Asalam~O~Alykoum Brothers and sisters


Ramadan Mubarak to all Muslims all over the world. Yesterday I came though a great article that I think it could help many Muslims out there. So I decided to share it with everyone. Hope it helps.


Salam~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Niyyah (intention) is a required condition in fard (obligatory) fasts, and in other obligatory fasts such as making up missed fasts or fasts done as an act of expiation (kafaarah), because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no fast for the person who did not intend to fast from the night before.”


(Reported by Abu Dawood, no. 2454. A number of the scholars, such as al-Bukhaari, al-Nisaa'i, al-Tirmidhi and others thought it was likely to be mawqoof. See Talkhees al-Hubayr, 2/188)


The intention may be made at any point during the night, even if it is just a moment before Fajr. Niyyah means the resolution in the heart to do something; speaking it aloud is bid’ah (a reprehensible innovation), and anyone who knows that tomorrow is one of the days of Ramadaan and wants to fast has made the intention. (Majmoo’ Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam, 25/215). If a person intends to break his fast during the day but does not do so, then according to the most correct opinion, his fast is not adversely affected by this; he is like a person who wants to speak during the prayer but does not speak. Some of the scholars think that he is not fasting as soon as he stops intending to fast, so to be on the safe side, he should make up that fast later on. Apostasy, however, invalidates the intention; there is no dispute on this matter.


The person who is fasting Ramadaan does not need to repeat the intention every night during Ramadaan; it is sufficient to have the intention at the beginning of the month. If the intention is interrupted by breaking the fast due to travel or sickness – for example – he has to renew the intention to fast when the reason for breaking the fast is no longer present.


Making the intention the night before is not a condition of general nafl (supererogatory) fasts, because of the hadeeth narrated by ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her), who said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon me one day and said, ‘Do you have anything [food]?’ We said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘In that case I am fasting.’” (Reported by Muslim, 2/809, ‘Abd al-Baaqi). But in the case of specific nafl fasts such as ‘Arafaah and ‘Aashooraa’, it is better to be on the safe side and make the intention the night before.


If a person embarks on an obligatory fast, such as making up for a day missed in Ramadaan, or fulfilling a vow, or fasting as an act of expiation (kafaarah), he must complete the fast, and he is not permitted to break it unless he has a valid excuse for doing so. In the case of a naafil fast, “the person who is observing a voluntary fast has the choice either to complete the fast or to break it” (reported by Ahmad, 6/342) – even if there is no reason to break it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) got up fasting one morning, then he ate. (As reported in Saheeh Muslim, in the story of the al-hais (a type of food) that was given to him as a gift when he was in ‘Aa’ishah’s house; no. 1154, ‘Abd al-Baaqi). But will the person who breaks his fast for no reason be rewarded for the fasting that he has already done? Some of the scholars say that he will not be rewarded (al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/13), so it is better for the person who is observing a voluntary fast to complete it, unless there is a valid, pressing reason for him to stop fasting.


If a person does not know that Ramadaan has started until after dawn, he has to stop eating and drinking for the rest of the day, and he has to make that day up later on, according to the majority of scholars, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no fasting for the one who does not have the intention to fast from the night before.” (Reported by Abu Dawood, 2454).


If a prisoner or captive knows that Ramadaan has begun by sighting the moon himself or by being told by a trustworthy person, he has to fast. If he does not know when the month is beginning, he must try to work it out for himself (ijtihaad) and act according what he thinks is most likely. If he later finds out that his fasting coincided with Ramadaan, this is fine according to the majority of scholars, and if his fasting came after Ramadaan, this is fine according to the majority of fuqahaa’, but if his fasting came before Ramadaan, this is not acceptable, and he has to make up the fast. If part of his fasting coincided with Ramadaan and part of it did not, what coincided with it or came after it is fine, but what came before is not OK. If the matter never becomes clear to him, then his fasting is fine because he did the best he could, and Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. (Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 28/84).


By: Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid


Source:www.islamway.com

Bismillah:


-----------------


IOL Philippines Correspondent


When Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari wanted Mindanao to secede and become an Islamic state, a Mindanao-born theologian and sociologist was among the first to rise and argue that the southern Philippine island is never home to Muslims alone.


Catholic priest Estanislao Soria campaigned against the Moros’ takeover of the whole of Mindanao. “I vehemently disagreed with Mr. Misuari. I campaigned against the Moro movement,” said Soria, who used to be popularly known as “Father Stan.”


Soria did not want to argue without basis as he is an academic and theologian schooled in the Jesuit-run learning institutions.


He embarked on a historical and sociological research to back his arguments. In the back of mind, though, was the thought of the need to convert Muslims to Christianity. This also brought him to read Islamic writings, and, quite surprisingly, lead him to revert to Islam.


“As a linguist well-versed in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, I thought I can learn Arabic that easily. I also wanted to translate Arabic writings into English as well as translate Western ideologies like existentialism into Arabic but I realized it was difficult,” he told IslamOnline.net.


Soria believed that making Western writings available in Arabic would lead Muslims in Mindanao to appreciate Christianity more than Islam. “I wanted to open their minds to Christianity because I had heard a lot of negative things about the Muslims. I told myself they have to be educated.”


But in getting deep into his readings, Soria realized that persons considered as “Church fathers” such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, got their knowledge from Islamic readings and teachings; that many of the so-called Western ideologies and theologies have long been discussed in Islam.


“[My readings] enlightened me that Western civilization’s thoughts sprung from Islamic teachings. After reading more works of Islamic theologians, I strongly changed my views on Islam,” he told IslamOnline.net.


Soria added, “I even realized that the Gospel of Barnabas is even more credible than the gospels of the four evangelists [included in the Christian Bible].” The Gospel of Barnabas is a work purporting to be a depiction of the life of Jesus by his disciple Barnabas. It is also considered to be pro-Islamic.


He, too, found out through his sociological research that most of the negative things said of the Filipino Muslims were untrue. “They were not what they were stereotyped to be.”


In 2001, Soria, who had served as parish priest in various cities and towns in Metro Manila after taking his college and theology studies at Xavier University and Loyola School of Theology, both of the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University, reverted to Islam.


He has since been known as Muhammad Soria, but many, including his Muslim friends, still call him “Father Stan.”


The 64-year-old Soria said his decision was met with condemnation and disgust by most of his relatives and former parishioners, an experience similar to what many of the Muslim reverts, locally known as Balik Islam, go through. This, however, did not deter him from leaving the priesthood after 14 years and embracing Islam.


Soria is getting used to Islam, which to him is not only a religion but a way of life.


He has gone on Hajj in Makkah five times already, being a member of the Islamic Da`wah Movement of the Philippines. He also married a 24-year-old woman last year after living a celibate life as a priest.


Soria said that if there is one thing that Muslims should learn from Christians, it is being organized. To him, having a structure would greatly help in spreading Islam as structure helped the Christians.


For example, he said, Muslims should put up universities all over the globe, as Catholic missionaries did with their universities. Also, “why can’t Islamic states produce preachers and do what the Christian missionaries did?” he asked.


He further said there is a need to “intellectualize Islam through rationality” because by doing so the teachings embodied in the Qur’an would be better appreciated by people totally new to it.


He is also ecstatic about the annual fast this Ramadan. He said he is again reminded of the sunrise to sundown fast’s “spiritual value” in contrast to the Christian’s dieting “which is too material or human.”


Soria said, “In Islam, we are taught that if you discipline your body the Creator would grant your wish.” Harmony between Filipino Muslims and Filipino Christians in this largely Christian nation, amid the stereotyping of Muslims as terrorists, is among the wishes he prays to be granted.


source: Father Soria... ISLAMONLINE

<b>Stories of the Awliya</b>


By: <b>Hajj Mustafa Ali</b>


<i>Sister Shakura</i>


There is a great tradition from the Prophet Muhammad, where he says:


<b>“The Moumin is the Mirror of the Moumin”</b>


All human beings contain the divine message, that Allah is in-charge of all things.


If we have the inward panorama of Iman (faith) and establish reliance on it, we will naturally reflect this inwardness to others, benefiting not only ourselves but others as well. It is like phenomena of sympathetic cords. When a cord is strung on a musical instrument, it vibrates other instruments of like nature with the same notes. In the same way if we have illness and confusion within, we will reflect it to others, damaging not only ourselves, but also those around us.


Our lives and deaths are full of its signs and often we gift each other with precious moments of reflection that change our lives and the lives of others forever.


In the ultimate picture of balance, humans are outwardly dependant upon each other, and inwardly dependant exclusively to Allah. We need each other to see ourselves. The most precious secret of the path is to realize that the world around us, including all other beings, human, animals and vegetables, are aspects and signs of our own selves. This is clearly demonstrated in the first revelation from Allah, via the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad, where Gabriel orders him, as it states in the Qur`an, as follows:


<b>In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.</b>


Read in the Name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clot. Read for your Lord is Most Bountiful. Who taught by the use of the pen. Taught man what he knew not.


These first verses of the Qur`an were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad after he had spent many days, weeks and sometimes months in isolation in a cave on Mt. Hira. This was the way of all Prophets before him. In retreating from the outer world one can inwardly expand the gift of awareness to its human limits and through the grace of the Lord, break the bounds of the limited consciousness to realization and enlightenment to the one and only consciousness behind all created beings. The order to “read” was both a command and a statement of truth, from Allah, revealing to the Prophet his divine station and purpose. He read what was before him, the ever-generous and effulgent symphony of realities that all indicate the one and only reality behind it all. The Prophet awoke to the true and ultimate purpose of mankind. But more so and above others, he was charged to be the ultimate mirror and guide to others on this path of realization.


This process hold true for all of us, whether we are aware of it or not. The creation around us mirrors our lives and speaks to us relentlessly about ourselves. Either we are awake and “read” the message directed at us, or we remain asleep and the content of our life is wasted.


In the fall of 1986, I was attending an Islamic conference for Zahra Publication, to introduce and sell our publications. We had a booth in one of the conference halls where there were dozens of other book publishers, food importers and various Muslim wares on offer. The conference was over a three-day period. On the second day I was there, an Iraqi man had come to chat with me several times. At first the conversation was of a light nature, but as the day grew on, his visits, and words began to hint of something of greater importance he wished to share with me. I did not let on that I was aware of his subtle hints, wanting him to feel comfortable and not wanting to appear prying into his affairs. Towards the end of the day he approached me and said that he had a problem that he wanted to discuss with me. He explained how he could not discuss this with most others, and how he felt comfortable with me. He sat down next to me and told me about the problems he was having with his wife.


He started his story by telling me that he had gone through a major transformation in the last few years. Being raised a Muslim in Iraq he admitted to not having much appreciation for Islam. That it was for the most part a cultural aspect of his life. In regard to belief in God or in the practice of Islam, he had no belief and little inclination to the outer practices of Islam. He was educated in the UK, where he met his wife and after graduation took up a job in the USA where he remained to this day. His life was typically American, with the exclusion of diet, to which he and his family remained loyal to Iraqi cuisine. His wife and him drank, wine and other spirit drinks, and there was the occasional affair with other women. He was unhappy, but could not ever put his finger on where the source of his discontent was coming from.


One day he was visiting a friend in a hospital in Michigan, when over the public address system there was a call for anyone who could read Arabic. For some reason he explained, when hearing this message he suddenly felt overcome with a sense of urgency to answer that request. He immediately went to the information counter of the hospital and volunteered his services as an Arabic reader. Within minutes a doctor and a nurse came to escort him to a room where there was a women dying of cancer in her last moments of life. When relating this part of the story his eyes filled with tears. He dropped his head and under his breath he said: “I wish Allah had given me a wife like this woman”. He continued to the story. The doctor explained that the woman dying was a Muslim and her last request was to hear the Qur`an being recited as she passed on to the next world. He could not believe what he was being asked to do. He had not picked up a Qur`an for the better part of his adult life, he didn’t even believe in Allah let alone is someone to read it to someone as their last dying request. But all that consideration evaporated, when he saw the face of the women lying in the hospital bed. Her face was shown with a golden light, there was a deep peace and joy in the room that could be seen reflected in the faces of all others present in the room. All considerations he put aside, all thoughts fell away. He knew in his heart that he was meant to be there. He picked up the Qur`an, hands shaking, and heart trembling and began to recite suratul Ya Seen. The words fell on his tongue like sweet drops of rain on earth long parched by drought. His eyes ran like rivers, as he watched the last moments of life lift from her face. To this day he said he hears her last words, like a mantra in his mind; Allah, Allah, Allah, into silence.


After finishing the chapter through, he greeted the family of the deceased and with tears in his eyes and words chocking in his throat, he expressed his gratitude to them and the honor of being witness to such an event. He could not fully explain them or entirely understand what had really and fully happened that day to him, but his life was now changed forever. Upon returning to his home he explained to his wife what had happened. She was quick to dismiss the entire episode as a fluke and criticized his weak character in the whole event. But he knew different. He made a pledge that night, to make amends for all his bad behavior, to memorize the entire Qur`an, becoming a Hafiz of the Qur`an. He would from that day forward, do his prayers and fully adopt the teaching of Islam into his life. But this did not impress his wife in the way he had wished. She became more and more bitter from his new commitment to Islam. She refused to pray, or do anything that had to do with Islam. She even went as far as to spill a glass of wine over the head of her husband while he was in prostration on his prayer mat. Soon she was having affairs with other men and the writing was on the wall, it was a marriage that was coming to an end.


His reason for telling me all this was to ask my advice in this matter. He felt that maybe he should not let her go, in the hope that she would eventually come around and accept Islam for herself. I would have agreed, but this situation had been going on for the past four years, and it had just gotten worse. My suggestion was clear in my mind and heart. Divorce the women. I told him that there were plenty of women who would love to marry him. He agreed and said that he would act on it as soon as he returned home. He then said again how he would have loved to know that woman who died. That he would love to find someone like her to have as a life’s companion. I said, you never told me her name. He answered that her name was Shakura. Upon hearing her name, I was overwhelmed. My hair stood up on end and my tears flowed out in awe. It was Shakura, a member of our community in San Antonio, Texas, whom I had personally known for the past seven years, until she had become ill with cancer and returned to her family for her last days. I could only say Subhan ALLAH! How can this happen? Only by Allah’s generous plot and design. He was shocked when I told him that I also knew her for many years. Allah is great. How this man was guided to pick me out of a crowd of thousands attending the conference, to tell me this amazing story, and I know her. Subhan Allah!


<b></b>


May Allah give us the honor of her company in the Garden of the next life.


May Allah protect us from the illusion that we are in-charge of our lives.


May we always look to His guidance in all things, and fill our hearts with His light and nothing else.


May Allah bless Shakura, give her the ultimate station of witnessing, and ease on the day of rising.


Ameen.

http://news.ibn.net/newsframe.asp?url=http...1881207,00.html


Staff and agencies


Tuesday September 26, 2006


EducationGuardian.co.uk


The US government has refused to grant a visa to the Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, <b>a vocal critic of the US invasion of Iraq,</b> but has dropped earlier charges against him of supporting terrorism, it has emerged.


Mr Ramadan, a Swiss citizen and a visiting fellow at Oxford, said he received an official letter clearing him of the charges that prevented him taking a job at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.


But the US sustained the visa ban, imposed in 2004, saying that Mr Ramadan had contributed $600 (£400) to a group providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians.


Janelle Hironimus, a State Department spokeswoman, said a US consular officer had last week denied Mr Ramadan's application for a temporary business and tourism visa based on new information the government had learned about the scholar.


She said it had been determined that Mr Ramadan was ineligible to enter the country "based solely on his actions, which constituted providing material support to a terrorist organisation."


Ms Hironimus said she could not reveal specifics about Mr Ramadan's case due to confidentiality rules regarding visa applications.


The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said the US government had notified Mr Ramadan that he was being denied a visa because he donated money French and Swiss organisations that provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians.


The ACLU said the organisations are legitimate charities in France, but the Bush administration contends the groups gave funds to the militant Islamic group Hamas and has invoked a law allowing it to exclude individuals whom it believes have supported terrorism.


"This case is really about speech," said Jameel Jaffer, an ACLU lawyer. "The government is using the immigration laws as a means of silencing and stigmatising a prominent critic."


Mr Ramadan, whose family fled Egypt to settle in Switzerland, has said he opposes the US invasion of Iraq and US policies in Israel and the Palestinian territories, but has no connections to terrorism, opposes Islamic extremism and promotes peaceful solutions.


On his website, Mr Ramadan said in a statement Monday that he brought the donations to the State Department's attention and that the organisations "are not deemed suspect in Europe, where I live."


"I donated to these organisations for the same reason that countless Europeans - and Americans, for that matter - donate to Palestinian causes: not to provide funding for terrorism, but because I wanted to provide humanitarian aid to people who are desperately in need of it," he said.


In a letter received by Mr Ramadan on Thursday, he said the State Department had put an end to rumors surrounding his case since the government revoked his visa in 2004 on grounds he had "endorsed or espoused" terrorist activity, a claim the government later dropped.


He said the 2004 revocation had come as a shock after he had accepted a double-tenured position at the University of Notre Dame, rented a house in South Bend, Indiana, and enrolled his children in schools there.


"I have consistently opposed terrorism in all of its forms,' he said. "While I have criticised specific United States policies, I have always condemned terrorism and I continue to do so today."


In 2005, Mr Ramadan applied for a visa that would allow him to temporarily visit the United States to lecture or attend conferences, as he had done prior to 2004 when he spoke at Harvard University, Stanford University and elsewhere.


When the State Department did not rule on the application, the ACLU brought a lawsuit on behalf of several groups which had invited Mr Ramadan to speak to force it to act.


In June, a US district judge ordered the government to rule on Mr Ramadan's application within three months.


In his statement on Monday, Mr Ramadan said it was "clear from the history of this case that the US government's real fear is of my ideas."


Ms Hironimus defended the government's policies, saying the United States "welcomes the exchange of culture and ideas with the Islamic world."


But Mr Jaffer said the ACLU had an option to return to court to argue that the government was using immigration laws to censor political debate in the United States.


"We do think this is reflective of a broader pattern. Increasingly, the government is relying on the immigration laws as a tool to manipulate debate here in this country," he said.

Can anyone tell me what this number means to them if at all anything.

AssalmuAlaikum


Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) Sermon on welcoming the month of Ramadan


O People! The month of Allah (Ramadan) has approached you with His mercy


and blessings. This is the month that is the best of all months in the


estimation of Allah. Its days are the best among the days; its nights are


the best among the nights. Its hours are the best among the hours.


This is a month in which he has invited you. You have been, in this month,


selected as the recipients of the honors of Allah, the Merciful. In this


holy month, when you breathe, it has the Sawab/thawab (heavenly reward) of


'Tasbeeh' (the praise of Allah on rosary beads), and your sleep has the


thawab of worship.


Your good deeds are accepted in this month. So are your invocations.


Therefore, you must invoke your Lord, in right earnest, with hearts that


are free from sins and evils, that Allah may bless you, observe fast, in


this month, and recite the Holy Qur'an.


Verily! The person who may not receive the mercy and benevolence of Allah


in this month must be very unfortunate having an end as bad (in the


Hereafter). While fasting, remember the hunger and thirst of tomorrow in


Qiyamat. Give alms to the poor and the needy. Pay respects to your elders.


Have pity on those younger than you and be kind towards your relatives and


kinsmen. Guard your tongues against unworthy words, and your eyes from


such scenes that are not worth seeing (forbidden) and your ears from such


sounds that should not be heard by you.


Be kind to orphans so that when your children become orphans they also may


be treated with kindness. Do invoke that Allah may forgive your sins. Do


raise your hands at the time of Salat (Prayers), as it is the best time


for asking His mercy. When we invoke at such times, we are answered by


Him, when we call Him, He responds, and when we ask for anything, it is


accepted by Him.


O People! You have made your conscience the slave of your desires; make it


free by invoking Him for Istighfar (repentance/forgiveness). Your back is


breaking under the heavy load of your sins, so prostrate before Him for


long intervals and make it lighter.


Do understand fully well that Allah has promised in the name of His


Majesty and Honor that He will not take to task such people who fast and


offer Salat in this month and perform 'sajda' (prostration), and will


guard their bodies against the Fire of Hell on the Day of Judgment.


O People! If anybody amongst you arranges for the 'Iftar' (food for the


ending of the fast) of any believer, then Allah will give him a reward as


if he has set free a slave. He will forgive his minor sins.


Then the companions of the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "But everybody amongst


us does not have the means to do so?"


The Prophet told them: - Keep yourself away from the Fire of Hell, by


inviting for 'Iftar', though it may consist of only half a date or simply


with water if you have nothing else. O People! Anybody who may cultivate


good manners in this month will walk over the 'Siraat' (Bridge) in


'Qiyamat', though his feet may be shaking.


Anybody who in this month may take light work from his servants (male or


female), Allah will make easy his accounting on the Day of Judgment.


Anybody who does not tease others in this month, Allah will keep him safe


from His wrath in Qiyamat. Anybody, who respects and treats an orphan with


kindness in this month, Allah shall look at him with dignity in Qiyamat.


Anybody who treats well his kinsmen, in this month, Allah will bestow His


mercy on him in Qiyamat, while anybody who maltreats his kinsmen in this


month, Allah will keep him away from His mercy, in Qiyamat.


Whoever offers 'Sunnat' (Recommended) prayers in this month, Allah will


give him a certificate of freedom from Hell. Whosoever offers one 'Wajib'


Salat in this month, for him the Angels will write the rewards of 70 such


prayers, which were offered by him in any other months.


Whosoever recites repeatedly 'Salat and salam' on me, Allah will keep the


scales of his deeds heavy, when in Qiyamat the scales of others will be


tending towards lightness.


Whosoever recites in this month only one 'Ayat' (verse of the Holy


Qur'an), he will be rewarded in a manner as if he had recited the full


Qur'an in the other months.


O People! The Gates of Paradise remain opened in this month. Do invoke


that the gates may not be closed on you, while the Gates of Hell are


closed. Do invoke that these gates may never be opened. During this month


Shaytan (Saten) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power


over you.

Hello everyone, I am fairly new to the forum. I am here seeking knowledge. I should begin by telling you all where my interest stems from and why I am here. A brief summary: My path of schooling has led to many discussions on Islam. I have found that many people I come in contact with have opinions, but do not really have a base knowledge. My search for education has led me here, to this discussion forum and I am seeking thoughts from those that are here.


I was raised Christian, but I do not hold the opinion that one faith is more credible than another. So, I will offer no biased opinions on which faith is better. I am simply interested in a different point of view. Since there are people on here from all over the world, I am excited to learn what I can from each of you. I am often in the minority in my classes when discussions arise.


I have a question about the Sunni and the Shiites (I hope I spelled that right). I have studied a little on it, and have found no definite answer in what the difference is between Sunni and Shiites. The best that I can gather on it is that there is a difference in the intrepretation of Islam. If that is correct, then what are the differences? Any information on this would be appreciated.


If anyone can break this down to me, in your own words, I would be grateful.


Thank you to all who respond.


-Laura

peace be upon you.


I find you interesting. Yet you're posts are so long. I hope to chat with you here.


Questions for you:


1) Why do you think you are a reincarnation of God?


2) Do you think the Qur'an has authority?


3) What is your favourite country?


May God bless you.

Prepared by Shah Kirit Bin Kakulal Govindji


E-Mail: language@tm.net.my


Hand phone: 6-019-555 7770


CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM


Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods and some others in 330 million gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe and worship only one God.


The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!


Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word `God’ with an apostrophe `s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belongs to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.


Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is G-o-d. The Muslim says everything is G-o-d-’s. If the Muslims and the Hindus can work out on the difference of apostrophe ‘s’, then the Muslims and the Hindus can become closer, InsyaAllah.


To gain a better understanding on the concept of God in Hinduism, let us analyse the Hindu scriptures.


The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita. Consider the following verse from the Gita;


“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.” [bhagavad Gita 7:20]


“Ekam evadvitiyam”


“He is One only without a second” [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1


“Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah.”


“Of Him there are neither parents nor lord.” [svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2


“Na tasya pratima asti”


“There is no likeness of Him” [svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3


“Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam.”


“His form is not to be seen, no one sees Him with the eye.”


[svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4


“Na tasya pratima asti”


“There is no image of Him” [Yajurveda 32:3]5


“Shudhama poapvidham”


“He is bodiless and pure” [Yajurveda 40:8]6


“Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”


“They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements” (Air, water, fire, etc.).


“They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti (created things; table, chair, idol etc.).” [Yajurveda 40:9]7


“Sages (learned priests) call one God by many names.” [Rigveda 1:164:46]


Among the various attributes of God in [Rigveda 2:1:3];


Brahma, which means ‘The Creator’ or ‘Khaliq’ in Arabic.


Vishnu, which means ‘The Sustainer’ or ‘Rabb’ in Arabic.


Muslims can have no objections if Almighty God is referred to as


‘Khaliq’ - ‘The Creator’ - ‘Brahma’ or ‘Rabb’ - ‘The Sustainer’ - ‘Vishnu’.


However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads or Vishnu who has four arms, the Muslims take strong exception to it. Muslims can never accept any image of God.


As mentioned earlier, this also goes against [svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19] and [Yajurveda 32:3];


“Na tasya pratima asti”


“There is no image of Him”.


“Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata”


“O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone.” [Rigveda 5:1:81]8


Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:


“Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste Kinchan”


“There is only one God, not the second;


Not at all, not at all, not in the least bit”.


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1. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]


[sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanihads part 1’ page 93]


2. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]


[sacred Books of the East, volume 15 ‘The Upanihads part II’ page 263]


3. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 and 737]


[sacred Books of the East, volume 15 ‘The Upanihads part II’ page 253]


4. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]


[sacred Books of the East, volume 15 ‘The Upanihads part II’ page 253]


5. [Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]


6. [Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T.H. Griffith 538]


7. [Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T.H. Griffith 538]


8. [Rigveda Samhita vol. 9 pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]

Is there life on other planets?


I wonder if this is not one of the big questions of how people see the world differently.