultimately the numerical power alone sufficed for the victory of Islam.

According to Imam al-Zuhari, Sulh-e-Hudaybiyya was the greatest victory in the history of Islam. Prior to this whenever Muslims and their rivals encountered one another fighting ensued. But after the reconciliation the state of war ended and peace prevailed. Now they began meeting one another in normal, tension-free atmosphere. This interaction naturally led to an exchange of ideas. When someone heard anything of Islam and found it appealing, he would go in, without fail, to enter into the fold of Islam. That is why after a mere two years of Sulh-e-Hudaybiyya such large number of people entered the fold of Islam as had never happened before (Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah Vol. 4, p. 170).

This great increase in term of numbers resulted in making Islam a religion of majority in Arabia, this greatly facilitated its dominance throughout the land.

2. The second well known example of the caravan of Islam having reaching an impasse concerns the first half of the thirteenth century with the emergence of the brute force of the Tartars. They were able to destroy the Muslim power almost completely. It seemed as though the journey of Islam has once again reached an impasse, finding no way out for its further advancement.

At exactly that point in time the ideological power of Islam made its appearance. Muslims being in no position to take up arms to encounter them, diverted their field of action by silently engaging themselves in peaceful da‘wah work among the victorious Tartars. This act of da‘wah verified the dictum of the Qur’an that through da‘wah the opponents of Islam will become its supporters and friends (41:34).

The historians have acknowledged this event in quite clear terms. Philip K. Hitti, for instance, remarks, in his famous book The History of the Arabs:

"The religion of the Muslims had conquered where their arms had failed" (p. 488)

3. Now in the twentieth century the history of Islam has once again apparently reached an impasse. Our enormous amount of sacrifices have yet to succeed in taking the caravan of Islam forward.

According to al-Imam Malik the state of affairs of Muslim Ummah will be reformed by following the same course of action as were followed by the Muslims of the first phase to rectify their matters. In the light of this remark it can be safely said that we must once again opt for this tested method of the past. We must take such steps as put an end to the hostile situation prevailing between Muslims and non-Muslims. This would result in peaceful interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims in a normal situation. Hudaybiyya symbolizes the greatness of the power of peace as against the power of war. Today once again we need to follow this course of action.

As soon as this happens, the ideological power of Islam will appear to its full force-- which is undoubtedly eternally invincible. Afterwards the virtues of Islam will begin reaching people automatically through exchange and interaction. Then it will also be possible to perform da‘wah work properly. Under the influence of their own nature people will start joining the ranks of Islam. And there is no doubt about it that the greatest strength for any group consists in its manpower.

Muslims can be weakened and subjugated at any point in time. But Islam is an ideological superpower forever. It has the capacity to conquer the greatest power on earth through da‘wah. It is the need of the hour to produce conducive conditions, on a universal scale. It is necessary to bring into play the ideological power of Islam in order that da‘wah work could be set in motion in the full sense of the word. And then certainly Islam will emerge as the dominant and conquering force, and Muslims of the world too will receive their place of honor and glory along with Islam.

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The Master Key

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

An article in an Arabic magazine headlined Al-Miftahul Azim (Master Key), citing dawah power as the greatest of all Islamic strengths, says that if in the past, Islam achieved its universal victories through dawah, today, it can turn its defeats into victories by the same method.

Dawah is very much under discussion these days among Muslim writers and speakers. Its exponents, however, spend more time unraveling the plots and conspiracies hatched against them by non-Muslim nations than in practicing what they preach. That is to say that, on the one hand, they exhort Muslims to assume the role of da’is while, on the other hand, they assure them with great vehemence that as far as the Muslims are concerned, all the nations of the world have turned into rapacious wolves and, as such, must be fought against and annihilated.

Both these utterances are made in the same breath, without any awareness of their contradictory nature, the one spelling peace and the other spelling war. And who are these nations who, day in and day out, are labeled oppressors and conspirators? They are those very non-Muslim nations who are the potential recipients of dawah. They are our mad’us. The Muslims are the da’is and their neighboring nations are the mad’us. Now, when da’is are constantly having it bored into them that the mad’u is a cruel predator, there can be no arousal of any sincere missionary spirit as described in the Qur’an: the da’is is truly a well-wisher of his mad’u.

Dawah is wholly an experience of love. The da‘i must be fully committed to guiding his mad’u. Only then can the process of dawah be meaningful. The da’is must ignore the antagonism and combativeness of the mad’u; he must erase all adverse impressions of the mad’u from his heart, so that he may spontaneously begin praying for the mad’u’s guidance.

People talk of dawah without ever realizing its prerequisites. They want the credit for being da’is without ever fulfilling its demands. They want the credit for communicating the divine message to man without paying the price for it.

This is true not only of the weak Muslim minority in non-Muslim countries, but also of the Muslim majority living in Muslim countries. The only difference between these two categories is that the former have endless grievances against the local non-Muslim authorities, while the latter blame their woes on international non-Muslim powers such as the Jews, Christians, Orientalists, and so on.

In Islam, the most important consideration of all is dawah. All other considerations, no matter how serious and important they may be, can be legitimately passed over in its favor. The Sunnah of the Prophet gives such clear guidelines on this subject as leaves no doubt in the mind of a lover of Truth.

Shortly before his migration to Madina, the Prophet visited Ta’if. There, scorned by the inhabitants, he was subjected to the worst kind of humiliations details of which can be had from Sirah books. The Prophet later told his wife, Aishah, that he had never had a harder day than the one in Ta’if. It was when the Prophet left Ta’if in great grief and sorrow that he was visited by the angel of the mountains at God’s command. He said to the Prophet, "God has heard what your people had said to you. I am the angel of the mount. If you ask me I can crush their settlement by these mountains". The Prophet replied, "No, I am still hopeful that there will arise people among their following generations who will worship God without associating anything with Him." (As-Sirah an-Nabawiyya li Ibn Kathir vol. II, p. 153).

It is quite plain that dawah is the master key. But it takes a great heart to make use of it. It takes a character of the utmost sublimity—khuluqin azim, as it is described in the Qur’an. Only those who possess such qualities can recognize and utilize such opportunities as come their way.

God has made dawah the master key for believers for all time. Whatever the Muslims gained in the first phase of Islamic history was through dawah. Any future gains will likewise be through dawah, for the revolution brought about by the Prophet and his companions in world history is still making its impact. It has facilitated the process of dawah and invested them with great power. It is still the super key to meaningful achievement in the world of religion.

In modern times, the latest methods of communication have provided new avenues for the propagation of Islam. But even more important is the development of various branches of scientific research which have quite finally established the veracity of Islam. What was formerly achieved by our predecessors in circumstances fraught with great difficulty because of poor, or non-existent communications, and a lack of scientific proofs, can now be accomplished with comparative ease.

Dawah is certainly the master key for believers. But it will prove to be so only when true Islamic prerequisites are kept in mind.

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Missing Zeal

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The Holy Prophet commenced his mission in Mecca with the determination to convey the word of God to mankind at all costs. But there were many in Mecca who became antagonistic to him and his cause, and in the first twelve years of his Prophethood there, it appeared that the history of Islam would end at its starting-point in Mecca. Then, quite unlocked for opportunities were created for the Prophet and his followers to emigrate to Medina and to carry on their mission there.

This new direction which his missionary activities took was the direct result of the efforts made by the Muslims to preach the word of God in Medina. In this, the Prophet, aided by his companions, was zealous in following the injunction: "Apostle, proclaim what is revealed to you from your Lord" and in heeding the admonition: "...if you do not, you will surely fail to convey his message." It was their earnest belief in the last part of this injunction: "God will protect you from all men," which gave them the courage to carry on (5:67). This message to the Prophet, recorded in the Qur’an, was spread to the whole Muslim community, that is, that Muslims can only earn God’s protection on earth if they communicate the word of God.

It is related in biographies of the Prophet, that the Muslims who went from Mecca to Medina were so unflagging in their efforts to propagate Islam, that "there was not a house belonging to the Ansar (the inhabitants of Medina) in which there were no Muslim men and women.

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Patience and Da‘wah

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The moral character of the da'i must be marked by patience. It takes patience to wait for the right opportunities for dawah work to arise, and it also takes patience for the right sets of conditions to be created. Those who are unwilling to remain patient in the face of ignorance obduracy and unpleasantness can never fulfill the true calling of the da'i.

Sir James Jeans, the renowned English scientist, once stated in the foreword to a book he had written on physics and philosophy in 1941, that the scientific study of the universe had led us to the point where it seemed to suggest that "the door may be unlocked, only if we could find the handle." (p. 16)

This notion was put into words by this English scientist at a time when Muslims the world over, provoked at the domination of English, were waging bloody war against them. When the Muslims looked at the English, they saw in them only hateful enemies. Had they displayed patience — even only temporarily — at their political domination, they would very soon have discovered that the "handle" the English sought to the door of Reality, was already available to Muslims in the form of the Qur’an.

With this knowledge their entire attitude towards the English would have drastically changed. Soon they would have come to regard the English as their mad'u (congregation) and not as rivals. And then instead of praying for their doom they would have prayed for their guidance, and reformation. As their well-wishers they would have told them that what they (the English) required to reach the destination of reality had already been sent by God in the form of the Qur’an.

Patience is the necessary condition of da'wah — where there is no patience there can certainly be no da'wah.

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A Purposeful Creation

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Why was this world made? Why was man born into this world? Why, after a certain period of time, does he pass away? What will happen after death? These are the most important questions concerning the origins and fate of mankind, and they should never be far from people’s minds. Finding the correct answers to these questions has always been one of man’s most important quests.

Pondered over for thousands of years, these questions have been variously answered by different people. However, these answers can be placed in two broad categories: one, which holds the great array of wonders in this world to be purposeless, and the other, which asserts that man was created with a purpose and that he has a definite goal.

While the first view tends to be subscribed to by poets, philosophers and secular scholars, the second view is firmly upheld by that very special class of beings called prophets, or messengers of God. The most authentic testament to the second view has been provided by the Prophet Muhammad.

Many arguments can be put forward in support of the answers in both of these categories. It is very obvious, however, that the notion of purposelessness is not in keeping with the structure of life and universe. The idea, on the other hand, of purposeful creation, falls exactly into place, for the simple reason that it contains no inherent contradictions.

The world into which man is born is fraught with significance. There is nothing which is of a meaningless or random nature. It is quite unthinkable that man, with his meaningful life, born into a meaningful universe, should find no purpose in creation. Where there is meaningfulness, there will, of necessity, be purposefulness. This aspect of the universe is a clear verification of the Prophet’s answer.

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Human Tragedy

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The reality of life is sadly reflected in one of the sayings of the Jewish leader, Abba Eban (b. 1915). "Men and nations do the sensible thing only after they have exhausted all other options." (Liberty’s Nation)

It is true that no individual or group seems willing to act seriously or sensibly unless and until all irrational and superficial options have failed.

Our world is marred by injustice and dishonesty and all kinds of atrocities at both the individual as well as the communal level. This is because people feel free to do as they please quite unfettered by moral considerations. The wrongdoers renounce such ways only when there is no other option. The freedom—which they abuse—has been given to mankind, because our world is a testing place. And on Doomsday, all without exception will be called to account for how they have used the freedom. If they have ignored and denied the truth in this world, they shall be obliged to accept it on the Day of Reckoning, because all of their options will have run out and subterfuge and pleas for mercy will be of no avail; by that time it will be too late either to beg for forgiveness or to attempt to make amends.

Why do people wait until they are forced to submit to the truth? If one accepts the truth because one is forced to, one’s acceptance has no value. Why again do people wait until they are forced to treat others with justice? Being just to others because one is forced to is likewise an action bereft of honor or human kindness.

Why wait until we are on the brink of Doomsday before we act with human concern for individuals and a proper respect for society? Why wait until the Day of Judgement before we act as bidden in the Qur’an, as honest, upright, responsible individuals?

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Why Did I Embrace Islam?

By Muhammad Nazeeh Khalid

I was born in the city of Mansoorah in the Arab Republic of Egypt in an ordinary Christian family in which religion had not much significance. We did not go to Church except on festive and ceremonial occasions. As far as we were concerned, religion did not mean anything more than rites which we observed, when necessary, even though we did not understand the language in which these rites were conducted. Despite our not grasping what they meant, the rest of my family was deep in the blind fanaticism of the ignorant, who fear the loss of a thing even though they do not know its value. As for myself I never had such feelings even for a single moment. I found the services so tedious that I never sat through them to their conclusion. I was plagued by boredom and unease. I felt sure that I was not meant to be one of them. I felt a total stranger in this place full of pictures, icons and statues like the temples of the idolaters of yore. Then I turned to reading with inexhaustible greed and enthusiasm, which stimulated my faculties and sharpened my feelings.

Questions began to strike my mind like a spade striking virgin land to prepare it for the sowing of good seeds to bring forth delicious fruits. It was at this time that doubt arose within me about the religion to which I was born, violently and extensively shattering my frame of mind. My heart rejected emotionally and my mind denied logically the idea that Almighty God could appear in the tangible form of a man and come down to the earth and permit sinners to beat him, to spit on his face, and ultimately to torture and crucify him (according to the Christian claim), even if it was to exonerate them from the fault of their father Adam, as the Christians argue. As for the belief that God has three entities, this too I refused to admit as true, because God is one and only one and He has no compare. As for the doctrine of the trinity, it must ultimately lead to a division of the entity of God Himself, whose glory is far above such a misconception. Such beliefs are the fundamentals of Christianity, viz., the divinity of Jesus Christ, his crucifixion as an atonement for humanity, and the Trinity—the Father, the Son and The Holy Ghost. I banished these beliefs totally from the domain of my thinking; expelled them from my mind; and struck them off the register of my beliefs and conviction. I thus discarded all false and misleading beliefs.

They say that it is not possible to acquire sound belief through wisdom, because it is too sublime to be within the reach of the human mind. I, on my part, am fully convinced that if we use our intellect rightly, refined of the turbidity of passion and pre-conceived, ready-made ideologies, we can surely find a wealth of firm and unshakable Faith in Allah and in His supreme might and ability, before Whose dazzling signs one has no alternative but to surrender in humility and helplessness. Thus did I cross over the mountains of doubt of firm belief: the true religion of Allah which is Islam.

REVEALED RELIGIONS

I studied the revealed religions as well as the non-revealed cults, like Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, etc. In some I found traces of high morals and philosophy of the sort to guide man to ideal conduct. But when it comes to formulating a definition of Allah, they go too far either by supposing many gods, each of them entrusted with the management of one specific department of the affairs of the world, or by presenting Allah in tangible form, resembling very closely the forms and shapes of earthly creatures. These gods indulge both in serious activities and in vengeful pranks, express anger, eat and drink, and generally behave as mortals do.

As for Islam, it is the religion of nature. Almighty Allah has purified it of all material and tangible forms, and raised it to the highest degree of spiritualism and purity. Islam confirms that Allah possesses, will, wisdom, discretion, knowledge and authority. According to Islam, Allah beautiful names are attributes which cannot be separated from His Being under any circumstances. It also emphasizes His oneness, which is not shared by anyone, and His existence for all eternity, as mentioned in Surah 112.

Say He is Allah the One and Only.Allah, the Absolute, the Eternal.He begot none, nor was He begotten. And no one is comparable to Him.

Thus did Islam attract me to its sublime and sacred fold—Islam the purest and most sublime of the revealed religions, unsullied by apostasy or the doctrine of incarnation.

ACCEPTANCE OF ISLAM

On the 8th of Ramadan I entered the mosque for the first time with two companions. My soul and conscience became purified in the melting pot of magnificent faith. I underwent that sweet, pleasant experience which opened to me the door of salvation. Every bit of my body pulsated with a pious soaring, high in the high heavens. Neither did I feel disgusted nor perplexed—No, never. It was the radiation of brilliant light which shone outside and inside of me which acquainted me with who I really was. Soft, soothing, melodious inner voices whispered to me that from now onwards, till the end of my life, my path was Islam. In this moment which rose high above the summits of time, I stood before Allah, the One and Only, the Almighty, the Forgiving. His most High Spirit embraced me and asked me to resign myself to His care after the period of my prolonged loss and misfortune. Immediately after concluding the prayer, I took the Holy Book at the gate of the Al-Husain mosque, and came back home imbibing enlightenment from the seas of its sacred verses and its eternal, clear wisdom by which I was thoroughly overwhelmed. This is the Book of God "about which there is no doubt.""Falsehood cannot come at it from before it or behind it." (41:32)

It shall remain preserved till the end of the world without distortion or change.

"We have without doubt, sent down the message; andWe will assuredly guard it (from corruption)." (15:9)

In plunging into this Divine, copious and flowing bounty, I uttered the two Shahdatain (testimonies) and announced my Islam to Allah. So that the firmness of my faith might flourish and its impact on me might grow strong, I began to read books and works of contemporary Muslim thinkers who command influence in the Arab and other Muslim countries, Aqqad, a famous literary figure in Egypt, being one of them.

I hope in all humbleness that Allah may accept my Islam which I have embraced heart and soul as my last refuge. I have entered the fold of Islam in love of God, and His Prophet whose status is sublime and exalted and whose personality is unique and exceptional. I have always appreciate and honored him in the past and have an unflinching belief that he is the greatest of all personalities to love an indelible mark on the annals of world history.

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